Domestic Disputes
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED, or any characters associated with.
Life wasn't fair.
That was the thought currently being processed by one Athrun Zala, who was lying in a guest bed, in a guest room, and none too happy about it.
It wasn't that the room wasn't comfortable, no. Indeed, the estate was more than hospitable to guests. It was more because he had been forced to occupy said room by his fiancée, who had taken issue with some… hastily made comments.
In short, Athrun Zala had been kicked out of his room by Lacus Clyne for shooting his mouth off too quickly.
"She's overreacting," Athrun thought, turning his body unsuccessfully, trying to find a more comfortable position. He had been at this for hours, attempting to find that one glorious spot on the bed on which he would be able to surrender to sweet, narcotizing sleep.
Unfortunately, he was not in his comfortable bed. Athrun was in a foreign sleeping instrument, and thus was unable to rest. Unlike Lacus, who was most likely snoozing away - in HIS bed - despite her earlier anger.
Dammit, it was his house!
"Fine, maybe I spoke a little too quickly, but it's not my fault if she and I don't share the same sense of humor!" Athrun protested to nobody, the urge to vindicate himself still quite strong. His green eyes ablaze with frustration, he sat up quickly and punched his pillow. The pillow, however, was soft and plushy, and therefore mocked his attempts at a physical attack by simply not responding. Cocky piece of-
"ARGH!" he growled, focusing his glare on the wall. Still sitting sullenly, Athrun sighed, running his fingers through his hair. His eyes still locked on the wall, he spoke again.
"All right. Lesson learned; I'll watch what I say next time, okay?" he moaned, lying back down, closing his eyes. Using that time to reflect on the last few minutes, he came to the conclusion that he was acting foolishly.
"Although considering that's what got me into this mess in the first place…" he muttered, still a little bitter.
Really, it shouldn't have been that big of a deal. They had been talking in his room, and Lacus had made an innocuous comment. Athrun had responded to it offhandedly with a joke… or something.
Unfortunately, Lacus hadn't seen it that way, and immediately demanded clarification. Athrun, sensing pressure (judging from the look on her face) tried to backpedal.
That got Lacus ever angrier, the chicken and egg syndrome kicked in, and soon Athrun was on the receiving end of multiple thrown pillows, and just as many angry words – all of which were repeated happily by that damn Haro.
In the end, Athrun had scrambled for the door, and had considered reaching it in one piece a victory.
He had, however, not considered the prospect of his normally composed fiancée slamming the door in his face and locking it. Nor had he counted on her ignorance of his apologies. Finally, he had just given up completely, and went to the guest room, where he was now residing.
In hindsight, Athrun knew that he didn't have any real reason to be angry with Lacus. Despite the fact she had locked him out of his room, he was the one who had started the whole debacle by speaking without thinking. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Man…" he murmured. Making up his mind to simply apologize first thing in the morning, he closed his eyes again and tried once more to sleep.
He had almost done it when he heard the floorboards creak. His eyes widened. His ZAFT honed instincts roared to life, and he reached for his gun-
Which was not on the table as it normally was. Remembering where he was, he cursed and sat up in bed, glaring intently at the door, preparing to leap from it if need be. As the door opened, he tensed –
And was greeted with the sight of Lacus Clyne, dressed in an oversized red and white t-shirt, her eyes down. Athrun blinked.
"Lacus?" he asked confusedly, the adrenaline draining. He blinked, puzzled.
She didn't look up, opting to keep her head down as she walked over to the bed's opposite side. Athrun watched, curious.
He was surprised when Lacus sat down next to him, her eyes still refusing to make contact with his. He studied her, slightly worried now.
Slowly, she raised her arms, and at the same time her eyes – wide and tear filled – met his for the first time. Like a child asking for a hug; an unspoken apology.
Athrun, forgetting all of his own negativity, didn't hesitate, immediately wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, ignoring her soft gasp and pressing her cheek against his. Unspoken acceptance.
Sighing, he brushed her forehead with a fingertip, admiring how she looked in the moonlight. "I'm really an idiot, aren't I?" he asked rhetorically. She giggled, while repeating his gesture.
"Yes, you are," she told him, her blue eyes alive with mischief now. Upon seeing his miffed expression, she giggled again and went on. "But you're my idiot, so I guess I need to get used to your little quirks."
"I thought you already were," he put forth. Smiling, she shook her head.
"Not all of them. There are far too many to count, after all."
"Hey!" Athrun protested, hugging her tighter and making her shriek. Laughing, he released his hold, and was rewarded with Lacus pushing him down, the pink haired songstress landing on top of him a second later. Still laughing, he was unprepared when Lacus pulled him into a kiss, her arms still wrapped around his neck.
Closing his eyes, he tilted his head, his mouth returning the gentle pressure being leveled against it, his arms surrounding her slim waist. Sighing happily, she couldn't help but pout when Athrun broke away. Smiling, he pulled her head down, brushing his lips against her forehead.
"Ready for bed?" he asked, his eyes alight with affection.
Her response was to snuggle against him, head against his chest, her face red. Athrun, blushing himself, held her close, and shut his eyes. Before he could think about his next sentence, it just popped out.
"So… the fight's over, right?" he asked, hesitantly.
The silence unnerved him. His eyes flew open, and looked at Lacus – only to see her half asleep. Upon seeing his worried face, she smiled again.
"For now," she answered, kissing him on the cheek before laying her head on his chest. "But we can start again tomorrow, if you're so inclined."
Athrun smiled. Even stupidity paid off sometimes, he reflected, adjusting his body –
And lo and behold; the Coordinator finally found the bed's comfy spot.
Author's notes: This was originally meant to be a drabble, but it evolved into a short story. Heh. You'll also notice that I never stated exactly what made Lacus so mad. I had several possibilities thought up, but I'm sure that many people would simply think she over/under reacted. So in the end, I'll let you – the reader – decide just what Athrun said to her. Makes things easier on all of us.