"Good news, we'll be able to take off tomorrow." Wufei reported after having found that piece of a gear, things had been working smoothly. Heero could sit up and feed himself now, but he was kept in the bed. He was extremely reckless to see his Gundam and inspect the repairs. Mena actually took ten minutes aside to take a shower before double checking her work. Unica and Joenen had been around and now Unica would be able to catch Duo at his own Gundam.
"So you talked to her-" Joenen paused seeing Unica come over.
"Hey," Duo saw her also and smiled. "I haven't seen you all day."
"Yeah," Unica blushed a bit and smiled, her eyes going from his face to the ground having turned into Jell-O.
"Uh, I'll get back to you." Joenen pointed his finger like a gun at Duo as he left the scene.
"Those Frapps you brought this morning were great." Duo mentioned.
"Joenen brought them this morning." Unica put her hands behind her back as she leaned against the Gundam's base.
"Oh," he nodded a bit. "Good stuff – I ought to bring some with me."
"Yeah," her causal tone went down a notch. "You're going to be leaving...in a day."
"Well," he looked to cheer her up. "yeah, but I'll come back."
"Will you?" she wanted a promise.
"Of course." Duo smiled. "You don't just make friends and never see them again."
"Well as for your last night here I figured we could go to this nice place called, Panera." Unica didn't allow a smile to leave her face even as she spoke. "They have a lot of different soups; I prefer the broccoli cheddar."
"Yeah?" Duo smiled down to her. "Like the kind Illini made this afternoon." Damn it – Unica had forgotten about that.
"Well they have a lot of other things." Unica mentioned. "Just the two of us, it'll be kinda like a date." She had it come out just as she had wanted. Duo now wasn't so sure what kind of message he'd be sending out if he were to go with Unica and she knew he wasn't one to turn down a date with anyone.
"Well it is the last night here," Duo scratched the back of his head. "Usually we'd spend it as we did the first. And Illini will probably cook a big meal."
"Of rice – *again*." Unica reminded him, but then leaned for pity, "It's not me is it?"
"No, no." he shook his head. "I just don't want to be impolite to everyone else."
"No ones going to care," she urged. "It'll be fun and when will you have fun again?" He looked up at his Gundam causing her to add, "with a girl." That could mean a lot of things, but Unica didn't care because Duo shrugged,
"Well, as long as we're back for desert," he grinned. "Sure."
A purple car sped past Trish as she pulled up to Illini's house. With a bag of tacos and a bean burrito for Little Ms. Veggie, she went around back to find Illini setting a table that was in the backyard. Heero was seated and impatiently awaiting food. The three Gundams stood in a line facing the small house and Mena, Wufei, and Joenen walked over from them seeing that dinner had arrived.
"Where's Duo?" Trish asked seeing only the three approaching.
"Unica said they'd be back soon," Illini told her. "She and him went to get some bottled Frappuccinos to take with him."
"Oh," Trish nodded sitting down preparing to wait.
"Frapps?" Joenen looked confused getting into the conversation. "Duo said they were going out for dinner for his last night on the planet."
"Oh." Trish squeaked. Illini saw her eyes watering and was ready when her friend ran into the house. Illini waved to Mena to pass out the tacos, they would be a while.
"Women." Wufei shook his head and began to examine a taco.
The sun would set making the sky a masterpiece of Unica's purples and blues keeping the breeze. Trish had hidden within the house's walls not wanting anyone, but her friend to see her cry, "He said he would see me again and this is his last night here."
"You're over reacting." Illini knew. "He's coming back and there's nothing between him and Unica." As far as she knew. "You know he'll be leaving anyway, why did you fall for him so badly?"
"Shut up, you don't understand." Illini rolled her eyes – she was no good with this shit.
"Fine, but when he comes back and wants to know why you were crying, what should I tell him?" Illini made the point, "This is stupid!"
"Nice friend you are."
"Well it is." Illini wouldn't lie.
"You two all right?" Mena came to check on her sister and friend. "The tacos are gone."
"We'll be," Illini saw Trish cleaning up her act. "She just needs to calm down."
"Yeah," Mena added some comfort. "Unica is too old for Duo anyway."
"We'll give her Heero." Illini made Trish laugh.
"Or Wufei." Trish added onto the joke.
"Well, I dunno about that-" Mena got out of the conversation. "Come back out, we'll go say good-bye to the Gundams or something."
"Or something." Illini wasn't sure how serious her sister was about those damn Gundams. Outside the wind really seemed to have picked up and there was some humidity in the air.
"Thanks for the tacos," Joenen was polite to Trish acting as if nothing had happened.
"Yeah, meat is good." Heero looked to Illini. "It helps you live-"
"That doesn't look good." Joenen observed cutting off Heero. Turning Trish faced Duo and Unica who had just arrived holding hands.
"Oh, you had tacos." Unica was pleased with Trish's shock. Truth of the matter is that Unica had just suddenly taken Duo's hand as they came around the side of the house, he was shocked himself. Trish squeaked. Illini looked away not wanting to get in the middle of this. Mena was looking out at the Gundams and Heero was finishing the last taco.
"Just leave Duo to his girl problems," Wufei had his arms crossed ignoring Duo's situation.
"No, I was talking about that-" Joenen pointed out at the sky, which had gone from it's masterpiece to Illini's colors of misery. Thunder roared announcing its approach.
"Cover the Gundams!" Heero cried wanting to jump into action with the others, but was instead restricted to smaller actions. Illini cleared up the outside tables as the pilots set the Gundams so that they'd survive whatever was to come.
"These are Gundams," Mena said as they hurried inside. "They'll brave whatever hit them."
"I just wonder about the lightning." Unica watched as a bolt cracked lighting the sky. Gathering in the living room, the large window facing the backyard made a show of the storm. It would be a harsh outbreak, but there was no basement to confine in.
Wufei grumbled as gusts of wind spat rain on the large windows with a strong force. "Don't sit too closely to the windows." Mena advised him as the visibility outside went.
"Will the lake flood?" Trish seemed to be the one only terribly worried. "Will it come up to the house?"
"No, it's too far away." Joenen shook his head just as the power went out.
"Damn it," Heero didn't want to lose the AC to the humidity.
"It could be worse." Duo pointed out. "Relena could be here." He received a glare
Trish needed someone to cling to and Duo was seated to her left. Though Unica just happened to be seated a little too close to Duo and began to cling to him from the right exchanging glares with Trish. Illini had to laugh at the sight, though she kept her thoughts to herself as she decided to paint the color of the sky. It was Mena who decided to get out the candles when there were signs that the storm would bring the night.
"I suppose everyone's stuck here." Unica said speaking directly to Duo. "I mean the Gundams will sink into the wet mud, putting you back a day and I'm not going driving tonight."
"How unfortunate." Trish was more distracted by Unica's attitude than the storm right now.
"Very," The tension between them could have created lightning.
"Gotta pee." Duo felt the negative energy surging and knew he was in the middle of it.
"I'll escort you." Unica offered. "Its dark you know."
"No, I've got it." Duo picked up a candle.
"Watch your braid." Trish reminded him since there were now so many candles lit.
"Why would he need to? You're watching it for him." Unica shot at her.
"Shut up!" Heero almost screamed, but a loud clash of thunder silenced everyone.
"Honestly," Mena just wanted to keep the peace. "Let's get along. Especially if we're stuck like this."
"I'm hungry." Trish mumbled never having gotten a taco.
"I've got an idea-" Illini said she'd be back in a minute and went into the dark kitchen with a candle. Finding some chopsticks and marshmallows, she brought them back to the candles. "We'll roast marshmallows."
"With chopsticks?" Joenen cocked his eyebrow.
"Sure, why not." Mena kneeled down and took one. Duo returned and sat off to the side of Mena away from her best friend and Trish.
"The candle light sure is romantic, isn't it?" Unica looked across the candle to Duo.
"Shut up." Heero growled.
"You shut up."
"Everyone shut up." Wufei still had his arms crossed sitting on the couch next to Heero. He had everyone quiet for a good three minutes.
"Want a marshmallow?" Mena offered him.
"No."
"We could toast bread." Illini suggested.
"We could run around outside too," Heero mocked. "But no ones going to do it."
"Hey." Duo now glared. "Lighten up a little – you're looking just like Wufei sitting there leaned back with your arms crossed."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Wufei demanded to know.
"Exactly what it sounded like." Duo told him. "We're not going anywhere soon so just enjoy the storm."
"That's wreaking our Gundams?"
"They'll be fine," Duo turned back to his brown marshmallow. "If they can make it through an atmosphere they can survive this."
"The Gundams can," Mena looked to him. "But can the pilots?"
Author's Note: Well isn't this just the little soap opera. Eh, well don't worry, FY characters are coming soon.