"It might not be the right time
I might not be the right one
But there's something about us I want to say
'Cause there's something between us anyway"
- Daft Punk - "Something About Us"
One thing Joker liked about having Jacob spot for him was that the man was quiet. Every other day, they would head to the gym near Engineering and Jacob would help him devise ways to build his strength without putting too much stress on his fragile skeleton. Joker's legs were still the biggest problem, but they could handle considerably more stress than before, and so far there hadn't been any bone breaking incidents under Jacob's supervision.
Occasionally, Jacob would say something friendly and encouraging, or simply correct him if he was making a mistake. Recently however, all it had been was light weight lifting and holding the weights in place. Joker lay on his back, on the bench, his shuddering arms holding two heavy hexagonal weights up above his head.
"Can I let go yet?" he asked between clenched teeth.
"No, not yet," Jacob responded, watching dispassionately.
"Look, I know you hate it when I complain but this has been over a minute already," he groaned.
"It's been twenty seconds, man," Jacob replied, shaking his head. He laughed as Joker made a face. "Quit wasting your energy talking and hold them still." He held his hands just under Joker's in case he dropped the weights, adding "You've been getting better." Joker strained, but held firm until Jacob told him he could relax. "Now, hold your arms out to the sides and halfway up. Keep that position for a minute."
The door opened disrupting Joker's concentration. He didn't immediately recognize the person coming in.
"Room's in use," he called out. Joker had purposely blocked out an hour of the gym's time slot. He knew it was selfish, but he hated the idea of people seeing him work out, and had no qualms about being sneaky in order to get the time alone. God damn these things are heavy, he thought as his arms began to shake again with the effort of holding still against gravity. Jacob instructed him to sit up and hold his arms out straight, and as he complied he looked over his shoulder wrinkling his nose in surprise. Shepard the night owl strikes again.
She looked as if she had just gotten out of bed. Her clothes were disheveled and she was wearing loose and rather makeshift pyjamas. She placed a thick white towel, a water bottle and what he presumed to be her neatly folded uniform beside a bench, then made her way to one of the bars jutting out from the wall and leapt, catching it in her hands. She began doing chin-ups, and succeeded in roughly ten before she let herself hang from the bar by one arm for a moment, her feet still dangling above the floor. She slipped a hand under her loose, sleeveless white shirt, exposing the gentle curves of her hips and the smoothness of her waist as she dabbed at her forehead momentarily, and Joker found himself watching her intently.
"Let your arms drop for a second, shake them out a bit, then do a few curls and I think you're pretty much done for the day," Jacob said, breaking into Joker's train of thought.
"I dunno, could do some bench presses," he mumbled, and Jacob shrugged.
"Sure, if you want. Just don't go overboard. Your shoulder still sore from the other day?" he asked Joker as he picked up the weights and placed them back on the rack where they belonged.
"It's fine now," Joker replied, sliding off the bench and tucking his feet under a nearby bar to do some sit ups. As he pulled himself up towards his knees, he allowed himself a quick look at Shepard.
He noticed that she seemed a little out of sorts and after finishing her chin-ups, didn't seem to be able to figure out what she wanted to do, wandering from one side of the room to the next. Eventually she settled on punching the stuffing out of a bag hanging from the ceiling. Despite her small stature, Shepard's hits looked inordinately heavy, sending the heavy bag swinging on its chain each time her fist connected. He was pretty sure she'd received many implants during her body's restoration, and thought that the power in her blows might well be thanks to them. He continued his sit-ups, watching covertly as she kicked the bag for several minutes before heading over to pick up her water bottle. As she did so, he saw her look fleetingly in his direction. He looked back, and saw Jacob was doing sit ups as well.
Oh, he thought, and looked back at his knees. Right.
As Shepard took another swig from her water bottle he thought he saw her glance over again. Joker let himself lie flat on the ground, unable to pull himself up any more.
"I think that was somewhere around sixty?" he asked Jacob, who was busily performing crunches in perfect form.
"Fifty three by my count," Jacob grunted.
Joker reached for his own water bottle, and leaned back on his arms, waiting for Jacob to finish. He found himself watching Shepard again. This time she was on the floor balancing on her hands and toes and arching her body. The position allowed her shirt to slide up, exposing her flat, firm midriff. The sight made him ache in a way that was usually associated with his time on the extranet and he swallowed, looking past her towards EDI's terminal, determined not to be caught staring. After a minute she let out a sound as she dropped back to the ground, and sat up, rubbing the back of her shaven head and looking around.
Is it wrong to look at her like this? Joker wondered as he allowed himself to notice the smooth curves of her exposed shoulders and the way they tapered down into her slender figure. If Shepard had had any hair to speak of, it would have been a rich black, judging by the fuzz on her head. She wasn't like other women marines he'd seen. Most were proud of their hair and the Alliance had always given them much more choice in how to wear it. Shepard, though, had always chosen to just shave it all off. It was decidedly odd, but he found the way it emphasized her long neck to be rather attractive. She entwined her fingers, stretching with her hands high in the air as he watched appreciatively.
Jacob finished his sit ups and stood up, making his way to the other side of the room where he began attaching weights to the barbell. Joker gave a final glance towards Shepard as he headed across the room, and their eyes met. She immediately turned her head away pointedly in the other direction. Ha, he thought. Caught you. A little thrill shot up his spine as he realised that it wasn't Jacob she'd been looking at after all. He grinned asshe grabbed her things, taking obvious care not to look in his direction.
"Hey Commander, why are you leaving so quickly? Afraid to see if I can press more than you?" he called after her jokingly. He meant to catch her off guard.
She hesitated a moment, still looking at the wall. "That a challenge, Joker?" she asked.
"Maybe," he replied. There was a moment of silence. "Oh come on, you're not even curious?" She gave him a quick smile but didn't answer, instead wiping her face on her towel and opening the door to the hallway.
/
Shepard wiped her armour's left shoulder guard down with a soft cloth, running her fingers over the knurled plating and down its smooth side, over which a wide stripe was painted. This place is so different from the Alliance, she thought, looking around her quarters. The original Normandy had been dimly lit; something Shepard thought befitting for a prototype ship whose specialty was stealth. The clinical shine of its second incarnation was hard to get used to. When she had stepped into her new quarters for the first time, she'd lowered the lighting to remind her a little more of the original; a place where she'd felt very much at home. She felt there was still something a little alien and strange about the SR2, as much as she appreciated its design and effectiveness. There were of course, some things she liked better, such as its spaciousness. She knew Dr Chakwas appreciated her new and improved Med Bay, just as Joker appreciated the additions to the cockpit. Well, save for EDI, Shepard thought. Thinking of additions to the cockpit, I ought to go up later and see how he's faring with the new monitors.
They were docked at Ilium's main port for the next several days as the ship was fitted with heavy Silaris armour, a protective coating designed by asari. Shepard had been in a good mood and had authorised a few requests for additional equipment that she wouldn't normally have seen as a priority, like new monitors for the cockpit and several pieces of non-essential equipment the salarian doctor had asked for. In addition, she had granted a two day shore leave, so the ship was mostly empty as the fittings took place.
A heavy, repetitive thudding came from the roof above Shepard's head, and she put down her armour. She just didn't know what to do with herself. She couldn't leave the ship unless she gave the deck to Miranda, and her intention was to leave the woman some time outside her office. Shepard felt like a cat in a cage, pacing around the place without aim. She stood up and left her room, irritated by the clamour above.
"EDI, who's on board at the moment?" she directed her question at a little grey box in the hall. A tiny hum sounded and after a moment the spherical shape of EDI hovered above it.
"Executive Officer Lawson, Gunnery Officer Vakarian, Chief Medical Officer Chakwas, Helmsman Moreau, Mess Sergeant Gardner, Ensign Patel, Yeoman Chambers, and Jack are aboard, Commander," EDI's smooth voice echoed slightly in the hallway.
"That's all, huh?" she asked aloud, to nobody in particular. It wasn't as if she had expected everyone to stay aboard, but for some reason she'd expected to hear more names. Even Samara has gone ashore, she thought with surprise. She'd figured the endlessly meditative asari of all people would have been one of the most likely to remain aboard.
"Thirty-seven hours, eleven minutes remain of the designated shore leave, Commander," EDI continued.
"Thank you, EDI," she said, and hit the button for the elevator.
Shepard strode to her private terminal, idly looking up to watch the hologram of the Normandy flicker and change into the Galaxy Map. I hate that it does that, she thought. It's like a bell on a cat's collar. Everyone knows I am around when it changes, and they act differently. Even though Kelly was the only crewmember present at the moment, the map's subtle fanfare still bothered her. I wonder what they're like when I'm not around? She imagined the crew joking and laughing as they carried out their tasks, suddenly snapping to a rigid, professional silence when the Galaxy Map signaled her arrival on deck. She smiled to herself as she opened her inbox.
"Hello, Commander. Quiet around here, isn't it? I suppose it's nice, in a way," Kelly said giving her a cheerful smile.
"Why aren't you out enjoying the sights, Kelly?" Shepard asked, turning her attention away from her empty inbox to look at the young woman busily typing away on her own terminal.
"Maybe I'll go out later," she replied shrugging a shoulder. "There's plenty of time. To be honest, it's kind of fun staying around here. The few who aren't out on vacation are a lot more relaxed. Including you," she said with another friendly smile. "Well, almost everybody. One guess at who's been complaining about the new monitors he ordered," Kelly said nodding towards the cockpit.
"What? Is there something wrong with them?"
"Not that I can see, but you know how he is," Kelly replied. "His old setup worked just fine. I don't know why he asked you for new ones if he didn't want the displays to look differently."
Shepard smiled softly. "Never make the mistake of trying to understand your pilot, Kelly. They're a special breed," she said and looked off in the cockpit's direction.
"He's been in a surprisingly good mood lately," Kelly said, following her gaze.
"Of course he is. His 'baby' is being upgraded," Shepard responded, rubbing her stiff shoulder.
"I don't know. He wasn't this excited when we got the Thanix Cannons," Kelly mused.
The image of Joker in the gym floated to the surface of Shepard's mind, as it had done several times over the past day or so. From the way he carried himself, she hadn't expected him to be as toned as he'd appeared in his workout clothes. The back of her neck tingled as she recalled the way he'd smirked as he caught her looking at him. Shepard brought her hand up to her mouth and cleared her throat. He was looking, too, she thought for the umpteenth time.
"I wouldn't question his good mood too much. I'm glad he's happy," Shepard said, carefully choosing her words.
"You seem a little distracted," Kelly said, tilting her head concernedly. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I'll be just fine," Shepard replied, looking at the Galactic Map with longing. "I think I'm just restless."
"Anxious to get going, Commander? I can rescind the shore leave," Kelly suggested.
"No. The crew need a break, and everyone milling about won't help these upgrades get finished any faster."
"That's true. If you're feeling anxious, maybe you should take advantage of the opportunity right now to go and relax? Miranda hasn't left her office," Kelly said, brushing her hair from her eyes. Above the idle hum of the ship's engines, muffled cursing could be heard from the direction of the cockpit. Both women turned their heads towards the sound.
Hm, Shepard thought. Sound really carries in here with hardly anyone around.
"That'll be Joker going on about the monitors again," Kelly said aloud.
"Something's probably wrong with them. I'll go see if he wants his old ones back," Shepard replied.
The cussing had quieted into a low growl by the time Shepard arrived, and stood a few feet behind Joker's chair.
"Love them that much, huh?" she said, and he startled.
"Commander," he said politely, though he strained to hide his frustration. "They sent the wrong ones," he added, staring up at the screens and squinting with rage. The displays looked basically the same to Shepard. Orange panels with bright details on them. "These are too wide and thin, and the colour's wrong," he mumbled as he touched a panel, sliding a bar around to play with the hue settings. He sighed in frustration.
"Can't EDI correct it for you?" Shepard suggested, confused.
"Mr Moreau found the settings I chose to be unsatisfactory," EDI chimed in. They both looked at the artificial intelligence's hologram. "He is very particular with his needs. I optimized the screens in accordance with the human eye's optical capabilities."
"They were too bright, EDI," he muttered in response.
"The settings were based on those your previous displays used," EDI responded, and Shepard could have sworn she heard a tone in the AI's voice that might have suggested its patience was wearing thin. Joker shot a look at the flickering blue ball that suggested he heard it too.
Shepard stepped closer and leaned over his shoulder.
"I think I see what you're getting at," she said, looking at a display showing current pressure and temperature of the hull. "The lines are a little hard to see."
"Yeah, I mean don't get me wrong, these are fine if you're not looking at them all the time, all damn day like I will be," he said, looking up at her. Shepard returned his gaze and gave him a friendly, lopsided grin.
"Relax. I got this. We won't leave without the equipment you need," she assured him.
"We have time? These aren't exactly run of the mill."
"Yes, of course. You need monitors that won't make you blind, and we need you," she replied. She paused, waiting for response. When it wasn't forthcoming, she look over and saw that he seemed thoughtful, as if searching for what to say. Although outwardly she remained calm and still, she felt as though butterflies had suddently gotten loose and were flying around in her stomach.
"So, Commander," Joker began."You work out often at night? I can choose another time slot if you want." He shrugged. "Or you know, you could just drop in." He grinned slyly, looking up at her as he leaned back in his seat. "You know, I didn't think you would be able to resist that challenge last night."
She chuckled softly. "Oh Joker, I do like you," she said warmly. His grin disappeared as his mocking expression changed to one of astonishment and she realised that she'd spoken out loud. She cleared her throat noisily, feeling her face flush. "Right, well...," she began and stopped as she felt something touch her wrist. Startled, she looked down to discover Joker's hand covering hers. His touch was so light it seemed barely there and he removed it almost immediately. She flushed again, this time with pleased surprise. It had all happened so quickly that she wondered if it really had happened.
Glancing over, she saw that Joker was staring at his keyboard, He shifted in his seat, but said nothing.
"You, er," Shepard blurted. I can handle hostage situations, mercenary bands, ancient glyphs from a dead race being forcibly imprinted into my brain, I can handle fucking dying, but I can't think of what to say to this?
"Yeah," he replied, continuing to stare intently at his keyboard, his hand reaching up to touch the back of his neck.
"Dinner?" she managed. Joker had mostly retreated from view, but if the reddened tips of his ears were any indication, she guessed he was as flustered as she was.
"Yeah. Yes. Okay," he muttered, looking up at her. Shepard looked at the clock on the glowing orange display.
"Now?" she asked.
"Sure," he said and got up to follow her to the mess.
