Title: Kismet
Pairing(s): Athrun/Cagalli
Genre: Romance/Humor
Rating: K+
Spoilers: none
Summary: You can't fight fate. 'Stop smirking. I swear, how do you do it? It's like this little half-smile that isn't a smile. Stop it. You're pissing me off.'
Author's Notes: AU-sih fic/drabble/one-shot(?) taking place in high school where Athrun and Cagalli have NEVER MET so don't come to me later with reviews saying 'nuh uh, that's not what happened in the series' cause I'll ignore it completely. Also, ignore how it doesn't have any semblance of plot; this was written on a whim. Written to make myself feel better with…recent events concerning not just the fandom but certain individuals that will not be named. Also written as a last offering for the Cagalli-sama project over at livejournal since I might not be writing in the fandom for awhile with the new Harry Potter book coming out this Saturday. Needless to say my attentions will be on that for the upcoming future as I'm sure some of you as well.
Disclaimer: The characters used in this show aren't mine. They belong to Sunrise, Bandai, and whatever other company has a say in their fate.
Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will.
Jawaharial Nehru
Athrun Zala didn't believe in fate.
Fate implied that no matter what you did that the final outcome could not be changed, that you couldn't forge your own path and make ways towards a future where you could mold it to your liking.
…but for some reason it seemed as if Fate were trying to prove him wrong.
There was that same strangely attractive blond-haired girl sitting behind him from a couple of days ago. Strange because her beauty was beneath her purposely somewhat unattractive hairstyle and overlarge clothing that changed her appearance from what he remembered a couple of days ago.
Yet, he could tell she was beautiful. Perhaps not the 'take one look at me and I'll knock your socks off' beautiful but still beautiful nevertheless.
Suddenly, the girl looked up and noticed his gaze. She tilted her head slightly to the side and said, "I know you from somewhere, don't I?"
He coolly said, "No, I don't think we've met. But did your family just move in to Harold Street where I live? You don't look like someone I've met before and that's the only house I know recently that had been sold."
She blinked and looked at him, realizing that he was perhaps the same boy she 'met' with brief eye contact that left her feeling more than a little…weird just a couple of days ago. "Yeah, we did. It's good to see someone I somewhat recognize. Familiarity is plus on a first day."
"It's nice to meet you." Before he could think he had stuck out his hand. He felt…geeky for some reason. "I'm Athrun," he said with a weak smile.
She shook his hand warmly and her smile seemed to light the room. "I'm Cagalli."
"This is weird."
A fact.
"Yes."
An honest answer.
"Hmm."
Curiosity.
"Are you okay?"
Concern.
"Yeah, just thinking."
They continued down the hall away from the first class of the day.
"First period wasn't very fun," Athrun yawned, covering his gaping mouth with a hand.
"I almost fell asleep three times."
A wink.
"Good thing I was there to wake you up."
Frowning.
"Don't you dare smile, those paper footballs hurt."
Smile widened.
"Really?"
A glare.
"Even if they didn't, that wasn't very nice."
An assessing look.
"I needed to work on my aim."
More frowning.
"Seemed dead-on to me. Stop smirking. I swear, how do you do it? It's like this little half-smile that isn't a smile. Stop it. You're pissing me off."
A feeble attempt to hide it.
"Sorry."
An irritated look.
"Now you're laughing. What's so funny?"
A hint of the smile.
"Hiding my smirk."
"There. That's an honest smile. I like that one."
"I aim to please." Athrun mock-bowed.
"Where's your second period again?"
"Three-oh-one. Are you following me, or are you just going in the same direction?"
"That's odd."
"What?"
"That's my second period, too."
"So, what's the probability of two students who have never met before having the same first and second period?"
"Not bloody likely."
"I like your accent."
"Thank you. I don't practice it much."
"Who's your third-period teacher?"
"Mabel."
"This is... weird. Maybe we have the same birthdays, too."
Cagalli got a daring look in her eye. "May eighteenth."
"October twenty-ninth."
Eyebrows raised.
"Fourth period?"
A teasing smile. "I want to be surprised."
"I don't like surprises much."
"Neither do I. But it's even worse when surprises are spoiled."
"I guess. I don't get many surprises. Are you talking about good surprises or bad surprises?"
Cagalli took her eyes from the floor tiles to look at Athrun's face. He was already looking at her.
"'Expect the worst, hope for the best'," Cagalli quoted, still staring into his eyes.
"'I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist', eh?"
Looking around, Cagalli decided to change the subject. "Where is this room?"
"The three hundred hallway I would guess."
"I can't remember too well."
"Right around this corner."
"Hm."
Fake resigned sigh. "Don't believe me, do you?"
Raised eyebrow. "Do you expect me to trust a person I've just met a period ago?"
He smirked as he draped an arm over her shoulders. "But you love me, right?"
A swipe to said person's arm. "Oh, shut up. My brother might not take lightly to you if you keep this up."
…but he saw the gentle smile on her lips telling him otherwise.
"Well, that was interesting," Athrun remarked referring to their first day of school.
Cagalli snorted, adjusting her backpack to alleviate some of the weight off her shoulders. "If you call 'smiling and nodding throughout the whole day' interesting then I have to agree."
"Would you have rather we slave over books working on papers non-stop?"
"Of course not."
"Then why the complaints?"
"Ugh, you're impossible, you know that?"
A wink was the only response she got.
"Athrun?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I go over your house tomorrow? Since I'm relatively new here and you're my only friend I was wondering if you could show me around town? You know: as a sort of guide?"
"Of course. My parents would love to meet you considering you're new neighbours." Feeling braver then he usually was he punched right through. "Can I walk you home then?"
Cagalli blinked. "Of course. I guess if we're going to be such great friends and all, we should know where the each other lives even if it is right down the street."
"Who said we were friends?" Athrun said in a joking voice with a smile and his face all scrunched up in a tough-guy act. He shouldn't have, though. It was a little...disconcerting. On seeing her eyes he put a hand on her arm in alarm. His own eyes had gone wide with worry. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"For what?" Cagalli said indifferently but he could here the slight crack in her voice that told him otherwise.
Athrun blinked back some dust that had gotten in his eye and formed some words. "I shouldn't have joked... I forget how important words are sometimes."
Both recognized their pain in the other, both with pasts that were best left unexplained for now till the time was right to tell one another. Extending a hand, the sheepish teenager said, "Hi, I'm Athrun. Will you be my friend?"
Cagalli looked up with a tiny smile. That was almost scary. It shouldn't have been important. But there was something about this guy that was different. Right. Familiar somehow.
….and on the inside she was scared of losing that.
"Well, hello. I'm Cagalli," she said and shook his hand with a laugh.
He smiled.
She smiled back.
'This is going to be an interesting relationship,' they both thought.
to be continued?