Xcom: Coiled with Torque Ch. 02

Summary: The story continues right after the very memorable night and follows the pair and their first Christmas. It would be easy if it wasn't for the fact Torque never really paid mind to human customs. Lots of first times ahead, ending with messy fun!

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After a few more moments, Kelly's far away voice finally got louder as she put her phone back to her head.

"You mind repeating that last part?" Kelly carefully picked her words, her voice not betraying any emotions just yet.

"We had sex, Jane. I thought you wanted me to get closer to someone?" Torque made it sound like a joke, but there was a slight worry on her mind. With how her friend reacted, she wondered if she did everything correctly. Before this, there was never a need for Torque to get acquainted with romance and relationships. She thought she would never need such information.

"I uh... wow. I'm just surprised you went on what I can now call a date without me teasing you into it. Had no clue it went that far and this quick," Kelly replied, no longer able to hide her emotions. Mainly shock, followed up by happiness and then worry. "You, uh, used protection, right?"

"Kelly, I'm a viper. Remember?"

"Right, right. Sorry, this is all just so unexpected." That was not how she imagined the morning going. Kelly was prepared for many things, was even ready to get something nice to eat should the date be a complete disaster, and Torque needed cheering up. This was an outcome Jane was rooting for. Just never thought the two agents would hit it off that well.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the phone, Torque was worrying about the whole encounter. She had known David for a while, and despite all their teasing, she liked him. But even Kelly said it was "quick." This was completely unfamiliar territory for the viper, and the last thing she wanted to do was to get it wrong. Not exactly many people she met or got along this well with, and none were David.

"Was it too quick? I'm thinking—"

"Stop. Torque, remember our countless talks about how you need to learn how to allow people to get closer to you?"

"Yeah?"

"You finally found someone. Just because you have little experience with relationships, doesn't mean you have to push him away the moment it gets serious. Giving up doesn't sound like the Torque I know."

"Yeah!" Torque's worry was steadily replaced with confidence, as her friend not only approved, but encouraged her. "If nothing else, David would let me know if I did anything too odd. Probably wouldn't let me hear the end of it, actually."

"Speaking of David though, I think I will have a talk with him about this once he's up." Kelly's tone turned serious in a fraction of a second. Torque wondered what exactly the director wanted to talk to him about. "Jane, I wanted this. Please don't bring out your old machete from the war. You just told me not to push him away, so you better not either."

There was a moment of silence before Torque heard a laugh from the other end of the phone. "Machete? It's a sword!" The laughter faded as her tone turned serious again. "No, it's nothing like that, Torque. I just need you both to understand that although I'm happy for you, I really am, you can't have these new feelings bleeding into the missions I send you on. I'll need to set you up for some more training to see if we need to change the way we send squads out."

"We just got together, so you want us to spend less time together? I thought I wasn't supposed to push him away." Torque scoffed.

"It's to make sure both of you do nothing dumb during missions. For now, I want you to enjoy it. You deserve a break, and this is a perfect chance to see how nice it is when you allow people to get close. Training can wait, but mark my words—it's not going anywhere."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm willing to bet we'll blow your expectations out of the water." Torque's snarky attitude had returned. If David and she had worked well together before, Torque knew that they would do it even better now. And training was just another excuse to spend more time with him, anyway.

"It was nice talking, Torque. Next time, please warn me before you drop a bomb like that. We should both get ready for today, though. Talk to you later, ok?"

Torque smiled, said her goodbye, and hung up. The door to the restroom slid open again, letting her see the still sleeping body of David in her bed. Her tongue flicked out a few times, wondering how much longer she had before the day really began. She didn't even look at the clock and slid back right into bed. His warmth had made the bed far too good to resist, and so she moved behind her human and hugged him tight, her tail curling against his legs and ending around his torso. Torque then closed her eyes, thinking she could get used to this. As for consequences for sleeping in, those could be dealt with later. For now, all she wanted to do was to enjoy the moment.

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The following week went rather quiet. Ever since the defusal of the psionic device on top of the tower, a lot of the criminal activity had died down. The Progeny was swiftly dealt with, proving that Chimera Squad could dismantle large-scale operations and efficiently on top of that. The unnaturally quiet City 31 had only one noticeable change on the surface—snow. With Christmas around the corner, it smoothed the rough edges out with a blanket of white. All the data Kelly showed Torque proved as much, with only a few incidents happening around the city, but so small in scale that the PD could handle them with little trouble. And nothing directly related to Gray Phoenix. In such weather, even criminals preferred to stay home. Or at the very least, operate discreetly.

"They really went under the rug, huh," Torque said.

"I don't expect we'll see any major activity soon. And if we do, well, all agents are still in town. It wouldn't take long to mobilize." The director closed the hologram map of the city, all of her attention now aimed at the viper.

"It's smart of them to keep a low profile after what we did to the other two. We might not be getting any info, but they're moving way slower towards their goal, whatever that might be," Torque noted. Since there had been no missions recently, she had been noticeably eager for action. "I can stay on call and be ready to move within minutes, Kelly."

The director looked even more intently at the viper. "If it wasn't for all the unused days off, you might have been able to convince me to keep you here. Vacation days exist for a reason."

"I don't need those days off. I need to be here in case we get any new intel," Torque insisted.

"It may be your job to kick in doors, but it's my job to make sure you're in top shape for when you do. There's nothing to suggest that Gray Phoenix would move out with their plans. Having you here would be pointless. Spending all your time waiting for the siren to sound so you can get inside the APC is winding you up tight. You need to relax a little, otherwise you are going to crack."

"Jane, I'm not a weak recruit. I've handled my fai—"

"That's an order, Torque," Kelly interrupted.

The viper heard that exact line more than she could count. She tried to fight back the first few, but eventually she learned this was a signal that Jane had made up her mind and nothing would change it. "Gah, I hate when you use that line. Fine. What will I even do on the time off?"

"Have you seen the way it looks outside? There's a special holiday that I'm sure you can figure out who to spend it with."

"But I don't even know any of the stuff you humans do."

"Guess a little human holiday is too much for you, huh?" Jane crossed her arms.

"No, it's not too much, you just do all these nonsensical things and—"

"If you want to give up, Torque, you're free to do so," Kelly said, smirking as she saw the look on the viper's face. At this point the director knew her too well, so pushing Torque to do something outside the comfort zone was easy enough. It just had to look like a challenge.

"What? No, I won't give up. I'll do all these dumb human things if I have to."

"I'm glad to hear that, agent Torque. I heard David is outside waiting for you. Something about needing help? For some reason, he didn't come here. Ever since our talk, he seems to avoid me." Kelly's smile never left her lips.

"I doubt that will change as long as you have your old machete around." The agent giggled, trying to play it cool, but in her mind, she was worried about the whole winter holiday. She never had a reason to care about it, and she had zero clue what it was about. It should be pleasant, at the very least, with how everyone seemed to be excited about it. It made the viper feel left out, clueless in the whole situation.

"You aren't helping by calling my sword a machete. Now, enjoy yourself and your time off. Oh, and before I forget—merry Christmas! You can try saying that back to me."

"Who came up with such a bad name?"

"Torque."

"Alright, merry Christmas, Jane," Torque said, and with a gentle smile turned around from the briefing room on her way to meet David. It was a little suspicious that he was around and that he needed help right after the conversation with Jane. The timing of everything fit too well. She decided not to dwell on it too much, instead focusing on the new challenge of becoming the best merry Christmas-er there is.

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The snow was gently falling on top of Torque's thermal suit. It was a pleasant change to the city, and as difficult as it was to believe, she felt homesick. She spent her childhood training with no parents to speak of like the humans have. There was little time to do anything other than work hard, but she remembered always enjoying watching the snow fall outside the facility in New Artic.

Her thoughts went to David, as they often did ever since their time together. She had avoided him ever so slightly, but the conversation with Kelly had given her the confidence to break that cycle. The browsing history was full of different searches, such as "interspecies relationships advice", "how to be a suitable partner" or "how do relationships work?" and so many others. To her dismay, there wasn't that much useful information.

Much of what she found was aimed at human relationships, and she wondered how to accurately use it. If anything, it made her more worried. Having things in common, going out, being romantic... all of that was alien to her. She was unsure about being the right partner for David, and how she could compete with another human should that happen in the future. Yet after some time, she realized these negative thoughts would only hinder her relationship with him.

Despite all of their differences, she was attracted to him. Perhaps that was the primary reason. Just spending a little time together allowed her to experience things she never thought could be enjoyable.

The park where she was supposed to meet with David wasn't far from the agency. Her thermal suit kept her scales warm despite the chilly wind blowing the snow through the air as she slithered down the street. Still, she wore heavier overclothes to help keep the heat in. It helped her stay mobile and comfortable. Her thoughts consumed her, not noticing that she was almost at her location until she saw David standing by a bench. He was standing in the snow, staring off into the sight of the city which was completely coated in white. She wondered how long David had been standing there, clouds of his breath visible as he waited.

Torque didn't remain hidden for long. After all, he used to be a Reaper. He wouldn't have made it this far if a viper moving through the snow took him by surprise. His head turned to the sound of her slithering forward, a brilliant smile on his face once he saw her.

"Ah, there you are, Torque. Was starting to think Kelly would never let you go. I'm surprised you are using those days off of yours," he said and put away his phone.

"And I thought you'd be way further considering Jane's in the agency," Torque said. "What's this about you avoiding her now? I heard you two had a talk, but did she mention her machete, by any chance?"

"Torque, I know you've seen that thing. That's a sword. And yes, that was the very first thing she mentioned. I even got to see it up close," David said, dropping his expression and his voice turning neutral.

"Did she threaten to stab you with it?" Torque asked, curious.

"She swung it around a few times, yeah." David's eyes wandered for a moment, as if imagining Kelly at that very moment with her weapon, before shaking his head. "Hold on a second. I don't want to be spending my time out of the agency to talk about it. This isn't what days off are for!"

"I wouldn't know. Jane was very insistent I relax today. And with you around, it might not be completely unpleasant." She had to stop herself from smiling after saying that. Training and always being in top shape was something Torque valued deeply, but spending time with her new favorite human was almost as tempting.

"You are one of the few beings I know that could ever think that relaxing would be unpleasant. Especially on Christmas, one of the happiest times of the year." Finally, David returned the smile.

"You too with this whole Christmas? It's like everyone is talking about it today." Torque's face scrunched in annoyance.

"I think you'll be disappointed to find out that today most people will talk about it and celebrate. TV, internet... it's about everywhere. You can't escape Christmas, Torque," he said, worried she might take it too seriously and try that impossible challenge.

"Apparently, you need my help with something, Kelly said as much. So, David—be very careful what you say next, otherwise I am going to go right back into the agency and relax... unpleasantly." Torque glared at him, her tongue flicking out. Her angry face was tough to maintain as she let out the last word, her joyful mood shining through.

"I'll make it up to you later, I promise. I really need that help, yeah, but there's nothing to do until a truck arrives in about fifteen minutes."

"You bring me out in the cold, while I could be warming up back in the agency for that long?" She looked at him with shifty eyes, ready to return to comfort at any moment.

"For a very good reason!" He bent down and picked up a handful of snow, forming it into a snowball. "To play with snow. You're at the advantage though, with you being from the New Arctic."

"Play with snow? David, during my upbringing there wasn't time for anything silly like this. It was training, snow was something I only had contact with when we practiced following footprints. No time to mess around longer than it was necessary when the snow could cover tracks quickly," she said.

David listened carefully, looking for any hints to gauge if the topic was unpleasant. But there was none. Torque talking about her early days sounded like she remembered them fondly. With how obsessed she was about training and becoming better, and the best at what she does, it didn't surprise him. Still, he didn't wish to dwell on her childhood too deeply, should there be bad memories there to dig up.

"I'm not hearing a 'no' to my snowball challenge. Can you even move in... that?" David paused, playing with the snow and pointed to Torque's outfit.

Her slitted-eyes widened, then moved down as if to check out her clothes. It was a tight-hugging black thermal suit, covering her whole tail and protecting it from cold. It went up to her waist, slightly going over a dark blue jacket that made sure she stayed warm in such weather.

"Okay, you're on. What are the rules?" The viper was not about to let him doubt her like this.

David threw the perfect round snowball he made to his other hand and then back. It offered no tactical advantage whatsoever, but it was something to keep his hands busy.

"Competitive, aren't you? How about who scores three hits first wins? Maybe you should be granted a handicap though, with that giant sock around your tail."

"It's not a sock, and we both know it. I hope you're ready to eat snow." She got closer to the ground and grabbed some, two snowballs for each clawed hand ready shortly after.

"You know, some people put a sock above a fireplace for Christmas. I don't think we could do that with yours, but maybe we should get you one that's themed for winter," David said with a huge grin plastered on his face. Even if he would lose the little game, just teasing her about this was worth it. But it wasn't like he would let her win.

"You're so going to regret this," she hissed before moving away, putting distance between the two. "Ready."

"Ready!" he cried out and threw his first snowball, not really aiming beside it going in Torque's general direction.

All she had to do was move a little to the right to avoid getting hit. Then, to his surprise, she surged in his direction, throwing one snowball directly at him to make him move. David dodged it just in time, but he didn't account for another one going directly at his face. The snowball met its mark, an explosion of snow scattering all over his head and under his jacket.

"That's for calling it a sock!" the viper said with pride, momentarily worried afterward when it took her partner a moment to reply.

"Yeah, alright, I deserved that. Won't let it happen again!" He laughed it off and grabbed more snow, this time having an advantage over Torque.

She was out in the open, and she could either run for it or try to get ammunition to fight back. It was a straightforward choice—she began slithering away, and just as she thought she made it behind a bench, she felt something hit her tail near the end.

"Gotcha! One to one!"

"It's not fair, you're far smaller!" she complained.

"Do you want to give up, Torque?" After a mouthful of snow as a response, he didn't even feel bad about doing her dirty like that.

The viper continued, making a few snowballs at her little cover was enough for an answer. He threw two more aimed at her, one missing and the other hitting the bench, splatting the snow everywhere.

Torque didn't let that be one-sided for long. When she had a supply of ammo ready, she returned the fire, forcing her human to run as snowballs flew in his direction, one after the other. The very last one turned out to be a lucky shot, hitting him right in the foot. She hissed with joy, once again getting her payback.

"Two to one! Come on, David, I expected a challenge!" Torque followed it with a giggle.

Her cheer was infectious, and soon David laughed as well. Still, he was indeed behind in score. The time has come for desperate measures. He made two snowballs with great haste and charged right at Torque's bench, dodging anything she threw in the little time she had. It was impossible to miss at such a distance, and so the first snowball hit her right on her jacket. Before he could finish the fight, the viper moved out her cover and quickly advanced. Her torso wrapped itself around his chest in the blink of an eye, coiling around him before David could win.

He began to playfully struggle, and with them being on a slippery surface, they fell to the ground, their bodies still entwined. They were face to face, and after what just happened, they busted out laughing.

"Looking for any excuse to get me this close, aren't you? You know, you can just ask." He dropped the snowball he had in his hand, no longer caring about their little game. Not when he had an enormous snake around him in the snow.

Torque coiled around him harder for a moment, the bonus of which was feeling more of his body heat, before she relaxed the muscles of her tail. It was no longer tightly holding him in place, and more of a soft pillow for David to lie on.