Lee listened to Tarin, and while it did sound similar to how hockey was organized, that would make it easier. Except that there were two leagues competing together?

Yeah, that was going to be a little difficult to sort out and learn.

”I didn’t say it had to be baseball. You’ve been through enough.”

Lee shook her head, but quickly stopped as that pushed her jaw into her ice pack. “I was just joking,” she told him softly. “We can watch baseball, that’s ok.”

Somewhat reluctantly, Tarin turned the channel to the Mets game. They were, predictably, losing going into the 8th inning. Grabbing the bill of his hat and pulling it down more fully over his eyes for a moment, Tarin sighed. ”The good news is, they can’t get any worse.” he said, before adjusting the hat so he could actually see.

Things didn’t really get better through the 8th inning, and Tarin couldn’t help himself from continually glancing over at Lee. Maybe it was a weird thing to think, but he was so damn proud of what she’d done in that video. He was also glad that other people were getting to see it and couldn’t help but think that eventually Lee would have to see what everyone else seemed to see.

But still.

”I don’t like it when you’re hurt.” he said, softly,

Tarin flipped to the game that he actually wanted to watch and then pulled his hat down over his eyes. “Well, at least the only place to go is up?” Lee said, though even her voice wasn’t that confident or hopeful.

But she did sit there and watch the game with him. And understood enough of it to know that it wasn’t going well for his team. At all. Though Lee did notice occasionally that he would glance over at her.

”I don’t like it when you’re hurt.”

Lee turned to look at Tarin apologetically. “I know,” she said, her voice also quiet. “I promise, this isn’t a normal thing, even when I can get a decent sparring partner.”

“I know. I promise, this isn’t a normal thing, even when I can get a decent sparring partner.”

Tarin nodded when Lee said it, but he also frowned, ”I don’t like it, but if it makes you this happy you should do it.” he said, and then sat there thoughtfully for a few moments, trying to figure out exactly what he thought and much more difficult what he felt. It was too complicated to parse.

Bottom of the 9th. ”Last chance.” he said, nodding at the TV.

It wasn’t like it mattered, they were down by 3 runs

”Need anything? Ibuprofen? More ice?”

He didn’t like it, but Tarin said that she should still do it if sparring like this made her happy. Lee gave Tarin a smile. “Well, I doubt I’ll do this again,” Lee said, giving a slight wave of her hand to indicate her current condition. “But I do like sparring when I get the chance.

But a new inning was starting, and Lee turned back to the TV when Tarin did. The 9th inning? That had to be the last one, right? No wonder baseball games always seemed to last forever.

When Tarin asked if she needed anything, Lee turned to check the time on her phone. “Actually yes,” she said as she turned back to look at Tarin. “I’d love a drink and could take more ibuprofen. But I think I’m honestly iced out for the moment.”

Tarin couldn’t help but be a little happy when Lee said that she probably wasn’t going to fight like she had today again. It was her call, but this just was not conducive to…much of anything.

Lee commented that she could, in fact, use a drink and some ibuprofen, and Tarin pushed off from the couch, dismissively waving at the TV as the second out of the bottom of the 9th was logged.

”I’ll take those too…” Tarin said, taking the various bags of veggies she handed him and heading to the kitchen. Into the freezer the veggies went, in their own little corner so they wouldn’t get confused with things that were fit for consumption.

Next Lee got her water and ibuprofen and Tarin returned with the cup and bottle just in time to see that last out recorded.

”Game over, so glad I watched.” he said, dropping back into his seat and holding out both items for Lee to take. That accomplished, Tarin took off his hat and tossed it on the coffee table, whole lot of good it had done.

Once Tarin was up, Lee handed over the bags of once frozen vegetables to him with a smile. Then after he had walked away, she leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes. She wasn’t tired, but she was weary. Her body just didn’t want to…be at the moment, and she knew that tomorrow would not be any fun either.

Lee knew she would be smart to move around before calling it a night, try to stretch at least a bit in hopes her muscles wouldn’t be as sore the next day, but…she could do that later, when she was already getting herself up off the couch.

What she wouldn’t give to have Sebastian or Slate around at the moment. Or even the Doc from the mansion, though he was slightly less desirable at the moment because of the lecture she was sure would accompany the healing.

When Lee felt Tarin returning, she opened her eyes and turned to look at him, smiling as he passed her a glass of water and the ibuprofen. “Thanks,” she said, then turned to look at the TV again. Where, sure enough, the announcers were starting to wrap up the game.

”Hmm,” she said thoughtfully after a couple moments before turning to look at Tarin again. “I guess that wasn’t so horrible.”

Lee admitted that baseball hadn’t been that bad and Tarin had to laugh a little bit, ”Both games, or the inning and a half of the Mets getting stomped that you just watched?” he asked, ”I guess we will have to work our way up to a whole game.”

Tarin glanced over at Lee and grinned, ”You’d look cute in a ball cap though.” he said.

That said, he scooped up the remote ”Any requests?” Tarin asked, starting to flip through the channels to find something else to watch. It was still early, after all.

Taking the ibuprofen, Lee rested her glass on the arm of the couch beside her as she listened to Tarin. “Over all?” she said, then shrugged and laughed at his comment that they’d have to work their way up to Lee watching a full game. “Though, I didn’t fall asleep, so I think that means you won in that respect.”

”You’d look cute in a ball cap though.”

At that, Lee raised her eyebrows as she looked at Tarin. “Oh you think so, do you?” She asked, trying to give him a serious ‘just try it look’, but she couldn’t quite keep her lips from trying to twitch into a smile.

Then Tarin was starting to flip through channels, looking for something to watch. “No action movies or anything with fighting? Otherwise, no not really.”

Tarin didn’t celebrate his win, not yet, he knew the battle might have been won, but the war wasn’t anywhere close to over. It was a step in the right direction though.

Lee didn’t seem to love Tarin’s idea about the ball cap and he looked her back right in the eyes, ”I take it back,” he said at her look, ”I think you’d look really cute in a ball cap.” he amended.

Then he was flipping channels again with Lee’s conditions in mind for whatever they were going to watch. That left sitcoms, animated shows, dramas, and romcoms.

Keeping his eyes peeled as he scrolled through the channels, he went past one, caught a snippet of the song, then came back to it. There were several girls and they were singing in what looked like some kind of show choir or something.

”Is this good?” he asked, settling back into the couch.

He actually took it back? Lee was surpris-

”I think you’d look really cute in a ball cap.”

Lee tried to look angry at him, she didn’t think she’d look so cute wearing a baseball cap, but an angry look was hard to achieve when you had also started blushing.

So instead, Lee sighed and turned her eyes to the TV, pretending to ignore Tarin until he started flipping through channels looking for something to watch.

It really didn’t take too long before he had stopped on something, and while it took a moment for Lee to identify the movie, she nodded. “It is. Well, I like it, anyway. It is a chick flick, though,” she warned as she glanced toward Tarin.

Lee could glower at him and sigh all she wanted, but as long as that blush was firmly on her cheeks, Tarin was going to stand by his opinion.

She didn’t argue anymore though and turned to watch the TV with a sigh.

Well okay.

It appeared after a moment that she did like the movie he’d found, but she warned that it was a chick flick, ”Maybe I like chick flicks.” he said. It wasn’t a lie. Tarin liked chick flicks just fine. He just usually didn’t watch them if he was by himself.

That meant good news all around, because Tarin had not seen this movie.

”So…uh…what’s the premise?” he asked.

”Maybe I like chick flicks.”

Lee slowly turned to look at Tarin, a small smile on her face. “That’s good to know,” she said, her voice quiet, before turning back to the TV.

It didn’t look like it was too far into the movie, but it had already made it past the very start introducing the premise. ”The main character wants to produce, or create, mix? I don’t know. But she wants to be in the music industry. She’s just started her first year of college, and her dad says she has to join at least one extracurricular activity.

“Apparently, acapella is very popular, and so…” Lee pauses as she turns to look at the TV again. ”Oh, here comes her audition.”

Tarin nodded his head as Lee explained the premise of the movie. It was simple, and cute, and one of those college experience movies that tended to be funny and fun without getting too serious.

Lee said that acapella was popular at this particular college and the main character was about to audition.

Tarin nodded his head and watched, casually stretching his arm back out across the center of the couch, palm up. Had they said holding hands was against the ground rules? Was Kevin even awake still? Tarin couldn’t remember, but figured Lee would let him know, and he just wanted to touch her. He chanced a glance over, her hands didn’t look bruised as far as he could tell.

The audition went predictably well, ”Is the cup the main character?” Tarin asked with a grin.

Lee took another sip of her water as she watched the audition. Though, when Tarin spoke afterwards, she laughed as she looked over to see him grinning. And sitting with his hand reached out part way toward her, palm up. ”No, the cup isn’t the main character,” she replied, leaning forward to set her glass on the coffee table. Then she slowly moved back onto the couch, though she ended up a bit closer to Tarin at that point. ”The cup is the main character in another, though similar, movie Pitcher Perfect.”

Grinning, she reached her hand out part way toward Tarin. ”But if you want to hold my hand,” she whispered. ”You’re going to have to move closer. I’m not reaching that far tonight.”