S T U P I D F A T E

Word Count: 490

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00.

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He watches her as she works. He can't help it. She's cute.

She has cute cheeks. Soft, cotton candy pink hair. Beautiful teal eyes.

He really shouldn't be looking at her like this. He should be thinking about her at all.

It's not really something he can help, though. She has the biggest, most obvious crush on him and it shows in her eyes every moment of every day. Every time he sees, he sees it in the way she moves, and especially in the way she looks at him.

Except for when she's working. Like now. She doesn't realize he's here watching her – a first considering she usually picks up on his presence. She's completely focused on her work, the computer stuff she and Christina have to do to keep all of Celestial Being's operations in order.

He thinks that's one of the best qualities about her – her seriousness. Her resolve. She seems so much more mature – and she's already well more mature than she should be at her age after going through what he knows she has – so much older during these moments, when she's working. It's almost as if he can see a much older Feldt sitting in her chair, the woman she's sure to be when she's older.

He sighs internally – so as not to distract her – and rolls his eyes. He always has that thought. About her being older. If she were older, he wouldn't have to worry about such trivial things as age differences.

But the fact of the matter is that he's ten years older than her. Ten years.

He hates how he pushes her feelings to the side because of this, but he has to. Otherwise he'd feel like he was taking advantage of her and that's not something he wants to do. He's not that kind of person.

Of course, it doesn't make him feel any better to have to reject her.

He watches her type and muses faintly on why fate plays these kinds of games with people. Fate brings you what you want, but not always in the way you expect. And sometimes it brings you what you want without you even knowing that's what you wanted.

Neil Dylandy feels he's experiencing a bit of that nowadays.

He watches as Feldt relaxes in her chair. She's obviously just finished whatever she'd been working on. The look on her face shows that she's just noticed there's someone else in the room aside from her and Christina.

She turns her head to face him and she jumps a little in surprise. He hears her whisper, "Lockon" and her face relaxes into a smile.

Christina has also noticed his presence now, and a know-it-all smile has placed itself firmly on her face. Neil would roll his eyes at her teenage reaction, but he's too busy staring at Feldt's smile.

Because when Feldt smiles, it's brighter than anyone's he's ever seen.

Stupid fate.