Disclaimer: I do not own GS/GSD, Bandai and Sunrise own this franchise.
Summary: For them, his return to Orb was just half of the battle. And some wounds are far too deep to see.
Character: Athrun and Cagalli (Follows the GSD timeline)
A/N: This will be a multi-chapter drabble, that should be updated on a weekly basis. Emphasize should.
remiss (adj.): characterized by negligence or carelessness.
Cagalli savored the bittersweet taste as the liquor rolled down her tongue before it burned her throat, and warmed her stomach. She swirled her drink—watching the waves of her plum colored drink crash against the translucent glass. She could feel the tension easing off her shoulders as her mind drifted from the encumbrance of her everyday life.
"Do you like it?" his quiet voice interrupted her thoughts, motioning towards her second glass of the slivovice cocktail.
She turned her eyes to him and nodded timidly—not missing the way his lips thinned. "Do not worry too much about Ambassador Kucera. He will come around."
She shrugged, taking another sip of her drink, "Ambassador Kucera has been around since my father's days. I doubt he would willingly concede."
"Times are different now—things change," he said offhandedly. But the gaze he gave her was full of meaning. She slanted her eyes away from him looking out at the window, where she could see the people milling around the Old Town Square.
She felt the uneasiness seep back through her bones. It clamored against her heart, trying to find a fissure in her guarded walls. When she learned that he would be accompanying her to Prague, she was leery. But she acquiesced and forged on. She could not change the past, but from it she can build a future without imperfections, a future not for her, but for her people who depended on her the most.
Yet as she sat there, she could not help the morose feeling overcoming her. The vulnerability must have been apparent on her features, because he looked at her in concern. "Are you ok?"
She let out a strangled laugh, "Kenichi had always warned me to watch my drinking."
If her mind was sharper, Cagalli would have noticed the perturbed look marring her companion's face at the mention of her head of security. "He may have a point," he conceded pushing his emptied glass across the table.
"Yes, more often that I'd care to admit," she replied thoughtfully.
For a moment he was pensive, "he seems like a good man."
"That he is." She turned and he held her gaze—far longer than she would have liked. She suddenly had the urge for fresh air. "I should probably head back to the hotel. Our flight back is early tomorrow morning. I probably need to get some rest."
She wrapped her light coat around her before hurriedly making her way back. She felt like a small child running away, and sighed in frustration. She didn't get a few steps from the tavern, before she felt his presence beside her. Their walk back was short and silent.
Once they reached her room, he entered first to do a cursory check inside. A task he had religiously completed since they arrived at the city. Satisfied with his survey, he began to head back to the door. Crossing the little hallway, before he stopped in front of her, "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." His voice filled the room with warmth.
She looked up at him, as he towered over her. She could not remember the last time they stood so close to each other. It was now easy for her notice how time had matured his face with a more angular outline. But his eyes, they were as green as she remembered them to be.
It took longer for her to realize that she had been openly staring at him. And finally took note that he too was carefully tracing her face with his eyes. A shiver travelled through her body, and attempted to shake it off by breaking the silence she created.
"Thank you," she whispered, even as his hand softly caressed her cheek. And before her sluggish mind could react, he leaned in. His lips touching hers in an aching manner, begging for something she could not comprehend. Her eyes began to close, not fully realizing that her body had started to react to his familiar touch.
And she thought of things she had tried to forget. She thought of a promise. She thought of hope that resided deep down her walls. Her mind blared out in alarm, and she quickly pushed her hands against his chest.
The impact of what they had done, of what she had just let happen slowly sunk heavily against her mind. Her sight blurred as she hid her faced behind the curtain of her hair. "I can't…I can't do this.." she murmured weakly at him.
"Cagalli..." his tone contrite.
She twisted away from him, creating distance between the two. "Please," she grounded out, "I'd rather be left alone right now."
They stood torturously in silence, and she could sense his eyes on her. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity before she heard the soft click of the door. She released the breath she was holding and sagged against the wall.
She struck the wall beside her in frustration.
Oh, what a pair of fools they make.
