Copernicus
January 1st
"I love you. I need you like I need to breathe, cheesy but it's true. I want to be with you forever. I don't have a ring and I don't have much to offer you right now, but I'm yours if you'll take me. Murrue... Will you marry me?"
Murrue felt as though she was trapped in an elevator and it had just fallen sixteen floors before coming to a complete stop that left her without the use of her legs. She couldn't find anything intelligent to say, her mind had become entirely disconnected with her body and she could only gape in utter astonishment. 'He... What... I...'
Mu steadily felt the nerves sinking through his momentary euphoria, and he bit his lower lip nervously as the silence continued. He inwardly hit himself over the head, now feeling quite idiotic. 'I knew it was too soon...' He hastily stammered, trying to cover his bout of anxiety, "Y-You don't need to say anything right away, I mean I get it if it's too soon for you–"
"Shut up you idiot and kiss me." Murrue murmured, throwing her arms around him and tugging him close before cutting him off with a hard kiss. He muffled a gasp but it melted into a quiet groan as his arms wound themselves around her waist and tugged her flush with him, only breaking the embrace when the need for air clawed mercilessly at his lungs.
"Was that a 'yes'?" Mu asked hoarsely, chuckling weakly as he nuzzled into her neck.
"That's a definite 'yes'." Murrue answered just as weakly, feeling as though the warmth in her chest was expanding, making it difficult for her to breathe. She couldn't remember ever feeling that happy, the euphoria sank down right to her toes and then raced up to her fingertips. She ducked her head into his chest, sighing happily as his arms tightened around her.
"We'll need to get you a ring when we get back to ORB..." Mu mused, taking her hand in his and examining her fingers thoughtfully, trying to imagine what sort of ring would look the best on her. Another thought stopped him in his tracks, and he frowned as the reality hit him dead on. She felt him tense a little and looked up at him curiously, marigold eyes warm with concern. "Am I even going to be able to make it legally to ORB? I mean I don't have any other names I could use and if the security is as tight as I think it is..."
"Don't worry, Cagalli will be able to take care of everything for you." Murrue laughed, amused by his worry, patting his arm. He gazed at her, still confused, and she giggle again, now realizing just how much he had missed out on while he had been secluded in Copernicus. "Miss Cagalli is the new representative for ORB, she was next in line now that her father is gone. She was able to give us all new identities, that's how we've been living in ORB without being discovered."
"Jesus, I've missed a good bit then." Mu frowned, not liking the thought of how much he'd missed out on in the short few months they'd been separated. His arms tightened protectively around her, and he proceeded to toss questions at her at a high speed, reminding himself wryly of how much questioning Murrue had put him through. Now it was his turn. "How are the kids? And the crew, what happened to them?"
"Kira's just fine, he and Lacus are living together in a little cabin, taking care of orphans with Reverend Malchio and Mrs Yamato. Cagalli spends as much time as she can with them, considering she has so many new duties as the representative... Athrun is her bodyguard, so they're rarely separated... Oh, and Miriallia is circling the globe as a photographer, she's been pretty busy with all of it, I think she took that ZAFT soldier we rescued along with her, last I heard they've hit it off rather well." Murrue paused for a moment, pursing her lips as she wracked her memory of the rest of the crew. "Murdoch works in Morgenroete now, a good lot of them found work there, and a home... Some of them returned home, I doubt they'd ever come back or even admit what happened to them... But otherwise, most of us are in ORB now."
"And the ArchAngel?" Mu questioned, wondering what had happened to the white ship most of his best memories had been made on. Just the thought of the ship he'd nearly died trying to protect made him smile a bit. If he had the choice to do it all over again, he'd throw himself in front of that energy beam smiling.
She smiled too, fondly, her mind back on the ship that would always in some strange way, belong to her as much as she belonged to it. It would always be the thing in her life that really changed its course, for the better. She answered softly, tone as affectionate as if she was talking about her own child, "She's hidden in ORB, and her technology has been updated every single time there's a new breakthrough, Erica's done a good job of patching her up and doing the work... She's just fine." She leaned on Mu, sighing as his lips brushed against her cheek. "Thanks to you."
"Nah, she'd have been sunk ages ago if she didn't have you at the helm." Mu answered with a huge proud smirk, kissing her again on the tip of her nose, nestling her ever closer into his lap. She sheepishly giggled a bit, but didn't argue, hands settled on his forearms as they closed around her waist. He brushed his fingers down her side, now asking delightedly, "Alright then... Tell me everything about you, where've you been living, working, breathing, I want every single thing. Don't leave a detail out!"
"Alright, alright, let me think for a second then!" Murrue swatted at his hands, giggling as she tried to sort her thoughts out for him. The giddiness she'd been feeling seemed to just keep coming back, clouding the past worries she'd held onto. "Hmm... Well I've been in ORB obviously, I have a new alias, 'Maria Bernes'... I work at Morgenroete, ship building mechanic, Erica's my boss. I have my own little place not far from Kira's, I go over there every few days to spend time with them and the children, it's a pretty modest house... There's really nothing too interesting that I've done really."
"Everything you do is interesting to me." Mu grumbled in annoyance, nuzzling into her neck petulantly. She giggled again, not raising an argument, instead sighing and relaxing into his chest. His voice was teasing, but there was a hint of menace to it that only she heard, "Any competition I should know about?"
"Well..." Murrue pretended to look thoughtful just to annoy him, unable to hold back her laughter as she answered him teasingly, "Erica and Kira have been trading me off every other weekend. Does that count?"
Mu growled into her ear and she only had time for a breathless gasp before suddenly she was lying flat on her back on the bed and he towered over her with a intense glare on his face. "You're all mine Murrue. I guess I need to make you remember that." He silenced her second gasp with a harsh kiss that she replied into instinctively, her body curling around his as the familiar sensations she had forgotten in the past few months of solitude came rushing back full force.
"M-Mu..." Murrue moaned as his hands moved casually down her sides, gently and effortlessly pulling her shirt up and removing the garment so he could caress her bare skin. Coherent thought was in short supply as the pleasurable shocks raced up her skin at his touch. "Mu you're hurt."
"I'm fine." Mu growled a second time into her ear, and as if to emphasize his point he moved his hips against hers to elicit a sharp gasp that soon melted into a loud purr.
"Oh..." Murrue sighed, closing her eyes and forgetting her worries as his hands continued to raise the stakes and add to the pleasure rolling across her body. It was impossible to form coherent thought when he was touching her that way, and her worries vanished as she gave herself over to the as old as time rhythm that took her over and let her give in.
Later...
"We really shouldn't have done that... You're an idiot." Murrue sighed, not really moving from her position, curling her leg around his. She felt more then heard his chuckle, lying across his scarcely bandaged chest, his fingertips brushing the length of her spine through the sheets that were entwined around their bodies. "What if I had hurt you?"
"To be honest I'd have probably hurt myself." Mu offered cheekily, watching as she glared at him but he quickly reprimanded the look with a sweet kiss that had her lips melted into a smile. She cuddled closer into him, her own fingers tracing the half-healed marks on his chest. "But it was worth it I think."
"We never even locked the door, we could've been caught." Murrue added, tossing a glance over her bare shoulder towards the iron door that had mercifully stayed shut during the hours they'd loved away. She was glad that the tiny room he had was like a cabin, lack of privacy was something they didn't need to worry about.
"It takes two to tango, and if I remember correctly, you were not complaining." Mu replied sweetly, pleased to see red colour her cheeks. She promptly ruffled his hair but the faux-anger she'd been showing him vanished. He brushed a hand over her cheek, tucking a lock of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear. "I missed this... I missed you."
"I missed you too." Murrue murmured softly, brushing her lips against his again, feeling his arms lock around her and hold her in place against him. She sighed contentedly, the feeling of belonging hitting her again with such force it would have been impossible to deny it. In his arms at that moment was where she belonged, and she had never been happier.
"Am I really going have to sleep in your spare room?"
"Give it a rest."
Copernicus
January 5th
Natarle rubbed her eyes dry, hating herself for even feeling the sensation of tears burning in the back of her throat and at the corner of her eyes. She stared at her little bag, swallowing back the curses she didn't speak, and when the pathetic collection of clothes began to blur she hissed a curse and dragged her hand over her eyes.
"For god's sake Natarle!" She snapped at herself, drying her eyes on the back of her hand for the second time that day, tugging the zipper on her bag roughly. She didn't understand the pain that continued to surge through her, and grit her teeth angrily. She shouldered the bag, forcing herself not to look around the little cabin that had become her home and turned around and walked away.
She felt the burn in her throat but ignored it, walking as quickly as she could without breaking into a run towards the station where she would be meeting Murrue and Mu to go back to ORB. She was still stunned that the woman had invited her to go, but she took the invitation anyway. She refused to let herself think of who had really sealed her decision, and kept walking.
"Natarle! Glad to see you made it!" Murrue exclaimed happily, her entire face lit up at the sight of her new friend, the bright grin sent another stab of pain through the violet eyed woman's stomach. She forced herself to return the smile, nodding as she got to her side quickly. She eyed the woman's small bag and made a small snort of disdain in the back of her throat. "I guess I'll be taking you out shopping so you can actually live suitably when you get down to ORB then."
"If you say so." Natarle sighed, rolling her eyes once Murrue turned away. Mu caught her gesture and snorted, and she couldn't help but smile weakly at him, he knew her well, she was surprised how quickly they'd struck up a friendship. When the world left you with only one familiar face, she guessed it must have been instinct to make a bond.
"Oh hey, sorry I'm late!" A familiar voice called hastily, and the trio turned to see Justin sprinting down the hallways to greet them. Natarle promptly grit her teeth against the burning that returned in her throat and looked away, wishing she could burn a hole in the ground where she stared at. "Wanted to wish you off."
"That's really sweet of you J." She heard Murrue laugh, and watched out of the corner of her eye as the two embraced tightly, laughing as they broke apart. "Will I hear from you soon?"
"Yeah as soon as I can manage." Justin answered with a chuckle, ruffling her hair in a teasing gesture. He wrapped a high-five with Mu and wished him well also, saving a few moments for jokes and another warm round of goodbyes.
Will you think about me... In time?
It's never my luck... So never mind.
I want to say your name but the pain starts... Again.
It's never my luck... So never mind.
They turned for the elevator to take them to the station for the shuttles, but Natarle was startled to feel a warm hand close around her wrist, tugging her around. He nodded at Murrue and the woman smiled and pushed the button to close the doors, effectively trapping the young woman alone with him.
"Some reason why you're trapping me here?" Natarle asked quietly, subtly mocking the words he'd used on her earlier that week, crossing her arms over her stomach as if to hide the burning that was still there. She didn't look up into his eyes, forcing her gaze on the floor.
"I wanted to give you a little goodbye present." Justin answered with a weak chuckle, drawing her curious gaze up to his eyes. He smiled wryly and handed her a small brown package. She took it without a word, gazing down at it with puzzled eyes and he ruffled her hair again. "Don't open it till you're on the shuttle if you don't mind. Just do me that last favour, eh?"
"Yeah... Sure..." Natarle nodded weakly, clutching the book against her chest, hearing the mechanical whoosh as the elevator doors opened behind her. She took a hesitant step backwards, unsure of what to say or do. "I'll see you I guess then...?"
"Yeah, I'll visit sometime." Justin nodded in return, smiling a little as she searched the floor for something to look at instead of his face. Her grip on the package he'd given her didn't lessen though, and he reached out to gently tousle her hair. "Take care of yourself, huh? Get better and have fun with your mates, be happy."
"You too." Natarle murmured quietly, swallowing back the growing stone in her throat. She forced herself to keep speaking past the stone, keeping her emotions locked in her stomach and her calm set. "I hope things go well for you up here..."
"They should." Justin glanced around, almost as if to see the rest of Copernicus and reassure himself of its safety. He glanced back at her, seeing her finally glancing up at him, cheeks dusted with rose. "So..." He smiled ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm not too good with words, sorry... But look, I want you to know that I'm happy I met you. And I hope you have the best life you can in ORB, away from all this military crap. Be happy, you deserve it after everything you've went through."
Natarle forced the bitter laugh down her throat, knowing he was being sincere. She smiled weakly and hugged the package tighter to her chest, wondering why it suddenly meant all the more to her regardless of what was inside of it. She murmured weakly, "For what it's worth... I'm happy I met you too."
"I'll see you then. Take care."
She felt the whisper of his lips on her cheek again, but she stepped backwards quickly to escape seeing the look in his eyes as he pulled away, hitting the door blindly as she closed her eyes. She pushed herself against the far end of the tiny elevator, breathing deeply to control the pain that ached in her ribs.
Goodbye.
AN
Smuff with the bitter ending for Nat (groans) I know I promised a real fluffy chapter but once I decided on the ending of them all going to ORB, I couldn't stop the sad ending for Natarle... She really has gotten attached to the J... The song anyway is the unreleased "My Never" by Blue October (woot Twilight fans got the sneak peek for that XD), I kinda thought it fit in with Natarle anywhosit... Anyway, review please and I'll see you soon!
Sky