Breakfast with a Volcano

Posted on Sat Nov 2nd, 2024 @ 2:52pm by Lieutenant Fang Lee & Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,373 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Mess Hall | USS Arcadia

ON:

Fang sat in the corner of the mess hall brooding. He was projecting the energy of an erupting Volcano. Shoving food into his mouth and muttering.

Adrianna had spotted Fang, in fact, she'd heard about his brooding on the way in. "My father used to tell me that if the wind changed direction, my face would permanently stay like that," she sat down with a tray of food.

"Yeah well at this point ..." He muttered something not easily understood. Stabbing his fork into the bacon he shoved it in his mouth. "I should have vented the bastard when I had the chance."

"Which one," she asked before starting to eat, "engineers seem to think that it's a good way to do things, but forget that too much evidence is left behind... CCTV for one."

"Walker!" He put his fork down. "You will not believe what I saw!"

"Madonna," she muttered under her breath, exacerbated, before sighing, "go on."

"So it's bad enough that base personnel are still on ship and will be for the next hour but I hear that Walker is on ship too. His people are gossiping. Any who I figured I'd get Zai to breakfast to avoid running into the idiot and you know what happened?" He didn't give her a chance to respond.

"I go to Zai's quarters like usual to wake him up and you know what I find?" He reached over taking a drink of what suspiciously looked like the Grappa she'd given him.

Adrianna frowned, "it's not your business, Fang. Or, do I need to remind you with another hit to-- there."

He clenched his fist. "He was there, Adrianna."

"So?" She asked, keeping her voice down, "Zai is not your property. Let him be happy."

"With Walker? Walker has put some spell on him. This is not Zai. I'm telling you Walker is bad news." He sighed. "I just keep telling myself that Walker will be gone and Zai will forget this nonsense in a day or two."

"I'm willing to beat you again in front of all of these witnesses," she muttered between bites, "you need to back off. You have no right. If you continue, you will lose me too. Your behaviour about all of this is toxic and, honestly -- merde-- you're starting to give me Jason Frankley vibes." She decided for the verbal gut punch, but she was deadly serious. She kept her voice low, in case anyone was listening.

He looked up at her. "I can't believe you just said that." He sighed and sat back. "Look, I just. Zai and I have always been close. In the last few days Walker has managed to drive a wedge between us."

"I don't know the guy well," she shrugged, "what I do know is that he is not the issue. You are. Zai was in love and you dropped him for some fantasy. This is on you, fratello."

"It's complicated. I mean to be honest I haven't seen Xingtian in a long time, hell I don't know if he even remembers me and chances are I will feel differently but I promised myself and him that we would be together. I care for Zai I really do but can't he be happy with what we had, at least for now?"

"He's happy," Ade replied, "I'm keeping an eye on him. Don't worry. But if you attempt to push your way back in, you're going to lose him completely."

"Maybe we have to talk this out." He sighed.

Just then Zai walked up. "Hey Adrianna." He smiled.

Adrianna turned her head and smiled, "hi, Zai."

"Lee Fang," Zai turned his head towards Fang handing him a clipboard. "All pre launch checks done, the Base crew is off the ship."

"Thank the gods," Fang muttered.

Zai ignored him. "I've got bridge duty for the launch we need you in Engineering for the final reports and then we'll switch."

Fang looked over the notes. "Perfect." He signed off on them.

Zai turned to Adrianna. "I was going to come see you one of our Engineering Coms units lost it's frequency, tomorrow when we're fully underway can I ask for your help with the recalibration?"

Adrianna nodded, "of course. Can you drop me a message to remind me. I have a number of things on my to do list and I don't want the request getting lost."

"No problem. Sorry to interrupt." He turned to go but Fang called out to him.

"Zai wait."

Zai turned shooting Adrianna a look. "Yes," he said to Fang.

Adrianna shrugged, no knowing where Fang was going.

"I forgive you."

Zai's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"I forgive you, for kicking me out of your quarters earlier, for changing the pass code on them, and for the whole Walker thing."

Zai was silent for a long moment. "Oh Lee Fang." He shook his head. "You and I have been far too close for far too long and I have been far too confused about my feelings and myself. I'm going to ignore what you just said for the sake of a very long friendship that was... way to close and way to wrong. Consider the kicking you out and changing my codes to be a firm placement of boundaries. If you have issue understanding that I am willing to sit down with Counselor Alexander and talk about it."

He turned to Adrianna. "See you on the bridge." Zai shook his head and left mystified at how something that was so beautiful just a short while go could turn so toxic.

Adrianna glared at Fang the second that Fang opened up his mouth. She softened her look and turned to Zai, "absolutely. I'll see you soon. Maybe we grab a drink after, too-- once we're on our way."

She watched Zai leave before turning back to Fang. She swatted him, "you cazzone! What the merde was that?"

"I was...being magnanimous."

"No, you were shifting blame to him," Adrianna rubbed the bridge of her nose, "if you want your friend back, you need to admit that you are the one at fault or pretend like you are the one at fault. If you don't, you lose him forever-- be it to Sabastian, or the next guy. Either way-- get it into your thick skull: he is not yours."

"Yeah but like...since when have he and I had boundaries?" Fang sighed. "You know what, I'm not thinking about this. I just want to get through leaving base."

"Since he realised that he doesn't have a romantic future with you," she bluntly and flatly responded, finishing her food. She reached over and took his glass and sipped it, "well, at least you have taste when you are miserable. Don't drink too much. The crew needs an XO to look up to, fratello."

He sighed. "Yeah one is my limit and that's just cause I saw Walker in boxer shorts. Can't get that image scrubbed clean."

Ade couldn't help but snort, handing the glass back to him, "gawd, you need two for that."

"Yes but one is enough." He sighed. "I should get to engineering."

Adrianna nodded, "before you go-- I just wanted to thank you for the way you handled the problem I brought to you. I know that you were mad, but I can see that you listened to me. I've been avoiding the man in question, but I'm hopeful that we can have a professional relationship at the least. Honestly, it hit me harder than I'm willing to admit, but seeing how you accepted what I had to day-- meant a lot."

He smiled, "You're welcome...but that doesn't mean I didn't vent him into space in my mind...repeatedly."

"I know," she smiled, "I'm working through it in my mind and with my mother. She is-- merde. But it's staying between us. I'm not getting an admiral involved."

He snorted. "Ohhh why didn't I think of talking to my father about this. The moment he hears..."

"I swear to hell, Fang-- I do not care about witnesses," she practically growled.

He smiled, "Kidding. Kidding." He held up his hands.

"Mhmm," she eyed him, not quite trusting him.

OFF:

 

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