Halo 3: ODST Operation Cup o' Doom

Chapter Six

Aria groaned as she sat upright, pressing both hands to her temples. "Why do I feel like absolute shit?!"

"Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

She looked up—and gasped.

George leaned casually in her doorway with the biggest smirk on his face.

"W–What are you doing in here?" she yelped, yanking the blanket over her chest even though she was still mostly covered.

"Nice to see you too," he teased, strolling over and sitting on the edge of her bed. "Question. What do you remember from last night?"

She blinked at him. "...What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember drinking?" he asked, raising a brow.

She shook her head slowly. "No. But the headache explains itself now."

"Mhm." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. "Here. I recorded the whole thing."

Aria snatched the phone and pressed play.

George snickered. "You are a very interesting drunk, Aria."

"Oh my gosh—this is me?! Wow..."

"Don't worry, that's not even the best part."

Her eyes narrowed as the video continued. "What? Why am I walking toward Ultra Bahtiyaree—?"

George grinned from ear to ear.

Aria suddenly paled.

Her own drunken voice echoed from the phone loud and clear.

She dropped the phone and covered her face with both hands. "OH MY GOD! How am I supposed to face him now?!"

George was practically wheezing. "What did you say?"

She peeked between her fingers. "I said he was... so very sexy."

"Wha—?!" George doubled over laughing, nearly falling off the bed. "Aria! Oh my—gahaha—!"

"Shut UP! It's not funny!"

"Oh, it is. It absolutely is." He wiped a tear from his eye. "Relax. He liked it. After you said that, he couldn't take his eyes off you. Not that he ever could, honestly."

She let out a tortured groan and buried her face in her pillow.

"And you passed out right after," George continued, "so he carried you back to the ship. Must've been quite a night, considering you woke up nearly half naked."

Her head shot up. "WHAT DID I DO?!"

He shrugged. "I don't know—I wasn't here for the aftermath."

She flopped back again. "I'm so embarrassed! What am I gonna do?!"

George patted her shoulder. "Nothing. Seriously. It's fine. You like him anyway, right? And he clearly has an eye for you. Maybe this was the icebreaker you both needed."

"Yeah! And maybe Poonflip could give you flirting advice," Muhmep chimed in as she poked her head into the doorway with a grin. "He's really good at—"

"Nobody asked you!" Aria snapped, mortified.

"WELL SOOOORRRYYYY FOR TRYING TO HELP!" Muhmep barked back and stomped away.

George laughed and stood. "Alright, drama queen. Better get yourself together. We form up soon—with Ultra Bahtiyaree and Field Marshall Tuyokee."

Aria let out a dying whine. "NOOO. I can't do it."