The Time from Before

Rocket Science

"You have got to be kidding me right now! Give me a fuckin' break!" A young woman shouted, her voice full of anger and frustration. "You always do this! You always–... Ugh, fuck!"

"Look, I know you're upset, but there's no need to lash out at me like that." Allen replied, trying to keep his tone calm and reasonable.

"Oh, wow, look at you! Suddenly Mr. Calm and Collected!" She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "Since when did you become so chill? You used to care more!"

"I'm worn out, An." He sighed, collapsing into a nearby chair. "I have a lot on my plate right now. Work is literally killing me, and the people around me. Not to mention, I have other responsibilities too."

"Well, so do I, but I don't let that stop me from being there for you! I don't let that stop me from showing you how much I love you!" She said, her voice cracking. She wiped a tear from her eye. "I just... I just feel like you're not trying hard enough."

She paused.

"I feel like you're not trying hard enough for me."

Allen got up from his seat and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair.

"I get it. I really do. With my schedule changing so often, it's impossible to plan anything ahead of time." He whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making you feel this way."

...

"Just..." She held him tight, pressing him closer. She buried her face in his chest. "Even if it's just for an hour."

"No, I'll take a whole day off. Just name the day." Allen swore.

"I don't want to get you in trouble." She murmured.

"How about this weekend? For the fireworks show." He proposed, smiling at her. "We can go to the park, have a picnic, watch the sky light up."

She looked up at him.

"All day?" An asked.

"All day." Allen repeated, kissing her gently on the lips. "And maybe more, if I'm feelin' lazy."

...

"I hate you; you know that?" She said, kissing him.

"I know." He kissed her back.

====

...

...

...

"Fifth island, huh? I feel like I've seen these four other times." Allen sighed.

"Wow! Look at that!" Callie exclaimed, waving her paint roller in the air. She had climbed on top of a metal pole that towered over the other structures.

"How did you manage to get up there?" He asked, squinting at her.

"I've always been good at climbing!" She answered, smiling. "And the view is awesome from here!"

"Sure." He said, unimpressed. He didn't care about the view. He cared about their mission, which was taking far too long. "Where are the other two, by the way?"

He looked around, but he couldn't see Agent 3 or Agent 4 anywhere. They themselves decided to split up and see if they could find that figure somewhere. But Allen suspected they were just slacking off somewhere.