This isn't like a "sequel" per say, more like a counterpart to the previous chapter (8. The Party).
Same day, different year, different circumstances.
Let's just say this one is also considerably shorter than the one before it and a lot easier to get through. For some reason, I really like writing older Evi . . .
IX. A Different Time
"Okay, Dad," she called, running into the room. "How do I look?"
Mu glanced up from the book he was reading to watch his daughter as she stopped short in front of him, breathlessly giving him a twirl.
Her long summer dress traveled gently through the air with the spin, flashing its pale tan length, the one dotted with a pattern of red roses. Her long auburn hair waved down her back, half of it partly done up by a red ribbon. After she spun around another time, the rich locks rested smoothly along her pale shoulders.
When she stopped, Mu completely saw how the long dress adorned her and how it worked perfectly with his daughter's young figure.
Evi coupled her hands behind her back and leaned closer to her father with those questioning russet eyes. "Hm?"
"Beautiful." He smiled, blue eyes glittering. She really was. But Evi's rounded face fell at his response. She straightened up and looked down at what she wore, gathering the fabric idly in her hand.
"Like Mom Beautiful or just . . ."
Mu shook his head with a grin, always amused by her growing insecurity about looks. She really didn't have to worry. Mu's eyes brushed over her once more before he broke out in another of his grins.
"Like How-in-heck-could-you-be-so-beautiful-when-you-come-from-genes-like-mine-and-your-mother's Beautiful."
Mu's stare kept on his daughter, the hard of his blue eyes never straying.
Beneath the heat, Evi's dark eyes found the floor, voice lost to a small, faint murmur.
"Thanks. . . ."
A low laugh rumbled deep in the father's throat at her reaction. He stood himself up and walked on over to her, pulling the girl into a warm one-armed hug and holding her reassuringly close. Mu sealed the embrace with a kiss for his daughter, his lips dashing over Evi's forehead since she was tall enough then—right past his shoulder.
Mu glanced at the clock as they pulled away from each other, and his face couldn't help but screw up.
"Say . . . do you know where Matt is?"
Evi was about to reply when a door banged open from down the living room hallway. Young Matt came dragging himself out, dark scowl covering his entire demeanor. In his hand, Matt was seemingly trying to strangle a tie.
"Dad," he whined, "this stupid thing isn't working."
"Hey," Mu shot back darkly as he eased the fabric from his son's hand. Mu went to work on knotting the dark tie in its place. "Don't say 'stupid'."
"I don't see why we have to go to this stupid thing anyway," Matt huffed, turning away from his father's glare and crossing his arms. "It's not like we know them or anything."
"Matthew!"
That shut the kid up. Mu ran fingers through his thinning hair with a sigh as he glanced about the empty hall. Evi had gone off to finish getting ready.
"They're old family friends and we go every year," Mu continued, placing the finishing touches to his son's outfit. He tried hard to make it presentable. "We've been busy the past few times but now we're free, and that's why we're going. I promised them, so stop complaining."
Matt sulked, ice eyes flashing when he showed his tongue to his father.
Mu stuck his tongue out right back.
"Now, hurry up and get your shoes on. We're gonna be late." Without another word, Matt's sulking form trudged off, the kid's bad mood easily radiating with each scowl. Mu watched his son and couldn't resist showing his tongue once more.
With a low laugh, Mu ran his fingers through his hair again.
And I wonder where they get it from . . .
-----
When they when to leave, Mu sat himself in the car, but when Evi came out (Matt following closely behind) she began to beg for him to move so she could drive. Well, she didn't have to 'beg' for long, one question and a silent waiting was all it took for Mu to hand over the keys.
No harm.
He settled himself into the passenger side, Matt strapped in the back. Mu didn't mind not driving.
But, oh, how he regretted it.
The car speeded to a halt on the grass. Evi grinned as Mu let out a deep breath, the one he'd been holding—almost the entire time. They were there, yes, but nobody left the car. Matt listened intently from the back as the children's father proceeded to breathe in and out.
"You know . . ." He croaked, grinning. "You really shouldn't go . . ." Swallow. ". . . that fast. . . ."
"But Daddy, you said we were late."
"And now we're early." Swallow. "Very early."
The teenager apologized, but the smile flashing from her russet eyes showed just how deep the 'heartfelt apology' went.
"Okay," Mu grinned, teeth clenched hard. "Let's go."
Stepping from the car, Mu was caught with a sight he hadn't registered before, being too blinded by the speed his own daughter was driving. There were people all confined to two or three picnic tables out on the grass but also to the shade of a few trees. There were more people than Mu was expecting but little enough to still keep the quiet quaint feel of a close party.
"Hey! Mu!" The older man glanced up to the familiar face running closer. He couldn't hold back a grin.
Kira, though plenty older, still kept a childishness hidden within all the serious maturity. He hadn't really grown any taller, except his face and body had fleshed out, making the kid a man more than the first time Mu had met him. But then again, time had changed the both of them.
"Hey, Kid. Sorry we're a bit . . . early."
"No, no, it's fine. Almost everybody else is here already anyway."
"Say, where's the birthday girl?" Mu asked, glancing about the crowd. Kira turned to follow his gaze, hand going to scratch at his brown hair.
"Oh, I don't know. She went off somewhere with Lacus and I haven't seen either of them for a while." Kira turned back around. "They left me here alo— . . ." Then, his violet eyes spotted Evi silently standing behind Mu and all words left him. Mu heard Kira vaguely mutter something, something much resembling, "God, she looks just like her. . . ."
Mu cocked his head and turned around, smiling at his precious daughter.
"Evi, I'm surprised you haven't said anything yet." He flashed a fathering grin. "Kira, you remember my daughter, Evi? Evi, this is that Kira-kid I was telling you about."
The two exchanged 'hellos' and shook hands as Mu looked on, surprised at how his daughter was acting. She wasn't the shy one. That was when Mu noticed the dark suit jacket held tightly in her hands.
"Evi . . . Where's Matt?"
"He ran off," she answered, quietly and coolly as the wind played at her long auburn hair. "I said he could. You wouldn't mind, right?"
"No, no, I wouldn't mind," Mu sighed, running fingers through his own thinning hair. Then he began to laugh. "Darn kid, always running off. Can speak to anyone he wants to, but only if he wants to."
Kira grinned.
"Yeah," he agreed with his thirty-four year old smile. "My son's like that too."
"Hah, where is he? Bet you Matt's with 'em."
The two laughed. Evi watched, smiling, fascinated by the party already. It was going to be something else, that she knew already.
-----
Mu settled himself beneath the shade of a large tree and stood there. He's had enough of 'mingling' with the other guests. He had never been one for big parties and as he got older, Mu found himself getting tired much faster. Evi had disappeared from behind him long before, Matt still off somewhere. Mu had learned from Kira a lot about what had happened in the past few years, and through all their talking, they never once saw Lacus or Cagalli. Kira had finally gone off to look for them, leaving Mu behind to relax.
He stood in the shade, leaning against a tree. A small amount of cold water in one hand, the other held calmly in his pocket.
The cool breeze swept over him, pulling lightly at his hair, rippling through his clothes.
It was a wondrous day.
Mu closed his eyes and breathed in the day. It was just so nice. Even the loud talking of the party had been reduced to a soft hum for the peace.
"My, my, if it isn't Commander LaFlaga. . . ."
Mu blinked, and looked up, coming face to face with a man he hadn't seen in years. Man whose face hadn't changed whatsoever.
"Hey, it's Mr. Murdoch!" Mu laughed, reaching out to shake hands with the old Hangar buddy. "How long's it been?"
"Oh . . . Eleven years." Mu's dark eyes widened at the fact. Arms crossed before his chest, Mu just nodded at the old companion.
". . . Since Murrue?"
"Yeah. . . ." Murdoch turned his head away and lightly rubbed at his neck. The awkwardness had taken over them. Eleven years . . . since Murrue's funeral.
"It's disgusting," Mu spat, shocking the man standing beside. The pure malice in the long laughing man's voice chilled. "—how long it's been. We should see you more often than that!"
Mu grinned, laughing, much to Murdoch's pleasure. "So much has changed, hm?"
"Yeah," the man smiled, glad to see a smile of its own on Mu's easily tired face. "So, what have you been up to?"
"Oh, this and that, you know?"
"No, really, I don't actually."
More laughing. The pair kept talking, about what didn't really matter. It had been eleven years after all.
The conversation and it's laughing only stopped when Murdoch spotted Kira walking aimlessly away from the party stream of people.
"Hey, Kid! Over here!" Glancing up, the two men could easily see the grin grow on the kid's face.
Kira was over in an instant, with more hard drinks to share.
"Sorry I couldn't talk to you longer before. . . ." Kira apologized quietly as the first thing he said, stepping forward with more drinks in his hands for the two who stood beneath the tree. Mu and Murdoch grabbed the refreshments earnestly.
"No, you were busy with this grand party of yours," Mu grinned, understanding. There were only so many places a person could be at once. "Everything going as planned?"
"Actually, I'm not the one who set this up. It was all Lacus and Athrun. I didn't want a party this year. . . . I still haven't found those two girls yet."
"Aw, you should enjoy parties—especially if they're free," Mu grinned, swerving off the subject. "For you, anyway, Kid."
"Right," Murdoch agreed, raising his glass, "Even if they did leave, they're going to come back."
Mu elbowed Kira a bit to prove a point.
"You guys probably ran out of ice or something. . . . Nothing to worry about, Kid."
Kira sighed. He was standing next to the only two to call him Kid still. Even Andy Waltfeld had stopped. But Mu LaFlaga and Kojiro Murdoch didn't think that way. But Kira had grown used to the impending 'Kid' comments.—Even though he was just thirty-four years old already.
But, somewhere throughout the conversation, ol' Murdoch had to go, and soon when his gruff voice and hard demeanor left, it left only Mu and Kira sipping drinks beneath the tree.
Hard drinks.
The talk kept going, though Mu didn't really hear. Kira still spoke beside him, the younger man going on about what had happened in the past few years. Mu didn't really pay attention, but he must have nodded or said something in all the right spots for Kira just kept on going.
Not that Mu minded, it was just that his thoughts were focused elsewhere.
Throughout the 'conversation', Mu's eyes discreetly followed a jagged trail in the distance. It was Matt, out running around with some other kids, playing something like tag or some weird sport without a ball. Mu was just glad the kid had become more balanced over the years. When Matt was younger, the kid would always fall, but lately it never happened, so Mu didn't really worry when it came to Matt and his games. Whatever the dynamics of the game were, it didn't matter much to Mu. His eyes only followed one thing: his son.
His game-recruited, laughing, tongue-sticking, childish, pain-in-the-neck son.
And then his thoughts focused on another family member, and the truth about her.
Mu's crystal eyes glazed over a bit, sun shining into them, making the blues dance with thought.
"Say . . . I met you when you were sixteen and now my girl's sixteen. . . ." Mu muttered taking a sip of his cold drink. Kira just laughed beside him.
"Who knew you could ever be so old, Mu."
"Hey!"
"I'm just saying a lot of things have changed." Kira's voice strayed as he took a drink.
Silence.
"Say . . . is that your daughter over there?" Mu's gaze followed Kira's, drifting over to a table where a couple of guys crowed around two girls. One was young, about twelve, the other . . . that long auburn hair was hard to miss. Evi.
"You're too old for her," Mu answered gruffly, harshly.
"I'm married," Kira shot back, only to hear Mu's deep laughter in response. Even after all those years of laughter, Mu's laugh had yet to be worn out. It was still the same, rich and light giving.
"But, seriously," Kira caught in, laughter caught in his eyes yet not his tone. The younger man pointed over to the male group surrounding Evi. "They aren't married.—Aren't you worried?"
Mu surprised Kira with another bout of laughter as an answer.
"She's got more of Murrue in her than just her looks," Mu grinned, just imagining what was happening. Evi's stern Murrue-face swam into view. "She'll be fine. Besides, she's already got a boyfriend back home.—Annoying little bugger. . . ." The rest of Mu's words had been reduced down into indistinguishable mumbles.
In one quick movement, the last shot of liquor in Mu's hand upended itself, the easing liquid down fast. The sharp crystal of Mu's eyes melted with the passing, they looking down at the empty glass rolling beneath his hardened fingertips.
"God . . . I'm going to need another of these when the time comes. . . ."
Kira laughed.
"Mu, you've aged."
"What?"
"In a good way."