Valentine's Day
folder
Gundam (all others) › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
1
Views:
1,544
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Gundam (all others) › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
1
Views:
1,544
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Gundam series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day
No one ever remembered… well, no one except Kira.
Athrun stared at the small boxes strewn across the kitchen table as his eyes filled with tears. His friends meant well, he knew that, but the hurt at their forgetfulness cut deeper than he’d imagined it would. They all knew what happened, they’d all heard the story, yet they either simply forgot or shoved the memory to the deepest recesses of their minds. Things were always easier to deal with when you forgot about what was ugly and just focused on what was bright and shiny. Brushing an arm across the tabletop, Athrun swept the boxes to the floor with an anguished howl, some of the colorful packages breaking open when they hit the tile.
That was the scene that greeted Kira upon his return home, gifts and candies scattered across the kitchen floor and Athrun sobbing at the table, his head cradled in his arms. With a heavy sigh, Kira sat next to his best friend, draping a sympathetic arm around trembling shoulders. They went through this every damn year and Kira could feel his heart breaking for the zillionth time. Why couldn’t they learn? Why did their friends insist on doing this year after year? Sure, it was okay for them to celebrate Valentine’s Day; he had no objection to that. The problem he had was the fact that they kept trying to include Athrun in their festivities when they knew it was the anniversary of his mother’s death. February 14th was forever etched in Kira and Athrun’s memories as the day Lenore Zala became one of the victims of the Bloody Valentine War on Junius 7, leaving behind a husband bent on vengeance and a distraught 15-year-old son.
Kira tightened his hold on Athrun, prompting the younger boy to turn toward him, burying his tear-stained face against Kira’s chest. With another sigh, Kira balanced his chin atop Athrun’s head and closed his eyes. “Shh,” he whispered, the long fingers of one hand threading lightly through Athrun’s dark hair.
Through stuttering breaths, Athrun leaned into the comforting touch of his closest friend, his hands fisting in the material of Kira’s shirt. “I miss her,” he lamented, the words muffled by Kira’s jacket collar.
“I know,” came the quiet reply. And it was no lie. Kira had known Athrun since they were very young children; they had seen each other through countless good times and bad. In the entire, vast expanse of the universe, there was no one more important to Kira than the boy crying in his arms. What he felt for Athrun was more powerful than any other emotion he’d ever known. It was the reason, on every Valentine’s Day since they’d been living together, Kira could be found comforting a sobbing Athrun.
It wasn’t as though Athrun never thought of her at any other time. All he needed to do was look in a mirror to be reminded of her, since he’d inherited her dark hair and stunning green eyes. He looked just like her. But, today… today was the worst day of all. The one day when just about everyone he knew celebrated love, Athrun was haunted by the memories of what he’d lost. With a heart-wrenching cry he sank against Kira once again, his pain and anguish too unbearable to withstand.
And Kira held him. Without question or complaint, without hesitation, Kira simply wrapped his arms around Athrun and held him.
They remained that way for a long while, as Kira’s arms began to ache and Athrun‘s breathing grew more labored. Through the choking gasps for air, Kira swore he heard Athrun murmur a single word, “Mom.”
“She loved you, too, you know. Don’t forget that,” he reminded, softly.
Nodding almost imperceptibly, Athrun replied, “I know.”
Sliding his chair back, Kira rose. “Come on, Athrun, let’s go,” he said, gently, one arm behind the younger boy’s back and the other sliding beneath his legs. Straightening up, Kira picked up the docile body of his grieving friend and carried him up the hall, carefully laying him on their bed and drawing the covers.
“Don’t go,” the dark-haired boy pleaded, clinging tightly to Kira’s sleeves.
Covering one of Athrun’s hands with one of his own, Kira whispered, “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere.” And he stayed, laying down next Athrun, sometimes in silence, sometimes whispering words of comfort, listening to the sound of the other boy’s breathing until the ragged panting finally evened out to an occasional sniffle. Brushing back the tangled strands of dark hair obscuring Athrun’s face, Kira gazed down at the sleeping figure, the pad of his thumb wiping away all traces of the other boy’s tears. Leaning in, he touched his lips to the fevered forehead, earning himself a small whimper in response. He backed away. “Athrun?”
The figure on the bed shifted, but there was no answer.
Kira watched for a while longer as Athrun struggled with the demons in his mind. Once he was convinced Athrun was finally asleep, Kira went back into the kitchen and picked the collection of misguided Valentine’s gifts off the floor, carrying them out the door and unceremoniously tossing them into the trash can at the end of their drive. He would have a talk with their friends again tomorrow, the same talk he’d had with them last year and the year before that. This time, though, he would be sure they understood. He refused to go through another year of watching Athrun tear himself apart like this. It was too hard on the both of them.
Suddenly, a wail cut through the tranquility of the night and Kira spun around, rushing back into the house.
Seizing the thrashing form of his best friend as Athrun flailed in his sleep, fighting the phantoms that had taken his mother from him, Kira was once again reminded of just how much he detested Valentine’s Day. A lone, hot tear slid down his cheek to splash against the side of Athrun’s neck.
Their friends might have exchanged flowers and candy as examples of their devotion to one another, but as Kira gathered a distraught Athrun to him, it was obvious that only he, out of them all, understood the true meaning of love.
“Another year, another Valentine’s Day,” Kira thought, as he tightened his hold on Athrun and closed his eyes.
It was going to be another long night.
~owari~
No one ever remembered… well, no one except Kira.
Athrun stared at the small boxes strewn across the kitchen table as his eyes filled with tears. His friends meant well, he knew that, but the hurt at their forgetfulness cut deeper than he’d imagined it would. They all knew what happened, they’d all heard the story, yet they either simply forgot or shoved the memory to the deepest recesses of their minds. Things were always easier to deal with when you forgot about what was ugly and just focused on what was bright and shiny. Brushing an arm across the tabletop, Athrun swept the boxes to the floor with an anguished howl, some of the colorful packages breaking open when they hit the tile.
That was the scene that greeted Kira upon his return home, gifts and candies scattered across the kitchen floor and Athrun sobbing at the table, his head cradled in his arms. With a heavy sigh, Kira sat next to his best friend, draping a sympathetic arm around trembling shoulders. They went through this every damn year and Kira could feel his heart breaking for the zillionth time. Why couldn’t they learn? Why did their friends insist on doing this year after year? Sure, it was okay for them to celebrate Valentine’s Day; he had no objection to that. The problem he had was the fact that they kept trying to include Athrun in their festivities when they knew it was the anniversary of his mother’s death. February 14th was forever etched in Kira and Athrun’s memories as the day Lenore Zala became one of the victims of the Bloody Valentine War on Junius 7, leaving behind a husband bent on vengeance and a distraught 15-year-old son.
Kira tightened his hold on Athrun, prompting the younger boy to turn toward him, burying his tear-stained face against Kira’s chest. With another sigh, Kira balanced his chin atop Athrun’s head and closed his eyes. “Shh,” he whispered, the long fingers of one hand threading lightly through Athrun’s dark hair.
Through stuttering breaths, Athrun leaned into the comforting touch of his closest friend, his hands fisting in the material of Kira’s shirt. “I miss her,” he lamented, the words muffled by Kira’s jacket collar.
“I know,” came the quiet reply. And it was no lie. Kira had known Athrun since they were very young children; they had seen each other through countless good times and bad. In the entire, vast expanse of the universe, there was no one more important to Kira than the boy crying in his arms. What he felt for Athrun was more powerful than any other emotion he’d ever known. It was the reason, on every Valentine’s Day since they’d been living together, Kira could be found comforting a sobbing Athrun.
It wasn’t as though Athrun never thought of her at any other time. All he needed to do was look in a mirror to be reminded of her, since he’d inherited her dark hair and stunning green eyes. He looked just like her. But, today… today was the worst day of all. The one day when just about everyone he knew celebrated love, Athrun was haunted by the memories of what he’d lost. With a heart-wrenching cry he sank against Kira once again, his pain and anguish too unbearable to withstand.
And Kira held him. Without question or complaint, without hesitation, Kira simply wrapped his arms around Athrun and held him.
They remained that way for a long while, as Kira’s arms began to ache and Athrun‘s breathing grew more labored. Through the choking gasps for air, Kira swore he heard Athrun murmur a single word, “Mom.”
“She loved you, too, you know. Don’t forget that,” he reminded, softly.
Nodding almost imperceptibly, Athrun replied, “I know.”
Sliding his chair back, Kira rose. “Come on, Athrun, let’s go,” he said, gently, one arm behind the younger boy’s back and the other sliding beneath his legs. Straightening up, Kira picked up the docile body of his grieving friend and carried him up the hall, carefully laying him on their bed and drawing the covers.
“Don’t go,” the dark-haired boy pleaded, clinging tightly to Kira’s sleeves.
Covering one of Athrun’s hands with one of his own, Kira whispered, “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere.” And he stayed, laying down next Athrun, sometimes in silence, sometimes whispering words of comfort, listening to the sound of the other boy’s breathing until the ragged panting finally evened out to an occasional sniffle. Brushing back the tangled strands of dark hair obscuring Athrun’s face, Kira gazed down at the sleeping figure, the pad of his thumb wiping away all traces of the other boy’s tears. Leaning in, he touched his lips to the fevered forehead, earning himself a small whimper in response. He backed away. “Athrun?”
The figure on the bed shifted, but there was no answer.
Kira watched for a while longer as Athrun struggled with the demons in his mind. Once he was convinced Athrun was finally asleep, Kira went back into the kitchen and picked the collection of misguided Valentine’s gifts off the floor, carrying them out the door and unceremoniously tossing them into the trash can at the end of their drive. He would have a talk with their friends again tomorrow, the same talk he’d had with them last year and the year before that. This time, though, he would be sure they understood. He refused to go through another year of watching Athrun tear himself apart like this. It was too hard on the both of them.
Suddenly, a wail cut through the tranquility of the night and Kira spun around, rushing back into the house.
Seizing the thrashing form of his best friend as Athrun flailed in his sleep, fighting the phantoms that had taken his mother from him, Kira was once again reminded of just how much he detested Valentine’s Day. A lone, hot tear slid down his cheek to splash against the side of Athrun’s neck.
Their friends might have exchanged flowers and candy as examples of their devotion to one another, but as Kira gathered a distraught Athrun to him, it was obvious that only he, out of them all, understood the true meaning of love.
“Another year, another Valentine’s Day,” Kira thought, as he tightened his hold on Athrun and closed his eyes.
It was going to be another long night.
~owari~