manicdak

Chapter 14: Goodbyes

Ehren was back at his desk in the squad room, working diligently on the Yarzfeld database. He was trying his best to ignore his gossiping peers. He already assumed he knew what they were talking about and that the subject was him. He didn't want to deal with it. He'd never wanted to become the subject of office chatter, yet there he found himself.

    He grumbled over his paperwork until Axel broke off from a group and joined him.

    "Did you hear?" he said.

    "Yeah, I don't need to hear, Axel," Ehren said. "I already know where Robin's been putting his dick."

    "What are you talking about?" Axel frowned.

    "I...Uh..." He glanced up at Axel who was looking at him curiously. "What are you talking about?"

    "The Vice-Admiral!" Axel said. "He's been placed under arrest!"

    "What?"

    "Yes," Axel said. "Apparently he has been selling secrets to the highest bidder. That's why he order a blackout on the assassination on Utopia. He would have never been caught if it wasn't for you."

    "Me?"

    "Yeah, you!" Axel chuckled. "Aren't you modest, Ehrenfried. Uncovering conspiracies is not a bad thing."

    "I..." He glanced down at his desk and felt ashamed for trying to shut down Rasa's efforts at uncovering the truth just because he'd been angry with Robin. "Look, Axel. I don't want the credit. I didn't do anything. It was Rasa and Beatriu who found the time signature. You should be thanking them."

    He sighed and stood up from his desk. "I don't want to talk about this right now, Axel. If you want to congratulate somebody, then go find Rasa."

    He walked away from his friend and approached Robin's office where he found Beatriu. She was sitting at her makeshift desk that was across from Robin's, tapping away at her virtual keyboard. He knocked softly on the door to gain her attention.

    "I'm sorry to bother you," he said. "I'm not feeling well. May I retire to quarters?"

    "You're not going to make it a habit are you?" She said as she looked up from what she was doing.

    "No, Ma'am," he said. "It's just been a rough couple of days. Where's Robin?"

    "He's going on leave," she said. "Didn't he tell you?"

    "No." Ehren frowned.

    Beatriu frowned in returned.

    "Is that so?"

    Ehren nodded. "I don't think it's likely that he wants to talk to me right now anyway. May I?" He gestured towards the door.

    "Yes, by all means," she said. "I expect you to report for your shift tomorrow."

    "Yes, ma'am, of course," he replied.

    As soon as Ehren disappeared, Beatriu made her way out of the squad room to Robin's quarters where she found him packing for his trip to Utopia.

    "So, you weren't even going to tell him that you're leaving," she said as she leaned against the doorway.

    "Aren't you supposed to be working a shift?" he muttered without looking up from his small suitcase.

    "Ahh, yes, my shift watching your recruits," she said. "I just think..."

    "I don't care what you think," he said.

    "But Ehren..."

    "Is absolutely none of your business," he said.

    "I know you don't want to think about it, but I think you should at least talk to him."

    "I have nothing to say to him," Robin said.

    She clucked at him in a disapproving manner and muttered something about boys being stupid under her breath.

    "He's in quarters," she said before she left to return to her shift.

     Robin waited until she was gone before he carefully traversed the hallways to Ehren's room.

   ****

    "It's you," Ehren muttered as soon he answered the knock on his door later that morning and saw the Commander standing there.

    "I uh...I brought you this." Robin awkwardly held out a cup of coffee.

    Ehren accepted it reluctantly and placed it on his desk where he slumped down in a chair.

    "Come in." He gestured weakly at the bed which was the only other place to sit.

    "I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to Utopia for a while," he said. "So..."

    "You're going back to him aren't you?" Ehren said. "You're going back to him because I asked Rasa... Oh, this is all my fault. All my misery is all my fault all the time. I'm just... I was better off at university."

    "I'm sorry." Robin bowed his head. "It's not that I don't like you. You know that, but..."

    "I get it. I told you," Ehren muttered. "You and I were nothing compared to the history you have with him. I still think it's fucked up though."

    "I just want to talk to him," Robin said. "We have a lot of things to discuss. I'm not necessarily..."

    "Please." Ehren shook his head. "Don't insult my intelligence. I know you still love him."

    "I'm sorry," Robin said. "You understand?"

    "Sure," Ehren said. "I know where I stand, okay? So, will you please stop apologizing to me?"

    "I'm sorry...Uh. Beatriu told me what happened yesterday morning."

    "Really?" Ehren gave him a wry smile. "Great, I feel like shit already with everybody congratulating me for uncovering a conspiracy when I was just going to let it go, because I was angry at you. I don't need your apologies. Will you just go and reunite with your one true love or whatever the fuck? You don't owe me anything, okay, Robin? It was fun while it lasted but you can go away now. I'll probably be gone when you get back anyway."

    "What do you mean?" Robin said, a hint of distress tinged his voice.

    "I mean I put in for a transfer this morning," Ehren said. "Hopefully they'll station me on a more pleasant planet."

   "Ehren..."

    "It's Ehrenfried!" Ehren corrected him through clenched jaws with his hands curled in fists, and Robin involuntarily flinched in remembrance of the last time Ehren had gotten angry enough to hit him when he'd been called by his shortened name. There was still a black ring-shaped bruise over his heart.

    "I'm sorry," Robin uttered one last time. He stood from the bed and couldn't bring himself to look at Ehren's accusing stare as he departed.

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