First Realizations

Canon scenes happen like normal

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Feldt

Feldt looked up at the sky, her mind going around in circles as she laid down on the pool chair. They were back on Earth, at Wang Liu Mei's private mansion in the pacific, the crew waiting for info about the next big operation. Normally she would be focused on an operation involving all the Gundams, but that was not what her thoughts were hung up on.

For a while now, thinking about Setsuna had created a knot in her chest and it only seemed to be getting tighter. Recently, she had almost teared up as she watched the Exia get shot trying to resolve the issue in Azadistan.

Sitting at her position on the bridge, she kept her eyes glued on the screen as the Exia approached the palace with the conservative leader of Azadistan. She clenched one of her fists, her heart racing seeing Setsuna approach the security mechs unarmed. She knew why he was unarmed, but she couldn't help but worry about her friend. This could go bad, especially if the Union forces got involved.

As the Exia began to take some hit from mechs at the palace, tears stung her eyes as she looked away. In the back of her mind, she knew the Gundam could take the damage, but he had no means to defend himself. He had walked into a trap knowing he would be vulnerable. She knew this was probably the right move, but it still made her hurt a little seeing himself putting himself at risk for something that could get him killed.

There was a weight in her chest as she looked away. She didn't want to watch it. Setsuna was so important to her and to see him relatively vulnerable. She opened her eyes as she heard the gunfire calm down and the Exia was dinged by gunfire, but undamaged. The weight in her chest seemed to lessen, and she let out a breath. 'He's alright. He's alright!'

While she chided herself mentally for being so worried about Setsuna, the weight in her chest had made her aware of how much she felt for Setsuna. She felt that there was something more to it than just friendship. She felt so happy around him and holding his hand made him so happy. And her heart always seemed to race around him. 'But what is this feeling?' Her face scrunched up in concentration.

She then heard a plop in the seat next to her and Christina's voice chirped in her right ear, "Hey Feldt! You look like you are thinking real hard. What's going on in that head of yours?"

Feldt began to say nothing, but a thought came to her mind. 'Maybe I can ask about this feeling that I've been having.' Feldt looked at Christina nervously, stating, "I am confused about something."

Christina's eyes lit up at that, "Well I can hopefully answer your question or questions." She then sat cross-legged on the chair, leaning towards the pink-haired girl, "What do you want to know?"

Feldt blushed, embarrassed that she had to ask Christina, "Well, when I think about Setsuna or interact with him, there is a knot in my chest and I always want to blush and smile around him. At first, he was nice to be around, but now I want to be around him and do things like hold hands." Feldt wrung her hands, "I don't know what to do about this. I have never felt this way about anyone and it feels like more than friendship, but I don't know what that means…" She trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

Christina gave her a wide grin, "Well Feldt, I was hoping this would happen to you. You are becoming more like a normal girl every day!"

Feldt tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You have a crush on Setsuna!" Feldt just looked at Christina in continued confusion. 'Crush?' Christina must have noticed her expression, because she softened her smile and continued, "Feldt, you know how your parents had you and were close?"

Feldt nodded, not having many memories of her parents, but knowing they cared and loved each other, nodded. Christina responded to her nod, "Well you like Setsuna in the same way. Do you want to hold him and want to comfort him, and vice versa? To make him smile?"

Feldt nodded shyly at that, "He has a nice smile and he makes me feel better just being around him. He understands me and he is kind to me."

Christina just grinned at her, "So you want to be his girlfriend?"

Feldt tilted her head in confusion again, "Girlfriend?"

She heard Christina let out a small sigh before the brown-haired girl put on a serious face, "A girlfriend and boyfriend, the boy in the relationship, are a pair of partners that are generally more intimate, doing things like holding hands, being close in public with kissing and public displays of affection, as well as being more open about their feelings to each other. They are also exclusive, always sticking with each other through thick and thin. It often leads to having families and living together, though that doesn't always work out." Christina frowned for a split second before smiling, "But you should give it a chance!"

Feldt weighed the word on her tongue, not catching Christina frowning, "Girlfriend. Girlfriend." The more she thought about it and said it, the more it felt right. That caused her to smile warmly, the knot in her chest being replaced by a sense of relief and happiness. This is what her mind was trying to tell her that she couldn't understand. She wanted to be there for him. He had already opened up for her, even letting her touch him. It meant a lot to her and it made her happy he never pressured her to open up. He trusted her to go at her own rate. And he cared about her feelings in regard to her parents, even comforting her by saying her parents would be proud of her. He was the most important person on the ship to her, having become a part of her heart. 'And he is attractive, which I'm guessing Christina would say is good. I…I like him. I really like him!' It was odd that Christina gave her an explanation like that, but that was not important at this second.

Feldt sat up, looking down at the ground, her cheeks bright red, whispering, "I like him."

Christina looked at her in anticipation, "What did you say?"

Feldt spoke up louder, "I like him. I like Setsuna." Feldt looked up at Christina, smiling, "I want to be with Setsuna."

Christina clapped her hands excitedly, "I'm so happy for you!"

Nervousness came over Feldt again, "So what do I do now? Do I tell him? How do I know he feels the same way about me? Do I talk to him different?"

Christina stood up and sat next to Feldt on the chair, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Feldt, relax. Always remember he is your friend. Just continue getting to know him and be there for him. A good couple is there for each other. Knowing him, I would take it slow. You two can figure it out. You know him better than anyone on the crew." Christina then shrugged her shoulders, "Worst case, tell him your feelings and see how he responds. At least you can say you got your feelings into the open."

Feldt nodded happily at her, leaning her head on the older girl's shoulder, "Thank you. I don't know if I could have learned this without you."

Christina just grinned, "Well when you two have kids, I want to be their godmother."

Feldt blushed deep red, "Kids?!"

"I'm kidding. Mostly." Christina then stood up, catching Feldt by surprise. Feldt spotted a mischievous look in her eye, setting off her suspicions. 'What is she thinking?'

Her suspicions were confirmed when Christina have her a smirk, "Why don't we call up Setsuna? Well I mean you but I want to hear you two talk! You must have been worried about him during Azadistan." 'And sometimes I need a reminder at how nosy she is.'

Feldt pouted and sighed, not knowing why Christina wanted to hear them interact, but Feldt did owe her. She could see Lichty floating in the pool and Lasse was working out. Sumeragi looked like she had fallen asleep in her recliner and Wang Liu Mei was nowhere to be found. 'She must be looking at info for the upcoming operation, like Tieria.' Feldt let out a sigh, "Fine, but let's find a private area in the house. I don't want to draw too much attention."

Christina just nodded happily, "I'll follow your lead!" The two girls made their way inside, Feldt being unable to stop smiling, despite her best effort to keep it hidden. 'No matter what happens, it feels nice to not have that knot in my chest.'

Setsuna

Setsuna made his way back to his apartment after being shouted at by his neighbor Saji's girlfriend. 'I don't get why she was mad at me. She was getting upset over nothing.' Her mom was still alive, so there was no need to be upset at her leaving. He didn't take it personally and Saji had told him that Louise was just like that.

One thing that had caught his attention in the whole interaction was how Saji looked at Louise, even when she was acting the way she was. He could see the affection the Japanese teenager had for the blonde girl and it reminded him a bit of how Setsuna looked at Feldt. It wasn't the same relationship, but Setsuna knew that if Feldt had been upset like that, he would have tried to calm her down and comfort her like Saji was doing. 'Is this what getting closer to Feldt might mean? Dating?'

Setsuna shook his head. He didn't know if he felt that way about her and he didn't even know if he should have that happiness, especially after having killed his parents. A relationship would involve a future, and Setsuna didn't know he could have planned for it. He would have to think on this more.

He was interrupted by his mini-terminal making a noise and he saw a call incoming from Feldt. 'Why is she calling?' He accepted the call and he saw she was in a sunny location with a large window behind her, "Hey Feldt, what's going on?" 'Was she on Earth?'

Feldt blushed slightly as she responded, "Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to check up on. It's kind of slow over here."

"Slow on the planet?"

Feldt nodded, "Yes, we are gearing up for a big operation, which I assume you got." Setsuna nodded at that and Feldt continued, sounding a bit excited, "We are at Wang Liu Mei's mansion right now. Did you know she has a pool and a garden?" Setsuna swore he heard giggling from Feldt's side, but shook his head. 'Must have been my imagination.'

Setsuna smiled slightly at her, seeing how happy she was, "I did not. Are you enjoying it there?"

Feldt looked down at the ground and he saw her blush, "Yes. It would be cool if you were here, but I do have Haro."

"How is he enjoying it?" The little robot seemed to be very outgoing, so Setsuna guessed he would enjoy being there, especially with Feldt.

Feldt eyes shown with mirth, "He has been getting better with flowers, and seems to like being here, so I would say he's enjoying it." She then looked at him with the curiosity, "During the intervention, did you meet the ruler of Azadistan? The way that she said your code name as you were leaving gave me that feeling."

Setsuna looked away for a second, letting out a breath as he entered his apartment, "I did not meet her during the intervention, but I did meet her when we destroyed La Edenra. She was being attacked by them and I stopped it. I warned her if Azadistan didn't resolve its issues, we would come." Setsuna then saw Feldt looking at something and pointing, and after that there were footsteps retreating from Feldt, "What was that?"

Feldt looked at him, sighing, "It was nothing. And Veda would be upset if they knew you casually revealed your identity."

Setsuna responded with determination, "It hasn't harmed the plan and she needed to know the weight of the consequences of failing to stop her civil war, which she did not resolve." In the back of his mind, the memories of being a child soldier and fighting against Azadistan played out, causing Setsuna to frown.

Feldt looked at him worried for a second before smiling, "Well I'm just happy that your plan worked out. But please avoid revealing your identity again. I don't want Tieria to get mad at you again."

Setsuna nodded, "I won't."

"Is there anything interesting going on in Japan?"

Setsuna shook his head, "Not much. The only thing that happened was my neighbor tried to get me to help comfort his girlfriend."

Feldt's voice was slightly higher than usual, "What was wrong with her?" Setsuna looked at her, confused. 'Why is her voice higher pitched?'

Undeterred by the change in Feldt's voice, Setsuna replied evenly, "Her mother had just gone home and she was apparently upset by this. I told her she shouldn't be upset by this because she could see her mother at any time. She was still alive."

Feldt's voice became chiding, "Setsuna, that was unfair. Just because we have lost our parents doesn't mean that she can't feel bad for hers going home. You shouldn't have been as blunt as that. You should have been nicer."

"But she wasn't being rational about it."

Feldt rolled her eyes, "Setsuna, she's a teenage girl. They can be irrational at times."

"Aren't you a teenage girl?" Feldt blushed and looked away, and Setsuna just smirked slightly,

Feldt remained silent for a few seconds, pursing her lips. Setsuna chuckled slightly, internally noting how cute she was when she was put on the spot. She then let out a breath, her cheeks still red, "Still, it's unfair to expect she has suffered like we have."

Setsuna then felt shame come over him at Feldt's words, them finally making sense. 'I didn't know she could have this effect on me.' Setsuna sighed, "Should I apologize to her?"

Feldt gave him a smile, "I think that would be best."

Setsuna grumbled, "Would it make you happy knowing she threw a pillow at me after I said it?"

Feldt giggled, "You deserved it."

Despite her chiding, Setsuna couldn't help but smile a bit at her giggling. 'She looks so happy.' He nodded at her, "Next time I see her or Saji, I'll apologize."

"I'm happy to see you are learning."

Setsuna blushed at her words and was about to say something when electronic chirping interrupted him in the background, "Found you Feldt! Found you Feldt!"

Feldt sighed and smiled at Setsuna, "Well it looks like Haro found me. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later!"

He nodded at her, "Talk to you later." The call ended and one thought came to Setsuna's mind. 'Interacting with her makes me feel so…normal. She makes me feel like…I'm more than just a meister. Why does thinking about her do that?" He laid down on his bed, looking at the ceiling.

Another thought that came creeping into his mind was question the depths of his feelings for Feldt. Was she just a friend or something more? He saw the way Saji interacted with Louise and after this conversation with Feldt, the two felt more similar. 'But do I deserve that type of affection? Should I enter into that world?'

He didn't have any clear answers to anything. Whether it was caring for Feldt as more than a friend or if he even had a future or a chance for that to happen. 'Why is this so complicated?'

Author Note

And another chapter! Please review, like, favorite and comment, and I'll see you next week! Also if you are uncomfortable leaving a review, send me a PM!