"Reminds me of my barracks room back at school." Dearka said as he shoved clothes haphazardly into his side of the dresser.
"You had girls sprawled on your bed at school too?" Miriallia asked from where she luxuriated in the feeling of being able to lie down on a soft surface. Dearka decided not to answer that question, for fear of incriminating himself. He finished unpacking and then just flopped down flat on the ground.
"The room is almost exactly the same size as the barracks room I shared with Ysak. Just because we were the son's of PLANT supreme council members didn't give us any special accommodations. Course, that room had windows and two beds, but that's only a slight difference." Dearka continued.
"Speaking of beds…" Mir said slowly.
"I'll pick up a sleeping bag and pillow later. I'll get the floor, you get the bed." Dearka replied instantly.
"Isn't the floor uncomfortable though?"
"Nothing could be worse than that cot I was lying on when I was a POW on the Archangel. I still shudder when I remember how I was starting to get used to waking up to seeing bars around me." Dearka mused.
"Sorry."
"What for? You didn't throw me in prison. Your captain did. At the time, it was the right decision. However, it would have been more correct for them to have taken me off at JOSH-A."
"But then you and I would never have had the lives we've had." Mir replied.
"Yeah… I'd likely be dead, by CYCLOPS system. Remind me to thank Captain Ramius for keeping me in that cell for those weeks." Dearka said but then grimaced when he remembered how the captain was of late.
"I will, assuming she ever becomes lucid again." Mir promised. "You sure you don't want to sleep on the bed?"
"You'd be comfortable with that?"
"Long as we both wear clothes of some sort… yes."
"Damn, and here I was hoping to start sleeping nude on a regular basis." Dearka joked.
"Maybe you should sleep on the floor then, if you're going to be like that."
"No, no, no. I'll be good. No questing hands in the night, no "accidental" rolling over onto you, no funny business." Dearka promised with a sigh. "Though that largely removes the purpose of it all."
"Do you ever think with your brain versus your dick?" Mir joked back.
"Why should I? It's steered me right so far." Dearka shot back. Mir couldn't think of a good retort for that, so she just laughed. In truth, she wasn't worried about Dearka breaking any rules. He was the perfect knight, as far as she could tell. Not like Kira, who was so naïve and gentle that it wasn't an issue. He didn't deserve to be called a knight… it came naturally to him, while Dearka had to constantly suppress his instincts. Half the idea was the battle between what you swore to do and what you really wanted to do.
"So, what is your take on this whole situation?" Miriallia asked after her chuckle.
"With Cagalli and Athrun?"
"What else?"
"My heart goes out to them. Neither of them deserved anything like this, after doing so much between them to end the war. If it wasn't for Athrun and Cagalli, all life on Earth would be dead right now… likely all human life everywhere would be dead now. I really thought we were going to have peace, for a few weeks there. Until today… or yesterday or whenever the "scandal" came out." Dearka responded.
"Is it really that bad?"
"It's worse, as far as I can tell. Orb is probably going to be annexed into the Atlantic Federation because it no longer has any rulers. I can only guess at what that'll mean for all of the Coordinators living in Orb. I don't like what I'm guessing, either. The Atlantic Federation always was the stronghold of Blue Cosmos support. Cagalli's been branded an international criminal, and I don't see how she can clear her name, since she'll be put in jail the moment she steps into public view. Athrun's going to be under suspicion of manipulating and influencing her for the good of the PLANTS, despite the fact that he has long been cut off from them. Because of Orb's support for and hosting of the peace talks, Cagalli being assumed to have been manipulated by Athrun, a Coordinator, well… the peace talks are dead. Orb's credibility is shot. Doesn't matter if it's not true. It just looks bad, and that's enough to kill peace at this stage." Dearka said, sketching out the situation.
"And then there is the personal implications too." Miriallia added.
"Yep. Cagalli has just been cut off from everyone but us. Kisaka, a surrogate father to her if there ever was one, is in jail and the person who she always thought of as her father, Lord Uzumi Nara Attha… well she can't call herself Yula Attha in public any more. She's been forced to acknowledge her father as not being her father. That has to really hurt, deep down inside." Dearka said.
"What about Athrun? How is he feeling?"
"I'm not one hundred percent on this, but I'd say he is feeling extremely pissed off, very guilty and frustrated. Pissed off for obvious reasons. Guilty because he's going to find some way to blame himself for the whole thing. And frustrated because he doesn't know what to do next." Dearka replied.
"Is he really going to blame himself for the whole thing? That seems stupid." Miriallia sighed.
"He's a lot like Kira in that regard. Whenever something bad happens to his friends or those he cares about, he automatically assumes it is because of some failing of his. He'll probably be thinking something along the lines of "if I never proposed to Cagalli, none of this would have ever happened."." Dearka said, slightly scornfully. "As if that made any sense at all."
"You don't think… this'll… change their relationship?" Mir asked.
"Why are you asking me all this? I don't even have a good handle on OUR relationship. You and I aren't having sex. I'm still a virgin. I couldn't even begin to guess how seeing myself having sex with you on live news would make me feel. Nauseated probably." Dearka protested.
"Nauseated?" Mir said sharply.
"Because everyone in the world would be able to see things I consider mine alone. Jealousy always makes me sick to my stomach." Dearka replied immediately.
"I don't know whether to be shocked or pleased." Mir responded.
"I'd also be really angry. I hope Athrun never gets his hands on that photographer. It won't be pretty if he does." Dearka hurried on.
"We already know… or pretty much anyway, that the cameraman and the "concerned citizen" were Blue Cosmos supporters. Maybe we should ask the others what they think. They should be done unpacking by now." Miriallia suggested.
"Good idea. Wait right here, Mir. I'll get Kira and Lacus." Dearka volunteered, rolling to his feet. He walked briskly out the door and down the hall. He put his hand on the knob and froze.
Miriallia was just sitting up when Dearka came rushing back into the room, a gleeful expression on his face. "What is it? You look strange." She asked, just he grabbed her arm and pulled her back out the door behind him. "Dearka! What are you doing?" she protested.
"SHHH!" he cautioned, stopping outside of the door to Kira's room, which was closed. "Tell me what you hear." He whispered. Mir looked at him, wondering if he'd become a tad crazy in the last thirty seconds.
"I don't hear…" she trailed off, frowning in concentration. Someone was sighing and giggling in the room. Some ones, more accurately. "What are they doing?"
"Oh come on. What do you think they're doing in a locked room?" Dearka said with a withering stare.
"Kira and Lacus?" Miriallia asked, incredulous. "I didn't think they were at that stage yet."
"Stress breeds strange bedfellows, sometimes literally. Or not so strange this time around. It's like in movies… the girl always has sex with the guy right after the big climactic battle when everyone thought he was dead." Dearka replied.
"That is the shallowest thing I have ever heard." Mir whispered.
"I'm sorry. Sometimes my life seems governed by clichés, I guess." Dearka said, backing away from the door. "Come on, let's let them have their fun. Great, at this rate I'll be the last one of all my friends to…" Dearka trailed off, finally considering that this might not be a good thing to say aloud.
"To what?" Mir asked firmly, pushing him into their room and shutting the door.
"I plead the fifth."
"To have sex?" she queried, slipping past him.
"Well… yes."
"Deal with it. We'll when I'm ready and not a day before. You can take that or leave me."
"I'll take that. Only from you though."
"See… that's why I find you so endearing. You talk such a tough line, but you're really a teddy bear at heart. Just like Ysak."
"You'd better not find him endearing." Dearka warned.
"Jealous are we? Feeling nauseous?"
"Aren't you? Here… maybe this'll help. Imagine Ysak nude. Feeling sick yet?"
"A little."
"Besides, he's already got two girls. A third would just be a mortal blow to my ego. And you've already said you couldn't share a man with another girl, much less with two." Dearka pointed out, sitting next to her on the bed.
"Watch your hands boy, or lose them." Miriallia warned as Dearka casually slipped one down her back. He froze and gently retracted his hand. "You said no questing hands on the bed." She reminded him.
"Does that mean its okay off the bed?"
"On your birthday… maybe."
"You're such a prudish girl. Where's your sense of adventure?"
"Back home, with my shotgun toting dad." Mir answered. Dearka winced.
"That's right… I haven't met your parents yet. What are they like? Will they approve?"
"They're wonderful people. They approved of Tolle wholeheartedly." Mir replied. She noted his twisted facial expression. "That means they're going to absolutely adore you." She assured him. "They were pressuring me to get married when I met them at Orb, before Tolle was killed." Dearka was happy to note that she only slightly winced when she said that. She really was moving on.
"Your dad doesn't actually have a shotgun… does he?"
"He prefers piano wire, to tell the truth. Strings 'em up by their thumbs or drags 'em behind a car."
"Superb." Dearka said as if it were some horrible curse.
-------------------------------------
"Uncle Alkire is so cool! He has the car, the jet, awesome houses all over the world. Everything." Chanel cooed, sitting on Ysak's bed. She and Katie had unpacked quickly enough and then practically moved in next door, where Ysak had been sitting at the desk, writing something he had crumpled into his pocket when they came in. Chanel had contemplated trying to get whatever it was, but she knew now how uncomfortable Ysak got when she and Katie did things like reach into the front pockets of his pants, especially when he was wearing them at the time.
"He's also a good shot, is funny and charming. I suppose he's good looking, for an older guy." Katie added. "But not as good looking as our Ysak-y."
"Why must you two torment me so tirelessly? Don't you have anything better to do with your time than hang around my room?" Ysak asked irritably. He had been writing a letter to his mother when they had, as was their custom, barged in without knocking. I'd lock the door, but they'd only kick it down or pick the lock.
"What were you writing, Ysak-y? It looked like a letter." Chanel stated, shifting position so she was now lying face down on his bed. Katie went over to Ysak himself and knelt next to his chair, resting her head on his arm. Ysak casually put his other hand on Katie's head and held her closer. What am I doing? I'm just encouraging them to hang off me when I do this. But… it feels so nice, damn it all.
"It was a letter." Ysak told her.
"Bout what?" Katie asked sleepily.
"Personal stuff."
"To who?" Chanel mumbled.
"My mother."
"It's about us, isn't it?" Katie declared. Ysak was startled.
"What make's you think that?"
"What else could you tell a member of the interim PLANT supreme council about that she wouldn't already know? Certainly not the scandal." Chanel replied. Ysak frowned. I really do have to remember that despite their lazy-kitten acts, these girls are sharp. Smart, perceptive, precise. All good qualities. If only they didn't scare me and confuse me.
"I'm asking her for advice." Ysak told them, taking the letter back out and smoothing out the crinkles.
"Advice?" Katie asked. "Advice on what?"
"On what to do. With the peace talks breaking down, I believe the PLANT civilians will suddenly be a lot more kindly towards the military. They'll want all the soldiers to come back and muster up. Maybe they'll even forget how much they hated me if the need is dire enough." Ysak responded.
"I don't want you to go, Ysak-y." they chorused.
"I don't know if I'm going to. That's why I'm asking my mother for advice." Ysak told them.
"Is that all the letter is? Advice asking?" Chanel asked. "I find that hard to believe. You wouldn't write a letter so incompletely." Ysak blushed slightly.
"Fine, fine. I'm also updating her on how everything has been with me. And Us. My mother is very interested in you two. She'd love to meet you, but I just don't see how that'd be possible." Ysak said.
"What'd you say about us?" Katie asked.
"Standard things. Irritating. Confusing. Irrational. Annoying." Ysak replied. He paused and then continued in a much, much quieter voice. "Beautiful. Entrancing. Alluring. Interesting. Yep… that's standard."
"You're so sweet, Ysak-y." Chanel told him.
"I also asked her for some romantic advice." Ysak admitted.
"You asked your mother for romantic advice?" Katie asked, shocked. "That's not normal, from what I hear. Most people try to keep their mother's out of their romantic lives."
"My relationship with my mother is much closer than most people's. She's the only parent I ever had. My father died when I was very young. Besides, if I don't ask her specific questions, she'll just give me general advice on her own initiative, which would be worse." Ysak informed them.
"What advice did you ask for?" both wanted to know. Ysak shook his head, irritated at himself for letting the subject slip. This isn't something we should be discussing just now. Everyone is bound to be touchy about it for a while. Not a good time to bring up this particular subject, with the scandal video of Athrun and Cagalli. Ysak blushed just thinking about that video. He'd had to shut his eyes and turn off the TV the moment he figured out who they were. God help me, I never want to see either of them naked again. Much less going at it like that. The only ones I want to see naked are… no, no, not going to think that. Get a grip. Keep your mind serene. Not going to think of Chanel and Katie. Especially not nak… DAMN!
"Tell us, come on Ysak-y. We won't laugh at you." Katie prodded.
"I know. You'd probably celebrate. Which would be worse." Ysak groaned. Both girls looked at him with pleading eyes. It's not fair when they do that. Their eyes have hypnotic properties or something. When they look at me like that, I can't help but tell them whatever they want know. Ysak thought helplessly. "Shut the door. Lock it so Dearka doesn't happen by. Then I'll tell you." Chanel leapt from the bed, flew to the door, shut it, locked it and was back on the bed in less than six seconds.
"I wanted to ask my mother what I should do when the time comes for intimacy." Ysak said, slowly and clearly. He closed his eyes and waited for the storm to descend upon him. Instead there was an uncanny silence. Ysak dared to crack open one eye to peek. Chanel and Katie were staring at him open mouthed. He cringed slightly and snapped his eye shut. "I'm sorry…" Ysak started to say. Before he could get any further though, one of them kissed him on the lips. He believed it was Chanel. She was the more demure one of the two. Meanwhile, the other one, likely Katie, was running her hands up and down his back and chest, like a hyperspeed massage. Katie was the one who always liked to touch rather than look.
"Don't apologize, Ysak." Katie replied, speaking his name properly, like the girls did when they were really serious. They saved the "Ysak-y" for when they were just kidding around. "We were just caught off guard. We didn't know you'd even been considering it."
Finally Chanel released him from the kiss. "I find myself thinking about it all the time. It bothers me. So I decided to ask for help. I don't know what to do." Ysak told them.
"We'll help you figure it out, Ysak." Chanel whispered into his ear. He had an involuntary shiver of pleasure. "It's not easy for us either. We've even had fights about it."
"Yes. We like sharing, but there really is only one of you. You can't sleep with both of us in that way at the same time. It's just not physically possible." Katie added. "And while I love my sister deeply… I find myself wanting to be the first instead of her."
"And vice versa." Chanel replied. "We try not to think about it too much; since we both know arguing about it would drive us apart. Maybe even away from you. And neither of us wants that."
"This whole situation… it's just so bewildering. I love you both so much… so equally. I couldn't decide amongst you. It'd break my heart to break one of yours by choosing the other sister as my favorite. And then there's the whole engagement thing… eventually weddings… I don't even know if three person marriages are legal."
"At least you don't have to worry about world opinion turning against you because of your past. Poor Athrun and Cagalli. I feel so bad for them." Katie said.
"Blue Cosmos really is evil. I mean, I didn't like them before, and I like them a lot less after we met you, Ysak. But what they did to Athrun and Cagalli… that's just too far." Chanel added.
"Don't wallow in pity or sympathy too much, loves. Athrun and Cagalli will be okay. They went through a lot in the last war. Both made great sacrifices and suffered huge losses. They'll work around their grief and feelings of betrayal. And then they'll go out there and get their revenge. Blue Cosmos will learn just what a monumental error it was to do… what they did… to Athrun AND Cagalli." Ysak said with certainty. "Especially since they have all of us, including your older sister and uncles, ready to help them out."
"Ysak… why exactly were you going to ask your mother for intimate advice? I know you were wondering what to do, but why ask now?" Katie asked.
"Because I can't get either of you out of my head. It feels like going through puberty again, but only with regard to you two. Aw, hell, the real reason is that ever since I glimpsed Athrun and Cagalli screwing nude on live TV, I couldn't help but want that relationship level for myself, despite the trouble it's caused them. I despise myself for that, but I can't deny it." Again a long silence descended. "I shouldn't have said that. Now is hardly a good time…" Ysak began, before both girls flung themselves bodily onto him, almost tipping him out of the chair. "Gah!"
"Oh, Ysak." Katie whispered.
"You're such a wonderful person." Chanel added.
"That's the highest compliment I've ever heard."
"Saying that even though you know of the consequences of that action, you wanted it anyway. That means a lot to us. Says a lot about your commitment."
"We only wish some of the others could have heard you say that."
"I don't. Dearka'd laugh himself sick." Ysak grumped. "But seriously, girls… where do we go from here? We should try and work something out… something plan like. If I keep hanging here in the void, I'm going to go nuts."
"Well… we want to wait for a while. At least until after you propose. Intimacy before that level of devotion isn't a good idea, in our estimation." Katie replied instantly.
"After that though… maybe draw straws?" Chanel suggested. "Flip a coin? Something that allows us to alternate."
"You know… I just realized something. I'm going to be totally worn out, trying to keep you both satisfied, aren't I?" Ysak said, already weary just thinking about it.
"We'll try to remember that you're just one guy. Even if you are a Coordinator. We'll have a few rest days."
"Thanks. But let's stop all this mushy stuff." Ysak decided, perking up. "Let's go explore around. I've never had the opportunity to explore a tropical island before."
---------------------------------------------
Athrun just looked at Cagalli as she lay, snuffling, on the bed. He was sitting at the desk, head propped up by one hand. His thoughts had been mostly blank all day. What was there to think about? His and Cagalli's lives had just been ruined. Their relationship wasn't damaged, though Athrun guessed Cagalli would be a lot more tentative and cautious about sex in the future, but their actual lives were ruined. They couldn't go outside in public situations without being arrested or harassed. Cagalli had lost her country, the life she had believed in as a proponent of world peace, and part of her past and identity. And Athrun had been partially the cause of that. He knew, deep inside his logical mind, that it wasn't his fault, that there was nothing he could have done. However, that never stopped him from feeling guilty before, and certainly didn't this time.
Cagalli continued her stifled sobbing. Athrun dearly wanted to go over and wrap her in his arms and comfort her, but he knew that physical contact just now was the last thing either of them needed. It would only remind them of last night, and the video. His physical presence in the room was all he could give Cagalli right now. Athrun sighed bitterly. He had thought his life couldn't get any worse after his father died, especially because of the way his father died. But then, of course, he had found Cagalli and everything had gone well. Goldenly. Wonderfully. But now his life was in the sewers again, thrown there by those too shortsighted by hatred to see what the world needed. It didn't need a single race, of just Naturals or just Coordinators. It needed humanity, and a peaceful humanity.
At least he still had great friends, who were there to support him and consol him and Cagalli during the difficult times. Kira had spent nearly the entire plane flight with them; save the time when Alkire had been throwing the plane all over the sky to escape the new model MS's. Kira hadn't said anything. He just sat there with a hand on Cagalli's shoulder and a hand on Athrun's shoulder and had cried with them, sharing their grief and pain. But now the tears were dry. For Athrun anyway. His thoughts turned, inevitably, to trying to figure out what had gone wrong.
Obviously, someone in Blue Cosmos had managed to learn about Cagalli's picture of her as a baby. And had then managed to access her medical records and do some blood work on her blood that was stored in the Orb national hospital. Both feats implied a great deal of sophistication uncommon to most Blue Cosmos operations, which usually consisted of screaming fanatics firing handguns or automatic weapons into crowds, or drive by shootings. Athrun wondered how Blue Cosmos could hear of that picture in the first place. Cagalli never talked about it, and only those people who had been around when it was first given to her would know anything about it. That list included Athrun, Kira, Lacus, Miriallia, Dearka, Ysak, Captain Ramius, Colonel Kisaka, Sai Argyle, Mu La Flaga, and perhaps Andrew Waltfeld.
Of that list, Athrun could cross off himself, Kira, Lacus, Miriallia, Dearka and Ysak, because they were all close friends of his and Cagalli's, would never do anything to hurt them like this, and actually believed in and wanted peace to boot. Colonel Kisaka would probably tear out his own throat before telling anyone, his loyalty was unquestionable. Mu was dead. Andrew Waltfeld wanted peace as badly as anyone or more so, because of his injuries and the losses he suffered in the war. That left Sai, who was missing without a trace for more than a month now and Captain Ramius, who might have said anything in her fugue state. Of course, Ramius had reputably not spoken a word since she went into her fugue, so that probably ruled her out. Athrun moved her to the "maybe" list.
Athrun really didn't know Sai Argyle very well. He was a bridge crew member, not a mobile suit pilot or crewmember, so he and Athrun rarely came into contact with each other. Also, Athrun had spent most of the latter part of the war on the Eternal, while Sai was assigned to the Archangel. Athrun knew that Sai and Flay had formerly been together, an arranged marriage like his and Lacus's had been. But that had fallen apart during the Archangel's flight to Earth. Flay's father had been killed and she had blamed Kira for that, and then seduced him into continuing to make war on other Coordinators. She was one of the main reasons Kira would never have left the Earth Forces, despite how much Athrun had tried. He disliked her for that reason if none other.
Athrun focused back on Sai. From all he had heard, Sai was a staunch friend of Kira's, even becoming quite upset when Kira was thought dead, even though it was Kira that Flay had left him for. He was also close friends with Miriallia and Tolle, the skygrasper pilot Athrun had killed. Sai was supposed to be a very intelligent and honorable guy. The kind of person who would stand by your side till the bitter end, no matter the odds. He didn't sound like someone who would betray Cagalli like that. Sai even disliked Blue Cosmos on general principles. There didn't seem to be any way he could be the culprit.
But against that, Athrun had to weigh the fact that during the dress party-ambush, Sai had left just before everyone was about to be ambushed by Blue Cosmos. And they hadn't heard from him since, besides the fact that he was alive, having left the Manor before the police arrived. That was a seriously out of character move. Sai's parents had been due to pick him up in Switzerland in another week or so, but nobody knew where he was. Calling people and telling him was okay or safe or where he was wouldn't have been very hard. It wouldn't even take more than a minute or two. But Sai had just dropped off the map. Vanished into thin air. That made Athrun uncomfortable.
"Athrun?" Cagalli said, breaking him from his reverie. He blinked and finally noticed that she had stopped crying. Indeed, she had gotten up from the bed, crossed the room and was half crouching in front of him. All without him noticing. He must have been really zoned out. He reached out tentatively to touch her cheek. She almost managed to hide the flinch she made. Athrun started to pull back but then Cagalli leaned into his hand.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
"For what?"
"For everything. I just couldn't protect you with this whole situation. I couldn't do anything but be a fellow victim. And just now, I was so caught up in my own thoughts I didn't even notice you walk over to me." Athrun replied.
"You were trying to figure out how this could have happened." Cagalli intuited. He's always so practical and strong. I'm so lucky.
"Yes. I narrowed it down to either Captain Ramius or Sai Argyle. But I can't see either of them wanting to hurt you. Or even me. Not like this." Athrun replied. I'm so lucky. She's so understanding. Like the other half of my whole.
"Captain Ramius would never do something like this. She held the Archangel back to search for me, back when we were stranded on that desert island together." Cagalli said with certainty.
"That's probably so. But she's in a vulnerable mental state and has been for a while. She may have just started muttering things, and the wrong person heard her." Athrun replied. "That time on the island… the first time I met you. Doesn't seem so far away. Only six months or so. Given how much you despised me then, I'm surprised it worked out so well."
"I didn't despise you then. I wouldn't have stripped to my underwear in front of someone I despised, even to get out of cold clothes. I didn't understand your reasons, that was all. I'm really sorry I shot you, when you killed that snake creeping up on me."
"Yeah. Seeing you in your underwear really made my day. Not every day I got to ogle a beautiful girl without having to get in trouble for it."
"You weren't ogling anything. You were so embarrassed you probably would have blindfolded yourself after a while."
"Don't apologize for shooting me. For all you knew, I was really throwing that knife at you. Sorry I tackled you to get the gun away."
"That didn't bother me as much as when I was still tied up and I accidentally rolled over into that tidal pool. The tide started coming in! And you just stood there with that superior grin on your face and asked me "Watcha doin?" as if nothing was happening. I wanted to strangle you right then."
"Maybe I shouldn't have untied you, with your violent thoughts and all. I did pull you out of the water, you know. And built a fire, gave you some rations and loaned you my only thermal blanket. Did that make up for my little fun at your expense?"
"I still can't believe you just fell asleep like that. I kept expecting you to just leap up and yell like the bogeyman when I got close to you."
"I was tired. Besides, I was pretty certain I could handle you."
"Still got that opinion?"
"No. Nobody can handle you unless you want them to. Fortunately, you seem to possess a deep desire to be handled. I'm just the only one who seems to understand that." Athrun said, his voice turning husky. His hand started to slide down her jaw. Cagalli trembled, just a hair. He stopped. "Too soon?" he asked, concerned. Cagalli's eyes teared. She nodded just slightly.
"I'm sorry. I want you so much too. But… I need to wait for a bit. Take stock. Recover from the shock of seeing us perform live for international audiences. We should sue Blue Cosmos for royalty rights."
"You seem fine with joking about it."
"Only because if I didn't joke I'd cry. I can talk about it, but I don't think I could go through the act. It's nothing against you. I just don't feel safe yet. Even though there are no windows and only one door. Seeing that video really shook me."
"No kidding. You looked dead for a while. You should have seen Dearka's face though. For a really brief moment, I could have sworn he was taking notes."
"Of course he was taking notes. We're the best there is, at anything we try. He just wanted to learn from the best. I wouldn't be surprised if some of our friends didn't try out a few of the "positions" you and I pioneered last night."
"Like that'll ever happen. Dearka and Miriallia seem content to go real slow and real steady. We'll be married by the time they go for it. Same for Kira and Lacus. They're just so tentative. Afraid to take the final plunge into sweet bliss, for some reason."
"And Ysak, Chanel and Katie?"
"Don't remind me. I don't even want to THINK about that situation. Their love life is going to be a travesty. It has problems even down at the basic mechanics level. There is simply no way for one guy to have meaningful sex with two girls at the same time. It's just impossible. And not Zacharis dodging bullets impossible, but actually impossible."
"Besides, he'd get worn out. I mean, you usually drop right off afterwards. It's sometimes annoying, actually."
"Sorry. But I do have other activities I do during the day. If I tried to keep up with you all the time, I'd lose fifty pounds of weight and would eventually go crazy from lack of rest. Girls are built differently from guys in that regard. You just seem to have more stamina in that one specialized area. Don't ask me how or why, it just seems to be a general rule." Athrun said. There came a sudden knocking on the door. Cagalli got up to answer it, opening the door. Dearka and Miriallia were just outside, with mixed expressions on their faces. Dearka clearly was bursting with news of some sort, but Miriallia had just as obviously cowed him for the moment. Mir on the other hand, was looking at Cagalli and Athrun in a friendly but concerned way.
"You two okay?" Mir asked.
"As well as we can be." Cagalli hedged.
"We're done grieving for the moment. I think some food would be good. We haven't eaten since Switzerland." Athrun decided. He looked at Dearka. "Spill it. Before you suffocate yourself choking it back."
"You won't believe what we heard Kira and Lacus doing." Dearka hissed nervously, his eyes darting around as if searching for eavesdroppers.
"Huh?" Cagalli and Athrun chorused.
"Let's just say they have a passionate side too. Just like all of us." Miriallia said sternly.
"You're not suggesting…" Cagalli trailed off.
"I didn't see it, no. But they were making the correct sounds." Dearka replied.
"How the hell do you know what the correct "sounds" are?" Mir asked him suspiciously. Dearka looked a lot more nervous.
"Umm… well… I'll go see what sort of food they have in the kitchen." He volunteered, sprinting away with Mir close on his heels, her hands reaching for his neck.
"That's surprising." Athrun said.
"If it's true. Dearka exaggerates constantly." Cagalli replied. "I just can't see Kira and Lacus…"
"He couldn't see you and me either. Sibling syndrome. Neither of you can imagine the other in that situation. Thank goodness." Athrun said. "I actually hope it is true. It should bring them closer together. And it's not like they have any choice but to sleep in the same bed, with these tiny rooms. Best they enjoy it to the max."
"You're such a dirty minded man."
"Me? Dirty minded? You're the one who said all our friends would be copying our positions. With some degree of satisfaction, I might add. Come on. Let's get some lunch… dinner… whatever."