Shot after shot rang through the bleak autumn air. She was the only one in the firing range, as usual this late in the day. The sun would be setting in about an hour and the range had closed two hours ago. Luckily for her, she had managed to become a friend of the owner, so he let her come in after hours. She heard footsteps behind her but ignored them, thinking it was the owner.
The steps came to a halt behind her and there was silence, other than the sound of her bullets.
"I thought I'd find you here." A man spoke from behind her. She straightened and turned on her heel. He stood behind her, leaning up against a wall with a smirk plastered on his face.
"Sir?" She raised a brow, looking around. Surely the owner hadn't let him in. He would know how much the Colonel would bother her. Then again, he was a much higher rank then either of them. "Do you need something?"
"Nope. I just wondered where you disappeared to everyday." He shrugged.
"Did it ever occur to you that I might have just gone home?"
He shook his head and pointed towards the parking lot. "Your car is always still here."
She blinked. "I see." She toyed with the pistol in her hands and looked over her shoulder.
"Carry on." He chuckled and waved her off. She nodded and turned back to her target. She shot off a few rounds before turning back to him.
"Sir, are you sure you don't need anything?" He had gotten to his feet and was now standing a few feet off to her side.
"I'm examining you."
She looked at him curiously as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I mean, I'm watching you. I mean… I'm trying to figure you out. Why are you out here practicing? You already have the best shot I think humanly possible."
She reloaded her gun and shrugged. "There is always room for improvement."
"Not for you, there isn't."
"I'm flattered, Sir, but I know I could get better."
He shook his head and walked over to her. He grabbed a pistol that was laying on a table next to her and tossed it from hand to hand. "I don't think I'm any good with these." He frowned. "Give me my gloves and I'll strike anyone down with excellent precision. Hand me one of these and I might as well be in a rainstorm." He grinned, and when he noticed he had gotten a small smirk onto her face, he allowed himself to chuckle.
"Well, Sir, practice makes perfect."
He shrugged and tossed it back onto the table. She grabbed it, checked the ammo, and extended it towards him. "Show me."
He looked a bit taken aback for a second before taking it. "If you insist. Just promise you won't laugh." He took position in front of the target. He aimed, and fired. She watched the bullet fly towards the target and graze the shoulder with attentive eyes.
"At least you hit it."
He frowned. "At least."
"Try again."
He inhaled deeply, took aim, and shot again. This time it whizzed by it's head. She offered a small smile when he looked over at her dejectedly.
"Again."
He aimed and shot, missing it's neck by several inches. She rolled her eyes playfully and walked to his side. "You're nervous."
"I'm not." He looked down at her defiantly.
She grabbed his hand and pried the gun from his grasp. "You are." She ran a finger over the trigger. "Your hands are sweating." She smirked and glanced up at him through her bangs.
He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "I'm embarrassed."
"Why?"
"I can't even hit the thing and I'm showing that to the best sharp-shooter in the military. That's a tad embarrassing."
She sighed and lay the weapon back down on the table. "Come back tomorrow night." She said simply.
He blinked and watched as she retrieved her uniform jacket off the floor and pulled it on. "Why?"
"I'm going to teach you how to fire a gun." She smiled and walked down the path towards the parking lot. He ran after her.
"Really? You think there's help for me?"
"Of course. It'll be hard, but I think you can do it." She saluted, opened her car door, and got in. He slammed the door shut for her and watched as she drove off.
"Well, this ought to be exciting." He mumbled, walking over to his own car and driving away.
The next day was rocky. He continued to miss, and she tried her best to direct him. The next day was the same. It was painfully obvious that they would get no where this way.
On the fourth day of practice, she was sitting on a bench, staring off into space when he approached her. "Ready?" He asked. She looked up at him and nodded. She got to her feet and grabbed the gun they had begin to call 'his.' He took it from her and got into the position she had shown him as an example. He lifted the gun, his arms out and taught. She had to admit, his posture was getting better. If nothing else.
He aimed and fired. Despite his pose and careful aim, he still missed by a millimeter. He released a frustrated sigh. "This is impossible."
She shook her head and instructed him to get back into position. He did so and put his finger on the trigger. Without warning, she put her arms around him and directed his arms with hers. Of course, she did so just as he pulled the trigger. He jumped, obviously startled, and the shot flew up into the graying sky. She sighed. "Sir, please calm down."
He swallowed and tried to regain his composure. He just… Wasn't used to the Lieutenant walking up behind him and grabbing him. That seemed like something he would do, certainly not her. Okay, maybe he was just thinking too hard. She was trying to help him, not freaking molest him. He tried to hide his smirk.
She pulled his arms a little farther up. "How do you expect to aim when your gun is so far down?" She asked. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He suddenly remembered their significant height different and crouched slightly. She didn't seem to notice. If she did, she didn't care.
Now that she could easily look over his shoulder, she held his arms in place. "Okay, now aim." He did so. "Is that really what you see?" He nodded. "Fire." He shot… And it skimmed the top of the target's head.
"Hey, I hit it!" He grinned.
"Try again." She sounded slightly impressed.
He took aim and fired. The bullet flew and shot through it's shoulder. He looked over at her with a dopey grin. She smiled back and took a step back. "Now try it again."
He frowned for a second, turned, and shot again. He barely missed the side of it's head. "Damn."
She returned to her position against his back and held his arms up again. "Stop letting your arms sag. Keep your elbows tight and try to keep the gun up to eye level." She instructed and took another step back.
He nodded and shot once again. He managed to hit the target nearly square in the chest. He aimed again and shot. This time, the bullet hit the top of it's shoulder. He frowned. "I don't get it. How come some times I hit it and some times I don't?"
She moved to look at him from the side and motioned for him to shoot. She nodded. "Exhale."
He exhaled.
"No, when you shot." She rolled her eyes.
"Oh." He aimed and exhaled a second before he shot. He hit it at the base of it's neck. "Good tip."
"Aren't they all?" She sat down and watched as he fired off the rest of the ammo in the gun. Afterwards, she nodded in satisfaction. "Very nice, Sir. You've finally made some improvement."
He flashed a smile. "Yeah, took long enough. Are you still gonna tutor me, or have I graduated?" He smirked at the idea of 'Hawkeye's school for the aspiring Sharpshooter.'
She shook her head briskly. "Not quite yet, Sir. Unless you're tired of my teachings."
"Far from it."
She grinned and they exchanged goodbyes.
The next day, he had somehow managed to get out of the office before she could. She found him waiting for her eagerly in the range. "Hello, Lieutenant! What am I learning today?"
She pulled off her jacket and tossed it aside. "Get on the floor."
"Excuse me…?" He stared at her.
"Get on the floor. Take this." She handed him his pistol.
He looked at her in confusion but did as she said.
"No, not there. Over there, so you can actually see your target."
"Oh." He got up and walked a few steps over to where the small booth way. He got on the ground and looked up at her. "You mean I have to shot while laying like this?"
"Do you only want to know the basics? I thought for sure you would want to broaden your horizons a bit." She stood back and crossed her arms over her chest.
"No, I mean, it's fine." He inhaled deeply and looked over at the row of targets. "How am I supposed to lay?"
She get down on her knees beside him and took his gun. She lay on her stomach, her elbows propping her up so she could aim. She aimed for a second and shot, hitting the target in the chest. He nodded, retrieved his gun, and tried to mimic her position.
He tried to aim, but ended up missing by a long shot. She suppressed a sigh and put one arm over him. "No, Sir. Hold you arms like this." She used her arms to position his again, while trying to hold them there without physically getting on top of him. "Like this." She muttered. Her position was awkward, trying to stay off of him. He nodded and shot. He hit the target in the shin.
"Good, but you should be aiming to kill, not incapacitate."
He smirked and nodded. With her still holding his arms in place, he took aim and fired, somehow managing to hit the target in the gut.
"Are you exhaling?" She asked, watching him nod his head.
She got back into a crouch beside him and motioned for him to fire again. He missed. She sighed and got back into her position. He shot and hit it directly in the chest. She waited for him to fire again. After a few shots, she moved away from him.
Of course, he missed. She positioned him once again and frowned when he hit it. She sighed and rested her chin on his shoulder lightly as he fired again. "You know, I'm beginning to think that you're enjoying this." She muttered.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and frowned. "Enjoying what?"
"Never mind."
They lay there for the rest of the day as he shot, until the sky grew too dark for him to see. She climbed off him and stood. Her back and shoulder felt stiff as she tried to stretch out. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the sky, that was slowly beginning to be dotted with stars. "Well, I think we should do this more often."
She glanced down at him and sat down beside him. "I don't know. I think you're beginning to get it. I'm not sure if you need my help anymore."
"Hm.. Maybe." He sounded thoughtful. "But I enjoy this."
"Enjoy what? Shooting things?"
"No, I enjoy your presence."
She rolled her eyes and smirked. "No, you enjoy it when I'm half on top of you."
He closed his eyes and smiled. "I can't believe you would think something like that about me, Lieutenant."
Hmph. Silly Roy, she can see straight through your little act of innocence.
I was gonna make this more romance-y but decided against it. What do you think? Reviews are craved.