Seven Deadly Sins
By: Angelus Erreare
A/N: Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters Serph, Heat, Argilla, Gale, Jenna Angel, Sera, Varin and others all belong to ATLUS USA.
This is a series of ONESHOTS I made as a RELIEF FIC to counterbalance my other fic "Where the Heart Is".
WARNING: AU and OOC
Pairing: Gale x Jenna
Chapter 1: Sloth
She and he were the same. They had both met at the lab. They were both biogenetic engineers. And so, that paved the way for their relationship. They were close to one another…physically, having worked together at the same lab…usually at the same times; good proximity.
They were familiar to each other as they saw each other almost everyday.
They were similar to each other as they had the same careers…
In short; they had the perfect cocktail blend for attraction.
At least, that was what he thought.
Jenna Angel. That was her name. He had been mesmerized by her beauty the first time he met her. She was tall; only two inches shorter than him. She had silky and shiny ebony black hair that was just below her shoulders. Her raven locks framed her face justifiably…her eyes, which were a striking and yet calm shade of pure silver peeked challengingly from their sockets, providing a beautiful contrast with her hair.
Her lips were like supple strawberries just begging to be plucked…and kissed…
He sighed; he was taken with her the first time he laid eyes on her…And, what really impressed him were her insightful mind and her sharp tongue. Her mind was as sharp as a dagger; a very high mental acumen. Her words were as truthful as they were blunt.
She spoke her mind; and dared to challenge other's opinions…But she did not challenge with the hopes of harming others; no, it was for the sake of winning…
She was a winner; she loved to win…to experience victory and triumph…Over everything. She would not say a thing unless she was absolutely sure that she was right and would defend her view…to the bitter end.
But, on the other side of the wall, she was able to take criticism and will surrender the moment a theory had defeated hers. After all, she was a scientist; it was her job to find facts…not the truth.
The truth, she used to tell him, was relative to the person viewing it. Her truth, she said, may not be his truth or someone else's truth. Truth…was subjective while fact was objective.
That was why…he loved this woman.
She was his other half.
He sighed. He was getting sidetracked again.
His pale green eyes scanned the paperwork in front of him; tests. He had been concentrating on them when thoughts about his other half floated in his head. Before, he would shake such thoughts from his head, telling himself that it was unimportant and had no place at the lab; but now, the thoughts persisted, and so, giving up, he let his mind indulge.
Where was he?
Ah yes, the concoction for attraction.
That was what he had been taught back at the university. Back there, they studied about attraction and what brought people together. Back there, they studied that attraction was equal to the step by step procedure of having close proximity, then, familiarity and then, finally similarity.
He chuckled; that had been the case with them.
But now, he wasn't so sure that it would help their relationship. Yes. They had formed the relationship; a close one. They were passionate with one another. They always found time to be with one another after work. They shared their opinions and their interests…
But that was before. Now it was different.
They were assigned at different labs now…He no longer saw her; not really. And then, they had been assigned different fields of assignments.
He had been assigned to the culturing of anti-cancerous cells by splicing cells from anti-oxidant agents while she had been assigned at stopping the newest strain of the flu that had rampaged through the provinces of their country.
Still, they lived in the same house; they shared the same bed. But something went wrong…along the way…that is. They shared everything except one another. He was hardly home and when he was, she was not.
That was what had happened. And now, after months of being apart, he was used to it. He no longer sought her out. Not really. He no longer craved for her…He no longer hungered for her. Not really. He deemed that as…unnecessary and a frivolity.
He was surprised though, to find that he had suddenly thought of her.
He leaned back in his chair; he began to wonder…
How was she? Was she alright? Was she having a breakthrough?
They call each other; yes, every once in a while. But the conversation was always cut short, saying that they were busy and had no time.
That was true; that was no lie.
Whenever he would call her, he would always ask her if she was alright. And she would always reply a curt and nonchalant "yes".
He always used to take her word for it; but not now…
Was she really alright?
"Besides, the term 'alright' is relative. It depends on how one defines 'alright'." he spoke aloud to no one in particular.
His hand reached for the phone on his desk. He took it and pressed the receiver to his ear. He dialed her number and waited. There was no answer.
Unfazed and totally unsurprised at the lack of answer, he put the phone back.
Well, he did his part; he called her didn't he?
That was enough. It's time to get back to work.
xxxxx
He arrived home pretty late. He looked at his watch and saw that it was almost midnight. He yawned; there was just too much work. He looked at the garage. She was not home yet.
He blinked; where was she?
Usually, she would get home sooner than he did…but tonight. It was different. But still, it was unimportant. He could merely ask her the day after when they would meet for breakfast.
He made his way within their home. Home?
'Too strong a word.' he thought nonchalantly.
It wasn't a home. A home was someplace that the heart resided. It was a haven; a sanctuary for families. Them…they weren't a family. They were merely two people who decided to live under the same shelter; the same roof.
That was all.
Not giving it any further thought, he ascended the stairs and made his way towards their bedroom. Quickly, he stripped himself of his clothes and went to prepare for his retirement for the night.
He slowly got on the bed and buried himself within the blanket. He took a look at his watch on his bedside; it was half past midnight…and still she was not home.
'Where could she be?' he asked, worry beginning to mount.
He grabbed his phone and there, he saw a message. It was from her. It read that she would be home a bit late as the pile of work was overwhelming. Pushing the cancel button and laying back down, he put his phone back on the bedside table.
Well, that pretty much trashed his first theory. She was fine; she wasn't endangered. So, he closed his eyes, allowing his weary body to rest.
xxxxx
He awoke bright and early; it was half past five in the morning. He yawned and looked beside him. The space was empty. Did she even come home the previous night?
Suddenly, he heard a shuffling noise downstairs.
He blinked; so she did come home.
Stretching a bit, he released the knots of his stressed muscles. After that, he proceeded to the lavatory. Nothing had changed.
Today was a new day…Another chance for a breakthrough.
xxxxx
He made his way downstairs and saw her sitting at the table, her nose in the newspaper, her mug of coffee a few meters away.
He looked at his chair; his coffee was there. She prepared it for him. He sat down, "Good morning Jenna." he said, unfazed.
She slowly put the paper down and looked at him, "Good morning Gale."
They were enveloped in awkward silence. Gale could feel warm blood surging through his veins…towards his face.
What was happening to them?
They…they felt awkward…around each other. He blinked; something was very wrong here…They never used to be like this. Not in the least…
But…then, that was before.
Now, work and distance got in their way…
And now…after hardly seeing each other, being in the same room, felt, wrong.
Wanting to change his train of thought, he looked at the paper she was holding. She followed his gaze and understood, "Do you want it?"
His eyes rose to meet her expressionless silver orbs, "Excuse me?"
She blinked, "I asked if you want the paper. I'm done with it."
Oh. That was what she had asked.
"Yes." he said, taking the paper from her outstretched arm, "Thank you."
Thank you? It seemed wrong to him for a moment there, to be telling your wife, "thank you". But, the way they were now, awkward and aloof, it suddenly felt right…
"You're welcome." she replied curtly, taking a sip of her coffee.
Gale blinked as he scanned the paper for interesting articles when he suddenly remembered. Oh yes, he was supposed to ask her what time she got home.
"Jenna," he began, putting the paper down.
"Yes?" she asked, still as unfazed as before, her silver eyes peering disinterestedly at his emerald orbs.
"What time did you get home last night?" he asked, mirroring her unfeeling countenance.
She blinked, "I arrived at one in the morning." she replied curtly.
He nodded, "I see. May I ask why?"
She raised an eyebrow, "Are you prying Gale?" she asked him as if he hadn't the right to ask her such a question.
He sighed, "No. I am not. But I am still your husband Jenna. I deserve to know."
She narrowed her eyes slightly before widening them to their original state, "Very well. Work was pushed back again. We needed to run a last test to make sure that the vaccine that the biomedics sent us was effective against the new strain." She narrowed her eyes again, "Failure to the conduct the test and complete it with the result analysis would mean lives lost Gale. My hands were tied. Then, there was a road block twenty miles from here. I got held back."
Gale nodded, "I see."
She leaned back on the chair, "Is that all?"
"Yes. It is."
She nodded and stood up, "I have to get going now. I'll see you for dinner."
He nodded again, "Alright."
She moved over to him and pecked him hurriedly on the cheek before walking away. A moment later, Gale found himself alone once more.
xxxxx
He touched his forehead in sheer concentration of the problem before him. The genes were not splicing right. They were deteriorating and dying…
He sighed; their research still needed a lot of work.
Gale worked all day and all afternoon, his mind and heart imbedded in his work…
It had been another quarter of a year for them…and that dinner that Jenna had promised…never came.
And for some reason, he didn't care. He didn't feel the least bit disappointed nor did he feel any ounce of anticipation for the fulfillment of her so-called promise.
He merely shrugged his shoulders whenever thoughts of her would appear in his head. He would dismiss them as quickly as they had entered his brain, telling himself that the task before him was of outmost importance; it was paramount and imperative that he succeeded.
His career would soar…
xxxxx
Nights came to them both as quick as a fleeting dream. Like before, they shared the same bed…but neither moved an inch closer or farther from their original positions.
It was always the same, day in and day out.
But strangely, he didn't care. He wasn't disturbed…and from the looks of it, neither was she.
The mornings would be quicker than the nights and they would again find one another within each other's presence; aloof.
That was why they ended their time together as fast as they could. Neither wanted to be at the presence of the other…and their work, their consuming work, was all that provided comfort…
Proximity, familiarity…similarity…attraction.
It was a cycle…
They were attracted and consumed with their work…
xxxxx
Another month had passed.
Gale looked at the package before him. He raised an eyebrow; what was it? He never used to get these sorts of things at work…Why should he receive them now?
Who sent it?
He looked at the inscription. It was from Jenna.
He looked at the package; uninterested. Why would she want to send him something? There wasn't an occasion…
So…then…
He opened it effortlessly and took the contents within.
He looked at it, his eyes half lidded, as if he were bored. It was a document. With the same expressionless eyes, he scanned the document, slowly, and surely.
After a few moments, he finished. He set it down slowly, on his desk. He blinked. But still as silent as before, he reached for a pen.
He took it in his long and slender fingers and turned the pages of the document again. He flipped through the pages unhurriedly, and there, he found what he had been looking for. Without a moment's hesitation, he signed it.
After a few moments, he skimmed through the pages again, making sure that he hadn't missed anything.
And after those few moments of scrutinizing it, did he feel satisfied.
He arranged the document again and put it back in the brown envelop. He called for his assistant.
She came in a few moments later, "Yes doctor."
He nodded; his eyes still expressionless, "Please mail this. Send it back to its sender. ASAP."
The assistant took the parcel from him and nodded, before leaving him alone again.
"Well," he sighed glancing at the other documents on his desk, "now that that's done, let's get back to work."
And so, he resumed his task, as diligently as before, no questions or doubts presented itself in his head. Thoughts of Jenna were lost to him…
All thoughts of that document flew out of his head…
He didn't care…Not really.
He wasn't disturbed…Not really…
He didn't want to know what she did now…Not really.
He didn't care that he just signed her request for a divorce.
They had been falling apart for almost a year now…He had seen it; of course he did. Not at first, but then, when he first realized it, it was disturbing to him. But she seemed fine with the way things were going between them that he didn't do anything about it.
He didn't feel the need to. Why should he do something when she didn't? That was the way he saw it. That was the way he angled his argument; his pattern of reasoning. And so, he pretended that it didn't exist; the crack in their relationship became invisible.
So, gradually, they began to feel used to it…They became accustomed to the feeling of distance between them. Distance in both a geographical and an emotional sense.
Now, the thought entered his mind…and try as he might, he couldn't block it out. Not anymore.
He blinked, and touched his forehead, "It's not my fault. Work was between us. It was inevitable."
Proximity…familiarity…similarity…attraction.
That was how it worked.
And to break it…just simply remove proximity…and the rest would follow…
That was how he felt; that was how he justified it. Actually, the word "justify" just sugarcoated the entire thing. Justify? More like "excuse."
It was a nice excuse.
But he didn't know he was wrong.
He didn't ascertain the fact that relationships needed constant nurturing…like that of his cultured genes at the lab…
No, he didn't think of that in that way. He thought that relationships were something else completely.
He shrugged his shoulders, "I've entertained this issue long enough."
In a blink of an eye, he dismissed further thought.
xxxxx
He was wrong though…his reasoning was flawed. He had said that it was work that had sealed the fate of his marriage.
But he failed to see that it was his own doing that led to their love's demise.
He stood there…doing nothing. It was he who had let their love die…He knew it was dying but still, he did nothing.
Why?
Because he didn't care; because he didn't want to…because he rationalized that he could do nothing.
Those were lies.
He could've found time for them…for her, if he really wanted…His work couldn't have gotten out of hand the way it did if he really didn't want it to…
The problem was simple.
It was pure laziness…He merely let the events unfold…uncaring for its accompanied consequences.
He prided himself of being diligent at work; dedicated to those principles that he held dear…But beneath all that, the simple truth was that…he was a pure sloth.
xxxxx
FIN