I like this part. Even if the ecchibis were taking over for a while here. >D See if you can guess where the ecchibis are talking. They're not hidden very hard.
WARNINGS:
Pro-Leena. If you don't like Leena, I hope to be able to change your
mind. ^^ Please note my view of her relationship with Gareas... Again:
not an AU, so everything will wind up the same anyway. And again: I'm making
stuff up as I go along to explain what I don't know. And... this Point
alone is as long as the last entire chapter. ^^
SEDIMENTARY PERCUSSION
CHAPTER 2: Point
by Kay Willow
Last night had been spent staring at the ceiling and listening to the pulse of his own blood until the halogen lights had begun to brighten, signifying the start of somebody's day -- and, finally, the end of Gareas'.
For a week, he'd been exercising with every spare ounce of energy he had at the end of the day. He'd beaten all his own records and put newer and lesser Candidates to shame. He'd tried different techniques and methods, spent more time on the nine entrance check tests than most Candidates did during their actual entry period, and just generally wound up working so hard that he had to take care that he didn't work TOO hard and destroy his own constitution.
And, if anything, his insomnia had gotten worse. With adrenaline pumping in his veins and his entire body ready for action, it had taken him twice as long to settle down. And being "settled down" didn't mean that "sleep" was a guaranteed follow. Once he was "settled down" he started to think.
I'm still awake. I'm not tired at all. This isn't working. Is anything going to work? Am I ever going to get rid of this insomnia? What if I never get to be a Pilot? I'm already doomed. I don't have a prayer. I can't figure out what to do. I'm trying my best... but I'm still awake. I'm not tired at all. I'm SO screwed.>
Gareas was ready to give up on the exercise approach by the time he reasoned furiously that if he ran through the magnetized hall for one more hour, he would wind up with a polar charge himself.
"It's just not WORKING," he complained through his teeth when he met Ernest for lunch on the seventh day.
Ernest looked more awkward than ever in this public setting, as if every person in the cafeteria was staring at him or afraid of him, but he responded with his usual serene confidence. "That's because you're not doing it right. You're supposed to ease down before you stop; you can't just suddenly decide you've had enough and flop into bed and expect to fall asleep."
"That's not what I'm doing!" Garu protested. "But I don't know WHAT you want from me! What do you mean, ease down?"
"It's kind of like warming up, but the other way around," Ernest answered humorously.
Garu gave him a flat glare. "Start talking sense. What do you mean by warming up?"
The shorter boy blinked at him, obviously confused. "Don't you warm up before you exercise?" he demanded.
"I don't think so," he replied honestly. "If you mean do I start slow and work my way up to a real work-out..."
"Yes, that's right," said Ernest, looking relieved.
"...then no." Gareas shrugged at the stunned stare. "I've never really needed to. It's boring."
"Boring," his friend repeated. "Garu, you could seriously hurt yourself if you force your body right into a strenuous activity; what if you sprain something--"
Garu snorted. The very idea... "What, you don't think I can handle exercise? This is me we're talking about, Ernest! My body can take anything you throw at it!"
For some bizarre reason, Ernest's cheeks reddened. "Ah. Well, I don't doubt that--"
"Here, look, put your hand on my thigh. I'm NOT just going to tear a ligament, pal, not with THIS body--"
"Garu, really, I believe you! Stop--!"
"BOYS!"
They froze and whipped around to face Chef. The huge black man loomed over the pair of Candidates, glowering down at them disapprovingly. Suddenly self-conscious, Garu released his grip on Ernest's hand, and the other boy snatched it away from his leg, and they both flushed uneasily.
Chef stared at them for another long moment before growling, "You are having a problem."
"Er, yeah," Garu said warily.
"What is your problem?" demanded Chef, lowering his loom somewhat so that he was closer to their level.
Garu cleared his throat, and glanced at Ernest, who was no help -- bright red and hiding his face. "I have insomnia," he tried after another moment. "Med Bay can't help me, and exercise doesn't work, so..."
"Clearly, there is only one solution," Chef pronounced grandly.
"There is?" For a brief moment, he dared to allow himself to hope. Then he remembered who he was talking to.
Two enormous trays of something-almost-like-food slammed onto the countertop in front of them. "EAT!" Chef bellowed.
The Candidates snatched up their trays and fled for their lives.
Gareas slowed from the headlong sprint once they were a suitable distance away from the line. Now he was frustrated, miserable, angry, AND stupid enough to be expecting non-cafeteria-related advice from Chef. He shook his head, disgusted with himself. He was really getting to be a pathetic, sad case.
"Ah, there's Leena," Ernest piped up suddenly.
Garu craned his head to see Leena sitting with a crowd of other Repairers across the room. He shrugged. "She's hanging out with her friends. We don't need to shove in there. Besides, I want to talk about this."
Ernest studied his face. "Leena doesn't have any ideas?"
"Leena is convinced that I'm never going to get over this, and she's grimly resigning herself to be a nobody Repairer for the rest of her life," Garu reported tersely. "I've given her leave to apply for a transfer if she likes, to a Candidate with better prospects."
THAT had hurt. But then again, so had watching her face crumble when she heard the news, and the obvious forced cheer in her voice when she told him that she'd root for him until he got over it. Gareas didn't need to be a telepathist to know that she was lying through her teeth.
Ernest was silent for a moment, then asked quietly, "What did she say?"
"Nothing." And that had hurt, too.
The boys sat down at a table in the far back together. Garu spotted several of his friends on the way over, but none of them were very inclined to thought or problem-solving, and none of them would understand and take the situation seriously the way Ernest would. Besides, he wanted to keep this crisis as private as possible. Just him, and Leena, and Ernest...
...and every single Instructor and Tutor and Mechanic and Doctor in all of GOA. All week, as he exercised, they'd been giving him pitying looks. Dr. Rill had put her hand on his shoulder and given him a sympathetic squeeze when he went in for an atomic evaluation. Dr. Rill, who preferred to do amputations right away and damn if the anesthesia had taken effect yet! Instructor AZUMA HIJIKATA had looked away uncomfortably when they passed in the hallway. Instructor AZUMA, who EVERYONE knew didn't have the word "mercy" in his vocabulary!
Garu glared at the multicolored heap on his plate, jammed a fork into the mess, and forced himself to eat it. He was being monitored even closer than the other Candidates. After all, he was the only one who might be REJECTED as a Pilot before he even made it to that elite rank. Heaven forbid he should try to STARVE himself in penance.
"You can try drinking more milk," Ernest offered, obviously at a loss. "Milk is an agonist of the serotonin hormone, which helps you sleep..."
"Where do you propose I GET milk?" Gareas pointed out. "Do we have cows on board GOA? Maybe I should ask CHEF for some." He snorted. "Sure, and then get a quart of this flavorless energy drink shoved down my throat by a madman demanding to know why what he gives me isn't GOOD enough."
The blond boy smiled weakly. "Maybe you should stop drinking the energy drink."
"And get jumped by admin-types who've been watching me on the cameras, making sure I don't dehydrate on top of everything else?"
Ernest's grin faded and he sighed heavily, and Garu immediately felt terrible. He reached out a hand and placed it over Ernest's, and before the other boy could jerk away he focused his regret into that simple contact.
A silent apology, the best he could manage. He'd always been wretched at saying he was sorry.
It was enough. Ernest gave him a somewhat teary but obviously heartfelt smile, and slipped his hand around in Garu's grip. They held hands for a long moment, Gareas pleased with himself and patiently waiting for his friend to regain his composure; Ernest was usually quite emotional after deliberate physical contact.
Freak,> Garu thought affectionately.
Ernest's shoulders shook with stifled laughter, and he snatched away his hand. "I am not a freak," he returned, still sounding choked up.
"Of course you're not," Garu said with blatantly false shock. "Who said you're a freak?"
The other Candidate smacked his knuckles with a spoon, and he yanked it back, yelping. "We have to think about your insomnia now," said Ernest in a school teacher tone.
"Yes, sir," Gareas returned smartly, and ducked from another blow of the spoon.
Then, sobering, he took the situation into stock. Most options were out of his reach or beyond his means... so maybe...
"I could try drinking myself into a stupor," he said, brightly.
Ernest didn't even turn around. "I'm going to assume that you're joking. Even assuming you can get alcohol when you can't even get milk -- and I'm sure you'd manage it somehow -- I know you're not dumb enough to think that'll work. Although you certainly try."
"Try what? To be dumb?" demanded Garu.
Ernest, tactfully changing the subject, said neutrally, "You know, if you'd reconsider EX--"
"I thought we were going to avoid being dumb," Gareas accused.
He returned to his thoughts while Ernest shook his head and went back to eating. Something that'll help me sleep, something that'll wear me out... Can't involve any medicines or edibles... And exercise only leaves me with more energy...>
All at once, it came to him. "Sex!" he cried.
Ernest choked.
Garu gave him an amused look. "Oh, don't be such a virgin," he said light-heartedly.
The blond boy began hacking and coughing alarmingly, and Gareas ceased his teasing to pound on his friend's back helpfully. Ernest waved him away after a moment, muttered something in a raspy voice about broken ribs, and fixed his gaze on his tray. He appeared to have lost his appetite, and his face was so impossibly red that Garu feared he might burst a capillary.
"It's not that bad a thought, is it?" he grumbled. Almost instantaneously Ernest whipped around to gape at him, blue eyes wide with shock. Garu blinked. "Don't have a heart attack. But if you're going to keep having a fit every time you think about me having sex, just STOP thinking about it."
"I have NO idea what you mean," Ernest stated firmly, gathering the shreds of his dignity around him and trying not to look flustered.
Gareas spread his hands. "I think it might be a good solution, though! I mean, I pass out in like twenty seconds after sex! So it makes sense, right?"
There was no discernible lessening in the intensity of his blush, but Ernest SOUNDED perfectly calm when he answered, "I'm not certain I'm the person you ought to be talking about for that."
Garu patted his shoulder, ignoring the uncomfortable way Ernest tensed at the obstructed contact. Good grief, it's not like it's direct skin-to-skin contact, here; I can't force him to read me by touching his shirt, for crying out loud.> He said sympathetically, "We'll find a girl for you someday, Ernest."
"Good luck," Ernest muttered. Gareas refused to dignify that with a response, stood up, and looked around for Leena.
Her friends had all left, and she was scanning the cafeteria in a similar way, most likely looking for him as well. He waved to her, and once she spotted him she headed straight over.
"Here comes Leena," Garu informed Ernest cheerily, almost certain that his problems were over.
"Oh, good," murmured the shorter boy, who got to his feet and picked up his tray.
"Hey -- where're you going?"
"I'm done eating," Ernest responded, motioning to his tray, which was still half-full. Ernest ate like a bird. "I thought maybe I should let you broach this subject... alone. You know."
"You are WAY too easily embarrassed." Garu scowled. "You really OUGHT to get laid, it'll do wonders for your tolerance. What about Tune?" he suggested helpfully. "That girl worships the ground you walk on."
Apparently, Ernest found this about as helpful as he'd found the fist slamming into his back a few moments before. "I'm not going to take advantage of her, she's just a girl," he snapped, defensive. "Besides, SOME of us like to maintain a strictly professional relationship with our Repairers--"
"Fine, fine, be that way," Garu dismissed. Tune was in fact their age, but she was still practically a stranger to Ernest; his previous Repairer, who he hadn't been all that fond of either, had died in a Victim attack while on vacation to her home colony only a few months ago. Mouthy, obnoxious bitch had probably put him off women for life.
But he couldn't let Ernest off without one last threat: "Someday I'll find out what your type is, and then we'll see how much longer you're a virgin!"
Muted snickers rose from the Candidates seated near him, but Gareas glared them down. Make fun of Ernest while his back was turned, would they?
As Ernest and Leena passed each other, they exchanged amiable nods and Leena said something that made them both laugh. Garu smiled in spite of himself; there was something about his two favorite people in all the universe getting along so naturally that just made him feel positively gleeful.
Then Leena was seating herself across from him, expression cheerful; she obviously enjoyed Ernest's company almost as much as Garu did. "How are you?" she asked by way of greeting.
"I think I've found a solution for my insomnia," he told her, hopeful for the first time in a long while.
"Really? That's wonderful!" she cried, obviously as excited as he was. "What are you going to do, Garu?"
"Well, I figure, sex always makes me fall asleep quickly." Gareas paused, looking at her expectantly.
Leena hid a smile behind her fingers. "Oh, is that it?" She gave up and laughed. "You're lucky you have a girlfriend, then."
Garu grinned. He'd been half-expecting her to refuse, either out of indignation at the prospect of being used as a means to an end, or because she was thinking seriously about taking him up on his offer and requesting a transfer to a more promising Candidate. "So can we try it tonight?" he asked eagerly.
"As long as you promise it stays friendly and doesn't move into the realm of the serious," she warned, just as she had the first time he'd approached her on the matter. "You know perfectly well I'm not the one you were meant to be with, and you're not the one for me either."
"Of course," Garu responded, just as he had the first time. "We're just having fun." He winked at her.
"Well," she said, smiling back, "this time we're also being practical." Then she looked self-consciously over her shoulder at the exit. "I take it this is the reason Ernest left?"
Leaning his head on his hand, Gareas waved vaguely. "You know how he is. He's really sensitive about this kind of thing. He nearly killed himself when I first mentioned the subject; he started actually THINKING about me having sex and probably freaked himself out."
There was a pause, and then Leena gave him a curious glance. "You really think that's what it is?"
"Sure. I mean, of course he's like that; he's never had sex. It's probably still kind of weird for him to think about it."
The young woman studied the table and hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder..."
There you have it. I don't see Garu and Leena as a real couple; it's my opinion that they're together because they're just having fun in the absence of anything more meaningful. ^^ They don't exactly act lovey-dovey; after Ernest dies she shows more concern in TUNE'S state of mind than Garu's, and Garu is half-lunatic, running around trying to beat up Teela (fat chance) and putting dents in the railing.
At any rate, Leena is a sympathetic character. I can't dislike her in spite of the fact that she stands in the way of Garu/Ernest, so I don't want anybody else to, either. ^^
Everybody belongs to Yukiru Sugisaki, and even if she were selling them, I wouldn't have the money necessary to buy them. *sob* Maybe she'll give one to me as a charity gift!
--Kay Willow, getting together the Counterpoint again
AIM: Savinsilk
Email: kay_willow@hotmail.com
Quote: me and Erin-neesama, on her fic speculations --
"Now I have this mental image, and it may yet
kill me with
laughter."
"You think it's funny; Ernest doesn't."
"No, I imagine he doesn't, the poor thing.
But that's okay,
because we know what the point of this whole
exercise in misery
is, deshou?"
"To get Ernest laid! Preferably with Garu."
(Yeah, Neesama... PREFERABLY. *facefault*
)
