Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Seed Series okay...

Rated-T for a reason. This story is not for readers who're not comfortable with swearings and much more mature topic.

**This is more on Athrun and the guys' point of view, as at the previous story, I used mainly Cagalli's POV.

"Please pop my cherry."

Athrun Zala blinked as he stared at the blonde in front of him. For all about nineteen years of his life, nothing fazed him until now. Did he just heard it right or was it just a passing breeze?

"Did you just say something?" he asked, just to be sure.

Cagalli Yula Athha, a friend-but-not-really pursed her lips before planting her palms on the desk, then leaning toward him, unconsciously giving him a peek-a-boo of her cleavage from the space where the top two buttons should've been fastened. It was very distracting.

"I said, please pop my—"

"Okay, I got it. Pop the..." Athrun coughed. Getting the words out were so difficult now since this really was an out of the world shocking thing to be in, given that they were in a library with many other students who were definitely not at all thinking about popping fruits in their minds. Cagalli must have been in that time of the month, acting crazy and knocking him out of his element.

"Sit down, please. Those librarians are eyeing at us now. You know how I feel if your pretty ass landed on the floor outside." He whispered worriedly.

Cagalli grumbled, seemingly dissatisfied at him and he wondered if he just said the wrong things.

"So, where did you get this inspiration..." he cleared his throat again, "...to pop your—whatever?"

At first, she was still staring right at him, getting all kind of hairs on his skin stood up, before she laid her head on the desk. The golden strands of her hair fell like a stream of gold, covering her economic textbook. Athrun leaned forward, casually took her hair between his fingers and rubbed it as if testing the texture of the highest quality of silk against his skin.

"Meer said I'm a virgin."

Athrun tilted his head, trying to think of something to sooth her.

"You are a virgin. However, it's something that you should not worry about."

In a split second her head looked up to give him a death glare. Now, he realized it was the wrong thing to say, again.

"Thanks a lot." Her tone didn't deliver the meaning of those words at all.

Feeling like he was forced to jump into the cliff under her glare, Athrun forced his brain to come out with something, anything.

"But you're still a special snowflake to me and Kira." He grinned. Cagalli's glowering, intensified.

"I don't want to be your special snowflake." She scoffed as she crossed her arms.

Okay, Athrun admitted that actually hurts. Like so bad.

"So...?" he asked and Athrun was hoping any god up there heard his silent plea because he didn't have any ideas anymore on how to deal with Cagalli's craziness without hurting her feelings. Because let's be real, a pissed off Cagalli was not a pretty picture.

Cagalli looked at him in a manner that brought chill all over his skin.

"First, I don't want any one making of fun of me." she raised her index finger before unfolding the middle finger, "Two, I need the right tools to get rid of it and I am for sure, is not going to do it myself. And three, yeah I'm getting rid of it, period. I don't care."

"Is it important to you? You of all people should know how Mea is. She likes messing with people's head because she feels inferior." Athrun leaned back and sighed. He didn't know what was going on in girls' minds, it was such an enigma for him and he wasn't going to delve deeper into girls' world... but this was Cagalli, someone that he really cared... a lot.

"I know..." Cagalli whimpered like a beaten puppy and looked at him with those large amber eyes that managed to bring him down to his knees every single time. "—but then I realized that, if I don't get rid of this V-card, the guys will look at me like a prize to be won—"

"What?" he almost sputtered. What the hell was she saying? A prize?

"Yeah..." Cagalli rubbed her neck, her face showing distress, "since Meer literally announced my virgin status, I got like guys here and there coming to me offering themselves, you know... like it is such a huge holy duty." She ended it with an annoyed eye-roll. Athrun was just too stunned to comment on that. To be honest, he didn't really know much of what was going on in the campus. With exams barreling in and his own A.I-robotic projects, Athrun didn't have much time to listen to gossips or partying like other students. Athrun's schedules started at 8pm to 4am, mostly going in and out of lab and libraries, eating-peeing-showering in between, crashing into Cagalli's place and basically making her apartment as his own habitat because her place was so much closer to his lab. Thankfully, Cagalli never minded at all that he was there every night as she explained that she felt relieved seeing that he was alive and kicking.

"So, who are these guys?" Athrun felt his fist clenching tight. Oh yeah, somebody was going to get this Zala fist deep in their throat.

Cagalli waved dismissingly before naming a few of them who she recognized and describing the physical traits of those who she couldn't name— "this guy with green hair and lips piercing, the gingerhead hotshot in sports science faculty, this major douchebag with bacon odor all over him and yeah... Elsman? Your friend literally hunted me to my class—"

"Dearka?"

Cagalli rolled her eyes again, "Yes, him. I told him that I'm not into blondes."

Despite feeling irritated at Dearka, Athrun smiled and gave Cagalli the knowing look.

"What? I'm a better blonde. Being virgin to all of my nineteen years of living should prove to you something."

"Miss Athha,"

Both of them stared at the uninvited newcomer at the side of their table. The fifty-ish librarian lady had her arms folded under her large bosom, her lips were forming a thin straight line.

"Hey, there..." Cagalli gathered her books, trying to appear busy, "...we're just having a very informative discussion about Napoleon and-"

"And Napoleon complaint that you are loud enough for god's sake."

He couldn't hide his sniggers at that.

Glaring at him in a way that suggest that she'd dissect him later, Cagalli then put all her books in her bag and stood up. Athrun guessed it was the cue for him to get his ass up and go.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Bobbie. We're going now. Sorry for interrupting." Athrun said as he picked up his bag.

The librarian turned at him and gave him a smile, beside her, Cagalli was rolling her eyes, annoyed.

"Always the polite one. It's alright Athrun, whenever you come back, make sure your partner can read the rule pasted at the door." Behind her, Cagalli was mimicking her every movements, all with extra exaggerations and hand waves.

Crazy Cagalli.

"By the way, send my love and hearts for Lenore would you? I'm such a fan for her cookbooks."

Cagalli crossed her arms before moving in front of Mrs. Bobbie and put her index finger under the older woman's chin to make her look up to Cagalli's taller figure.

"I'll make sure to deliver that message to Mrs. Zala. She and I are like..." Cagalli smirked, "really really close. For real." Turning towards Athrun, she patted his shoulder and walked away with haughtiness in her every step.

Damn, that girl really know how to work people up.

Apologizing to Mrs. Bobbie, Athrun then promised her that he would send her 'hearts' and 'loves' to his mom before rushing to catch up with Cagalli.

"Cagalli wait!" finally gaining up with her, Athrun reached for her arms and stopped her. "Chill would you?"

"I'm not in the mood right now and I'm going to Kira's place. Fuck off."

Damn. He screwed up bad.

Taking a few wide strides forward, Athrun moved to her front and blocked her path.

"I'll tell Dearka to mind his own business. The other guys? I'll make sure all of them will not bother you anymore—"

"You know what? You're an idiot." Putting her palms on his chest, she shoved. Athrun stumbled backwards and his bag fell on the ground. When he already got his bag picked up, he saw Cagalli already ran away and got into the bus.

She didn't even glance at him, not even once.

.

"I said, give-me-a-sec! Jezus Fuck!" Dearka walked toward the front door in a rush with barely-there towel on his hips and opened the door with a scowl.

One hour before, Dearka had just had the best lunch date with his future flings. Thirty minutes before, he got the best quickie ever in the sport's storeroom and ten minutes before he just scored another date with the hottie in Drama Faculty, but Dearka never ever imagined, he would be on the floor with his nose bleeding and a glowering Athrun Zala standing over him.

To be honest, Dearka never thought that there was any person on this earth who had ever looked at him with that kind of murderous glare like Athrun was giving him now.

"What da fuck man?!" his voice sounded nasal now. His nose must have been broken now, no wonder it hurts like hell.

"That's for hitting on Cagalli." Athrun's voice sent chill all over his body. Was this how grimm reaper looked like? If yes, then Dearka wished he were Edward Cullen and never die or whatever.

"I didn't hit on her." Dearka stood up and followed Athrun as he walked to the fridge and took out a beer. His beer. But Athrun was mad pissed and Dearka didn't want to risk his life saying no to him.

A frozen beans pack smacked on his chest and Dearka stared at Athrun, giving him the "what the fuck?" stare.

"For your nose." Athrun said before taking a seat on the stool and chugged his beer.

Man... Dearka was scared shitless now. Athrun looked... possessed.

He didn't know this man. Athrun Zala that he knew was never the kind who drank beer like his life depended on it.

"So, if this is anything about Cagalli, I wanted to put all disclaimers to all rumours you've heard."

Athrun tossed his empty can away and started to open the new one. Okay, now what to do? His nose hurts and he didn't want Athrun to break his any other bones. Maybe he should call Yzak or Shinn for help.

The sound of beer can slammed on the table jerked his head up.

"You wanted to sleep with her, say it."

"Nope." He lied. Well, not really. He didn't want to go to 'sleep' with Cagalli, he just wanted to remove her V-card. And what guys in the world who didn't want to deflower an ice princess like Cagalli? And Athha at that. Dearka was sure that he could make her first time sweeter than any other guy. After all, he was very experienced in this sort of things.

"Horseshit. Cagalli told me lots of things today." Another empty can entered into the trash bin and the possessed Zala took a new one out.

"Lying is an exclusive trait of pretty girls." Dearka shrugged. Pretty girls also likes to act like they were national treasures and Cagalli claimed the highest throne of all, acting like all the guys were beneath her feet. He never met a girl like her, so pretty, so intriguing, so regal and so, so untouchable. And when the guys heard from Meer Campbell that Cagalli was still a virgin, everyone was rushing to be the one to conquer the untouchable princess.

"So, this is what got you worked up." Dearka waited for a confirmation.

"She asked me to remove her hymen."

Athrun sounded so clinical that Dearka couldn't help but raised an eyebrow.

"Then what?"

"I..." Athrun chugged his beer before slamming the can on the table, "I refused and she flipped shit."

"Are you mad?! You refused?" Dearka shook his head, this was hard to swallow, "Get that dick cut. Oh Jesus fuck, wait till Yzak and the guys heard this, you're going to be the laughing stock for every single day of your life."

"NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! I JUST WANT HER-" Athrun's bloodshot eyes glared and Dearka rolled his eyes. For a math genius like him, Athrun could be such a dramatic Shakespeare and Dearka was forced to listen to him about wanting Cagalli and he make love because of their feelings not because of someone's pressure... for like, three hours.

Twelve beers and two jumbo size of pizzas later, Dearka decided that maybe Athrun needed a little push to be more direct regarding his feelings to Cagalli.

With his nose still feeling hurt, Dearka thought maybe he should warn the other guys to not trying to attempt to seduce Cagalli, or else they'd found a possessed Athrun Zala on their doorstep.

.

Athrun didn't feel like walking on the ground. In fact, he felt like as if he were floating on air. Regret filled his head. He shouldn't have drink till he fainted last night no matter how much he wanted to deny the reality that Cagalli now hated him.

Dragging his feet through the hall was a chore. He had a second heartbeat in his head and everytime a girl walked by, he gagged because her perfume reminds him of the meatball pizza he ate while consuming the beers. A few who greeted him in the morning were given first class death glare.

Life sucks, his head was throbbing and he couldn't speak or else he might puke, death seemed like pretty good choice right now.

He should've listen to Dearka and stay in for a day but he stubbornly wanting to see Cagalli. It had been a week since the last time he saw her and he couldn't bear it to have her so far away from him. He needed to see her, even if he had to drag his feet to wherever she was.

After dragging himself along the hall, finally, the sound of her laugh reached his ears.

He looked around and found her laughing with her classmates. Three guys and a brunette.

Great. Now he just had to move a little bit further.

"Zala" the brunette said as he finally stood before them. One of his hands braced against the wall to support him while the other reaching for Cagalli's shoulder. She didn't move, but she didn't looked like she was happy seeing him there.

"Man..., you looked like shit." The guy with brown hair and tan skin looked at him up and down, as if figuring out his worth to stand there with them. Ahmed El Hosn- Athrun heard he was the heir of a big oil company in the Middle East, and he also heard that he got caught drooling over Cagalli one day, when he thought no one was looking.

Standing by Ahmed's side with the look akin to someone who just got run over by bus, Athrun knew that he looked really, really bad while Ahmed looked like a God. He only hoped that Cagalli didn't ask Ahmed a favour to pop her cherry.

He really regretted that he refused her. But what could he say about it? His brain worked differently from other guys. He liked to think thoroughly, making sure every single decision he made wasn't going to cost him to contravene against what he valued, be it integrity or morality.

But he should've known, that Cagalli's brain also work differently. While he was someone who liked to weight the consequences before doing something, Cagalli was spontaneous. She didn't have a certain set of code. She did whatever she wanted and be damned of consequences. She was a free spirited person.

But no matter how different she was from him, she completed him.

"You okay?" Cagalli finally said something, it sounded like a music to his ears.

"A bit of...headache... but I'm fine." He mumbled.

Cagalli bit her lower lip while the other of her friends waved the air in front of them.

"You reek of beer." The brunette muttered.

"How much did you drink last night?"

"Who knew Zala capable of getting wasted?"

"Which club did you go?"

"The mighty Zala has fallen. Five stars journalism points there. Let me call the Haww girl from gossip column-"

The conversations were going on and he hardly could focus on either one of them. His head felt like it was cracking and something in his stomach was bubbling, rising to his throat.

"I think you've held Cagalli's shoulders too long, you might have bruised her." Ahmed said and Cagalli shook her head before removing Athrun's grip on her shoulder.

"I'll take you home," Cagalli said and he gripped her harder, wanting to say something to her. But the uneasiness in his stomach increased and he felt it rapidly rising to his throat, then all the things he consumed last night came out from his mouth like Niagara waterfall and landed on Cagalli's and Ahmed's shoes.

It was a really, really shitty day.

.

"I heard you fucked up with my sister so bad that Miriallia Haww is writing a story about it." Kira said as he tossed a bag of peanuts his way. "Talk about epic failure of the century."

"You sure sound pleased about it." Athrun grumbled as he pushed his trolley forward and stopped to pick up a bag of jelly beans from the shelf. A few girls who passed by them turned to eye them up and down, then walked on, giggling.

"I am. Cagalli was such a saint holding your hairs while you barfed your heart out in the toilet bowl. If it's me, I'll punch your gut so that you don't have to wake up until two or three days later."

"There's a reason I like her more than you."

"Yeah, yeah... whatever. But no matter how much you like her, you and Cagalli are still dancing around each other."

Athrun stopped reaching for a cereal midway.

Seeing that it was getting awkward, Kira fished out his phone from his pocket and started to scroll the screen mindlessly.

"I mean, when are you two going to go out officially? Are you two friendzoning each other?" Kira asked. His purple eyes were still locking onto the screen of his phone.

"If you ask that before I puked all over her, the answer might have been different," Athrun tossed the cereal into the trolley none too gently. "As you said, I fucked up epicly. She might see me lower than amoeba now."

"The key word there is "Might'" Kira narrowed his eyes at him, "It's none of my business and Cagalli might shove a baseball bat in my ass if I take too much interest in her life, but I don't like it when she's hurting. If you don't want any relationship with her, make it clear. If you do, then tell her that too. You guys have been playing hide and seek for so long. The longer you drag these things, the more both of you hurting." Kira slapped his forehead before taking a deep breath, "Shit. Sorry for that. I didn't intend to be the emotional big brother there. Sorry."

"It's okay." Athrun stared forward blankly. "You're right."

After paying for their stuffs at the counter, they stopped at Dearka's place. Athrun had promised to the blond that he'd replace the beers that he consumed the other day. The door opened after the third ring and a disheveled redhead came out, leering at both of them before inviting them in. Dearka was on the couch, shirtless and both Kira and Athrun felt like the couch's hygiene was too uncertain to sit on.

"Hey there, my man!" Dearka grinned like a cat who just swallowed a canary. The redhead girl kissed him on the lips before walking out of the apartment.

"I swear that you're going to get different kinds of herpes before graduation." Kira commented as he looked around for a place safe enough to sit on. You don't know what kind of germs you can get by sitting on the place where someone just used to have sex.

"There's a thing named condom." Dearka said as he looked around and Athrun assumed he was looking for his shirt, so he tossed the one near him on the blond's face.

"Who's the girl anyway?" Kira asked.

"I think she's Chemistry girl... oh wait, I think she's not." Dearka rubbed his temple, looking like he was trying his hardest to remember. It was all bullshit of course. While Athrun until now, couldn't really remember girls name except Cagalli, Dearka couldn't remember the name of the girls he had slept with. Scratch that, Dearka Elsman didn't even bother to remember any.

"Here's your beer." Athrun gestured to the beers he placed on the table across them. Although he was not sorry for breaking Dearka's nose, he was sorry for depleting every alcohol beverages in his fridge. He was acting out of character in the week when he lamenting the fact that Cagalli wasn't going to talk to him anymore.

Grabbing a can of beer and popping it open, Dearka took a sip and groaned. "Life is wonderful." Then with his eyes, he invited Kira and Athrun to drink.

"Too early to get my breath smelled like pub." Kira shook his head.

Athrun on the other hand, swore that he won't do those drinking to oblivion stunt again. He had enough judging stares from everyone in the campus and he was sure as hell won't repeat the puke-on-Cagalli's-shoes part, ever.

"You guys are the definition of boredom." Dearka shrugged.

"I can punch your nose again just for shit and giggles if you want." Athrun cracked his knuckles and they laughed. Life seemed like it was on it course again.

"You should know that I have more rights to break his face more than you." Looking at Athrun, then Dearka, Kira shrugged as if he was talking about spreading peanut butter on his bread.

"You guys can't be serious." Dearka stopped midway from sipping his beer.

"I heard about you chasing after her these few days. As a brother, that's the most horrifying mental image you're giving me there. And you called yourself—a friend." Kira narrowed his eyes at the blond.

"In my defense, I want to make things easier for her." Dearka stood up to toss the empty can into a trash bin. "You know the first time for girls is painful."

"Are you still intent to sleep with her?" Kira asked, his tone was icy.

Dearka looked at Kira, then Athrun.

"Well, I haven't chased her anymore. Athrun made it clear why it was a bad idea. Looked at my nose, it's not straight anymore."

"Your nose is steel-hard. I give you that." Athrun smirked. Dearka was out of equation now. He took a breath of relief.

"Don't make her wait too long, dude." Dearka eyed Athrun in a way that suggested he was not a man if he didn't pounce on Cagalli soon. "The best time to have it happen is on her birthday. May 18th isn't it? Heard a few guys in my class planning to have a party for her."

Athrun didn't even aware that he was growling. It was just an instant reaction whenever he heard about these 'other guys' around Cagalli. He knew that Cagalli was very well liked among the guys because she could play sport and so different from other girls, but it still irked him very much that they thought Cagalli was theirs, one of them—one of the guys, until Miiar Canonball announced that she was a holy virgin.

But taking her V-Card on her birthday wasn't something to be proud of for him. He wanted to give her all of him because of his feelings for her, not because it looked like a milestone for Cagalli and him to reach. Damn it, he didn't want to make it as a gift to her while taking 'it' from her. Either way, taking her virginity on her birthday looked like some sort of thing that Dearka would do and Athrun Zala was not that kind of man.

"Remind me why are we friends?" Kira eyed Dearka disgustingly.

"Because I'm cute and smart?" Dearka batted his eyelashes and Kira tossed Tv's remote at his forehead.

"Who's in-charge for the party by the way?" Athrun asked as he took his phone and gazed at the wallpaper of his phone- a selfie of him in lab coat and Cagalli in soccer jersey. It was taken when Cagalli's team won the championship and she dragged him out of his lab to have a drink of celebration. At that time, he was the one who held her hair while she worshiped the toilet bowl.

He smiled at the memories. Maybe if he reminded her of that, she'd forgive his ass?

"The rich oil guy from her soccer club."

"You're talking about Ahmed, then." Kira walked from the kitchen and tossed them each a bag of crackers.

"That's him," Dearka opened the crackers bag before pausing and stared at Kira, "You're his twin, but you're talking as if you don't intend to celebrate together."

Kira waved at him dismissingly, "Parties are getting boring to me. Same things every time. We have Athha and Yamato dinner the day after anyway. If I come to the door looking like I just took a swim in vodka, my dad and Cagalli's dad are going to be so mad that all god above there have no shit against them. Anyway, aren't you bored of flipping skirts and getting wasted?"

"Maybe after I die?"

"Don't ask him that, Kira." Athrun sighed, "It's a miracle that he's here to get a degree."

"I'm smart and you both know it. People just decided that my extracurricular activities are even more interesting to put into the gossip column." Dearka rubbed his temple, "What's the name of that menace? Mirdella Hawe?"

"Miriallia Haww for god's sake. Do you need me to remind you of your ex-fling's name? Be careful of her, I bet she'd be there at the party. You crossed her once and you should've known what will come to you, like Athrun here." Kira patted at Athrun's shoulder, his eyes giving him sympathy vibe. Athrun wondered if Kira really needed to remind him of his outcast status now. Everyone was avoiding him like he was going to puke at their shoes anytime. It was just that one drunken/hangover moment and now he was dirt in everyone's eyes. Mallala Haww especially took such a pleasure painting him as alcoholic-psychopath in her gossip column that he wanted to sue her for defamation but he won't because they used to be friends, until Dearka Elsman ditched her after graduation night.

Before this, he'd never thought that anything in that brunette's column was worth reading and he never thought that anyone cared about that little column in the University's magazine, but it seemed he underestimated the boredom level of university students.

"I swear if I see her at the party, I'll avoid her at all cost." Dearka raised a palm as if he was taking it as an oath.

Kira squinted his eyes, looking like he was seeing Dearka through a microscope. "Don't know about that. She's quite pretty now and you are easily blind by pretty things."

Athrun eyed Kira, "Pretty but she's a reaper." But Cagalli of course, prettier.

Turning his attention to Athrun, Kira munched his crackers as he stared at him with his big purple eyes. "So, have you decided what to give to Cagalli this year?"

"Deflowering Ca—"

"Shut up Dearka." Kira scowled without looking at the blond. He was still looking at Athrun as if Athrun held the key to the all of world's mysteries.

Athrun just smiled.

The club was packing with people and the music was blasting at the highest volume. Auel Neider, Cagalli's friend from the Faculty of Music acted as the DJ of the night, was standing at the center of the platform with his high-end equipment, remixing the songs. The birthday girl, Cagalli was dancing at the center of the club with couple of her friends, hands up and hips grinding like her it were her second job. Lunamaria Hawke, a bob-cut readhead was beside her, twerking with another bob-cut redhead, Mayura Labatt.

Athrun stared at them for a moment before striding toward them and stood in front of Cagalli. She stopped dancing and stared at him, her face was unreadable. The sound of music seemed to go muted as they stared at each other.

"Let's talk." Athrun started but then, after Cagalli gave him a confused look, he realized that it was too noisy to talk here. So, he grabbed her wrist and started to pull her with him.

A hand on his arm stopped him from walking further.

"BIRTHDAY GIRL IS STAYING WITH US!" bob-cut-1 was shouting at his face.

"WE HAVEN'T FINISHED DANCING WITH HER YET! GO AWAY, SHOE BARFER!" bob-cut-2 tried to pull Cagalli away from him.

Damn it, how much had his reputation damaged because of that one accident? He really had no-tolerant for this crap now.

"CAGALLI, PLEASE..." he shouted over the music too. He hoped he didn't looked like an asshole shouting at her like that. But he was afraid that she couldn't hear what he was going to say. He had to find someplace more private than this club.

Cagalli stared at him for a moment before flicking her hair back as if this didn't matter to her, "GIRLS, I GOT THIS. I'LL BE BACK."

After saying 'hi' to everyone that passed by them, they exited the club and Athrun opened the door of his car for Cagalli then walking around to get to the other side and settled beside her.

They stayed there for a while in awkward silence before both of them started to say 'I'm sorry' to each other repeatedly at the same time.

"You go first," Cagalli chuckled as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. They both had laughed loudly after sputtering apologies non-stop for a solid five minutes.

"No, lady's first." Athrun smiled and Cagalli groaned.

"Since today is my birthday, can't you spare me from embarrassing myself?" Cagalli punched his shoulder in a playful manner and Athrun grinned. He liked this kind of intimacy he had with her. He didn't notice how much he missed this kind of moment with her, not until he lost it before.

"I guess, you hold that immunity card since today is your birthday," Athrun started with a tease, "I'm sorry because I'm an asshole. I don't deserve to say things like, 'you can't do this and that'. I don't own your life, I shouldn't judge you for whatever you are, whatever your decisions. And I'm a selfish bastard because I want you for myself but at the same time I don't know why I sometimes felt hesitant to push "us" forward. It's not like I don't like you. No. It's not like that. I like you, very very much, without you... I can't function properly, I can't go through my days without you, it's just that I feel unworthy of yo—"

He was stopped midway when her lips claimed him and her hands started to move over his chest then upward to his cheeks. The kiss was slow and deliberate and Athrun savored the moment when their breath mingled and she stared at him with her big golden amber eyes.

"I know." She said softly. "I know how you felt. I feel the same things for you."

She stared at his lips again before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her. Her head was resting on his shoulder and the silence afterward was comforting.

"When I looked at how girls were looking at you, I felt like I needed to have a hold on you somehow. I was afraid that I wasn't enough. I was afraid that if I didn't put much fight, I'd lose you under my nose. One day you'd decided that I was a good friend and you'd bring a girl and ask me my opinion on her. I hate to think about what I'd do when that day will come."

She released her embraced of him and her lips formed a small smile, "And I'm sorry for pushing you to the corner. You're right about Meer. I shouldn't let her words get into my head."

"I want to do it with you." Athrun spoke out, he wanted her to know that she was the only one he wanted. "I'll jump into the cliff if you go to the other person." he added.

Cagalli crossed her arms and looked at him cheekily, "The offer is closed. I decided to keep it intact, until whenever I like."

"You're the queen of your life." Athrun smiled, "You own yourself. Not anyone else."

Cagali nodded and traced his cheek with the back of her hand. "You're still an idiot."

"I know."

"Jerk."

"Incessantly."

"Nerd."

"But you like me in my lab coat."

"Shoes destroyer."

"I bought you new shoes."

"Really?"

Athrun stretched to get a shoe box from the backseat and handed it to her. Taking the glossy box from him, Cagalli scrutinized the box before opening the lid and took out a pair of green high-heels pump. The ankle straps were held together with clover-shaped clasps. Athrun held up his hands as if in defense when Cagalli threw him a what-the-fuck look at him before slipping into the her new shoes.

"You're joking, right?"

"What?" he grinned at her like an innocent kid.

"I look like a leprechaun's sexy girlfriend!" she smacked his shoulder with the box's lid and Athrun laughed before taking out another shoe box.

"Look! Another shoes for Cagalli Yula Athha!" he shoved the box to her and grinned, "Surprise?"

Cagalli took out a sport shoes from the box, but grimaced when she noticed the colour- another leprechaun's green.

"Your sense of humour is such a national treasure, Athrun Zala."

He couldn't help but continued to grin. "Want to get back to the club? Dancing with me?"

Cagalli wiggled her feet, showing off her new green pumps and laughed.

"You think these new shoes will give me extra luck tonight?"

"You bet."

"Then start to pray for your toes."

A/N :

This happened a year after the last one-shot, and just basically about them learning how to go deeper into their relationship. I hope you guys, Asucaga fans will not throw rocks at me haha... Just to be clear, they're still not in girlfriend-boyfriend relationship. More like, testing the water? Afraid that it will cost their friendship like what it does to Dearka and Miriallia.

Tell me what you think about this story XD.

The next continuation will be for Athrun's Birthday~~ And go check out the previous Birthday's one shots!

Sorry for the grammatical errors, I don't have much time to edit =_=