So I missed Thursday, and I figured it would only be fair to post something today because I have some nice downtime to write.

$4$

Torque: (n.) the moment of a force that tends to cause rotation.


At the time, it had been a relatively innocuous comment.

He and Stu had been working hard on this piece of intel, when Annie came click-clacking in, touting her usual carton of coffees and pastries. She dropped his black coffee and blueberry scone on his desk, hip-checked him as hello, and informed him cheerfully that his breakfast was at his ten o'clock.

Since this wasn't any different from any other Wednesday, he didn't think anything of it, thanking her with a grin of his own.

She deposited the rest of the coffees to his team, giving his shoulder one last squeeze before heading back to her desk.

He had paused the Mingus that had been piping through his headphones when she walked in, so there was no way he could miss what Stu mumbled under his breath the second Annie slid the glass door shut.

Auggie stopped in his tracks, his fingers hovering over his keys. He had heard Stu correctly, he just didn't understand what possessed Stu to say it.

Under normal circumstances (read: if he was in a shittier mood), Auggie probably would have called Stu on his out of character snarkiness. But rather than put one of his favorite (excluding Annie, of course) coworkers in his place, Auggie stayed silent, mulling over the comment curiously.

He remained like this for most of the day, uncharacteristically silent as he tried and failed to decode that simple little sentence. This continued all the way past work, into his apartment as he sat on his couch, half-listening to whatever was on TV and nursing a bottle of beer.

Thank God Annie Walker came into Anderson's life. That's what Stu had said. Like life was so horrible before Annie turned his life in the CIA upside down. Granted, he was slightly less of a workaholic than before (only slightly), and maybe his sense of humor had improved some (but only some), and there was a small possibility he wasn't bringing as many of the women he met at Allen's back to his apartment (but very small. And that didn't mean anything.)

So maybe Annie Walker was having an impact on his life. That didn't mean anything. He was exactly the same person he was before. Only a smidge less grumpy.

And if his personality had improved, that was entirely because of him, not because he happened to have acquired a new best friend that looked like a cheerleader and knew him better than he knew himself.

He was going to keep telling himself that until he believed it.

"Annie. Walker. Annie. Walker."

Auggie winced but automatically picked up his phone as the electronic voice continued to bleat the name of the very woman he was so staunchly pretending had no effect on his life. "Hey, Walker, what's up?"

"Mmm, I'm wondering if you feel like going out to Allen's," she said over the phone, and it wasn't like that sound of her voice made him grin immediately or anything. He wasn't fourteen anymore, dammit. "But I'm feeling lazy tonight and thinking more along the lines of popcorn and a movie, personally."

"Couldn't think of anything I'd want to do more," he replied easily. Relaxing at home with a movie did sound like a good idea… because he needed the opportunity to unwind, not because the sound of her voice made the kinks in his neck and shoulders unknot, just a little.

"Sweet," she replied. He had a feeling she had a fantastic smile. "You make the popcorn, I'll bring the movie."

"Sure. See you in a few," he told her, unable to hide his excited grin.

Thank God Annie Walker came into Auggie's life.

$4$

Fluffy. It's all I'm good for. :)