14.

Location: Numbuoy Apartments, Level 1, New Mombasa, Kenya, East Africa, EARTH.
Timestamp: October 21st 2552. 14:21 hours.
Unit ID: Corporal Jacob Matthews (Male, 26, 5'11"), Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, 7th Shock Troopers Battalion.
Status: Functioning.

Jacob rolled over and stretched out his left arm. He had taken his armour off before he went to bed, so he did so with ease, and felt his hand slap on something that shouldn't have been there. He thought maybe Martin had left his helmet there beside him after tinkering with it. He decided to inspect his helmet, seeing if there was any major damage done from Techie's modifications.

His hand slid over the top of the smooth and strangely warm helmet before reaching a small bulb. This bulb was ever so slightly rougher than the rest of the helmet, so he thought this was some small gadget that Techie must have installed. He continued feeling down to where his visor should have been. He could not find his visor, and to his surprise, instead found another smooth helmet-like object.

A jolt shot through his body as he realized; this was not his helmet, and that he should move his hand away. Now. Jacob slowly removed his hand from Shay'est's warm bosom and carefully raised his head to be level with hers. He was mortified to find that her eyes had opened, and she had been awoken by the slap. She lay there with her right arm by her side and her left arm under the pillow her head was resting on, facing him.

Jacob looked at her, with his mouth opened wide. When the fuck did she get there? She wasn't there when he went to bed! Surely not! He'd have realized wouldn't he? There's no way, unless she arrived later. There was a long silence, during which the pair simply stared at each other, speechless.

Finally, Shay'est shuddered and gently whispered "I'm sorry. I thought…" Her voice wavered "I thought you weren't in here, and I couldn't see when I came in. I tried calling you, but you must have been asleep…" She found her eyes gazing into his without realizing as she spoke. Shay'est pulled the covers up over her chest and her face lit up a familiar shade of purple.

Shay'est's eyes were a beautiful midnight blue colour. Jacob always liked this colour, and it was the colour he had originally picked to be his armour trim colour, before he picked black. His face was burning from the blood rushing to it. Jacob eventually got his mind together and decided it would be best if he put on his armour and got out of there, before things got more awkward.

Jacob rolled over and sat up, but just before he got out of bed, something caught his eye; something sitting on the bedside table; something head shaped. His helmet. If his helmet was here now and wasn't when he went to bed, then…

"Oh sweet fuck…" Jacob said to himself, horrified.

"What? What's wrong now?"

"Martin… He brought my helmet to me last night when he was done tinkering with it… During the night… Whilst I was asleep… And probably whilst you were here too…" He stammered.

"So? What's so wrong about…" the Sangheili trailed off as she began to realize what her comrade was getting at and put two and two together in her head. "Oh… So if he saw us in bed together, then he probably thinks-"

"Yeah," Jacob cut her off as he stood up; wearing only his military underwear "He probably thinks that."

Shay'est buried her face into her pillow in embarrassment and began to scream into it. The pillow muffled the sound and it could only be heard within the room, so it wouldn't send Martin running to view a repeat of what he probably saw the night before.

After finally pulling herself together, Shay'est lifted her head and glanced back over at Jacob, hoping that he would have some idea of what they should do, and asked how they should go about explaining it. Jacob was slipping into his armour at the time.

Jacob simply replied with "It's quite simple, really. We tell the truth." He said with a grin. "If he doesn't believe it, then that's just tough luck. We told the truth, and that's all there is to it." Jacob finished as he slipped his arms through his sleeves and began to attach his padding.

He could feel her watching him change, and it made him slightly nervous. As he finished putting on his armour he began to make his way toward the door. "Well, I'm off to work honey." He chuckled "See you when I get home!" He said as he walked through.

"…What?"

He closed the door behind him and began to make his way back to the campsite. He was surprised to find Martin already up and getting ready, waiting for the others to emerge from their room. Techie had blond hair and blue eyes. He stood 6 foot tall, and had a slender build. Martin looked up at Jacob and his face lit up with a cheeky grin.

You bastard, I know where you're about to go…

"So…" He said, trying to withhold a laugh "How was she?"

Jacob flipped him the bird and said "No. Don't go there. We aren't going to talk about that. It was a misunderstanding. That's all."

There was an awkward silence as they sat around the smouldering remains of the campfire.

"So um…" Martin murmured secretively "Should we share this with Courtney or?"

Jacob hesitated. It was only a few months ago that he and the Gunnery Sergeant had started seeing each other. After her break up with David, he was her fall back plan. He didn't consider them to be in a serious relationship, but instead something casual. However, he couldn't say he knew how Courtney felt. "No." He replied sternly "There's no need to. Nothing happened, so there's nothing to share."

Jacob didn't really feel like getting into a fight with Courtney. He had been in one with her beforehand, and he didn't fancy it again. Last time resulted in a week without sex, and that was simply because he talked to another female soldier. He couldn't even begin to fathom what cruel punishment she would have in store for him after hearing of this.