To say Illya was humiliated would be an understatement. Nevertheless, as Gaby carded her fingers through his hair, he struggled to stay focused on the issue at hand.
"Who said I would take it off?," she rhetoricized softly. "I like wearing your ring."
Her sweet and raspy morning voice was too much for him. He stood up with a start, causing her to lean back in surprise. Her eyes widened comically as she felt her balance abandon her, and he grabbed the tiny woman's arm to steady her. As she straightened up, he glanced down at the arm in his possession, and the hand attached to it.
The left hand.
The naked left hand.
He looked at her with a frigid expression and she flinched. "Don't say what you think I want, Teller," he replied in a flat voice, her last name sounding like an insult. "I am not child or plaything. You don't know me." He straightened to his full, imposing height. "All I care about is mission being completed. Don't do something stupid and ruin plan, I won't be around to save you."
Gaby, stunned by the sudden change in demeanour, stared at his broad shoulders as he turned to leave. "You're on your own," he muttered, not bothering to look back.
"Wait a minute," she called out after finding her voice, but he was already out the door. "Idiot," she muttered, slumping into the seat he'd abandoned.
____
What had he been thinking?
The bug he could justify, though he had felt a twinge of guilt as he had planted it. But the rest of it? Storming in and attacking the American? Gaby hadn't been in danger, Illya had seen the honesty in the man's eyes when he vowed to her safety with him. It had been the first (and potentially the last) time Solo had allowed that side of himself to show in front of his teammate.
Kuryakin hadn't been acting for the mission.
And letting her push him around? Admitting concern? Calling her by expressions of endearment? He slammed his open palm against the table in frustration, unable to focus on his solitary chess match any longer. Feelings of self-loathing bubbled up in his chest, threatening to choke him. He grabbed a suitcase from under the bed and tossed it angrily on the mattress.
____
A soft knock in the entry pulled Napoleon from his thoughts. "It's open," he called, his eyes never straying from the mirror in front of him. He cuffed his sleeves and began to put on a silk tie when Gaby appeared in the reflection behind him.
"Das war grausam," she said quietly, no malice in her tone.
"Maybe, or maybe it was an act of kindness," he replied. She pulled on his shoulder to face him, taking the tie out of his hands and knotting it carefully. He watched her in silence.
"I used to do this for my father," she said almost to herself. "My real father, the one who raised me," she added, looking him in the eye for a brief moment. She straightened the fabric and smoothed it down against his chest. "It was not a kindness, and you know it."
He rolled his eyes and took her hand in his, pulling a diamond ring from his pocket. "What do you think?," he asked, holding it up for her to see.
"That thing is going to blind me."
Solo laughed held it nearer to her finger. "Well, Princess? Will you do me the honour?"
She huffed an assent and let him put it on, shifting awkwardly as she tried not to look embarrassed. "You boys and your pet names."
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows at her, and her cheeks tinged subtly. "What does Peril call you?"
She shook her head and smiled ever-so-slightly. "Come on, fiancé, we mustn't be late for our luncheon."
A/N: Heyo! What do you think? Next chapter will get into the nitty gritty. Poor Illya is feeling a bit used. Any thoughts on what will happen?
Thanks for reading!
Das war grausam - That was cruel (German)
