Torn

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta doesn't question the assignment when it comes to him: it's rooted solidly in his posting, it deals with a matter of utmost importance, and he's probably the best bet any of them have at deciphering the notes

Comments

[faithful_lt]

"Some people sleep, you know," he remarks. "Or play cards, or do other things that don't involve working through their down time."

It's an observation that carries no hint of censure. It hadn't taken Hoshi long at all since Gaeta's return to be aware of the other man's commitment to his duty-- not when anyone with eyes could see it.

"Sure, thanks." He finishes changing quickly, shuts his locker, and walks over to join Gaeta at the table.

[mr_gaeta]

Swiftly, and with some concern, Gaeta looks up from his own work. (Four piles, by now, plus the addition of two dozen more bookmarks to their shared copy of the Scrolls.)

"What is it?"

[faithful_lt]

"It's worse than code, that's what it is," he fumes, staring down at the page as though he could force clarity from it by sheer willpower.

"This document -- it's like he's recorded his thoughts in some sort of personal shorthand, only it makes no sense-- everything is either abbreviated or refers to things that I can't find mention of anywhere else, and I can't tell if it's really just all nonsense or if I'm not making sense of it."

Hoshi lets out an explosive breath in frustration.

"If this is what he's like in his writings, I can't imagine what it's like working directly with--"

He hears the words as they're coming out of his mouth and cuts himself off abruptly, turning to face Gaeta with a look of horrified apology for his careless remark.

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta's expression has closed off, damming up every bit of emotion into a carefully crafted blankness. His pen dangles loosely between two fingers.

After a moment, he comes back to himself enough to look down at his work.

[faithful_lt]

"I didn't mean --"

He'd give anything to be able to call the words back, make them somehow unsaid.

"Felix, I'm sorry." Hoshi swallows. "Please don't."

[mr_gaeta]

"It wasn't pleasant," he says, quite steadily, as if he hasn't heard the rest of what Louis said.

He turns over a page. Makes himself breathe in, and out.

"Want to call it a day?"

[faithful_lt]

He's silent for a moment.

"... do you want me to g--" He stops himself; tries again.

"Does that mean you're ready for cards?"

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta curls a loose fist in front of his mouth, sweeping one last glance over Gaius' notes.

"Yeah," he says at last -- it's at least half a sigh -- and reaches to begin gathering the papers. After another beat, he glances Hoshi's way.

As a faint, lopsided smile sneaks back: "Someone has to keep you safe from Racetrack."

[faithful_lt]

He blinks once, and then his answering smile is as sudden and bright as sunrise.

"Hey, I'm not that bad a player," he protests, jokingly. "I even won once."

[mr_gaeta]

"Against who, Hot Dog?"

But he's grinning nearly as bright (how could he not, faced with that?) as he arranges the notes in their appropriate sleeves. "Tell me you at least know how to count cards."

[faithful_lt]

"To count--"

Hoshi breaks off there, staring at him, and then begins to laugh.

[mr_gaeta]

"It's not cheating," he answers loftily, in a tone that indicates just how many times he's offered this defense. "It's applying basic mathematical concepts that anyone can learn to a finite set of variables."

[faithful_lt]

"Uh-huh," he returns. "I think you're giving 'anyone' a little too much credit there."

Hoshi stands up, and lets his hand rest casually on Gaeta's shoulder just for a moment as he directs a quick, deliberately innocent smile down at him.

"But I tell you what, I'll let you show me how it's done."

[mr_gaeta]

Like so much else, the touch catches him off guard. He gathers himself and slants another look up at Hoshi, eyebrows lifted in a mirror of that innocence.

"Only in the name of cleaning out every Viper jock in the rec room," he says, very solemnly, and finishes stacking the folders together before he gets to his feet. "Let me just put these away -- "

[faithful_lt]

"They'll never know what hit them."

He sounds satisfied about that.

[mr_gaeta]

Gaeta laughs -- quick, and muffled, but a laugh nonetheless -- and shuts the paperwork in his locker.

"Okay," he says as they head for the hatch, "the first thing to keep in mind is..."

The conversation drifts out, and cuts off entirely with the clank of the door.