For my 30 Kisses Challenge:

Title: Athrun's thoughts: Wimps and Chocolates
Author/Artist: Tsubame Ongaku
Pairing: Cagalli Yula Athha and Athrun Zala
Fandom: Gundam Seed/ Gundam Seed Destiny
Theme: (include the # and the theme) #16 invincible; unrivaled and 19 # red and # 23 candy
Disclaimer: I don't own these two characters or the series. This story is purely fictional and had nothing to do with the original series…

Note: This is a repost. I had posted this last Valentines but for some reason, I didn't like it. I spent the next few months trying to find out why. Hahaha... I think it is a little bit better now. I've been needing to post something anyway. I haven't posted anything in a long time...

-gets shot-

I hope you like it. There had been no BIG changes. The biggest change was probably the later part of the story. Please enjoy!

THIS IS MY VERY BELATED HAPPY VALENTINES!!! xD

Athrun's Thoughts: Wimps and Chocolates

By: Tsubame Ongaku

Everybody thought that vampires were just naturally sexy. Everybody thought that Athrun Zala always had his appealing eyes, seductive demeanor and attractively dangerous aura. Isn't that what vampires are famous for? To be too sexy for words? They lure women with their charms that are too sinful and seductive.

But that is not always the case…because a true vampire's charms are not acquired until the vampire reaches their later teens. Before that time, they were quite on their own in the girl department.

Which is very unfortunate for our hero…

And because of that, Athrun Zala felt pathetic….

Compared to the head-strong and aggressive Cagalli Yula Athha, his bestfriend and the love of his life, he was wimp.

Athrun Zala was a vampire of fourteen years of age but he was not a full vampire yet though he had the fangs to prove it. He was thin, he wore big glasses that covered half of his face, but that was not the worst part. He had a face that looked a lot like a girl. He hated his face. It made him feel less of a man. Not to mention that that he was short. He was probably only as tall as Cagalli. He felt undeserving to be with Cagalli but she had been his bestfriend since they were ten.

…And that was also how long he'd been in love with her.

Athrun hated Valentines Day. It always meant chocolates and Athrun hated chocolates. But Cagalli adored chocolates. He knew that. Actually, every male within a ten mile radius knew it. He hated the sickeningly sweet substance that every vampire was allergic to.

"Are you going to give it to her yet?" Kira Yamato, Cagalli's brother asked him. He raked a hand through his chocolate-brown hair. Athrun had known Kira for as long as he'd known Cagalli. Kira knew exactly how Athrun felt about his only sister but the over-protective brother trusted Athrun, despite knowing what he knew. "You've been staring at that package for the past thirty minutes."

Athrun was a vampire. Vampires and chocolates just don't mix. Chocolates gave Athrun and all vampires an allergic reaction that could last for days. But Cagalli loved Valentines. She loved getting chocolate and Athrun loved Cagalli. He hated chocolates but that couldn't stop him from making Cagalli happy.

Athrun pushed up his glasses, still looking very uncertain. Cagalli was popular because she was so beautiful and strong. She was an idol to both the female and male species. To the males, she was a cool, blonde beauty. To the females, she was the perfect Prince Charming and she treated all girls like they were princesses.

While she was every girl's Prince Charming, he was a common squire.

Sure, he was just dandy…

It was all an act of course. Athrun had asked her before why she did it. She had merely shrugged and told him that it made the girls happy. She liked seeing them happy. Athrun also knew that she was already in love with a "Mystery" guy. She still refused to tell him the name. It made him insecure a lot of times. Whoever finally captured the cool beauty's heart must be one great guy.

"I don't know, Kira. I feel stupid," Athrun sighed, sighing at the chocolates again. "She must have gotten a dozen chocolates by now."

"Of course not!" Kira smirked. "I'd say a couple of dozen."

"You're not helping," the young vampire mumbled. He looked out the window and watched Cagalli play volleyball with her team. They were practicing for the finals in a week. She was obviously tired and was sweating like crazy. Her fans cheered for her in the sidelines. She turned and flashed a smile and a wave. It sent them going on a squealing fit.

"She's not helping either…" He went to an even deeper depression. Why did she have to be so popular?

"You won't know anything until you give it a shot, right?" Kira, like his sister, was pretty popular. He was the second smartest student in their school, next only to Athrun, and good-looking to boot. No one in school understood why two of the coolest students in their batch hung out with such a dweeb.

"I want to hurry and grow up!" Athrun punched the wall violently, causing a small crack. He winced inwardly, but not from the pain. It was from the thought of paying for the damage later. "I can't win her like this!"

It was Kira's turn to sigh. He couldn't believe how clueless he was.

The bell rang and bent down to pick up his bag that he had tossed to the floor earlier. Athrun and he had discovered the perfect spot to watch his sister without worrying about Cagalli's numerous fans. It was the empty Chemistry lab above the volleyball court.

It was good while it lasted, but now they had a lot of work to do. "Come on Athrun. We'll be late for club duties." He dragged Athrun out by the ear. "As class president and our batch's representative, you have a responsibility."

"Ow! Ow! Kira, that hurts! Let go of my ear!" Athrun whined but following Kira anyway. "I still want to watch!"

"Stop being such a wimp!"

Below the window, as if sensing something, Cagalli looked up at the Chemistry Lab's window. Her expression saddened, seeing that nobody was watching her now. She can always sense it when "his" eyes were on her. It always made her feel light and giggly inside.

She frowned, thinking about the boy's insensitivity. She had given him so many tips already but still he didn't get that she liked him. He still thought that she liked a "mystery" guy. Sheesh… didn't the guy ever wonder that he and the "mystery" guy had the same hobbies, interests and even looks?

Cagalli even told him that the "mystery" guy had blue hair and green eyes! Did she have to spell it out for him to understand? How dense can a guy be?

If this kept up, she's going to have to…

"Cagalli-sama! You're so cool!"

As if waking from a trance, Cagalli looked up to see her screaming fans waving a banner that said, "Cagalli-sama, you're the greatest!" She laughed and waved to them before serving the volleyball to the opposing side. The fans swooned with delight after seeing her wave. Cagalli knew that she needed to practice. She'll worry about Athrun Zala later.

Athrun ran toward the direction of Cagalli's locker. Practice should be done for the day. Cagalli always waited for him there after practice. The club was more demanding than usual. They had more work for him to do than usual which made him stay longer. Cagalli wasn't the most patient girl in the world.

The only reason he escaped was because Lacus helped him by keeping Kira distracted long enough for him to get away. Kira liked Lacus and Lacus liked Kira but for some reason, they wouldn't confess to each other.

He reached the corner, panting. He saw her, leaning against her locker with an impatient look on her lovely face. He took a minute to watch her.

She looked so different from when they were ten years old. Back then, he always thought she was adorable. He had liked her since he saw her that Halloween night. She was the strangest girl he'd ever met. Although he knew that nothing could ever come from their relationship, he wanted nothing more than to be with her.

Asking her to be with him was a selfish request, he knew. He would be asking her to give up her whole life. But for now, he wanted her to be all his.

He sighed, and was about to step up to her. Then suddenly, a few girls appeared, giggling. They all were carrying small packages. They presented them to her with their faces turning red. Cagalli didn't look surprised at all. She raked her hand through her soft blonde hair and grinned, princely. The girls gasped and ran away squealing.

Athrun sweat dropped. Cagalli knew exactly how the girls saw her and was using it to her advantage. It was both a curse and gift to look so much like both a girl and a prince. When they were together, a lot of times, he'd been mistaken for the girl.

A few minutes later, a few players from the male basketball team passed by and saw her. One guy waved to his friends to leave, leaving just the two of them in an empty corridor. Cagalli always acted differently with guys. She was always cool and indifferent. Very much the opposite to when she was with girls. Athrun always thought that she made an awesome actress.

The guy trapped her between his arms, but Cagalli remained cool. But Athrun knew it was all an act. He knew Cagalli too well. Inside, she was scared stiff. He could sense the trembling of her fingers and nervousness. He could never hide it from him. He was after all… a vampire.

"All the guys say that you're so cool," the unknown student said, he tried to get her to look him in the eye. She kept her eyes away though. "I can see they weren't exaggerating when they said that you were a beauty."

She tried pushing him away, keeping the irritated look on her face. "I thank you for the compliment but don't you have something better to do with your time than to mess with me? I'm waiting for someone."

"I heard that you're so nice to girls but so cold to guys." Cagalli didn't like the look on his face at all. The guy was thinking something and from her experience, it is usually not good.

"I heard that you're going out with that wimp, Zala," he chuckled, maliciously. It sent cold shivers down Cagalli's spine. She knew now that this guy was different from all the others. He couldn't be sent away with just her cool attitude. "Makes sense, since that guy looks like a girl. Why don't I show you what a real man is like?"

"It is guys like you that give men a bad name," she drawled. "Can't you see I'm not interested? Or are you blind? Leave me alone!"

"Aww… come on. Don't be like that." He insisted. "Can't we be friends?" He began to snake his arms around her slim waist.

Suddenly, something in Athrun snapped. Maybe it was the way he was trying to force Cagalli to kiss him or the way he was touching her. Cagalli was doing her best to push him off, while the guy was practically running his hands through her waist. That was the last thing he remembered before his whole world became red.

"Didn't you hear what the lady said, dimwit?" a voice said. "Let her go…"

The boy turned towards the voice. "Who's there?" he demanded, wanting to know who was stupid enough to interrupt him. He could sense the hate in the voice. It was enough to send surges of fear through him.

Athrun emerged from behind the lockers. The other boy almost sighed in relief…but that was before he got a good look at his eyes. These were not the same uncertain… almost girly eyes of the Athrun Zala he was familiar of. His eyes were darker, angrier than usual. They were glazed and looked like burning emeralds.

But what really spooked him was the smile. His smile… wasn't at all cute or gentle. It was the kind of smile that would probably make grown men cry. This was the smile of a demon. A man…without one shred of fear. It was a dark malicious smile that told him that he was capable of many dark things.

Athrun removed his glasses and glared at them, disgustedly, before tossing them aside. They could now see his eyes all too vividly. They could now fully witness the danger in looking at Athrun's eyes. They shown like jewels and were indeed both beautiful and frightening to look at.

"A…ath…Athrun?" Cagalli's voice trembled, even she was uncertain. She smiled nervously, not knowing what to think about Athrun's sudden change in personality. Those were not the eyes she knew. These were the eyes of a … a vampire. But that was impossible. Transformation didn't happen until later in his teens. "Is there something… the wrong?"

He shrugged in reply as he leaned on a nearby locker, and said. "Nothing really…it's just that this idiot…is ticking me off." That smile… she had seen it many times on the lips of other vampires. It was a smile they had before the kill.

"What did you say?!" the other boy grabbed Athrun by the collar and shook him hard. "I dare you to say that again!" He didn't know where Zala suddenly got his guts but he wasn't about to let him get away with insulting him in his own turf.

Without much effort, Athrun twisted the guy's wrist, painfully. "I said that you're ticking me off, you idiot. So, aside from stupid, you're deaf too. Wow! Your parents must be really proud." The other boy yelped in pain, while Athrun just grinned and relished his pain. His grin gave Cagalli a good view of his sharp fangs. "Now, are you going to listen to me? Or do I have to do something drastic? Like…maybe break this precious arm of yours."

"No! Don't do that!" he cried out, his face turning completely pale. "I won't be able to play basketball!"

"Well, too bad…"

"Athrun, stop that!" Cagalli threw herself on his back, wrapping her arms around him. She was crying. Cagalli never cried. "Athrun don't do it! Please! This idiot is just not worth it."

Athrun froze just as he was about to twist the boy's arm. What was he doing? What was he saying? He looked down at the boy, crying out and then the arms wrapped around his waist. "Cagalli?" he finally said softly in a quieter voice. "Are you all right?"

Cagalli laughed half-heartedly. She was still feeling nervous of Athrun's sudden aggressive behavior. She knew vampires were aggressive. Athrun had warned her about that. It never really occurred to her that her Athrun would be like that though he was a vampire. She always thought that he'd remain the sweet and clueless Athrun just she always knew.

Athrun sighed and threw the boy aside without breaking as much as a sweat. The boy was sprawled on the floor. He looked up at Athrun, cowering with fear. Athrun looked at him back blankly before saying, "Leave before I decide to change my mind."

He nodded as he began to back away and suddenly running to the direction of where his friends were. All the while wondering where the wimpy Zala suddenly get his strength… and most of all, his eyes…

He had never seen such eyes before. And he planned never to see them again. His friends were never going to believe him. He would probably become a laughing stock if he told them. Who was going to believe that the wimpiest boy in the school had demonic eyes?

Meanwhile, Cagalli was doing her best to reassure Athrun that she wasn't hurt. But she wasn't very convincing. Her voice trembled too much and she refused to look at him in the eyes. She was too afraid to. She was afraid to look straight at his eyes again. "Athrun, I'm fine----"

But Athrun grabbed her wrist and pushed her to the wall. He took a hold of her chin and forced her to look at him. She gasped. They were still the same frightening eyes but his voice betrayed him. "Did he do anything to you?" He whispered, sounding soft, gentle and worried. It was a voice belonging to the Athrun she knew.

Cagalli was nervous still. She wasn't sure if this was really her Athrun or some imposter taking over his body. The eyes she was seeing didn't belong to him. They still had a look for darkness in them. They scared her. She looked down as she hugged him tighter.

"Cagalli, it is just me…"

it was true, it was his voice she hears but not his eyes she sees. "No!" She shouted, pounding her fists on his chest. "No, you're not! Give him back! Give Athrun back. Give him back!"

He embraced her tighter. "Cagalli, what are you talking about? I didn't got anywhere! Look at me," he said frantically. He was confused. What was she talking about? She was not making any sense. "It's me! Athrun!"

She tried to push him away but then he pulled her chin to meet her eyes with his. "Cagalli!" he screamed, louder than he intended but it did get her to look at him. "It's me…" She gasped. The dark cloud in his eyes was gone. They were back to the clear, gentle green that she always knew. She fell into his arms again, laughing with relief. "Athrun! You're back!"

"Back? Where did I go? Hey, Cagalli!" Athrun was thrown back in surprise and a deep blush appeared on his cheeks. "Are you all right?"

Cagalli stepped back and pounded Athrun on the head as hard as she could. The poor boy yelped out in pain. "You stupid idiot!"

Athrun ran his hand through his head, feeling for a bump. Sure enough, a big lump was there and stinging. He sighed, wondering why it was that every time he was with Cagalli, he always got hurt. "Is this the way you treat your rescuer?" He winced, when his bump began to throb. "If so, remind me not to rescue you again."

Cagalli's face suddenly morphed to one with concern. She didn't mean to hurt Athrun that much. She had only meant to punish him a little for scaring her like that. "Are you all right? Does it really hurt that much?" She ran his hands through his hair, feeling through it and searching for any signs of a lump.

Before Athrun knew it, Cagalli had her face only inches away from him. She felt the lump and suddenly stared deeply into his eyes, worried. "Hey…I'm so sorry. I didn't…. that is… I didn't mean to do this."

Mesmerized by those eyes, Athrun took her hands in his without taking his eyes off hers. These were the eyes he fell in love with. Her eyes were the most beautiful he'd ever seen. Deep amber… but sometimes he mistook them as gold. "I'm fine now." He kissed her knuckles, softly. "I'm touched that you care."

Cagalli finally realized how close their faces were. She wriggled her hands out of his tight grasps and backed away. "I'm happy to hear that." She chuckled, nervously. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Athrun all of a sudden. She could feel that her bestfriend's aura had changed.

She glanced towards him again. Without his glasses, he didn't look at all like a geek. On the contrary, he was incredibly beautiful. She always thought that Athrun looked so much like a girl but though that hadn't changed, he acquired 100 percent male sex appeal. The kindness in his eyes was back but his confidence was still there.

She didn't know how she felt about his sudden change but Athrun was Athrun, right?

"Cagalli, there is something I wanted to give you." He took out a small package from his bag. It was a beautiful, red heart-shaped package tied with a golden, satin ribbon. "Will you be my Valentine, Cagalli Yula Athha?"

Cagalli smiled and breathed out a breath of relief. She almost believed that he forgot. It was the same every year. Athrun always gave her chocolates. It was the reason why loved Valentines so much. It was the only time of the year where she could pretend that Athrun was in love with her.

She took the package and jumped into his arms. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Athrun hugged her back, already blushing furiously. Slowly, he could feel himself revert back to his old self. "No!" He thought. "Not yet! Please! Let me at least tell her one more thing!" He grabbed her forearms and made her look at him. " Cagalli, I----"

Cagalli stared at him in confusion. Before Athrun could even finish another word, all his confidence vanished. He could feel himself begin to stutter, He was fighting an inner battle. He wanted… needed his confidence a little more to tell her of his true feelings.

Seeing the poor vampire stutter, made Cagalli smile. The Athrun she knew was back and she was glad. She wasn't ready for the other Athrun yet. She was well aware of the pheromones that a vampire develops as he advances in age. Athrun had warned her himself and he saw how other vampires were really like. It scared her.

It scared her a lot. She liked the present Athrun, because the present Athrun was cute. He was so unlike all the other guys in their school. At that moment, Athrun was so red it looked like he was going to turn into a giant tomato. She giggled at the comparison. How she loved this boy so much. She stood on her tip toes and brushed her lips lightly on his cheeks. "Thank you, Athrun."

He smiled weakly, he had lost his confidence to tell Cagalli his true feelings again. "You're welcome," he mumbled. Why hadn't he said it? He really felt like a dork now. He squatted to the floor, feeling more down than he had been earlier.

Cagalli giggled at his forlorn expression. He looked so pitiful. He was probably feeling angry at himself at that moment. She squatted to his eyelevel and smiled. "Thank you Athrun." She brushed her lips lightly on his in a featherlike kiss before standing. "That is my advanced White Day present."

He couldn't move, all he could do was sit still as his whole face turned as red as a tomato. He wasn't able to say anything after all. He touched his lips, embarrassed yet happy. It was just their lips touching for a brief second but it was enough to send his heart soaring.

She laughed, seeing his adorably red face. "Let's do this again next year?" This was in truth a yearly tradition to them. Athrun gave her chocolates and Cagalli would give him a kiss in return. This had been their tradition since they were ten years old.

With his face still as tomato-red, he refused to look at her in the face. With his face bent, he asked, "So, where is Kira and Lacus? I thought they wanted to celebrate Valentines with us." Then he realized that Cagalli wasn't carrying a bag a chocolates like every year. "Where are your other chocolates? I was going to help you carry them."

"What other chocolates?" She replied innocently. "You over overestimate my popularity, Athrun." She laughed

"Really?" He replied naively. "This is a first. You usually get a bag ort two of chocolates every Valentines. I wonder why it stopped since last year." Last year, he noticed that the only chocolate she ever received was from him. It was really strange. Where did they all go.

She shrugged and insisted. "I didn't receive anything else. I'm a girl. Why would they give me chocolates?" She began to push Athrun out the exit. "Athrun, why don't you go ahead? Kira should be waiting outside and I still have some stuff to do."

Confused, Athrun just did as he was told. "Okay, just hurry. Kira and I will wait for you."

She nodded, then Athrun disappeared through the exit door. Cagalli turned and ran towards her locker. She stepped aside before opening it. Chocolates began to pour out. It was the same every year. She picked up all the chocolates and stuffed them into a paper bag that she kept in her backpack. When she was finally sure that no one was looking, she threw the bag into the nearest garbage can without even flinching.

She accepted no other's Valentine except Athrun's. She wanted him to be her one and only Valentine. She liked him that much. Besides, the thought of receiving chocolates from a faceless person disgusted her. She didn't know more than half the people that came to talk to her everyday. It really annoyed her but she had to keep up the façade. It was for Athrun…

Many people thought that she was crazy to like him so much. It probably is… but for her he was the most fascinating person she'd ever met and she thought so when they were ten years old and it won't change. How could she forget the first time they met? She gave him allergies.

She had visited him at his house everyday. Even then, Athrun was living alone. She took care of him and little by little she got to know him. Back then, she thought it was just an infatuation that was slowly growing but now she understood that their meeting was just simply love at first sight.

She didn't know what awaited her relationship with held but she was not afraid.

"Kira, why do you trust Athrun with your sister?" Lacus asked, they were still waiting for their two other companions to arrive. "You do know that he's a vampire, right?" Lacus had been a close friend of the twins since they were in kindergarten. They didn't hide anything from her.

Kira thought about it and replied, "I seriously don't know why. I just have this gut-feeling every time we're around him that told me that he could be trusted." Kira was the one that convinced Athrun to let him tell Lacus. She was the twins' closest friend for years. They could trust her with their lives.

He loved her long pink hair and the most innocent looking eyes he'd ever seen. Lacus was not only beautiful but also talented, smart and rich. Kira always felt small next to her. He didn't deserve to even touch one hair on her head, he knew that. He confessed though that he'd given in to temptation more than once. She was a beautiful person inside and out. He didn't understand why she loved him so much or what she ever saw in him.

Why did she have to have that beautiful, silky hair? Why did she have to look at him with eyes pleading him to protect her? Why did she have to smell like the sweetest lavender? Why did she have to trust him so much?

What was he thinking? He tried to shake his head clear but even that wasn't working.

Lacus stared at him, while twirling a strand of her long hair and unaware of the troubled thoughts in Kira's head. She was still thinking about Kira's remarkable instincts. She knew that Kira's instincts could be trusted, especially when it came to judging people. That was why she always trusted his judgment when he says that someone couldn't be trusted. He had never been wrong.

"What if… he turns her into a vampire?" she whispered. "It is inevitable if they continue on like this."

Kira became silent for a while but then finally smiled. "That is none of my business now. My sister loves the guy despite what I might think and I do believe that she chose a great guy." He sighed, sadly. "If only he wasn't a vampire, I'd be rooting for them."

Lacus hugged Kira and buried her face in his chest. "You're such a good guy, Kira." That is why I love you… But she didn't say the last part. She liked Kira since they were kids in their kindergarten playground. But she never had a chance to tell him. She would one day…

"Kira! Lacus!" They heard Athrun's voice in the distance. They automatically leaped away. Their cheeks were still red when Athrun arrived. He wondered if they had missed something.

Judging from their flushed faces though, he did…

White Day: A Japanese celebration where the guy returns the gift the girl gave to him. If you are wondering why they exchanged roles, don't ask. I just thought that it would be something they would do. Athrun looks like a girl anyway, so why not? Hahaha… I am so mean…