I love rewrites! This one is actually a rewrite of one of our fics on Lali's own page it was called With or Without You. It was originally going to be an edit and then transfer, but we ended up with an entirely new first chapter.
We've been working on the fic as a whole for about ten years and have finally been able to get this typed. Please enjoy and please review. Thank You!
Disclaimer: We do not own Gundam Wing, if we did, we would have been some pretty fantastic five and seven year olds and Lali wouldn't be going through an ice chai latte with drawl. The ice chai latte is very important to her well being.
Meet Me Halfway
By: Ryu and Lali
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Chapter One: Alive
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The year is after colony 197.
Mobile suits have been destroyed, and the Preventers Organization has been expanded from the Earth, into the Colonies. To prevent further situations, such as the Mariemaia incident, the Earth Sphere Unified Nation has been abolished, and in doing so, the Earth Sphere has chosen to fall under one just ruler, and elected the former Queen, Relena Darlian-Peacecraft back into her rightful position. She now resides in the former Sanc Kingdom, and with the aid of Quatre Raberba Winner of the Winner Corporation, she's gradually been rebuilding the ancient city, restoring it to its former glory. The world is now at peace and knows that if it came down to it, and if asked, Relena would step down, for she was far from being a tyrant.
The Gundam pilots have found themselves moving on from their war torn lives and have sought out some form of normalcy. Duo Maxwell had returned to the L2 Colony cluster, taking up residency with Hilde Schbeiker, who he'd met during the first 'Operation Meteor'. In further effort to move on with his life, he proposed to the woman. They now reside in the Sanc Kingdom for their duration of their wedding arrangements. Following his marriage, he intends to work part time with the Preventers.
'Trowa Barton' returned to the L3 colonies with Catherine Bloom, and following a DNA test, run by none other than Sally Po, they finally had tangible evidence that the two were indeed siblings. Upon this discovery, the man decided to make Earth his permanent home, and went into Preventor housing, signing on as a full time employee. On weekends, he still works with the Circus Troop, and visits his sister. Despite discovering his birth name, and the turmoil caused by the Barton foundation, he has now legally registered his name as Trowa Barton.
Quatre Raberba Winner has returned to the L4 colonies, and has taken over his late father's business. He is handling the repairs for his own colony, as well as heading the rebuild of the Sanc Kingdom on Earth with Relena Peacecraft. He has homes in both locations, as well as several others across the globe, for traveling convenience. He has slowly started to reconnect with his twenty-nine older sisters. The Maganac Corps. are still close with him. Although he is busy with the Winner Corporation, and heading the L4 colony cluster, he is still an active member of the Preventer organization, and is one of their head financial backers.
Wufei Chang, following the downfall of the Mariemaia Army, returned to Preventer headquarters with 'Preventer Water', Sally Po. He has since signed on as a full time employee, and also lives in Preventer housing. He has become Sally Po's full time partner, and in doing so, carries out a majority of the organization's missions. Their involvement with each other is unclear. They are currently stationed in Mexico.
Upon his return, Zech Merquise, AKA Milliardo Peacecraft, continued his work with the Preventers. Lucrezia Noin continues to stay by his side, even following the Mars Terri formation Project. Although things were strained between the two out in space, they are returning to the Sanc Kingdom to live together in Peacecraft Manor along with Relena.
Lady Une continues to head the Preventor Organization. Upon being released from the hospital, and following a legitimate DNA test, Lady Une has formally adopted Mariemaia Khushrenada. The girl was proven to indeed be the late Treize Khushrenada's daughter, despite previous speculation. Although confined to a wheel chair presently, Lady Une is hopeful that the child will someday walk again. Post-Christmas Eve of AC-196, she continues to keep her son out of the public light until she is ready for him to be acknowledged by the world. The young child is currently seven months old.
And Gundam Pilot Heero Yuy?
Although he is currently off the map, the others catch glimpses of him from time to time, and he is present for every public appearance made by Relena Peacecraft. His true involvement with the Preventors is unknown. He is everywhere and anywhere, as needed.
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Chapter One- Alive
Spring: 197
Preventor Headquarters: Lady Une's Office
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"Glad to have you two back." Une smiled. "The Mars project lasted far longer than I originally thought, sorry about that. You two must have been going stir crazy out there alone."
Noin sighed, and rolled her eyes.
"That's the understatement of the century." She muttered, sitting down beside Zechs at Une's desk. "Next time, send us someplace with more human life, where we can stay in civilization. I don't think I could handle solitary confinement with this man again. I love him to death, but he's not the most sociable of us all." She joked, nudging the blonde affectionately.
Une only chuckled. She knew Zechs well. With those few short years she spent at Treize's side, she knew the man better than most. She had been privy to many conversations between the two men, and it was more of Treize speaking, and Zechs either agreeing or disagreeing, without so much a word being uttered from the blondes mouth. Therefore, she could fully understand Noin's frustrations, at having been locked alone in a spaceship with the man.
To Une, Zechs Merquise, or rather, Milliardo Peacecraft, was sneaky and she had never liked him.
"Don't worry; I haven't much planned for the two of you for some time. Go home, relax and have a good time. You both deserve it. Take a load off, eat some good food, and keep Relena company."
Noin grinned, and rose from her seat stretching, while Zechs simply sighed.
"I half expected Yuy to be lurking around the manor...guess even I can be proven wrong. I hate to think that she's been alone during our duration in space." He muttered.
"We don't exactly keep tabs on Heero, he's more of a free agent. He's mysteriously here when we need him, but outside of that, we haven't the slightest idea where he's located. Relena hasn't been alone though, she visits this establishment frequently, and Duo's staying with her while he plans his wedding, as is Hilde."
"Figures." He huffed, returning to Noin's side.
The raven haired woman only rolled her eyes at him once more.
"You seriously need to stop being so anti-social, you were never this bad with OZ." Noin sighed, half dragging the man out of the office.
Une couldn't help but laugh as the two retreated. It seemed that Noin was beginning to get frustrated with the man at last several years too late in her opinion.
At least she had the simple pleasure of knowing that the man would be fully annoyed over the next few days.
After all, she had neglected to tell the two that Quatre was also staying at the Manor for the duration of the wedding... and after Noin's frequent complaints from space, it was common knowledge that the Lightning Count loathed one Quatre Raberba Winner with the fiery passions of hell.
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Peacecraft Manor: Dining Room
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"Ya know, you have such a huge house... but no one filling it, seems a damned waste in my opinion..." Duo muttered, banging his forehead on the dining table.
Relena nearly choked on her morning coffee withholding her laughter. Hilde however, chuckled openly, and patted him on the head.
"Are you implying that you want to move in on a permanent basis Duo?" Relena asked, raising an eyebrow.
A small smile played across her lips. Hilde rolled her eyes.
"Don't mind him Relena, he's just frustrated with how turned around he gets in this big house."
"Sure... both of you laugh at me. Figures! It ain't funny! I spent an hour, an HOUR trying to get back to bed after my run to the kitchen last night... Every door I opened was some empty living chamber! I swear, next time I see Quatre, he's getting an ear full... honestly! Where the heck did he disappear to anyway, shouldn't he be eating here with us?" He groaned, stabbing a bite of his omelet, shoving it in his mouth. "Seriously, how many bedrooms does this place have? I think I kept getting turned around, I was definitely gone an hour, I looked at my watch..."
"He went to meet with up with Trowa at the shuttle port... he only just arrived this morning." She answered smoothly. "And to answer your question, twenty-seven... and that's just the living chambers, of various styles. We also have four libraries, a medical wing, the main ballroom, the smaller, upstairs ballroom, two sitting rooms, and various other wings for other occasions." She stated, watching as Duo gaped like a fish.
"Who the HELL needs twenty seven bedrooms!" He roared, throwing his hands into the air. "You have TWO people living in this place! TWO! It's not needed!"
By this point, Hilde was in hysterics, clutching her stomach as she doubled over in her chair.
"That's not entirely true." Relena giggled, finally giving up on drinking her coffee. "There are several people staying here. There is of course myself, and Pagan, but my brother will be staying here from tonight on after, along with Ms. Noin, and well," She trailed off with a sigh. "Heero also has his own living quarters... he even chose where he wanted to stay himself, but I'm lucky to catch a glimpse of him once every two weeks, usually only around my conferences. I have the slightest feeling that he slips in on some nights, but he doesn't exactly announce his arrival. I just gradually notice that things in his room disappear, or new things turn up. But at least those small differences let me know that he's still around, even if it is only in the shadows. At the very least, I know he's doing alright, and I'm plenty satisfied." She sighed once more, slumping in her chair.
By this point, she seemed to decide it was safe to take another chance with her coffee.
Duo narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms.
"Okay, so there are a total of FIVE live in residents. You still don't need all of that room, it's ridiculous. Quatre's insane if he thinks those rooms will ever be occupied..." he muttered. "And as for Heero, for the love of god woman, tell the man how you feel! He needs to get his head out of his ass and open his eyes! The guy needs a serious reality check." He huffed.
Relena only groaned in embarrassment, which earned Duo a harsh glare from Hilde.
"Duo... I'm fine with the way things are, honestly, I simply happy that he's not gone and disappeared like he did last time. I won't scare him off by whining to him about my ridiculous feelings. It's not fair to him, and I don't think I could deal with him leaving just because I couldn't keep my stupid mouth shut..."
Hilde nodded in agreement, and sipped at her milk before picking up her toast.
"I agree with Relena. If I were in her position, I'd simply be content with the progress made."
Duo only stared at the ceiling in frustration.
"Great. both of you are against me." He grumbled. "Look Relena, I say you wait for a night that you KNOW the guy's in the building, and slip into something sheer and sexy-"
"Duo! I can't believe you!" Hilde screeched, smacking the man with her cloth napkin. "You have to think of what two people you're talking about! Look at her!" She growled, pointing to towards Relena.
Duo raised an eyebrow, and turned his head towards the girl, fighting back the laughter that threatened to escape him.
Relena sat, both arms on the table, face held in a hand, only slightly hiding the fact that she'd gone red as a tomato.
Duo laughed nervously, and ran a hand through his bangs.
"Sorry 'Lena... got a bit carried away there... I do tend to forget that neither of you are exactly normal." He snickered.
"Clearly." she muttered, knocking back the rest of her coffee.
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Just outside the Sanc Kingdom
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Quatre smiled as the Peacecraft Manor slowly came into view. He'd been glad to have another chance to get away, and had been so very grateful to Rasid for taking over for him in his absence. He wouldn't have missed Duo's wedding for the world.
"You look extraordinarily happy all of a sudden." Trowa spoke up suddenly.
Quatre turned and beamed at the man.
"I'm just so happy for Duo! It's about time one of us settled down. Unfortunately, most of us are too caught up in work, our pasts, or ourselves to find anyone special. Regardless, this is a joyous time!"
Trowa only chuckled.
"Personally, I don't think it's too late for you. I still don't know why you refused to make a move all of last year-"
"Trowa!" The blonde whined, hiding his head in his hands. "I've already discussed this matter with you. It's just not going to happen and even if it did happen, it would never work out. No matter how hard we worked at the relationship." The man groaned, moving to glare at the roof of the vehicle.
"I'm just saying, that's all." The brunette shook his head with a sigh, and let his eyes drift closed for the remainder of the ride.
There would be no reasoning with Quatre.
The next ten minutes passed quickly, despite the silence, and Trowa was surprised to see Duo waiting for them on the front steps. He eyed the braided man curiously, taking in his less than please expression with a tinge of humor.
As the car came to a stop, he wrenched open his door, and watched Duo squirm in anticipation as Quatre too exited the vehicle.
"YOU!" The man roared, stomping over towards Quatre.
The blonde flinched, and Trowa fought back a snicker as Quatre's eyes widened drastically as the man approached.
"What?" He squeaked, backing away from Duo, his arms outstretched in a protective manner.
"You...you...I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" The man groaned, clasping his hands around the blonde's shoulders. "How could you make a house so incredibly huge and impossible to navigate? Do you have any idea how LOST I got last night? It was like being in the twilight zone...it was a nightmare! Dude, I've lived in the L2 underground, and gotten less lost than I do in this ridiculous house!"
Quatre blinked.
"That's what this is all about? Seriously Duo?" Quatre looked relieved, and a smile even slipped onto his face at this realization.
Duo only frowned, sighing as he shook his head sadly.
"None of you truly understand me, except my darling Hilde...such a shame. I guess I'll have to put up with all of this group's oddities for the rest of eternity. How will I ever survive?" Duo chuckled, dramatically flipping his hair.
"You could perhaps start by cleaning up the potato chip mess that has decided to carpet the floor beside the bed?" Duo's head snapped over his right shoulder, only to find Hilde glaring playfully at him.
"Eh? I don't recall seeing any chips." He smiled, batting a hand at her, feigning innocence.
"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't. Regardless, go pick it up. I don't eat salt and vinegar chips. They can't possibly be mine, although I can't begin to think why you'd eat them either." She giggled as his shoulders slumped and he looked to Quatre once more.
"This ain't over buddy... mark my words! I want a map of this place laid out on my bed by 6pm, sharp, or I might just get cranky." He huffed, allowing his fiancé to drag him back into the manor.
Quatre watched in amusement as Duo disappeared from view. Slowly, he turned towards his friend, and began to laugh.
"Duo can be such a spazz, but I love him anyway..." He giggled.
Trowa nodded, and stretched back against the car frame.
"I hate to ask this of you, considering that we just got here, but could you go to headquarters for me?"
Trowa raised an eyebrow.
"What for?"
Quatre sighed, and began walking towards the steps.
"Duo might actually become a little less than pleasant if he doesn't get his map. Unfortunately, the only copy of the Peacecraft Manor's blue prints are in headquarters' high security vault, and I couldn't possibly create the whole thing from memory, and God forbid I document something wrong." He laughed. "So, can you? You could put that new bike of yours to good use."
The brunette cracked a smile, and nodded.
"Sure, why not?"
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Peacecraft Manor: Front Steps
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Upon entering the building, Trowa had headed straight to the parking garage in search of his motorcycle, and Quatre had headed down the halls in search of Relena. He'd found her in her office, working on documents regarding L5's restoration and repairs. After some quick chit chat, and recommending the best choice in power generators, he'd left her to her own decisions, and had opted to sit back and relax in one of the music rooms.
Around this same time, Zechs and Noin finally arrived back at the manor, for the first time since its completion. Upon their last stay, much of it had still been under massive construction.
"Wow, they really went all out with this place, didn't they?" Noin murmured in awe.
Zechs only grunted, and headed back towards the rear of the truck.
"It's gaudy, and pretty much pointless. I'm pretty sure you could see this place clear as day from any satellite. It's a security risk." He grumbled, heaving some of the boxes and luggage from the truck.
Noin only let out a frustrated groan, and shook her head.
"If that were the case Zechs, Heero would have put his foot down before the blueprints were even approved by Lady Une."
He froze.
"Must you mention that kid? The world doesn't revolve around 'Heero Yuy'and Relena shouldn't seek his approval on anything." He muttered, tossing more of their things from the back onto the cement.
"She shouldn't need YOUR approval either, Zechs."
The man stopped, and peered at her from behind the vehicle, eyes wide.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Noin rubbed her temples, and rounded the truck to help Zechs with the rest of the luggage.
"Simply put, she shouldn't have to seek your approval on Heero. What she does with her love life has nothing to do with you-"She ended in a gasp as Zechs dropped the next bag he'd picked up.
"Love life! What haven't you been telling me! I swear, if he's so much as-"
"Shut up and let me finish!" She roared, tugging on the man's hair. "I said NOTHING about Heero having done anything. What I was getting at was, if Relena is in love with Heero Yuy, regardless if he loves her back or not, it's not really any of your business. She doesn't need your approval to love, and I'm pretty sure that it truly upsets her when you bad mouth him in front of her. She really cares for the guy, and personally, I think Heero really needs that, from someone!"
"Whatever Noin." The man grumbled, tossing her a bag. "Let's not start this argument, forget we ever said anything. We should simply just be happy we're home." He sighed, lifting a new bag of his own from the back.
Noin watched him for a moment before sighing.
"Yes, you're right. I guess. I'm sure things will be less tense once we're settled in."
With that said, Pagan, with Duo close on his heels, began down the steps towards Zechs' truck.
"Need a hand there you two?" The braided man chuckled, wrapping an arm around Noin's shoulders. "You've got TONS of crap to move inside! It'll take you forever with just you two. Pagan's just here to lead the way. I get mega lost in this place." He trailed off with a nervous laugh.
Zechs only shot Noin an 'I told you so' look, and she grimaced.
"That's nice of you Duo, yeah, I'm pretty sure we need the help." Noin smiled weakly, slipping several of the bags over her back, and grasping even more in her arms. "Lead the way Pagan!"
The old man smiled warmly, and lifted two of the smaller bags before turning back towards the manor and climbing up the stairs, Noin following behind him. Duo watched Zechs curiously as he continued to empty the truck, and then lifted several of the boxes up.
"Hey Zechs, chill will ya? You're such a downer, think happy thoughts, and get on with your day." He laughed, and then he two followed Pagan and Noin into the house.
Zechs watched him leave with a glare planted on his face.
"Idiots... all of them... Each and every one of those pilots are imbecile children..." He hissed, yanking more boxes forward. "I swear, Maxwell better not be planning on moving in for I don't care how big of a house it is, I'll end up strangling him..."
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Peacecraft Manor: Music Room II
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Quatre's eyes were lidded as his fingers skated across the ivory keys, the music bursting from the inner cords of the grand piano, shutting out the rest of the world. Here, playing the piano, he was able to truly relax and forget any tasks and problems at hand. It was only after pounding out the final notes, that he slumped his tensed shoulders, and let loose a heave of a sigh.
"You're very good. I can't tell you enough." A voice rang out from behind, stripping the sudden numbing silence from the room.
The blonde jolted, and flung himself from the keys, as if burned. He toppled over backwards over the small bench, and the lid to the keys came crashing down with an eerie, echoing ring. His head hit the ground with an audible smack.
Noin winced, and immediately rushed to his side, helping him right himself, and untangle his legs from the bench's.
"M-Ms. Noin!" He gasped, nearly flailing as her hands slipped under his arms as she yanked him back, and up onto his feet. "I… I didn't know that you had arrived yet. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to greet you. I was just..."
He hadn't seen her since he had visited her and Zechs in space. He had left on a very awkward note, and he still wasn't sure where he stood with her since then. For her to speak to him after he had not called her in nearly a month, he was thankful but extraordinarily shocked. Though, his klutziness in the matter really was out of shock more than anything else.
"Taking a break?" She smiled, and he could feel the heat rise to his face.
The blonde sat back now on the now righted piano bench and she followed, standing behind him.
"Yes." he smiled weakly, rubbing the back of his head. He then looked at her a moment and then sighed. "Ms. Noin, I'm… I'm so sorry I haven't called, I…"
"It's alright Quatre." She smiled at him. "I'm fine, I've worked things out with Zechs, things are going great."
"That's great!" Quatre pulled her into a hug. "I'm so happy! I was so worried that things became even more, strained after our- our...well..." He flushed deeply, and hung his head.
Noin only sighed.
"It was my fault Quatre, don't worry about it. I was just- well, you know what the situation was. I hope you can forgive me."
Quatre's eyes widened, and he perked up at once.
"No, no! You did nothing wrong! I mean, I didn't exactly stop you from, well, kissing me, so, in hindsight, I'm just as much to blame for the situation. I may be small, but I could have tossed you across the room, not that I'd ever do so. Lots of upper body strength. Thanks to Sandrock." He laughed nervously, running a hand through the back of his hair.
At this, Noin fell into a fit of hysterics.
"Oh Quatre..." She giggled, shaking her head. "Honestly, things are fine. Let's just put it behind us, alright?"
Quatre sighed, but smiled warmly as he nodded his head.
"Of course."
"Good." Noin too smiled, and slowly slipped her arms around the blonde's shoulders, resting her body against his back, and her head against his own. "Now, I want your hands back on those keys at once. Don't disappoint me, Quatre."
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Britain Shuttle Port
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He stepped off the shuttle swiftly, taking in a deep breath of air, smiling widely as he made his way from the roped in passenger walkway. He adjusted his sunglasses, and ran a hand through his shaggy hair as he gazed up at the blue sky.
"Earth... it's great to be back." he sighed contently, pausing to retrieve his single bag of luggage from the assisting stewardess.
He looked around the port awkwardly, realizing that unlike previous trips to and from the colonies, no one would be waiting to retrieve him. With a small sigh, he slipped into one of the terminal seats, and rested his head lazily in one hand.
What to do...
He would have to rent a vehicle...or perhaps even summon a taxi, something he'd not once done in the course of his life. But what then? Should he reserve a hotel room? Perhaps a suite? Who knew how long he'd be stuck living in one.
Such a troublesome situation...
"It will have to do for now." He murmured, standing once more with a sigh.
With that, he made his way back outdoors to summon a taxi.
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Peacecraft Manor: Dining Room
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"Why the hell are you here? No one invited you." Zechs huffed, staring the other blonde down.
Quatre only cocked his head, and simultaneously, Noin nearly inhaled her cappuccino.
"Zechs!" She cried smacking the man on the shoulder.
"For your information, brother, he was invited. Quatre is welcome in this home whenever he wishes to stay. Also, let's not forget that its Duo's wedding, and that Quatre was obviously invited. I don't understand your dislike for the man; he's never wronged you in anyway." Relena sighed, shaking her head sadly.
"That is what you think." Zechs gritted.
The man was not in the least bit happy that the blonde was there, sitting in his dining room, at his dining table, eating his food, and talking to his girlfriend as if nothing had ever happened between them.
Regardless if that kiss in space had been accidental or not, it had still occurred, and he was not one for forgiveness...
"So Duo, you never did tell us what provoked you enough to pop the question to Hilde." Quatre smiled, quickly changing the subject. "I mean, we all knew you two were living together, but to be honest, you two never really hinted at having a relationship, at least in the presence of us." he chuckled, propping his head up on his knuckles.
Duo blushed, and laughed sheepishly.
"Well... you see..." He stumbled across his words, his cheeks aflame.
"That's because there wasn't one." Hilde giggled.
All attention turned towards her, and she too began to blush.
"You see... even though we were living together, and we clicked, we weren't really dating or anything. Don't get me wrong, there was a hell of a lot of wishful thinking on my part, but with the missions, Duo was gone way too much, and as much as I'd like to say I did, I really didn't know much about him. For a guy who practically never shuts up, he was pretty quiet about his personal life." She sighed.
Duo only groaned, and buried his face in his hands.
"Yeah...you're kind of right. I mean, let's face it Duo, you have a LOT to say, all the time, but as well as we know you, in the present, I can't recall you ever really having talked about anything prior to operation meteor." Quatre murmured, realization sinking in.
"Ah well, I just don't like dwelling on the past too much. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant fourteen years, prior to Operation M." He chuckled. "Yeah, everything that's happened up to this point is significant to how I am now, but I'd much rather live in the present, know what I mean?"
Quatre nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes, I believe I can understand that. Each one of us has our sad memories, as well as those moments we're ashamed of." he sighed, wringing his hands.
Duo easily assumed he was speaking of Trowa's 'accident', but while in presence of the blonde, that subject was taboo.
"Any who, maybe someday I'll have a past worth mentioning to people, but for now, I'm content just taking it day by day." he grinned.
Noin chuckled.
"Cancelling out Operation Meteor, and preventing a Barton Foundation disaster isn't worth mentioning?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Psh... Lady, that's still present day in my world. 'Sides, the whole Mariemaia fiasco was only a few months ago. No one… and I mean no one wants to hear about that crap anymore." He grumbled.
Hilde rolled her eyes.
"We've gotten WAY off topic guys." She smirked, noting the return of Duo's embarrassment as he returned his head to his hands. "As I was saying, Duo and I were really just close friends. I guess that's saying something, considering that I wasn't a part of the group, not until recently anyway. Even during the Libra battle, I was just an outside force acting on my own for the sake of the greater good. We lived together, confided in one another. I gave Duo someone to talk to, outside of the battlefield, outside of the world of the Gundams. I like to think he really enjoyed that." She smiled.
Duo beamed, but the blush remained.
"Of course I did! Between missions, I'd have had nothing to do, no one to talk to. I had no real friends except the other guys, and at the time, we really couldn't get into that friend kind of mood, know what I mean? I wouldn't have had a place to kick back and relax, eat a good meal. Hell, before Operation M, I didn't even really have that. G-man was a total drag, but a great guy none the less." He sighed, sipping at his cola.
"Always glad to hear it, Duo." Hilde laughed, taking a bite of her toast. "But yes... Duo and I picked right back up where we'd left off when Une finally let him leave Earth back in January. We continued making scrap into profit, going about our normal lives, watching television, chatting it up. I still yearned for Duo to stop acting like an ignorant bastard, and realize what I was to him. I kept waiting for him to make that first move, and of course, it never really came. It's amazing, he can be a real flirt, yet at the same time be a total prude. He gets embarrassed too easily." she snickered.
"Hilde! Come on! You're cramping my style!" He whined, groaning into the table cloth, his face flesh against it now in the effort to shelter himself from the several sets of eyes around the table.
"I see what you mean." Relena giggled, biting her lip.
Zechs watched them all drearily, seemingly ready to bang his head against the table top with all the 'girl talk' floating around.
"Yup. Anyways, one day, the day started off like normal. I woke up, showered, attempted to wake Duo from his hibernation...failed, as per usual. Straightened up the house, vacuumed. Tried to wake the guy again, no luck. But then, I made breakfast. Now, if by this point Duo has not woken, it's a sure thing that the mention of food, already cooked, waiting on the table for, will. On this particular morning, even that didn't work. Needless to say, I knew something was terribly wrong. Duo Maxwell does NOT turn down a meal. Ever."
"Men and their stomachs..." Noin muttered, shaking her head sadly.
Zechs coughed, taking another sip of his coffee.
"I'm sorry...I just appreciate the content feeling that I get with a full stomach filled with stuff that's edible, and pleasant on the taste buds. YOU eat cafeteria food for three years straight, and you'll be rather fond of your food too..." He huffed.
"Can I just finish the story?" Hilde sighed, shaking her head.
"Yes, please continue Hilde. You're getting to the good part." Quatre grinned.
A snort sounded from across the table, and everyone turned their gaze to Zechs briefly, before the girl continued.
"Eventually, I managed to drag him out of bed, and get him to the kitchen table. When he barely touched his food, I swore he was ill, but upon investigating, the guy had no fever. He claimed he was fine, and just not hungry. I humored him, for a while. He took a shower, dried his hair. Collapsed back in bed in a tank top and some flannel pajama pants, and popped on the television, nothing special, just the news. He'd left his hair loose, always a pleasant sight. But he lay there all day, seemingly sulking. I went all day wondering what could possibly be eating him. Hell, I even wondered if it had been his birthday or something." She murmured, turning her gaze towards the subject of her story.
"Nah... No clue when it is, just got my age, and even that's a miracle to know." he chuckled, running a hand through his bangs. "Wish I knew though, I could throw one hell of a party now that I've got a decent guest list!" He laughed, leaning back in his chair.
Both Relena and Quatre seemed to be fighting back their giggles.
"Night came, and he was still moping. I turned the lights out, tried to sleep, but the worry was eating away at me. Then Duo scares the living hell out of me by sitting up and the next thing I knew, he was pouring his heart out to me, all because the day upset him and he needed comforting..." She trailed off, a deep flush spreading across her face. "And, well... he got more comfort than he bargained for. I'd had enough of waiting for him, and he went with it. After that, I guess you could say we were officially dating," She gave a nervous laugh, at last sharing the brunette's embarrassment.
Although, no one seemed as embarrassed as Quatre, who at some point during the conversation, had half choked on his tea.
Only Zechs, who had been paying attention, knew that the blonde had nearly had a heart attack when Hilde had hinted at their sexual endeavor. He smirked in amusement, as he too contained his laughter for once.
Hilde couched slightly, and chugged half of her coffee before continuing.
"It was only three days later that we went out to eat, and the idiot choked on his pork bun at the Japanese food stand we'd gone to. Evidently this little ding bat thought it smart to slip an engagement ring into one of the buns, and was so nervous he grabbed the wrong one and nearly shoved the whole thing in his mouth. Imagine my shock when he's coughed his food up, and chugging down a cup of tea, and in the napkin is the ring, amidst shredded pork!" She laughed, nearly doubling over as she went into a fit of hysterics.
Quatre looked appalled.
"You put a ring... in a meat pastry!" He gasped eyes wide. "Could you not have thought of a more romantic method of presentation? Do you not realize that she could have choked, much like you yourself did? A pork bun is bread! Pork! And barbeque sauce of a coagulated nature! What were you thinking!" he squeaked.
Duo and Hilde both could only laugh at his expression.
"Quatre, it suited us perfectly fine! It was epic!" Hilde laughed, pecking Duo on the cheek. "I wouldn't change it for the world."
It was then that Quatre, instead of Zechs, slammed his forehead onto the table top.
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Lords of the Manor Hotel
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He was never taking a taxi cab again...EVER... it was official.
He was not some gallivanting tourist who knew nothing about the area. This was his home dammit! Trying to take him well out of the way to score more of his funds. It was outrageous! At least now that he would be checking in, a limo would escort him when and if he needed to be transported, and this he was grateful for.
He was still muttering to himself as he stepped up to the front desk of the lobby.
"May I help you sir?" The woman behind the counter smiled at him warmly, and he immediately felt the tension is his shoulders slacken.
"Yes... I made a reservation about an hour ago. I'll be checking in now, until further notice." He sighed, pulling his shades away from his eyes, slipping them into his jacket pocket.
The woman beamed at him, and nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes, of course. I'll need your name however, before I can tell you your suite number, and give you your key."
He gave a nervous laugh, and began feeling around for his wallet.
"Silly me, of course you do. Schwartz. Ein Schwartz, ma'am." He answered smoothly, opening his wallet to hand her his I.D. and his bank card.
She observed him for a moment before turning back to her computer briefly.
"Yes, it's right here. You'll be stationed in Suite twenty four sir. Second floor, down the hall to your left. We hope that you will enjoy your stay, and just let us know if you need anything, anything at all. The service phone is on the night stand beside your bed." She chuckled, handing him his room key.
He accepted it happily, placing his wallet back into his coat pocket once more.
He sighed contently as he entered the elevator, too exhausted to climb a single flight of stairs after his long journey.
He had never appreciated the handiness of false identities, forged passports, and fake I.D's, but they had sure come in handy in his time of need...
However, it was simply great to be alive.
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Please Review! Thank you for reading!
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