A/N: Thanks for the great reviews and thanks for sticking with me as the updates slow due to my college semester!
First part of Day 6! I'm splitting it into two chapters so there will be extra updates since I don't have as much time to write with school going on!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 or any of its characters.
"Dublin is so busy!" Feldt said in a surprised tone as she watched the city buildings roll by from her passenger seat window.
Lyle glanced at the girl next to him wordlessly before returning his blue eyes back to the narrow road in front of him. He wasn't quite sure how to act around Feldt yet so he was keeping a little distance between them until he figured out what was going on. They pulled up in front of their hotel and Lyle threw the van into park.
"Hurry up and get out, I can't stay on the side of the road for long," he told them with a rushed wave.
The Dublin streets were multilane and incredibly narrow. Cars and buses zoomed recklessly around and Feldt's eyes grew wide as she hesitated. The others clamored out of the vehicle quickly and Feldt looked from Setsuna who was standing outside of the van to Lyle who was staring at her with raised eyebrows.
"Go on Feldt, I've got to find a place to park."
The pink haired girl nodded with a swallow and hopped out onto the cement sidewalk. Setsuna watched her with dark brown eyes before turning as Lyle hit the accelerator and the van jerked back onto the road. The group watched him disappear down the street and turned to look at their hotel. It was tall and had a large amount of glass on the outside instead of solid walls which made it practically see through.
"I wonder what we'll be subjected to today," Tieria muttered as he glanced up at a giant clock hanging on one of the nearby buildings.
"That was a long drive from Derry, it's late afternoon now so I'm not sure what we've got time for," Allelujah shrugged and added, "It's hard to believe we leave tomorrow."
"Back to work…" Feldt trailed off with a small frown.
"It's necessary," Setsuna told her.
Feldt nodded slowly, "I know that, but I enjoy seeing everyone relaxed and enjoying themselves."
"We enjoy ourselves in space… don't we?" Allelujah glanced at Marie with a smile.
The super soldier gave him a warm smile, "I think so."
"We have to continue fighting," Setsuna stated, "If we stopped, no one would be able to enjoy peaceful times like this."
"He's right," Tieria confirmed.
"We are Celestial Being, and that will never change," Setsuna gave the innovade a curt nod.
…
"I'm going out tonight, you guys can do what you want," Lyle said to the other meisters while Feldt and Marie were inside of one of the stores.
The guys stood outside at a street corner and waited for the two ladies to emerge. Tieria had his arms folded and let out a light snort.
"Aren't you getting a little old to go out and party your sorrows away?"
Lyle narrowed his eyes at the violet haired man as Setsuna watched the sniper with a hint of curiosity.
"How about you learn to be a bit more discreet," Lyle growled out.
Allelujah shook his head with a tired sigh, "Knock it off you two, weren't you getting along just fine last night?"
"It's a new day," Tieria spat.
Lyle narrowed his eyes, "It certainly is."
"You can't possibly think you'll be able to room together," Allelujah told them.
Setsuna's eyebrows rose slowly, "Why would they room together?"
Lyle glared daggers at Allelujah and Tieria looked bored with the situation.
"Don't give me that, it was going to come up this evening anyway," Allelujah said with a frown.
Lyle turned to Setsuna, "Look, I know you like Feldt and that she likes you too. I'm not going to stay in a room with my comrade's girl, it's not right."
Setsuna's pupils grew slightly larger in surprise, "You want us to stay together?"
Lyle clenched his jaw before ripping a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He pulled a stick aggressively out of the box and lit it.
"I don't want you to do anything with her, but I'm thinking about what she wants."
"I…" Setsuna trailed off.
"I know you aren't very good with the ladies Setsuna, but at some point you need to step up to the plate and be a man. This is your chance, but I swear to god if you hurt her I'll beat you to a pulp," Lyle threatened.
"Haven't you already done that once?" Tieria couldn't resist with a small smile.
Lyle gritted his teeth as he blew a cloud of smoke out and Allelujah couldn't help but release a small chuckle. It was true, Lyle had beaten Setsuna until he was bloody after the black haired meister had killed Anew. Setsuna was the reason that Lyle had lost the only person who really understood him. Deep in his gut, the sniper felt angry that the younger meister had someone like Feldt who cared for him so deeply. Setsuna stole the most important person in his life and to Lyle it felt like the younger meister was doing it all over again when it came to Feldt. He had grown fond of pink haired engineer in their short time together and spending time with her was enjoyable. Lyle exhaled deeply and decided that having Feldt in his life as a close friend was better than not having her in it at all.
"Maybe you need some tips or something," Allelujah suddenly said to the black haired meister.
"Tips?" Setsuna asked with a frown.
"It's obvious you have no idea what you're doing when it comes to women," Tieria added.
"Oh, and you do?" Lyle laughed with a sinister grin.
Tieria took an aggressive step toward the sniper and opened his mouth to shout before Allelujah grabbed the back of his jacket roughly.
"Not now."
Tieria let out a small snarl and shooed Allelujah with a discontent scowl.
"You two will kill each other if you stay in the same room for one night," Allelujah shook his head with worried eyes.
"I can't stay in a room alone with Feldt," Setsuna stated.
The three meisters turned to face their younger comrade with shocked expressions.
"Don't be embarrassed," Lyle said, "So what if you're a bit inexperienced, everyone has to start somewhere."
"Feldt can teach him, right Lockon?" Tieria said with a suggestive glance, "She's learned quite a bit since she came here hasn't she?"
"Tieria!" Allelujah exclaimed, "Knock it off!"
Setsuna sighed, "Why don't we leave it up to her and she can decide."
Lyle shrugged, "Whatever, it doesn't bother me either way because I'm not going to be in the room very much tonight."
…
Feldt glanced nervously back and forth between Lyle and Setsuna as they stood in the hotel lobby. A few minutes ago Lyle had tossed her a room key and told her that she could choose her roommate. She had stared at him in confusion, wondering if she had made him angry and he wanted to get away from her.
"I don't understand…" she muttered as she stared down at the key in her hand.
Lyle let out a heavy sigh, "You're almost as dense as he is."
Feldt stared at Lyle with a lost expression and Tieria released an impatient huff as he couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm not sharing my room with Setsuna again so now you're stuck with him."
Feldt stared at the innovade with wide eyes and turned to face the black haired meister. Setsuna eyed her quietly and the pink haired girl bit the inside of her cheek. It was so indecent of her to be flying through male roommates. She felt guilty about being with Lyle one minute and then the next jumping ship to be with Setsuna. She could tell that Lyle was being distant toward her and she didn't blame him.
"Setsuna, I don't want to make you uncomfortable…" Feldt trailed off.
The black haired meister gave her a small shrug, "It looks like I've been kicked out of my room, but Lockon has to agree to this change."
All eyes went to the sniper who rolled his eyes, "I already told you, I'm not going to be in my room very much tonight, so feel free to do what you want."
"What are you going to be doing?" Feldt asked.
"You need to ask?" Tieria questioned dryly.
Lyle turned away from the pink haired girl's searching gaze and resisted the urge to tear a cigarette out of the carton in his jacket pocket.
"Lyle, are you okay?" Feldt asked him in a quiet voice.
Lyle's head snapped around and he stared at the girl in front of him; his blue eyes softening.
"I'm fine," he told her earnestly.
"You really want to room with Tieria? Did I do something wrong?" she asked him.
Lyle huffed, "No, you didn't do anything Feldt. I want you to do what you want, don't worry about what I think."
"Then I want us to keep our previous arrangement…" Feldt trailed off sheepishly, "You've put up with me this long and this is our last night."
Lyle stared at the girl in shock, "Why?"
"Because we're friends, and I'm comfortable with you," she replied simply.
Lyle swallowed uneasily and glanced at Allelujah who gave him a sympathetic smile.
"This isn't exactly what I was expecting," the sniper mumbled as he snatched the room key from her hand and shoved it in his pocket.
"Choosing the man you like instead of the man you say you love, interesting," Tieria stated with a hint of sarcasm.
Feldt blushed furiously, "It's not like that."
Lyle reached out and gave Feldt a pat on the shoulder, "You won't have to worry about me tonight, I'll be out and about so you can do what you want with who you want."
"You're really going to be out all night?" Feldt asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
Lyle let out a light laugh, "It's not a difficult thing to do, especially here in Dublin, ever heard of the Temple Bar district?"
The others stared at the sniper in silence and he shook his head, "Ah, it doesn't matter, it's not a place that any of you should be wandering around anyway. It can get a bit dangerous if you don't know where you are… lots of pick pocketing goes on down there."
"Is it safe for you to go then?" Feldt asked.
"I can go wherever I want," Lyle gave her a small wink, "If someone tries to rob me I'll knock them into the pavement, don't worry about me."
….
"You didn't have to do that you know," Lyle said lowly as he threw his bag onto one of the beds in the hotel room.
Feldt quietly placed her suitcase at the foot of her bed and said nothing. She watched as Lyle pulled the curtains open and peered outside at the busy street below. He unlocked the window and slid it open and Feldt's eyebrows rose slightly as the sound of noisy traffic hit her ears.
Lyle turned to see Feldt with her brow knitted and he laughed, "Dublin is pretty loud, especially since we're downtown. If you close the window before you go to sleep you should be fine."
"You're really going to be gone the whole night?" Feldt asked him with a frown.
Lyle gave her a crooked smile, "It's my last night in my home country before I have to go back to work and to do my stressful job. I'm going to have all the fun I can until then."
Feldt looked crestfallen and Lyle shook his head.
"Look Feldt, why don't you ask Setsuna to do something with you this evening?"
Feldt's eyes grew large and she swallowed dryly, "I don't know…"
Lyle ran his gloved fingers through his messy brown hair with a sigh. He walked over to his bed and sat down heavily.
"Lyle?" Feldt asked in a hushed tone.
"You're being pretty cruel," Lyle laughed with a tired smile.
Feldt stared at the sniper in confusion and she nervously looked around the room. She had no idea what to say to him. Her eyebrows shot up as Lyle stood quickly.
"Since we're friends," Lyle emphasized the last word, "I suppose I can be honest with you."
Feldt nodded silently and waited uncomfortably for him to continue.
"I never really paid attention to you until we came on this trip together. I may have played it cool when you told me that you loved Setsuna but to be blunt, I'm not happy about it. I can't stand here and criticize you for being honest about your feelings but I know that it stung for me to hear that. If he's the one you've chosen then don't hold back because you never know when the last time you're going to be together is. I wish I would have told Anew so many things and spent more time with her. I kept telling myself I had all the time in the world, but that was a big mistake," Lyle explained with a melancholy look in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry," Feldt said quickly as guilt overwhelmed her.
Lyle shrugged, "Don't worry about me. I'm trying to teach you a lesson so you won't make the same mistake that I did."
Feldt squeezed her fists tightly as her short time with Neil crossed her mind. She inhaled sharply and looked up at Lyle who was staring down at her with a sympathetic smile.
"Cheer up, I didn't mean to ruin your evening," Lyle said as he reached out and ruffled her hair.
Feldt relaxed instantly under the older man's touch. She was becoming accustomed to the sniper patting her on the head gently and found it comforting. The engineer let out a sigh before reaching out and giving Lyle a tight hug.
"Thank you," she whispered into his chest and then stepped back.
Lyle pointed to the door, "Now get going and enjoy your last night."
….
Feldt stared at hotel door that was inches from her nose. She reached a trembling hand up slowly and tapped lightly with her knuckles. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breath caught in her throat as the door opened.
"Feldt?"
The engineer's eyebrows shot up as she stared into Tieria's crimson eyes. She tried to look over the innovade's shoulder but to no avail. He was the shortest of the meisters but was still tall enough to block her view into the room.
"Um," she started quietly as Tieria stared at her with a delicate eyebrow raised.
Tieria was patient and shifted his weight as he waited for the pink haired girl to continue.
"Is Setsuna here?"
Tieria huffed, "You look like you're going to be sick."
Feldt watched as Tieria stepped back into the room and she followed after him hesitantly. She closed the door behind her and looked around the room that was identical to the one she was staying in.
"He's taking a shower, he'll be out soon," Tieria motioned to the closed bathroom door before taking a seat in a chair that was next to a round table.
"Maybe I should come back…" Feldt trailed off as images of Lyle emerging from the steamy bathroom in their previous hotel rolled through her head.
"You're already here, just wait," Tieria rolled his eyes.
Feldt awkwardly stood with her back leaned against the wall. She glanced to Tieria silently as the innovade flipped a page in the book he was reading. She could hear the water in the bathroom running and she shuddered at the thought of seeing Setsuna walk out of the bathroom without anything on. The shower had provided her with both positive and negative experiences so far. She wanted Setsuna to hurry up and come out so she could talk to him and get it over with.
"So are you here to ask him on a date or something?"
Feldt's head shot up and her eyes went to Tieria who didn't look up from his book. He flipped another page and flashed her a quick glance with his crimson eyes before looking back down at the words in front of him.
"Sort of…" the engineer trailed off.
"What are you being so shy for? It didn't seem to be a big deal when you were with Lockon, you were relaxed and confident with him."
Feldt sighed, "That's because I am relaxed and confident when I'm around him."
"Then why are you choosing Setsuna instead?" Tieria questioned as he shut the book loudly with one hand and placed it on the night stand.
Feldt pressed her back against the wall behind her with a frown, "Lyle and I are friends."
"You were more than friends a few days ago."
Feldt swallowed dryly, "We pushed the friendship limit a little bit…"
"You slept with him."
Feldt's eyes widened. Tieria was stating, not asking. The engineer squeezed her fists and felt embarrassed.
"There's no need to be bashful, are you ashamed of it?" Tieria questioned as he folded his hands in his lap.
The innovade knew he was making the pink haired girl very uncomfortable yet he gained a feeling of satisfaction from grilling her. He witnessed what she had done to Lyle's emotional state so he felt it was fair to toy with her a little bit.
"I'm not ashamed," Feldt whispered lowly with a sad expression.
"It amazes me how you can switch from one person to the next in a matter of days," Tieria stated with a scrutinizing expression, "Then again some of the things humans do are impossible for me to understand."
"What are you trying to say?" Feldt questioned, suddenly feeling angry.
"I'm saying you need to make up your mind and choose one person."
"I have picked one person, that's why I'm here and why all this happened," Feldt said shortly.
Tieria shrugged, "Until you've proven your loyalties lie with one person I'm going to remain skeptical."
"Do what you want…" Feldt trailed off as she heard the door to the bathroom open.
Steam immediately floated out and Feldt gulped as she once again started having flashbacks of Lyle emerging from the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his slender waist. She waited until Setsuna walked out with heavily lidded eyes and a sleepy expression from the hot room. The pink haired girl's mind buzzed as it started comparing Setsuna to Lyle. The Krugis meister had a towel around his waist and one thrown over his head. A toothbrush was sticking out of his mouth and the systems engineer couldn't believe how much darker Setsuna's complexion was in comparison to Lyle's. Setsuna's chest was muscular like Lyle's but Feldt could tell that the black haired meister's body wasn't as mature as Lyle's was. He still had some room to grow and add muscle onto his slender frame.
"Feldt?" Setsuna mumbled out with the plastic toothbrush hanging from his mouth.
Feldt's cheeks instantly lit up and she stepped back from the younger meister with an embarrassed expression. Her eyes went from his dark eyes to his toned chest which sent her reeling. Setsuna pulled the towel from his head off and tossed it over his shoulder. He grabbed his toothbrush and scrubbed his teeth slowly as he watched the girl in front of him.
"Are you free this evening?" Feldt squeaked out as she stared at the floor.
Tieria leaned forward in his seat and waited for his roommate to reply.
Setsuna removed the toothbrush from his mouth, "As far as I know."
Feldt inhaled sharply and asked, "Would you like to go to dinner with me?"
Tieria's crimson eyes shot to Setsuna who was rooted to the spot his was standing on. The younger meister's black eyebrows rose in surprise slightly before he regained his composure.
"We can do that."
Feldt sighed in relief and most of the anxiety left her. She finally brought her eyes up to look at Setsuna who was watching her carefully. Feldt suddenly glanced down at the clothes she was wearing and realized they were the same articles she had worn all day. Lyle had shooed her from the room and she had completely forgotten about her appearance.
"I… I need to change," Feldt mumbled with a horrified expression.
"Don't worry about it," Setsuna told her, "You look fine. I'll get dressed and we can leave."
Feldt's jaw dropped slightly. She felt like such a slob. Setsuna was freshly showered and he'd be putting on clean clothes which made her feel sub-par.
"Are you sure?" Feldt asked him uneasily.
"You're fine," Tieria interjected, "It takes forever for women to get ready anyway."
Feldt sighed, the innovade was right but she still felt like she was lacking in appearance. The engineer was in jeans with a light purple sweater on. She reached up to touch her wavy pink hair and frowned as she touched a frizzy section.
"Do you know where you're going?" Tieria asked Feldt after Setsuna returned to the bathroom to change into his clothes.
The color drained from the engineer's face, "Well, no…"
Tieria shook his head, "Flying by the seat of your pants, but from what I can tell it shouldn't be difficult to find a place to go. The streets are lined with places to eat."
A sigh of relief left Feldt again and the bathroom door opened. Setsuna strolled out and adjusted the red scarf around his neck. He glanced up at Feldt and gave her a small smile before turning to Tieria.
"I'll be back later."
"Do what you want," Tieria rolled his eyes, "But if I'm asleep, don't wake me up or I'll shoot you."
Feldt's eyes grew wide as the innovade reached into his suitcase that was on the floor at his feet and pulled out his gun. Setsuna gave the violet haired meister a hard glare before turning to Feldt.
"Are you ready?"
A/N: Daaa dummmm! Okay, as I said at the beginning of the chapter I'm splitting Day 6 into two separate parts. Reasons for that: School is a thorn in my side that doesn't allow me to update like I used to, I haven't updated in a while, and I really want to put this out there for my faithful followers and reviewers!