A/N Found this old one shot on my computer and realised I'd never posted it.
Coward. It was a word that Becker detested and one that he did everything in his power to make sure that no one would ever associate with him. He was the ultimate tough guy, too tough for anything but guns and tanks and the bigger the better. Becker didn't do emotions because they were the anti-tough, in his books.
Except then he overheard Abby and Emily talking one afternoon and one of them used that dreaded word coward and it was in application to him. How could anyone think that he, Captain Becker, the guy too tough for his own first name, was a coward? He felt immediately disgraced, rejected, and as if his entire purpose on earth had been defeated, and he was ready to shoot the first person to suggest that this meant he could feel emotions after all.
He listened more carefully and deducted that his severe personality flaw, the one that had caused him to be labelled a coward, was in regards to that ever-annoying girl that sat downstairs in the middle of the Hub. Jessica Parker. He'd avoided her a lot lately, because tough guys didn't fall in love, right? No one could know that he'd had these musings, inklings, about what it'd be like to spend some time with her outside of work, could they?
But Abby and Emily seemed to and they were even suggesting that he was a coward for not acting on these feelings. Becker didn't understand how this could be, because feelings were for cowards in the first place, right? He was man enough to not be affected by such silly things as he focused important things like saving the world. He tried to picture himself actually acting up on his inklings and asking Jess out but his palms started to sweat, his heart pounded in his chest, and as he became aware of his reaction to the thought he realised that maybe it wasn't so easy as he'd thought. Maybe, just maybe, someone had to be pretty darn tough to face these kind of emotions too. Yes, that was it. Well then, ultimate tough guy that he was, if he was going to prove himself to Abby and Emily he'd better start dating Jess immediately.
He turned on his heels and marched back down to the hub immediately. "Jessica Parker! You and I have a meeting tonight at 7pm, anomalies permitting."
He watched as Jess glanced, puzzled, at her day planner before turning to him. "We do? Are you sure? I don't have anything scheduled. I usually am very organized and I don't recall any meeting. I mean, not that I'm calling you a liar or anything because I'd never do that but I feel certain that I'd remember a meeting at such an odd hour, particularly one with you, I mean not that a meeting with you is more special than a meeting with anyone else, not that you're not special but…"
Becker interrupted her before she rambled on too much. "We didn't have a meeting before Jessica. We do now. Pencil it in."
"Oh, yeah, of course, that makes more sense." She started to scribble it into her planner before looking at him again and asking, "Where is it and what is it about?"
Becker sighed, frustrated at his lack of experience in this department, and then thought that Jess would be much better at this sort of thing so he'd best leave it up to her. "Wherever you want. Movie maybe? Or a nice restaurant? And whatever you want it to be about. We could just talk about stuff, or whatever, if you want. Or we could go dancing, but not if you choose the movie. I'm not dancing or talking in the cinema, that'd be rude. How about a play? Or ice cream?" He shut up because for a change he was the one rambling and he knew it.
Jess was staring at him as if he'd lost his mind. Finally after a moment's hesitation she said softly, "Becker, you're not describing a meeting. You're describing a date."
He shrugged, "Yeah that'd be a good word to use when you talk to Abby and Emily about it actually."
Jess was still staring at him as she asked, "Do I have a say in attending this so-called meeting?"
"Of course, but it is recommended and I am strongly advocating for you to attend."
Jess turned back to the ADD in order to hide her excited grin. If he was going to be so casual about this, so was she. "Fine," she agreed aloud. "I choose dancing."
Becker cringed, kicking himself for suggesting it. He was not a dancer. "A-are you sure?" he faltered unusually. "How about dinner? I might step on your feet, a lot."
Jess turned to him again, masking her expression and finding herself looking forward to watching Becker's attempts at dance. "I'm sure, but thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to wear closed-toes. Unless you're too nervous to try?"
Dancing it was.
The End