Gains and Losses- Chapter 5: "Changes" (Havoc)
This is the fifth chapter of the arc called "Gains and Losses". It is Havoc-centric. It is set in the mangaverse, so if you don't know what happens to Havoc around Chapter 38, then read it before you start this fic.
Title: Changes
Author: SeaweedOtter
Characters: Mostly Jean Havoc, but the most of the rest of the gang appears.
Rating: G- PG
Disclaimer: Manga Spoilers... Set in the manga, a couple years after the end of chapter 38. Maybe AU?
Summary: Times change, whether you want them to or not.
Author's Note: I just want to say how cool havocmangawip is. Not only is she my new slave beta for this series, but she has been subtely with a sledgehammer giving me ideas to make my story a better one.
Read all the chapters so far HERE!
Time seemed to move at a snail's pace after Havoc returned to the East. The Xingian doctor continued to work daily on trying to revive more feeling to his lower extremities, but there seemed to be little improvement, even after several months of intense therapy. Havoc quickly fell back into the funk that had plagued him during the cold winter months, eating less and not sleeping well. As much as his parents tried to help him, he seemed to be losing his faith that things would ever get better.
One morning, while his mother was making breakfast, Havoc was picking idly at his fingernails, and staring deeply into the wooden table. His mind had been wandering to places that he'd rather it not go, when his mother quickly interrupted his thoughts.
"Jean, your friend called while you were out at therapy. I was talking to him for a while, and he said he is going to come visit. He said he won't have much time to visit you soon, so this may be his last chance for a while. He seemed pretty anxious to come see you, and I couldn't turn him down. He is such a nice young man. You could learn a few things from him. But I didn't ask why he was running out of time, though."
Havoc just inwardly smiled, thinking about the 'things' that Breda had taught him in their frequent poker nights after they became quick friends under Mustang's command- drinking and smoking had only been two of the minor ones. "Oh, he and his wife are gonna have a baby, Ma." Havoc sighed, regretting what he had said the moment the words left his mouth. He knew what was coming now.
"It is a shame we can’t find you a nice girl, Jean."
Havoc started to roll his chair backwards, away from the table. "Ma, please. Can we not start with this?" he snapped.
She sighed softly and turned back to where she was cutting up vegetables for an omelet. "You can’t 'not start with it' forever Jean. One of these days you are going to find the right person. And when you do, you will know." He was pretty surprised that she had let it slide that quickly. Usually when she got on those tangents it was impossible to quiet her down until she was done with everything that she had to say -- and there was usually a lot. But better to not look a gift horse in the mouth, he figured.
"Yes, Ma."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A couple of days later, Havoc was patiently waiting at the train station when Breda arrived, passing the time by using the railings of the walkway to lift himself out of the chair and into an almost standing position, seeing how long he could hold it before he had to sit back down again. That was how Breda found his friend, almost at his full height, and a wide grin crossed the shorter man's face.
"Still tryin' to show off there, Jean?"
Havoc just smiled and sank back into his seat, glad for an excuse to stop. His arm muscles were burning, even from just doing those exercises a few minutes. "Well, the doc tells me that I need to keep up my upper body strength, and I get pretty uncomfortable just sitting all the time. It is nice to see the world from a taller point of view."
"Hey! Was that a short joke at my expense? It isn't my fault you are monstrously tall."
"I am just glad I can see the world from that angle again. You don't know how much you miss it till you can't see it any more."
Breda clapped his friend hard on the back, causing him to almost spill forward off his chair. "I am just glad that ya can too, bud."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
"So, what brings you to this podunk little town? I am sure it isn't my charm and charisma!" Havoc sarcastically joked while Breda steered the Havoc family car back home.
"Actually, I came here with a proposal." Breda replied, while trying to maneuver down a particularly bumpy road. Havoc had to bite his lip so he didn't laugh at his friend's shaky voice. "I have been talking quite a bit with the guys. We all agree that you need to come back to Central with us."
"Central?" Havoc made a dismissive noise. "What in the hell would I do in Central? Sit on a corner and beg for change all day? At least here I have a family to come home to and a roof over my head! I don't have a job. I can't support myself. Hell, I don't even know if I could live on my own. I have come a long way, but I am still pretty helpless sometimes." Breda cringed at the acidic tone his friend's voice took on.
"You know that you have a roof over your head when you come to Central, no matter how long you stay. You are always welcome to stay with Janet and me."
Havoc shrugged, his voice and demeanor calming a bit. "Yeah, but you guys are gonna have a full house soon, and another even hungrier mouth to feed than mine. There is no way I am going to put you out like that. It is hard enough having one baby to take care of." He crossed his arms, his mood soured.
Breda just smiled and parked the car, letting it idle while they finished their conversation. "Don't you worry about that. We still have a few months to figure out all the arrangements. I am sure that we can find a place for you to stay after we get you situated in town." He laid his arm over the front seat and looked back over his shoulder, a big smile on his face. "Besides, you are gonna be a godparent soon, so you need to be close by in case we need you to baby sit!" He laughed and turned the car off, getting out of the front seat and grabbing Havoc's chair. He couldn't help but grin goofily at the mouth agape, glassy eyed stare that Havoc was giving him while he transferred from the car to the chair.
"Godparent?"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Mmmm. This is great, Mrs. Havoc! Thanks!"
"Heymans, how many times have I told you, you can call me Susan, or Ma?"
"Sorry, ma'am. I can’t help it."
Havoc's mother smiled and waved a spoon at her son. "You military boys are always so polite. They certainly straightened you out, Jean."
"Ma!" Jean whined.
Breda just laughed, and put down his sandwich. "Ma'am, I was just discussing something with Hav -- I mean Jean." He flashed Havoc a wicked smile, which was returned with a death glare that would curdle milk.
"I was telling him that all of his friends back in Central miss him, and that we were all hoping that he would come back to Central with us. He already has a place to stay with Janet and me as long as he needs to. Oh yeah, and I didn't get around to telling him this, but the Fuhrer is personally seeing to it that he has a job in Central Command."
Havoc's mother turned from where she was washing dishes in the sink to face the table, a soft smile on her face. "Jean, you know that your father and I will support you in whatever you do. I worry about your independence, but I know you can't live the rest of your life here. I have seen how restless you have become. You are stifled here. This is such a small town, and Central is so big, it has so many new opportunities that you just can't get in a little country town."
"Ma, I-"
A serious look crossed her face. "Jean, hush and listen." She walked over, put a hand on his shoulder, and gently kissed the top of his head. "I know Heymans is a good man, and his wife as well. I haven't met the rest of your friends, but I am sure they are fine individuals. I have seen how your friend the Fuhrer has brought us peace after so much war. He seems like a good man as well. I know they wouldn't be your friends otherwise."
Havoc smiled, blushing slightly at the kiss from his mother, in front of his best friend. "They are all great people, Ma. Mustang once told me that he was going to wait for me at the top. I brushed it off after he said it, and for a while I didn't think much about it. But as time went on, I found that I wanted to meet him there. I never thought I would really get the chance to, but this may be it."
"So you want to do this, Jean?" Breda asked, hopefully, unconsciously leaning forward in his chair, his hands gripping the wooden table.
Havoc sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Hmm. Paperwork, I am guessing, Right? That is what he is gonna have me do once I get to Central. Am I correct, Breda?"
Breda sadly nodded. "I know, Jean. It isn't perfect. But at least you will still be at Central Command, on the same floor as the rest of us. We will be close by, and I am sure that we will be able to make plenty of excuses to come see you.
Havoc sighed, rubbing his temples. "Can I smoke a cigarette and have a few minutes to think about it?"
Breda nodded and smiled. He stood up and started to walk over to where Breda was. "Sure thing Boss, I will take you out there."
"I got it bud," Havoc smiled softly. "I'll do it alone. I'll be back in a few minutes." Havoc rolled back and out the door of the kitchen, towards the front of the house.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A short time later, Havoc wheeled himself back into the kitchen and found Breda helping his mother finish cleaning the dishes. They were chatting amicably about how harsh the winters were in the East as compared to the relatively mild Central winters with only a few days of snow a year.
They both turned back to the door with large smiles on their faces when they heard the squeak of his wheels, desperately in need of oiling.
"Heya, Chief!" Breda splashed water on the floor as he raised his hand in greeting. "So what's the good news?"
Havoc sighed. He tried to look serious, but he couldn't help the small smile that made its way across the corners of his mouth. "So, you say my godchild is gonna need me to be close by, eh?"
Havoc's mother stared blankly at Havoc, and then at Breda, whose smile almost impossibly just got wider.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Arrangements were made fairly quickly and less than a month later Havoc was boarding the train with Breda at his side to travel back to Central, for good this time.
Havoc tried as hard as he could to keep the tears out of his eyes, but his throat closed up and his breath was hitched when he saw his mother's tears. His father held her tight, letting go only briefly to give his only child a huge bear hug. "Now, son," he said, "we are proud of you for doing this. But if it ever gets to be too much, just call us. We can come visit, or come to take you back if we need to. I know it is going to be tough, but we have faith that you can do it."
His mom leaned over and smothered him with kisses over his face and head, her tears dampening his skin slightly. "Be good, son. Don't give Heymans or Janet trouble, and please thank Fuhrer Mustang and his staff for all of their help. I baked him these." She put a little basket on the blanket on his lap.
"Oh, man! Are those your famous chocolate chip cookies, ma'am?" Breda's eyes lit up. Havoc's mom smiled and gently slapped at the hand that was quickly advancing towards the lid of the basket. Breda did his best to put on a pouting face, but it had no effect.
"Heymans, there is a small batch for you and Janet. I left a few out so you guys will have some to munch on, on the train. The large batch at the bottom is for the Fuhrer and his staff. You can eat the ones I left out, but you are not to touch the rest. Got it, boys?" She adopted a stern tone, but her softness bled thru.
Two voices said in unison, "Yes, Ma."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next week was a blur for Jean Havoc. Between getting settled in at Breda's little cottage on the outskirts of downtown, and visiting with the Fuhrer at Central Command, he hardly found time to do much else. Any thought that he had that week about continuing his strength exercises, like his Xingian doctor had ordered him to, were filed away at the back of his brain in a flurry of activity.
When he tried to lift himself out of his seat to reach something that was just out of his reach and found that he couldn't do it. He was getting tired quicker and his body ached more. He realized how important the exercises were, even after stopping for only a short time.
"Hello, Master Xao, sir. This is Jean Havoc."
"Yes, I got to Central fine, thank you."
"No, there were no problems."
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, well... that is what I called you about, sir."
"Yes, sir. I have been getting weaker...”
"No, sir."
"No, I haven't been exercising as much. I have been busy, sir."
"No, sir."
"You have someone for me to talk to, sir? Okay."
"Yes, I have a piece of paper, go ahead."
"Three days, 11:00 AM, Central Command gym. Got it."
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you, sir."
"Goodbye."
He hung up the phone and sighed. "What am I getting myself into, now?"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Havoc wasn't even sure why he had butterflies in his stomach the morning that he was dropped off at Central Command to meet the new trainer that his Xingian doctor had set up for him. There was some little nagging feeling deep in his gut that told him that something odd was going to happen, but he had no idea what or why.
He had arrived at Central Command in plenty of time, since he wasn't sure how long it would take him to get changed. It was a familiar route he took down the long, straight hallways of the dull gray building that he had known so well. How many times had he come to this gym in the past, to work off the frustration of another girlfriend lost to Mustang?
"How ironic," he muttered to an empty hallway. "Mustang is finally out of the picture, and I am out of commission. Someone has a seriously sick sense of humor about my love life."
It ended up taking him a lot longer than he thought to get changed and ready for the gym, and by the time he was dressed, he was already sweaty and tired, and ready to call that his workout. Reluctantly, he rolled out into the gym, and was glad to see that it was almost empty. There didn't appear to be anyone looking for someone, so he figured that he still beat them here, even with the delays. The gym was really not much more than a large, high-ceilinged, square building that had different sections laid out with various types of workout equipment, and a large oval track painted around the perimeter.
Havoc rolled himself over to some mats that had been laid over the cold concrete floor. He awkwardly transitioned to the ground, leaving his chair at the edge of the mat, and situated himself next to a few sets of dumbbells.
"Might as well look good for the new guy, I guess. I don't wanna seem like a total bum." He took a couple of weights and started to do curls with them.
He didn't even notice when someone came up from behind him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. It was all he could do to not jump out of his skin. He yelped and dropped the dumbbells, narrowly avoiding dropping them onto his useless legs. He swung his head around to see who was there, inwardly cursing that with his halt in military training, his honed reflexes were dulling. Normally he would have been aware of someone so close.
"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, Jean." The voice, it sounded so familiar. He knew it, but his mind wouldn't let him place it. As his head came around to see who was behind the voice, his eyes got wide, and his jaw dropped.
The dark hair...
The blue eyes...
The soft smile...
He knew who it was.
"M-m-aria?"
Title: Changes
Author: SeaweedOtter
Characters: Mostly Jean Havoc, but the most of the rest of the gang appears.
Rating: G- PG
Disclaimer: Manga Spoilers... Set in the manga, a couple years after the end of chapter 38. Maybe AU?
Summary: Times change, whether you want them to or not.
Author's Note: I just want to say how cool havocmangawip is. Not only is she my new slave beta for this series, but she has been subtely with a sledgehammer giving me ideas to make my story a better one.
Read all the chapters so far HERE!
Time seemed to move at a snail's pace after Havoc returned to the East. The Xingian doctor continued to work daily on trying to revive more feeling to his lower extremities, but there seemed to be little improvement, even after several months of intense therapy. Havoc quickly fell back into the funk that had plagued him during the cold winter months, eating less and not sleeping well. As much as his parents tried to help him, he seemed to be losing his faith that things would ever get better.
One morning, while his mother was making breakfast, Havoc was picking idly at his fingernails, and staring deeply into the wooden table. His mind had been wandering to places that he'd rather it not go, when his mother quickly interrupted his thoughts.
"Jean, your friend called while you were out at therapy. I was talking to him for a while, and he said he is going to come visit. He said he won't have much time to visit you soon, so this may be his last chance for a while. He seemed pretty anxious to come see you, and I couldn't turn him down. He is such a nice young man. You could learn a few things from him. But I didn't ask why he was running out of time, though."
Havoc just inwardly smiled, thinking about the 'things' that Breda had taught him in their frequent poker nights after they became quick friends under Mustang's command- drinking and smoking had only been two of the minor ones. "Oh, he and his wife are gonna have a baby, Ma." Havoc sighed, regretting what he had said the moment the words left his mouth. He knew what was coming now.
"It is a shame we can’t find you a nice girl, Jean."
Havoc started to roll his chair backwards, away from the table. "Ma, please. Can we not start with this?" he snapped.
She sighed softly and turned back to where she was cutting up vegetables for an omelet. "You can’t 'not start with it' forever Jean. One of these days you are going to find the right person. And when you do, you will know." He was pretty surprised that she had let it slide that quickly. Usually when she got on those tangents it was impossible to quiet her down until she was done with everything that she had to say -- and there was usually a lot. But better to not look a gift horse in the mouth, he figured.
"Yes, Ma."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A couple of days later, Havoc was patiently waiting at the train station when Breda arrived, passing the time by using the railings of the walkway to lift himself out of the chair and into an almost standing position, seeing how long he could hold it before he had to sit back down again. That was how Breda found his friend, almost at his full height, and a wide grin crossed the shorter man's face.
"Still tryin' to show off there, Jean?"
Havoc just smiled and sank back into his seat, glad for an excuse to stop. His arm muscles were burning, even from just doing those exercises a few minutes. "Well, the doc tells me that I need to keep up my upper body strength, and I get pretty uncomfortable just sitting all the time. It is nice to see the world from a taller point of view."
"Hey! Was that a short joke at my expense? It isn't my fault you are monstrously tall."
"I am just glad I can see the world from that angle again. You don't know how much you miss it till you can't see it any more."
Breda clapped his friend hard on the back, causing him to almost spill forward off his chair. "I am just glad that ya can too, bud."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
"So, what brings you to this podunk little town? I am sure it isn't my charm and charisma!" Havoc sarcastically joked while Breda steered the Havoc family car back home.
"Actually, I came here with a proposal." Breda replied, while trying to maneuver down a particularly bumpy road. Havoc had to bite his lip so he didn't laugh at his friend's shaky voice. "I have been talking quite a bit with the guys. We all agree that you need to come back to Central with us."
"Central?" Havoc made a dismissive noise. "What in the hell would I do in Central? Sit on a corner and beg for change all day? At least here I have a family to come home to and a roof over my head! I don't have a job. I can't support myself. Hell, I don't even know if I could live on my own. I have come a long way, but I am still pretty helpless sometimes." Breda cringed at the acidic tone his friend's voice took on.
"You know that you have a roof over your head when you come to Central, no matter how long you stay. You are always welcome to stay with Janet and me."
Havoc shrugged, his voice and demeanor calming a bit. "Yeah, but you guys are gonna have a full house soon, and another even hungrier mouth to feed than mine. There is no way I am going to put you out like that. It is hard enough having one baby to take care of." He crossed his arms, his mood soured.
Breda just smiled and parked the car, letting it idle while they finished their conversation. "Don't you worry about that. We still have a few months to figure out all the arrangements. I am sure that we can find a place for you to stay after we get you situated in town." He laid his arm over the front seat and looked back over his shoulder, a big smile on his face. "Besides, you are gonna be a godparent soon, so you need to be close by in case we need you to baby sit!" He laughed and turned the car off, getting out of the front seat and grabbing Havoc's chair. He couldn't help but grin goofily at the mouth agape, glassy eyed stare that Havoc was giving him while he transferred from the car to the chair.
"Godparent?"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Mmmm. This is great, Mrs. Havoc! Thanks!"
"Heymans, how many times have I told you, you can call me Susan, or Ma?"
"Sorry, ma'am. I can’t help it."
Havoc's mother smiled and waved a spoon at her son. "You military boys are always so polite. They certainly straightened you out, Jean."
"Ma!" Jean whined.
Breda just laughed, and put down his sandwich. "Ma'am, I was just discussing something with Hav -- I mean Jean." He flashed Havoc a wicked smile, which was returned with a death glare that would curdle milk.
"I was telling him that all of his friends back in Central miss him, and that we were all hoping that he would come back to Central with us. He already has a place to stay with Janet and me as long as he needs to. Oh yeah, and I didn't get around to telling him this, but the Fuhrer is personally seeing to it that he has a job in Central Command."
Havoc's mother turned from where she was washing dishes in the sink to face the table, a soft smile on her face. "Jean, you know that your father and I will support you in whatever you do. I worry about your independence, but I know you can't live the rest of your life here. I have seen how restless you have become. You are stifled here. This is such a small town, and Central is so big, it has so many new opportunities that you just can't get in a little country town."
"Ma, I-"
A serious look crossed her face. "Jean, hush and listen." She walked over, put a hand on his shoulder, and gently kissed the top of his head. "I know Heymans is a good man, and his wife as well. I haven't met the rest of your friends, but I am sure they are fine individuals. I have seen how your friend the Fuhrer has brought us peace after so much war. He seems like a good man as well. I know they wouldn't be your friends otherwise."
Havoc smiled, blushing slightly at the kiss from his mother, in front of his best friend. "They are all great people, Ma. Mustang once told me that he was going to wait for me at the top. I brushed it off after he said it, and for a while I didn't think much about it. But as time went on, I found that I wanted to meet him there. I never thought I would really get the chance to, but this may be it."
"So you want to do this, Jean?" Breda asked, hopefully, unconsciously leaning forward in his chair, his hands gripping the wooden table.
Havoc sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Hmm. Paperwork, I am guessing, Right? That is what he is gonna have me do once I get to Central. Am I correct, Breda?"
Breda sadly nodded. "I know, Jean. It isn't perfect. But at least you will still be at Central Command, on the same floor as the rest of us. We will be close by, and I am sure that we will be able to make plenty of excuses to come see you.
Havoc sighed, rubbing his temples. "Can I smoke a cigarette and have a few minutes to think about it?"
Breda nodded and smiled. He stood up and started to walk over to where Breda was. "Sure thing Boss, I will take you out there."
"I got it bud," Havoc smiled softly. "I'll do it alone. I'll be back in a few minutes." Havoc rolled back and out the door of the kitchen, towards the front of the house.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A short time later, Havoc wheeled himself back into the kitchen and found Breda helping his mother finish cleaning the dishes. They were chatting amicably about how harsh the winters were in the East as compared to the relatively mild Central winters with only a few days of snow a year.
They both turned back to the door with large smiles on their faces when they heard the squeak of his wheels, desperately in need of oiling.
"Heya, Chief!" Breda splashed water on the floor as he raised his hand in greeting. "So what's the good news?"
Havoc sighed. He tried to look serious, but he couldn't help the small smile that made its way across the corners of his mouth. "So, you say my godchild is gonna need me to be close by, eh?"
Havoc's mother stared blankly at Havoc, and then at Breda, whose smile almost impossibly just got wider.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Arrangements were made fairly quickly and less than a month later Havoc was boarding the train with Breda at his side to travel back to Central, for good this time.
Havoc tried as hard as he could to keep the tears out of his eyes, but his throat closed up and his breath was hitched when he saw his mother's tears. His father held her tight, letting go only briefly to give his only child a huge bear hug. "Now, son," he said, "we are proud of you for doing this. But if it ever gets to be too much, just call us. We can come visit, or come to take you back if we need to. I know it is going to be tough, but we have faith that you can do it."
His mom leaned over and smothered him with kisses over his face and head, her tears dampening his skin slightly. "Be good, son. Don't give Heymans or Janet trouble, and please thank Fuhrer Mustang and his staff for all of their help. I baked him these." She put a little basket on the blanket on his lap.
"Oh, man! Are those your famous chocolate chip cookies, ma'am?" Breda's eyes lit up. Havoc's mom smiled and gently slapped at the hand that was quickly advancing towards the lid of the basket. Breda did his best to put on a pouting face, but it had no effect.
"Heymans, there is a small batch for you and Janet. I left a few out so you guys will have some to munch on, on the train. The large batch at the bottom is for the Fuhrer and his staff. You can eat the ones I left out, but you are not to touch the rest. Got it, boys?" She adopted a stern tone, but her softness bled thru.
Two voices said in unison, "Yes, Ma."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next week was a blur for Jean Havoc. Between getting settled in at Breda's little cottage on the outskirts of downtown, and visiting with the Fuhrer at Central Command, he hardly found time to do much else. Any thought that he had that week about continuing his strength exercises, like his Xingian doctor had ordered him to, were filed away at the back of his brain in a flurry of activity.
When he tried to lift himself out of his seat to reach something that was just out of his reach and found that he couldn't do it. He was getting tired quicker and his body ached more. He realized how important the exercises were, even after stopping for only a short time.
"Hello, Master Xao, sir. This is Jean Havoc."
"Yes, I got to Central fine, thank you."
"No, there were no problems."
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, well... that is what I called you about, sir."
"Yes, sir. I have been getting weaker...”
"No, sir."
"No, I haven't been exercising as much. I have been busy, sir."
"No, sir."
"You have someone for me to talk to, sir? Okay."
"Yes, I have a piece of paper, go ahead."
"Three days, 11:00 AM, Central Command gym. Got it."
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you, sir."
"Goodbye."
He hung up the phone and sighed. "What am I getting myself into, now?"
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Havoc wasn't even sure why he had butterflies in his stomach the morning that he was dropped off at Central Command to meet the new trainer that his Xingian doctor had set up for him. There was some little nagging feeling deep in his gut that told him that something odd was going to happen, but he had no idea what or why.
He had arrived at Central Command in plenty of time, since he wasn't sure how long it would take him to get changed. It was a familiar route he took down the long, straight hallways of the dull gray building that he had known so well. How many times had he come to this gym in the past, to work off the frustration of another girlfriend lost to Mustang?
"How ironic," he muttered to an empty hallway. "Mustang is finally out of the picture, and I am out of commission. Someone has a seriously sick sense of humor about my love life."
It ended up taking him a lot longer than he thought to get changed and ready for the gym, and by the time he was dressed, he was already sweaty and tired, and ready to call that his workout. Reluctantly, he rolled out into the gym, and was glad to see that it was almost empty. There didn't appear to be anyone looking for someone, so he figured that he still beat them here, even with the delays. The gym was really not much more than a large, high-ceilinged, square building that had different sections laid out with various types of workout equipment, and a large oval track painted around the perimeter.
Havoc rolled himself over to some mats that had been laid over the cold concrete floor. He awkwardly transitioned to the ground, leaving his chair at the edge of the mat, and situated himself next to a few sets of dumbbells.
"Might as well look good for the new guy, I guess. I don't wanna seem like a total bum." He took a couple of weights and started to do curls with them.
He didn't even notice when someone came up from behind him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. It was all he could do to not jump out of his skin. He yelped and dropped the dumbbells, narrowly avoiding dropping them onto his useless legs. He swung his head around to see who was there, inwardly cursing that with his halt in military training, his honed reflexes were dulling. Normally he would have been aware of someone so close.
"Oh, I am sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, Jean." The voice, it sounded so familiar. He knew it, but his mind wouldn't let him place it. As his head came around to see who was behind the voice, his eyes got wide, and his jaw dropped.
The dark hair...
The blue eyes...
The soft smile...
He knew who it was.
"M-m-aria?"