Disclaimer: i do not own any of the poor souls in this. Man of Action do.
Forgive me if this sucks...it's been a while since I've wrote! It's rated high at the moment due to some scenes that are gonna be in it. Enjoy =)
He was stiff and sore. Every bone in his body felt like he had been slammed through every wall in Providence headquarters and then, just for good measure, pushed through the walls in Van Kleiss's castle. He couldn't stand still for longer than a few moments before painful cramps made themselves known.
Bruises were forming on bruises and he was damn sure that he was getting one on his backside from where he had landed awkwardly from dodging a blow from the attacking EVO.
It was a relief that he was standing though he decided, another relief was that he was wearing his trademark shades in the dimly lit control room. The huge screen in the middle of the room was showing the details of the EVO they had just defeated and in one of the smaller side screens, the leader of Providence was regarding the data.
He closed his eyes briefly for a moment, allowing his world to go dark and slightly less painful before he felt someone placing a hand on his forearm. He didn't need to look as to who would have the gall to even do that.
It was either going to be a certain female doctor or a certain hot headed young man who could create amazing nano machines from his body.
"Are you alright?" Doctor Holiday's soft voice asked him quietly enough so no one would hear.
"I'm fine," Agent Six replied, "Nothing a shower won't cure."
A shower. A long, hot shower sounded like heaven. The soft, warm welcoming embrace of his double bed seemed to go hand in hand with the idea as well. He wanted a few hours to himself but he knew that it was going to be difficult.
If you got a few peaceful hours to yourself in Providence, then it meant you were dead or pretty low on the food chain.
"I want you to come to my office after you get something to eat," Holiday ordered quietly, "It's time for your medical I think."
"I had a..." Six looked at the pretty doctor and saw that she wasn't in the mood for being lied to, "Fine."
Holiday blinked her pretty green eyes at him and smiled, "Really? That easily?"
Six pushed his shades up a little further up his slender nose, "Really."
"Twenty minutes then," Holiday offered him, "The quicker we get it done, the quicker you can get some shut eye."
Twenty minutes? I'm not hungry but it gives me time to shower and get myself cleaned up, Six decided.
Six noted that Holiday's hand was still on his arm, luckily, he was standing in a dark area where the lighting didn't quite reach. He lowered his gaze down and wasn't sure why he didn't seem to mind the contact. He was normally running for the hills at this point whenever he was faced with personal contact with the pretty doctor or when they were both making awkward conversation.
He was still keenly aware that White Knight was barking orders from the huge screen now. Six knew that he didn't need to be here for that, he was practically allowed free reign to do whatever he wanted to do in base as long as he did his other task of looking after Rex Salazar and getting on with his own missions of EVO destruction.
His mind went to Rex and as to where the young man was at present. He should be here for the debriefing. The boy had saved the day yet again after getting his ass kicked seven ways from Sunday by an EVO that had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that day. Six had joined the fight when Rex had been knocked out cold for a few moments, the teen had been moments away from becoming dinner to the EVO. Six had tore through the creature, pushing Rex out of the way before the poor soul turned on the green suited man.
Six almost had his ass handed to him before back up arrived in the shape of the Keep and the rest of Providence. Rex had used the distraction the Keep had caused to cure the EVO. The teen almost passing out after telling the errant nanites in the EVO to deactivate.
The man the EVO had been slowly came into shape, the terrified soul staring at Rex and Six like he hadn't just been trying to kill them. The look always made Six uncomfortable, the mixture of uncertainty and fear. It would be a matter of time before the man remembered what it was like to be an EVO.
The clean up crew dealt with things like that. The crew would locate the man's family and get him back home, discreetly checking up every few days to ensure that the man wouldn't turn again.
Six removed his arm from Holiday's grasp, ignoring all members in the room. He didn't need to excuse himself audibly from the meeting, Knight knew he rarely stayed when people were getting cussed out. His back threatened to seize up and the agent subtlety tried to straighten it before it went into mild annoyance to unbearable pain.
He tried to walk as smoothly as he could out of the control room, a painful cramp was wanting to work its way from his back down to his left thigh so every step was a complete struggle He ignored it as best as he could and was relieved that he had actually made it out of the room.
Soft snores broke what little train of thought he had as he heard the door close behind him. Six looked around briefly and spotted a pair of long legs partially hidden by a small alcove. The snores were coming from there. Rex had fallen asleep just shy of the control room, the teen looked peaceful but covered in dirt and dust from the fight, a faint bruises was healing on his temple but the kid's own nanites were healing his body.
Six raised an eyebrow, if the teen looked like that then he must look like hell had decided to pay a visit. The agent regarded Rex for a moment before gently nudging Rex's ankle with his foot. No answer but Six really didn't expect an answer. It didn't stop him from nudging him again though.
It was clear that the teen wasn't going to wake up any time soon, Rex was out for the world. Six frowned as an agent walked by him, briefly giving him and the boy a look before walking into the mission room.
Six sighed softly, "You could have at least made into the control room."
He give him one more gently nudge but simply got a mumbled answer for his trouble. Six shook his head and decided that he wasn't going to risk waking the teen up. A fatherly thought crashed though his mind, he couldn't really leave the boy on the floor but in his present state, he couldn't lift the teen.
Six settled on a compromise, he shrugged out of his green jacket and winced as his shoulder and ribs protested at the action. He draped the article of clothing over Rex and was slightly surprised to see him snuggle into the article of clothing.
It was surprising to see the teen quite so happy to snuggle into his dirty jacket but Six raised an eyebrow, dismissing his surprise. The teen had a habit of breaking into his room and stealing one of his suits . Six never did get a reason as to why the teen did though, simply accepting it.
The agent of Providence took a few moments looking at Rex to go over what had happened in the fight. It had been a standard mission. A simple kill, contain or cure so why had it went ass over head?
The EVO had tried to use it's size and strength against the agents. It had went on a rampage down town and was not stopping to take into consideration that other creatures and souls lived there. Rex had been sent in first to cure it but the teen had gotten himself over cocky and had gotten his ass handed back to him.
Six had went into the fray when the teen was out cold and had received the same treatment. When Rex had got to his feet, he had summoned his smack hands and proceeded to attack the EVO but the teen had simply gotten smacked for his trouble. The Latin teen had been slammed into Six at such force that both men had the wind knocked out of them for the best part of two weeks.
Rex pushed himself off Six and a crack came from one of them. Six assumed it had been the teen 's machine arms cracking. He hadn't realised it was him until he moved, he'd fought back a vile swear. Had Rex been thrown that hard against him to break a rib?
Six pushed the mission out of his mind and decided on leaving Rex sleeping on the floor. Doctor Holiday would no doubt get the teen into his bed when she came out of the room. Bobo was no doubt roaming the halls and would help.
"Heard you and the kid got spanked," Bobo's gruff voice filled the corridor and he tried to fight back laughter.
The monkey walked into view and caught sight of the green coat covering , the simian said nothing. Six was a tough human to figure out but Bobo knew that the man had a soft spot for the EVO kid, though Six would create pain for those who actually said those words to his face.
"The EVO was slightly tougher than we thought," Six coolly replied as he walked away from Rex and the monkey, "but nothing we couldn't handle."
The ninja agent could swear that he could hear his shower and bed calling to him like a siren in the distance. He could imagine the hot water from the shower soothing his battered body. The soft and smooth skin of Holiday as she rubbed the shower gel over...
Six stopped himself from stalling in his walk, where did that thought spring from? Holiday should never have entered his mind but she had this talent for doing so. He was simply tired, that was the only reason as to why she had came into his mind.
Six knew that the good doctor was a very attractive female but she was a complete mystery to him. All of the opposite sex were, they were dangerous, kind, cruel and safe. They were every cliché in the book. He knew a woman who was more dangerous than him but she still held that mystery that Six had never once been able to puzzle out.
He pushed Holiday out of his mind, he didn't need to think about her. He was shattered and he began to wonder if Breach had popped into the base and rearranged headquarters without him knowing. Six frowned, when did he live so far away from the control room?
The agent knew that he was not going to be enjoying the next few days he decided. He knew that he was going to be stiff and training with Rex would no doubt push his normally stoic attitude to to the limit. Would he be able to take a few days off as personal?
A few moments later, Six was alone in his room. He turned to the door and keyed in the code to ensure that his door was locked. It was habit, he knew that he wasn't going to be attacked in his room but, old habits died hard.
The bed was pressed tightly against the wall and his drawers underneath the standard mirror that was in every room in the base. His wardrobe was still shut and everything was still exactly as he had left it this morning. Breach hadn't been moving the room around then. The ninja allowed a yawn to escape his lips and he slowly took off his shades. He had avoided looking at any reflected surfaces until now. He took a step forward and his lip twitched in mild annoyance.
A nasty cut sat above his right eyebrow and would explain as to why he had been in pain every time he arched it and a large ugly bruise was taking shape on his right cheek. His lips fared no better, a deep cut was clear on his bottom lip.
Was that why Holiday had been taking a keen interest in him? He looked awful, his white shirt was dirty and had specks of blood and his tie looked frayed. His green trousers were filthy, he didn't look like he was one of the most dangerous men on the planet at present, he looked like a street bum who fought for his next meal.
"I don't get paid enough," Six said to no one in particular as he peeled off his shirt, "Perhaps I could do with a vacation."
A laugh escaped his lips, right, as if White Knight would allow to happen. Six was a valuable agent to have and throughout his entire career with Providence, he had never once had a holiday. He was beating Holiday on that front. He had built up over seven years worth of personal time.
He avoided looking at the mirror with his shirt off, he could only imagine what his chest looked like. He walked over to the shower and turned it on, it took a few moments for it to completely heat up to the temperature he enjoyed. Six growled slightly as his ribs made themselves felt again.
Damn the boy, Six tenderly prodded his ribs, I'm gonna release that rabbit in our next training session.
He fought back the pain in his body and focused on stripping completely. Every movement was a pain and he kept thinking that the shower would be the answer to everything. That once he had had that magic shower, he would be instantly lulled into sleeping and in the morning, he'd be make to his normal self.
Six hissed as he stepped into the shower, the water instantly feeling like a thousand pin pricks on his skin. It was not going to be as enjoyable as he had first hoped. He remained still as the water poured down his angular face, every droplet seeming to find new cuts and bruises on his body.
He placed a hand on the white tiled wall, using it to steady himself as he stared down at his feet. His neck seemed to be the one place that didn't hurt so he allowed the water to rain down on that. Everything else however seemed to burn or itch like hell.
Something niggled in the back of his mind, Holiday was going to be waiting for him. The doctor had said that she would wait until he had ate something and Holiday knew that Six was more of a grazer. It meant that his twenty minutes were dwindling and fast.
He quickly finished his shower, it had turned out not to be as pleasant as he had originally thought. Six shook his head, clearing it of unwanted thoughts and any excess water from his hair. He wrapped a towel around his waist and snorted softly as it was yet another white thing in the room.
People wondered why he wore green, it was so that he didn't lose his sense of individuality in a sea of black and white clothing that was the standard Providence uniform. Everything in the headquarters were either white or black. No shades of grey and Six found that it reflected the leader's personality quite well.
Knight had no grey area. It was either his way or no way. Six, ever since he had encountered one young EVO boy, had found his way of thinking was becoming grey. He had indulged Rex in quite a few things and had acted against orders.
He no longer saw things the same way his former partner did, not that he ever really did.
Six had a small plan forming in his mind, a fresh suit and shirt would instantly make him feel more like himself but he was caught out. He wasn't alone in the room now, he raised his eyebrow, ignoring how the cut above it stung.
Holiday turned around, a blush washed over her round features. It looked as though she had been caught raiding the cookie jar. Her arms were crossed over her top and she quickly avoided looking into Six's unshielded eyes. She couldn't stop herself from sneaking looks at his toned torso though, she was human after all.
I knew I should have knocked, Holiday thought with embarrassment, now he's going to avoid me for the rest of the week.
"Doctor?" Six broke her out of her thoughts.
I need to change the code for my door, Six thought, it was getting far too easy for Holiday and Rex to enter his room.
"Yes...uh," Holiday stumbled, "I thought it might be best if I gave you something for the pain now instead of making you walk all the way to the medbay."
"I'm perfectly capable of making my way to the medical room," Six replied as he took a step forward.
He had decided that this was going to be awkward. He was standing practically naked with nothing but a towel to ensure he remained decent. He avoided her gaze as he reached for his shades, quickly, he placed them on, forcing the thought of what he looked like out of his mind.
"You looked a little stiff walking out of the mission room," Holiday risked a glance up and was greeted with her reflection from Six's shades.
She noticed then, Six cursed himself for that. He didn't want her noticing that.
"It's how I usually walk," Six curled his fingers tightly around his towel, forcing his mind to remain on the conversation instead of where it wanted to go in the current situation.
"You're usually smoother than that," Holiday laughed softly to diffuse the situation, "Come on, sit down so I can patch you up."
"Doc..." Six started but he fell silent by the death look that the boy had said would make even Van Kleiss ran and hid in the nearest wardrobe.
"Sit down," Holiday ordered, "Don't make me pin you down on it."
That comment seemed innocent enough but it had sent tiny shocks up both of their spines. It was clear that Holiday had a crush on Providence's top agent and if you looked hard enough, the feeling was returned. An answer played on Six's tongue but he quashed it down, it would not do.
"Can I at least put on some underwear?" Six queried, "I thought I had more time and I wasn't expecting to be hijacked in my bedroom."
Holiday's face turned red again. She turned round, her lab coat tails brushing against the lower part of Six's bare leg. She should have known that Six was like any human and didn't immediately put clothes on after a shower.
"Yes, of course," Holiday cleared her throat, "but as I told Rex, I am a doctor. You've got nothing I haven't seen before."
"I'm not a sixteen year old boy," Six countered, "I'm not trying to impress or bed you."
Mores the pity, Holiday kept her shoulders straight. She was getting tired of that though, was she really that unattractive to Six that he wouldn't even try to flirt with her a little? Was she destined to be chatted up by the teenage EVO?
Rex at least showed her attention, constantly trying to win her affections and even trying for kisses on the cheek or lips every so often for any brave thing he did. Six would give her the cold shoulder whenever she went to touch him or playfully tease him. The ninja barely acknowledged her presence and the best compliment she had ever got from him was 'you look...nice'.
Nice? She had spent over three hours trying to find the right dress for the party and to add insult to injury, he hadn't even shown up on time! He hadn't offered her any reason as to why he had been late, simply appearing out of nowhere beside her, wearing his damned green suit.
She took some solace that she was at least seeing the more human side of Six. However, even when the man was dressed in nothing but a white towel, he still looked daunting. Holiday couldn't resist the urge to peek at the mirror though, she bit down on her lip. Six had his back facing her as he pulled on his boxer shorts and Holiday was treated to a view of a toned ass before it was covered by the black material. She was concerned about the bruise forming at the bottom of his back though, it was going to be uncomfortable for the man to sit for a few days.
She turned round and she was suddenly struck by a funny thought. A chuckle escaped her lips.
"What?" Six frowned, a feeling of embarrassment began creeping up.
"Black shorts," Holiday offered him, "I always thought, you know, green."
It took a moment for it to register in Six's mind as to what she was talking about. Black shorts? He stared at her for a moment before the penny dropped. He resisted the urge to smile, did people really think that was all he wore?
"That pair is in the wash basket," Six admitted and a thought crossed his mind, would the good doctor go and check?
"Why do I believe you?" Holiday discreetly looked around the room to see if she could find the said wash basket and found that he probably hid it in the bathroom like most people, "Now, sit down so I can take a look at you."
Six fought back a sigh and a groan as he sat down on his bed. His ribs once again flashed in pain. His world was filled with white and scorching pain. He must have fallen forward as Holiday was next to him in a flash, her soft hands feeling cool against his skin as she stopped him from face planting the carpet.
"Six?" Holiday sounded so far away but Six focused on her, "Six?"
"I'm fine," Six responded.
Holiday gave him the once over quickly, he was bruised all over and she wondered how on earth he had managed that. How many of the bruises were fresh and how many were from the rigorous training sessions he had with Rex? His ribcage had a nasty looking bruise and she gently prodded it and wasn't surprised to feel Six tense under the touch, no matter how hard he tried to look nonplussed by it.
The doctor smiled softly, the agent in front of her could beat up EVO and be knocked around like a chew toy but poke a bruise...
"Wuss," Holiday teased lightly and she leant forward to dip into the bag she had brought.
"You didn't have the boy landing on you," Six almost huffed the answer.
"I heard," Holiday said as she rummaged through the medical bag, "How bad is the pain?"
"Unpleasant but nothing I can't handle," Six admitted carefully, "How's the boy?"
"Sleeping where you left him," Holiday admitted, "Rather cute what you did by the way. You know, giving him your coat."
"He wasn't moving any time soon," Six shifted his weight so it wasn't aggravating his bruises, "I merely made him comfortable. Is he still there?"
"Yeah," Holiday confirmed, "Bobo's trying to shift him but he's heavier than he looks."
Six said nothing but he could confirm that anyhow. Holiday was sitting close to him, so close that he could smell her delicate perfume. He noticed how the woman edged herself closer to him, just by a tiny bit.
The doctor placed a steadying hand on Six's thigh as she leaned to take a look at the cut above his eye. Six stopped himself from reacting, it was rare and far between since any woman had last seen him like this and he wondered where exactly was he supposed to look?
"Just patch me up," Six raised an eyebrow, wondering when exactly his throat decided to get so damn dry.
That works, a dry voice in his head chided, if in doubt of what to do if a gorgeous girl hits on us? Be as cold as a freezer.
The agent straightened slightly, unsure of what he really should do. The woman sitting next to was leaning forward, perhaps expecting something more than what he could perhaps give her? Six lowered his gaze down to where Holiday's hand was and raised an eyebrow.
Oh...Holiday thought as she remained passive, what does he think I'm going to do to him?
Six wasn't surprised when Holiday blinked and pulled back from her position. She removed her hand from his thigh and closed it. She took a breath and cleared her throat.
And Mr Sociable makes an unwelcome appearance, Holiday thought bitterly. She had thought he had removed the barriers due to the current situation but she was wrong and it annoyed her.
She did as she was told however and she was perhaps a bit more rougher than she had any right to be on the agent's ribs. She pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and cleaned the cut, it wasn't deep enough to need stitching but it would be uncomfortable for a while.
"How does your cheek feel?" the doctor asked as she examined the bruise, she gently brushed her fingers across it.
"It's nothing I can't handle," Six brushed her fingers away with a swipe of his hand.
Six's bed was soft and he could feel himself wanting the soft comfort of the mattress and covers surrounding him. He stared at his feet for a moment, he needed rest and having Holiday beside him was tempting his mind into thinking about naughty things with the good doctor.
He leaned forward towards Holiday, unsure what he was actually doing but he was just going with the flow as to what his body needed. It was tempting to pull the doctor down on the bed with him and just hold her, her body radiated warmth and he was craving that warmth.
Holiday reacted the same way, leaning forward when Six did. Her eyes closed as they became mere inches apart, she wanted Six to make the next move. To break over that line that had been drawn without permission so many years ago. Six could smell the sweetness of the coffee on Holiday's breath as he slowly inched towards her.
No interruptions, no interruptions, Holiday chanted in her mind as she waited for Six to capture her lips.
"Lab to Doctor Holiday," came an unwelcome voice, "We have that EVO you wanted waiting for you."
Holiday opened her eyes, Six was standing now. When did he do that? Did he leave her hanging in the air for a kiss like a lovestruck teen? No, he wouldn't have been that cruel but he probably would have stood when her lab assistant had called on her.
She cleared her throat and smoothed her shirt down as she stood up, "Right, I guess that's my cue."
She wanted to scream down the headquarters, she was destined it seemed to never get a kiss. Six stood at the foot of his bed, reaching into his wardrobe for a suit. He looked at her curiously, something had riled the doctor and he could only assume the lab assistant was going to be in for a frosty reception from the woman.
"Oh no," Holiday said as she saw what the man was doing, "You are not going anywhere. You are getting some bed rest agent."
"It's not required," Six countered.
"Yes it is," Holiday poked his bare chest, "A half dead agent is useless."
She walked the short distance and pulled him by the arm to where they had been sitting previously. She pushed him back and was surprised to see him fall down on the bed. Holiday smirked softly, all else fails, she found a hands on approach worked.
Six nodded once, relenting this once to the doctor. He watched her carefully as she elegantly bent to pick up her bag. He avoided looking directly at her pretty features but he allowed himself the chance to drink in her slender frame. The curve of her back and the way her lab coat shifted over bum sent inappropriate thoughts in Six's mind.
Holiday caught him staring, "Have I something on my back?"
A wave of red washed over Six and there was no way he could hid it. His chest flushed with embarrassment as he realised Holiday was looking at him. He hoped she would simply think it was a case of fever and not because he was blushing because he'd been caught.
"No," Six felt his mouth go dry.
The doctor raised an eyebrow but she said nothing. She'd check in on him in a few hours to back sure he was all right and perhaps bring him a meal and a drink to keep his strength up. Did he normally go this colour when he was caught looking at something that wasn't there?
"Get some sleep Six," Holiday said softly.
A smile that was unguarded threatened to show on his thin lips, Holiday knew that sleep was probably a sure thing at the moment. She left him alone in the room as she walked out, her eyes blinking in the harshness of the corridor lighting. It didn't occur to her that Six had bare minimum lighting in the room.
"How's the ninja scarecrow?" Bobo's voice caught her off guard, "You were in there a while. Playing doctor and nurses huh?"
How the hell did Bobo do that? Holiday stared at him for a moment, the monkey was obviously learning how to sneak from Six.
"Of course not," Holiday refrained from sighing with that, "Six is fine. He just needs to learn how to look after himself."
Bobo gave her a naughty grin, "Yeah and I bet there's someone who could teach him huh?"
Holiday felt her lip curl in mild annoyance, sometimes the simian could be really quite cheeky. It frustrated her knowing that if a monkey could pick up on her feelings towards Six, why wasn't the man in question able to piece that out?
That almost kiss was about as close as she had ever been to getting one from Six and due to some lab tech, the moment had been ruined. She was going to strangle that poor soul.