Little Things

by Griffinkhan

The fly buzzed around the half-empty cup, alighting on the rim. It headed towards a droplet of liquid clinging to the side, only to take off again as a hand batted it away. Its wings whined, circling for another pass.

Alia sighed, blue eyes following the offending insect. It was probably the only organic thing in a two floor radius, besides the droopy plant on the filing cabinet. "Go on, get out of here," she said, as the fly dove for her soda again. "Before Zero comes through and squashes you."

"Too late." A hand came smashing down on the hapless creature, which had landed on the computer monitor.

Alia winced. "You'd better clean that up," she warned. The blonde reploid rolled his eyes, but grabbed a tissue from her desk and wiped up the mess.

"Guess these things are actually useful," he remarked, tossing the soiled object in the trash can. "I still don't see why you need to keep tissues. Reploids don't get colds."

"I still don't see why you care," she replied, turning back to her keyboard. "Now, I'd appreciate it if you moved along—some people have work to do today." The Mavericks were quiet this week. but that meant she had to catch up with all the routine bureaucratic nonsense she neglected during uprisings. It also meant that Hunters like Zero had nothing to do but hang around base and annoy those with actual duties.

"I'm hurt, Allie. I stop in to chat and you squash me like a bug." He smirked. "And, I have work to do as well—pressing business downtown." He tugged on the ends of his jacket over a civilian T-shirt and jeans.

"Have fun with that," she sighed.

"Hey, you haven't seen X pass through, have you?" he asked. "He's supposed to meet me." She shook her head, and he grinned evilly. "Huh, maybe he's actually later than I am for once. This calls for much mockery over the coming days. Tell him I'm waiting for him, okay? See ya, Allie!" And he left the room through the opposite door.

Alia rubbed her temples, wondering why she, the senior navigator, had gotten the office that doubled as a thoroughfare for anyone wanting to take a quick shortcut from the officer's barracks to the elevator.

She had just resumed her paperwork when another person entered the room through the left door. Looking up, she saw it was X, also wearing civilian clothes and his casual uniform jacket. The patch on the right side bore his large stylized X, as well as his commander's bars. On the other was the logo of the 17th and the Maverick Hunter emblem. He looked slightly frazzled, clutching a paperback novel in his left hand with his right cupped over his temple.

"X? You all right?" she asked, standing up.

He stopped walking and blinked, as though just noticing her. "Oh hey, Alia," he said. "Yeah... I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," she chided, walking over to him. "What happened?"

"I was walking and reading, and kind of... walked into a door," he replied sheepishly, moving his hand from his forehead. "I probably have a bruise now..."

She gasped. "X, you're bleeding!"

"What?" He looked at his hand, which was daubed with dark red coolant fluid. "Oh... I didn't even notice." It was a small cut, already glowing slightly as his nanites set out repairing the damaged synthskin.

"Here... Come and sit down," she said, taking his arm.

"Alia, it's fine—" he tried to protest, but she pushed him into the chair, snatching up a tissue and wiping at the injury. He winced, and reflexively reached up a hand. His fingers brushed hers.

She froze, the tissue against his skin, transfixed by the light touch and his bright green eyes. The twin glassy orbs peered curiously at her, tiny wires and lights melding together to form miniature constellations in the depths of an emerald sky.

Then he blinked, and the moment ended.

She rubbed away the rest of the coolant, trying to ignore the light flush threatening to creep into her cheeks. "Here... X..." She took out the small jar of sealant she kept for emergencies, handing it to him. "Put some of this on it, it'll stop the bleeding."

"Thanks." His eyes followed hers, green to blue.

"...What is it?" she asked, the flush beginning to win.

"..Nothing, don’t worry." He dabbed on the sealant and handed back the jar.

His fingers brushed hers.

"I'd... better go," he said, standing up quickly. "Zero's probably waiting... Thank you... so much, Alia."

"Anytime, X," she whispered, as he sped out the door.

She picked up the crumpled tissue now stained with red, and looked at it for a moment. Sighing, she dropped it in the wastebasket. She turned back to her computer.

The clicking of the keyboard filled the room again. But, as her mind turned back to damage reports and inventories, she couldn't help smiling.

And Zero wondered why she kept those tissues there...