Snog LIX (59)

Fade to Black by Midii Une

Pairing: Trowa and Midii

Warnings: a bit of angst and any short fic ending in a kiss is a bit sappy ^_^

Rating: PG

Word Count: 777

For the ‘101 Ways to Snog En Route to A Colony’ Archive:

http://happyfangirl.org/snogs/index.htm

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Black dress.

Black shoes.

Black sky.

Her reflection in the window that looked out onto outer space was black as well and her mood matched.

I will never live in the colonies, she had always thought. Something about the concept always made her feel low, like a convict being sent to Australia by for some petty crime. She’d read that once in some bulky historical novel while sitting at her father’s bedside and waiting. Waiting for him to die.

Her crimes had not been petty but they had been committed for a good cause. Family is the best cause, she thought. More important than friendship, more important than lo-

Happy laughter and song rose in waves around her. Fabulous, this shuttle has been invaded by a group of rowdy, traveling performers, she groaned mentally.

She drew her solitude around her like armor. Despite everything she had done she had ended up alone with no one to care for, no one to fight for. No way to survive now but to flee to the colonies. Those forlorn places were hungry for people and even she could expect a new start in a place like that. The prospect was not exciting, not a spring-vault to the stars but a slow, helpless plummet to desolation.

Finally sleep truly claimed her. Grief was an exhausting process and for her it had gone on and on for more than 10 years. It had been a long time to wait for death, a very long time to mourn.

“You’ve been staring at that girl the whole trip. Just do something, we’ll be landing soon,” a merry voice teased loudly. It jolted her out of sleep and she sensed more than felt the sensation of someone taking a seat in the empty one beside her. She pretended to sleep, but the stranger stayed.

She could feel the soft warmth of a hand settled close to hers on the armrest and she shivered slightly.

“Arrival on Colony L3-BH2380 estimated in 10 minutes. Please prepare for disembarkment,” a pleasant, computer-generated voice intoned over the speaker system.

No escape then, she sighed, shifting uncomfortably.

But…she felt him…his eyes on her face, the ephemeral pressure of a curious and frank stare. A stare that willed her to open her eyes and look back.

She ignored him but he spoke anyway. Spoke with a voice soothing and soft, a gentle monotone that pushed its way into her consciousness and would not be ignored.

“I thought maybe I knew you once,” he said. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

A forgotten feeling stirred in her heart, exhilaration tinged with pain and remembered loss. Her eyes opened wide and as he looked into them she saw his face change with realization, peace, perhaps hope.

She stood abruptly and he followed, blocking her path to the aisle, to escape…

She drew back with a gasp but his hands cupped her face, holding her still. The soft caress of his thumbs brushed her cheekbones and she closed her eyes, trying to escape the question in those eyes.

“Is it really you?”

He took her gesture for acquiescence. She felt the soft nudge of the tip of his nose against hers and his breath warm and tickling against her lips and then he kissed her. His hands buried themselves in her hair as he held her still rotating her face slightly so her lips opened and allowed his kiss to deepen. Her heart pounded furiously against his chest as her hands rose to clutch his shoulders and pull him closer. As the shuttle’s power systems alternated to facilitate landing the cabin lost gravity and they floated above the floor slightly in a split-second moment of weightlessness.

Timeless…warm…right…perfect. It lasted forever, it ended too soon. Their feet touched the floor and he was looking at her again, holding her hands in his.

“Midii?”

She nodded, speechless.

“You said something to me a long time ago. I didn’t understand—

Too fast, too fast, this is happening too fast, she thought, her eyes lingering on the deep black fabric of her dress. Quickly she placed her fingers to the warm lips that had kissed her so thoroughly.

“I can’t say it now, I’m empty. I need to be alone, to see if I can survive just for me,” she whispered, dropping her eyes to study the tip of his boots.

“I see,” he said. And in that soft voice she felt understanding and patience and perhaps the beginning of something more.

“Goodbye Nanashi,” she said, watching as he disappeared and he left her standing in the aisle with her small case in her hand.

Fade to black…