Project Winters

After making his hasty exit away from where Cole was no doubt still leading the other two in their gossiping at his expense, Baird had to take a few to decide where exactly he was exiting to. Wandering aimlessly didn’t appeal and not least because suddenly coming face to face with Holly Winters was about the last thing he wanted to happen right at that moment. He wasn’t sure why but every time he was faced with that woman all the powers of speech seemed to leave his body, as did the ability to think rationally. It just didn’t seem to make any sense to him.

Okay so he was in no denial about the fact that he wanted her in a completely carnal, hormone and lust fuelled sort of way he still couldn’t fathom his complete lack of verbal skills whenever he faced her. Struggling for something to say was NEVER an issue for Baird; he could usually be relied upon for some snappy comment or sarcastic retort in most given situations which, when he thought on it, was perhaps a part of the problem. That was not how he wanted to speak to her, she wasn’t likely to find his being sarcastic and rude to her attractive now was she? Trouble was being disdainful and abrasive came far more naturally to him and faced with Holly he felt like an awkward teenager. It was embarrassing and he was damn well going to get over it, all he needed was a little time to prepare.

Trouble was, in these situations when the thing you need most is some time alone or at least away from a particular person they suddenly seem to become unavoidable. Baird had made his way to the mess hall, in retrospect perhaps not the best choice when wishing to avoid somebody but as was so often the case when it came to Holly his mind was off in another place that it was not until he’d taken up a seat at one of the few vacant tables that he truly realised just where he was and what he was doing.

“Ah shit she’s getting to me already.” He muttered, running frustrated fingers through his blonde locks and messing them more than they already were. If he could manage to make it through a complete conversation with the woman without making a total ass out of himself he was pretty sure this ‘problem’ would go away, besides how would he ever get to ‘indulge his obsession’ as it were if he could never even speak to proposition her?

“Well now, if it isn’t Private Baird.” Intoned a familiar singsong voice that made his stomach clench with nerves. Yeah, mess hall definitely a bad idea when trying to avoid people. He glanced up, bright green eyes meeting her pair of periwinkle blue corners pinched in a smile as she sat down opposite him at the long metal table.

“Sergeant Winters.” Was all Baird could mutter in reply, with a nod and a nervous smile before he hastily looked back down to the tabletop once more. Fuck man, why now? He thought to himself not wanting to come across to Holly the same as he constantly managed to when she was his CO.

He heard the soft clink of her tray as it hit the table and ventured to glance up again slightly and found her wearing a rather bemused smile. “Ever the conversationalist I see, I suppose some things never change.” She said dismissively and Baird wondered if he caught some hint of a sigh in that sentence.

What did he really have to lose? It was just talking right that was easy. People usually complained that his mouth worked overtime not because he was too quiet and monosyllabic. So taking a deep breath he looked up with some front of confidence and decided that it was high time he grew up and bit the bullet.

Catching Holly’s eye and holding it he found was surprisingly easy. Baird shrugged and shook his head, “No, well it just seems a little strange y’know. I didn’t expect to be sitting here talking to you and it’s kinda awkward what with how I ended up leaving your squad and that…”

“You know I think that is the greatest number of words I have heard come out of your mouth in one go.” She replied smiling more broadly at finally seeing the man loosen up a little. “I never could understand it, you used to talk so much to the guys in the squad but when it came to me, one word answers and that was my lot.”

Baird felt further clenching of his stomach and a definite heat creeping to his cheeks. No, damnit man, don’t get sucked back down again! You’re doing it already, you're talking to the woman properly don’t go fuck things up now. “Yeah, ah, sorry ‘bout that.” He said a little lamely but she didn’t seem to mind, as she continued with her train of thought.

“I often thought it was because I was a woman and your superior?” She inquired with the arch of an eyebrow, wondering whether he was going to admit to being masochistic, but there was not even a flicker of anything behind his jade green eyes. She studied him for a few moments but when there was no response from him save for some rather nervous looking shifting in his seat Holly decided not to press it. Why kill it when he’d actually commenced a real conversation with her, because truth be told she’d been waiting for that to happen since he’d first been posted to her squad.

“Hmm, still not that it matters now I suppose, I may still outrank you but as you’re no longer with Psi I’m not your CO. I’ll even go so far as to suggest you call me Holly.” She smiled at him brightly and it took Baird a few moments to actually fathom that she’d given him permission to dismiss her rank and use her first name.

Well they were off duty he supposed but it still felt a little strange, which was odd in itself, in Delta they were just not polite but he still couldn’t picture himself addressing her as anything but Sergeant Winters. He even used her proper title and rank when he pictured her in his sordid little fantasies, but perhaps that was just a fetish he never knew he had. “Ah sure…you know my name is Damon but, well, just call me Baird, all the other guys do.”

“Oh so I’m like one of the guys now? No, no that’s good,” Holly said swiftly as Baird looked up, a rather concerned and frantic look crossing his face as if he were going to desperately try to take back his comment. “If it means you will actually talk to me I think I like it.

“So I heard you’re with Delta now, what happened to Alpha must have been rough I was sorry to hear about that.”

“You heard about that? How exactly, I mean since we got back we haven’t heard much else of what’s been going on out there. They don’t seem to want to tell us.”

This time it was Holly’s turn to blush a little, “Okay, so I have to admit I checked up on you a few times.” She shrugged and blushed a little more crimson as Baird grinned.

This news was rather pleasing to his hears and some semblance of his usual cocky personality was beginning to filter back in. Could he be in with more of a hope than he’d first been thinking? All this could be far easier than he’d ever imagined, he also made a mental note to kick himself, if that was the case, for taking so long to do something about it.

“You checked up on me?” He asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively a gesture that was not lost on Holly but was carefully ignored. That moment was neither the time nor the place for that sort of thing, but it was information she secretly stored away for later use.

“Yeah well I felt like I had you.” She said swallowing hard on the last bite of food she had been battling with eating, ration packs never really did improve, and that the conversation had been successfully distracting her from. Holly placed down her fork with a slight clatter on the tray, “Considering how you left Psi,” She smirked slightly, teasing Baird was fun. “And after I heard news of Alpha, well, I just had to know.” She shrugged, rising from her chair.

Baird’s smile had faltered, “You heard most of them had been wiped out and though I’d most definitely be one of them.” He said petulantly.

Holly shrugged, picking up her tray. “Well can you really blame me Baird? You weren’t exactly a model soldier under my command.” She said beginning to turn away, but on an after though she looked back and added, “But I was glad to hear that you weren’t.”

Baird watched her stalk away, still thoroughly confused, for moment he’d almost felt she’d been flirting with him and yet she still seemed to be under the impression that he was wholly incompetent when it came to being a Gear. But she was glad that he hadn’t been one of the guys who’d snuffed it? Damn women were so fucking confusing! He shook his head; well at least he’d gotten over one obstacle and had managed to make words come coherently out of his mouth when faced with her it was a step in the right direction for sure. If anything it certainly helped to break the ice.