Morgenroete

April 9th

"Damn, the new guy's good..."

"Who knew some rookie had that kind of talent..."

"Think he's cheating?"

"Nah, no one can mess with the systems like that. He's the real deal."

"I heard he was an ace pilot."

"That'd explain a lot."

Erica was grinning from ear to ear listening to her workers that had surrounded the training ground to watch the new pilot get broken in. They'd been passing bets and making new wagers all morning, all eager to see what talent the new pilot had. She'd watched the money pass from hand to hand, her grin growing broader with each bet placed against the blond man.

He'd seemed incredibly at ease on the simulator, where he had been testing himself all morning. He'd taken the earliest shift possible, even then he was attracting attention, a crowd had grown around the machine to watch his progress. Now he had finished with that, and was now preparing for a mock-up battle in the training grounds.

The crowd he'd gathered at the simulator had followed him there and were almost literally pressed up against the glass to watch the battle, and Erica wasn't the least bit surprised to see Murrue was there too. The woman hadn't said anything to her fiancé about what shift she had, but she'd come anyway just to watch. She had been in the back of the crowd so he wouldn't notice her, but now she was right up at the glass too, a little smile on her face and marigold eyes warm with affection.

Erica's first thought was to tease the brunette but she couldn't let herself do it, knowing Murrue was just happy to watch her fiancé be happy. She, of all people, knew how much the commander loved flying, and if he was happy, she was happy. Of course the moment she had gotten back to work after chewing her out, Murrue had told her boss in a dangerous voice that if anything happened to him, she was holding her personally responsible.

'And after a threat like that I almost didn't want to hire the guy.' Erica added internally, laughing weakly as she remembered the expression on her friend's face. The commander had a reckless streak, and she wasn't interested in being crucified for something the idiot got himself into. She could only hope that her friend was as merciful as she was scary sometimes.

She watched with interest as the blue Astray unit that the commander had borrowed came out, its motions rather smooth compared to the stiff and erratic movements that most pilots had the worst time making. She had to admit she was already impressed, he'd been able to master the equipment in only a few short hours, he hadn't earned his reputation by being a lightweight.

The opposite unit, a bright reddish one, repeated his movements almost as smoothly, facing off with him at the far end of the arena of sorts. Erica couldn't hide another smile, she knew the man inside the red unit was one of their best. For now. She was quite certain that Mu was going to knock him off his high horse without hesitating. She had fifty bucks on it.

She watched carefully, the unit the commander had waited almost patiently for the first attack, and he didn't need to wait that long. The red Astray charged forward, fake 'beam saber' in hand, Erica could almost hear the battle cry as it barrelled towards the other.

The blue unit almost casually lifted its gun, aiming with one half a second and then firing the next. No blast was actually fired, only something close to a paint residue was shot out marking the area where the beam would have hit. The mark scattered right across the red's chest, marking the shot that would have gone right through the cockpit and initiated the destruction.

The mobile suit immediately powered down, the system having been designed to react along with the markers the 'weapons' made on the armour. The crowd that had been watching had two distinct and opposite reactions, some bursting into cheers and others groaning loudly as they lost their bets.

Erica had to grin, silently thanking the blond for making her just a little bit richer off the fight, and wasn't the least bit surprised to see how quickly he had finished the other off. The others however were, many were still commenting to themselves and their neighbours, amazement, awe, and admiration simply dripping from their tones.

"Wow."

"Just one shot too..."

"Didn't even flinch."

"Jesus, he's amazing!"

"No wonder they hired him."

Erica snickered under her breath, wondering how on Earth the poor man would ever keep his real name and status under wraps if he was going to be showing off so frequently. She caught sight of Murrue by the corner, wearing a little smile and gently touching the glass before she turned around and walked away to head back to work.

The redheaded woman snickered again, knowing that if the commander had seen her watching he would probably get a swelled head. She waited until she was sure that Murrue was out of her sight before she went to collect her winnings, and then travelled down to the change rooms to greet her newest employee.

She peeked in on him, watching him idly smooth out his jeans and do them up, his back to her and revealing the marks that mapped his tan skin like patchwork. She cringed a little, finding herself reaching to touch her own back with a frown at the thought of the pain he must have went through from sustaining the injuries. He shrugged into his shirt and then turned around, wearing the brightest smile she'd ever seen on him, he looked like a child fresh from Christmas.

"Hey!" Mu's smile split into an even broader grin and he had crossed the space between them and wrapped the redhead into a massive bear-hug before she could even greet him. She gasped loudly in shock and he hugged her again, exclaiming brightly and gratefully, "Thanks so much for letting me do this Erica!"

"Can't... Breathe...!" Erica gasped, coughing for air as his arms threatened to crush her arms and ribs, starving her for fresh air as her lungs were constricted. He let her go almost immediately, looking chagrined but still incredibly bouncy at the exact same time. She coughed a few times to clear her airway, then muttered under her breath, "If you ever think of doing that again, just remember that I'm married and have a son."

"Sorry, I just got excited." Mu apologized quickly, feeling incredibly stupid for having hugged his new boss. He could see from the slight glitter in her eyes that she was teasing and wondered how long it would take him to get used to that. He smiled back anxiously, the high from flying still had him going. "Thanks though."

"Don't thank me, Murrue's the one who gave me the green light on it. I'd never have asked you if she wasn't alright with it." Erica answered entirely honestly, watching Mu's expression flicker from surprise, to amusement, to affection all in about five seconds. She meant it, if her friend hadn't okayed the idea she never would have gone for it, she knew how much the brunette loved that man. "You ought to thank the hell out of her when you get home."

"I will Director, don't worry about that." Mu promised promptly, letting his thoughts wander over how exactly he would let his fiancee know just how grateful he was about the entire thing. He was still on his high, flying had really made him remember the years he'd used to dream of being in space and through the clouds, it was enough to get his blood pumping for hours.

"Good... You both deserve a hell of a lot of happiness." Erica noted with a little smile, remembering the depression the young captain had gone through following the weeks after Jachin Due. She was amazed by how swift the change had been once she had him back, it was almost as if the brunette was a different person. She was glad to see that it was like that, her friend was much more lively with him around. "Treat her right."

"I will." Mu promised again, this time seriously, his azure eyes intense. He couldn't imagine treating her with anything but respect, the woman had certainly earned his early on, as well as his heart.

Erica nodded with a growing smile, going over the short match in her mind's eye, feeling the weight of the new bills in her pocket at the same time. She leaned on the lockers and mused out loud for her new employee's benefit, "You put on quite a show. I think you shocked half the lot who work here."

"Was it too much?" Mu asked hastily, worry and panic almost immediately choking his euphoria and sobering him up. He knew how important it was to keep his identity under wraps and letting any hints go was inexcusable. He couldn't imagine uprooting Murrue from her home, she seemed so content. Putting her at risk certainly was something he was never even going to consider in anything he ever did. "Should I ease up? Maybe this was a bad idea."

"No, no, don't get paranoid. I'm just saying you surprised people, that's all." Erica snorted, waving her hand in a vague gesture to calm him down. She had to admit, watching him suddenly get flustered was pretty amusing, but if she played with him too much Murrue would get angry, and she didn't want that on her conscience. "You're an excellent pilot and it shows. You kicked Ray's ass without even blinking, and he was one of our best. I'm glad to have you here."

Mu sighed in relief, the panic subsiding almost as quickly as it had come, though the euphoria was gone, the high punctured rather effectively by the sudden swift change of mood. But he smiled a little anyway, Murrue was safe and things would be just fine. "Good... You scared me for a second there."

"It's my job." Erica teased, winking playfully at him, encouraging a smile from the blond. She was impressed with how his thoughts pretty much all revolved around the woman who had waited faithfully for him even though it hadn't been for that long thankfully. "And you've got yours, you earned it." His grin could have lit up the city and she smiled, and nodded behind her, almost reading his excitement to tell his lover about his success. "Go on, tell your woman and celebrate."

Mu grinned and nodded gratefully at her before racing by her to find his fiancé and tell her the good news. He didn't need to travel far, he knew her workplace already and wasn't surprised to find her sitting by one of the ships she had been assigned to, almost seeming to be waiting for him. She smiled when she saw him and he made quick work of getting to her side and wrapping her up in a large bear hug.

"I take it Erica gave you the job." Murrue laughed breathlessly, winding her arms as well as she could around his waist. He nuzzled into her hair with a happy chuckle, and she couldn't stop her own giggle from mixing in with his. She got her answer form the cheerful movements he made, and kissed him on the cheek, saying proudly, "I'm glad. You fought well."

"You were watching?" Mu pulled away a little, his arms still iron bonds around her waist, tilting his head to one side to study her curiously. His hair fell into his face, making him look like a little puppy with curious azure eyes.

Murrue smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss the tip of his nose, watching him crinkle it in an effort to see where she'd kissed him. Giggling, she reached up to trace the forked mark that ran across his face and then up to brush his hair back away from his eyes. "Yeah, I was watching. You put on a great show."

Mu didn't really notice her compliment, the grin shot to his face because she had been watching, had snuck after him to see how well he would do. To cheer him on. He hooted in delight, lifted her clear off the ground and spun her around in a tight circle, earning a shocked shriek from his lover. "I can't believe you did that for me!"

"Why wouldn't I?" Murrue was laughing breathlessly again, pulling him closer and sighing contentedly into his chest when he rested his chin on the top of her head. It was too easy to forget the rest of the world when he was there, too easy to lose herself in him with the crew watching. When she had been serving onboard the ship, that would have embarrassed the hell out of her, but now... She had him back. Let the world watch.

Natarle's Apartment

"Mmm..." Natarle felt sleep loosen its hold on her, waking to an oddly warm sensation flooding her entire body, from the top of her head to her toes. She blinked a good few times before she saw her clock, and was surprised at the time. She'd slept in, that wasn't normal at all. She was in the habit of not even needing to set her alarm, her body woke up exactly when she was supposed to without outside guidance.

She froze suddenly, last night coming back to her in a rush that left her dazed and confused. She took stock of herself in seconds, and that was when she realized she wasn't alone. She could feel Justin's arms around her waist, his even breathing on her neck, her body curled intimately against his. And she was fairly sure neither of them were wearing any clothes.

She wanted to bolt upright but she knew that would wake him and settled for screaming mentally for a good few minutes before she loosened his hold on her and shuffled to the end of her small bed, holding the sheets around her. She took a deep breath to calm her motoring heartbeat, steeling herself before she snuck a peek over her shoulder at him.

She wondered why it didn't look as foreign as it felt, he was lying in her bed with her sheets wound around him, emerald eyes closed and dark hair a mess. But it seemed so familiar, so... Right. She caught herself wanted to reach out and smooth out his messy dark auburn curls, and placed her hand back in her lap, stunned with herself.

Conflicting emotions ran wild in her, part of her wanting to forget her worry and slip back into his arms and sleep away the day, and the other was scared to even admit that it had happened in the first place. She settled for sitting there for a few long moments, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heartbeat and trying to filter through her fuzzy memories of what had taken place last night.

She remembered him carrying her to her bed, placing her down and slowly removing her clothes. She had never objected, and she shivered when the familiar warmth started up again in her stomach. With a shaky sigh she ran a hand through her unkempt hair, staring at her lap. 'What's wrong with me...?'

"Morning..."

Natarle jumped a foot at the sound of his husky voice in her ear, her entire body freezing up when the sound was coupled with the sensation of his fingertips brushing the length of her spine. Her body relaxed on its own after a long moment, leaving her mind to run through its worries on its own. She whispered back, "Good morning..."

Justin smiled wryly, detecting the nearly silent strain in her tone as she sat with her back to him. He was pleased to see that when he reached out to stroke her skin she didn't cringe away, and he sat up and shuffled closer to her, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Second thoughts?" He asked ruefully.

"What? No!" The words slid out before she even had a chance to comprehend what she was saying, she whirled around to stare at him in shock, reading his pained expression with shame. Her mind caught up with her actions and she quickly glanced down at the sheets again, cheeks burning red in embarrassment.

"C'mere." Justin muttered gruffly, opening his arms in invitation to her. He was glad to see she didn't hesitate, sliding elegantly into his lap and allowing him to close his arms around her waist. Her hands settled delicately to rest on his forearms, and she leaned back into his chest as his lips pressed gently to her shoulder. He sighed for half a second, relishing her warmth and memorizing every single thing he could about her at that moment. He muttered again, mouth brushing against her ear, "I'm sorry if I rushed things... I really couldn't help myself... You've got no idea how sexy you look sometimes."

Natarle forced herself not to argue with him, knowing that it would do no good. Instead she allowed herself a quiet sigh and turned her head, searching for a quick kiss that he happily gave her. She gently gave him a kiss this time, murmuring quietly, "You didn't rush anything, so don't worry."

"If you say so..." Justin gently kissed her shoulder again, lips lingering over the raised skin of her scar before he settled her into a better fit in his lap. She didn't object, even relaxing into the fit with a contented murmur as her eyes fluttered shut. He held her for a long moment, thinking about what had possibly caused her moment of uncertainty. "What's wrong then Natarle?"

Natarle had a long moment of struggling with her words before she finally mumbled awkwardly, "This is... New, for me. I'm just confused with everything..." She saw his expression flickering through different emotions, hurt topping the list and she immediately apologized, guilty flaming in her chest, "N-No, I don't regret it! I don't really know what to do or how to act, it's really confusing for me."

"I get that." Justin answered her after a long moment, smiling apologetically and brushing his knuckles gently over her cheek. She leaned into the gesture, still averting her gaze to the sheets, face a fair shade of pink now. He smiled ruefully when she snuck a peek up at him through her eyelashes and he admit quietly, "I kinda thought maybe you were seeing someone else... That's why I haven't called, or come earlier than I did. I didn't want to ruin whatever life you made here."

"You're an idiot."

"Eh?"

Natarle rolled her eyes but couldn't really help but feel like he had really blown things out of proportion. She turned entirely to face him now, poking him in the nose with each word she spoke, "Do you really think if I'd been seeing someone else I would have let you sleep with me? Or even let you into my apartment for that matter? Honestly Justin, what on Earth made you think I would have moved on?"

Justin felt the weak grin starting at the corners of his mouth, she honestly looked annoyed but he found it cute. Her violet eyes were narrowed and angry, but the red flush that had been dusted across her features gave her real intentions away. He'd noticed how much more loose she had become with her emotions, and he was glad to hear her openly admit something to him, even if she was red in the face. "I guess I was as worried as you were."

"I wasn't worried." Natarle grumbled under her breath, the truth was there though, burning in her eyes and only worsening her blush and she knew that he could see it. He could read her so easily, and a few years ago that would have annoyed her. But now all she could do was lower her eyes and blush.

The man really had worked a miracle on her. And she didn't mind in the least.

AN

Hehe, I finished XD. It took me ages and for that I say sorry, lol. Hmm, I do honestly think J would have done a fine job melting Natarle, even if he wasn't there to physically do it. Being loved by someone, even if from a distance and its not exactly explicitly stated, it does things to someone. Mu got his job, and he's damn cheerful about it too, lol. But who wouldn't? And I do think Murrue would do lots to make him happy, just like he'd do it for her. She knows he loves to fly, (at least I think he does) and he'll behave. Heehee. Hmm, what else... Oh yeah, Mu's not rusty in the least is he? XD

Sky