In her many years of working, Angela Ziegler has had to deal with various amounts of annoyances and bothersome people in her line of work. From hopelessly confused patients and stubbornly ignorant people to wounded soldiers and cowering civilians without a hope left, she always kept calm and smiled at them as she found the best way to ease their worries and answer them to the best of her ability to a degree of success that got her to where she was today.
However, there was one adversary that she never thought would come. She thought that she had a sweet smile, an iron will, indomitable mental strength, a compassionate heart, and infinite patience all her life. It was what she needed to go on in her line of work, where everything can go so wrong and so quickly that not having any of those things would destroy her and everyone around her.
As it turned out, she only had close to infinite patience and a kind heart. It took only one person to make her realize this.
"Angela? Angelaaa. You're listening aren't you?"
She had insisted that he would call her Angela of course. At first, it was out of friendliness, though she quickly realized that his sense of tradition and formality would be hard to change. It was only very recently that she truly wanted to hear him say her name.
And yet.
"Would you like to go out for dinner later Angela?"
A frustrated shout came from her as Angela turned to frown and glare intently at Genji. "Why do you keep all pronouncing my name like that?"
Genji tilted his head innocently, "Like what?"
Angela continued to fume as she knew that he was just messing with her. There wasn't a chance on Earth or even the moon that he has never heard anyone else call her by her first name. Which meant that he was definitely hiding a smile and that he was just messing with her despite how seriously she had wanted him to call her by her name.
"I mean pronouncing my name with a hard 'g' sound! You know how it sounds. It's an-je-la, not an-ge-la."
Genji, meanwhile, was busy scribbling something on the notepad he had. It was often used for his own amusement, either doodling or writing down silly things. She had yet to receive an answer about what the doodles and notes were but she did find them useful when she needed him to grab a list of items for her.
As she finished, Genji turned the notepad to her, presenting her with four katakana characters written neatly. "Like this?"
"Yes, ye- … Wait no! That is how you would write it but that's not how it sounds! You know that!"
"Are you sure … But look-"
"Ugh, I'm done with you! What did I even see in you, stupid Jengi."
Genji paused for a moment, not speaking as he took his time to comprehend what she had just said. It was hard for Angela to tell what he was thinking especially since she had made a point of turning her head away from him angrily. However, there were two important parts to what she said just then.
While one was definitely promising, there was definitely more relevant. Plus, he wasn't sure whether he was ready to follow up on the other part just yet.
"Did you just-"
"Yes, Jengi? Were you saying something?"
He had never seen her being so childish and angry before. There were times when she was angry, of course, but they were always about something of great importance regarding her work, others' lives, or morality. Never had it been about something so silly. And he would have never expected her to act this way back at him.
"Are you really going to do this?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Jengi. I'm busy with work here so can you please make your thoughts more clear or worthwhile?"
"We've been just chatting. You finished your work."
"Sorry Jengi, science never stops. I just discovered another experiment begging for my attention. I most definitely have to attend to it right this instant."
Genji smiled to himself as Angela continued to not look at him. After a moment of silence, he sighed and conceded, "Alright, alright I'm sorry, I won't tease you anymore."
"What was that Jengi? Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of how mad I am right now."
She swiveled around expertly on her spinning chair, arms crossed over her chest as she glared at him. However, Angela was never one to hide her emotions overly well, at least not the positive ones. She can suppress her discomfort and worries to some extent for the morale of others but it was hard for her to pretend to feel something she was not. In this case, he knew that it would be a short matter of time before she broke out into a smile.
"I didn't realize that your chair spinning skill level is correlated to your level of anger."
Angela huffed proudly and smirked at him, a way to vent some of that smile she had been trying to hold back all this time.
"I'm a quick learner. Of course I would get it down. The timing was just convenient."
"I wouldn't say that toppling your chair seven times in a row is considered quick."
"It was only six times. Everyone learns at a different pace alright?"
"Alright six. But still, how did you manage to fall out six times in a row? Children could spin on this without stopping and not even fall off while dizzy. You did it six times just trying to do a 180."
Angela stomped her foot and stood up, hands on her hips as she stared down Genji who was still seated. She was never one to back down when she felt her cause was just. Her profession and gender had nothing to do with how menacing and intimidating she could be when she got serious.
And this was definitely a cause worth fighting for.
"Do you want to fight Mr. Shimada?"
Genji smirked and stood up, matching her height as he raised an eyebrow at her. "I know you're a great doctor with proficient combat skills and a fine grasp on anatomy, especially when it's my body. However, is that really a fight you want to take?"
Before Angela could reply, Genji leaned in close to her, not quite touching but making her eyes go wide and her thoughts lost for a moment. A perfect moment for his next words.
"With knowledge and skills like that, I'm sure you can figure out a better way to make me submit. Care to come by my dorm and settle this later tonight, Angela?~"
Angela fell back into her seat, her cheeks flushing as she gazed up at him. It was hard, incredibly hard, to try and hold her composure when he said her name like that. It flowed off his tongue so smoothly, as if he had practiced saying it for days. She doubted that the g was his trouble, it was the lack of the letter 'l' in the Japanese language. However, it sounded perfect, especially just now as he let her name flowed so smoothly off his tongue.
"Mmm…"
Without thinking, Angela let out a soft whimper in place of the silence that she had no idea how to deal with. Her brain was a mess and she had no way to express all the feelings that she felt. She liked him of course but he didn't have to go so far. She just wanted to hear him call her by her name. How is it that she was invited to his room … She wasn't ready to even confess yet and she knew that he thought of her as more than just a playboy conquest.
Even if he had sworn away his playboy days, it was at times like these that she was reminded that he used to be one. And a damn good one at that.
"What's wrong Angela? I was just offering you a more suitable duel for your skills. Of course, we could spar normally as well but where's the fun in that? When it comes to doing no harm, my suggestion surely fits that better."
He leaned in close, right next to her ear now as he spoke is a breathy low tone.
"Besides, I'm sure you would enjoy that much more compared to what you do alone wouldn't you, Angie~"
The blush went all the way up to her ears now as her lips quivered with her eyes darting away from his face, embarrassment peaking as he pushed her even further. Did this man not know the concept of mercy? He not only struck her unexpectedly by using her name, he went as far as to call her by a nickname and had the audacity to call her out about such a private thing …
"A-at least ask me out to dinner first, you jerk …"
Genji smirked and winked at her. "Ah, but I did remember? A while earlier I asked if you would like to go get dinner with me. Alas, I was painfully ignored."
"... Ask me properly."
Genji let out a mock sigh before taking her hand in his, eliciting Angela to hesitantly looked at his hand clasping over hers gently before trailing up to his soft eyes.
"Would you grant me the pleasure of taking you out to dinner this fine evening, Angela?"
Angela pouted and huffed gently, looking away as if she was still mad at him. However, it did not even last a second before she placed her other hand over his with a sweet smile.
"I would love to, Genji."
The frown returned to Angela's face once more, though it was far from being serious this time.
"As for your other proposal, I'll … give it some consideration. I … can see that you were being considerate of my expertise but … Just, don't get your hopes up or anything."
Genji smiled and nodded, not letting go of her hand despite his proposal being accepted. If anything, he wanted to hold her hand forever. His flesh hand was in the middle between her two soft ones, meaning that it was in the best place he could want it.
Well, unless she did accept his other proposal. Then he might have to retract that thought just then. But of course, he shouldn't get his hopes up or anything.
"... How did you know?"
Genji tilted his head as if questioning what she meant. Angela looked away, the frown shy and embarrassed as she asked again in a softer voice.
"How did you know about … what I do alone while thinking of you?"
If Genji's jaw had not been half cybernetic, he would have needed the implant after his jaw dropped right then.
"I … Uhm, that was … I was just trying to tease you and made a bold move … There was no way I could have known I swear. I was starting to feel bad and was about to apologize actually, since I accused you of something so perverse."
Angela pulled her hands back then turning her head to look back at him with horror on her face for revealing her own secret. She then turned this expression into a more suitable one laced with anger, though it was not extremely convincing.
"You tricked me! I can't believe you!"
Genji raised his hands apologetically as he conceded to her accusations. "Old habits die hard. I was surprised I was right. Then again, you aren't some young teenage girl. It's not the worst thing in the world for someone else to find out. And besides," he smiled, "I'm flattered that you think of me in so many different ways. I've always seen myself one-dimensionally yet here you are. As expected from the hardest woman I've ever tried to ask out for dinner I suppose."
Angela frowned at him for a moment longer before looking down at her lap, the colors from her cheeks fading now as she contemplated the implications of his suggestions and the things that transpired today.
At last, she looked back up at Genji to give him a small smile as she raised a finger up between her soft lips to think. The finger came away every time she spoke in a cute manner that Genji never questioned, lest she ever thought to change the habit.
"What time?"
"How does seven sound?"
"How about eight instead?"
"I can arrange that. May I ask why?"
"I want to … prepare myself a bit better. And no, you're not allowed to ask why."
The soft pink hue on her cheeks at the pout she used to try and dissuade him from asking only made him smirk and want to tease her one last time.
"Ah, I see. Well, enjoy your extra hour alone then. Try not to wear yourself out before the night come. It's no fun for you to accept my other offer if you're worn out after all."
Angela went into a full blush once more, moving her hand away from her lips indignantly even as Genji waved his hand in front of his face with a chuckle. With that, he began to walk out of the lab.
"Well, I do have a few things I should take care of and a nice dinner to reserve and prepare myself for."
Angela nodded and turned her fist into a small wave, refusing to smile at him after what he just did to her.
"I'll be seeing you then, Angela."
With the sweet note of her name lingering just a moment on his tongue, Genji exited the room. And so, Angela found herself left with a warmth in her chest, a sweet sound in her mind, and a date to prepare for.
All in a day at the lab, kicking names about, taking no sass, and doing no harm.
