Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 or any of its characters.

The blind date was Billy's idea.

Graham sighed and gazed around the chic Italian restaurant with boredom, his fingers absently strumming the tabletop. His normally bright and attentive eyes were now a dull, boring green as he recalled the conversation with his best friend and colleague a week ago with reluctance.

"So…Graham, how's your love life?"

The blond haired man widened his eyes in disbelief at the blunt question.

"Billy, you know better than to talk about these things in the military quarters."

"We're off duty now. And besides, I'm curious as to why a man like you would stay single," Billy was defiant in continuing the subject, a smirk playing on his lips..

The ace pilot frowned. "Come on Billy… Do you really think I have the time and commitment for these things?" he paused, then added, "What with terrorist attacks on our doorstep…"

Billy patted his partner in the back. "Ever read 'Life's Brief Candle'? You need to get out more, buddy," he continued, "Plus you're in your late twenties now! Any longer and you'll lose out on a lot."

"Hmph, easy for you to say," Graham suddenly smirked, "I heard you've been hanging out with a woman in the pubs these days, when can I expect an invitation, huh?"

"You're changing the subject," Billy adjusted his glasses sheepishly, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Tell you what, why not I hook you up on a date? It'll be fun, and I know lots of places,"

"Billy, I haven't been on a date since before I joined the military,"

"All the more reason to start now!"

And there was no stopping Billy Katagiri after that.

A waiter refilled his glass with water. The cheesy romantic background music, rose-coloured décor and the couples (argh!) were getting onto his nerves. To say it was a world away from what he was accustomed to is an understatement. The people here obviously knew nothing about blood, pain and revenge, nor do they know anything about the hectic and dangerous life of a mobile suit pilot.

Graham Aker had never felt so lonely and out of place. It seemed so damn tempting to just go home right now. And risk Billy's lecture the next day? No way… Stifling a groan, Graham buried his face into his hands, oblivious to all the curious stares.

Meanwhile, a certain Union scientist was observing everything through a tiny camera lens that he had cunningly installed in the restaurant. It wasn't right to be nosy, but Billy was just too curious…and he too, noticed Graham's impatience. It was amusing to see someone who is normally so calm and composed in the battlefield could be so nervous when having a date.

As Graham was contemplating whether or not to walk out of the restaurant right then and there, a woman whom he had not noticed before sat opposite him on his table.

"Hi, you must be my date! Sorry I'm late, but I was having trouble navigating the streets just now…Phew! " She smiled in a sheepish way.

The ace pilot shrugged. "No problem…er…Miss…"

"Grace Redford."

"I'm Graham… Graham Aker." Not bad Billy, Graham thought. Tall, pretty and full of confidence. Not to mention that something in that smile of hers always caused a blush to creep silently onto his face. How embarrassing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled that smile of hers again.

"Er-…yeah…you too." He mumbled. This was not like him!

"Nice place, huh?"

"Yeah…"

For a moment, there was awkward silence. The tension in the air was thick. Graham wove his fingers through his sandy blond hair in an attempt to make it look tidier, but to no effect. Why am I worrying about my hair of all things anyway? If Billy (or any of his other comrades for that matter) was here, he would have laughed.

Indeed, back in the scientist's home where he sat hunched in front of a monitor, Billy couldn't help but chuckle. Poor Captain…

Just then, the waiter arrived and handed them two menus. "Would you like to order now, sir?"

Saved! Graham sent a silent prayer to the heavens.

After ordering for their food, the situation was back to square one for Graham. He wasn't a great conversation starter, and even if he did open his mouth, all he could think was the battlefield and his obsession with Celestial Being and the Gundams (which he had denied rather strongly). Billy once labeled his obsession 'unhealthy', and even told him to consider seeking 'help' which of course, made Graham feel insulted.

I'm perfectly sane! He remembered yelling at the unconvinced scientist, in front of nearly the whole Flag fighter squad. It was unnerving to see the normally cool and silent Captain Aker break his composure. He was just that angry. Sometimes Billy was just too nosy for his own good.

"What's wrong? You seem a little tired."

Damn. "It's nothing. It's just that working in the military is so demanding，but I'm not complaining," He hastily replied.

Grace looked thoughtful. "Right, Billy told me that you were in the army…Don't you find it stressful?"

"It's the only job I'd do."

"I don't get why some people are so passionate about fighting." She thought aloud. "To be honest, I'd rather stay in bed." She let out a small giggle.

Graham thought about his friends during his university years who were shocked when he told them about his plans to join the military. To tell the truth, they weren't too happy about it.

"Well, it's not always about fighting. It's about protecting the country, people, and its' interests."

"But isn't it tiring to face the prospects of death every time you go to 'work'?"

The Union ace pilot chuckled. "If you think what you're doing is honorable and justified, you don't feel tired every time you do it. It's as simple as that."

"But I still don't quite get what-…"

"What about you? What do you do?" Graham asked, hoping for a change of subject. He remembered how hard it was explaining the sacrifices to be made in his line of work to clueless people.

She's probably into corporate jobs or law by the looks of it…

"I'm an associate working with Lawson & Schultz's law firm." Bingo.

She forced a small laugh. "Doesn't sound very honorable, does it?"

"Well, maybe not…" Graham smiled. "But it really depends on a lot of things."

"Haha… yeah…" She blushed and looked down at her plate.

Graham gulped down some iced water. All that talking is making his throat dry. But you've only just conversed for five minutes! A voice in his head whispered. And it's going to be like that for the whole night…He shuddered and shut out the sneering voice.

The waiter served their food just in perfect timing. Graham speared his mushroom ravioli and ate in silence; he preferred to have his meals without conversation. Sensing this, Grace chewed through her food silently, a thoughtful look on her face.

Halfway through dessert, Grace spoke up with a small grin. "You really intrigue me, Mr. Aker."

Graham paused, his ice-cream laden spoon hovering in mid-air. "How?"

"Well, you're proud… But you don't seem condescending at all. It's really a breath of fresh air for me." She sighed. "You don't know how hard it is to put up with cocky male lawyers as your colleagues day after day."

"The military also has its fair share of cocky bastards though." He thought of Joshua and his sneering face.

"What's important is that you're, in my opinion, not one of them." Graham frowned and was about to speak but she raised her hand to cut him off. "And," she added, "You're more handsome than I first expected." She said this with a twinkle in her eye.

Somewhere, Billy was clutching his stomach due to fits of laughter. You should've seen his face!

The ace pilot was speechless for a moment, but quickly gathered himself up. "Er… Thank you for the compliment."

Well that was different. Sure, he was always showered with praises in the military: Graham the Brave, Graham the Union Ace Pilot, Graham the Honorable etc. but never Graham the "Handsome". It just sounded weird. But then again, it is the military, where looks don't matter as much as the ability to survive.

The rest of the date was spent laughing at each other's jokes, and Graham felt happy for the chance to not think about his work for a while. It reminded him of his younger and carefree days, where one only needed to worry about petty grades and not having a date on prom night. He sneaked a peek at the laughing Grace and smiled.

Maybe life isn't all about fighting … I could get married, have kids, and probably go live in California… Graham shook his head and let out a wistful sigh. That's impossible, Aker. You know it is.

After paying for their food, they stepped out into the cold drizzly night with their coats wrapped tightly around them. The night was early, and the streets were filled with people.

Grace was still in an upbeat mood. "Where do you want to go next?" She hooked her arm loosely around his left arm and the contact made Graham wince a little.

He suddenly felt extremely tired and just wanted some rest, not to mention that he had pressing matters to attend to the next day. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking a little from the cold. "I need to get home now, as there's a busy day ahead for me tomorrow."

"It's okay." Her voice sounded dejected, but she continued, her voice sounding hopeful this time. "Can we go on another date next time? We can go see a movie or go to the park…"

She's interested! But what was supposed to be joy for Graham was instead replaced with nagging doubt.

He looked at her hopeful face, as if searching for an answer. There was no doubt that she was the kind of woman that men considered lucky to have; independent, witty and engaging in personality. But the ace pilot couldn't help but feel bitter.

Does a woman as intelligent as her deserve an army lapdog like him? What can he give her anyway? Frantic calls for assurance, long nights of waiting for someone who might not come back one day, graying hairs and deepening face lines. The image of Howard's death flashed into his mind, and it was like an itch that could not be cured.

Happiness, wealth and the joys of love were trivial things to him. And he admitted that his real joy came from the battlefield. Was she even prepared to understand?

I am, she would probably say. But what after that? Graham closed his eyes, and imagined a life like hers; happy, peaceful, and most of all normal. He would unknowingly bring a war of its own into her life, and that would of course change everything. But then again, why change something that isn't broken in the first place?

Graham, you think too much.

So be it, he thought. So be it. He had never felt so certain.

He turned to Grace and looked at her squarely in the eyes, the stoic gaze of a soldier who has long since accepted the harsh life of the battlefield. "I'm sorry," he said in a voice both calm and assertive. "It's not going to work out."

For a second her face fell, but she took it easily and smiled. "It's okay. I knew it was coming."

"You did?"

"Of course! It was pretty obvious from your body language." A soft giggle escaped from her lips.

"It's just too bad. I can tell that you're a great guy though."

"Thanks." Graham smiled sheepishly. "You flatter me too much."

"Anyway… Since we're practically still on a date, how about a good night kiss before you go?" That said, Grace closed her eyes and waited.

One kiss won't hurt, right? He thought, and leaned in slowly, brushing his lips against her cheek. It was an innocent peck, but to her it seemed enough.

Not long after saying 'good night', Graham watched Grace walk down the street, weaving through the crowd of party-goers. He stood there until her shadow was swallowed up by the hordes of people and the dark, before turning around and heading back to his apartment, but not without a small smile plastered onto his face.

No regrets.

The next day, as expected, Billy pounced on Graham the moment he stepped through the doors of the military complex.

"How did it go?" Billy asked while handing him a cup of coffee.

"She was interested, but I said no."

The pony-tailed scientist nearly choked on his coffee, eyes wide with surprise. "WHAT?! Graham, you idiot!"

The ace pilot did not respond, and Billy asked again, "Why?"

"I thought you knew."

"Well I fell asleep a few times so I didn't catch the whole thing, furthermore I didn't know what happened after you guys when out of the restaurant-…" Billy paused. "Wait a minute! How did you know I was spying on you!?"

Graham chuckled. "I know you too well, my friend."

Billy huffed and adjusted his glasses. "But why did you-?"

"Let's just say that I can't imagine myself doing this."

"That," grumbled Billy. "Has got to be the lamest reason I've ever heard. There's got to be some other reason. Maybe you have some kind of female phobia. Or maybe-…" His eyes widened in realization.

"What?"

"Or maybe you're gay!"

"Maybe…" Graham laughed, shaking his blond head.

"Hmph." The scientist sighed while checking his watch. "Hey, I've got a meeting with the Professor right now, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, see you."

"Oh, and Graham?"

"What?"

"You think too much."

Graham waited until his friend disappeared behind the sliding doors, before muttering under his breath,

"So be it."

The End

AN:

This was supposed to be a humor fic, but for some reason it turned out a little darker towards the end. Well, I suck at humor anyway. Grace is just a random OC.

Reviews are welcome.