A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.
WARNING: OOC, LANGUAGE, LEMON
Chapter 8: Conundrum
Argilla awoke to find the space beside her empty. She felt disappointed for a moment but realized that she shouldn't be; after all, they weren't on leave. They weren't in Muladhara…and they weren't even together.
Stretching, she looked at the clock beside her and there, she saw that it was half past 0600 hours. She immediately sprang up.
She was scheduled to do maintenance checks on the communications towers…
She sat up and groaned as she felt sore within her nether regions.
"Stupid Heat. Couldn't be a bit gentler!" she grumbled as she forced herself to limp to the showers.
xxxxx
It was their third night within the bunker now…No; they hadn't been intimate with each other the previous two days. But she was happy though; Heat had been more lively than usual.
Maybe it was because he had recently gotten laid that gave him his boost.
She snorted at that notion.
But still…she began to notice little things about him…
And there, when she would doze off, she would find herself thinking about…the possibility of them being together.
She knew she shouldn't be doing that though. Heat had made their relationship perfectly clear. They were just friends…Friends that had sexual privileges. She had originally accepted the idea…but now…
As she continued to look at him, to gaze at him…She began to appreciate him more and more. He had been a total gentleman; he didn't even tell her one lame dirty joke.
In fact, he had been diligent at his work; he had even taken his sentry duty seriously. She raised an eyebrow though because she herself didn't. Why would she?
'Who would bother with this stupid place?' she thought, crossing her arms…
But then, again, her thoughts meandered over to Heat.
What was he thinking of now?
She pouted, 'Probably Sera…' she sighed as she paused, 'She's the only woman that bastard would look at.' she mentally spat.
She sat on her chair, monitoring the results from the last scans; as usual, every thing was normal. She sighed, 'Why do I have the worst taste in men?' she asked herself pathetically.
First, there had been Serph.
Then, there was Heat.
She felt a chill run down her spine, 'Did I just think that?'
No. There was no way she was over Serph. No way at all. She had been in love with him forever. There was no way another man could change that in just a matter of a few months…
Right?
Her insides churned and she leaned forward, her arms on her stomach. She pressed her arms tighter against her stomach, hoping to alleviate the slight pain.
"You alright?"
Argilla's eyes widened as she immediately straightened up, ignoring the pain and looked up to see the worried face of Heat, "What's up?"
"Er…nothing…I'm just tired…" she said lamely.
He raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Heat knelt down to her level and looked at her comically, "You better tell me now if there's anything wrong. That way, I could treat it. Remember what Serph said?"
What did he say?
Oh. Right.
They had to…
"That's right…" Heat grinned, "You and I have a lot to do tomorrow. We have four days to install the landmines that are stocked at the weapons storage." he finished, drawling his words mockingly.
Argilla felt cold sweat; landmines…?
Those things…were dangerous.
'No shit Sherlock.' she said to herself rolling her eyes.
Yup. Now she could see why Serph put Heat and her there. Yup. That place, since it was unpopular and least visited it was also the least fortified.
She had heard Serph the other day that should they vacate one of their bunkers, depots or caches, landmines should always be spread out within a five-mile radius.
It would serve as the first line of defense against invasions. And it would serve as a warning flare. It would slow the enemy down as the landmines would disable not only infantry but heavy vehicles as well.
Well, it was relatively easy to place…providing that they use artillery to do it. But if manually…She groaned; that was tedious and cumbersome.
Argilla could only wonder how many landmines were in there…
She looked at Heat who was grinning at her and made a face, "I'm fine really. Just tired."
Heat chuckled, "I still don't get how you could be tired. You hardly did anything. I did most of the work today."
She sweat-dropped; that was true though. He did most of the work. She suddenly stood up, "It's your turn to keep watch. I'm turning in." And with that, she walked away.
Heat made a face, "What the fuck is her problem?"
xxxxx
Argilla heard that…
She heard what he said.
'What's my problem?!' she internally snarled, 'If you asked me that in my face…I'd…I'd-'
'You'd what? Tell him you've fallen for him? That you want to make this relationship into something more…meaningful rather than just casual sex?'
Argilla's heart felt heavy; it was so heavy it felt as if there was a force pulling her down…Her hand went to her heart. She looked at the floor sadly.
"I can't stay here…" she told herself.
She shook her head as she closed her eyes, "I can't stay here with him…"
Her thoughts of self-pity were interrupted as she heard a knock on her door. She straightened up and arranged her hair as much as she could and spoke calmly, "Enter."
Heat came to her with a stoic face and sat beside her. Argilla arched an eyebrow, "What is it? What's going on?"
Heat looked at her seriously, "What the hell is up with you? You've been acting strange lately."
'No…You think?' she thought; irritated.
"Nah. I'm fine. It's just your imagination." she lied.
Heat narrowed his eyes at her, "I know that you're lying. It's so obvious." He suddenly stood up and Argilla's heart skipped a beat in nervousness. Where was he going?
"It's so obvious that whatever your problem is, you don't want to tell me. Well, it's fine. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. All I'm saying is that, nothing has changed between us. I'm here should you need me."
And with that, he was gone.
xxxxx
Heat had been turning a blind eye to her irritating behavior for the last few days, but now, as he saw her having that pained expression on her face, he knew that he could ignore it no longer.
That was why he spoke to her about it.
But obviously, she didn't want to speak to him about it. He frowned; was it because of what they had done? Was it because that they now began a sexual relationship that she felt inclined to treat him differently?
Perhaps…more as how a woman would treat a man?
He frowned; he didn't want that…He was fine with what they had…There was nothing that would tie them together formally that would make their lives complicated. That was what he liked about her.
Sex was just something else…She really didn't need to make it complicated. He thought that he already explained it to her. Nothing had to change between them just because they decided to be intimate with each other.
'What's the big deal anyway?' he asked himself.
She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
So there. Problem solved.
'And Sera…?' his inner self asked.
'What about Sera?' he asked back.
'Where does Argilla fit in between Sera and you?'
Heat growled, 'Argilla isn't involved in my business with Sera!'
'If you say so…'
Then, the voice disappeared. Heat needed to sit down; over the last few days…he hadn't even thought of Sera. He didn't even dream of her. The last time he dreamt of her was when he first became intimate with Argilla…
But it wasn't even a romantic dream.
He just saw himself when he was a boy…back when he used to straighten Sera's clothes when she went to the academy…
His face relaxed from its strained expression as he waded in the memory…
In that dream, he felt happy…Seeing her smile that way. Sera's silver eyes twinkled and again, a smile wanted to tug at Heat's lips; but he wouldn't let it.
'She looked so cute…Like a baby…' he said to himself.
Suddenly, he realized something. It was as if he had a sudden revelation…He blinked; no…he wasn't sure yet. He couldn't…It couldn't be…
He was just missing her; that was all. It was just because of not seeing her and the fact that there was no one else within the bunker except Argilla and him…
His mind froze and his heart stopped as he thought of Argilla.
His comrade…his friend…his lover.
Was that all? Really…? Was there nothing else that he felt for her…?
"It doesn't matter what I feel. She's too in love with Serph." he told himself defiantly.
Well, there was no use in worrying about crap problems like that. He and she were there in that bunker for a reason. They had better get to it.
xxxxx
The sun had risen and the two now looked at the terrain from atop the communications tower. Heat put down his binoculars, "We should set up the perimeter…"
Argilla nodded as she too put her binoculars down, "Yes. The minefield should have a five-mile radius."
"Ouch."
She rolled her eyes; she was going to kill Serph. And she thought that this would be a vacation of sorts…She grumbled something inaudible under her breath. Heat gazed at her, smirking, "You're hating him now aren't you?"
They both knew of whom he spoke.
She growled but said nothing, "Let's get to it." she said impassively, climbing down from the tower. Heat smirked; he really loved to rile her. He followed her example and a few moments later, they found themselves on the solid ground.
Argilla looked at him, "I'll plant the AT mines via artillery." She then grinned at him evilly, "While you will place the AP mines…manually."
Heat's face fell, "What?! Why?!"
Argilla knew how much of a tedious task it was to lay mines manually. But it was the only way to put AP mines. They had to be invisible to the enemy.
The mines that she would be laying, the AT or anti-tank mines, would be done via artillery. So, if the enemy would scan the area and find the AT mines and attempt to remove them, she grinned, they would have themselves blown up due to the AP or anti-personnel mines.
That was why…
"I'll scatter the AT mines first. Then when I give the signal, you go ahead. I'll leave ASAP. While I'm gone, you stay and monitor transmissions."
Heat made a face, "Yes ma'am."
She chuckled, "Come on Heat. It won't be that bad."
He snorted, "Whatever."
It was a good plan though. They had to make sure that the AT and AP mines overlap each other. Heat wouldn't have the risk of triggering the AT mines since the AT mines required a greater amount of pressure to be triggered.
Argilla nodded and began to walk away when Heat mumbled under his breath, "Bitch."
"I heard that." she called out to him as she stopped.
Heat raised an eyebrow as she grinned at him, "I will need payback for that." she said, "And I might collect…tonight." she winked suggestively.
And with that, she was gone.
Heat grinned; finally, she was relaxing more.
xxxxx
It was midday; Argilla had been at work for more than six hours now…
'She should be back by now.' he told himself.
Suddenly he heard an incoming transmission. It was from her.
"Heat, I'm done with the AT mines! You're up!" she said.
"What's your ETA?"
"ETA in fifteen."
"Roger that."
"Roger. Out."
A quarter of an hour. Well, he had best get ready.
xxxxx
Heat concentrated as hard as he could as he carefully dug the earth to place the AP mines. He grinned, "These little babies would blow those scumbags to kingdom come!" he cackled.
And so, that was how it went for hours…under the harsh sun…
'That bitch owes me for this…' he thought angrily.
He frowned as he wiped off the sweat from his forehead.
'Don't worry though; she'd be rewarding you tonight anyway…'
His ears perked up at that; oh yes…She did promise that she would…right?
xxxxx
Argilla had just cleared the dishes from their dinner and now stood right by the sink. They had secured the northern quadrant. Now there were only the four other directions to complete the five-mile radius of the landmines.
'Then, after that crap, we're home-free.' she thought.
"Hey," a voice said near her ears, startling her. She froze as she felt him embrace her from behind, "your orders wore me out today you know…?" he said seductively.
Argilla closed her eyes and leaned back to his touch…Soon a pair of lips attached themselves on her neck and her hand flew back to his face, caressing it.
"Heat…" she moaned as he suckled her neck.
Suddenly, she froze. He stopped, "What's wrong?"
She pried his arms from her and turned around, "Man! I forgot something from the tower!"
"What? What did you forget?"
She shook her head, "Forget it. I can retrieve it." She brushed passed him but he grabbed her hand, "It can wait."
She snatched her hand back and walked away, "No it can't!"
He grinned after her, 'Have it your way then.'
Argilla walked with her flashlight towards the tower. It was the communications tower that she and Heat had been on in the morning. She had forgotten something up there; it was her personal belonging.
She made her way up the ladder and a few moments later, she was atop the concrete tower. She huffed and breathed out the cool air; it was quite chilly…but it wasn't cold.
"Nice night."
"Ack! Heat!" she yelled, startled, "Stop doing that!"
He grinned at her, "You were taking so long; I had to make sure that you didn't get lost. Who knows; maybe you had gone into the minefields and had set off the trigger for the AP mines."
She rolled her eyes, "Shut up." she said, turning her back, crossing her arms, "Besides, I wasn't gone that long! I haven't been gone for more than ten minutes!" she said, irritated.
Heat chuckled and stepped closer to her, grabbing her waist and pulling her to him, "It seemed longer than that to me…" he trailed off.
"Hey!" she yelled in protest.
He whispered into her ear, "Where were we?"
She suddenly grinned and turned to him, "Right about…here…" she whispered back, leaning towards him. A moment later, their lips met in a gentle chaste kiss. Heat growled against her as he urged her to kiss him deeper…more passionate. He grabbed her face and pried her lips apart with his nimble tongue.
Again…the rest of the word mattered not. All was where he wanted it to be…There…with her…everything was just how it was supposed to be.
'It feels so right…' he told himself as he continued to kiss her passionately…
'Heat…' she thought; her body heating up as he pressed himself tighter against her…
Then, he tugged at her body to kneel…and kneel she did, following his example…He then proceeded to lay her on the concrete platform of the tower and there, he straddled her without breaking their kiss.
His hands went to her hair…and removed the pins, releasing her silky pink locks from their positions…His lips finally left hers and there he looked at her intently. Argilla raised an eyebrow, "What?"
Entranced by the way she looked with her hair loose…by the way her hair framed her face…his lips betrayed what he had been hiding for so long…
"You're beautiful…"
Argilla blushed; was he feeling alright? What was wrong? It wasn't everyday that she'd get to hear Heat sputtering words like "beautiful". In her eyes and ears, it was something "wrong".
She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off as he silenced her with another searing kiss…
Soon, his hands traveled to her uniform and slowly peeled it from her body. Argilla raised her body in order to aid him…Then…she was bare against him…She shivered from the chilly air and he chuckled and left her lips, "Still not used to harsh conditions ma'am?" he taunted her.
She snorted, "That's big talk coming from a person who's still in his uniform."
Heat grinned as he slowly unclothed himself right in front of her…
Argilla felt a big lump in her throat…as he showed to her his all.
They were on the same stage once more…She was once more plagued with the same question…To take the plunge with him or not. As she looked within his eyes and saw the want, need and desperation within…her answer had been revealed.
She pulled him down for a kiss…
Heat felt for her chest and there, massaged her plump breasts, earning him a moan from her. Traveling downwards, his hands felt for her knees and then parted her legs wide apart. Breaking their kiss momentarily, he nestled himself in between her legs.
He then hooked each of her legs on his elbows while he stared at her.
Argilla's heart raced as she stared at him back; his eyes were foggy with want and lust…It was so obvious…It was so apparent that it was practically glaring at her in the face.
She nodded at him and he pushed his way inside of her, bending her body as he pushed forward, her hooked legs moving with accordance to his arms…
She let the pleasure glaze over her countenance…her consciousness…her soul as he continued to move frantically within her. There came a strong flame that was ignited within her very body, heart and soul as Heat and she became one…
And now, as they rocked their heated and sweaty bodies together, that flame seared stronger…It burned even wilder…
And as they continued their wild dance of passion and lust…Argilla and Heat never left the other's eyes…No…they wanted to know what the other thought of them…They wanted the other to know that it was with them that they were making love with…
And not someone else…
At that moment, Argilla's thoughts were only of Heat…
So, parting her lips, she wanted to let him know it…
"Heat…! Heat…! Oh God!! Heat…!" she moaned, painfully…pleasurably…as he buried himself within her up to the hilt, never sparing a moment of pleasure…
Heat was happy…And to think that he had been having doubts about her…But, as he stared at her…he knew that his doubting had only been for naught…
He had come to think that perhaps it was the silver-haired leader that she thought of as they danced together. No…he was mistaken…
There wasn't a shred of evidence of Serph within her soul…No…There was only him…
Only him…
He was happy…
Even if he knew that he really didn't have the right to feel hurt should she indeed be thinking of Serph as she slept with him…But still, he felt hurt anyway at the mere assumption that she was thinking of Serph.
'Why is that…?' he thought furiously, as he dove even deeper within her tight and wet core…moving only faster and harder against her, "Argilla…Argilla…"
Argilla continued to buck her hips to meet his thrusts…She panted heavily as the sweat on her face trickled down and dripped onto the concrete floor…
The minutes went by and the two continued their mad dance…There wasn't anything to stop them that night…Nothing could bother them…Nothing could disturb them.
There wasn't a settlement for miles…
And so…feeling the end, Heat thrust one last time, madly, furiously, within her and spilled his hot seed within her womb…
"Argilla…!" he groaned.
Argilla gritted her teeth as she herself felt the call of bliss within her ears and she cried out, screaming her lover's name at the top of her lungs, uncaring for those who might hear, "Heat…!!!!"
There will no be no one to hear them…
That was the beauty of it…
Heat could only sigh in contentment as he heard her ear-piercing scream penetrate the chilly air, only to echo for miles away…
He collapsed on her unceremoniously and she caught him in her arms, pulling him closer. The two lay there, together…unspeaking.
Again, they had braved the unknown…But was it unknown still? Did she still not know of what she felt for this man? For the act that they had just done?
She felt a tear run down her cheek…
No. It was clear now…
It was as plain as day now…There was no longer denying it; at least, not to herself.
But what about him? What did he feel?
Heat settled his head at the crook of her neck, just inhaling her scent. He smiled a bit though…Of all the women that he had had…Argilla was the first to make him feel the way he did…
She made him feel…worthy…She made him feel…whole.
There was no missing link; there were no gaps…No.
With her, he felt just right. Everything about her made him feel special…The whole of her fit him perfectly…Her hands were made for his to hold…Her lips were made for him to kiss…
He felt happy…
But it was then that insecurity had begun to rear its ugly head; what did she feel? Did she still feel love for Serph? He frowned at the thought.
'You shouldn't judge dumbass…'
'I'm not.' he defended.
'What about you? What about Sera?'
His heart skipped a beat; he had never even kissed Sera…He loved her; he wished to protect her and see her happy…But never in his life did he feel this happy when he was with his black-haired angel.
No.
The happiness that he felt was…
'Different…' he frowned; not liking his discovery.
Argilla made him feel happy in a different way…Wait. Suddenly the whole world froze; he just realized something.
Slowly, he pulled out of her. He had to make sure. He looked at her and saw that her eyes were closed. He grinned and leaned down, nibbling on her lips.
The body against his stiffened in surprise and then relaxed. His hands again cupped her face gently, his slender fingers tracing the skin on her face lightly…as light as a feather…
Slowly, she parted her lips and granted him entry…
This time, he took his time…He wanted to get to know her cavern thoroughly…He wanted to memorize it…He wanted to know where everything was…
He wanted to know…
He kissed her slowly, tenderly…His tongue searched for hers gently…and there…he found hers…still shy. He slowly slipped his tongue to and fro within hers…
He wanted to make sure…
There…She kissed him back.
Their tongues and lips molded together; this kiss was different though…He had never kissed her in this fashion. His kisses were usually urgent and demanding…But not now…Not anymore.
And she felt it too. He knew she did…
That was what made him all the more glad.
Then…like a passing daydream, their gentle kiss ended. Heat caressed her face once more, their eyes meeting and she moaned, closing her eyes once more.
He whispered, "Argilla, look at me…" he softly said.
Argilla's soul stirred at hearing his voice; he sounded…heavenly to her ears. She didn't think that he was capable of speaking this way…
Feeling mesmerized by his voice, she slowly opened her eyes and stared at him bravely.
Heat's eyes dilated for but a moment before retuning back to its original size…He had been right…
'Why don't you just tell her?'
'I can't…'
'Why not?'
'I see it in her eyes…but I have yet to hear it from her.'
He knew he was being a coward…But he had no choice; he didn't want to be hurt again…Sera had hurt him in more ways than one. And really, even up to that point where he laid with Argilla, Heat knew that he still had to recover from Sera's blows…
Again, he stood upon a cliff.
To jump or not.
'I've jumped too many times…'
That was true. He had taken too many risks…with Sera's being the largest one. Of course, he knew how that went; it was a complete and utter failure.
She did not love him. And from the way he felt now, it looked like she never would.
And now, again, he was presented with the same question; the same risk. But right now…he wouldn't take it. He couldn't afford another failure. No.
'If she refuses me…I don't know what I'll do…' he thought sadly.
"Heat…?"
He snapped out of his daze, "What?"
She smiled; was he really still playing innocent? She saw the look he had in his eyes. She was happy; why? She was happy because she saw only happiness within his eyes. She made him happy. Not Sera or anyone else…It was she who had made him happy…
In her eyes, she had a chance…They had a chance…
"What's wrong?" she asked, worried. She wanted to know what he was going to say…She felt it at that moment as they kissed; she felt an instant connection…deeper and clearer than she had ever felt for before…for anyone…even for Serph.
"Nothing." he said abruptly, sitting up and putting on his clothes.
Argilla blinked several times; what had just happened? Why was he acting that way? She looked at him and saw him glaring at the concrete floor as he hurriedly dressed himself. At that moment, she could feel her world crumble…
'Maybe I was wrong…' she laughed bitterly, 'I shouldn't even have expected the least bit of anything from him!'
She was hurt needless to say.
Suddenly, he looked at her intently and her heart skipped a beat; there was hope yet!
"You better hurry up. I'll check the status reports."
Heat wasn't being an asshole to her though. That was just something that he needed to do. There was no way in hell that he would make the same mistake twice. He wouldn't be another woman's fool.
No. Never again.
And without another word, he left her alone on the tower; bare, cold…and crushed.
Argilla felt another tear roll down her cheek…So she was just imagining things…She shook her head regretfully.
'You know, you're getting the worst end of this deal.'
'…'
'He's getting off of you and you're just worshipping the ground he walks on.'
'…'
'He's just using you. He doesn't love you. Not by a long shot.'
'…' Argilla then stood up and dressed herself, "What's new?" she asked herself as another tear rolled down her cheek, "Every man that I've…wanted didn't want me. I shouldn't really be surprised anymore…"
xxxxx