Letting out a loud yawn Hitomi glanced at the clock on her desk only to make her yawn louder. It was already eleven at night and after all these hours of studying computer crap she felt that she could hold her own with the computer now. She'd show Van who knew how to use a computer… perhaps even each him a few things Hitomi thought smugly as she shut down the computer and flipped the switch on her lamp.
Slinging her purse over her shoulder and limply carrying the bag Hitomi trudged towards the exit and decided to take a detour to get herself a cold drink. Glancing towards Van's office with its light still on she decided to be a good person and get the hard working citizen a drink for a reward.
As she placed the money into the machine she started humming happily, unsure of why though it was so late and she was so tired she was happy. All that really awaited her at her apartment was a dark apartment and probably at this point an angry cat wanting to be fed.
Yawning, Hitomi pulled out the caffeine filled cans and walked towards Van's office, not realizing a small smile had formed on her pale lips. Hesitantly she peaked her head around the door frame expecting to see Van hard at work, mentally preparing herself for the onslaught of words the might come out towards her for spying in on him.
Silence.
Slightly shocked, Hitomi leaned more towards the doorway to find Van fast asleep with his head on the desk. Her smile grew gentler as she gingerly walked into the room, unsure if she wanted to disturb his slumber. Stopping with a clear view of his face she stopped and watched him for a moment, her stance relaxed, a feeling of happy ease filling her body.
"He looks to peaceful asleep like that… you would never guess what a terror he truly is," she softly chuckled about to leave the room when she decided better of it. Course, she knew she was going to pay dearly for this but what the heck, might as well get even for the anchovy's incident.
Quickly before she could change her mind she placed her own soda on his desk and took his and placed the cold can against his cheek, leaning back ready in case he jumped up to slap her.
As Van's maroon eyes were tense slightly, memories haunting his head, something hard and cold jolted him from his blast from the past, his sudden movement knocking some papers off his desk. Snapping up, Van touched his cheek, his skin still cold, and looking up, he caught Hitomi moving back nervously, a sort of mischievous glimmer in her emerald green orbs.
"Don't do that!" Van scolded, trying to keep his temper at bay. After a split second, he forced on a smile, and Hitomi laughed lightly, reassured and sat down on a chair across his desk and handed him the soda.
"It helped you wake up, didn't it?" Hitomi said innocently, and Van shrugged as he opened the drink, gulping down the carbonated liquid. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Van stretched his back slightly and bent over his keyboard, typing madly. Hitomi toyed with an imaginary speck of dust on her pant leg, swaying back and forth, eying Van as he stared at his computer as if wishing it would explode on him. Occasionally Van would take a sip of his drink, and continue typing, while Hitomi, in the meantime had taken a pen and draw on a post it little doodles. Both would glance quickly at the other, taking them in, trying to decide what to make of the other. Hitomi, bored and unsure of why she was still hanging around, took the pen and started haphazardly sketching the room. Suddenly there was a thud, the sound of Van leaning back in his chair with his full weight, letting a long groan emit from his mouth, like a canyon yawning at the new day.
"Done," he smiled, noticing Hitomi's little doodle. Frowning slightly, thinking how childish that was, Van just sat up, and groping his jacket pockets, he took out a pack of cigarettes and lit up, Hitomi's green eyes widened as she watched. Lighting one up with a chrome silver lighter, he took a drag, Hitomi coughed as the smoke emitted his mouth.
"That's so unhealthy for you!" she yelled, covering her mouth as she hacked away. Eying Hitomi, irritated, Van stubbed his cigarette on the side of his garbage can and threw it in.
"It doesn't matter, it's my body," Van growled, and Hitomi glared back.
"Second hand smoking, you idiot! And do you KNOW what that does to your lungs! There's paint thinner and all this… This CRAP in there! And there you are inhaling it into your system because you think it's cool!" Hitomi lectured, appalled that he would do such a thing.
"It's not like I'm doing weed!" Van yelled, "It's legal! I only smoke about twice a day, and if you care so much about your damn health you can leave the room!"
"The smell stays on your clothes, your nails turn yellow, and so do your teeth!" Hitomi continued, anger riling her up.
"Do I look like some pretty boy to you?" he demanded, about to get another cigarette and leave the damn office before he did something he'd regret.
"Sometimes I just don't know!" Hitomi snapped before she could stop herself. The silence was an unnecessary announcement that she had stepped into really touchy territory. Van's eyes darkened as he grabbed his brief case, and brushing past her he walked briskly to the elevator and stepped in, fumbling for another cigarette. By gods, he needed one right about now.
But hell, Van was beyond angry. From her waking him up, something that few ever had the opportunity of finding out, the way she was so damn different, the way she thought she could just boss him around, and the mood she had caught him in, he was furious. He did have a temper problem, but at the moment Van didn't care. As he stepped out, he took a sweet drag and crossed the dark parking lot to his car, the familiar sound of the engine revving stilling his anger for a brief second before he ripped out of the place.
Hitomi sat in Van's office, still dumbfounded at her boss's sudden anger. She had had fair warning from her colleagues… But she had never thought…
A tiny part of her had hoped that they had something, and while she buried her head in her hands, Hitomi felt like kicking herself.
Exactly what right did she have to try and control Van's life by telling him what to do? But then again, what right did he have to blow up at her and charge out of the room? Releasing a haggard breath Hitomi reasoned it was impossible to try and reason with the man. They both seemed to have evenly matched tempers which simply liked poking each other raw, trying to get beneath the layers of indifference and stinging where it counted.
Gathering up her belongings once more she looked at the sketch of the office she had done and after a minute of contemplation, put her belongings down once again and picked up the pen to continue her work.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Haphazardly Van pulled into his parking spot and downshifted to park, his anger still there even after a short night of sleep. He had gotten home and paced his apartment, mad that Hitomi would try to control his life. It was his life damn it! Not hers! He had taken a long and hot shower trying to cool his thoughts and relax, washing away the day of anger and refresh himself. After watching a few minutes of TV he went to his room and laid awake for another hour or so, stewing over every word that had passed between himself and Hitomi that whole day, thinking how much the woman could frustrate him with just the simplest gestures and… argh! Finally he had calmed himself into a light sleep, the last image him remembering was him staring deep into the emerald eyes, alight in happiness, a faint pink blush visible.
A low growl escaped his lips as he grabbed his brief case from the passenger seat and opened his door. Slamming the door shut he pressed the alarm button on his keychain and continued on his war path towards the elevator. Several of the women employees who were arriving quickly hurried out of their cars, taking a moment to check themselves in their side mirrors, and hurrying for the chance to be in the elevator with Van. Normally he would have given them a playful wink but today, today was different.
As the elevator rapidly rose towards his floor Van shut his eyes, his ears picking up the faint chatter of the female employees, the smell of all their different perfumes. Stifling a yawn Van reasoned that this weekend he'd sit around his place, watch some TV, read, drink a few beers… just have an easy weekend with no thoughts of a certain thorn in his side.
When the elevator finally reached the floor the women pushed out, each chatting excitedly about how they got to ride in the elevator with Van, although they hadn't talked with him, there was always next time they reasoned. Yawning, he continued his way to his office and tossed his brief case onto the desk and eased himself out of his jacket, tossing it on the chair where The Thorn had sat the previous night, and flopped down on his chair to check his messages.
Pressing the start button he ignored the screen and flipped through a few new papers which had appeared on his desk requiring his signature, a few documents needing reading for a meeting he would have next week. Ah the joys of the business world Van sarcastically laughed to himself. Gently he tossed the papers back onto the desk and turned to look at the messages onto to find a paper taped above the screen with "Mr. Fanel" printed it neat handwriting. Curious, Van tore the paper off from above the screen and opened it, his eyes slowly widening when he recognized the picture, or at least thought he did.
A rough black and white sketch of his office done quickly was neatly done on the paper, each detail quick yet recognizable at a glance. Glancing at the back window in the sketch he recognized it as an imitation of the painting 'Starry Starry Night', contrasting perfectly with the picture. Raising his eyebrows he pulled the paper closer to find himself as a stick figure smiling dopily at the computer. So interested was he in the office that he had failed to see himself in the picture. Letting out a laugh he looked down to find a note written to him.
As his eyes quickly read the few lines a slow smile spread across his face, surprised that Hitomi had done such a thing as apologize for her behaviour and trying to boss Van around. Slowly he felt his anger he had kept all night flowing out of him, floating away and soaring away through the office windows leaving him with an odd feeling of happiness.
Gently he folded the note and tucked it into his desk and stood on his feet, a smile still tugging on the corner of his lips. Taking quick strides across the room he looked out of his office and over the rows of cubicles hoping to see a glimpse of Hitomi, to see if she was there. Seeing the sandy blonde hair the smile broke from the restraints he had been keeping on it and spread across his face making a few of the females close by secretly swoon.
After spending the entire night mad at her Van was amazed how easily and how willingly he had forgiven her for just the simple act as the note. He had this sudden urge that he had to talk to her then, just to be close to her, perhaps have their usual banter… he just felt… alive from something so simple as a note, knowing that she had felt bad about upsetting him.
As Van swiftly made his way across of the office Hitomi slowly unloaded her bag, placing her lunch on her desk, her eyes resting momentarily on her pictures which hung around her desk. Spotting the grease smug she had gotten on the frame she picked it up and wiped it with a tissue, smiling fondly at her family from their still picture.
Looking up she bit her lip, wondering if Van had gotten her note and if he was still upset with her over last night. When she had gotten home she had changed and sat in bed, her current novel she was reading open though her eyes unseeing. Eventually her cat Solar had hoped on the bed and despite being upset with Hitomi over coming home so late had curled up and fallen asleep on Hitomi's lap, calming her and setting her mind at ease that perhaps it would all work out in the end with Van. Perhaps someday they would understand each other… or at least kill each other in the process.
A faint knock against her cubicle wall snapped her out of her thoughts and back to reality. Turning around she found the object of her thoughts, her worries, frustration, you name it, outside her cubicle, a faint smile apparent on his lips.
"Hey…" Hitomi started hesitantly, keeping her eyes downcast just in case he was still upset.
"Thanks for the note," smiled Van, leaning casually against the cubicle wall, careful not to lean too much to make it fall. He had done that once and had been the laughing stalk of the office for at least a month.
"No problem," Hitomi shyly replied, fingering her mug of coffee as her computer hummed merrily.
"That took a lot of class," Van commented casually, "Didn't think you had any," he added with a smirk. Hitomi's eyes flashed with anger and she was about to yell at him when he caught her fierce gaze and stopped her. "I was kidding," he interrupted her, resting his hand reflexively on her bare shoulder, then after they both registered that, he withdrew his hand quickly.
"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly, "Uh, I should go work."
"You wouldn't want to be unorganized now, would you?" Hitomi grinned, and Van returned the gesture.
"Never," he laughed, and walking off he hummed a Clash song to himself.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
22.6.03
CxV: House.Too.Hot
MT: Haa haa, it
snowed here yesterday
CxV: *mumbles* Whore... Well, hope you like our
story! Summer is coming soon so more free time! And the laziness factor will
increase.... o_O;; More reviews will motivate us! n_n
CxV: Haha, you suck :D
MT: That's it *sniffs and goes off to cry in corner*
CxV: *hands MT a tissue* Feel better while I go crash
onto my bed. :) *pats MT's head*
MT: Goodnight then and review people! :p
Disclaimer: We do not claim any right to Escaflowne and are making no money off this, so there.