346. Chapter 346

She used to practice with J’onn.

And she still does, on Tuesday evenings, but their Thursday mornings?

Those have recently been taken over by either Cadmus attacks or Pam from HR making sure J’onn is actually keeping on top of the budgetary requirements, because Jim from accounting ironically isn’t getting his checks on time and he’s got those three pitbulls to feed at home.

J’onn shrugs and he sighs and he tries to pass the paperwork off to Vasquez, but Vasquez is in charge of managing his weekly calls to M’gann, and he’d rather not put those in jeopardy.

“Why don’t you practice with Detective Sawyer, Agent Danvers? You two seem to enjoy… getting physical.”

It’s the closest he’s come to a sexual joke, and she doesn’t know if it makes her feel giddy because she’s still so thrilled with how supportive he is, or odd because he’s her father, for crying out loud. But he’s grinning and he loves her, god, he loves her, and he’s filed all the proper paperwork for Maggie to be admitted into the DEO whenever she pleases, so Alex?

Alex starts bringing her in for Thursday morning knife training.

“Not your basic NCPD tactics,” she says, and Maggie rolls her eyes, flips the blunted sparring knife around in her hand, shifts her feet with bent knees, and grins.

“Bring it, Danvers.”

Alex grins, and it’s almost carnal, and Alex knows exactly what that does to Maggie (in bed, anyway), and she takes full advantage, lunging and going for the left side that Maggie tends to leave vulnerable, until she’s got her arm twisted behind her back and her blunted practice knife gently at her throat.

“Distracted by something, Sawyer?”

Maggie grins and shoves away from Alex, grabbing the arm that was wrapped around her and forcing it up, up, so that Alex’s knife clatters to the ground.

“Surprised, Danvers?”

“Not at all, Sawyer,” Alex retorts, but there’s a husk in her voice as she picks up her knife, as she and Maggie round each other, glaring slightly, grinning slightly.

They’re so focused on each other that they don’t notice the small crowd of agents peering through the training room’s doorway, nudging each other, whispering to each other, placing bets, trading cash around.

“Keep your ribs protected, Mags,” Alex instructs as she lunges, and Maggie deflects her blow with her forearm.

“Good. Now what do you do if I do this?”

Alex switches the knife, lightening fast, to her left hand, holding Maggie from behind again, and Maggie tenses, freezes.

“What’s wrong? I’m sorry, I thought you wanted to – ”

“No, I do, Danvers, I’m sorry, I just… can we switch places?”

Alex furrows her brow, but she nods and does as Maggie asks, stepping in front of her so Maggie’s holding her from behind, holding her practice knife at her throat.

“Can you get out of this, Alex?”

Alex feints an elbow into Maggie’s face while she slams down with her heel, just shy of actually slamming onto Maggie’s foot, and Maggie releases her accordingly, nodding to herself, over and over and over again.

“What is it, Maggie?” Alex asked, knife limp at her side.

“Just… outside the bar, that night. The night they took all the refugees… When he had that gun to you… you would have been okay, right? Even if James hadn’t come by?”

“Yes,” Alex nods, dropping her knife and taking Maggie by the shoulders, her eyes burning from her devotion and her forehead sweating from their sparring. “I’m not going anywhere, Sawyer. I promise.”

Maggie gulps and Maggie nods, and then she tilts her head toward the door.

“Looks like we have an audience.”

Alex glances over and her nearly feral grin is back.

“Should we give them a show?”

“I’m sure they’d love to see their commanding officer get whomped by a lowly local cop,” Maggie grins, and Alex pffts.

“Who’s lowly? My girlfriend’s all powerful,” Alex brags.

“Nerd.”

“A nerd who’s about to bring DEO training to an NCPD knife fight.”

“I love it when you talk dirty.”

“Come at me, Sawyer, you’ll see how dirty I can talk.”

Maggie grins and Alex mirrors the expression, and by the time the rookies need the room for training, Alex has nicked Maggie with the training knife just as many times as Maggie has nicked Alex with hers.

“Draw for now, Danvers?”

“We’ll see who draws tonight, Sawyer.”

“Deal.”

J'onn’s passing by as they toss towels at each other to dry off, as they think their thoughts about later tonight loudly, loudly, loudly.

Too loudly.

“Good god, we need crime to increase in this city, stat.”