Working Shit Out

It was a pretty normal day at HQ. Looking at the surrounding area, one would think that the shit hadn't hit the fan and they were recovering from the largest hijacking there had been. Different units were going about their duties, always ready to ship out as needed. Other personnel were going about making sure that the base was functioning. Everyone had a specific job and they were getting it done. For some, it was still an uphill road of being fit for duty.

The training gym was virtually empty except for the pair of combatants sparring on the mat. Mike Harper was sweating and panting heavily as he tried to keep up with his sparring partner that was hell bent on making him work for being cleared for duty. He took a breather after getting a hard shove that sent him staggering back. He looked up at his opponent who was giving a bemused grin and said, "Hot damn, Sombra. That one's gonna leave a mark."

Simone Torres, Special Agent to the Secret Service and Spectre's right hand, looked at Harper with a smirk as she adjusted her stance. Her front arm was lowered, but ready to defend herself and her right was held ready to strike. She replied, "Don't be a baby, Harper. You wanna mark, you're gonna have to let me really kick your ass."

"Or you could use that whip of yours," Harper smirked and raised his brow.

He was ready for the strike that followed and managed to grab Torres by her arm, but he couldn't get a good grip since she moved to counter. He felt her foot smack the side of his face, stinging his ear. It wasn't enough to damage permanently, but a good reminder that she wasn't a boxer like he was. "Ooo, that one hurt," he taunted.

He spoke to soon. She delivered a well-placed strike to where the rebar had impaled his leg. It was healed but still sensitive and it caused Harper to wince and he hopped away. "No fair, Sombra."

"All's fair if you want to prove you're fit for duty, Harper," Torres countered as she took a step forward. She raised her brow while smirking.

Harper growled and lunged at her. He missed when she sidestepped and moved out of the way of his attack. He pivoted at the last second and grabbed her by the waist and picked her up so her feet left the ground and pinned her to the ground. He almost had her when he felt her heel dig into his shoulder and she actually pulled on his hair, making him yelp and roll away.

"What the fuck, Sombra?"

"All's fair," Torres replied as she squatted, ready to spring into action.

"When did you start fighting like a girl?" Harper rubbed where she had pulled his hair, trying to reduce the sting.

Torres raised his brow at him and Harper realized what he just said. He held up his hands in mock surrender, "You know I don't mean it like that."

Torres heard him but kept walking forward. She stalked like a predator and didn't let up, forcing Harper to defend himself. She didn't show mercy, making the punches harder and they stung since she was more like slapping him since she wasn't using her fists. Eventually, she got him down and in a pin. He managed to get out of it though and wrestled her until she was on her stomach and he had an arm pinned behind her back. He leaned forward and asked, "So… do I pass?"

Torres shifted to turn and look at Harper. She couldn't move since he had placed his weight effectively on her to prevent her from moving. She grinned, "Maybe, but you do know that this is only the second date."

Harper laughed as he got off her and extended a hand to help her up. He pulled her to her feet saying, "So how many more dates do we have to go on before you'll say something?"

Torres would have said something but her gaze was drawn to the corner. Harper noticed and turned to see none other than his friend and team leader, David, watching. And it was apparent that he heard everything. It made things seem awkward and the joviality between them died and almost painful death… at least from Harper's view.

Harper knew that things were in a weird sort of limbo between Torres and David. They weren't official and yet it was clear that they liked each other. David was a little possessive and it made itself known on a few occasions. David hadn't even been able to ask Torres out for whatever reason even though it was clear that he wanted to. Not to mention the incident where he had been seen outside Torres' place and made the really poor excuse of just being in the neighborhood. And that was after he had been jumped by Torres' dog and roommate, who turned out to be Anderson. He thought it funny, but also knew how his friend felt about the woman that really looked the definition of mousy. And that was before she let you have it.

Harper looked between the pair and broke the tension, "Well this has been fun. Thanks for the PT, Sombra." He picked up his towel and headed towards the showers. He paused and turned to look at both of them saying, "Hey maybe a beer later. All three of us."

Torres gave a half-hearted wave of agreement at that. She knew what Harper was trying to do and she appreciated it. She really liked David and didn't want him to get the wrong idea and things weren't exactly smooth after she found her roommate Anderson pinning him to the ground in front of their place and her dog barking at him when she came home from an evening run. It made an awkward situation even more so and now… She turned to see David approaching, looking like he was going to work out.

Blinking, Torres decided against hand to hand since that would be a little… Turning, she picked up two pairs of rattan escrima sticks. She tossed a pair at David, knowing he would catch them. She had been teaching him since she came back and he picked up on it pretty quick. Some other members of the team wanted to learn and she obliged, thankful that she kept up the Filipino martial arts training she had been doing since she was a young girl. She just hadn't had a chance to use it during their whole thing with Menendez.

Torres eyed David with a wary eye as he caught the sticks and maneuvered them easily into position. He still had that look on his face when she first spotted him as she and Harper were finishing up. It was one of the few times that she had no idea what he was thinking. She slid her own sticks into position and circled him and he followed suit.

David eyed Torres as he circled her. He had come in for their training session and arrived early enough to see Harper pin her to the ground. They were both grinning and joking about it. Jealousy was not an emotion he entertained much since there was no room for it and yet every time he noticed the ease in which she interacted with everyone else… It frustrated him. It frustrated him because he really liked her and wanted to profess it, but was never sure how she felt about it. She was always aloof or joking about her being there as part of the team.

He almost missed the first strike as Torres stepped forward with a swing with her left. He moved to defend and countered. She called it a way to work shit out because it required you keep up a rhythm and you suffered for it if you didn't concentrate enough. He certainly had proof of that when he ended up with red welts on his arms and knuckles the first few times. One time she got him on his thigh and swatted his rear for good measure causing laughs.

David knew it wasn't going to get any better unless they talked. And he wasn't pissed at Harper since his friend made it clear that it was just joking and PT training. He asked, "Harper do okay?"

"Fine," Torres replied as she countered and struck, keeping with the rhythm. "Once he focuses."

David chuckled at that, "That's Harper. And he complained when I kept him on the regimen Doc had him on." He sobered as he studied her while they practiced and moved. He swallowed slightly and decided to bite the bullet, "So… everything okay?"

Torres watched David as she maneuvered her sticks. The dull thud of them colliding was soothing and managed to keep her thinking reasonably. "Fine," she asked, a little puzzled at where this was going.

"You like living with Anderson… and the mutt." David muttered the last part since he still was sore about that.

"It's fine. Anderson's like the big sister I've never had," Torres replied after thinking about it a little. She had heard him mutter the last part and smirked slightly when she added, "JSOC is fine too. Good protection." She couldn't resist rubbing it in since it was funny afterwards.

David nearly growled at that, but couldn't blame her. He did come off as stalking when he followed her to her place and then came back to work up the nerve to ask her out. He deserved that and still got ribbed for it by Anderson. "Why that?"

"He liked it."

It had been uttered like it was the most obvious thing. David couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter. It startled Torres enough to make her take a step back and lower her weapon. He stared at her as she looked at him like he was crazy and gestured, "Come on, Torres. You renamed a retired MWD after the actual JSOC."

"He responded and I was talking about something completely different," Torres pointed out while pointing a stick in warning in David's direction. "I wasn't even supposed to be there."

David raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm not making fun of you." In a lower tone, "I wouldn't do that if it hurt your feelings." He cleared his throat and gestured that they should get back to it. "I was laughing because you made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world. Nothing wrong with it." He moved into position to show that he was serious and ready to get back to what they were doing. "Come on."

Torres studied him for a moment before sliding back into position, but instead of picking where they left off, she started circling, forcing him to do the same. She maneuvered her sticks for a better grip before starting the rhythmic striking again. After a few minutes, she said, "I know."

"I know what?" David frowned as he moved.

"That you wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt me," Torres clarified. She shifted, ready to move onto something different. She altered and started coming at David like she was attacking. She paused when she caught him across the knuckles, "Just as you know me."

David shook his hand to reduce the sting while eyeing her. The sudden shift in movement he was unprepared for and he got the feeling that she was teaching a lesson of sorts. He had gotten comfortable in their routine that he forgot that it was a style of fighting. He nodded, "True." He moved to strike with an overhand strike while keeping the other up to defend. "I know that you are quiet, observant, and no one suspects you being anything but that."

"Mousy works," Torres replied, remembering when she first offered that when they met. "Makes people think you are not up to no good." She countered and turned, like she was dancing, towards him, ready with another strike.

"And they don't see how feisty, passionate and complete badass you are," David replied. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he just let it out, "And I like and admire that about you."

"Dedication, loyal and up there in badassness," Torres countered. She frowned a little and asked, "Is badassness a word?" She shrugged as she continued with their match. "Things I like about you. And you can be gentle. I won't tell anyone though."

David managed to block but she didn't pull away. She was putting her weight on where she hit and was looking at him. He locked eyes with her and nodded. He replied in a low and husky tone, "And I don't mind showing that to only you."

Torres stepped back when he pushed back. She stood there for a moment before twirling her pair and stepped forward. She raised her left to defend the blow that came and brushed it aside like it was a bothersome fly. It forced David to try again and it let out a chain of attacks until he gave one of his more powerful blows and she blocked it. He could see her arm shake from feeling the percussion through the rattan, but she held it firm and she pushed against him, allowing her to say, "I'd like that."

David took a step back, more in shock. He didn't raise his weapon but stood there panting and studying her. She was doing the same. "Really?"

"Yes," Torres replied softly, her somber and studious. She was breathing heavily from the exercise, not moving.

David knew she was being serious and sincere. It was also that answer he was looking for. He was still nervous and swallowed slightly before asking, "Would you have dinner… with me?"

It grew quiet. In combat, quiet was never a good thing. Here, it was like before the ground falls from beneath your feet and it had David terrified. It had him thinking if he misjudged the situation. He was mulling through his thoughts when he heard her voice, but not her words. He said, "Sorry. What?"

"Yes," Torres repeated in a low tone, looking unsure.

It took a moment to process that she said she would. David blinked as he smiled at her. He watched as she shyly gave one in return. "Okay," he replied. It sounded very inadequate since it sounded like he was approving a decision or something. He had gone this far and pressed, "Tomorrow?"

Torres was too shy to say anything. She was well aware that this could bring up a whole slew of teasing. Most people never saw her shy side. It made her vulnerable and she was risking it with a man that went to hell and back with her to stop a man hell bent on sending the world into chaos because of what happened to his sister. And this man in front of her knew secrets about her that still brought fear to her heart because of what it could mean and he was being honest and sincere with her.

Knowing that he was waiting for an answer, she nodded, "That's okay. Where?"

"Can I surprise you?"

Another nod followed by David saying, "Seven? Pick you up?"

Torres nodded again but smiled. She couldn't help but tease him, "Well you already know where I live and with whom."

David groaned at that and rolled his eyes. "You won't let me live that one down, will you?"

"When it stops being funny."

David sighed since he had a pretty good idea that it would never stop being funny for her. "Then I guess I'm in for the long haul." He smiled to show that he was okay with it.

"Definitely. Until something else comes along," Torres teased as she slipped back into a stance. "Come on. We still got five minutes."

David shook his head at her while grinning. He moved back into position and watched her movements before moving to counter her strike. They continued to spar until he actually managed to knock both of hers out of her hands. She smiled in pride as she shook her hands from the sting. Taking the chance, he straightened up and walked towards her, holding his weapon in his left and reaching for her hand with his right.

They stood there staring at each other while David gently rubbed his thumb over her sore knuckles. This time she didn't pull away, but smiled and nodded. He understood what she meant and gave a gentle one before gently squeezing her hand and releasing it. Maybe it was not conventional but it worked and they had come to an understanding. And it took a 'fight' to have them work shit out.

A/N: Section and Torres work out their awkwardness and it took a 'fight' to do it. Set after Waves on the Shores of the Past. Enjoy.