Surge and Mal Talk/Badge Draft

Mal picked apart the firearm with an ease he was surprised at, considering he’d never handled a gun before. Surge was cleaning parts of his own gun, completely separated into parts that the man was wiping a rag onto.

“You’re pretty handy,” Surge said offhandedly.

“Thanks,” Mal answered quietly.

“Any particular reason you’re wandering around the back of my gym and decided to help me clean my guns?” Surge glanced at him suspiciously.

Mal shrugged. “Probably not a specific reason. Saw you around and working back here, and I’m trying to find something to do. This is rather relaxing actually.”

“It is,” Surge agreed, tossing over a bottle of water. “Ever shoot one of these?”

“No,” Mal said truthfully, inwardly noting that Surge was starting to relax. When he’d seen the blond man earlier, just before he walked into the man’s area, he had observed the clear annoyance on the man’s countenance. Though, having gone closer, he also noted that Surge had also been more amused.

“Want to try?”

Mal blinked, not having expected the offer. However, he liked learning, so…

“Sure. That would be nice, sir.”

“Call me Lucien,” the man surprisingly said. “I like you, kid. You’re not obnoxious and you’re not creepy, so you’re alright. Plus, you’re a little like a girl I used to know. Smart, quick-witted, and cheeky as hell. Hell of a tough cookie too.”

Mal hmmed, thinking how interesting that was and that if he might know who she was.

“What’s her name?” he asked curiously.

“Leaf,” the man said gruffly, and Mal jerked a little at that, having not expected that information.

He didn’t know why. He should have thought of it, considering how influential Leaf was supposed to be.

“Did you know her?” Mal asked curiously.

“I did,” Surge confirmed. “She was a memorable battle and had no trouble getting my badge.” A strange, soft even, smile crossed the lieutenant’s lips. Mal observed that curiously. “She was amazing then,” Surge remembered.

Mal hummed, thinking it over and continuing to observe Surge’s face closely. His hands, nimble fingers and all, easily put the parts of the gun together and watched Surge’s handling of his own firearm.

He easily took off the safety and pulled back the hammer, before watching Surge aim at some targets a few yards away. Surge shot a few times, and Mal copied after.

The recoil caught him off guard and he easily missed the first time. He prepared for the recoil the next few times, and was able to shoot better -but he still didn’t have that good of a handle on it.

“Not bad,” Surge commented. He smirked though. “Leaf took to it much better though, I remember. Girl had one hell of an aim.”

Mal made a quiet noise, malachite eyes watching Surge over intently.

“You taught her to shoot?” Mal asked after a bit, watching Surge reload and then accepting another cartridge from him to reload himself.

“A little bit,” Surge admitted. “After she gained her badge, she stuck around the city for a while. She sure made an impression.”

“I’ll bet,” Mal murmured, continuing to observe the way Surge’s eyes crinkled affectionately as he retold those recollections of Leaf, the way the man’s lips curved fondly, and the way his voice held a thread of emotion as he talked about Mal’s cousin...

“Sir?”

“Yeah?” Surge aimed at the target.

“Did you like her? Like really like her?”

The question obviously made Surge react, accidentally shooting the gun off several times and yet impressively still hitting the target.

“How the hell you come up with that?” Surge gave him a glare.

But Mal was undeterred and knew he had picked up all the cues correctly while he’d been watching Surge through that entire talk. So he merely raised an eyebrow at Surge, keeping quiet.

Surge cursed several times, eying Mal warily again.

“Not a word,” Surge clenched his jaw. “I mean it. Don’t you dare breathe a word of that to anyone. I wasn’t the only one who admired her after all, and definitely not the most dangerous admirer. Plus, she wasn’t exactly of the age to be appropriately admired.”

Mal nodded. “Of course,” he was curious of whom Surge meant though. “I have just one condition to that.”

“What?” Surge continued to eye him warily.

“Just tell me everything you can of her,” Mal tried not to show how eager he was about that.

“Agreed,” Surge shrugged. “Not skin off my back, for sure. Anyway, here,” he tossed something at Mal, who caught it and realized it was a badge. “You know the badge requirements. You fulfilled it by find out something about me no one would know. And that, I’m hoping, will be going with me to the grave. Yours too, if you know what’s good for you!”

Mal’s lips only lifted a little at the threat, the smile putting Surge off and making him huff.

“I’m sure,” Mal said dryly.