Telephone - Gwin
A/N: Gwin is not as much of a jerk as Doug thinks. Well, not the same kind of a jerk as Doug thinks.
Teeny weeny swears. Theft. Not enough Nopon.
All the grand world of XCX belongs to Monolith Soft and the people that designed the weather effects, but Case is mine.
"Wait! Hold the elevator!"
Gwin thought he recognized the woman's voice. When he turned to look, all he could do was grimace. Right, Case, the last thing he needed this night. Did not want to smile and exchange niceties with her, not even for the seconds it took to reach the upper deck. He punched the button and watched her sink below.
The rain poured down on him, and he felt sick. Maybe she hadn't recognized him. Maybe she thought he hadn't heard her. Maybe her green eyes hadn't looked that hurt.
He punched the down button even before he reached the top. Impatiently tapped his boot as the gate lowered. Punched the button again. A couple of times, to be honest. The elevator was big enough to hold several shipping containers, or a full team of skells. It was stupid for one man to be riding on it, and just as stupid to be riding back down. Even when the gate rose and the platform shuddered, he gave the button a few more presses.
She was waiting quietly by the call button. When she saw him, she looked at him with surprise, but she didn't hesitate to get on the elevator. He pushed the up button.
As the ridiculously huge platform started its rumbling ascent, he blurted out, "Sorry. I should have stopped it for you."
She looked at him with the same flash of surprise. "It's okay. I figured you were in a rush."
He gave a sour smile. "I could probably wall jump up this shaft faster than this thing moves."
"But you didn't have to come back down. You're getting soaked."
"We're both getting soaked."
She laughed, slightly. "I'm already drenched." He looked at the bulky uniform she was wearing, several shades darker from the rain.
"That's, uh, that's…"
"Yeah, it's my old uniform. I put it on, kind of by accident. I woke up and wanted to get some fresh air, but I didn't want to put on a light and wake up my roommates. I haven't worn it since they bounced me." She shrugged and looked away.
"Even when you were helping me, uh, when…"
"When you were sick last week? Yeah, no, I kinda borrowed your gear, mostly. Or wore station gear. It wasn't exactly official, and it seemed like we were always in a hurry."
"Oh." He should have figured that out. He didn't mention that some of his gear still smelled like her perfume. "Are you thinking of rejoining?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe that's why I kept it. God, I'm soaked." She shook her head.
Time to change the topic. "Wanna stop by and have a snack?" He kicked himself even as he said those words. Everyone kept telling him that he didn't want to spend time with her, right?
"Naw, I should head back. Get dried off."
"Lin was baking all day so there's got to be something good." Why was he not shutting up?
Her face lit up. "Really?" Then she sighed. "I really shouldn't."
"You totally deserve a cookie for putting up with me."
"What was I gonna do, shoot you because you were in a rush?" She stuttered to a halt. "Uh … I don't mean…"
"I know what you mean," he said carefully. "But I was a jerk about the elevator, and besides, I owe you for helping last week. Even if I don't remember it."
"It was nothing. I was glad to help. You don't need to do anything. Still … it's hard to say no to baked goods by Lin."
"So don't." He tried to look pleading. Hadn't Doug told him that puppy dog was his best shot at getting girls? Gwin wasn't interested in Doug's style of dating (quantity over quality), but he wasn't above using what little he had. Wait, no, he wasn't thinking anything like that about Case. His face twisted suddenly.
Case snorted. "What is up with your face? You look like your stomach hurts."
"Well, now it does. Come on. I need backup. Let's raid the kitchen." Gwin managed a half-natural smile with effort.
Case closed her eyes for a second. Then she nodded solemnly. "Sure. Let's do this thing."
Xcxcxcxcxcxcxcxc2
"No no no. I need you out. Out now! Out out out!" Lin was not in a welcoming mood. She kept darting in front of Gwin, pushing him back from the kitchen island.
"Jeez, Lin, this is a shared space.."
"And you watch your mouth, Gwin Evans. I got thoroughly chewed out by Elma for saying something and then having Tatsu repeat it. She'll blame me if he starts chirping 'jeez jeez jeez'."
"Blame L."
"I get blamed. Me. Like I'm in charge of his mouth." She looked around for her Nopon sidekick, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Well, you did teach him most of the insults he's ever heard."
"Not fair. I've been good about that for months now! And get out of my kitchen."
"It's not your…"
"Well, those are my cookies you're holding. I didn't bake them for you. So stop grabbing them."
"You'll never eat all these." Gwin waved at the countertop covered with towering plates of baked goods.
"These are for a meeting of the editorial board for Pretty Skell N(e)X(t). We're planning a big crossover issue with Miralife 4 Life, so their team will be coming too. I need all the snacks I can get, because a lot of their writers are Nopon."
"Come on, I promised Case something tasty." He looked over at Case, who had retreated to the edge of the room. Her eyes were down, not glancing at the other two. She looked forlorn.
"Oh. Hi, Case." Lin smiled brightly at the older woman, who only nodded shyly, not meeting Lin's eyes. "Well, keep those cookies, since you're sharing them. I wouldn't want anything with your germy fingerprints anway. Uh, so take two fresh ones for Case," she added quickly. She grabbed two large chocolate nom-noms and wrapped them in a napkin, shoving them into Gwin's hands. "Now get out of here!"
Case slipped through the door to the hall, and Gwin followed. As soon as the door slid shut, he started to apologize to her back. "Jeez, uh, wow, I'm sorry about that. I guess we could have two cookies each."
"No. You should keep them." Case sounded so sad, he almost turned around to go back into the kitchen and demand that Lin treat her nicer. "I'll just have … these." Gracefully she swung around, a platter balanced in her gloved hands.
Gwin goggled at the stack of smaller cookies, then at Case, who was clearly working very hard not to laugh. "How did you get those?!"
"I snagged them while you two were arguing about manners."
"She'd gonna kill me when she finds out."
"She'll blame the Nopon. I saw him take a platter just before I did. Wasn't his first either. His fur was covered with crumbs."
"That seems kind of mean."
"He's gonna get into trouble anyway. Let him take it all. Oh, right, you're a nice guy. So maybe you could take some of the heat off him by coming clean at the right moment. Hell, you could even blame me." She shrugged, completely unconcerned about anyone's tender sensibilities.
"No."
"It's cool if you do."
"No, I'm not going to blame you."
"Even though I did it."
Gwin shook his head. "I helped. I was the distraction. We're a team. Stealing skells and cookies."
"Yeah, we're great at that. Thanks for the backup." She looked up and down the corridor. "I don't think it's a good idea to eat them here, though. I'll get the plate back to you."
"Where are you going?!"
"Back to the Mim Center, I guess."
"No way. First of all … are those pecan sandies?"
"No idea."
"So, er, first of all, they'll get wet and that would be a crime."
"Maybe it stopped raining."
He ignored her. "And second, those are pecan sandies. And I think there are some other types underneath. I'm not taking the rap for cookie theft and not getting pecan sandies." His voice rose with barely controlled excitement. "I think some of them are peanut butter."
Now it was Case's turn to stare. "That good?"
"Come up to my room and we'll destroy the evidence. Please."
She frowned. "No, Gwin. I'll drip all over your floor."
"I'll get you a towel."
"No towel is gonna help this." True enough, there was a trail of puddles from the door to beneath her feet, where a small pond was forming.
"You can borrow a towel and some gear. I promise not to peek." He held up his fingers, one crossed over another.
"Isn't that supposed to be when you're lying?"
He dropped his hand and blushed. "Whoops. Anyway, come on up. I promise to behave."
Case looked at him for so long, he was sure she was going to say something shocking and negative. Well, he wasn't quite wrong. "I'd come up even if you didn't promise." She grinned, finally, that grin that made him forget all the good advice he usually listened to. "Because of the cookies."
A/n: I have been so good, so very good about not putting up all my Case stuff out of order. What does my brain do? Hijack me with dumb fluff and force me to write it.
This stuff references things that both have and have not been put up yet (most things are at least partly written, so it will happen). Case helping Gwin, the short version: everyone got the flu and the ECP was putting non-BLADES in the field. It was an emergency. Case teamed with Gwin, because he was not feeling his best. Not done yet. Some months before that, Case and Gwin also stole an enemy skell, that one's done, in The Great Skell Robbery. Uncle Doug's advice to Gwin is done but not up yet, mostly, you and Case, not a good idea.