Occasionally
Another month, another drabble. It's one that's been sitting around on my computer for a while, waiting to be transformed into something longer but seeing as I've been pretty busy with other things I decided to post it here as a drabble instead. :)
Title: Interest
Genre: Fluff (what else?) and general
Word count: 575
Summary: Just before the door shut he looked up, caught a glimpse
of her face and instantly knew that something about her was
different.
Notes: Written for what was supposed to be the beginning of a
longer Yzak/Shiho story but that one got scrapped when I started to
work on Partially Awake instead.
The first time he saw her was when she came back to hand over a report. It was not the first time he laid his eyes on her nor was it the first time they met. He had known her for years and grown used to her presence. Coincidentally, it was not a day like any other when she would stay behind in his office and help out with the paperwork for no reason. It was the one unique day when she left her own report on his desk and turned around to leave. Perhaps that was why he remembered that particular day, that particular moment, as the first time when he looked up and really saw her for the first time.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice sounding cranky but truth to be told he was merely curious.
"To the mess hall," she answered, stopping before she reached the door. "A couple of the guys are having a celebration."
Yzak opened his mouth to protest that unauthorized celebrations in the mess hall were strictly prohibited but before he could she continued as if she knew what he was thinking.
"Dearka said that he had talked to you about it?"
It dawned on him that Dearka had indeed mentioned something about a small birthday party and that between shouting at a few of the lower ranked officers and attempting to finish the neverending pile of paperwork Yzak had given his approval.
"Well, then... dismissed."
He resumed trying to read through the long summary of the latest Council meeting and missed her salute. As he heard the door slide open he knew that she was leaving and to his own surprise he felt a strange annoyance. Just before the door shut he looked up, caught a glimpse of her face and instantly knew that something about her was different.
She was wearing lipgloss.
Later that night Yzak lay awake in his bed, tossing and turning as he desperately tried to drift into sleep. Counting sheeps did not help as usual, nor did attempting to clear his mind from all thoughts. Small beads of sweat were starting to form along his spine, the temperature in his quarters was too high. He got up on his feet and walked over to the control panel, where he adjusted the temperature. After that he lay in his bed once again with his eyes shut, determined to fall asleep.
He would try thinking about something this time. Perhaps that would help.
The Voltaire would be docking in fifteen hours.
He was scheduled to meet with the council six hours later.
Shiho had been wearing lipgloss.
As soon as the train of thought crossed his mind he opened his eyes in shock and unconsciously he clutched the corner of his pillow. At first he asked himself why he even thought about it, then all his efforts went into vanquishing the thought rather than trying to fall asleep. But his own mind was betraying him, when he closed his eyes he kept remembering the way she had looked before the door to his office had shut. He remembered how her lips suddenly looked full and soft because of the lipgloss. The lipgloss was probably transparent because her lips still looked very natural.
Natural, full, soft...
Yzak felt his cheek redden and even though he was alone and it was dark, he felt the need to draw his covers closer to him.