Sleep is for Ninnies
Danyan woke with such a violent start he fell off the bed.
From his spot on the very messy floor, he could see the bedside table and he groaned. It read 0200 hours or thereabouts. Dani quite clearly remembered settling to read awhile not two hours ago. And he'd only done that because he'd been thoroughly unable to fall asleep in the first place.
It had been a theme this last week.
He had a good idea as to why, but had no idea how to stop it. There was a busyness to his head, one that stirred at all time, a swirl of...things... that were infernally distracting. Like knowing where everyone was - Yu was on the bridge, there were seventeen people in the MS hangar - at any given time.
Or maybe it was the quiet swirl of thoughts he heard when there was nothing else to distract him - in the day it was the dalliances of life; reports and duties and the like. At night, like this, he could sometimes see occasional bursts and snippets of an unconscious mind - dreams that weren't his twirling together into some grotesque corruption of what they'd been once.
It really didn't help the sleep issue.
Dani pulled himself to his feet, finally locating his discarded book near the foot of the tousled bed. He wouldn't be sleeping again on his own tonight.
He reached for a pair of pants - 2 AM though it was, boxers weren't appropriate attire to be wandering about in. He didn't bother to pull a shirt on over his wifebeater, though. Once he was decent, he knelt to the floor again, pulling at the bottom-most drawer of his small dresser. Within, amidst the stuffings of several old t-shirts, lay a single, half-finished bottle of rum.
He picked it out of it's resting place, regarding the liquid as it shone a red-black in the dim lighting of his room. Rum wasn't his favourite, but on a night like this, it was his only hope. Dani stood, bottle in hand, unsure of whether to stay or wander...
But David, it seemed, was on the prowl as well. Drinking wasn't as fun alone, and a sign was a bloody sign. Dani unlocked his door, and slipped out, heading towards where he sensed his friend was heading as well.
~
0200 on Earth. At least at Jaburo. Federation standard time. You'd think it could be something normal, like Greenwich Mean Time, or something. But Jaburo was Jaburo.
Whenever I couldn't sleep, I'd usually find myself wandering around the Sleipnir, specifically towards the Hangar. Especially after the notice that I wasn't accepted to the Test Pilot Corps. At least right now.
A slight pang of jealousy to Danyan.
Gimpy got a nice prototype. I should get one.
At least, when I arrived, I could see the night crews at work. The nice look of the GMs as always something I enjoyed, especially when the crews were at work, making them the best tools in this war.
I could almost lose myself in the hangar, watching them at work. To the point that I didn't notice Danyan approaching.
~
Dani appreciated the microgravity that Luna II afforded the ship. Zero-G was always a thrill, but solid ground under his feet was something real. Still, it was not so much that he couldn't approach his friend almost silently, only making himself known as he slung one arm around the man's shoulder, tilting the bottle of amber liquid into his view.
Dani'd had a few sips on his way down already, and while he was far from drunk or even tipsy, he could feel the burn of the booze already working its way through his insides, warming his inside and soothing the rush in his mind.
"Care for a round?" He asked, following David's line of sight to the mobile suits below.
~
The feel of my friends arm on my shoulder brought me out of my reverie. Then the little sloshing of the liquid inside the bottle.
"Sure. We should probably get the hell out of the hangar, though. I'm sure they'd love to have drunken pilots hanging around the suits." I laughed slightly, and grabbed the bottle. I started for the mess hall, unscrewing the cap, and taking a swig.
"... Nice call on the Rum, Gimpy."
~
"Oh now now. Being drunk and flying the sims is both hilarious and terrifying. And nausea inducing, BUT." Dani said, cutting himself off before he started rambling. He easialy matched pace with David, reaching for the drink as the other finished with it.
He took the bottle and twirled the substance inside a few time before knocking back a mouthful, cringing as he swallowed and handing the bottle back. "It ain't my favourite, but it's all they had. You sure it's not too strong for you, princess?"
~
Candice hadn't been able to sleep properly since getting back from the Mess Hall. After having originally thought to get to bed and have a nice sleep, she instead found herself staring at the ceiling for a good two hours, thoughts swirling around and keeping her awake. Memories from past battles, the academy, the ice cream shop that was on the other side of Side 5 from where she lived... she couldn't get her brain to shut up fast enough.
After giving up the sleep struggle, she resorted to reading. Abeit that kept her amused for an hour, however it failed to set her brain into sleep mode, or even something that remotely resembled sleepiness. Frustration with herself and everything around her set over like a bad taste in the back of her throat, and she kicked the covers off with a dissatisfied grunt.
Just as she was about to give up and possibly have a wrestling match with her bedsheets, she heard voices. Distant as they were, and most likely going to the mess hall at this late hour, they were a welcoming sound. It brought back some sense to her muddled brain. Of course, as she was about to get dressed and head off to the mess hall for a refill of water, she slipped.
Her head hitting the floor, the sheets going with her, and a yelp of distress only could emphasize her embarrassment from the other side of the door. To boot, she wasn't even fully dressed: unless her black underwear and tank top were considered formal clothing on some distant colony, that is.
And this was when the door found it a nice time to remember that she existed. She remembers vaguely being too tired to lock it, and the motion sensor was still on. So, with horrid shock, the door whisked open as the two men passed by - thank God their backs already in sight - and Candice could slowly feel the colour drain from her face.
Somebody up there REALLY doesn't like me today.
~
I grabbed the bottle back from Danyan, taking another swig, as we walked past what was Candice's room, probably.
"Ya know, Gimpy, this isn't too hard at all. Big fan of it. Fine drink." Another swig. The liquid burned on the way, but it felt good. If anything, I should be able to pass out later.
"So... what's keeping you up? Crazy newtypey thoughts? Or is it all an act?"
~
Dani tugged David's arm to stop as soon as they had passed the door, but said nothing as to why. He grabbed the bottle back from David, took another mouthful and passed it back. "It sure as hell isn't an act," he said quietly, "I don't know what the hell it is."
And then Candice came spilling out of her room.
Dani thumbed back subtly. "See?"
~
Candice wasn't sure if she was the pun of some joke the two men just shared, but upon recognizing their faces, she went numb. They both turned around and stared. And then stared some more, exchanging words that she was only too happy not to hear.
"Look, if it's not too much trouble..." The sheets pooled around her waist, and took away her initial fear. She tugged on them to cover her bare calves as she spoke, "...If we're all going to the Mess Hall, I'd like to get dressed ." She paused, and added in as an afterthought, "Alone."
~
I couldn't help but laugh, looking at Candice as she had fallen out of her room. Whatever the hell gift Danyan had, sure had paid off to fortuitous events.
"Yea, that's fine. We'll be out here. You need anything, though, let us know, okay?" I was amazed between the liquor starting to work on my brain, and the laughing at the sight of Candice in her underwear and sheets, that I could even get a sentence out.
I looked at Danyan, then back at Candice.
"So. Should your callsign be Vicki?"
~
After managing to form a makeshift toga around her body, Candice stood up and with a "Hardy har har" to David, whisked the door shut, and with malice, pressed the "LOCK" button for safety. She had smelled a certain huskiness before the door closed, and a serene reality settled in that said yes, they were probably either having a nice buzz right now or very close to being tipsy at this point, and were not in their right minds. Granted that she couldn't blame them for turning to alcohol, but it raised her awareness by a few notches as she slid on her pants and grumbled as she searched for her coat.
Once fully dressed, save for the coat she couldn't care to find at the moment, she exited. "Alright, so what brand do you got on you?" She asked.
~
Dani wiggled the half-empty bottle. "The Cap'n," He said, tilting it towards her invitingly, "And we figured if we're gonna get buzzed, we may as well do it somewhere everyone can see, but we can't get hurt. In other words, the mess hall."
He smiled. His mind was quiet. He liked this buzz.
~
Candice accepted the bottle with hesitation, and took a look at the logo. Yup, the Captain it was, and her worry dropped somewhat with a sigh. She didn't know why she was this high-strung, although it had been years since she'd been drunk, abeit almost back in the academy. She internally winced; yeah, that was a memory she didn't want to dig back up at the moment.
She took a tentative swig, and enjoyed the tingle that moved its way along the walls of her cheeks and down her throat. Her eyes watered, but she didn't make a move to wipe the tears away. "Are we off, then?"
~
Just came back from seeing Rachel Mila. We have been seeing each other for a couple nights already. We had a thing back on Earth when we were recruits so I was surprise to see her with a ship in my fleet. I'm trying to make it back to my quarters only find my MS team dressed like clowns and in the early stages of a rum-filled night.
"Here I thought I was the only who worked late. What the hell are you wearing Ro?"
A huge grin appears on my face. This is my first time getting a good look of Candice Ro and of her underwear. I must say the Nasr Fleet has its share of beauties. Still need to get my ass on the Valley Forge and judge the talent for myself. I'll put that on my to-do list.
~
"The question," Dani chimed in, saluting his CO with the rum bottle, "is what isn't she wearing..." He looked from her, down to his own state of undress, "...but technically speaking, we're even here. Princess is the only one not almost in his skivvies."
There was a moment of tense silence before Dani thrust out the bottle to Arcaile. "Drink?"
~
"We should at least start the boozefest in the Mess Hall." Candice interjected before her Captain could take the drink, and thumbed to the open door down the hall, "And I'm dressed, by the way. Nothing to see here."
Candice started down the hall before anything could be said, milling over the prospect of babysitting her Captain and her fellow MS pilots. It would have to do - she didn't want to let on that she was a light drinker.
~
As the captain approached, I saluted, then went relaxed when everyone else did.
"Hey, I was just in the hangar. Why the hell would I be in my skivvies in there? It's dangerous." I shrugged, following Candice down the hall, towards the Mess area.
And now the captain was with us, drinking the Captain.
This was either going to be a hilarious evening. Or we were gonna be in for a world of hurt later.
"So, think we'll get to the point where we can break out the red party cups and throw down on a game of rum pong or what?"
~
Dani shrugged. "If we find shot glasses and soda we can do poppers....Or, you know, keep taking it from the bottle. Seems to be working pretty well."
He was sure that, had he been in a more sober state of mind, that last statement would have both disgusted and saddened him. Hazy childhood memories spoke to his father acting much like Dani himself was now - always ranging between buzzed to outright smashed, and never drinking his poison from a cup.
But Dani WAS buzzed, and so the thoughts didn't bother him. He spun on a foot to stand on the other side of Candice, facing all three others.
"If any more people pop up, we're not gonna have enough hooch to go around."
~
"I doubt there will be anyone else." Candice answered briskly, but quietly wished that a group of the mechanics would round a corner - any corner - and manage to thin out the booze between the four of them. The incident earlier was still ringing clear in her mind, and mixed with three fit men getting smashed wasn't doing anything spectacular to her state of safety.
Candice touched down at the door the Mess Hall, and turned around and reached out an arm to Dani, "Let's keep it in here, but try not to pass out, got it? It may be zero gee, but I don't want to haul any of you back to your rooms."
~
"The bottle it is then." I continued, smiling a bit, my face reddening as the alcohol moved through my bloodstream. I moved ahead of the rest of the group, catching up to Candice as she reached the Mess Hall door.
Why was I jealous that she seemed to pay more attention to Danyan? That must be the alcohol talking. Must be.
Right?
I shook my head slightly, and offered a soft smile.
"So, what you're telling us is that you'd drag us back to your quarters?"
Because... I wouldn't mind getting dragged back...
The thoughts were muddled, and probably just more loose. Alcohol always had some fun effects...
~
Dani had to pause as he approached the door to the Mess Hall. Candice was a few paces ahead, David barely one behind her, and it was on him that the Newtype focused his gaze. He'd heard a whisper of a thought from the man.
But whether it was the alcohol or Dani's own lack of skill (or, perhaps, poor luck,) he couldn't glean anything more off the man....So he decided to act on what he did know. He stepped behind David, and poked him in the back of the neck.
"Don't be a a jealous perv, David."
~
"Haha, on that note I think I'll be leaving. I've had a long night, fleet stuff."
That was a lie. I think I've done enough fraternizing. Sleeping with Captain Mila and then getting fall down drunk in one night would be a bit much too explain to command. I mean I do need to show some semblance of being a responsible leader.
"Just try not to break anything, all of you have a long day tomorrow. Yuu is explaining the dangers of of Earth Orbit combat. Haha, I really feel bad for you guys. Yuu is a rambler."
I grab the Cap'n bottle and take a quick swig before I head out. I mean it is good stuff.
"Thanks, night guys."
~
Candice started into the Mess Hall, talking over her shoulder to her superior as well to her fellow pilots. "If I had to drag you two back, then I would." She paused, "And don't take that the wrong way." She added, but knew it was futile. The pair were probably past the point of taking things for what they intentionally were.
Seeing as no one was around, save maybe for a single cook cleaning up in the back, Candice took the liberty of sitting on the edge of one of the tables and leaned back. As she watched her Captain leave, she gave an exasperated salute; almost pleading for her Captain to stay around and enforce some sensibility. But she knew that for the night, she'd have to play the responsible adult... until she was given a glass.
~
I glared at Danyan, my eyes filled with anger, but hazed by the alcohol. For a moment, I considered decking him, but then realized it wouldn't be the greatest decision of my military career.
"I wasn't being a perv, Danyan." I followed Candice into the mess hall, taking a chair at the table, looking at my fellow pilots.
"Pass the hooch, will ya?"
~
Behind the haze of alcohol, he didn't mind David's seething look, but it wasn't hard to feel the rage in the gaze. Still, Dani pushed by, tapping his temple twice as he passed the other man, though whether it was an explanation or warning, even he didn't know.
But he snapped the bottle up from the table and passed it to the other man, a slightly silly smile tracing across his face.
"So we have three beautiful people in here, and everyone's pants have to stay on. What should we do?"
~
"Don't look at me for a suggestion." Candice said, waving her hand in front of her face, "I'm just the parental guardian right now."
She had to admit, the bottle looked tempting right now. The past few nights of sleep had been filled with silent nightmares, only she was awake and staring at the ceiling. It was a terrible habit of hers she wanted to squish out years back, but some parts of her refused to change, and this happened to be one of them.
Her hand reached out for the bottle, and managed to grab it out of Dani's hands. She swung it back for a few seconds, and enjoyed the soft burn that went down her throat. "But I'll thin out the booze between you two when necessary."
~
I watched Candice snatch the bottle away from Dani, and take a pretty large swig. Parental Guardian? Weird. But hey, we were grown men in the military.
We were known for our immaturity. I had to start laughing a little bit, forgetting the anger and pang of jealousy from earlier. I looked at the pair, then stood up, grabbing the bottle from Candice, and taking my own swig.
"Judging by how quickly we're going through this bottle, it might be very necessary!"
~
"Hence why you shouldn't be at the bottle for another little while!" Candice retorted, grabbing for the bottle and clasping David's hand, then attempting to pull the bottle towards her.
But he was strong, and Candice was vaguely reminded of a far-off night back when she was a cadet with her fellow hopefuls, and giggled as she scooted forward. A siren was going off in the back of her head, but it was being muffled by the slow slur of alcohol.
"Now hand it back over, will you?"
~
I smiled as I felt her hand clasp around my own, while still holding onto the bottle. Then again, I had started smiling when she had scooted closer.
"Make me." It was more of a challenge than an idle threat, and then I cast a quick glance towards Danyan.
Read my mind now, friend. Checkmate!
It was only a brief glance, as it was only my eyes that had shifted, ten back to looking at Candice. "If you've got what it takes, anyway."