Small note: Ichika and Laura are both 14 nearing 15 here. Just a reminder/retcon.
~o.O.o~
1 week later.
It was hot.
Extremely hot.
Summers at the base were always on the warm side. Command told once told them that the heat was for their training and that the warm environment forced them to focus and become more self aware of both themselves and their surroundings.
Personally, Clarissa thought it was because they were too cheap to pay for air conditioning.
'Honestly, they can pay for super soldier and cloning experiments, but they can't spare something to make sure none of us die of heat stroke?' She thought hotly as she fanned her face with her hand. The cool morning had come and gone and now the sun was up in its full (And extremely hot) glory.
"No slowing down! I want to see you do 20 sit ups each!" A voice pierced through the air.
Despite the heat, Clarissa couldn't help but chuckle as she heard the groans of the recruits when they heard the order. Since the heat had risen, the recruits had taken to forgoing their thick uniforms for thinner shirts and tank tops. Now normally this wasn't a problem.
Unfortunately, the presence of a certain male was causing distractions all around. For some reason that missed her mind, he chose to forgo upper clothing altogether and did the sit ups shirtless. She had to admit, Laura's flustered face and the red faced stares of the other recruits was priceless.
She also had to admit he was pretty fit for his age. Chifuyu's training was definitely showing there.
Most males Clarissa knew who had to stay in the presence of such a large amount of the opposite sex would either brave through the heat or try to keep as much clothing on as possible in such as situation. It wasn't because they were embarrassed. Oh no, they had nothing to be embarrassed about, what with everyone being physically fit and all.
No, the problem was the girls themselves whenever it happened. The Shwarzer Haze were an all female operative group, as such, they had little to no contact with the opposite gender apart from the occasional old general or commanding officer coming over for inspections.
There was that one time about a year ago that made any male wary to come over the base.
Command had captured a specialist agent (Code designate: VECTOR) from some kind of corrupt mega industry (Umbrella, she thinks its name was) and was having trouble getting anything out of him. Any interrogation technique they tried on him was either met with laughter or deadpan insults.
Eventually, they got tired of his unresponsive behavior and sent him to them to see if they would fare any better. At that time, Clarissa didn't understand their logic: If the main army branch were having trouble interrogating him, what made them think they, a bunch of recruits, would have any better luck?
What they failed to mention was who exactly the agent was.
They were expecting some kind of middle-aged soldier to be brought to them full of scars no doubt from being tortured during interrogation. The way command made him sound like made it seem like he was some kind of Veteran sociopath.
Instead, they got something completely unexpected: A young man of Asian descent who looked to be in his early twenties at the most, and as much as Clarissa didn't want to admit it, very physically attractive. The fact that he was dressed in nothing but a thin shirt and a pair of pants didn't exactly leave much to the imagination.
Clarissa couldn't remember another time the entire Haze was so focused (Bar Laura, who didn't really care) on one thing. They even accomplished the goal of interrogating him for all the info he had. Too bad all he seemed to know was some nonsense about zombies in some kind of remote city. They placed him in a mental institute soon afterwards.
Clarissa never did figure out how they managed to make him talk. All she remembered was that it was possibly the shortest interrogation she'd ever seen. They walked in, it was quiet for a couple minutes, then walked back out. Even odder, they didn't even find any injuries or much sign of a struggle when they inspected him.
Well, apart from the fact that his shirt looked like it had been ravaged by a rabid dog. Completely unrelated, of course.
Clarissa shook her head left and right. Now was not the time for remembering incidents from the past year. No, now was the time she found a plan to save Laura from whatever that bitch was planning to do to her.
Now if only she had any idea how she could go about doing that.
"Hah, hah. 1, 2, 3 , 4."
Laura should have known better. She should have taken a stand. She was the best soldier on the entire group, damn it! If she needed a partner, she could find some other way. Anything but giving in. A good soldier never gave in!
"5, 6, 7, 8."
It was all his fault. All his damn fault! Ever since he came here everything's been confusing. She couldn't focus on training, sleeping became a struggle, and worse off all, everyone in the entire camp seemed to think the two of them were in love! No, no! She's the perfect soldier, the pride of her unit, and the one who was most likely going to lead the Haze when she came of age.
"9, 10, 11, 12."
His habits had gotten even worse over the past week since they had become partners. Suddenly, he thought it gave him the permission to go around dragging her wherever he damned pleased. Whether it be the firing range, the obstacle course, or (Rarely) out of the base and to the nearby town.
"13, 14, 15, 16."
Even worse; as partners, they had to stay in close physical contact during training. And by close, she meant close. Holding each other to keep balance during the obstacle courses, doing pair exercises, and even practicing basic medical training. Thankfully, CPR wasn't included, much to the disappointment of some of her peers, she was sure.
"17, 18, 19, 20."
Now, she didn't mind this all that much. Oh no, of course not. What kind of soldier would she be if she couldn't ignore something as minor as gender? Soldiers from the opposite sex worked together seamlessly. If they could do it, then she could too!
"Laura?"
Of course, she had to ignore the fact that he wasn't a soldier, and so he wouldn't act like one or have the discipline required for a supposed professional partnership. But that was just a minor detail. Also, how did they understand one another? She was speaking German and he was speaking Japanese. How did they...nevermind, it's better she didn't wonder.
"Um...Laura?"
And did he really have to go half naked during the entire exercise? She could understand that it was hot – She herself wearing only a loose shirt – but did he have to take off his shirt in the middle of it because he was feeling hot. She expected him to at least have the decency and common sense to put a shirt over his body. Didn't he realize that the others were all but ogling him ever since he took it off? Not that she was jealous or anything.
She was getting distracted...because of his odd appearance! The sweat clinging to his skin and the small, but noticeable muscles had no effect on her at all, of course. That would be silly!
"Earth to Laura..."
For now, she had to work on calming herself down and keeping her distance. This whole...blushing and feeling light headed whenever he so much as touched her was really starting to get old. Okay yes, he was handsome, very much so, but that didn't mean she had to-
"Laura!"
"Bwaaaah!"
Laura screamed and landed on the ground in a heap as Ichika hovered over her, concerned. He had finished his sit ups just a few seconds ago and was hoping to switch with her so they could finish up, but she just kept staring at him with a look that said 'I'm thinking, don't bother me'. Still, rather face her than his demon of a sis- Strict but kind instructor Orimura. Of course, she was a kind woman,
Laura looked up to him with a scowl at him, causing him to shiver slightly. Seriously, he never understood why she always seemed so hostile towards him lately. Weren't they friends now? That was the general vibe he got ever since they started calling each other by first name.
Things seemed to get worse the day afterwards. It started with her kicking him out of their bed and telling him to put on respectable clothes before meeting her on the field.
It only went downhill from there. From frequently trying to avoid him, to outright trying to avoid physical contact when not necessary. Their budding friendship came to an abrupt and total halt.
Still, despite this, he still tried to make it work.
"W-What do you want!"
With mixed results.
"W-Well, I just wanted to switch doing the sit ups since I'm done. It's your turn now." He informed her.
She stared at him for a few seconds longer, particularly at his bare chest, before taking the position to do the sit ups. Ichika took a moment to take a deep breath before holding onto her legs, not noticing Laura's temporary loss of self at the contact,
"1, 2, 3, 4."
His first meeting with Laura was...awkward, to say the least. It consisted of a tour that basically boiled down to "This place is this" and "That place is that" along with shooting down any question that wasn't related. It was the first time in his life he ever heard "Unrelated to the current activity" as a response to a "How old are you?" question.
"5, 6, 7, 8."
He did get her to lighten up when he all but begged her to show him to the firing range, but she went right back to "Unrelated to the current activity" when she woke him up by morning. Maybe it had something to do with them being training partners?...Nah, couldn't be. She had no problems teaching him how to use a gun before, so why have a problem now?
"9, 10, 11, 12."
Then again, there was the fact that her face was mostly red the entire week they'd been together. He was getting worried. Was she running a fever? She didn't seem like it. Her body temp was normal the entire time they were training. It wasn't just her; the entire team stared at him when he took off his shirt when afternoon practices become too unbearably hot earlier. One of them even got a nosebleed. He hoped she was okay; she lost a lot of blood there.
"13, 14, 15, 16."
He never did figure out why Chifu- Instructor Orimura told him to start training with the recruits. She seemed hesitant to bring him with her and she only did when she realized how irresponsible it is to leave your brother alone for one year after he just got kidnapped.
"17, 18, 19, 20."
'I wish it wasn't so hot out. I feel really exposed here' He shivered as a gust of wind buffeted his back. Maybe going Rambo wasn't such a good idea.
"Ichika...I'm done." He heard Laura mutter softly.
He took his hands off her legs and sat down quickly, Laura following him after getting up herself. The two of them sat next to each other quietly while waiting for the other recruits to finish.
'Well...this is awkward.' He thought to himself as the mood set in. Laura was looking forward and didn't seem to pay any attention to the teen beside her. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. 'Well, might as well start a conversation'.
"L-Laura."
She didn't react for a few seconds before slowly turning her head to look at him.
"What is it?" She asked in a clipped tone. She looked really angry at him for some reason.
Ichika sweatdropped. 'Yikes, she really does look mad.'
Truth be told, he really didn't know what to ask her. He just wanted to get rid of the awkward atmosphere, "W-Well, I was just wondering if-"
"Unrelated to the current activity." She interrupted him before looking forward again.
'That was fast!' He nearly yelled out. Instead, he opted for a more rational. "You didn't even let me finish!"
She narrowed her single eye at him, "Was what you were going to ask at all related to the current task at hand?" She questioned (More like Interrogated) him.
"Uh...yes! Yes, it does!" He answered quickly.
"Well...what is it?"
This is the part where he fumbles for an excuse somewhere and tries to forget this ever happened. Unfortunately, his brain didn't seem to catch up quickly enough and he blurted out the first thing to come to his head.
"Do you hate me?"
Her face contorted in shock for a second before going to back to her somewhat angry expression. Ichika gulped nervously. Maybe he should start running now, try to get a head start before the pain began.
Laura took a deep breath before replying to him, "Whether I do or don't, it's unrelated to the-"
"But it is!" He interrupted before lowering his voice, "I mean: It's very related to the current activity."
"How so?"
"Uh...well, we're training partners now, right?" He waited for her to nod before continuing, "Well, partners have to know they can trust one another. If I don't know whether you hate me or not, then how will I know if I can trust you?" He reasoned out.
Laura stared at him for a few seconds before looking down, "Well...I guess that makes sense" She said softly. She looked back up at him before saying, "To answer your question: No, I don't hate you."
Ichika heaved a sigh of relief. He was glad she-
"Now it's my turn to ask you a question."
His brain took a moment to process what she had just said before emitting a dull,"...Huh?"
"I think it's only fair. You asked me a question, and I ask you a question." She reasoned.
"Well, okay. What do you want to ask?"
She hesitated slightly before asking, "What made you ask such a question? After all, I have given you no reason to think so." She resolutely stated.
'Yeah, you kinda have.' Of course, he was smart enough to not say that out loud. "Well, you have been acting kind of distant the whole week..." He trailed off.
A vein popped on her forehead at the accusation,"I am not being 'distant', I am being professional!" She answered loudly.
"Really? I don't remember don't remember 'No touching me unless you have to or I'll freak out' as being professional. Chifuyu-nee doesn't go ballistic at the slightest touch." He argued sarcastically. Were he calmer, he would've realized he forgot to call Chifuyu "Instructor", but he really didn't care at the moment.
"Well maybe that's because she doesn't have to worry about getting trapped by people think she's a teddy bear or being groped in her sleep. 'Mmmm, marshmallow'. Sound familiar to you?" She rebutted.
'What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you don't remember? Then let me remind you: After your little detour idea, you fell asleep at the door. I had to drag you in and you, for some reason or another, decided to use me as a teddy bear and lock me in a vice grip." Her face reddened slightly as she remembered, "And when morning came, you tried to grope my chest before I was even awake."
"I was sleepy and confused! It wasn't like I did it on purpose!" His face reddened in embarrassment. Normally he would leave it at that, but when he argued, he argued. "Besides, I wouldn't do it if I knew what I was doing."
"Oh yes, I'm sure that makes it much better. Shooting an ally by accident doesn't diminish the fact that you shot your ally. Only the action matters, not the intent." She pointed out.
"There, you just contradicted yourself!" He pointed at her, "You were acting distant, but you said you were being professional. By your logic, it doesn't matter what the intent was: You were acting distant and that's what matters." He smirked as her expression changed to one of disbelief and shock.
"T-That's different!" She denied angrily, "The logic only applies to fools. Since I am no fool and you are, I'm obviously exempt and you're not!"
"What th- That's Bullshit! You just don't want to admit that you're wrong and now you're insulting me too!"
"Hmph, so says the fool who fondles girls while they sleep." She sarcastically bit out.
"How many times do I have to tell you that it's an accident? I swear; one thing and you never let it go." He sighed tiredly. "Look, will it make it better if I apologize?" He offered. He really didn't want to argue with her about who was right or wrong. He had enough of that with Rin.
Laura looked shocked for a moment before she managed to answer, "No...but I wouldn't stop you if you did." She answered sheepishly.
"Alright then: Laura Bodewig. I sincerely apologize for any offenses I may have done. He apologized, "Now will you lighten up? We need to work together, and I can't do that when you flip out at the slightest contact."
Laura nodded her head, "Yes, well...I suppose I shouldn't have overreacted, and...I apologize for being distant the whole week and calling you a fool. It was wrong of me to do so."
"Yeah, next time I'll keep my hands to myself, don't worry." He re-assured her.
"G-Good. I wouldn't want it to happen again...while I'm asleep, that is" She unconsciously whispered the last part to herself.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! You were just hearing things, that's all!" Her face reddened so heavily it looked like she was sunburnt.
"So...partners?" Ichika stuck his hand out in affirmation.
"Mmm, partners" She smiled slightly and shook the offered hand.
A few moments passed before the two of them looked down at the ground in awkward silence.
"Hey...Ichika?"
"...Yeah?"
"Put your shirt back on. I really do not want to pair with someone half naked."
"Oh...right." He stood up to grab his shirt before he realized something.
Everybody was staring at the two of them. Some with smiles, others with tears, and other with jealousy. But the most embarrassing one was the fact that both Clarissa and Chifuyu were looking at them with smirks (Shit eating grins) on their faces.
"Well, lovebirds drama over with? We were waiting for a while now." Chifuyu asked lightly.
Ichika hurriedly put his shirt back on before replying, "Y-yes, ma'am. Just settling some partnership issues. Right, Laura?"
"R-right, just making sure we could be at 100% come the next activity!" Laura stood up and answered.
"Well, that's good. The next exercise will be a new one and require both members to be at their best."
"And...that exercise would be?" Laura asked nervously.
If looks could kill, then Chifuyu's smirk would make the two of them wish they died on the spot.
"Advanced medical training, first lesson: CPR. Hope that rest was worthwhile, since you two will be up first."
~o.O.o~
Now before anyone chews my head off, let me state this: The reason Laura's acting different is because this is pre-meltdown Laura: She's unsure how to act socially, kinda mean without meaning to, and has a lot of pride for being the best in her unit. Ichika's acting as the perfect "bride" for Laura: Somewhat naïve, kind, and dedicated, but not afraid to say "Bullshit". His looks are from the fact that Laura actually sees him as some kind of supermodel with sparkles in the novel, but I didn't want to overplay that too much. Since she's falling for him, she reacts the only way she knows how: By being the proud soldier girl.
The fact that Ichika makes her uncomfortable makes her lash out, so it's not love at first sight or anything. They have fundamentally different viewpoints. Don't worry, Sweet!Laura will show up after the conflict.
Please R&R