DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!
I only wrote this story because Supreme Commander Fowler Birdy and Doctor Katherine "Kat" Manx are my two favorite characters and I really think they'd make a great (though highly unexpected) couple. Feedback is more than welcome. I hope you all enjoy.
…
The next two weeks flew by without any real catastrophes. Birdy's A-squad proved more a help than hindrance. Ramses took to advanced training with the senior cadets and Jay insisted on helping Kat out in the lab whenever he had spare time. The young avian got along really well with Boom and had a knack for chemicals and electronics that even Kat had to admire.
Phoebe spent a lot of her free time with Sophie helping the astonishingly humane robot with special tactics and hand-to-hand combat. Azriel excelled at academics and Onawa was an adrenaline junky who—due to her constant pranks and rebellious nature—had a tendency to get into quite a bit of trouble with the supreme commander who always reprimanded her by making her do community service or janitorial work around the academy.
Kat missed Sky, Bridge, Z, and Syd, but she was growing very fond of Phoebe and the rest of the A-squad. She was also getting used to seeing Birdy every morning in the mess hall. The supreme commander always waved at her when she entered the cafeteria and offered her the seat next to his on the dais overlooking the other quadrangular tables. He enjoyed healthy foods, usually oatmeal with milk or fruit salad with ice water, never anything too heavy. Kat found herself following suit after about a week. It made her feel healthier and far more awake which is why she was working late in her lab when she heard a soft thud outside her window.
Kat got up from her seat where she'd been analyzing her plans for a new SPD morpher and moved over to the window. She looked down into the training yard. Supreme Commander Birdy was practicing his hand to hand combat with a large overstuffed punching bag, balancing himself on the balls of his feet, dancing back out of the reach of some invisible enemy.
Kat cocked her head as she watched him. The avian was light on his feet, his movements quicker than any of their senior cadets. He'd taken his shirt and uniform jacket off; placing them on a nearby bench, so she couldn't help noticing his lean muscular physique, but it was the deep-rooted scars marring his back that caught her attention.
She left the lab and made her way to the training yard. Birdy was pummeling the leather bag, completely lost in a barrage of punches and kicks, when she placed her hand on his shoulder and he whirled fists raised. Kat jumped back caught off guard by his aggression. Birdy froze the moment he realized who she was.
"Dr. Manx," he panted, "I…I'm sorry. Are you alright? I didn't mean to frighten you."
"I'm fine," Kat replied, taking a moment to regain her composure. "I was in my lab. Do you usually train so late at night?"
"It…helps me relax," he explained, "I didn't think anyone was awake. My apologies if my exercises interrupted your studies."
Kat shook her head. "No need to apologize. I just…wanted to make sure you were okay. Are you—okay, I mean?"
""I'm fine," he breathed.
Birdy reached over, grabbed a towel off the bench, and began wiping the sweat from his face, neck, and chest. Kat watched him spray the punching bag with sterilizer and wipe it down with an extra towel before slipping his shirt over his head. Kat's own curiosity eventually got the better of her and she had to ask.
"Those scars…did Grumn give them to you…or his troobians?"
Birdy paused obviously uncomfortable with her question. He grabbed his uniform jacket and shrugged it on.
"Neither."
Kat frowned. "Then where—"
"Let's just say my father wasn't a very kind man and leave it at that, shall we?"
Kat's ears drooped when she lowered her head. "Yes…of course, my apologies Supreme Commander. I didn't mean to pry."
Birdy refused to meet her eye as he walked passed. The strict finality in his tone left no room for argument. "Goodnight, Dr. Manx."
"Goodnight, sir."
…