This story was written for the fanworks challenge '101 ways to snog en route to a colony' to celebrate GWAddiction's two-millionth hit, which was organized by Psyche and Dracostella. (Thanks, guys!) This fic is archived under Snog 54. It is a fusion of the anime and manga (hence Trant and Hilde being old friends).

Number One

—

Trant passed the last marker and, bringing the suit to a halt, checked his time. It wasn't bad, but he knew he could do better, if only the suit would let him. Still, the old space Leo was holding together pretty well for its age. The com crackled to life and the voice told him: "Very good, Trant, but I think that's enough for one day. I don't want the Alliance to catch wind of this."

"I gotcha, Mr. Schbeiker, but I doubt they'd care about such an insignificant little colony."

"You're probably right," the man said, "but I don't want to take any chances. Return to the ship."

"Yes, sir!"

—

Hilde wasted no time, rushing out to meet him as soon as the cargo hold doors had closed. "The great mobile suit pilot Trant Clark returns!" she joked, trying to sound like a news anchor with a deep voice. He opened the suit's hatch and she jumped up onto it, steadying herself against the Leo's chest before she drifted too far. "That was awesome, Trant. Best time yet." She beamed.

Trant chuckled as he pulled off the gloves of his astrosuit. It had cost him a few months' wages brand-new, unlike the beat up Leo with its mismatched junkyard arms, but was just another show of his seriousness. "Thanks, Hilde," he said. "It could have been a lot better, though. This Leo's a little slow."

"Well, we'll just have to do something about that."

"No, it's nothing that can be fixed. It's too old, and the design has its limits, you know. My reaction time keeps getting faster, but the suit wasn't made to grow with the pilot."

"You need something more challenging," Hilde offered with a knowing smile. "We'll have to set up a more difficult course for you next time."

Trant laughed, ruffling her short dark hair. "You've always got a solution for everything, don't you, Hil?" Then he sobered. "I've been thinking about joining the Academy again. I think the OZ Space Forces would take me now, don't you?"

As he had expected, her cheerful mood faded and the smile she wore became a worried one. "But that's still a long way off," she said. "Isn't it?"

He shrugged. "I'm fifteen. That's old enough to start mobile suit training. Besides, your dad thinks I'm ready. He said I have a born talent and that it would be a shame to waste it."

"That traitor." Hilde forced a laugh as she rolled her eyes, but her voice wavered a little bit.

"He's right, you know."

"Yeah, I know." She sighed. "I just don't want you to go away. You've been my best friend since I was, like, five. We've never been apart that long."

"I'll come back, of course," he assured her, tilting her chin up. "You'll see, I'll become the best mobile suit pilot there ever was. And then I'll find a place for us on L-1 and you'll never have to work with junk again. I just can't sit on my ass on that tiny little colony all my life, fixing people's cars and TVs. I wanna do something for Outer Space. I want to change things, Hilde."

"You just want to be famous," she said with a sad smile, her voice cracking as she lowered it. She looked like she would cry whenever he brought up the subject, but she never did. Laughing about it seemed to make her feel better, allowing her to believe there was always going to be a long while before he left. It sometimes irritated him that she wouldn't take his vision seriously. Now she finally was, and it made him feel a little guilty. "All right," she said. "The truth is, I'm afraid if you go away, you'll never come back. I don't want you to die, Trant."

"I'm prepared for that," he said but wasn't sure if he meant it.

"You're really serious this time!"

"I got an application online yesterday."

"God damn it, Trant!" She threw herself on him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and pressed her lips to his. It was an awkward, inexperienced kiss but it stunned him nonetheless. He was used to her physical expressions of anger. This was completely new. He was at a loss as to how to respond.

When she pulled away, a tear rolled down her cheek. "Don't you get it yet? That's why I don't want you to leave! But if you're so determined, then I guess I'll have to become a pilot too."

12/17/02
Thanks for reading. :D