Eye of the Hamster (Working Title)

Posted on 17 Sep 2016 @ 8:17am by Commander Luke Wyatt & Ensign Miraj Derani

2,297 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 12 - Recluse
Location: USS Galileo - Gym, Deck 7
Timeline: MD -3 - 1900

[ON]

Various issues with the colony had put off the first lesson she'd been Promised, but now, speeding through warp-space, there was time, and She couldn't put it off any longer. Not that she wanted to put it off. For the first time ever, she was looking forward to doing something other than flying or playing pirates in the holodeck.

So here she was, in a baggy acid green vest and lose purple shorts, feeling very nervous. She'd scraped a pass in basic combat only becuase several others had helped her for hours before the exam. She just hoped she could remember the basics. She didn't want to look too much like a hopeless case.

She took a breath, and moved forwards, and the doors to the little gymn swished open. "Hello? Lieutenant Wyatt?"

Luke was standing in the middle of the room, he had laid out several pieces of equipment and had his own gym bag, drink and sweat cloth on the bench behind him. As he saw Mirajs frame enter the room he smiled and when she spoke his stomach squeezed into a tight knot. "It's good to see you Miraj, please just call me Luke and lock the door behind you I don't want your training disturbed"

"Okay." She turned back to the doors, and touched the controls that would lock the door. Then she went over to him, and the various bits of kit he had set out. "What are they for?"

"I went over what they teach you at the academy... What a load of crap" he picked up a pair of gloves and passed them to her, he had also replicated a mouth guard from her previous dental check up. "You should put these on" A smile spread across his face.

She looked at the gloves. "I don't know how to box." She took the mouthguard, gave it a doubtful glance "And now I'm worried." but she wiggled it into place over her teeth. "Having thith in feelth tho thtrange." She lisped, pulling the gloves on finding the second a bit awkward to hold.

Luke let out a low gruff chuckle, "They're not boxing gloves they're actually mixed martial arts gloves and the gum shield is for your own safety, now when I say sprawl I want you to jump to the flor and perform a press-up, understand?" He asked as he put his own mouth guard in and done up the punching gloves

Press-ups? She hadn't done a press up since the second year at the academy. And they had been embarrassing then. "Okay." she gave him a thumbs up. "Then what?"

"For now we work on your form, so arms up and keep your feet moving I want you to try a combination of left left right left and then a sprawl" he said before going into s demonstration. "Let's go."

Arms up, feet moving. Sounded easy. He made it look easy, (strong) fists snapping out in a quick burst of action, before dropping down into a pushup that didn't give his (sculpted) legs and (bulging) arms any trouble whatsoever. Looking at him from behind, sort of, since he was all stretched out (taut) below her field of vision.

Concentrate! she scolded herself, and as he stood back and held his hands up for her. "Left Left, right left," she muttered, bringing her own hands up, remembering as she had been nagged by Calin a hundred times, to keep her thumbs on the outside.

Left, Left; the two strikes hit his upraised palm, but without force, cautious and uncertain. The Right came in harder, actually making a smacking sound, but the final Left cross missed completely, catching him on the forearm. She grimaced, grinding her teeth against the mouth guard, but carried on, plopping down into the most ungraceful struggle of a press-up that had ever graced the Galileo gym. Or any gym within a hundred light years.

"Again" Luke pressed "This time twist at your hips and really hit this glove and when you go into the press-up keep your elbows tucked in and lower all the way to the floor and backup again before jumping up this exercise is about quality not quantity." He positioned himself again, if she continued to be this slow when he started hitting back he may have to alert medical.

She huffed a breath and went again. This time there was more force behind the left hand, though still not much, but the right was better, making a meaty smack when her knuckles met his glove, and the last left was at least on target. When she dropped for the press up she concentrated on keeping her elbows in, all her joints aligned and the motion was much smoother, even if she still wobbled slightly

"Better" Luke said "Now, repeat the motion except miss out the press-up lets just word on your cardio for now and getting you used to swinging punches. Though After every two jabs ill be attempting to hit you so just duck and you'll be fine." He looked at Miraj and smiled "Left, right, duck and repeat. We will do it until you cant move your arms anymore"

"er, Okay," Miraj said, not sure she was okay at all. Luke was...well built...and fast. She wasn't sure she could duck, at least not in time. Oh well, nothing ventured.. She threw another punch, with more confidence this time, and the left hit the upraised glove square in the center, her right jab followed fast, and she grinned. She was getting better at this.

Her grin was short lived. She'd forgotten what came next

Luke's arm come in a wide arc allowing plenty of time for her to duck. She didn't, instead he hit the side of her head. It wasn't with much force and it was more of a slap at best but for someone who wasn't used to taking a hit he imagined it would hurt a fair amount.

She staggered sideways, teeth grinding against her gum guard and dropped down onto her knees, head ringing. "Ow." she stated. "Duck. That was the next bit. Duck."

"GET UP" Luke said loudly "You're defence wont always be good enough so learn to take a hit! One day it could mean the difference between life and death. Now Get up and concentrate, don't think about it just react." He said gesturing for her to get up.

She got up and turned around, getting back into position "I can do this all day." she said, her tone obviously trying to pep herself up, rather than any attempt to brag. She got her hands up and gave him a determined look "Okay, again."

This time, she ducked. And the time after, and the time after that, after two dozen goes, she was moving with more fludity. Another dozen and there was the first glimmer of grace. She was hot, and her pink hair was sticking to her head and there was sweat stains beginning to spread along her back and front "How am I doing?"

Luke didn't smile or make any hint of how he felt, actually he was rather impressed but with a stoic face he replied "You're still able to talk so you're not done yet, laps of the room, keep up" he said leaving his pads on and his gum shield in.

"Lapths?" She said with dismay, before huffing with determination snd getting on with it. And then she realised that following Luke was no hardship whatsoever. It wasnt just his chest that was sculpted. She got very red faced in a way that had nothing to do with exercise. "How many?"

Luke jogged along side her, his arms moving across his body in reputation. "Until I think you've worked enough" he said trying to hide the smile on his face. He was enjoying his time that he was spending with her.

She sighed inwardly and kept running. "And when will that happen?" She fixed her eyes ahead. She wasn't going to get distracted by those arms. She wasn't. No matter how big they were. How defined. She wasn't going to look. That would just be taunting herself with things she was going to get. Like Romulan Ale, or the chance to do Kovchur's Bell ina Prometheus class. Just keep running she scolded herself. Just keep running

The time passed, and before Luke realised they had done over a dozen laps, the last a fall sprint. Even he was now sweating. Taking out his gum shield and the gloves he wore he smiled "I think we can wrap it up for today, you've done an amazing job tomorrow we'll work on putting offensive into defensive moves and as always a cardio again." Luke watched her noticing the odd gleam in her eye and his cheeks reddened.

She staggered to a halt on wobbly legs, absolutely drenched. Her vest so damp it muted the eyewatering shade to something easier to look at and her bunches clung to her neck, and her face was the same colour as her hair solely due to the exercise. "Forget the bad guys." she wheezed, spitting out her gum guard and trying to catch her breath. "I think you're going to kill me."

Walking over to her he took her hands and placed them on her head before straightening her up "don't bend over you'll block your airwaves" he said feeling the closeness of her to him.

What little moisture was left in Miraj's mouth evaporated completely and she felt a bit like a dear in the headlights as he took her hands and she could smell him all musky and manly and gleaming and... Think sophisticated thoughts! her brain screamed at her. Say something! Something witty! Something funny! "Uh, I-"

Which is when her jellied knees gave up entirely, her left knee gave a spasm and she felt her self falling, She grabbed for him, pulling at his shirt and dragging him off balance. She tried to recover, tried to stand up, but her feet tangled in his, he fell back over her leg, and was sent crashing to the floor.

Luke attempted to dance gracefully out of the tangled mess they had managed to get themselves into, he wasn't even sure if it was an accident or if she meant to trip up. Despite his efforts he was sent tumbling down and in the attempt to stop he rolled and between the two he was on the bottom, he could feel the weight of Miraj on top of him her chest rising and lowering as she breathed.

This was worse. This was worse than lack of wit and sophistication. this was the polar opposite. She knocked him down and now she was just lying on top of him. Move she told her self, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She'd either fall off and look even more like kid, or she'd have to push herself up and that would mean putting hands on him and his big, er, chest. She looked down at his warm green eyes, and the her breath caught in her throat.

It must be sheer chance or they were both just as clumsy as each other but it was the second time they had ended up into of one another. Luke looked up feeing her weight pressed against his chest her body so close seemed to match his own steady breathing it was then he done something he wanted to do the last time it happened except this time he hadn't been drinking. He raised his head and kissed her, short and sweet on the lips. He wasn't sure what to make if it, her lips were soft but tense with surprise (he imagined at least) and were sweet though sweat from their work session tainted the moment. It was then he realised what he really just did.

Her heart stopped and then restarted at four times the normal rate. He'd kissed her, and now she was tingling all over. It had happened. it had really happened. Her first thought, when she was capable of thought, Was that she shouldn't be doing it. The was a superior officer. (Totally Superior, agreed a mutinous inner voice, look at those arms!) But it had felt so good. There was only one thing she wanted to do.

She kissed him back, awkwardly and without skill, full of nerves and hope.

Luke almost missed it through the spiralling his mind was doing but he was certain it happened, he had kissed her but she had kissed him back. "Ur..." Luke said dumbly looking up into her eyes searching for what she was thinking.

Ur? He was regretting it already. That was the only explanation. Of course he was. He outranked her by a thousand miles and she was so much younger than him. Practically still a child. She'd been stupid to think otherwise. Burning with embarrasment she scrambled off him, wishing the deck would just open up and swallow her. "I'm sorry. I-" she didn't want to cry like a baby right in front of him. "I'll go." She grabbed for her towel and dashed for the door.

Luke in all his insanity decided to stay silent, even if he wanted to speak his body and mind wouldn't let him as it all ceased like a spanner in the works. Before he could open his mouth she had already left him to his own thoughts inside the open space which seemed a whole lot lonely.


Lieutenant Commander Luke Wyatt
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
USS Galileo

Ensign Miraj Derani
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed