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Chapter 8: Deceit
How could this have happened …? Athrun wondered as he staggered dazedly into the hallway.
Dressed in a pair of jeans, a towel wrapped around his head like a turban, he went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator. He rummaged through the shelves and found a packet of chocolate buns. Silence reigned for several minutes as he gazed at the packet in his hands, eyes seeing nothing, his mind elsewhere.
“Are you supposed to stare at it until it turns into breakfast?” A sarcastic voice called out, breaking the stillness of the bright Monday morning.
Athrun turned around slowly, blinked twice.
The morning sunlight slanting in through the window threw bright patterns on the linoleum floor. From a corner of the kitchen, away from the light, Cagalli looked at him, her face sullen, arms folded across her chest. Her lips disappeared into a thin line as she saw the trail of scratch marks on his bare chest. She rose from her chair and strode towards him.
“What the hell happened to you? You look like shit,” she said tartly. She relieved him of the packet and flipped it over. Her attention did not leave him even as she read the heating instructions on back of the packet.
For a time, Athrun was speechless. Then he quickly covered up by grinning sheepishly and said, “Aah, nothing. Headache.” He massaged the bridge of his nose with two fingers.
Cagalli’s eyes narrowed critically as she looked at him sideways. “Headache? This early in the morning?” She ripped the packet open and shoved the buns into the microwave. “Too much excitement from last night, huh?”
When Athrun remained quiet, she smiled, or rather, bared her teeth in a humourless grimace.
“Do you know they should make it mandatory for all apartments to have a separate toilet from the bathroom? Waiting to use the toilet was agony.” Cagalli had the ability of being able to skewer everyone on the sharpened end of her curt words. Athrun gaped, at a loss for an immediate retort.
She turned around and marched towards the dining table. She sat down heavily in a chair, put her forearms on the laminated table top. She opened her mouth to continue her tirade, but abruptly stopped when Kira strolled into the kitchen. He was beaming from ear to ear. Cagalli scowled and turned her face away, stomach lurching suddenly.
“Morning Cagalli!” Kira waved at her. His smile faltered when he caught the grouchy look on his twin’s face.
Glaring at Kira, she shot to her feet. As she strode out of the kitchen, her shoulder bumped into his, hard. Kira listened to the thump of her heavy-soled boots down the hallway. Rubbing his shoulder and frowning slightly, he sidled towards Athrun, touched his elbow.
“What’s up with her?” he asked Athrun, sotto voce.
Athrun shrugged, not replying. Instead, he busied himself with brewing a fresh pot of coffee. Task done, he leaned against the kitchen counter, head bowed. From the way Athrun was studying his fingernails intently, Kira had a feeling that something was not right.
“Did you two quarrel again?”
“No.” Athrun began to dry his hair slowly, eyes down and unfocused.
Kira looked at him, eyes searching for a clue to Athrun’s taciturnity. If Athrun and Cagalli weren’t quarrelling, then could it be Athrun was reeling from delayed shock from their earlier encounter in the shower? He wondered fearfully if they had gone overboard, but Athrun didn’t once tell him to stop then. In fact, Athrun was exceedingly enthusiastic at that time, urging him on …
God, did I really seduce him in the shower? What was I thinking?! Kira thought, horrified. Heat suffused his cheeks and he lowered his eyes to the floor. Feeling guilty, he reached out and brushed Athrun’s hand timidly.
“Athrun … you okay?” Kira could not keep the worry out of his voice.
Athrun’s head came up, his eyes refocused. He smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
Kira chewed his lower lip, eyes clouding. He felt clammy all over. “You sure? I mean …”
Athrun caught his expression and sighed inwardly. It wouldn’t do to let Kira wallow in guilt; Kira might clam up and blow his chances of pursuing their budding relationship to a higher level. Athrun knew they were moving too fast, but he had been waiting for ages and he was certain he would explode one day if they didn’t so something about it. Regret and uncertainty had no place in his life right now.
Dropping the towel onto the counter, his arm came up, wrapped itself around Kira’s shoulder and squeezed it lightly. “Hey, no regrets,” he said quietly.
Kira raised his eyes nervously. His blush deepened when he saw Athrun’s smiling face and the devotion evident in his expressive green eyes. When Athrun tightened his grip and kissed him chastely on the cheek, the final vestige of his apprehension melted away, leaving a warm buzz of pleasure in its wake.
“No regrets,” Kira affirmed quietly. His gaze roamed over Athrun’s face, his pale skinned torso, eyes widening slightly at the sight of the bright red scratch marks. His face felt hot. “You better put a shirt on,” he muttered, embarrassed. “I’ll fix breakfast.” He pulled away and busied himself setting the table for breakfast.
Sagging against the counter, Athrun watched him for a while longer. A smile curved his lips as he fondly recalled how different Kira used to behave when they were younger. Having practically spent his childhood over at the Yamato’s – since his mother often worked late – Athrun had often volunteered to help Kira’s mother, Aunty Calida, with the chores since Kira never failed to find an excuse to wriggle out of doing his part.
After a while, he pushed off the counter, retreated to their bedroom to continue dressing. He passed Cagalli in the hallway. Her eyes locked with his, the hardness palpable, but Athrun said nothing, his face revealed nothing, and he pointedly slammed the bedroom door shut loudly in her face.
Cagalli leaned against the doorframe, feet crossed at the ankles, eyes narrowing as she watched Kira pottered around the kitchen, humming softly to himself, seemingly unaware of her presence.
“Let me guess. You do all the housework around here.” Her voice held an odd tone as she came towards him.
“Well, it’s no big deal. Athrun can’t cook anyway,” he said with his back to her.
She stopped hardly two feet away from him, arms akimbo. “Hmph, no wonder he’s besotted. You have the makings of a really good wife.”
Kira’s hands stilled in mid-motion, his brows furrowed. “Wh … what?”
There was a disconcerting silence as he felt her eyes boring into the back of his head. He turned around slowly and his heart stopped momentarily. In the morning sunlight, it was easy to make out the barely hidden contempt in her eyes and the hard set of her jaw. Judging from her stance, he began to wonder if Cagalli had been entirely honest last night.
A spark of apprehension took seed in his mind; he recalled their exchange verbatim.
“You mean it? You’re not mad at us anymore?” he had asked.
And she had answered: “No. But I still don’t understand why. Sometimes you make me so frustrated it drives me crazy.”
A sudden chill gripped his insides; was Cagalli’s “No” in reply to his first question? If that was the case then it meant she had not been entirely accepting of them. He studied her face, hoping to find the truth, and what he saw there turned his guts to ice. Suddenly he understood with unerring clarity that Cagalli still had not accepted the fact that he and Athrun felt that way about each other. It was obvious that nothing was forgiven or forgotten.
At last Cagalli spoke. “I’m leaving today,” she said, “I’m glad we had a chance to talk, clear the air.”
Kira nodded slowly. If she wanted put up with the pretence, then he would go along with it, even if it made him feel sick to the core. “I’m glad too,” he said quietly.
He lowered his head, unable to dispel the despair that threatened to crush his heart.
“Calm down, you’re not making any sense.”
“I am calm!”
A long drawn out sigh. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”
Eyes narrowing in exasperation, Cagalli scowled at the serene looking pink-haired girl on the vidphone screen. “You heard me. Your ex-fiancé and my idiot twin are screwing each other.”
“Really?”
“I heard them!” Cagalli bellowed, trembling with rage. She paced the living room, hands behind her back, her expression sour.
Sleep had eluded her throughout the night, her mind whirling and her emotions jumbled. It was long after the first rays of light filtered through the windows when she was finally able to drift into an uneasy slumber, only to be rudely interrupted by loud laughter coming from the direction of the bathroom. Curiosity had gotten the better of her.
Unfurling herself from the sofa, she had tiptoed towards the bathroom door that opened to the hallway across the living room. Eavesdropping outside the door, she was horror-struck by the medley of animated noises emanating from the bathroom. It was painfully clear there were more than one person in the shower, and it didn’t take a genetically-modified genius to guess who they were or what they were doing. It had taken every ounce of her willpower to contain her revulsion and the overpowering urge to kick the door down, confront the boys, and probably pump them full of lead had she had her handgun with her.
“You heard them?” A pregnant pause, then cautiously, “Umm, Cagalli … how so?” Lacus’s brows furrowed, wondered if the firebrand blonde was under the influence of some mind altering substance. It was the most outrageous thing she had ever heard in her entire life. She tilted her head and gazed at Cagalli, eyes veiled.
Cagalli swung fully towards the vidphone. “Look what I found on the bathroom floor! It was sealed yesterday, and now it’s open. It’s open!” She thrust the tube of gel towards the screen.
“Is that shampoo?”
Cagalli was beyond infuriated. “Dumbass,” she muttered under her breath. Then loudly, “It’s personal lubricant.”
Lacus’s eyes widened. “Oh my!” She burst into a titter. When she noticed how serious Cagalli was, she quickly sobered, although not very successfully. “Where are you, anyway?”
Annoyed at the pink-haired girl’s apparent ditziness, Cagalli snarled, “In their apartment. Their stinking love nest!”
“You’re in PLANT?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Yes, I am in PLANT, in their apartment, okay?” Cagalli clenched her fists. The urge to strangle Lacus with the length of her own pink hair rose ten-fold. How daft can a Coordinator get? She wondered if genetic manipulation could have had addled their DNAs, infecting them with stupid. Thank God she was a Natural.
“I see.” Lacus looked thoughtful. She prodded her pink Haro absently.
Drawing in a deep breath, Cagalli tried another avenue. “How can you remain so calm? Athrun’s was your fiancé, right?” Lacus nodded. Cagalli went on curiously, “Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Should it? If being with Kira makes Athrun happy, then I’m happy for him,” Lacus said. “Anyway, I’ve suspected it all along, uh huh.”
Cagalli recoiled in disbelief. She pressed her face closer to the vidphone. “Lacus, listen. They are screwing each other,” she said loudly, as if speaking to a retarded child. “You telling me you are okay with it?”
Lacus studied her for long moments. Then her features softened and she smiled beatifically. “I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding. You’re not leaving until evening, right? Why don’t you come over to my place and we’ll talk this over lunch? My chauffeur will pick you up.”
Before Cagalli could get a word in sideways, the vidphone disconnected. Shrewd, Cagalli thought. If she refused, it would make her seemed no better than a hysterical accuser. She thumped her fist on the wall, knowing that she had little option but to follow Lacus’s wish to the letter.
“Is she leaving today?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
“Yeah.”
Athrun stole a sideway look at Kira, whose expression was intense as he manoeuvred the car through the morning traffic. Athrun drummed his fingers on the dashboard. Kira had been taciturn during breakfast, toyed with his food listlessly and had not joined in both his and Cagalli’s attempts at making a semi-civilised conversation. Athrun wondered what had happened between the siblings. Although curiosity was bugging him, he knew better than to broach the subject. He settled back in his seat, troubled.
Finally, Kira broke the silence.
“I don’t think she was entirely honest last night.”
“How so?”
Kira shrugged, his eyes on the road. “Can’t explain. I just knew it somehow.”
Athrun eyed him carefully, paused for a moment. “I see,” he said slowly.
“Why can’t she mind her own business and leave us alone?” Kira thumped a fist on the steering wheel, hitting the horn unintentionally. He jerked in surprise as a loud blare issued forth.
“She’ll get over it in time.” Athrun knew his words rang false. Cagalli was a wilful person, set in her ways.
“Like in a hundred years, maybe.” Kira sounded bitter. He swung the car into the college parking lot and killed the engines. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel hard. “Then why does it bother me?” he said plaintively.
Athrun looked at him. “Because she’s family. And what she thinks matters to you.”
Kira stared fixedly into the middle distance. What Athrun said made sense. Although he had only known Cagalli for about four years, and their relationship as siblings had not been that close, deep down he wanted her acceptance, or at least tolerance. He remained motionless for a time and was startled into the present when the door on his side opened. He looked up and blinked; when did Athrun get around to his side of the car? Athrun held out a hand towards him. He reached out, linked their fingers together and allowed Athrun to pull him up.
“Hey, don’t worry about it too much. I’m sure she still cares about you no matter what.” Athrun said, his arm wrapping itself around Kira’s shoulder.
Kira nodded, comforted by Athrun’s presence, even if he doubted Cagalli would be as forgiving as Athrun painted her to be. Kira pressed the side of his chest against Athrun, felt Athrun’s warmth seeping through his clothes. Together they strolled towards the building’s entrance, the morning sun warm on their faces, their elongated shadows dancing underfoot.
“Athrun, I wish –” His words were cut short by the sound of tyres screeching on the tarmac. They whipped around as a familiar motorbike came to a skidding halt beside them.
Saigo dismounted, grinned at them broadly. The sunlight reflected off his mirrored sunglasses, blinding them momentarily.
“Yamato. Just the person I need to see,” Saigo drawled. His slanty eyes roved over their unsmiling faces, and crinkled in amusement as he noticed Athrun’s arm around Kira. “Why don’t you go on ahead, Zala? I have stuff to discuss with your … friend.”
A muscle twitched in Athrun’s cheek.
“Whatever you want to say, say it and get it over with.” Athrun told him curtly.
Saigo saw the look on Athrun face and smirked. “Quit acting like the possessive boyfriend, Zala. It’s really disturbing.” He turned towards Kira, face serious. “Yamato, some of your conclusions are flawed. We need to fix it before the submission deadline.”
Kira frowned. “How so?”
“Well, come along to the lab. It’s more conducive than trying to discuss it here.” Saigo’s teeth shone.
Kira nodded. Although he didn’t like Saigo’s attitude he had to admit the guy was brilliant, and furthermore he didn’t want to hand in a less than perfect assignment. He turned towards Athrun and said under his breath, “See you later?”
Athrun’s arm dropped away from Kira’s shoulders. “Yeah.”
As soon as Athrun let go, Saigo immediately seized Kira by the elbow and steered him into the building.
Athrun followed a few paces behind, green eyes blazing, heart pounding hard. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, trying to hide the involuntary shiver as the familiar surge of hatred, now augmented by jealousy, coursed through him like wildfire.
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