A Reprieve

Canon scenes happen like normal

"Regular speech"

'Thought'

"Video call or voice chat"

Christina

It had been a few days since the Trinities left and they had already done a few interventions, some of them worryingly indiscriminate. Civilians were killed in a few of them, and Christina could almost feel all the previous sympathy Celestial Being had was beginning to slip away. And the mood on the ship wasn't great, everyone worried about what the Trinities would do next. Sumeragi had suspended any new operations, wanting to see the Trinity's goal in acting like this.

Christina had been trying to think of ways to cheer up the crew as she glided through the hallways of the Ptolemy, but everyone seemed to be a bit distant. 'Not that I blame them. It's hard to watch new Gundams ruin the progress we were making.' There had been a decent number of people who mostly agreed with Celestial Being's actions, but that was up in the air now. Deep in thought, Christina didn't notice Feldt until she ran into the girl rounding a corner. Both girls let out an "ow" and Christina recovered quickly, "I'm so sorry Feldt! I should have been paying attention."

Feldt shook her head, "No, don't worry about it."

Christina was then taken by surprise as she heard Setsuna's voice with a gentle tone coming around the corner, "Are you ok Feldt?"

Feldt looked behind her to where his voice came from, smiling, "It's ok Setsuna. Christina was just bumped into me."

Christina was surprised to hear Setsuna speak so gently. He sounded like he really cared. 'It looks like my plan worked! I knew they would be good together!" Setsuna came from around the corner, looking at Christina curiously, "Are you ok?"

Christina nodded, putting her hands up, "It's alright Setsuna! I just bumped into her. I've had worse."

Suddenly an idea popped up in her head. She grinned, and Feldt looked at her warily, asking, "What is that look?"

Christina pouted, "C'mon Feldt, it's not that bad. It should actually be cute." Feldt nodded at her to continue and Setsuna leaned in close to Feldt, looking curious. Christina grinned once again, "I want to get a picture of the two of you. And I want to see Setsuna actually smiling." Christina pulled out her mini-terminal

Feldt let out a relieved sigh and nodded, "I thought it would be worse, you can go ahead." Setsuna rolled his eyes but moved close to Feldt, not smiling. Feldt smiled, but looked over at Setsuna, seeing his non-smile.

Christina frowned, looking annoyed at Setsuna, "Setsuna, just pretend I'm not here! Just focus on the fact that Feldt is right next to you." Setsuna let out a huff and still didn't smile. Feldt looked annoyed for a second and with one hand, pinched the right side of Setsuna's face forcing him to make a fake smile. Setsuna blushed, clearly embarrassed. Christina giggled, enjoying seeing Setsuna out of his comfort zone. 'Also he doesn't seem to mind Feldt touching him, unlike Nena. It seems the two have made more progress than I thought.'

She wondered how he felt about being kissed, but it seemed Feldt had helped him, seeing how he was somewhat relaxed around the pink-haired girl. She could ask Feldt later. 'Good for you Feldt.' She then giggled as she took a few pictures, enjoying seeing someone relaxed after what had been going on recently. She spoke cheerily, "That's great! I'll send the picture to both of you." She quickly sent off the picture, and both Setsuna and Feldt blushed when they saw it, Setsuna also pouting.

Feldt turned to Setsuna, "You looked cute. Don't give me that look." Setsuna looked away and Christina smiled at the interaction. The two looked so natural and Setsuna was so much less stiff then when she first met him.

She gave both of them a warm grin, "Well I think I'll leave you two alone. Have fun with your boyfriend, Feldt!" Both of them blushed at that but didn't seem to deny it. 'Interesting.' As she began to travel away, she spotted the two holding hands with her peripheral vision. 'Very interesting. I should tell Neil about this. Now where is he?'

Neil

Neil exited the hanger, his simulation training session coming to an end. Like everyone else on the crew, he needed an outlet for his frustrations and a good training simulation was what worked for him. Haro seemed to enjoy it as well, floating around the brown-haired Irishman. As he headed towards the elevator up to the main deck, he saw Christina exit it, scanning around the room before making a beeline towards him after their eyes met. 'What does she want?'

He waved at her and he could see a look of excitement in her eyes, "What are you doing down here? Didn't take you for an engineering type."

Christina shook her head and he swore he saw stars in her eyes, "Neil, I think our plan worked! Well, mostly worked? I don't know if they were together or not, but he let her touch him and force him to smile!"

Neil looked at her, confused, "Forced him to smile?" I mean he had seen Setsuna smile around Feldt, but that normally wasn't in public as far as he saw. Christina showed him a picture the two, Feldt pinching Setsuna's cheek. 'How cute.' He grinned at the brown-haired woman, "Well, would you look at that. Not the happiest smile I've seen, but the fact he allowed her to do that that is certainly something."

Christina shook with excitement, "I know, right! And they both seem to be happier. Setsuna seems more relaxed and less intense, and Feldt seems to smile more and I can even catch her humming when she's working." Christina's volume lowered as she smirked, "You want to hear something I learned?"

Neil nodded, "Sure, go ahead." 'Is it Setsuna or Feldt I wonder?'

Christina spoke happily, her voice raising in tone while still keeping her voice low, "Feldt really likes Setsuna, as in, romantically! She and I had a moment before you guys fought the three blocks. I knew I was right!"

Neil just grinned lazily at her, "Well, I think I have good news for you."

Christina gripped one of railings tightly, "Go ahead."

"Well let's just say I saw something interesting when they reunited after the new Gundams showed up." He stopped for a second, seeing Christina look at him in frustration.

Christina took an aggressive step forward, glaring at Neil, "Just tell me! Don't leave me on the edge of my imaginary seat!"

Haro added to the request, "Tell her! Tell her!"

Neil put up his hands defensively, "Alright! Alright! I don't need both of you teaming up on me." He chuckled then continued, "I'm pretty sure Setsuna likes her the same way. You should have seen the way that he held Feldt when she rushed up to him. I had never seen him look so soft."

Neil could see Christina tearing up slightly at that and he imagined she was picturing it in her mind. 'It's probably a little more dramatic in her mind than how it actually happened.' He chuckled under his breath and Christina looked satisfied, "That's good. Great! I knew it would happen. Did he tell you or are you just guessing?"

Neil shrugged his shoulders, "He hasn't told me, but I haven't seen him act that way around anyone else, or even let someone touch him like that, so I'm pretty confident in my guess." Neil then frowned for a second before going back to an even look, "And especially after what happened with Nena, it shows how much he trusts her. So I would put money on the fact that he likes her."

Christina bounced in her spot and Haro chirped, "Setsuna say Feldt beautiful! Setsuna say Feldt beautiful!"

Neil tilted his head at that, "Well would you look at that? It seems like they did our job without us needing to do anything really." He had never planned to jump in, just answer questions if Setsuna had them or if Feldt came to him, but they hadn't, so he was just content to sit back and watch the twos developing relationship. 'Christina was right about them being a good couple. Feldt has been good for the kid.'

Christina then looked at him curiously, "So what do we do now? They seem to be close and like each other, so do we push?"

Neil shook his head, "Right now, I think we should leave it as it is. The two of them have figured it out so far, so I think we can trust them to move forward on their own. Besides, I think we have bigger things to worry about than those two." He scowled at the thought of the Trinities and their indiscriminate attacks. 'They are attacking civilians along with the military. We never attack civilian facilities, only military bases and battlefield.' Neil knew their mission was hypocritical and their goal was a bit unrealistic, but they never intentionally went after the targets that the Trinities were assigned to do. 'Why is Veda ok with this now? Should I trust it? The mission in the desert almost resulted in our deaths or capture.' The fact they relied in a computer system for their mission was beginning to show its flaws.

He forced down his frustration, knowing it wouldn't help right now. It's not like they can attack them or try to stop them. It certainly wouldn't help their side to look like they were not united, especially with the world uniting more and more to fight back against Celestial Being.

Christina let out a breath, "Yeah, I guess you are right. But I just want all of us to make it out of this and change the world."

Neil grinned at her, "You want to become a godmother to one of their kids."

Christina grinned, blushing, "Yep. I don't think it's too much to ask for."

The brown-haired man sighed, "Well that will have to wait. We have a world to change and Gundams to watch." Christina nodded at that and the two headed to the elevator. Neil didn't know what to expect in the future, but it wasn't good. Feldt and Setsuna figuring out their relationship was at least one good thing going on.

Setsuna

Setsuna stood at the tree line of the island where the recharging unit for the Exia and Dynames was, watching Feldt play with Haro in the shallows. Him and Lockon had been on the island for a week or so, Sumeragi judging the situation safe enough for them to return to the planet. And Feldt had been sent a few days ago to do some maintenance on the Dynames and Exia, something about updating the computer systems. Setsuna wasn't really tech savvy, so he trusted that Sumeragi and Ian had a good reason for this.

But right now, he was focused on the fact that Feldt was back in that bathing suit from the boat, and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. While a good chunk of it was seeing how happy and relaxed she was playing with the little robot, ever since he realized his feelings, Setsuna's physical attraction to her had grown. Feldt had even caught him looking at her chest once and she had just given him a shy smile. 'Does that mean she doesn't mind it? Is this ok to do?' He felt like it should feel inappropriate, but it felt right. 'Is this was being a couple would be like? Being comfortable around each other enough that this is ok and even appreciated?'

Being able to reflect on it over the past couple weeks, Setsuna had come to accept he truly liked Feldt. He didn't know if it was love, but he wanted to always be a part of her life and vice versa. But every time he tried to work up the courage to try to tell her, something had stopped him. 'She's right there. You just have to walk up to her and spell it out! Why is this so hard?' Something in his brain kept him from saying the words, but he didn't know why. 'Am I afraid of being rejected? Of changing our relationship? Why did this have to be so hard?' He leaned against a nearby tree, internally chastising himself. 'I'll figure it out. Somehow.'

His mind then moved to the other thing on his mind. The more interventions the Trinities did, the more his gut feelings became more justified. They had attacked civilian facilities, which despite making weapons, still weren't military targets. Those civilians were not guilty of promoting war. They just pointlessly suffered. Setsuna balled his fist, angry at the fact he was unable to stop these interventions. 'Is this what Gundam meisters should do? Is this what Feldt's parents would have wanted? What they would have done? No, people like that wouldn't have raised Feldt to be the wonderful girl she is.' A scowl came over his face, his anger and frustration becoming hard to control.

Feldt's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Setsuna, are you ok?"

Setsuna looked up to see Feldt standing several feet from him, Haro in her hands. Setsuna let out a breath, initially thinking about saying he was fine, but he knew Feldt realized he was frustrated and angry. His anger slightly abated, he looked her in the eye, "No, I am not. I'm just so…frustrated with what's going on. We have to sit here and watch the Trinities act like monsters, attacking civilians for 'promoting conflict'. Is this what the Gundams are for? To just encourage the twistedness in the world?"

Feldt approached Setsuna, laying one of her hands on his arms, "I know how you feel. Every time I see them attack non-military targets, it feels like an insult to my parents. I wish they were here to say it, but I think they would have hated it. This isn't what Celestial Being is for. If it was, then why weren't we doing it before?" She gave Setsuna a determined look, "Maybe Veda isn't as trustworthy as we thought."

Setsuna nodded in agreement, "I'm coming to agree with that. There's something off with the fact these interventions were allowed. The second they do something that has no justification…"

Feldt just nodded at that, Setsuna getting the feeling she was in the same boat as him. A rogue thought then came to the forefront of his mind. 'Maybe I can trust her. She trusted me with her past, so maybe I can do the same.' Setsuna pursed his lips into a thin line and intertwined one of his hands with Feldt, "Hey Feldt, I…I have something I want to tell you."

Feldt looked at him curiously, her eyes wide, "What is it?"

Setsuna let out a shaky breath, then gave Feldt a slight smile, "Months ago, you told me about your past and your parents. At the time I wasn't sure if I should tell you mine, but now I feel like it's a good time."

Feldt smiled at him warmly, squeezing their intertwined hands, "Go on."

Setsuna took in a breath, "When I was a child, I became a soldier during the conflicts in the middle east. I even joined a terrorist organization called the KPSA led by Ali al Saachez, who tried to resist Azadistan when they invaded Krugis." Feldt placed her free hand over her face, gasping. Setsuna continued, looking down at the ground, "My parents were killed during that conflict and eventually all my comrades were killed in the fighting."

Feldt looked at him, her eyes tearing up slightly, "It must have been so horrible for you! How did you survive?"

Setsuna's eyes shined with determination, "I was saved by a Gundam, who destroyed a mobile suit that was about to kill me. When I saw that machine, it looked like an angel. I had lost all my faith in God and life in general. But seeing that Gundam destroy all of the enemy machines gave me a new purpose. I wanted to become someone who could remove the corruption of this world." Setsuna looked back up at Feldt, "When Celetsial Being recruited me and gave me the code name Setsuna F. Seiei, I didn't look back."

"What did you used to be called?"

Setsuna let out a breath, "My old name was Soran Ebrahim, but he died when his parents died."

Feldt looked at him sadly for a minute before responding, "I'm so sorry that all happened to you. No one should have to suffer like that." Setsuna then saw Feldt look at him like she realized something, "Ali al Saachez? That mercenary you fought in Moralia and Azadistan? Is that why you knew about his base in Azadistan?"

Setsuna nodded and Feldt intertwined their other hands, eyes wide, "That explains why you did that on the Azadistan mission! And why you acted the way you did in Azadistan!" Feldt moved a step closer to him, the two of them being only a foot or two apart, "I wish the others could have known that. Then maybe they wouldn't have been mad at you."

Setsuna looked at her surprised. 'Should I tell her the truth about my parents? No, I don't think I'm ready to confront that.' Him killing his parents still weighed heavily on his soul. She probably would be comforting if he told her, but this would be a wound too deep. He needed to come a bit more to terms with that before telling anyone.

Feldt gave him a warm smile, "Setsuna, I don't know what's going on in your head, but you are my friend. I would never reject you. We all have a history, but you have shown you are a good person."

Setsuna's throat dried as he was drawn into her eyes. 'Now is the time. I'm going to tell her how I feel.' It must have been his fear of getting rejected for his past that created the block in his mind. 'It would have hurt, knowing she would have rejected me for what I've done, not that I would fully blame her if she did.' They were alone and his heart raced as they held hands. Nervously, he replied, "Feldt…I wanted to-"

At the same time, Feldt spoke up, her eyes shining, "Setsuna…I-"

They were interrupted by Lockon crashing through the underbrush, a concerned and angry look on his face. The two broke their embrace, turning to face him. Slightly out of breath, Lockon spoke, "You guys, the Trinities messed up."

Feldt

Feldt was disappointed and annoyed their intimate moment were interrupted, but Lockon looked serious, so she asked curiously, "What did they do?"

Lockon balled his fists, "They bombed another Iris Facility. It's no better than indiscriminate terrorism!"

Feldt could see the anger rising in Setsuna and could even feel it herself. 'They were civilians! They weren't guilty of promoting war!' Setsuna put a hand on her shoulder, and she could almost feel the tension in his body. His voice was low when he spoke to her, "You know what I need to do."

Feldt just nodded, not disagreeing with him at all. These new Gundams were an insult to Celestial Being and her parents. She couldn't let this stand as much as Setsuna couldn't. What caught her by surprise was Setsuna standing in front of her, pulling off his scarf, eyes softening. She looked at him in confusion, "What are you…"

He wrapped it loosely around her neck, his voice a whisper, "I want you to take care of this for me."

Her eyes widened, "You can't…"

He rested his forehead against hers, "I will come back. Keep it safe for me." She could see the trust in his eyes as he said that. This scarf must have meant a lot to him, and she would never want to hurt that trust and affection.

She nodded, "Please stay safe." He wordlessly nodded and ran off to the Exia's container, Lockon looking at him in surprise.

The brown-haired meister called out to Setsuna, "Setsuna, what are you doing!?" He looked over at Feldt, questioning, "What is he doing?"

Feldt's eyes hardened, her lips forming a thin line, "What should have been done a while ago." She mentally clapped herself on the back, happy both the Dynames and the Exia were setup to receive the new operating system if the need came up. A fight between Gundams only made its use more likely. 'I hope Christina is having good luck up there.'

Haro chirped in, "Setsuna angry! Setsuna angry!"

Lockon just rubbed a hand on his face, "I know Haro, I know." Feldt watched the Exia fly out of its container, a bit conflicted about what Setsuna was doing. She knew this was something he had to do, but she wanted him to be safe. 'Please come back to us, Setsuna. Come back to me.'

Author Note

And we are approaching the end of S1! That will not be the end of the story, as there is stuff planned for after Fallen Angels. It's about to get sad, so I hope you are ready! I'll see you guys next week and I hope you enjoy! Please comment, review, like, kudos, etc.! Feel free to PM me if you aren't comfortable with public reviews!