Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.
WARNING: SEMI-AU, OOC, SUGGESTIVE THEMES, WAFF, FLUFF.
Pairing: Cielo x Sera
Chapter X
Theme 3: Sweet Dreams
Cielo snapped his fingers rhythmically with his swaying hips as he danced to the beat of the music. It had been his favorite pastime. He loved to dance…
Well. That was an understatement.
He was obsessed with it.
He knew that he should be asleep. But for some reason, he wasn't able to. His mind and body were pumping with energy that he just couldn't seem to hold himself down. He just needed to do something! Anything!
And what better activity could he think of better than dancing to his best Latin rhythms?
His concentration and his feeling of utter serenity were rudely interrupted as he heard loud banging against his wall.
"Keep it down you son of a bitch!" a male voice shouted from the other side of the wall.
"It's low enough!" Cielo yelled back, annoyed.
Man; none of his teammates could ever appreciate good Latin music!
"Don't make me shut you up! I swear to God I'll beat the shit out of you!" the other male retorted, yelling.
"Fine! Be dat way!" Cielo yelled back, his eyebrows furrowed in anger.
He walked over to his stereo and turned down the volume.
xxxxx
He bit his lip nervously as he walked through the hallway. He had been summoned by their leader. He rolled his eyes; it was probably because of what had happened the other night.
He scoffed at that.
Damn teammates.
Actually, it had been Heat who had been the most probable cause of all this mess. He blinked; what the hell was he talking about? He hadn't even arrived at the Strategy Room yet and he was already jumping the gun!
He shook his head and entered the room with a serious face…Which he couldn't help but laugh. Him? With a serious face?
That…would just mean that Armageddon was coming into being…!
As soon as he entered with his pseudo stoic face, he was met with a few chuckles and laughs.
"Don't do that."
That was Gale.
He pouted and narrowed his eyes at the green-eyed man, "Wat?"
"He's right." That was Heat.
"You don't look right Cielo…!"
That was Argilla.
Alright. The whole team was against him? What the hell?
"Alright. Settle down ladies." Serph said with a chuckle. He then cleared his throat and looked at Cielo, "Cielo. We've called you in here because of an issue…"
Cielo gulped. Okay…
It was about him after all.
Oh boy…
xxxxx
He pouted as he walked out of the infirmary. He could not believe that Serph had done that to him!
It was…it was unfair!
He groaned.
Right after their little talk at the Strategy Room, he had been ordered to report to the infirmary for a medical and psychological checkup. He had entered that building feeling only boundless confidence. There was nothing wrong with him!
He was healthy and he was happy!
So there!
But then…he left the infirmary without his boundless confidence.
He slumped his shoulders. So they did manage to find something wrong with him. And it wasn't medical. He groaned louder at that. He had been charged with being…
"I'm hyperactive?!" he suddenly burst out, lightly startling the people about him. He blushed and just scratched his head, "Eheh…Sorry…"
Before he could embarrass himself any further, he walked away from the scene…
Now, where was he…?
Oh yes. Hyperactivity…He glared as he thought of it. What the heck was that and what did it mean!? Sure he was bouncy and a bit giddy every now and then, but it was unwarranted to be labeled as that!
Cielo deemed that it was just a normal course of life! So he felt uneasy every now and then! So what!?
It wasn't his fault. Not really…
Ever since their atma and the arrival of those "mysterious boxes" around their base, almost everyone had changed.
Well, it was apparent that his change had not been welcomed by his teammates. He had found what was called a "home theater set" within one of those boxes. Of course he took it to his room and inspected it…
Then…well, the rest was history.
His teammates did not like the sort of music that he played. But that was just the tip of the iceberg…That was what blew the lid on this "hyperactive" business. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have been found out and he wouldn't have been diagnosed!
But the real cause was…
For the last month, ever since the arrival of their atma, he could not sleep properly. He would always find himself fully awake.
His mind would be darting left and right, gracefully eluding sleep's sweet caress.
His body would be bridled with energy that he knew not the source of! He just needed to do something…anything!
And he didn't know why!
Or did he?
He blushed at that.
He had an idea why though…He coughed a bit as he concealed his blush…
Suddenly, he was caught with a sight of alluring silver eyes…and silky ebony strands…He blinked; damn!
He blushed harder. He was thinking about her. Again!
And because of his insomnia and power-filled body, he had decided to tire himself at night by playing his music, which, he now fully knew, his teammates disliked.
Oh well.
And because of that, Serph had called him in for a reprimand…which turned out to be a trip to the doctors…which resulted in him being tagged and being labeled as hyperactive. At that, Serph had considered giving him a sucky assignment to alleviate his "hyper" state.
But he was glad that his leader didn't do that.
Instead, he had gotten a rather interesting "punishment".
And what was that?
A sitter.
He blanched at the thought.
Yes. That was right. A babysitter.
Well, that wasn't the technical term that Serph had used. He had told him that there would be a person assigned to him to monitor his sleeping patterns. And aid him in sleeping. And this person was to also sort out his "mental conflicts".
Great; a shrink and a nurse at the same time.
'A babysitter in other words.' Cielo snorted internally, removing the sugarcoating that his leader had put upon the condescending word.
He groaned; how embarrassing was that?
He was a grown man for Christ's sake!
And now, he was going to have a babysitter…?! To help him sleep!? To tell him that his nightmares were just nightmares!? That they couldn't hurt him!?
Well, now, he could really say that the "sucky" assignment would probably have been better…
He stopped for a moment and realized that his head was filled with nothing but bemusement. Babysitter? Baby? Sitter?
'Wat da heck are dose!?' he yelled to himself. What was a baby anyway!? Where the heck did he hear those words anyway?! How did he know them!?
"…"
There was nothing to explain it. It was all a blank. He didn't know.
But for some reason, it just made sense. It was as if he just knew.
He shrugged his shoulders. Who the heck cared?! He had more important things to worry about.
He groaned. Such as that of his "sitter".
Well, there was no use thinking about it much. All that he had to do now was to find ways to duke it all out. Roll with the punches.
And so, he shook his head and resumed his walk. He blinked; he was staring in front of a wall. He hadn't even noticed! It was a good thing that he didn't bash his head in!
Turning around, he walked again, this time, towards the barrack.
"Cielo?"
He froze; oh no.
He turned and there he was met with the female whose silver eyes refused to give him sleep at night.
"Hi Sera…" he spoke cheerfully, smiling.
"Serph was serious this time, wasn't he?" she asked gently, her eyes glowing at his sapphire ones.
Cielo blushed, "Yea…I guess so…"
That wasn't the first time that Cielo had been reprimanded when it came to his troubles sleeping. And it wasn't because of that; it was because that he had "disturbed" his other teammates.
"What did Serph say?"
Cielo groaned and spent the next few minutes telling Sera his grim fate.
Sera blinked and bit her lip. A moment later, she giggled. Cielo frowned, "It's…it's not funny." he told her, hurt.
She pouted, "Oh Cielo…It isn't that bad. Just think of it as having a personal nurse to help you. Nothing but a personal assistant." she told him, attempting to dispel his felt disinterest in the situation.
He drawled, "Yea. A personal assistant I never asked for. Besides, dat person would just invade my privacy!" he said defiantly, huffing arrogantly as he crossed his arms.
Sera regarded his childish behavior with mirth as she lightly laughed, "Oh you're just being difficult!"
Cielo almost choked at that. Him!? Difficult!? How could she say that?! He was the most obedient one in their team! He was mellow…light-tempered, possessed a sense of humor…
And now that he just wanted to have some time for leisure and enjoy himself…Even that was denied of him! And not only that, but he was to be punished for that as well!
And to make matters worse, his object of affection would dare call him difficult!?
He then froze.
What?
Object…of…affection? He blushed at that.
Sera tilted her head to the side as she saw Cielo momentarily space out. Not only did he cocoon himself within his own little world, but now he had blushed and widened his eyes. She could only wonder as to what had gone on within his quaint little imagination.
Still receiving no response from him, she brought her hand in front of his face and there snapped her fingers, "Cielo!"
There.
That got him.
"Huh? Wat?"
She shook her head, "That was what I was going to ask you."
Cielo blushed harder and realizing what he was currently doing, he sharply turned away. This was his problem! His problem! She didn't need to know any more about it than she already did!
And that wasn't the only issue…
For some reason, he couldn't stand to be around her presence. It was just…making him all the more clumsy than he already was.
Now where were they? Oh yea! The babysitter! Erm, nurse.
Whatever.
Cielo crossed his arms once more and turned away in a haughty fashion, "I still don't like it." he told her in a tone of finality.
She sighed, "Think of it this way Cielo. Serph could've just ordered you to be tranquilized then put to sleep rather than getting you to sleep on your own."
Cielo stiffened at that. Tranquilized? Serph wouldn't do that! Would he? He frowned at that as he considered his chances.
No.
Not too good. The odds were against him. If Serph could do as much as assign a sitter for him, erm, nurse, then, he could order him to be tranquilized if his patience had grown thin!
Cielo paled at that.
Sera saw the look in his face. Needless to say, it was priceless. But alas, he had again spaced out on her. He did that quite a lot; didn't he?
And again, she snapped her fingers that him, "Cielo!"
And again, he snapped back to reality, looking at her confusedly, lost.
"Sera? Huh?"
"You had better get some rest Cielo." she told him gently, her eyes never leaving his, "You need it."
"I'll see you later okay?" she told him. He could only nod, "Okay…Bye…"
The two parted ways and Cielo began to walk along the streets of Muladhara, still thinking, pondering over the last words that Sera and he had spoken. She'll see him later eh?
'Would she? Would she come to see me?' he asked himself wistfully. He snorted; no. Not really. It was confusing though why people would say one thing and do something else. Just like her. Just like what she told him.
'See you later.'
It wasn't a hard thing to do. 'See you later' meant that she would come to see him later. Wasn't that right? And she wouldn't. She never did it. And he could only wonder why. Was it something he said? Was it him?
No! It wasn't him! It wasn't just him! It was…He frowned as he thought more about it. It was Heat and Serph. She liked them, didn't she? Cielo groaned at that. Okay, from that angle, perhaps he could understand.
'Who am I compared to dose two?' he asked himself pathetically.
Practically no one. Just some random guy on the bench…Faceless, nameless…
"Argh!" he growled in frustration as his head begun to hurt from thinking of all those…human interaction rules. There were so many rules that he found it almost impossible to follow.
Human peer bonding…
Was…
'An art as well as a science…' he mentally repeated in his head, groaning.
Well, if Serph and Heat could hold her interest the way they did, then Cielo could say that Serph and Heat were a lot more, no!-way more successful in human peer bonding than he! He shivered at that. He sucked at that, didn't he?
But that wasn't the best part. The fact that he realized that Heat could actually best him, him of all people!-on the subject of human peer bonding was something that Cielo would probably never come to understand…or accept.
'I mean, dat guy is…is nothing but a wild stupid brute!'
He sweat-dropped as he realized that he was once more, facing a wall, in a dead-end. Maybe Sera was right. Maybe he really…needed rest.
xxxxx
Cielo stared out of his window, listening to his music…and this time, over his headphones. He frowned; he really didn't like the idea of music being subdued. He liked his music to be a free flow of melody…rhythm…
But now…Nope.
Again, he couldn't sleep. He looked at his watch. 2100 hours. He groaned.
That nurse would be coming along any moment now…
His suspicions were confirmed as he heard a firm knock on his door. He immediately bolted from his chair and walked over to it. He opened the door and let his "nurse" in.
"Come in." he said solemnly.
The young woman, probably his own age, walked in. Cielo rolled his eyes; this was going to be a long night.
xxxxx
Serph massaged his temples and sighed as he leaned back on his chair. That was the fourth nurse that had asked for dismissal from the assignment that he had given them.
They had all said the same things.
Cielo was just too difficult to handle.
Yes.
None of them were able to handle him. None of them were able to contain him and aid him sleep. Heck, they couldn't even get him to calm down!
The moment that they would instruct him to get to bed, the blue-haired young man would spurt out stories upon stories, leading the nurse on and on. Stories, that didn't go anywhere, mind you. And once that was over, he would make excuses to stay up.
He would prance around the room and say that he needed water or had to go to the bathroom…
And when the nurse would put her foot down and tell him to sleep and give him the pills to help him sleep, he would pretend to take the pills when he wouldn't. The nurse would then get mad at discovering that Cielo had hidden the pills under his pillows.
At that, she would administer the needle and that was when all of the trouble would begin…
Serph groaned; why was Cielo making this difficult…? Didn't he know that he was making everything unnecessarily complicated…?
He sighed; right before this assignment, they had found out that Cielo had hyperactivity. He just didn't want to exacerbate the situation by telling him that he had a "condition".
That was why he had just told Cielo that he just needed to control his sleeping patterns. His diet had been good; he had checked. There was nothing else that would indicate that the source of his hyperactivity had been through the ingestion of organic substances.
His doctor had suggested that they try to curb Cielo's sleeping habits. They had also made sure that he had plenty of exercise during the days and evenings to make sure that he spent his energy accordingly…
But that wasn't the point. The point was he didn't want Cielo to feel as if he were a patient. He didn't want him to feel as if he were being ganged-up upon. That was why he had made sure Cielo's treatment to be…home-based. He didn't want Cielo to check in at the infirmary.
No.
All that Cielo needed to do was take his pills and let the nurse monitor his sleeping patterns…
But he couldn't do even that and had even made extra trouble for the nurses, thus, in the end, inevitably, getting them to give up and leave their designated duties.
That was how much of a child he had been behaving.
"What's wrong Serph?"
He straightened up immediately at hearing the soft voice. His silver eyes met the silver eyes of the female before him and he smiled, "It's nothing…"
She giggled, "When you slump like that, it's hardly nothing…Come on Serph…You can tell me…"
Her eyes were pleading with his and he believed her; he could trust her…And so, he nodded and told her all about their elusive blue-haired wonder-boy.
After the monologue, Sera couldn't help but laugh, "Is that all?"
Serph raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean…'is that all'?" he asked, perturbed, tilting his head to the side, "This is…a serious matter. He is getting out of hand…his behavior becoming more and more unpredictable."
Sera said nothing and continued to giggle as she stood, "Serph…I have a request."
He blinked and nodded, "What is it?"
She smiled again, "Let me be Cielo's nurse."
He raised an eyebrow, "Are you certain?"
She nodded her head, "I think I know what's going on with him. Just let me have some time with him, okay?"
He sighed; at this point in time, he really didn't have any more choices. So, she could do whatever she wanted, "Alright Sera. Good luck." he told her with a tight smile.
Yes. What he really meant to tell her was good luck and may you return alive from whence no other before you had.
He sighed as he watched her leave his office.
'You had better be a good boy this time Cielo.' he thought.
xxxxx
Cielo snickered. It was another night. He had successfully gotten rid of those "sitters" that Serph had sent him. Perhaps now they would understand that he wasn't ill! He wasn't having a condition! Hyperactivity indeed!
He sneered. Did Serph really insult his intelligence; enough so that he wouldn't think anything of it? That he wouldn't think that there was anything wrong when he would send nurses to care for him?
He scoffed; typical.
Oh well.
Perhaps now they would understand that he wasn't ill. And that he could fend for himself. He wasn't a child. He wasn't in need of supervision. He was a warrior! He was strong! He was matured! Why couldn't anyone understand that?
Why did they have to treat him this way!?
He laughed bitterly, "You guys wanted a child…Well, you got one."
Yes. That was what he was doing. He was playing their game their way. He was showing them what they wanted to see.
He had issues of his own, sure, who didn't? He was dealing with it the best he could. But then they had to give it special names; give it medical labels and psychological terms and then just barge into his life and control it as if they owned it.
What; he wasn't allowed to have personal issues of his own!? And what was worse was that he wasn't trusted capable enough to handle his own personal problems. Nooooo…They always have to bust in and save the day.
"Well, whooptey doo!" he said spitefully, flashing his sapphire eyes angrily.
Why couldn't they just understand…?
He sighed and sat on his bed, burying his face in his hands.
"Cielo…"
He stiffened as he thought he heard his name being called. He blinked and again buried his face in his hands…
"Cielo…"
He opened his eyes and blushed. It was Sera. He groaned.
She was the cause of all this…Couldn't they just…go away? She was the reason why he couldn't bring himself to sleep at night…The moment that he would close his eyelids would be the time that she would start to haunt him.
Nothing but her phantasmagoric images pervaded his thoughts…
That was why he didn't want to sleep…
He would feel nothing but that painful twinge in his heart when he would stare at her face…
He sighed, "Sera…"
If only she could…somehow…see him for who he was…Maybe then, he would get some satisfaction; some degree of…
"Peace of mind…"
He straightened once more as he heard a soft knock on his door.
He narrowed his eyes; not this again…
He then grinned; well it was time to make another one of them cry.
He stood and walked over to his door. He looked at himself. He was not in his pajamas. Heck, he hadn't even cleaned himself after training! He was sure that he would give his new sitter the whammy!
He would be difficult tonight…No! That wasn't it! He would be…unbearable.
And they thought putting him to sleep was bad?
'Try getting me to take a bath…And den we'll see ja?' he thought malevolently.
He pressed the button on his metallic doors, already having a pasted smile on his face, "Hello dere! I'm…"
All words died in his mouth and his eyes widened as he met face to face with the person on the other side of the door.
He blinked once, twice…
"Hello Cielo…"
He blinked thrice; he wasn't seeing things…It was…really her. It was Sera…
"Sera…Wat are you doing here?" he asked gently, his pasted smile slowly melting away from his face.
She smiled at him cheerfully and held her hands at her back and tilted her head to the side, "Um, are you busy…? Can I come in for a minute…?"
Cielo was taken aback. She wanted to…She wanted to come into his room!? But…! But!
'It's damn filthy in dere!' he thought in disgust.
That was very accurate. He did not clean his room and had left it as a pigsty. Why? He wanted to make his sitter's stay as horrible as possible of course!
He bit his lips, "Erm…I'm really busy Sera…In fact, I was…expecting someone…Any minute now. Sorry." he said apologetically, not exactly telling her a farce either! Whilst he didn't want to procure her entry to his pigsty of a room, he really was waiting for someone!
She blinked, "Who?"
Damn! Why was she so insistent?!
He shifted uneasily on his spot, "Erm…my…my…assistant." he told her as nonchalantly as he could. He just didn't want to say "sitter" or "nurse".
She continued to hold her enchanting smile and there batted her eyelashes at him shyly, "Your assistant…? Funny, Serph had sent me here…"
Cielo's stomach churned; what!?
"W-at?" he asked, trying to make certain of what she was saying.
"Um, Serph sent me here to monitor you tonight Cielo…I…I hope you don't mind." she said carefully.
Fuck. His whole plan was ruined.
Cielo wanted to shoot himself at that moment. Bloody hell! All of his plans for that night would backfire!
"Well, Cielo?" she asked again.
He gritted his teeth and spoke, "Just gimme a sec Sera."
Without waiting for her to respond, he had immediately closed the door on her face and without further ado, set out to clean his pigsty of a room.
Sera giggled lightly as she heard the slight rustling and shuffling within the room. She knew that he had been expecting someone else. He had probably trashed his room on purpose just to annoy the nurse.
She giggled; but at least, now she could tell that Cielo liked her. He was being a gentleman and was cleaning up the mess that he had made.
She bit her lip as she continued to smile and wait outside his door.
'Stupid! Stupid!' Cielo roared internally, cursing himself as he hurriedly and haphazardly cleaned his room.
Blast it!
Sera was waiting outside! Why couldn't he move any faster?!
"Cielo…? Are you okay in there?" he heard her ask from the outside.
He bit his lip, "I'm…I'm okay Sera! Just give me a minute!"
"Okay…But we have to get you settled in soon! It's getting late!" said her muffled voice outside.
Cielo bit his lip; drat! Well, this was the best he could do. He looked at his room with utter satisfaction. He had cleaned it the best he could. He had stuffed his dirty laundry within the closets, mixing it with his clean clothes. He was aware that that would result in his clean clothes to have that musty odor but he didn't care!
He could always just clean up his clothes but…having sera visit him in his room at night was an event that he reckoned, didn't happen every day.
He had picked up the rubbish that had littered about and deposited it in his small wastebasket. There!
"Cielo?"
He blinked; drat! He almost forgot! She was waiting! At a last effort to purify his room, he had opened his window widely.
Why?
'Because I don't want her to smell…whatever it is dat I smell ja?' he thought with a shiver.
Exactly what was that smell? He scrounged his nose in disgust and in dissatisfaction as he realized that he himself could not accurately name the strange pervading odor.
He scratched the back of his head; oh wait, maybe he could.
'De smell of…drool wid rotten food maybe?'
"Cielo…?"
Drat! Sera! Well, he could think of odors and whatnot at a different time!
He ran for the door and opened it for her, "Hehe…" he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Erm…Come on in. Welcome to…Cielo's Lair…!" he said with a feigned sense of politeness and nervous humor.
Sera smiled at his antics. She could feel the anxiety practically oozing from him. As soon as she took a step into his room, she turned to him and said in a most reassuring voice, "Cielo, it's just me. There's no need to be jumpy."
Cielo smiled at that; she was just sweet…wasn't she?
Sera's smile faded from her face and she sniffed the air, "Um, Cielo, what's that funny smell?"
xxxxx
Cielo sighed; he was within his bathroom, in the tub, having a bath. He really didn't have a choice. Sera had asked it of him. What was he supposed to do?! He couldn't very well refuse her! Oh no! That was unthinkable…
And so, he scrubbed himself whilst stifling a groan of disapproval. This night was going haywire. All of his plans were backfiring! She wasn't supposed to be there! This was supposed to be for his next sitter!
He gritted his teeth as he thought of his silver-haired leader. It had been him hadn't it?! He had been the one who had put Sera up to this, wasn't it!?
His thoughts were cut short as he heard a soft knock, "Cielo? Are you okay?"
He bit his lip, "I'm fine!"
"Okay then…"
A few minutes later, Cielo found himself dressed in his pajamas…He stared at himself in the mirror and blinked. He wasn't a bit tired.
Now, there was a problem.
How was Sera going to put him to sleep now? Would she be like the other nurses and give him a pill for his 'hyperactivity' or those pills that were 'just something to help you sleep'?
'Gimme a break.' he snorted as he thought of the last phrase.
He sighed; it didn't matter. All that mattered was she was Sera and she wasn't a mere nurse. Meaning to say that he would take whatever she would give him.
Yup.
She could give him a load of rubbish and he'd still call it ice cream and ask for more. He groaned; yes. That was the effect that she had on him…
He sighed; oh well, there was no getting around this.
He slowly opened the door to his room and walked in. He was met by her gentle and beautiful visage sitting on the chair by his bedside.
He smiled nervously at her. Like a virgin bride, he treaded through the room with light and trepidation-filled steps as if afraid of being deflowered.
Sera smiled at him, "Okay Cielo, are you ready?"
He had no choice, "As ready as I'll ever be…" he said sadly.
Well, where were those pills? He was ready for them now…
Sera smiled as cheerfully as she could as she was met with Cielo's saddened face. She felt for him; really. But she would never let him feel that…
Cielo was in a delicate situation right now. The last thing that he needed was to feel as if he were being pitied…
She could read from his face that he wasn't glad to see her. She then had wondered; just how were those nurses to him…? He had probably not have liked them…
Of course not…That was why one after another, they had left their jobs as his nurse. That was why she was there in the first place.
Well, she would be different from those other nurses…She wouldn't force Cielo to do anything that he didn't want to do.
"So, are you ready?" she asked him.
He smiled at her, as cheerfully as he could and nodded. She could tell though; he wasn't smiling for real…
"Oh okay…" he said as he walked over to his bed. She followed suit and sat by his bedside, switching on the lamp at the bedside table. Cielo reached for the light-switch and turned out the lights.
He eased himself on his bed and got under the covers.
He wondered though; where were those pills?
He gulped nervously though as he saw her silhouette beside him. Sera…in his room…alone…at night…
Oh boy…
Was it just him or were things getting a bit hotter?
"You're feeling hot?" he heard her ask.
He blushed crazily as he heard the question. Damn! She wasn't supposed to hear that! Dangnamit!
"No!" he abruptly responded, grabbing her wrist as she was preparing to stand; undoubtedly to adjust the heater.
"Umn!" she gasped as she felt his hand gripping her wrist firmly. As her silver eyes met his sapphire ones, she didn't question him any further and sat back down.
Once more, the room was pervaded with deafening silence.
Well, now what?
That was the question that was running rampant within Cielo's head. What was he supposed to do now? Wait a second! That wasn't even his problem! That was her problem for Christ's sake! She was his sitter!
His stomach churned at that and he sank further within his blanket.
Sera smiled; now, they could get started. And as she suspected, Cielo wasn't the "bad boy" that Serph and those nurses made him out to be.
She nodded, "So…are you all settled in?" she asked.
"Uh huh." he nodded.
He sighed, "So…erm…where are dose pills?" He couldn't help but ask. He just had to. There wasn't any point in beating around the bush. That was the real reason why she was there right? To shut him up for good?
Sera was taken aback for a moment before she relaxed. She smiled languidly; right. Serph had told her about that…
She smiled and turned to her friend, "Cielo," she spoke in a low and gentle voice, "there are no pills."
Cielo's sapphire eyes widened and he immediately sat up, a look of fright in his face, "W-wat? No pills…? You mean to say…you'd give me de needle just like all dem other nurses?" he asked, frightened, much like an eight-year old boy.
Sera smiled and reached out to touch him and he instinctively leaned back. She giggled at his antics, "Oh Cielo…I'm not like those other nurses! I won't…give you those pills…or let you have the injection."
Cielo raised an eyebrow in skepticism, "Oh…? Den, how will you put me to sleep?" he asked, slightly drawling his words, giving her a sour face.
He was trying to be difficult, she could tell. And it was all but natural. With his previous experience with the other nurses, his behavior was normal…and well, expected.
She continued to smile at him and there, caught his evading body and touched his chest, "Hey…We won't do anything that you don't want to…" she trailed off gently, her voice nothing but a Siren's alluring whisper.
Was she insinuating that they…? Cielo blushed at that.
His imagination was running away with him!
"Cielo…?"
"E-eh…?" he asked, squeaking a bit as her silver eyes shone at his cerulean orbs endearingly.
"What do you want to do now?" she asked him carefully.
"S-sera…"
She saw the doubt in him. She sighed and left her chair, only to sit on his bed, driving the young male to move backwards, resting his back on the wall, at the corner of his bed.
"Cielo, I'm not going to do what those other nurses did. Tonight, we'll do what you want to do." she told him truthfully.
Cielo smiled at her.
xxxxx
"And dat was wat happened!" he exclaimed as he laughed; his chest heaving up and down. He opened his eyes and wiped away the tears that formed within due to his uncontrollable laugh and stole a peek at Sera.
She was still giggling away.
He felt proud then…
He had half the thought that she might just be humoring him…But as he saw her smile and heard her genuine laugh, he realized that she was doing no such thing.
He really made her laugh…didn't he?
"Heheh…" Sera laughed and there calmed herself, "Oh Cielo! Why did you do that?"
He chuckled as he heard her question, "Oh well…Let's just say dat I was a kid once ja?"
She giggled at that. A moment later, the two were engulfed in silence once more. They had been talking for the last two hours…
Cielo had told her of his most "fun" and "controversial" missions.
Needless to say, she had had a lot of fun. She had been right about him…Wasn't she…? He simply was…
"Hey Sera, wanna listen to some Latin music?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows a bit.
Sera knew the implications of that but she consented.
She nodded, "Sure Cielo! Maybe you could…teach me how to dance…?" she asked hopefully.
He froze at that and looked at her with widened eyes, "Um…erm…are you serious?"
She nodded and stood, grabbing him by the hand, "Come on!"
Cielo grinned.
"But!" she suddenly said, cutting off her more than exuberant partner. He looked at her perplexedly, "Huh? Wat?"
She smiled at him and tugged at his hands in hers, "Not here…"
He blinked, "Where…?"
She said nothing and just walked backwards, his hands still in hers, "Come on…Let's not wake the others…"
Entranced, he followed her.
xxxxx
A few moments later, Cielo blinked and looked around.
"Ey, we're in de chute warehouse!" he told her with a raised eyebrow.
She giggled and twirled around, "Well yeah! This is the best place for this sort of thing, don't you think?"
He blushed as he watched her antics…Right from the way she smiled…to the way she enchantingly twirled…to the way she spoke her gentle and playful words…
"Don't tell me dat you want to…" he insinuated naughtily, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"H-huh…?" Sera asked; confused. She was at a loss of what to think. Was Cielo thinking of what she was thinking?
She hoped not!
It wasn't that she found him unattractive or anything of that sort…It was just that…
Didn't he think that they were moving too fast?
"…to hijack a jet and hit dose boosters and thrusters!?" he asked; snapping her awake.
"E-eh…?" she asked in stupefied astonishment, embarrassed at herself…And there she was thinking that…
"Well?" he asked mischievously.
She sweat-dropped. Now that her delusions on sex and intimacy had given way, she couldn't really entertain Cielo's request…
Her? Trust him…with a plane?
"Erm…let's just stick to dancing, shall we?" she asked, biting her lip cautiously, looking at his sapphire eyes hopefully.
He pouted, and then smiled, "Okay!"
She nodded and looked around once more.
She ran from him and ran to the parachutes that hung from the ceiling of the well-lit warehouse, "Come on! This is the best place for a dance…"
Cielo smiled; she never ceased to amaze him…This wasn't what he expected from her…
So, he walked over to her…and set the portable music player to work its magic…
xxxxx
The two once more found themselves on the floor, laughing. Sera was on her back, calming herself as her heart raced. Cielo had his head on her stomach and continued to chuckle. He had given her tips on dancing…
Sera had blushed a bit; she wasn't the dancing type…But with a good teacher, talent was easily overshadowed with lots of hard work!
"Wat now ja?" he asked.
She was amazed though. After hours of activity, Cielo was still raving for more! His energy-levels were still high!
She giggled.
But then again…she hadn't forgotten her objective. She wanted to know the reason why Cielo had been hyperactive.
She wanted to know…so that when she found out, she could help him. Once she had had her breathing calmed, she had her eyes on the ceiling and spoke, "So…What do you want to talk about now Cielo…?"
"I dunno…Wat do you want to talk about?" he asked back.
Sera frowned a bit and then decided to retract back, "Hm…Cielo, um…do you dream often?"
Cielo raised an eyebrow, "Dream…? No. Not really."
"Why not?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno…I guess…I hardly sleep…dat I don't de chance to. And when I do sleep…I just probably don't remember it, ja?"
"Oh…I see…But…why can't you sleep Cielo…? Is there…something that you keep thinking about?" she asked carefully. She knew that she was treading on thin ice. This was the cornerstone of her mission that night.
She couldn't afford to fail.
And most importantly, she shouldn't hurt Cielo's feelings or make him feel ill…
Cielo blushed at her question. At the previous hour, as they danced, he had not felt awkward. Not at all. It felt right; all of it. Being with her, talking to her, dancing with her…laughing with her…it all felt right to him.
But now…He could feel all of those insecure feelings flood back to his system, again leaving him in such a compromising state.
"Well…dere is a reason…" he said hesitantly.
Sera sensed the change in him. Aa…
So there was a reason after all. At that, her hands suddenly came up and rested on Cielo's hair…Ever so slowly, she let her long and sender fingers play through his silky blue hair, in awe at their flawless feel.
Cielo closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, suppressing a low moan that was threatening to erupt from his throat. What she was doing…was sending powerful waves of energy throughout his entire body that he was finding it extra difficult to control his breathing…and his pulsing hot blood.
"Go on Cielo…I'm here. Your secret is safe with me…" she said gently, her sultry voice lulling him to sleep.
He blushed at that. Can't she understand that she was the very person that he was trying to conceal all of this from!? And now she was asking him to reveal to her the very secrets that he had fought long and hard to remain hidden!?
'Ooh boy…Dis is hard mon…' he thought, suddenly feeling a bit queasy.
"You can trust me."
But then again…
'Hm…Maybe I can…' he thought. Well, why not?
"Well…But!" he said, suddenly stopping, "You gotta promise dat you won't tell nobody okay?" he asked, raising his head from her tummy and turning his face so that his sapphire orbs met her silvery pools.
Sera smiled as her plan worked. Cielo was warming up to her…She couldn't really be any happier.
"Mn!" she exclaimed happily, nodded he head.
Cielo scrutinized her eyes for any hint of deception and was overjoyed when he found none. And so, sticking to his childish pattern of behavior, he bounced happily and dunked his head on her tummy.
She winced but said nothing.
He was her baby after all…and babies needed to be humored.
With a new sense of confidence and mirth, Cielo spoke, "Well…you see, dere's dis girl…dat I really like…"
At this, Sera raised an eyebrow, "Did you…tell her how you feel?"
"No way mon!" he immediately responded, laughing, "I don't think she'll like me anyways…"
"Why not?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't think I'm her…erm…type."
"How do you know what her type is like?" she prodded.
Cielo blinked; why was she asking him so many questions?!
"Erm…I always see her with dose two guys ja?" he said with a frown, "I think…dat dose guys are more of her…type."
Sera blinked, "Really…? Then…that's too bad."
"Eh?" he asked, confused. What was she talking about?
At that, it was she who shrugged her shoulders, "No…What I mean is that…she really doesn't know what she's missing."
"Ehh…?!" he asked again, this time even more confused.
At hearing him, she giggled, "That girl…she doesn't know what she has. She's just wasting her chance." she said as-a-matter-of-factly, "It's such a shame that she's letting go of such a good opportunity."
At hearing her flattering words, all the color from Cielo's face drained, "A…g-good opportunity…? You…you mean…m-me?"
She giggled as she listened to his stammering. Aw, he was embarrassed! He was just too cute in her eyes!
"Of course silly!" she replied cheerfully, "Who else?!"
"…" He blushed crazily but said nothing, still overwhelmed by the feeling of happiness.
'Sera…if you only knew…'
Sera stared at the ceiling high above her head as she continued to caress his silky locks, her fingertips massaging his scalp tenderly, "Oh Cielo…You're much more than what you pass yourself to be…You're honest…and dear…You're strong when you need to be…You're compassionate inside and out…" she sighed as she paused an then continued, "You are loyal…to the people you love…"
"Love…" he repeated on after her, not really knowing what the word meant. But something within his soul stirred as he heard that curious nameless word.
Love.
What was it exactly?
He really couldn't define it…But he knew of it. He knew of love; well, barely. He knew that love was what one felt for another person where they feel…pleasure…but at the same time, pain.
'But den…it's both an owwie and a smoochie!' he thought with worry, 'Can't I just have de smoochie and leave de owwie?'
Love and pain. It went hand in hand…No one could escape that; not a beginner in love and not the experienced in love.
"Yes…Love." she responded, nodding, "It's what you feel towards people you want to be with always…People whom you fight for…"
"Oh…" Cielo trailed off.
"Do you understand?" she asked.
"I think so." he replied, scratching his head a bit.
Again, she giggled. Oh it wasn't his fault. Sooner or later, he would be able to understand his emotions better. That, she was sure of.
"Cielo," she began, "you are a special person…And if being with this girl…would make you happy, then go to her."
At that Cielo made a sour face…even though she couldn't see it, he made it anyway, "Yea sista. But she don't like me like dat."
"How would you know? Have you tried telling her?"
"No…But…"
"Then you don't know for sure." she said, cutting him off.
"But…!"
She sighed, "Cielo…You have to take a chance."
"But wat if she don't like me still…? Even if I told her ja?" he asked in a slow tone, his voice hanging sadly low.
"If that's the case…then at least you can tell yourself…that you tried…And it's okay. Because…one day, that girl would regret letting a great guy like you go."
Cielo was seeing stars. Him? A…a great guy?! Was she…crazy!?
'But still mon…It's…pretty nice t'hear stuff like dat from her…' he thought in a daze, his smile widening and his eyes becoming half-lidded as he fantasized.
"Say," she began, her fingers still playing with his hair, "feel like practicing?"
"Practicing?" he repeated, "Wat for sista?"
She giggled and sat up, consequently, getting him to get up as well. Once they both sat up, they faced one another. She gave him her smile, "What else? We have to practice what you're going to say to her!" she said excitedly.
"Ehhh!?" his eyes widened as if they were saucers and his jaw dropped, "W-wat are you saying!?" he exclaimed, his face paling.
She giggled at his antics, "Come on Cielo! You'd never get anywhere in life if you're too shy to do or say anything!" she said, "Come on! Show me what you're made of!" she playfully challenged him.
He gave her a sour look and looked away, grumbling, "I'm made of jelly…"
"No you're not!" a voice said, closer to him than he remembered.
He turned his face to the right and saw that she was right there, beside him, her face a few inches away from his. At that, all the color came rushing back to Cielo's face, with the hue of crimson pervading it.
He leaned back on sheer instinct, "Oh…Erm…S-Sera…"
She giggled again and leaned back as well, "Whoops! Sorry for crowding you…" she said apologetically, her silver eyes concurring with what she had just uttered, "But, let's get this practice thing done!" she finished excitedly.
"But…"
"Come on Cielo. It's just me." she said gently, softly. She then draped her warm hand on his, "It's just me." she repeated, her silver eyes penetrating his sapphire orbs.
Cielo could feel himself being pulled down into the abyss of dreams as her eyes invaded his thoughts…
After a moment, he nodded hesitantly, "Okay…"
"But!" he said, pointing at her, "You gotta promise you won't laugh ja?"
Again, she giggled, "I promise…"
"Okay den." he said nonchalantly, "Erm…erm…w-where do we start ja…?"
Sera's smile widened as she appraised his slightly trembled form, "How about we start with a 'hi'." she suggested.
"Erm, right…" he said, laughing nervously.
She chuckled, "Cielo you're too uptight…" she said, "Just take it easy."
He nodded frantically, attempting to take her advice…
"Okay…Here goes."
xxxxx
Sera laughed, "No…no Cielo! Hahah! You're…"
"You're laughing at me…" he said sadly, his eyes staring at the floor of which they sat on.
"I'm not!" she defended, "You're just…You're just too cute Cielo. But…you always freeze when it comes to the 'L' word."
He slumped his shoulders and sighed in defeat. Sera sweat-dropped as she watched his form. Maybe…maybe she had better help him.
"Okay Cielo. Maybe I should help you out a bit."
At that, he perked up and looked up at her, "Eh?"
She nodded, "Just do it like me! I'll pretend to be you and you pretend to be the girl, okay?"
"O-okay."
"Good!" she nodded. She then cleared her throat and then, hardened her silver eyes, and imitated a male voice, "Hey chiquita, feel like getting lucky tonight?" she asked in a low masculine voice, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively as she spoke her words in a feigned Spanish accent.
At that, Cielo just burst into laughter.
Sera joined him. When they had calmed down, she spoke, "Okay, okay, how about this one." She cleared her throat and again, changed her voice, "Listen babe, I've got my eyes on you for a while now…" she said with a low voice, her eyes nonchalant and lazy, "So, what do you say that we get outta here and make sweet love?" she said in a mock low voice, trying her best to be masculine.
Cielo was stunned. He didn't know whether he should laugh or cry.
He chose the former, "Hahah! Oh mon! Dat…dat was great ja?!?" he asked, laughing his heart out.
Sera smiled, and then giggled, she had hoped that that little display would cheer him up. Well, she was glad that she made him laugh…
When he had felt that he had calmed down, Cielo rubbed his tummy and wiped off a renegade tear and panted, looking at her with a grin on his lips, "Oh man…Dat…dat was de best ja? But…" he paused as he caught his breath, "One problem though…She aint like dat."
"She's…" he paused again, his orbs being caught up within the gentle waves of the ocean that were her silver pools, "She…she's…"
"She's…?" Sera repeated.
"She's…" he said again. This time, he snapped out of his daze and cast his face down, "She's…she's sweet…and gentle…and…and…she aint into stuff like dat."
At that, Sera scooted closer to him once more and held his hand in hers. That had elicited a surprised response from her companion who now had his shocked cerulean eyes glued on hers, wide and excited yet dilated and timid.
She smiled gently now and squeezed his hand, "Then…that is what you should say…"
"E-eh…?"
"I don't know if you'll accept me or shun me…But all I know is that I have to tell you this now…I can't sleep at night when I know that you still don't notice me…" she said, sighing, "Now that I finally have the chance to tell you, I won't let it pass." she then smiled and held his hand tighter, "You are…sweet…and gentle…and I…I want to be with you."
She really didn't prepare such lines to say to him…No. The words just came to her lips and she had uttered them gently; as she was made to do. And now, as she peered into his eyes, she knew that the words came not from her brain or her mind…but from her heart…
It was because…that was what she felt for this man…this man who lived as a boy…
Cielo's heart pounded as she said her words…but as they came to a close…his heart, which he anticipated to thump uncontrollably now beat rhythmically…calmly…
And as he continued to look into her eyes, he knew why.
Her words rung so true to him that he felt as though he had been given a divine revelation.
And then…as he saw her beginning to lean in towards him, he found himself frozen…He couldn't move…his body had been stupefied.
Sera leaned in ever so closely to him…a moment later, her breath tickled his lips as his tickled hers…Slowly, ever so slowly, as if being lulled into slumber by the most enticing siren, the two closed their eyes and awaited the inevitable contact…
Their lips met in a chaste kiss…
The world seemed to freeze and their surroundings blurred into obscurity…fading away into nothingness…
And like the fleeting daydream, their kiss ended as quickly as it had begun. Once more, the two found one another's eyes on each other.
Sera touched her lips as her eyes continued to peer into Cielo's, silently asking him of his thoughts…and his feelings.
Cielo was still frozen; still unbelieving, still skeptic whether this…this whole experience was real or not.
Wanting to test his theory, his hand came up and glided over to her face…He then touched her warm and life-filled cheek and his heart skipped a beat.
"Cielo…" she whispered.
He swallowed a lump in his throat, "I…I just want to know if…if dis, all dis is true…ja?" he asked slowly, his eyes refusing to leave hers.
She smiled at him and held the hand that touched her cheek and leaned into his touch, "I'm real Cielo…I'm real…"
"Sera…" he trailed off, his voice low, showing the woman in front of him that he was indeed a man, and not a boy, "I don't know if you'll accept me or shun me…But all I know is dat I have to tell you dis now…I can't sleep at night when I know dat you still don't notice me…" he said, repeating her earlier words, "Now dat I finally have de chance to tell you, I won't let it pass." By now, his heart beat erratically, not nervously…but screaming for fulfillment, "You are…sweet…and gentle…and I…I want to be wid you."
He gauged her reaction. Did he do good…or bad…?
His worries were put to rest as the woman in front of him looked at him meaningfully, affectionately, "I want to be with you too…"
A moment later, their lips were once more intertwined…
When they finally parted, she smiled at him yet again and now touched his cheek, "There…that wasn't so hard…right…?"
He nodded at her, flashing his boyish grin once more, "I guess not…"
"Will you be able to sleep now?" she asked, grinning.
He chuckled, "Only when you're my sitter."
"I thought you didn't like sitters…" she teased playfully.
"It just takes de right one…ja?" he responded.
xxxxx
"Man, where the fuck did idiot take her!?" thundered Heat.
Serph sighed; he felt guilty. It had been his fault. Cielo probably did not like Sera either. He had been too out of control, he deemed. Well, his patience had run out. When he found him, he'd make sure that Cielo stayed at the correctional facility!
He could only hope, in the meantime, that Sera was alright.
They had already searched his room and the two were yet to be found…
"Serph." came Argilla's crackled voice over the comm. link.
"Argilla. Report."
"I've found them sir."
"And?"
"The female is unharmed sir."
He let out a breath of relief at that, "Where are they?"
At that, he sensed a hint of hesitance in Argilla that he repeated his question.
"Lock onto these coordinates sir. Over and Out."
She terminated the transmission. Silly woman! Why couldn't she just tell him? He sighed; it was too early in the morning for arguments…
And so, he set out for the aforesaid coordinates, "Come on Heat. They found them." he said nonchalantly, waving to the redhead behind him.
"Where?!" he asked frantically.
"We'll know soon enough."
xxxxx
Silver, red and pink eyes had their eyes glued onto the two sleeping figures at their feet. The three had surrounded the two and looked at them with widened eyes and gaping mouths.
There were Sera and Cielo, sleeping on the floor of the parachute hangar, the chutes used as their sheets…There they were, snug together, melded together in a warm embrace…perfect, as if they were each other's missing halves.
They slept facing one another, their arms around the other's waist and their legs intertwined.
The sun was fully up now and the noise from the drills and military proceedings were prominent…but for some reason, the two were completely oblivious to their environment. There they were, still blissfully asleep…Without a care in the world.
Argilla then left.
Serph looked on after her and a moment later, she came back with a long stick.
Heat sweat-dropped while Serph tilted his head to the side and asked, "What are you going to do with that?"
She gave him a confused look, "What else? I'm going to poke them awake."
Serph sweat-dropped, "Erm…Stand down trooper. I think that this situation does not warrant that."
"Eh?" Argilla asked.
At that, Serph grabbed her arm and led her away, but not before telling Heat to come along, "Knowing Cielo, the two of them were probably up all night." the silver-haired man explained, "Well, at least, we know that Sera succeeded…"
Argilla shrugged her shoulders, "I guess so…"
Heat snorted, "He probably wore her out!"
Serph smiled tightly, "Well, it doesn't matter." He nodded, "Cielo's hyperactivity would probably be better controlled now." he said.
"How would you know that?" Argilla asked.
Serph grinned, "It would be controlled, I assure you. At least now we know which sitter is effective."
xxxxx
FIN
A/N:
Chiquita: A Spanish word meaning small or petite girl. It can also mean as beautiful or an attractive woman. However, the meaning could be varied depending on the usage. Chiquita can also be used to mean as a woman who "isn't nice" or is a "bitch".
Hyperactivity: A condition when a person is overly exuberant. It isn't a harmful condition, per se, but it can be harmful to the person or those around the hyperactive person when the behavior becomes too prevalent, prominent or too out of control. Hyperactivity can be both because of biological reasons or mental conflicts and psychological reasons.
There are drugs that can be injected or taken in order to reduce the restlessness and irritability of a hyperactive person. Such as methylphenidate (Ritalin), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), and magnesium pemoline (Cylert).
Other than drugs, psychotherapy is also available.
Note that Hyperactivity is usually paired with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) yet it need not be the case all the time.