A/N: I have a little time to type before it storms, so I wanted to add to this. Despite reader suggestions, I ended up using something from Une's ethnic origin on the official Gundam site to get her last name. Thank you for all of your comments helping me out though, I appreciate them beyond anything I can say.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and I make no profit from this.
"Noin, you're sure you don't want to take a family leave?" Principal Treize asked for at least the tenth time since Noin had come to work. "A death in the family is a largely unsettling thing, you shouldn't have to worry about keeping up appearances for your students."
"I'm fine, Principal." Noin mustered up a smile and tried not to glance at Une Schultz, Treize's secretary who she didn't get along with. Une was probably satisfied with this development, Noin thought to herself, somewhat bitterly. "It's been a week of everyone asking me if I'm alright, I really just want everything to be as normal as possible."
"If you say so." Treize gave Noin a sympathetic look. "Class starts soon if you're so adamant about not taking a leave."
Noin hurried out of the office, waved at Milliardo in the hall, took a deep breath and headed for her class. She could do this, she knew it.
"You're sure she can handle it?" Une eyed her boss, and her boyfriend, Principal Treize from her desk. "She's not the strongest woman there is."
"I'm sure she can handle it. She isn't one to break down in front of anyone." Treize leaned over Une's desk to kiss her briefly. "She's strong, just like you."
"Please, do not compare Noin to me." Une smirked up at him and simultaneously shifted her papers around on her desk. "We both know that I am far superior."
"Of course you are." Treize smiled and kissed her forehead. "You're far superior to any woman I've ever known."
"That's good to hear." Une's smirk grew, even as Principal Treize took his place at his desk.
It was going to be a good day, she figured, or at least, that was what it looked like through her wire-rimmed glasses.
"Ms. Noin looked like hell in class today." Dorothy sat with Quatre at their free period, watching him hand feed a pigeon bread crumbs.
"That's not a very nice thing to say." Quatre turned the full force of his baby blues on her. "You shouldn't judge people, Dorothy."
"I'm not." Dorothy rolled her eyes. "I'm speculating, there's a big difference. How do you get the birds to eat from your hand like that?"
Quatre didn't answer; instead he dumped a few breadcrumbs into her palm and held her hand out to the pigeon by holding the back of her hand. "Be very quiet." He murmured as the bird stared at Dorothy's hand before it leaned in and grabbed a breadcrumb from Dorothy's palm.
"But... animals hate me." Dorothy whispered. The pigeon finished off the bread and flew away, but Dorothy remained in place, her heart fluttering. Quatre's hand was still under hers, and he wove his fingers through hers.
"You can be anyone you want to be, Dorothy." Quatre murmured, holding her hand with both of his. "But I would really like it if you were yourself."
"I just don't want to get hurt." Dorothy shook her head. "If I'm a bitch to anyone who could possibly hurt me, they don't get close enough to do so."
"Anyone can hurt you." Quatre slipped his arm around her shoulders. "It's not a question of if they can hurt you, it's a question of intent. And if you never get close enough, you'll never know anyone's intent."
Dorothy felt her stomach do three or four somersaults and then tie itself in a knot. He had a point, but that didn't get rid of her fears.
As if he had read her mind, Quatre added, "I'll help."
Dorothy gave a little nod and leaned into him. If she was drowning in this high school "experience" than Quatre could definitely keep her afloat.
Though someday, she hoped she could handle things on her own, Quatre was her lifeline at the moment, and she needed him more than anyone else.
"Did you finish your project yet?" Relena asked, later that day. When Heero gave her confused eyes, she added, "You know, with your laptop."
"There's no such thing as a permanent record." Heero replied. "Feeling better?"
Relena blinked, stunned by how natural the unemotional Heero had sounded as he asked that. "Yeah." She said finally, though it hurt somewhere in her chest to admit to herself that she still wasn't speaking to Dorothy. "Friendships can't be perfect all the time, and if it's meant to be over then it's over. I just need to accept it for what it is."
"You sound confident." Heero was studying her now; intrigued with how many changes Relena had been through in the past few weeks.
"I can't be a mess forever." Relena shrugged. "Sometimes you just have to suck it up, you know? Some things aren't meant to last."
"But you've known Dorothy so long." Heero blinked, he hadn't meant to let that slip. Sure, he had been keeping an eye on Relena for years, not that he wanted her to know that.
Relena smiled at him, but didn't say anything about the fact he had stalked her as a child. "Fake friends are through school, true friends are for life." She kissed Heero's cheek, leaving him stunned. "Anyway, I'm going to go get my things together for my next class, so I'll see you soon Heero."
Heero watched her walk away, confused. Girls sure were strange creatures.
"Sally?" Wufei sat beside her at their lunch period. "Why are you alone?"
"I just..." Sally shrugged. The past week had been hell, as she had been avoiding all social contact. She didn't feel like putting on a face and pretending everything was ok. It wasn't. "Didn't feel like being a social butterfly today, I guess."
"You've been avoiding me." Wufei sat beside her without asking for permission.
"I haven't really talked to anyone much lately." Sally attempted to smooth her hair out; she hadn't had time to put it up that morning between the parents screaming at each other and breaking various household objects to get back at each other. She had wanted out of that house more than a nervous dog in a crate.
"What's wrong?" Wufei's eyebrows narrowed, he was worried, Sally could tell. "You're not yourself."
"I'm sorry, I've been nothing but a bitch to you lately." Sally swallowed the lump in her throat; she was not going to cry. She wasn't one of those girls who cried to get her way.
"I..." Wufei paused; he didn't know how to handle this Sally. "Some of it is understandable, being that your home life is hell, but I'm supposed to be your friend! You can't avoid me and tell me that nothing is wrong when something is!"
"I don't want things to change between us, ok?" Sally took a sip of water, trying to hold her composure. She could tell it was no use, she was like a shaken bottle of soda, the second she tried to open up she was going to burst, though unlike that soda bottle she would be in tears.
"Things are always changing." Wufei argued. "You can't stop anything from changing. Change is the only constant."
"I know..." Sally choked out. The tears were starting, but she wasn't going to let Wufei see them, not if she could help it. "I can't be here right now." She tried to stand up, but Wufei grabbed her and pulled her back down, so close to him, too close to him.
"Woman," Wufei began, the way he did when something about her was really bothering him. "You're not going to run away this time."
A long pause, but they didn't break eye contact.
"I don't want to be just your girl-toy." Sally whispered finally, the words almost lost amongst the clamor of the lunchroom. "And I don't want to lose you."
"Don't be so paranoid." Wufei leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth.
The end of the worst week of Sally's life suddenly became the best day of her life. Even if she didn't want things to change, that kiss felt so... right.
"You're so cute, you took care of me while I was sick!" Duo teased while Hilde did her homework at the lunch table. "Did I say anything memorable?"
"Duo, shut up." Hilde whapped him lightly on the forehead with her eraser. "Unlike you, I actually do my homework, so shut up and let me work."
"You're in a mood." Duo looped his arms around her and pulled her in close to him, as he had done for years. "What's eating you?"
"I'm seriously going to murder you and bury you in my backyard if you don't let go." Hilde muttered, but she wasn't serious at all and it showed. "Please, please just let me work on this. I want to graduate."
"Hilde?" Duo's eyes went wide, and his grip loosened. "Hilde what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" Hilde felt a drop of water roll down her neck, and she realized with horror that she was crying, in the middle of the lunchroom, in front of Duo.
It just figured, didn't it, since she couldn't stop thinking about his feverish confession. Not that he had remembered saying that to her when his fever broke.
"Hilde..." Duo used his warning voice, something that he had adopted from his father. "Tell me what's wrong."
"You're an idiot!" Hilde yelled, loud enough that a large majority of the cafeteria's occupants stopped, shut up and stared at her. She grabbed her homework binder and ran into the girls' bathroom, openly sobbing. She collapsed onto the floor, sat against the wall and just let herself cry.
When the door opened, she suspected to see Duo sneaking into the girls' bathroom to find out what was wrong and comfort her. Instead, two girls stood over her. One had long, dark blonde hair and pitying blue eyes, and the other had red, short, curly hair and worried purple eyes.
"Boy troubles?" The redhead asked, sitting on Hilde's right.
"Yes." Hilde managed, trying to contain her sobs. She hated it when people saw her cry, especially people she didn't know.
"Talk to us about it." The blonde sat on Hilde's left. "It helps."
Hilde looked between them, hoping that she could trust them, because right now, she had no one else she could talk to.
"Did you have a good time?" Trowa asked as he and Catherine sat on her front porch, the only light coming from the one porch light that was covered in moths.
"Yes." Catherine smiled at him, fitting herself against his side. "You're a great guy Trowa. Thank you for taking me on such a wonderful date."
Trowa smiled and gave her a little nod. "You have a tutoring session tomorrow, correct?"
"Well, you should know too, shouldn't you?" Catherine giggled. "You are my tutor after all. But yeah, you're still going to tutor me?"
"I wouldn't let you fail math." Trowa smiled slightly. The porch light went off, on, off, on, off. "Though your parents might become more watchful after this."
"I should probably go inside, that's my Mom's code." Catherine smiled, stood there for a moment and then leaned in and kissed him, just a peck on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye, Trowa!" With a flourish she was up the porch steps and standing in the doorway. "Drive safe, ok?"
Trowa nodded once more, and then he was off in his car.
Catherine watched to make sure he got out of the driveway, then stood there for a few minutes more, smiling to herself.
All in all, a very good day.
"Noin, it's late." Milliardo tried to corral the emotionally distant teacher into his bedroom, but she wouldn't go.
"Do you think that he's in heaven?" Noin stared up at the stars through the big window in the living room. "Or do you think he went to hell?"
"I believe that you shouldn't think about that if you want a good night's rest." Milliardo was considering throwing Noin over his shoulder and carrying her, but he wasn't quite at that level of frustration yet. "It's nearly midnight." He added in hopes of getting her to come to bed.
"Do you think he can see us right now?" Noin continued, closing her eyes. "Is he cursing me for living and being in love or is he happy that I'm alive?"
"I think he's happy that you didn't follow in his footsteps." Milliardo gently took Noin's hand and tried to lead her into the bedroom.
"Are you sure you want me to move in with you?" Noin changed the subject, and for the first time, glanced around at all the unpacked boxes of her clothes, pictures and such. "I can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."
"I am sure." Milliardo gave a little tug and successfully began to lead her into his bedroom. "You can go back to your house after a few months, if you want to, but I want to look after you. It makes me feel needed." He didn't admit that he was sure he needed to keep an eye on her, which would've made her rebel.
"Alright, I guess I am tired." Noin gave in and cuddled up next to him in his bed. "Thanks, for always being there." She murmured as she closed her eyes.
When he was sure she was asleep, Milliardo replied, "Thank you for never giving up on me."
A/N: Well, even I'm wondering what he meant... These chapters take forever and a day. Anyway, I'm sorry I had to do it out of order, but that was the way I believed it fit. And I didn't do Catherine and Trowa's date, sorry. I'm not an expert in that category and their scene would've been too long. Alright, your turn, I would love to hear your comments, so drop me a review? Yes, no, maybe so?