Comfortember 28: Car Ride
Maria Ross slung her pack into the back of the 4x4 with a smile. She was just tagging along on this expedition--Lieutenant Fuery certainly didn’t need her help with whatever problem he's being called out to fix, but protocol said no one drives into the desert alone. It was almost as good as getting the day off.
Read on AO3 or...
"Ok, who's driving?" She asked, obviously meaning ‘can I drive.’ Cruising around in a 4x4 is a lot of fun--a point on which they unfortunately agreed.
Fuery made a face. "Have a heart Ross, I'm the one actually working today."
"Roshambo for it?" Ross suggested.
"How about I drive there, you drive back?" he countered.
"Ok ok, deal." They clambered in, brushing sand off the seats, and Fuery kicked it into gear.
The pavement ended all too soon, and even the gravel quickly gave way to nothing more than signposts in the sand. Between the unrelenting sun, the gritty wind, and the roar of the engine, it was a strange thing to call "fun"; nevertheless, Ross found herself relaxed and smiling, hand dangling from the rollbar handle, as she watched the dunes roll by.
"So!" She had to shout to be heard. "Rhodes tripped over his feet again, huh?"
She could see Fuery's eyeroll even through his sunglasses. This was hardly the first time he'd been called out to fix this colonel's equipment. "I don't know how he does it! I couldn't break a relay this badly if I tried. You think he's trying to sabotage us?"
Ross laughed. "Imagine, Rhodes a spy! Sneaking around cutting wires in the dark. Nyeh heh heh, that'll foil those horrible Amestrians!" Fuery laughed in turn. She continued, "Maybe he's got a crush on you, and breaks stuff as an excuse to call you out!"
He looked at her over the top of his lenses. "Ugh. Not my type."
"Oh really? What IS your type?"
"Someone who knows the difference between a radio and a radish, for starters!"
Fuery suddenly slowed and jerked the wheel to avoid a pothole, mostly succeeding. Ross grunted at the impact. Someday there would be a highway here.
Once her teeth had reseated themselves, she asked, "So how's Connie?"
His face broke into an enormous grin. "Amazing. Perfect. Eating fewer of my socks every day."
"So training's going well?"
"Not really!" Still wearing that huge smile. "My fault for saying I wanted the smartest of the litter. She's too smart for her own good. Or my own good, anyway. "
At the next marker, Fuery turned and started following a ridgeline. Not too much farther now.
"How's Clyde?" He asked her, and it was her turn to grin. Clyde, her weekend project, was something that had once been a car. She'd never rebuilt an engine before, so it was... quite a learning experience.
"Great question," she laughed. "No, I think we're making real progress now." Fuery’s eyebrows shot up practically into his hat. "WE?”
Whoops.
He looked over at her with a smirk. “Why Captain Ross, who is servicing your engine?"
She slapped his arm. "Gross, knock it off! It's just Breda."
"Reaaaaaaally."
"No! It's not like that!" But they both knew the color in her cheeks wasn't just from the heat. She and Breda had been spending a lot of time together lately, and, sure, she wouldn't mind if it were more. But it's not like they were dating. Not... really...
"Wow, who's gonna break the news to Brosh?"
"Oh my GOD Kain!"
Not that the thought hadn't occurred to her. She and Denny still met for coffee whenever she happened through Central, and he always asked if she was seeing anyone.
Okay, time to derail this train, Fuery was having way too much fun at her expense. "What about you? Seeing anyone these days?"
He paused before responding, "Maybe."
Maria sat up straight at this reaction. Well now! "Maybe? MAYBE? Is it someone I know??"
He shook his head. "What? Sorry, I can't hear you, it's so loud..."
"Kain Fuery, don't you hold out on me! I want a name!"
"Oh hey, look at that, here we are!" Fuery slowed to approach the guard station and Ross scowled.
"Don't think I'm gonna forget about this," she said as the 4x4 rolled to a stop.
"Forget about what? Afternoon, corporal! Lieutenants Fuery and Ross, here to fix the relay."