May 13th
Natarle's Apartment
"So your plans are all set then?" Natarle asked with a little smile tweaking her lips, seeing her friend's broad and excited smile as she fought to keep herself still on the couch. She wasn't the least bit surprised, the woman had been growing exceedingly hyper the closer the clock wound down to the wedding date.
The plans had been set ages before they'd even actually thought about it, Miss Lacus, Mrs Yamato, Erica and Miss Cagalli had basically jumped for it, and Murrue had nothing to worry about because the preparations were already being made. Well... All but a select few that she and Mu had to work out themselves... Murrue answered pleasantly, "Well not all of them."
"Oh? Anything I could help out with?" Natarle asked curiously, wanting to help her friend out as best she could on the 'happiest day of her life'. She knew Murrue was damn excited, she'd like to be part of something that made the brunette so happy. It was one of the least things she could do to start paying her back.
"Well yeah, now that you mention it. There is actually something I'd like you to help me out with." Murrue commented with a growing smile, once again having to restrain herself so she wouldn't start bouncing up and down all over again. She had been debating the idea over ever since Mu had questioned what she wanted to do, and she'd made her decision. Natarle leaned in, curiosity alight in her face and Murrue took a deep breath before speaking clearly, "I want you to be my maid of honour at the wedding."
"Wh-What? Me?" Natarle stammered as the weight of her friend's words hit her full force, leaving her breathless and red in the face, falling back into the couch with a soft thump. She hastily tried to recover, wonder and shock mixing in with adrenalin. "B-But Murrue, you've known Erica for longer than me, w-why not her instead?"
"Well technically I knew you longer than I've known Erica. And I talked to her already, we both think it's a good idea to have my best friend take that spot instead." Murrue told her pleasantly, marigold eyes warm and twinkling with excitement, watching as her words had the exact affect she wanted of her friend.
Natarle went red to her hairline, fairly sure that steam was hissing out of her ears now as she started dumbly at her friend. She was at a complete loss for words, having no idea what she could say if she had her words back regardless, and from the bright grin on the brunette's face, that was exactly what she wanted.
"Will you do it for me Natarle?"
"S-Sure Murrue... If you're certain that Erica doesn't mind that is." Natarle added hastily, having seen that despite their boss-worker relationship they were indeed good friends and she had no intention of stepping over that boundary if she could help it at all. She had been very careful, stepping cautiously almost always, she still wasn't entirely relaxed but she could certainly feel the change. At first it had scared her, this weird unknown, letting herself open more and more with the passing days. But she was able to do it, able to push past her worries, albeit slowly. Murrue could see that.
Murrue grinned broadly, happy to see her friend hesitantly take the offer, though she still looked loads embarrassed. She remembered her talk with Erica about it, the idea had been in her head since Natarle had come to ORB with them, and she had only just really come near a decision. Talking to her older friend had put the final nail in the coffin.
"Hey, Erica... I... I want to ask Natarle to be my maid of honour at my wedding."
"That's a great idea."
"Eh?"
"Well why not? You two get along very well, you've known each other for ages, longer than I've known you, and it's obvious that you care a lot about her. She's only gotten to where she is now because you're her friend. It'd be good for her to have that spot at your wedding."
"Y-Yeah, I know..."
"What's with the hesitancy?"
"Didn't you want that spot too...?"
"Well yeah, but c'mon, I'll still get to stand there with ya and smirk as you two get the vows done and all. I just want to see the wedding, that'd be good enough for me. Besides, I like Natarle just as much as you do, it'd be good for her and I want to see her feeling included. And you know as well as I do that her expression will be priceless after you ask her.
Erica had been right, and the redhead felt pretty smug about it. It was officially a week after Natarle had been asked and there was something different about Natarle, she hadn't exactly pinned it down yet but she could sense that something was new. They'd been invited down to a dress shop to find something to wear to the wedding, and Justin had tagged along randomly, hanging back to tease the bride-to-be as the other two scooted ahead to look at some clothing.
Murrue laughed and swatted away her friend's boyfriend's hand, his pouting expression reminding her of her fiancé. The two men had a lot in common, it was no wonder they were close friends already. He'd been teasing her ever since he'd joined the little group, laughing and making innuendoes to get her to reveal the location of their honeymoon. "Shut up, I'm not telling you anything!"
"You're so mean, I'm totally left in the dark here!" Justin exclaimed unhappily, lower lip nearly trembling, his green eyes wide and begging as he whined.
"I told you that we were having the wedding at Reverend Malchio's cabin! I told you pretty much everything except about the honeymoon." Murrue corrected him with a snicker, poking him in the chest. It was far too easy to feel normal around him, he made it easy to relax and be comfortable. 'No wonder Natarle fell for him so fast...'
Justin's expression changed quickly to a grin, and then he turned his gaze to Natarle who was laughing with Erica over some joke, violet eyes bright with enthusiasm and mirth. She sensed his gaze on her and glanced over at him, blushing pink before hastily looking away. He smiled affectionately, pocketing his hands and continued to watch her. "You know... I want to thank you."
"Me?" Murrue asked with raised eyebrows, turning to look at him curiously, but he only had eyes for his lover, and his smile was of a man deeply in love. She smiled a little, knowing that expression well. She was glad to see it on him, and she could tell Natarle was blissfully happy, she was glad for that too. But she was a little confused for why Justin was suddenly thanking her. "What for?"
"Look at Natarle." Justin instructed gently, watching Murrue turn her curious gaze onto the raven-haired woman, still confused. He smiled warmly, seeing easily what she maybe missed, asking softly, "Do you see anything different about her?" Murrue slowly shook her head, looking back up at him with a puzzled expression. He grinned at her and explained warmly, "I haven't seen her smile like that since I've met her. You've finally made her completely happy Murrue. She's always been the odd one out, even when she was a child, now she has somewhere she belongs completely."
Murrue smiled a little, crossing her arms and examining the changes Justin had pointed out for her. It was obvious that he had noticed them first, and he was very happy to see the change. But Murrue had to be painfully honest, she had not seen those changes that he had, and she confessed that to him. "I don't really see the changes you're talking about... I just know that the person Natarle is now, the person she's become... Is who she was always meant to be."
Justin smiled at her thoughts, looking back at his lover with a tender smile, seeing her joke about with Erica, seeming to be at home. Shrugging back his shoulders, he returned to teasing mode, now quite content to grill the bride-to-be on all the details he still didn't have. "What's your dress like?"
Murrue's marigold eyes flashing dangerously, though her little smile gave away her good humour. She turned on the man and poked him in the chest to accentuate every word she spoke, "I am not giving you information on my dress so you can run back and tell my fiancé for however much he's paying you. You can forget it."
Justin looked hurt, placing a hand over his neck in mock surprise. He couldn't help it, she looked honestly annoyed but she was also trying to hold in laughter. He took a step back away from her and announced, "I can't believe you'd expect something so utterly terrible and underhanded from me!"
Murrue crossed her arms and raised both eyebrows, now looking for all the world like a scolding mother who's caught her child with his hand in the cookie jar."How much is he paying you?"
"Fifty."
"I knew it."
May 20th
Hotel
"How many times do we have to tell you, you're not allowed in!" Erica grumbled under her breath, having had to answer the door three times in the past five minutes. It was starting to get annoying instead of funny, though Murrue didn't think so, the brunette had been laughing for half an hour straight with no signs of letting up.
"Aw c'mon!" Mu whined, his voice coming it clearly even with the thick wooden door blocking them. He knew it was fairly immature of him to be doing it, but he couldn't help it really, he was at his wits end. It had only been a few hours since he'd been separated from Murrue, and within the first hour he'd gone crazy and was making plans on how he could sneak into her room without being noticed. It had failed miserably, needless to say. The girls weren't letting him in.
"For god's sake Erica, just ignore him and maybe he'll go away." Natarle instructed the grumpy redhead as calmly as she could, trying her best not to laugh. Murrue however wasn't practising that, she was laughing so hard her shoulders were shivering as her friend tried to adjust her hair. It didn't ease the dark-haired girl's stress either, she was torn between scolding the man herself and laughing too.
As if right on cue, there was another knock on the door. Erica lost what was left of her patience and marched right over to the door and threw it open with a slam. Natarle had a fit of wild giggles and stood hurriedly in front of the bride to be, shielding her dress so Mu wouldn't spoil the wedding tomorrow. "Get lost." Erica growled.
"But, but, but–" Mu stammered, half out of fear and half simply because he felt like it, the director could be a seriously scary woman when she wanted to be. It was too easy for her to intimidate anyone she felt like, he was used to being around strong-willed women but they never failed to scare him when they wanted to.
"But nothing. Out." Erica ordered him without any sympathy, hands on either side of the frame to block him from getting in. She knew if he really wanted to he could, but she knew he was wiser than that and wouldn't risk angering her anymore than she already was.
"I just wanna see her." Mu whined, pulling the best pout he possibly could, knowing that nothing would work. The redhead had a husband and a son, she was probably very used to the looks but he tried anyway. He really wanted to get in and see her, he was going crazy without her. "Please?"
"It's bad luck." Erica told him flatly, well aware of Murrue having a hysterical giggling fit behind her, Natarle chiming in just a few moments after. She wondered whether her brunette friend was being outright sadistic or she honestly found her fiance's desperation endearing instead of annoying. "Out. Now. Last warning."
Mu grumbled under his breath and took one last peek over the redhead's shoulder, but he got nothing but an aqua-eyed glare from the director. Defeated, but not broken, he turned around and slumped his shoulders, trudging away unhappily. He growled in his head, stubbornness winning out over fear, 'I'll find a way in.'
Erica slammed the door and cursed loudly, before turning back to her still laughing friend, the brunette looked like she was on the verge of tears, her cheeks bright pink and her hands clutching her sides. Fairly exasperated, she threw her hands in the air and asked loudly, "Isn't he annoying you? At all?!"
Murrue took a few moments to catch her breath, knowing if she didn't answer as seriously as possible Erica wouldn't believe a word she said. She waited until she was certain that she had little chance of bursting out laughing again, looked directly at her friend and answered calmly, "He's annoying you, but I happen to think it's quite cute."
"That's not cute, that's annoying." Erica grumbled under her breath, noticing Natarle's very amused smile and she growled at her, "What's so funny?"
"How you're letting him get to you, he just wants to visit Murrue." Natarle answered with a giggle, ruffling Murrue's finished hair affectionately. She honestly did find the whole situation quite amusing, exactly like her friend. It was endearing how he couldn't seem to stay away from her, and Natarle knew that Murrue probably wanted to see him just as badly.
"Why don't you let him in next time?" Murrue suggested with a little smile, entertaining the idea of spending her pre-wedding night with him anyway, blowing the rules. It wasn't as though she hadn't done enough of that in the past, they made their own luck.
Erica's fierce glare was pretty much all the answer she needed, and Murrue bowed her head to finish the next round of laughter that started up and Natarle had to leave the room to cover her own giggles up from the redhead.
They spent a good deal passing the time with the fitting, just estimating how long it would take them to fix it up and finish before the actual wedding, and Murrue bantered with them good-naturedly and let them do what they wanted. She could tell it was just as important to them as it was to her, perhaps Natarle especially. She loved the change in her friend, the woman seemed really like a different person, she was laughing and smiling much more often.
'So much has changed... And all because of the war, because of the ArchAngel. I could never regret getting into that cockpit with Kira now, look at what's happened to all of us because of that... Everyone's so happy with their lives... I really can't find anything that I regret. So many lives were lost, yes... But this peace is what we all fought for, the happiness of everyone else. That alone is enough to be thankful for. I won't ever regret going to battle, not with so much that came from that. I just can't.'
The night was finally coming in, the sand of the beach was a beautiful sparkling shade of silver outside her window now, the full moon high twinkling white in the black velvet sky. She sighed longingly, wishing she was curled up in his arms at the moment instead of sitting alone on her bed and wishing for her dreams to come true.
It was only one night, but no matter how often she kept telling herself that, she was still lonely as ever. She wasn't used to being apart from him, now that he'd come back. They spent so much time together, being apart was simply too much. She knew it was the same for him, they'd been through it once, when they'd come back the first time, from Copernicus. They didn't last one night.
A soft knock at her door caught her attention, and it sent a surge of adrenalin racing through her blood. She jumped off the bed with a surprisingly quick bounce and ran to the door, hope blossoming in her chest already. She pulled it open quickly, but her high spirits fell almost instantly when she saw her visitor wasn't Mu. "Oh..."
Natarle smiled sheepishly in the darkness, glancing over her shoulder and then back to Murrue's disappointed face. She didn't feel the least bit dejected by the expression. She slid into the room and flicked on the light, straightening her messy hair with a casual flick of her hand. "Sorry I'm not taller, blonder, and a man."
"I'm sorry." Murrue mumbled apologetically, glancing sheepishly through her eyelashes at her friend, who snickered and shook her head, she was already forgiven. She flopped onto the end of her bed with a thump an a sigh, muttering unhappily, "Erica was serious, I think she's actually guarding my door."
"She is." Natarle grinned, watching her friend's face fall all over again, then it was buried in her hands with a loud moan of remorse. She reached over and gently pat her shoulder reassuringly, then casually glanced over at the window, musing out loud calmly, "You know though... She only said she'd be guarding your door, she never mentioned anything about the window..."
Murrue's head snapped up so fast Natarle was alarmed that she'd broken her neck, then the brunette jumped from her sitting position and nearly smothered the younger woman in a tight hug. "I love you!"
"You're getting married tomorrow and I'm happy with Justin, don't let that leave the room." Natarle joked breathlessly, returning the hug awkwardly, her arms were pinned and she could only reach and pat the excited brunette on the back. She took a dainty step backwards when she was released, and gestured to the window. "Go on. I won't tell anyone. Have fun and make sure you're back before Erica catches you and slits my throat."
"Thank you!" Murrue exclaimed in a whisper, before basically running to the window and opening it fully. She glanced once more at her grinning friend before sliding her feet through and jumping out, landing on the soft sand with a bright grin of excitement. She was off and running before she could think about it, just happy to be free to see him. 'I'm hopeless... But I don't care. I want to see him.'
She found him standing by himself by the surf, moping. She had to smother a soft giggle with her hand, tiptoeing the next few feet towards him so he wouldn't hear her. When she was certain she was close enough, she ran full tilt at him and then pounced, landing with ease on his back and sending him staggering forward with a gasp. With a giggle, she tightened her arms around his shoulders and pressed a warm kiss to his hear, murmuring, "Surprise."
"Wha-" Mu managed to get his balance back awkwardly, and he knew the form that was wrapped around him, and smiled a little before resting his hands on her arms. He turned around and saw her little smile and grinned at her, promptly lifting her clear off the ground and twirling her around. When he set her down his legs gave out and she laughed as he brought her down with him into the sand.
Murrue giggled as she felt his lips brush tenderly against the corner of her mouth, and then he lay back in the sand, giving her a huge goofy smile of contentment. She laughed quietly again, not wasting any time with curling her body next to his, resting her head on his chest to hear his heartbeat. His fingertips idly traced the path of her spine through her thin nightgown, and she sighed. "I missed you."
"I missed you a lot too." Mu agreed with a sigh, kissing the top of her head before winding his arms protectively around her waist to draw her closer. She didn't struggle, merely melted into him with a happy purr, marigold eyes closed and face a picture of happiness. He plucked a little at her nightgown and spoke disapprovingly, "Are you going to walk down the aisle in this thing? I don't approve."
"So you could kill everyone at the reception for seeing me?" Murrue shot back with raised eyebrows, looking down at what she wore. She knew it was too revealing for his taste, he could get extremely overprotective, but she had to admit it was rather cute. When she looked at him, clad only in blue jeans and nothing else, she had to admit the thought of anyone else giving him the once over annoyed her too. "I don't like you wandering outside in nothing but jeans either."
Mu flashed her a broad grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at her tone. He answered her with a smug voice, "You'd like it if you were the only one who got the view."
"True enough." Murrue admit with a little smirk, knowing full well that if she was the only one with the view she'd like him to wear nothing else. It suited her tastes just fine. She poked him in the chest though, adding unhappily, "If I was the only one with the view than it would be fine, but that's not the case."
"What I'm wearing is better than you." Mu laughed, rustling the thin fabric of her soft pink nightgown. It was short and something he would have normally liked to see her wear, if they were both at home and in private. He growled into her ear, "If anyone else saw you in this, they wouldn't live to tell the tale."
Murrue laughed at his possessive tone, rather finding it be strikingly attractive. Someone else might have found it to be a sign of insecurity, of an abusive relationship, but it was anything but. He loved her, and he wanted that sight to be his alone, just like she wanted him to be hers. She was just fine with him kidnapping her to hide her away, she'd never complain. She smiled cheekily at him, got to her feet and started backing away teasingly.
Mu sat up, glaring as he did, crooking his finger and pointing at his lap. He wanted her back. She giggled girlishly and continued to back away, and he slowly got to his feet, warning her in a low tone, "You better get back here. You don't want me to come over there and get you."
"Are you sure? What if I would?" Murrue called smartly, wearing the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her. Emphasizing her point, she danced backwards across the silver sand, giggling as she went. She knew he'd get annoyed and jump her when he had enough of her antics, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to laugh, wanted to be playful. He tensed, ready to get up and she took off giggling, "Come and get me!"
"You asked for it!" Mu hollered, jumping to his feet and stirring up the sand as he gave chase to his fleeing lover. She laughed and danced out of his reach easily, turning to give him a winning smile before she continued to run. They never had the chance to be together like this before, never had the time to be playful when they were just falling in love. But now they had all the time in the world.
It didn't take him long to catch her, she basically gave in anyway, slowing just enough so his hands caught her waist, tugging her back into his arms. She didn't care that the force of the tug send them both falling back into the sand, she was laughing too hard to really notice.
He got to his feet, giving her his hand to help her up, which she took gratefully. Then he swung her up into his arms with ease, cradling her bridal style before he began to walk up the coast to the hotel. She knew he wasn't planning to return her to her room anytime soon, but that was okay. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and asked innocently, "Can't I walk?"
"You know the rules, the groom carries the bride over the threshold." Mu told her as seriously as he could, but his eyes gave him away, they were full of laughter. She grinned broadly at him, rewarding his joke with a swift kiss before cuddling into his chest and sighing contentedly. He carried her all the way to his room, opened the door rather awkwardly before kicking it open and carrying her through, then kicking it shut. They would have all night.
We got the afternoon,
you got this room for two.
One thing I've left to do,
discover me, discovering you.
AN
(Giggles) I'm mean, aren't I? I'm sorry it took so long to get my damn update up, yay for internet crashes that rob you of the will to live, er, I mean write, that was a typo. Anywhosit! Playful Murrue is fun to write, heehee. My thoughts being I doubt they had much time to fool around while on the AA, and since its such a happy time, why not let them have some fun? Normally I have Mu sneaking into her room but this time she snuck out to find him XD. The wedding's next chapter, woot! Girls, don't tackle me hard, lol. Oh yeah, song credit, "Your Body is a Wonderland" (it's an excellent smut song XD) John Mayer. No own, just love!
Sky