I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters.


Training

David yawned, opening his eyes and realizing that he wasn't lying alone on the floor like he usually did. Instead, he was on the bench where Jack usually slept, and the formerly mentioned biotic convict was currently wrapped in his arms, her own around him as well. He wasn't really sure he remembered going to sleep, especially not cuddling Jack. he remembered holding her while she cried, but actually laying down and going to sleep eluded him.

He frowned. He wasn't sure he wanted Jack to wake up cuddled into his chest. There was a good chance she'd freak out, which would end badly for him. However, before he could consider trying to slip his arm out from under him, her arms tightened around him.

"You put my arm to sleep," she murmured sleepily.

"Sorry," he replied, smiling at the fact that she wasn't killing him.

"No you're not," Jack accused, smirking. "You love being able to hold a half-naked girl in your arms. Or is that just morning wood?"

David's face flushed scarlet instantly. "U-Uh...th-that's..."

Jack chuckled. "Relax, Pipsqueak. I'm not mad. I've been with enough guys to know how that particular piece works."

"Right," David said, the color slowly fading from his cheeks. "Could you not call me Pipsqueak please? I'm not that short."

Jack laughed. "Alright, String Bean. If that's what you want, Skeletor. Your wish is my command, Twiglet."

"Alright already!" David laughed. "I get it! I'm skinny!"

Jack smirked. "Yes you are. Although, you have gotten a bit more padding since you started working out with Jacob."

"Uh...thank you," David said, not sure how to respond.

After a couple of moments of silence, Jack sighed heavily. "Thank you."

"For what?" David asked.

"Everything really," Jack said. "You've...you've made my life...fun since I got out of Purgatory. You've made it something I actually want to continue, rather than something I'm just waiting for an ending to. No matter what happened, you were there for me. And I hurt you, and tried to push you away. And in the end, even as hurt as you were, you were still ready to give your life so I could escape the Collectors' ship. So...thank you. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being my first true friend. Maybe my only true friend."

"Not your only," David said. "If we survive this mission, I'll force you to be nice so you can have other friends."

Jack laughed. "Good luck. I'm not exactly a people person."

"I've noticed," David laughed.

Jack smacked him in the shoulder and pushed herself up, sighing and stretching. David watched her, mind automatically admiring the beauty that everyone missed when they judged her based her abrasive personality, or her history. But he could see it. From things as obvious as her beautiful face or her beautiful tattoos to things like the meaning of the maybe fifteen percent of her tattoos he'd learned, the way her entire face seemed to light up when she smiled, which she didn't do often, and her light chocolate brown eyes, which seemed lighter, almost golden brown, from closer. He loved being able to see her like this. Calm. Content. Unguarded. Not fully open, but more so than around anyone else.

She looked down at him and arched an eyebrow, smirking. "See something you like?"

"Maybe," David shrugged.

Jack's smirk grew into a challenging grin as she leaned down. "And what would that be?"

David opened his mouth to respond, only for EDI's voice to interrupt.

"Commander Shepard needs you in the armory for a mission, Jack," EDI said.

Jack glanced up at the underside of the floor, then turned her attention back to David. "I think he can wait a minute."

"You should go," David said, sitting up and sighing.

"What?" Jack asked, brow furrowing.

"After yesterday, you're probably on thin ice," David said.

"Fuck him!" Jack said, not receiving an answer right away.

"You need to go," David said.

Jack watched him for a moment before standing. "Fine."

She walked away and Jack sighed, waiting for ten minutes before heading up to the bar and getting himself a glass, pouring something into it from the first bottle he grabbed, drinking it.

"I thought you were done with that," Kasumi said.

"So did I," David said, draining the glass. "I think I'm just here to pass the time."

"You think?" Kasumi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Okay. Come with me, then."

David glanced at her before following her to Life Support. David frowned as she sat on the edge of the desk in front of Thane. Then looked up at her before twisting around to look up at David.

"Ah, David, welcome," Thane greeted him. "Please, come in. Sit."

David walked to the chair opposite him and sat, looking between the two of them, not feeling the least bit comfortable. "What's going on?"

"After the death of my wife, I became...disconnected for years," Thane said. "I was lost reliving some of my memories while my body acted on instinct, hunting down my wife's killers, and many other criminals. While I did it, I pushed those I had left away."

"What, and you think that's what I'm doing?" David asked.

"You don't have a Drell's memory, but your graybox allows you to relive a memory more vividly than a normal human," Thane said. "You drink multiple bottles a day, and while you do, you use your graybox to relieve happier memories over and over, leaving yourself blind to those around you who care, and who do not wish to see you suffer as you are. I may not know you well, but Kasumi has asked me to help. I will give you something to occupy your time besides drinking or reliving memories."

"What?" David asked.

"I will teach you to fight," Thane said. "To defend yourself without the use of a weapon. And I will teach you to be an assassin."

"I think I can handle that one," David said.

"Can you?" Thane asked, picking up a marker. "Mark me."

David accepted it, looking between it and Thane for a moment before turning invisible. He took a silent step to his right, getting himself at an odd angle, then crouched, jabbing the marker forward to mark his torso from below. Instead, Thane grabbed his wrist, twisting sharply and catching the marker before quickly and expertly taking David to the ground, chest first, as David yelped in surprise. Once David was down, Thank knelt on his back, drawing a line up the right side of his neck to simulate killing him, all the while holding David's arm at a painful angle with only his left hand.

"Your cloaking tech is impressive, but you rely on it too much," Thane said, letting David up. "It's not perfect, and anyone trained to pay attention will be able to detect you."

David nodded. "Okay. When do we start?"

"We already have," Thane said. "Thank you for bringing him here, Kasumi. You may go."

Kasumi nodded and left. David sighed, turning to Thane and Thane began, starting with basic martial arts.


David dropped off the pullup bar and began to do squats, Jacob smirking knowingly as he was cleaning a shotgun. "Don't give me that look."

"I'm not giving you any look," Jacob said, still smirking.

"Mhm," David grumbled, switching to pushups. "Sure you're not."

Jacob laughed and continued cleaning his gun, David continuing to workout according to Jacob's plan for him. After about another hour, Jack, Shepard, and Mordin returned from their mission, whatever it was, and put their gear away, Shepard and Mordin paying David no mind. Jack paused beside him, watching for a moment.

"Can we talk when you get done?" Jack asked.

"Sure," David said.

Jack nodded and left. David continued to work out for another two hours before Jacob finally let him leave, his body thoroughly exhausted. He headed back to the Engineering Deck and found Jack seated on the bench, reading a datapad again. She looked up at him, setting the datapad aside, as he walked over.

"What happened this morning?" Jack asked. "No, actually, what's been happening since the Collector ship? First you said you liked me, then you turned me down when I wanted to try letting you in, then this morning it seemed like you had changed your mind, but then changed it again once EDI interrupted. What the fuck's going through your head? You just messing with me? Trying to pay me back for hurting you by playing with my head?"

"I'm sorry," David said. "I didn't mean to confuse you, or cause you any trouble. I just...I do care about you, Jack. But I turned you down because...you weren't willing to try because you felt the same. You just felt guilty. And then this morning, it seemed like you were just fooling around, or you were just looking for some fun. That's not what I want. I don't want anything casual, or meaningless. I care about you too much for that."

"What if that wasn't what I was after?" Jack asked.

"Was it?" David asked.

Jack didn't respond and David nodded.

"I'll wait," David said. "I'm sorry if that upsets you at all, but I'm going to wait until you're sure...if you decide that's what you want."

Jack nodded. "Okay. I...I'll think about it. For real. I just...need time."

"I know," David said. "Take as much time as you need. I'm not going anywhere."

Jack nodded. "If...I decide I don't want...anything...will you leave?"

"No," David said, flashing her a small smile. "We're still friends. You need at least one friend with you to keep you out of trouble."

Jack smiled, nodding. "Okay. I think I can manage carrying your weight for a while, Twiglet."

David grimaced. "Really? Twiglet?"

"You didn't like Pipsqueak," Jack shrugged, smiling.

David shook his head, then leaned back against a strut, resting his chin on his chest and quickly drifting off to sleep.


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