ACTION TIME

[aphelionix]

The two days had come and gone since Locke stayed over at Weiler's. He was tipsy when Weiler had called that night and made their two day check-in rule - not that he forgot, but he couldn't stop the nagging feeling that something was off when he went to bed that night.

On the morning of the third day, he remembered.

The rule was to get out. He tried calling Weiler once, in case he had forgotten his own rule, but Locke was sure by now that it wasn't like him. It was all the sign he needed when the call went straight to voice mail. He headed right out the door of his room, only gathering his pistol and communicator. Through the bustling of the soldiers' morning routines, he managed to keep himself fairly blended in. No one seemed to be looking on him any differently. Locke was on the last stretch of the emergency escape route of Gladsheim's base - for Circle members, that was - when someone called his name.

His real name.

Comments

[aphelionix]

It wasn't until three minutes after the announcement that Locke pulled back, pleasantly dazed. "Did you hear something?"

[tactician]

"A-HEM," McGraw interrupted awkwardly.

"No," Weiler answered, licking his lips and leaning back with his hands on Locke's knees to prop himself up.

"I WOULD NOT INTERRUPT, BUT YOU EXPLICITLY TOLD ME TO RETURN AFTER HALF AN HOUR, SIR," McGraw protested, sounding a little harried and exasperated itself. If it were a real person, it would have been torn between wringing its hands or burying its face in its palms at this point. "HONESTLY, SIR."

With a sigh, Weiler pulled himself to his feet and straightened the wrinkles out of his shirt in one smooth motion, as if being interrupted in this way was a common occurrence. He plopped back down in his own seat and waved a hand at the dashboard. "All right, all right, Herr McGraw, don't worry about it. How many hours left until we hit Erclesse?"

[aphelionix]

It was ironic, treating interruptions as one usually did now - pulling away and addressing the interruption - rather than taking it as a cue to be all over each other. Locke smiled to himself at the thought. He liked it better this way.

"ONE HOUR AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES," McGraw answered proudly, no doubt programmed to be pleased when it wasn't ignored. A screen popped up across the window, showing their progress on a map. A line connected Boriniat to Erclesse, a blinking green dot showing their current location between the two.

"Making good progress," Locke said with a nod, also standing. "I'm going to eat before landing. Do you want anything, Heine?"

[tactician]

"You can cook?"

[aphelionix]

"WHO IS 'HEINE'?"

"Basic things," Locke answered.

[tactician]

Weiler looked perplexed. "Who told you that-"

His head swivelled back. That hadn't even registered.. "What did you just call me?"

[aphelionix]

Locke stared at him blankly.

"Heine."

[tactician]

Weiler stared blankly back.

Then his look turned decidedly sly. "Are we on first name basis now, Cupid?"

[aphelionix]

"We're certainly past last names," he mused (though still not entirely unruffled by the use of his own first name). "What about middles?"

[tactician]

"No one calls me by my middle name. That would be an unfair trade," Weiler protested. Then, thoughtfully he asked, "How far, exactly, are we past surnames according to your estimation?"

[aphelionix]

"JUDGING BY MY OBSERVATIONS, I WOULD ESTIMATE-"

"Not you, McGraw," Locke sighed. "I'm not actually sure how you estimate that, though."

[tactician]

Weiler smiled at the answer. "Only my family calls me 'Heine'."

[aphelionix]

"Ah." Locke thought for a moment. "Only my mother calls me Cu... my first name," he countered. "Though the rest call me 'Rhys'."

[tactician]

"What do you want me to call you?" Weiler asked, ever the politician. He was very good at forcing others to say the words for him, making his intention shrouded but clear at the same time. Obviously, working for over ten years in the field hadn't gone without its repercussions. Even now, he was treading very diplomatically, which wasn't necessarily how the opposite party might have preferred for him to handle the issue at hand, though it was really the only way he knew how to.

"'CAPTAIN LOCKE' IS HIS STATED PREFERRED ADDRESS," McGraw supplied.

[aphelionix]

Locke clasped his hands behind his back, back straight, steadying Weiler with a passive look. He might've even had a playful smile.

"What do you want me to call you?"

"'WEILER' IS HIS STATED PREFERRED-"

"I'm currently speaking to Weiler, McGraw."

"OH." A pause. "CARRY ON."

[tactician]

Weiler raised his brows. "I believe I asked first."

[aphelionix]

"You can call me what you want." Evasive, but not an entirely concealed answer - it was still giving him permission to Locke's first name. If Weiler wanted.

[tactician]

Weiler was frowning now. "I'd like for you to tell me what you prefer."

weak point

[aphelionix]

Locke's passive expression faltered when Weiler frowned. He dropped his arms, digging his hands into his pockets with a sigh, looking away. While not over his deeply embedded embarrassment of his first name by any means, he'd found that it wasn't so bad coming from Weiler.

"My given name," he said quietly. "When we're alone."

[tactician]

Locke was naturally serious, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise by any means, but it still managed to catch Weiler just the slightest bit unaware. He didn't answer immediately, staring up at Locke impassively in his chair for a long moment that was only just short of it stretching into awkward, but ultimately broke into a small quiet laugh with a nod. "I can do that."

[aphelionix]

Locke looked back up when he started laughing. "What's so funny?"

[tactician]

Unfolding his hands, Weiler splayed them out to either side, leaving himself open. "You surprise me, Cupid Rhys Locke." He smiled, lopsidedly. "I give."

[aphelionix]

"You... give?" Locke raised an eyebrow at him.

[tactician]

"THAT IS ANOTHER COLLOQUIAL TERM FOR STATING ONE'S SURRENDER," McGraw interjected.

Weiler glanced over his shoulder at the dashboard and turned back to Locke with a grin. "Yes, what he said."

[aphelionix]

The captain gave an amused exhale, taking a step closer. Locke held a hand out to help him up.

"So, what should I call you, then?"