A/N: Completing this work has been a wonderful journey for me as a writer, and I hope it's been the same for you too. Thank you for reading!

The Yellow Brick Road

Chapter 25: FLOWER – Cagalli makes a choice too.

January, C.E. 83

And Athrun does show Cagalli he chooses her. Every day.

He makes her breakfast because Cagalli isn't really a morning person, and she would've just skipped her morning meal otherwise.

He litters love letters for her around the house, in between her stacks of paperwork, and wherever else he knows she'll be looking. Some short and sweet, others long and profound.

He visits her at her office during lunchtime, mindful of her busy schedule and her longing for company while she eats.

He sends her flowers — sunflowers, her favorite, to her office just because it's a Monday and he feels like it.

He buys her the wooden music box with gold carvings they saw in an antique store on one of their dates just because she mentioned in passing that she always wanted one as a child.

He notices the little things; he makes Cagalli feel noticed. Wanted. Loved. He makes up for lost time; he makes Cagalli feel her time is worth it. Most of all, he makes Cagalli feel as if she doesn't need to choose at all. Drat. Despite the warmth he brings into her life, it hurts her to see him so open and vulnerable like this. For her.

Part of her thinks she doesn't deserve this. It's unfair to him, because Cagalli knows she can't give back everything he's willing to offer. She still has a country to lead, and while Orb has been more or less stable, pockets of conflict are still sprouting. This is not the time to be complacent, or to be distracted. Oh, but it is such a lovely and handsome distraction.

And just thinking of what people will say if and when they reveal this — it's going to be ugly and messy. The public always had an interest in her love life even though they really shouldn't, and she's seen speculations and predictions of who and when she'll marry. It really shouldn't be anyone's business, but they've made it theirs anyway. And her publicist has mentioned — repeated, numerous times — that polls have indicated she should marry a fellow Orb noble or perhaps an established and well-supported government leader from one of Orb's allied states. Cagalli needn't ask, but she doesn't think the Orb public would take too kindly if her choice for a life partner is a controversial war veteran who has loyalty issues and who happened to be the son of a former genocidal PLANTs chairman.

Just thinking about all these externalities makes Cagalli's head hurt, more than a 300-page document on foreign policy reforms ever could. Can they even handle this? It's so much easier to just leave the past behind. They had no business unearthing old and outdated feelings like this. She ponders back and forth whether to end things finally; she can't bear to keep on hurting each other like this.

And honestly — Athrun should have known better. She should have known better too. Otherwise, she shouldn't and wouldn't have let him into her bed, letting him hold her and kiss her and feel things she shouldn't be feeling. Honestly, she would've thought they're mature enough to be above those kinds of things.

Fuck Athrun. Coming into her life so suddenly, and making her have to confront all these things. The past decade has been peaceful, and he had to go and ruin her peace of mind with his generous attention, soft touches, and tender gazes that make her melt in his arms.

Cagalli looks over at Athrun from the candlelit dinner he prepared for their date. His eyes are so warm, and despite all that she knows he's capable of doing, he looks so small and timid. No matter, Cagalli is firm in her resolve. "Athrun, I've decided."

Athrun looks up in confusion. "Pardon?"

To hell with propriety. To hell with public opinion. To hell with the emirs. Athrun knows her by now. He knows exactly what he's getting into, yet he's still here. He's strong, and she's just as strong, if not stronger. In any case, her publicist is good anyway; she can handle this. It's not like being with Athrun will bring about a third war — right? He's a toy maker now, anyway. It would be ridiculous for any nation to be threatened by a simple toy maker with no influence and connections (mostly) to any military or government — well, except his connection to her. But she doesn't count. Right. And who knows? A little shock value might even boost her ratings. You'll never know.

For everything the world's thrown at her, she just wants to be happy. "I choose you too."

Oh, it's going to be a bloody field day.