Forging Friendship - Short Affair 3/21

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Prompts: loose, grey

....................................

"What's the look on your face?" Napoleon was amused at the frown on Illya's face, not that it was unusual for the sometimes stern Russian.  This was a different frown, accompanied by a scowl and then a final exhalation of breath as he put down his cup of tea.

"Why is it that finding a decent cup of tea is so very difficult?  Whatever this is…' He took a look at the tag on the teabag and scowled again.

"I don't even recognize this.  At least give me an Earl Grey, something I can tolerate."  Now Napoleon was near laughter.  Imagine this type of emotional response to a cup of tea.  Tsk, tsp…

"Illya, you amaze me sometimes.  You will let a beautiful woman pass you by without so much as a twinge of admiration, endure insults to your heritage and aspersions to your ability to fight off bigger men…" Illya glared at his partner.

"Where, exactly, are you going with this Napoleon?"  Illya had sat up straighter in his chair and stuck out his chin in defiance of the tone in his partner's rundown of what was apparently a list of his shortcomings.

"What? Oh, not me.  You know that, right?  I'm just saying that you've put up with a lot at times and never shown any kind of emotion.  Women flirt with you and you turn them away without so much as a smidgen of encouragement or thanks.  I fear that if you were to ever really cut loose and do what you want…" The intimation of Illya wanting to act differently washed over the blond, causing a slight flush in his complexion.

"I assure you that I do exactly as I please, respond as I wish and have no regrets regarding either.  Do I enjoy the attention of beautiful women?  Yes, by all means.  Do I intend to bed each one of them or take them down a lane strewn with promises I cannot keep? No, nor should you.  However I leave that to your own conscience."

Napoleon bristled slightly at that last comment.  Why was this suddenly about him?

"Hey, wait a minute.  We're talking about you and how you responded to a lackluster cup of tea.  Honestly Illya…"

"Oh really… honestly?"  One blond eyebrow arched as he goaded his friend into the next round of speculation.  Napoleon was flustered, once again, unable to wrangle any kind of real response from the man Waverly had partnered him with.  He wondered if all Russians were this disagreeable.

"Yes, honestly.  Let's be honest, shall we.  What about that girl, Mr. Waverly's niece?  Alice, right?"  Illya once again straightened his shoulders, his demeanor now more combative than previously.  What had just happened?  Napoleon suddenly regretted bringing up that affair.

"Alice was, is…' Something washed over his face that cast a shadow on his features.

"Alice and I were not completely compatible, and … nothing happened between us."

But something had happened, and Napoleon knew very well that his younger partner, the man who made secretaries swoon in spite of his aloof nature, had fallen hard for the niece of their Chief.  The pretty blonde had been equally infatuated with the Russian agent sent to protect her from some deranged gypsy.

"I'm sorry Illya, I didn't mean to bring up something unpleasant, I… ' And then he saw it, and understood what had really happened between Illya and Alice Waverly.

"He made you stop seeing her didn't he.  Mr. Waverly didn't want his niece involved with an agent."  Napoleon knew it wasn't Illya's nationality that had been at issue.  No, it was that he worked for  UNCLE, was a disposable commodity when it came down to it.  Waverly had no intention of letting Alice become too emotionally attached to a man who might never come back from a mission.  Damn it.

Illya took a sip of the disagreeable tea, swallowing in a rote manner that indicated he no longer tasted anything, just needed to do something besides think about what Napoleon had said.

"I think we have a meeting with Mr. Waverly in a few minutes, do we not."  Deflecting. The conversation would not continue, at least not at this table.  Napoleon determined to be a little more sensitive to his partner's responses.  He had misjudged him, but that wasn't going to happen in the future.

'I have your back my friend' he promised to himself.  And Napoleon always kept his promises.

Comments

[jkkitty.livejournal.com]

I could see Waverly doing this, but it is sad for Illya

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Protocols are in place and Waverly observes them all.

[rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com]

...Ouch. Well, Waverly has good reason for that, but, still... ouch. Never heard of "Better to have loved and lost," has he?

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Big ouch for Illya and Alice. I think that Waverly would definitely put the cabosh on that relationship given that marriage is off limits for his agents.

[jantojones.livejournal.com]

I can imagine that Waverly didn't give that order lightly, though it was something he couldn't allow to continue. I love the way you brought this conversation out of a cup of horrible tea.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

That's life, isn't it? We start on one subject and end up trying to untangle something else entirely.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Wow what great bristling back and forth; still Napoleon hit a nerve with his partner didn't he? And a bit of self discovery on his part....definitely sad for Illya and Alice tool.

I liked this a lot!

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I think these two can 'bristle' the heck out of a subject.