As Zechs quietly tinkered with the weapons system, readjusting the amount of gasses released at any one moment, he thought about last night with Noin. Since the Formal they'd been inseparable. They ate together, laughing almost too much to eat, remembering their antics from the Academy. Zechs had even taken it upon himself to do some of her training rather than letting her musty old teachers do it. Somehow the thought of being locked in a dark, cramped, simulation chamber with her for hours wasn't the worst thing he could be doing with his time.
Zechs looked up from matinance on his Tallgeese. The radio in the console was reporting one of the training missions, Noin's to be exact; he'd wished her good luck on it last night.
"Captain, I'm getting a power reading in sector five." She was saying, and Zechs imagined sector five; it was barren scrub land where defunct mobile suits were trashed and rookies were made to live out in for a week of survival schooling.
"There can't be a power source there." Her captain responded, confirming Zechs's thoughts. Zechs huffed, annoyed as his hair got in his face, and he brushed it back impatiently. "Maxell Two, branch off in solo position to check readings." Maxell was the team name, One being the captain in charge, Two was the second in command. Zechs listened to the faint hiss of static, waiting for Maxell Two to report what it found.
"Capta-!" The shout was cut off in mid word and Zechs recoiled from his control pannle, having heard too many cut off sentances in battle. Unlikely as it was, Zechs prayed that he wouldn't hear the next all too familiar cry.
"It's a Gundam!" Noin yelled.
"It's zero five, sir!" Another soldier yelled. In the back round of that voice Zechs could hear several of the soldiers screaming like babies. "No!"
His hands tightened compulsively on the controls, in reaction to what he was hearing; this couldn't be happening now or here or with Noin.
"Back up, we need back-!" a soldier screamed.
"I'm not letting this happen to her." Zechs murmured pulling the hatch shut and recklessly snapping his seat belt in.
"I want clearance out of this hanger!" He yelled at the radio receiver. There was a startled burst of static from it as someone received his message.
"Sir, we can't do that." One of them meekly responded.
"Give me clearance and get those doors open or I'll open them myself." He grated as Tallgeese powered up, its engines beginning to glow as the work crew cleared the floor.
"Go, go!" The radio snapped, drowning out the radio controller; it was Treize. "Get out there now!"
With screams in the background of his radio Zechs watched the hanger doors open.
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Noin watched as the team leader went down, his guns still firing as Zero Five stabbed its spear through the chest armor, she saw the arms of the mobile suit suddenly go limp and its whole body sagged onto the spear; her captain had been killed. She realized she was the last one standing besides the Gundam. Its head slowly turned in her direction and the eyes burned green fire. Without thinking Noin made the mobile suit back up a step.
The Gundam raised one of its arms and she saw the dragon fangs extend, ready to launch at her. There was a thud and a screech of metal as it collided with the left shoulder of her mobile suit and Noin lurched in the seat harness as the Gundam dragged her closer. The other hand came up, swiftly, and tore the door of the cabin and gave it a rough shake. Noin screamed. The Gundam paused for a second and she could almost hear it smirk.
"I've always enjoyed women." She heard its pilot say over its intercom. It gave the mobile suit another rough shake and she felt the straps holding her in tear, Noin plummeted to the ground and landed with a crunch. She screamed painfully as ribs were broken, and then looked up to see the Gundam pilot repelling out of his ship. It was that Chinese kid. And he had a sword in his hand.
Noin back peddled on the ground and he smiled as she grabbed her side in agony.
"Well," He said, and Noin looked up at him as he let go of the ripcord. "Looks like a warrior..." He laughed. "A woman is not a warrior. You are not a warrior!" The boy was only a few feet away now, and he stabbed the sword into the ground and advanced on her. "I don't even know what OZ is doing sending people like you out to the battlefield." Noin was curled in on herself gasping for breath, he'd kicked her to punctuate the sentence. He landed another kick on her exposed side, the side she'd broken in the fall; Noin screamed. He laughed. "What are you thinking? Are you thinking that OZ will send anyone out here for you?" He laughed again. "They won't even come for your Mobile Suits." He kicked her again. "You're nothing, you're not wanted. No one is coming for you, no one wants you, no one needs you." The boy dropped to his knees beside her and wrapped a hand around her throat. "Because you're nothing." Noin dug her fingers into his hand until blood was dripping onto her neck. Suddenly he let go and stood up, reaching for the sword. As Noin gasped for air, she tried to crawl away and felt a twinge in her other side, more broken ribs. The Gundam pilot stepped on her pant leg, stopping her retreat and he raised the sword. Noin screamed as he rammed it into her shoulder.
"Pain is a good thing..." The Chinese boy said. "It separates the weak..." He gave the sword a brutal twist. "From the strong." Noin felt lightheaded from the pain. The Gundam pilot pulled the sword loose and stabbed it into her opposite shoulder eliciting another scream of agony from her. The pilot laughed.
He looked up startled as a sudden gust of wind blew debris into his eyes. TallGeese was approaching. And it was already too close for him to pull the sword again and cut her head off.
WuFei frowned and retreated to his Gundam, taking off before the LT. had a chance to land.
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Zechs watched as the pilot left the scene of the crime, his cameras straining themselves to see if Noin lived or died.
"Please, let her be alive." He demanded of the silent cockpit. "Don't die on me, Noin." He could see blood staining the shoulders of her uniform, settling into a pool around her on the side of an ancient Aquarius Mobile Suit. He saw the sword standing in her wound, where the Gundam pilot had abandoned it during his escape. Zechs knew she wasn't alive. He felt the tears pour down his cheeks, scaldingly hot, trapped between his skin and his mask. She was dead and he wasn't sure how he could live without her. Noin had come to mean so much to him, reminding him of their fun and follies from the Academy.
Dropping TallGeese into a landing position, Zechs opened the hatch and tumbled out onto the Aquarius Suit, scrabbling towards her.
"Noin?" He cried, tugging at the sword. It came loose and he dropped it listlessly as more blood welled up. Somehow he wanted to scream with joy, flowing blood meant she was still alive-and that she could die from blood loss he reminded himself. Zechs reached for the waistband of her pants and quickly pulled her belt out of its loops. Working quickly Zechs stripped off his jacket and reached for the sword to split it into two pieces. Desperately he wadded the half jacket and used her belt as a tourniquet to stop the blood flow on one arm. Using his own belt he rolled the other half of his jacket against the other wound to stop her bleeding.
Admiring his work for a moment, and deciding it would do for a field dressing, Zechs saw the pallor of her skin and knew she had little time.
"I am not losing you. Not now." Zechs slid his arms under her knees and shoulders, feeling the blood soak his palm, and lifted her against his chest, cradling her, and he ran for the TallGeese. The cabin of the TallGeese was built for one and with Noin laying limply across his lap it was hard to reach some of the controls. Slamming his fist onto the radio it activated.
"I need medic units for her! Now!" Zechs ordered. It squawked startled and was drowned out as he fired the engines lifting off. Proximity warnings began to go off immediately and Zechs looked up startled, to see the Zero Five filling the screen. His left arm was wrapped around Noin, cradling her shoulders, and that was the hand that controlled speed and direction controls. Using his right hand Zechs lashed out and hit the sabre activation pannle, and felt the TallGeese move as he had ordered it, to draw the sabre. Keeping up the velocity the sabre glanced right past the Zero Five's head and TallGeese's knee slammed into the chest portion of the Gundam sending its spinning. Reaching for another control pannle Zechs stretched to reach the button that would convert all controls to the chosen control stick.
The cabin suddenly lurched to the side with an impact and Zechs was slammed against the chair's restraints. He gritted his teeth in agony as the shoulder with the arm holding Noin was slammed out of socket. The only thing that softened the pain was knowing that her head had been cradled by his arm and she hadn't been hurt worse. Stretching again he mashed the controls and transferred power to the right hand joy stick. Turning the TallGeese back Zechs rammed the Gundam again, sending it sprawling as he sped towards the base. Over his radio he could hear the pilot yelling something about being a coward.
"Medic!" Zechs yelled again over the Gundam's voice to his base. In the camera rear view he could see the Gundam turning on its heels and leaving the battle field, in an angry retreat.
Flexing his left arm to hold Noin tighter he felt the tendons and muscles pulling painfully against the dislocated socket and bone. Her face was buried against his neck and he could just barely feel the breath there; he could feel his own sweat dripping down the inside of his mask and the back of his neck, chilling where her breath was hitching.
"Just hold on Noin, we're almost there." He murmured, as he tried to level off the TallGeese evenly for some sort of soft landing. "Please TallGeese, land safely." He pleaded with the mobile suit as he pulled the stick back harshly bringing the suit around. Without his orders TallGeese fell to its knees, cutting off its engines, and propping itself up on its arms, so the doorway was only feet above the ground. Artificial Intelligence was a blessing at times. Kicking at the hatch release the door opened and Zechs jumped out holding Noin against his chest. Medics were holding the doors open for him and he rushed across the cement ignoring his own pain.
"Please, take care of her." He said as he laid her out onto the gurney they had waiting. Running along side the doctors he listened to their hurried commands, and diagnoses. They wheeled her through a set of doors and he stopped, defeated, knowing he could no longer follow them. Instead he sank down into one of the chairs to wait for them, or her, or anything.
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"Sir?"
Zechs looked up, startled.
"Sir?" It was one of the nurses, and it was too soon for them to be done with Noin, unless something had gone wrong. "LT. Zechs, if you would come with me?" He silently got up and followed her, shocked, they'd lost Noin. She'd died on the operation table and they needed him to give a formal report and identify the body. The young nurse led him into one of the small spotlessly white hospital rooms. He stared, wondering where they'd put Noin's body.
"If you would get on the table and remove your shirt, Sir." She asked.
"Why?" Zechs asked, startled. She chuckled a little and smiled at him, flirting, which he despised.
"Sir, your shoulder is out of socket, we need to examine it and reset it." Her smile brightened, sickeningly, "And you need to remove your helmet- I mean mask." She fumbled. Zechs frowned severely at her.
"I will not." He answered as two doctors walked in. Comrades from the Academy.
"Doctor, he won't remove his mask." She whined.
"Out!" The doctor yelled, at her. "Out, Sylvia." As she scampered for the door, the doctor smiled to him. "Don't worry, Zechs, you don't have to let us remove it. I'm sure you can do the field dressings well enough on your own."
"What do you mean?" He asked as he slowly removed his jacket, suddenly reminded about his shoulder and its pain.
"You're bleeding." The doctor said as Zechs looked down and saw the stain on his collar. "You'll need some pain medication."
Zechs dropped his shirt and climbed onto the table, wincing when he saw the gaping pocket left by his dislocated shoulder. Ignoring the pain he let the doctor examine the wound, fingers pressing against the socket and muscles. The one who'd been speaking earlier grabbed Zechs' biceps and lifted it, slamming it against his shoulder suddenly. The LT. only winced and tightened his hold on the edge of the table. The bones grated and refused to set; the doctor shifted his angle and tried again; this time Zechs could hear the grate of bones trying to realign. Finally the doctor held Zechs' arm vertical to the wound and put his entire weight into pulling it downward. The crunch was enough to make the doctor wince.
"We'll get you some pain pills," The doctor said as Zechs sat up gingerly. "And first aid supplies so you can bandage your wound."
"How is Noin?" Zechs asked.
"She's lost a lot of blood," The doctor said, being frank. "Her lungs were nearly punctured, and she's got multiple broken ribs, along with a broken leg. You're the only reason she's alive now, but she might not pull through." The nurse appeared in the doorway holding a tray of antiseptics, gauze, and medical tape; among other things including needles and surgical thread. "This is everything you might need. Plus an arm brace." The doctor held up the blue and white brace and Zechs carefully put his arm into it while the doctor fastened it over his shoulders so that he couldn't flex it and put it out of socket again.
"It's cold." Zechs murmured.
"Yes, its fitted with a cold pack to reduce the swelling." The doctor held out several pills. "I suggest you take these after you're down with your bandages, they will nock off the pain." Then he turned and walked out the door, shutting it behind himself. Zechs paused for a second and then locked the door to keep that nurse out. He then stumbled towards the bathroom where the tray had been placed, dragging a chair behind himself. Behind the locked bathroom door he felt safe from prying eyes, and he tugged at the mask to lift it off. Blood stained his right cheek like war paint, trailing up to his temple and the edge of his hairline when he'd cracked his head against something at some point while rescuing Noin. Zechs filled the sink with hot water mechanically, his thoughts somewhere else, and he used a towel to scrub the blood off and out of his hair. The wound began to bleed immediately and he reached for the antiseptic, pouring it on the towel and mashing it against the wound until it screamed with fire. Then Zechs tore the gauze into a smaller strip, rolled it, and taped it against the wound.
Finally he surveyed himself in the mirror. He was pale and his hair hung limp and damp around his face, sweat soaked. His shoulder was swollen and bruised, and probably would be for several days, and his forehead was taped with white gauze. Sighing he picked up his mask and surveyed it's blood and sweat soaked interior, before turing on the faucet and washing it out. Drying it quickly he put it back onto his head and unlocked the door to stagger back out into the room where he reached for his blood stained shirt. Unconcerned about his appearance he pulled off the arm brace and gingerly slid the shirt on and fastened the arm brace over it before he buttoned it. Picking up the pain pills he nocked them back without water and unlocked the door to the hallway.
"Zechs!" Lady Une called, as he rounded the corner to the waiting room. She sounded shaken and terrified, so unlike the stern commander and general she was and she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. Zechs sagged into her embrace weakly, and then stiffened in pain. "You're hurt." She said drawing back, apologizing.
"They had to reset my arm in its socket, Lady." He answered sinking into one of the plastic chairs. She sat beside him, holding his hand.
"What have they said?" She asked.
"She's almost punctured her lungs, broken ribs, broken leg, blood loss. The Gundam Pilot stabbed her in the chest with a katana twice. They don't think she'll pull through." His hand rose up to press against his forehead as he closed his eyes. "I can't loose her, Lady..." He murmured his voice trailing off.
Lady Une's hand tightened around his tightly, trying to offer comfort. She silently prayed that Noin would pull through, for Zechs' sake.
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"Zechs? Sir?" The doctor asked as he approached the warrior who was slumped dejectedly in the waiting room chair. Zechs stiffened, waiting for the bad news. "She's out of surgery, and we have her in a recovery room. Do you want to go sit with her?" Lady Une's hand tightened on his, and Zechs could only gape in shock, his mouth working like a fish out of water.
"Where is she?" He asked bounding out of his chair.
The doctor smiled halfheartedly and turned on his heels as two of OZ's best warriors followed him down the clean white hallway.
"Is she better? Will she live?" Zechs asked, meekly.
The doctor frowned.
"She's hooked up to four IVs at the moment and several bags of plasma and whole blood. Her blood pressure dropped with the blood loss; she's barely hanging on as it is...," The doctor said as he stopped at an open door and stood aside for Zechs to go in. Noin lay on the white sheets limply, surrounded by the towers of IV racks. In the background a heart monitor bleeped monotonously, as if ticking her life away instead of giving it back to her. Her small frame was enlarged to football player size around her shoulders by bandages and tape; her sides swollen obscenely where they'd reset ribs and casted over them. Zechs collapsed into a chair feeling the life drained from him. His good arm snaked out onto her gurney to wrap around her small hand. "We can't do anything else for her but wait," The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry LT. Zechs." He backed out of the room and left.
Behind him he heard Lady Une collapse into the other chair, her sniffling loud against the weak bleeping of the heart monitor. He closed his own eyes to lock in the pain he was feeling. He didn't know when he'd fallen in love with Noin, but he was certain he couldn't live without her now. Her strength and compassion, her total selflessness, and the overbriming sense of humor. Now the smile was gone, replaced by a pale dark eyed complexion lost in sleep. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the metal bar on the side of her gurney, refusing to cry.
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Sometime late that night, so late that it was really morning, Lady Une dried her tears and left. She had to sleep so she could preform her duties the next day. She'd offered her condolences and a favor.
"Take all the time off you need," She said as she stood at the door studying Noin. "I'm you're commanding Officer so I can arrange it for you without docking your actual sick days and days off. I don't want you report back until she's better."
Zechs had barely nodded from where he had his head resting against the bars, but was greatful none the less. Now that all the witnesses were gone he pulled down the bar on the side of her gurney and piled his head on his arms, so that he was on the same level as Noin. Her breathing was shallow and weak, and he studdied her pale profile.
"Please Noin," He rasped. "Please don't leave me. I didn't know until now what you meant to me, I was so proud of you the night before last when you told me you got put on Maxell Team. I was on Maxell Team when I was training, its where they put the promising warriors. Our training paid off, all those hours running practice lessons and SIMs." He closed his eyes shutting in a sob. "You have to come back to me, just hold on, Noin." Zechs's hand rose and brushed her hair out of her face, his fingers gently feathering across her cheek. He was shocked at the coolness of her skin, how lifeless it was. His hand slid down, back to hers and he pillowed his head on his shoulder falling into restless sleep.
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When Zechs woke up he felt bright sunshine on his shoulders and it was making him sweat, before he could wake up fully he was trying to shrug his helmet off and wondering why he'd slept with it on. The miserable bleeping of the heart monitor brought him back to reality and he sat up stiffly to survey her condition. Noin didn't look any better. Black eyes had formed overnight, giving her the sunken appearance of the dead, her lip swollen and split where she had been hit. Cradling her small hand in his own he turned her hand over, reading her palm as if it could solve her problems; her wrist was being devoured by needles and tubes as if the broken ribs could be replaced with IV solutions. Sitting up and stretching Zechs grasped his helmet and pushed it more firmly on, to conceal his face from that awful nurse and other prying eyes. Reaching across Noin he grabbed the call button, unwilling to abandon Noin. Minuets later the doctor arrived, looking almost panic stricken.
"Yes?" He asked wondering if something was wrong.
"Is there a way you can watch over her until I come back?" Zechs asked. "I don't want to leave her." The doctor nodded and sank down into the chair beside the window. Zechs nodded silently and fled the room.
In the halls soldiers and officers dodged to get out of his way as he made his way to his quarters. Once in the room he grabbed a change of uniform and slammed the drawer shut angrily. The sound of his room door echoed in the halls like a thunderclap as he slammed it viciously and header for the showers. Stalking down the isle of lockers he saw, in his mind, Noin nervously walking down the isles, searching for him. When she'd finally found him she'd tumbled right into his arms, almost excicuting a kiss. Unconsciously Zechs' fingertips rose to his lips and he gasped for air raggedly. Not caring if anyone saw him he stripped quickly and efficiently, pausing only to survey his blood stained ruined shirt before tossing it into the garbage. Angrily he walked into the showers and turned the water up, scalding hot, letting steam fill the tiled room. Bracing his hands against the wall, Zechs bent his head under the onslaught of hot water, feeling it pour off his mask and onto his shoulders. Reaching up for his mask he yanked it off savagely and dropped it to the floor, ignoring the metallic thunk it made at his feet. The water matted his hair against his scalp and he felt the bandage there become heavy with water; disgusted he ripped it off. Snarling with rage Zechs hauled back and punched the tiled wall, feeling ceramic crunch under his knuckles and hot pain well up. Lifting his fist to his mouth he tasted blood.
"Damn Zero Five." He grated out. His tone changed from threatening to apologetic, tinged with doubt. "There was nothing else I could do for you, Noin. I did everything I could." His cobalt eyes shut, locking in his pain. "I didn't know...Until you were going to die I didn't know what you meant to me. Now I don't know how I can live if you don't. Please Noin, come back to me, live." He pleaded.
Biting back the sobs Zechs grabbed for the shampoo and quickly washed his hair and conditioned it. The blonde mane was his pride and joy, but he'd gladly shave it off if it would bring Noin back safe and sound. Cutting off the water and wrapping a towel around his lean hips, Zechs picked up his mask and walked back to his locker; this time setting the mask down gently on the shelf in his locker. Next he grabbed a hairbrush and systematically he began to brush his hair out until it flowed like pale silk. Seeing his reflection in the surface of the mask, Zechs frowned; Noin had never even see him without his mask on. If she wakes up, he thought as he pulled a pair of pants on, then he paused shaking himself; when, he corrected, when she wakes up I'll tell her- I'll change everything.
Smiling grimly he finished buttoning his shirt and picked up his mask, fitting it firmly over his hair. The last thing he did was fasten the belt on his firearm, before turing and walking to the door. In the hall Treize Khushrenada stood waiting, arms crossed as if he had to give bad news.
"W-what? Is something wrong with Noin?" Zechs asked. A thin, almost threatening smile formed on the OZ leaders mouth but was instantly gone.
"No." Treize answered. "She's stabilized finally and I know you want to get back to her; But when you have the time, perhaps when she is sleeping, would you stop by my office? We have something to disgusts." Then the general nodded, dismissing him. Zechs moved as though he was fleeing.
Back in the door way of her hospital room he saw the doctor recording her vital signs on a chart.
"Any change?" He asked sinking into the chair beside her gurney, his hand instantly wrapping around hers; the doctor smiled faintly at the sign of endearment.
"None, for the worse. In fact," The doctor said. "She appears to be getting better. We've managed to get four pints of blood into her and several more of IV solution which is bringing up her blood pressure; after that stabilizes she should wake up." The doctor favored the LT. with a smile before leaving.
Zechs stared at Noin's sleeping form, shocked. Yesterday they'd giving her no hope for survival and now it sounded as if they expected a full recovery. Lifting her hand to his lips he gave her knuckles a courtly kiss, something he'd learned in the...He dropped the thought line and smiled brightly, refusing to think of his past at a time like this. Absently he reached out to brush her bangs out of her face, where they had feathered loosely.
Settling back into the seat Zechs flexed his shoulder to see how much movement he'd gotten back into it; agonizingly he hissed in pain. Gritting his teeth Zechs rotated his shoulder past that point, feeling tendons strain, and he slowed his movements until every pulse of movement was pain, but he had to keep scar tissue from forming. Against his scalp and the cool of his metal mask he could feel sweat forming. He flinched as his arm swung around, moving easily, accompanied by a loud crack.
Sighing, he settled into the chair more, the opposite hand rising to rub at his shoulder when it throbbed. Absently his fingers toyed with the ends of his hair as he waited. Shadows crept across the room stealing the light, and Zechs jumped as a nurse passed by and flicked the lights on. She smiled sweetly and he looked away, disgusted.
"Is she getting better?" The girl purred, leaning against the door frame seductivly-or so she thought; as it was, Zechs knew the smokey quartz eyed girl would win, even if she was comatose.
"Why do you care?" He demanded.
"I'm a nurse, I'm supposed to care." Her purr echoed above him and Zechs didn't look up. Her hands gently landed on his shoulders and he could feel her perched above him. "For all my patients..." Zechs felt her grasp his mask and he was out of his chair in a second, nocking the girl over. His hand rose to his mask pulling it down firmly; not that she had seen anything.
"What gives you any right to come after me?!" He demanded as she attempted to struggle to her feet. Absently he noticed the doctor in the doorway.
"What happened here?" he demanded.
"This nurse tried to remove my mask in an effort to seduce me." Zechs told him, while the nurse cowered on the floor.
"Helen!" The doctor hissed angrily.
"Nnnnn." Noin moaned.
Zechs was at her side in a second, her hand wrapped around hers.
"Noin?" He murmured, hopefully. Smokey quartz eyes fluttered weakly, her dark eyelashes like a stain against her porcelain skin, before opening. Zechs smiled encouragingly to her. Noin smiled back, her eyes heavy lidded and curious.
"Zechs?" she whispered, as her eyes shut and she drifted back to sleep.
"I'm here for you." He answered her even though she was asleep. Lifting her hand to his lips he kissed it again and cradled it against his cheek, while reaching behind himself for the chair. Dimly he heard the doctor and the nurse, his tones harsh and hers meek, ending with the word "Fired!".
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Noin woke up with the sun streaming in the window and she winced, trying to throw her arm over her eyes.
"Ow..." She moaned feeling something pull painfully at her shoulder. Giving up on blocking the light she decided to ignore it, and surveyed her surroundings. To the right of her hospital gurney was the window, and to the left was...
Zechs. He was sprawled halfway between the chair and the edge of her gurney, his hand wrapped around hers, even in sleep. Tilting her head to the side she realized that the way he had falling asleep had hiked his mask up so that she could see more of his face than she ever had before, if she leaned to the side a little more. Ignoring her urge to look and respecting his wishes to remain anonymous, she instead surveyed the silvery blonde hair that was draped across her sheets. She could feel it curled against her palm, soft as silk.
Zechs yawned and Noin looked away, to the window. Looking back she saw he had his hands on the sides of his mask, pulling it back into place; she saw the doubt flickering in his eyes, as if something had been undermined.
"I didn't look." She whispered, her voice rough. Something registered in his cobalt eyes, and she saw a smile there before it formed around his lips. Suddenly Zechs was out of his chair and his arms were wrapped around her, his hair forming a silver tent around them, shielding them from everything else in the world. She blushed at the contact and his proximity.
"I was afraid I'd never see you again." He whispered. "I was afraid I hadn't gotten to you in time to save you." Noin could see that his cobalt eyes were dark with emotions. "I am afraid of lo-", Zechs' voice choked off and she saw him flinch, trying to lock something in.
"Afraid of what?" Noin whispered. She refused to hope, for anything. Zechs' eyes opened and she saw the tears lingering there. His arms tightened protectively.
"Afraid of losing you..." He answered, smiling.