A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.
WARNING: OOC, LANGUAGE.
Chapter 5: Reversals
"Just there please." she cheerfully told him as they reached their destination, which was, much to Gale's dismay and…hidden desire, her room.
He walked uneasily within the female's quarters, wiling himself to focus on the boxes and not on the surroundings in which he found himself.
"Thanks Gale." she said as Gale walked into the corner of her room, depositing the boxes on the floor.
Gale stood and nodded firmly at her, ignoring the curious scent that pervaded the quaint room, "Aa…I trust that everything is in order now." he then nodded, "Then, I had best be going now."
Argilla narrowed her eyes slightly, 'Damn! He's getting away!'
Well, she really didn't have a "diabolical" plan at the ready for her temporary leader. Her operation was merely to…get to know him better; on a personal basis. That, and an attempt to reverse some of the damage that she and her other teammates had done.
She meant what she had said to him the day prior; he didn't have to be alone. That was the true essence of camaraderie wasn't it? So, the way she figured, they could both be the strong soldiers; cold and calculating…and at the same time, as close-knit as family.
She zipped in front of him, "Say Gale. It's relatively early. What do you say to a drink?" she asked hopefully.
He blinked; he really didn't want to be there…Her presence was…
'Nothing short than an attack to one's senses.' he thought dryly. It wasn't that he disliked her. It was just that…
'What's not to like?' a voice within him snidely asked.
'…'
"Well Gale?" Argilla asked once more, rousing him from his reverie.
He blinked, "I'm sorry Argilla. It's quite late…and…"
"Aww come on Gale! Stop being such a wet blanket!" she said playfully, a quaint pout situated on her luscious pink lips.
Gale resisted the urge to lick his lips in silent entrancement and resisted the urge to run. Yes. He wanted to run. What was this woman doing anyway…? Rousing his…desires like that?! Was she trying to seduce him…? Into sin…?
He slightly narrowed his eyes at her, "Argilla I have a lot of work and…"
She shook her head, "No you don't! You've already filed the last bunch of paperwork this afternoon! And the offices for that are long closed!"
Gale opened his mouth to say something but he was cutoff as she hurriedly spoke her words, "And don't even think of telling me that you work the graveyard shift or take the piles of paperwork to your room since you as well as I, are perfectly aware that that is illegal."
Damn.
She caught him there.
And he was about to make that excuse too…
Well, it would seem that she was brighter than he had given her credit for!
She had boxed him in. Of course it was illegal to take any dossiers or files within one's own personal quarters…It was even more illegal since the working hours had long ended.
He stole a glance at his watch and saw that it was way past the working hours. It was 2200 hours.
He sighed; what else was there to say…? How could he turn down this woman…? Was he to just tell her pointblank that he wasn't interested…? No. That would be tactless.
Then, would he say that…he didn't enjoy her company?
No. Being honest was different from being downright rude. He didn't want to offend her…but at the same time, he really didn't want to expose himself to threat.
What threat?
Her.
She was the threat.
He was afraid that because of her…and their already prolonged contact that his inhibitions would snap and be obliterated altogether…
"I'll take that as a yes!" she smiled brightly as she latched herself on his arm, before leading him away from her room.
Gale was speechless as he felt her hand on his arm, leading him away with a force that he knew not she possessed. His logical and rational mind screamed at him to take action and to snatch his arm back from her and protest from all this madness that she was instilling within him.
But no words dared leave his lips.
He was as silent as a graveyard and as meek as a slave.
Yes.
He was a slave…
And it would seem that his body and heart had found its master. He groaned at that.
xxxxx
Before he knew what was going on, he had found himself seated within the comfortable chairs of their local tavern…
She, his annoying teammate, had seated herself across from him, a silly schoolgirl smile adorning her face.
"Aa, Gale, this is the first time that I have seen you here!" she beamed enthusiastically. Well, so far, so good. He hadn't yelled at her or had threatened the MP at her.
That was a good sigh.
But still, the real problem lurked ever present. There, within his emerald pools, she could see the unrest and turmoil within. He was still debating with himself whether to go…or to stay…
She smiled ruefully mentally at that. She would make him stay. This was a good change for him. Routine was never a good thing; not to him and not to anyone. She was there to make him realize that it was…indeed favorable for people such as himself to let loose every once in a while.
She wanted him to realize…that this wasn't a bad thing. And that she meant him no harm.
Gale blinked nonchalantly at her; what was he doing here again…? This place was of no consequence to him. This was a place that held not his interest…Not in the least. And so, he looked at his estranged companion with a bored look in his face.
She sweat-dropped, "Come on Gale! It isn't that bad right?"
"…"
Again, he said nothing.
There was nothing to talk about. She was spewing nothing but idle banter and he deemed it to be…unworthy of his attention…
'That's because you're focusing too much on her assets…' a wicked voice chimed merrily at his ears. He repressed the strong urge to wince as he realized that he was, indeed, gazing at her chest from the corner of his eyes.
Damn body!
He blinked again and said nothing.
Argilla bit her lip. He was being difficult…
But still; she vowed that she would help him. She had done a lot of damage to him…and this was the least she could do.
Gale sighed, "I should just go Argilla…" he said as he began to stand.
Argilla's eyes widened and there had her hand shoot up, in order to intercept him, "Gale! Please don't!"
He raised an eyebrow as he saw a pleading look within her pink eyes. Why was that so…? Why was she intent on keeping him there…?
"Where is Heat Argilla?" he asked.
She blinked, "Heat's…not here Gale. He's asleep."
He continued to appraise her coldly, "Then why are you outside then? Unescorted?"
She laughed.
That was something that Gale didn't expect. Did she see that he was trying to trap her in an emotional web?
Didn't she see that he was telling her that being outside without her significant other was considered…unethical…?
He looked at her confusedly as she continued to giggle.
"Oh Gale. Heat is a comrade first and a…a…boyfriend second." she said with her eyes twinkling.
Okay. She totally lost him.
She sweat-dropped, "Gale, Heat and I aren't shackled to one another you know? We have our own lives too." she finished with a smile, "So, as I saw you down the hall…and with you carrying the boxes for me, I just reckon that I repay that act by taking you out to dinner! It's no biggie Gale! It's just a casual date between friends!" she said with utter sincerity.
Gale was taken aback. But then again, his old self, his old unfazed self resurfaced and spoke accordingly, "Yes well, this isn't dinner Argilla. This is a place to procure entrance to the world of utter intoxication…with libations. This is a tavern." he told her as-a-matter-of-factly.
That was there. But there was also the term "date" that seemed to make his chest flutter about. But he dared not ask…No. He wouldn't go towards another uncharted territory; that would be folly.
Argilla laughed again and sat, indirectly telling him to do the same. And she was surprised a bit to see him doing just that.
"Yeah well, this is the way to go Gale!" she spoke with exuberance, "There's nothing like a good drink after a hard day's work, no?"
Gale didn't know how to respond to that.
She smiled tightly and motioned for the waiter to come, "Listen Gale…Just let loose for a while. It's good for you…Don't be too uptight."
Gale froze and opened his mouth to speak but was cutoff as she whispered to the waiter. He watched as the young man walked away.
He looked at Argilla again, "I didn't get to…"
She smiled cheekily at him, "That's alright. I know that you're not a fan of drinks and all that…so, sir," she beamed, "I've taken the liberty of ordering for you."
His mouth hung agape as he prepared to say something but no words were spoken. What was he to say? She was right…
He didn't really…
He didn't really have any experience in this.
He was beginning to shrink in his uniform. This was…
'This is uncharted territory…I know nothing…' he told himself, blatantly exposing his weakness…Well, he was admitting it to himself…and that was that. She didn't need to be told about that little detail…
"So, how was your day?" she asked, hoping to take their conversation to a lighter plain.
"It was satisfactory." he replied impassively, leaning back on the backrest of the chair.
Argilla sweat-dropped; oh well. But it wasn't as if she didn't expect that…
"Huh?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, "What does that mean?"
Gale raised an eyebrow; why was she doing that? Was this a ruse? Was she trying to test his intelligence by feigning ignorance to his statement thereby making him stupid when it should have been she in that pitiable state?
"Come on Gale! There has to be more than just that!" she openly reasoned.
He blinked, "There is nothing more worth mentioning. The day had gone by the way the previous days had. It had all been the same." he finished lazily.
She furrowed her eyebrows and leaned in closer to him before raising one of them, "Come on Gale. You as well as I, know, that no day can be completely identical to the previous one."
Gale rolled his eyes, "Yes; you are correct. Technically, it isn't empirically possible. But I would've guessed that you would've been able to grasp the concept in which I wanted to impart from reading within the lines of my statement and not just wallow in technicalities…"
Argilla was beginning to feel irritated. This man was just…vexing! He had a way of twisting her words so that it was she who appeared stupid instead of him!
Argilla rolled her eyes, "Whatever. So, what happened today?" she asked, forgetting all about his venomous sarcasm.
Gale raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Why did she do that…? He had meant for his sarcasm to get at her; to gnaw at her concept of pride…but it didn't. She merely rolled her eyes and shrugged it off…
And that word that she used…
'Whatever…'
Yes; that was the one…
How…
'How childish…' Yes. That was how he saw her. Why was she being childish…? When would she ever grow up?
"Come on! Tell!"
He made a sour face. She wasn't going to stop until he spoke, was she? He took a breath and prepared to speak when the waiter arrived. His eyebrow twitched; that had been happening to him a lot this evening…
"Here are your orders…" he said politely.
The two once more found themselves in solitude as the waiter walked away, Argilla having muttered a low 'thank you' to him.
"Well Gale?" she asked expectantly.
Well, this time, it would be him to interrupt, "What is this Argilla?"
She grinned mentally. It wasn't a strong drink…It was what was considered "normal" for men to drink.
"It's good Gale! Don't worry about it!"
Gale looked at her skeptically; as if telling her 'I'll throw this away the moment you turn your face.'
He gazed at her with mild suspicion as he watched her drink the contents of her glass. He waited until she was done and then, noted the slight pink tinge in her cheeks. He raised an eyebrow.
She smiled at him again, "So, how do you like your drink?"
Gale stared from her face to the aforesaid drink and blinked; well, there was one way to find out. He really didn't want to…but he felt that the situation warrant that he try it. One. It would be a waste of Macca if he didn't. Two. It would seem overly rude to refuse.
Oh well.
Bottoms up.
Argilla watched him with glee as he took her advice and drank the contents.
Gale blinked and looked at her, "It's…satisfactory." he told her blandly, lying through his teeth.
Argilla wanted to hit him on the head at that point. She knew that he was lying. She had seen how his eyes widened for but a moment in surprise as he drank his drink. And knowing Gale he would've expected his drink to be anything but good. His reaction though, no matter how minute, was proof enough that he hadn't expected his drink to taste the way it did; which was contrary to his previous assumption.
But she wasn't going to divulge anything to him. She'll let him get away with it…for now. The most important thing was that she saw the change in him. And for the love of God, now it wasn't due to excerpts of cheesy pornographic movies.
"Oh okay…So, then…tell me about your day Gale." she said again, as she leaned forward expectedly.
Gale brought his hand to his forehead; she just won't shut up…will she? Well, if she really insisted in a mundane monotone monologue, then, that was her choice.
"As you know, we've begun the meeting earlier today…"
Argilla listened to him as intently as she could; noting with great care the small and fleeting changes of facial expressions in him. She was glad that he had dropped his "party-pooper" attitude and had remained with her and was actually sipping his drink from time to time…Yes; she hadn't forgotten about that. He may be drinking it unconsciously…but she saw it nonetheless…
And now, he was rambling on and on…
"And then those engineers refused to work on the missile-defense systems…They keep stating that they hadn't the equipment to do it…" he paused as he shook his head, "When I checked and found that they indeed had the aforesaid equipment, I demanded an explanation for their tardiness…to which they stated that their superior was the only one at liberty to say…"
Argilla stifled a yawn. Man…Maybe she shouldn't have asked him that question…He was still rambling on and on…
"And then, when I finally caught the senior officer of the…"
Yup. It was definitely like that…He sounded like a retired old admiral who was telling veteran war stories to his grandchildren…Stories that didn't go anywhere…
"They were too troublesome!" he finished with an irritated huff.
At the change of demeanor, Argilla's attention suddenly snapped back into reality and focused now on Gale's face…and on his hand that was currently clutching his glass tightly.
Wow. His face was beet red…From sheer irritation, she gathered. His hands were clenched into fists…and his glass was empty.
That was his third shot…
She was impressed. Gale was still as composed as ever…But then again, she could tell that there were changes in him. One; it loosened his tongue. The alcohol had probably done that; the old Gale wouldn't have finished that…little tale…Two. His cheeks; they were flushed red. It was probably the mixture of the alcohol…and his vexation towards the object of their conversation.
"Well," she blinked, "at least you got them to work right?"
He rolled his eyes and leaned back on the backrest, but not before gesturing for the waiter to refill his drink. Argilla raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.
"That's precisely the point! Those people were so lethargic that none of the missile grids from the southern part of Muladhara were operational!" he finished with utter displeasure and contempt as he sipped his now re-filled drink.
She blinked; she had no idea that he had this sort of predisposition…They were right after all. Gale really was…human.
"So, again," grinned Argilla, "how was your day?"
At this, having totally lost his inhibitions due to the alcoholic influence, he glared at her, "It was…wretched."
So it wasn't satisfactory after all…
xxxxx
Argilla bit her lip as she and Gale continued to walk through the halls of their barrack. He had a lot to drink that night and she had suggested that they retire for the night…to which he openly agreed.
And now, they were walking along the familiar halls…Gale had offered to walk her but she had declined seeing that he was…intoxicated more than she. It would be prudent for her to walk him back to his room rather than have it the other way around.
But he didn't concur. He had decided that since he was the man, that he should walk her…
She sighed; she really didn't want to argue with him…Well, not any more than she already did…
"Okay Gale, here we are."
Gale blinked, "Right." He looked at the pink-haired female in front of him solemnly…but what his face and façade concealed, his raging demon within openly divulged…
She blinked; was she seeing things…? Or was it real emotions dancing playfully within Gale's emerald orbs? She peered deeper still within his eyes in order to decipher them…But it wasn't any good as Gale blinked his eyes, probably noticing the way he was acting himself.
"Well, goodnight Argilla…" he told her with his deep and cool tone.
Argilla could feel blood rushing up to her face as she continued to find herself within his powerful gaze…and at hearing his low albeit seductive tone.
"Goodnight Gale…Um," she paused, "are you going to be alright by yourself…? You had a lot to drink and…" she trailed off but stopped as the man before her shook his head and closed his eyes, "I'll be fine."
She smiled; believing him, "I had a nice time. I hope you did too."
At that, Gale's head snapped awake.
Did he have a nice time…?
He nodded at her and curtly replied, "I'll see you in the morning at 0500 hours."
A part of her felt disappointed at his response; but as she contemplated over the issue deeper still and as she realized that it had been Gale that she was talking to, she reckoned that she could be a bit more understanding.
It was more than what she should expect from him.
She nodded back, "Mn!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, not the least bit tired from their exploits.
He nodded again and had his eyes that were deadly fixed on hers, finally turn themselves away.
Argilla smiled within as she felt her heart soar. It was happening…and she knew it. Gale was loosening up; she just had to persevere.
At seeing him beginning to walk away and she herself being carried away by her emotions, she suddenly zipped up to him, grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
Gale looked at woman before him with a perplexed facial expression and before he could utter a word, he felt her soft moist lips on his cheek.
He blinked and a moment later, the contact was eliminated, "Goodnight Gale." he heard her speak, her lips tugged upwards for a genuine smile.
His heart, that had been thus far beating erratically, beat even faster and harder as he now found himself under her intense gaze. What was she looking at? Why was she looking at him that way?
At that moment, as his control felt complacent and his inhibitions all but nullified, he felt his ever steadfast resolve beginning to crumble.
He felt his insides tie itself in a knot as his breathing became constricted; did she have any idea of what she was doing…? Of what she was doing to him?
He blinked again as he saw her back a step, preparing to enter her room, and apparently, leaving him outside of it.
Drat.
"You let loose tonight Gale." she stated with a small smile, "It's…a side of you that I haven't seen before."
"I like it." she said gently, softly.
At those words, Gale's chest tightened. But nonetheless, he said nothing; neither urging the female to continue nor to cease her mindless babble.
"Bye…"
A moment later, Gale was met not with his teammate's pink eyes, but with the door's gray surface.
He turned abruptly and began to walk away, all the while having her words ringing in his ears…
"I like it…"
xxxxx