Satanira- Hey, this isn't fair, people! Review, dammit!
Duo- Best do as she says before she starts cussing again.
Satanira- Can it, Maxwell. I'm not in the mood.
"That was so cool!" Quatrina squealed, bouncing up and down while somehow maintaining her deathgrip on Duo's arm.
"Wasn't it, though?" Duo said, grinning. "I keep telling people, old movies are the best movies."
"If that was any indication, I agree!" She said happily, settling down a little. "The theory was kind of off, but that's only to be expected of a movie made three hundred years ago. I can't believe they restored that from a DVD!"
Duo just smiled at her as she systematically corrected every flaw in the main character's theories.
"Oh, Duo, let's go in here!" She exclaimed suddenly, yanking him towards a small karaoke bar not far from the theater. "I love this place!"
Zechs Merquise, aka Milliardo Peacecraft, stood in the middle of the wreck he'd made of his cabin. His long blond hair was tangled and falling into his eyes. Everything breakable in the room was now broken, shredded clothes rested on every available surface, and the feathers that had once inhabited his pillow had taken temporary residence in the air.
The reason for the destruction of the better part of Zechs's personal belongings was a very simple one, and one completely understood by big brothers across known space. One simply did not accept the fact that one's younger sister had begun dating calmly.
"Hey, Zechs." Noin called from the hallway. "Can I come in, or did you want to rip up a few more things and invent another swear word?"
"Come on in." He replied, plopping down on his narrow bed and leaning against the wall. "I'm done being an irrational idiot."
"For now, anyway." Noin said with a small smile, stepping around the worst of the mess. "So what exactly happened? You usually aren't one to fly off the handle like this." She eyed the broken mirror above the overturned dresser, raising an eyebrow at her old friend.
"That… that… street rat is dating my sister!" Zechs burst out, grabbing a handy book and throwing it against the wall opposite him with considerable force.
"Oh, dear." Noin said, sighing. Life would be a little hectic for a while.
"Quatrina?" Duo said, speaking softly so as not to disturb the other couples walking through the park.
"Yes, Duo?" She replied without opening her eyes.
"Is there any particular reason you're sitting on my lap, or did you just want a seat cushion?"
"That, too." She said, giggling. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help myself. You have a very inviting lap, Duo."
"Okay, let's stop that train of thought before it even leaves the station." Duo said firmly, laying a finger on her lips to emphasis his point.
"Why?" Quatrina asked, gently biting the tip of his finger like an overgrown sleepy kitten.
"Because we're two teenagers alone at night in a park." Duo explained. "I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. Snuggling's just fine by me."
"Whatever you say, dearheart." Quatrina said, wiggling into a more comfortable position and falling asleep again almost immediately.
Duo stared at the top of her head in surprise, then laughed quietly and got as comfortable as he could, considering he was sitting on a wooden bench with a person in his lap.
"My legs are gonna be so sore when we wake up." He muttered before drifting off himself.
What followed was a very blissful two weeks for Quatrina and Duo. They went out almost every night Duo had off, talked constantly on the phone, and spent many an afternoon sitting in silence under a tree in the park.
Blissfulness can only last so long, however, before Fate gets sick of it and sends someone to rain on your parade. In this case, that cruel lady sent none other than Zechs Merquise, home for his due yearly leave from the Mars Terraforming Project.
There was a very happy brother-sister reunion in the main hall of the Peacecraft mansion, followed by a rather cold official meeting of the big brother and the boyfriend.
"Well, I'll leave you two to catch up and whatnot." Duo announced cheerfully after a full minute of tense silence. He risked life and limb by kissing Quatrina on the cheek before making a break for the door while Zechs was still fuming.
"Why, that… that…" Zechs sputtered, turning red in the face.
"I appreciate the sentiment, big brother," Quatrina said calmly, "but I must ask you to keep whatever you were about to say to yourself. I like him."
"Well, I don't!" Zechs snapped with conviction, crossing his arms and scowling.
"I know, dear." Quatrina said soothingly, leading her brother into one of the many sitting rooms. "No one likes his little sister's boyfriend. Would you like some tea?"
"Don't try that trick on me, young lady." He said with a frown. "And yes, I would. Two sugars, please."
"Whatever you say, big brother." Quatrina agreed, pouring two cups of tea and adding sugar to one. "How are things on Mars?"
"Going better than we planned. If we keep this rate up, we might be done a full year ah- hey! You're throwing me off the subject again!"
"Yes, I am." Quatrina agreed. In the rare moments she'd been able to talk with him candidly over her life, she'd found that calm was the best way to deal with him in one of these moods. "If you really want to talk about Duo that much, however, I'll be happy to stop throwing you."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I would like to talk about him." Zechs said firmly. "More specifically, I'd like to talk to you about getting rid of him! I'll not have my sister dating some gold-digging street rat!"
"Duo is not a gold-digger, Zechs." Quatrina said, unable to keep all the edge out of her voice. "In fact, the only thing he's not paying for is the food we eat at home and my clothes. He insists on treating me, although we are both aware of the fact that I am far more financially stable than he."
"He's probably waiting until you marry him to show his true nature. Don't let him fool you; street trash is still street trash, no matter what it does!"
Before Quatrina could protest, Duo stomped into the room. Without a word, he stalked to Zechs, knelt in front of him, and, to the blond's astonishment, removed his left boot, and took it with him when he stalked back out again.
"Did… he just…"
"He just stole your left boot." Quatrina said, not bothering to hide her smile.
"Why would he…"
"To get back at you for badmouthing him?" She suggested, taking a sip of her tea. "You'll probably have to apologize before he gives it back."
"But…" Zechs objected, looking back and forth between his sister and the door. "But he…he…"
"I know, dear." Quatrina said soothingly. "Drink your tea."
Voila. Another chapter done. Sorry about my lack of updates on my stories lately. I just haven't been very inspired, I guess…