Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Lying, Waiting, All Too Late ❯ First Love ( Chapter 3 )

~ Lying, Waiting, All Too Late ~
Chapter Three: First Love

* * *

Three months into his last year of the academy, and everything seemed to be going along great. Meson seemed to be warming up to Milano a little more, though there is still a distrust whenever topics surrounding Geo and her came up, or if they were alone together or anything like that. Milano still didn't like Meson, either, and Geo found himself powerless to stop the two from bickering.

Ever since Geo had finally relented to eating dinner with Milano when everyone else was eating, Milano had a chance to get better acquainted with Meson and Zazu. She and Eagle seemed to have reached some level of friendship, though Geo couldn't really pinpoint what is was. They both looked uncomfortable around each other, but they did socialize and had an odd sort of enjoyment around each other. This was why Geo wanted Milano to make friends on her own; she wouldn't be so shy and anything but herself when she did so. There was no way she could reach true friendship with any of the four men, Geo included.

It was two days before the end of the first semester, and everybody was getting ready for the two week holiday coming up. Most cadets would be staying to study for the first semester finals that took place after the vacation, but others, like Meson and Zazu, went home. Eagle normally stayed because, as he once said, there was absolutely nothing to do in the capitol building in Eastern Integra. There was more entertainment in the academy than there was at his home.

Geo normally stayed as well, but that was because he and Holden used to believe that they had no money to travel back home during any vacation. Now that he knew otherwise, he actually had a choice.

But where could he go? It would probably just be best if he stayed in Vigor with Eagle during the break.

Since it was now the sophomores turn to take basic training, and since Geo had actually completed all of his homework the night before, he found himself bored. Eagle was a sophomore, Meson and Milano and Zazu were all in class, and Geo had to wait an hour before he could go to his Mecha Combat class. He would study, but he already memorized everything he needed to know for the test. He actually learned it. There was no point.

He checked the clock in the corridor connecting the academics tower to the lounge and cafeteria. He still had half an hour before his class started. Now he finally understood why, after being in the academy for three and a half years, everybody made sure they had homework in the afternoon. It prevented boredom in situations such as this.

He chose to ignore the fact that freshmen, sophomores, and juniors often had their schedules full and had no choice but to still have homework left to do after they retired for the night.

Geo slowed his pace to a very sluggish walk. The Mecha Combat class was all the way on the top floor of the twenty-story tower, and the corridor only linked the two buildings to the first floor. There were stairwells to the third floor, where the elevators to travel up and down the towers were located. By the time Geo would reach those, class would get out in one minute, and he would already be traveling his way up the elevator. He'd get to his class with perfect timing.

What he really did not expect that once he stepped into the academics tower, Milano came running down the hall and crashed right into him.

"Sorry!" she said as she picked up something from the ground. "I didn't see where I was going--Geo?"

Milano had looked up at Geo, seeming a little surprised. Geo grinned.

"You really ought to," said Geo. "And you passed as a boy with that attitude?"

Milano cracked a small smile and shifted her eyes to the ground. "No, not exactly, but... ano... oh, shit, that's right! I have to go; I need to get something from the office for my teacher."

"So that's why you're out of class," said Geo. He stepped out of the way graciously for her. "Go ahead, go. I don't want either of us in trouble because of your stalling."

Her eyebrow twitched. "Ano ne... ah!" Milano perked up a little, her eyes beginning to shine. "That's right, I'd better ask you now, shouldn't I?"

Geo cocked his head to the side. "Ask me now... about... what?"

"The holiday," she said with a smile. "I heard you don't do anything during this time of the school year, and I was wondering if you'd like to come to Alfa Romeo with me."

Geo arched a brow. "Alfa Romeo?"

Milano nodded. "I mean, if you want to stay here, that's fine, but after you graduate and everything, you'd probably be too busy to do much of anything at all. I mean, after all, it is the military and everything..."

"I'll go," said Geo. It didn't take too much thought for him at all. "Are you sure it would be all right with your family?"

"No," she said. "But I really don't care. You're my friend, right?"

Geo nodded and chuckled. "Okay, I got ya. I'll watch my step around there. It'll give me something to pass the two weeks off with. Thanks."

Milano smiled. "Thank you!" she said as she turned and ran down the hall again. "I'll see later this afternoon, then!"

Although she wouldn't have been able to see him, Geo waved a good-bye to Milano. What harm was there in going to Alfa Romeo, Milano's colony, for the holiday? Eagle may be a little upset with him, but surely everything would be all right in the end. At least, Geo certainly hoped so.

Because for all he knew, visiting Alfa Romeo may change his life in a way that he would never have imagined. That was the only foreboding he had, but he didn't let it bother him much at all.

~

Geo had felt the intense disgust at his decision to go with Milano to Alfa Romeo, though Eagle was the only one who hid it extremely well and Zazu the only one who authentically and excitedly encouraged Geo to go along with it. Meson was not happy, but, Geo figured, that was his own problem for not liking Milano much at all.

It was a week after the holiday had been called and cadets had long since begun breaking out their books or packing a few bags and heading home. Geo was in the huge and beautiful palace of Alfa Romeo. It wasn't the place where Milano grew up. Her place, she said, was smaller, but the design was basically the same. Geo couldn't remember the last time he saw such intricately styled light fixtures in one huge room. The floor designs were simple yet elegant, and the entire room was covered with a golden tint.

The room he stayed in, which was right next door to Milano's, was no different. The bed, however, was ridiculously fancy, but he found relief when Milano's uncle, who owned the palace, had servants to make the bed and everything. He didn't have to sleep on top of the covers until he figured out how to correctly make the bed like many freshmen are forced to do during the first half of the school year.

Geo almost felt out of place around in the ballroom in King Alfasud's palace. Everybody wore things that looked like they came straight out of a history book or something; of course, Geo reminded himself, the colonies were ancient within themselves. He shouldn't have to be too surprised. The women wore dresses that looked way too tight on their torso yet way too wide around their legs. The men wore something similar to Autozam's military dress suits, except they were white and blue. Geo looked at his that Milano forced him to bring. Green, the national color of the central government

Needless to say, he was quite uncomfortable.

Where the hell was Milano, anyway?

Geo sulked next to a pillar on the very edge of the ballroom, hoping to not be seen and yet at a good enough angle that he would be able to find Milano whenever she came out. If she came out. Geo shook his head, wondering why exactly he had agreed to go along with this.

For seven days it had been nothing but parties in the evening, and Geo had wanted to skip out on this one to just spend some time doing whatever, but Milano insisted that he attend this one above all others. So, Geo relented. He couldn't believe that for the past seven days he found himself stuck in his most uncomfortable suit ever.

"What are you doing there?" asked a polite voice from right next to him.

Geo turned and saw an aging man leaning on the pillar adjacent to him. The first signs of wrinkles were climbing onto his face, and there were a few gray strands of hair in his smoky brown locks. Like the other men in Alfa Romeo, like Milano had told him before, his hair was shoulder length. Unlike Milano, however, he actually looked like a man instead of a woman. It only made Geo wonder how Milano ever passed as a boy when she was growing up.

"The dancing is about to start soon," the man continued. "You should go out there and enjoy yourself."

Geo shook his head. "I don't dance. They never teach us those sorts of things in the academy."

"Oh?" the man asked as he raised his eyebrows. "What a pity. I think formal dancing is very important in diplomatic situations all over the colonies in Autozam. They really ought to. I wonder how Chrysler ever learned?"

Geo shrugged, pretending that he had absolutely no clue. He kept in mind, like Milano had told him to, to not say anything that would give away that he was not from a rich family. Alfa Romeo thrived in hierarchy, and the rich did not associate the poor unless there were very strict circumstances, or if the noble was so kind-hearted that he or she did not care about social statuses in friendship. The separation was slowly closing, and King Alfasud hoped that in joining the central government, the process would go a lot faster if not a lot smoother. There were still those who opposed the wealthy and the indigent interacting, so Geo had to watch his step.

"I don't really understand it, but I guess it's something children don't talk about much," the man said with a sigh. "My son told me that you were the best friend of the son of the president. Is that true?"

Geo arched a brow and stared at the man, hoping he didn't look too confused. His son? Geo didn't know any boy from Alfa Romeo, but...

"You're Milano's father, aren't you?"

The man laughed. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I apologize. I am Romeo Alfetta Verde, the archduke of Alfa Romeo, younger brother to the king."

Geo sighed with a chuckle. "I'm Geo Metro."

Romeo, thankfully, overlooked the fact that Geo forgot to state the place where he was from. Geo had absolutely no idea how much Milano's father knew about the counties of the central government, and he didn't want to lie.

Romeo nodded in greeting. "So, what do you know about Milano?" he asked.

Geo had no idea how to answer that. "What do you mean?"

"That's not what I meant to say," Romeo said with a sigh. "What do you think of Milano?"

Geo was uncertain about how to answer that question, as well, but it was surely easier than answering the first question. He had a slight idea of what to say, after all.

"She's... temperamental, but despite that, she's really kind." Geo shrugged. "I like her."

"Aha, so you DO know that Milano is, er, not what we think of 'him' to be."

Geo realized a little too late that he had used the wrong pronouns when he referred to Milano.

"Er... Milano is a HE, right, I knew that," Geo growled with frustration at himself. He took the time to insult himself underneath his breath, and just as expected, Romeo did not seem amused.

"So, Geo, tell me," said Romeo, his carefree front completely vanished, "why Milano invited you to Alfa Romeo during your holiday and not any of 'his' other friends?" Geo cringed but said nothing. "If you dare tell me that you're romantically involved with 'him', well, I don't know WHAT I'll do, but I'll do something that would make you regret ever knowing 'him'."

"It's not romance, Archduke," Geo assured. "I don't have nearly enough time for that."

"And you have enough time for friends?"

"Friendship and romance are two different things."

"I don't believe that you sincerely mean that."

"Mattaku!" Geo crossed his arms and looked away from Milano's father, wondering how the conversation led into a barrage of criticism after a lighthearted talk about... whatever it was they had been talking about before the subject of Milano came up.

Romeo laughed then, and Geo decided that members of the Verde family were very odd indeed.

"All right, you two really are only friends," said Romeo. "So, Milano told you 'his' secret. You two must be really close, then--"

"Actually," said Geo before he realized what he was saying, "I found out on my own."

Geo could see Romeo's eye twitch. "What?"

Geo sighed. He knew what went through Romeo's mind at that moment. "I didn't walk in on her--him--or anything," said Geo. "It's not what you're thinking."

"So how--"

Before Romeo could finish asking the question Geo knew was coming, Milano finally approached them, completely oblivious to anything the two had been talking about.

"Father! Geo! I see you two have already met," she said with a wary smile on her face. "I was hoping to introduce you two to each other, but... I guess not. Ano... ano..."

She trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say. Geo knew right then and there why Milano wanted to introduce the two men together. It was to ensure that no uncomfortable situations arose. Too late for that, Geo noted. He also understood a little bit more why Milano wanted Geo to be at the party tonight of all nights. She wanted him to meet her father.

Milano not knowing what to say, however, was not helping Geo's current situation. Luckily, Romeo knew his way around it.

"So there you are, Milano!" Romeo exclaimed with a huge smile, pretending that the tension between him and Geo never existed. "Are you enjoying yourself?" Milano nodded, still cautious, but with more of a sense of authority. While she had a whole cargo of self-confidence (that, Geo admitted, bordered on conceit) around others, around her father she seemed a little uneasy. "That's a good thing to hear."

"How about you, Father?" Milano asked, giving Geo a small smile. Geo was thankful; she was taking the subject off of him.

Romeo nodded. "I'm being enlightened." He gave Geo a menacing glare, to which Geo looked away and pretended to not see. "You should have brought the rest of your friends as well. I would have loved to meet them."

Geo agreed silently and wondered why Milano hadn't invited anyone else to Alfa Romeo. He never asked Milano about it before, but now that Romeo had brought it up, curiosity was getting the best of him.

"They're all too busy," Milano answered.

Geo scowled at the poor excuse. Eagle was not at all busy, and since Milano added nothing to her answer, he was part of those busy bodies. He would understand if she hadn't invited him because of political reasons. Not much, but it would make better sense than that he was too busy. If she had asked Zazu, he would have said "yes". Asking Meson would have been a waste of her time. And she must have had some other friends.

Romeo, however, seemed to be okay with that answer. He nodded, but before he could say anything, a young woman approached Milano and asked to dance with her. Or rather, 'him'.

"Hai, hai," Milano answered. As she walked onto the dance floor with the woman, Milano gave Geo a pleading look that could only spell, PLEASE don't provoke my father.

Geo grinned with uncertainty as he waved Milano off. That's what he HAD been doing, but Romeo was very difficult. It impressed Geo that although Romeo had raised Milano as a son, he also considered her a very special daughter and acted accordingly. The following exchange only enhanced the speculation further.

"Milano seems to be really popular," Geo noted quietly.

"'He' has the charm, the beauty, and some of the best dancing skills in Alfa Romeo," he said. "I'm sure if 'he' was any better in fighting, all of the girls would be fawning over 'him'."

Geo chuckled. "Milano's almost too beautiful." He caught Romeo's instant glare and frowned. "I didn't mean anything by it!" he protested.

When the party was all over and done with, Geo found himself more than a little upset. He ignored the fact that he had been asked to dance by somebody else, saving him from any sort of fate Romeo would be about to give him. Lecture, death threats, or even court martial threats, Geo didn't want to hear it. Just because he gave somebody a compliment, no matter what it was or who it was, doesn't mean that he was romantically interested in that person. He decided to use that argument against Romeo sometime the next time the subject was brought up.

Geo understood fathers being overprotective of their daughters, no matter if they were trying to pose as their sons, but this was going perhaps just a tad too far.

As he neared the guestroom, itching to get out of his dress uniform, he caught Milano standing in front of the door. She seemed a little nervous about something. Geo knew immediately exactly what she wanted to talk about. Nothing that had happened during the course of the evening was her fault, but she probably believed it was. It sounded a little out of place for her persona, but Geo could never completely figure her out.

"Yo, Milano," he called as he approached the room. "What's wrong?"

Milano perked up as soon as he halted in front of her. "Ne, I need to talk to you for a moment," she said, opening the door and pulling Geo in. He mind stopped processing thoughts for a moment, surprised by the sudden movement. "I'm sorry if my father seemed a little--"

"Don't be. It's not your fault," he reassured her. "I'm sure he's just that way."

"Rude? Of course he is." Milano laughed softly. "It comes with being a noble. I'm really sorry. If I had introduced you two, anything he might have said he wouldn't have said. What did he say?"

"Stuff he wouldn't say if you were around," said Geo. "You're really popular with the girls, you know. They kept asking to dance with you all night. Aren't you hungry?"

"I expected that to happen, so I had a huge lunch before I went to Uncle's party. You didn't seem to eat much, either."

"Small appetite. It's a habit you pick up both from living in Central Integra and spending the past three years and a half of your life in the Air Force Academy."

"You don't look like you'd be one with a small appetite. You seem more like a person who would have a big appetite for meat and exercise a whole lot."

"Exercising a lot... yeah. There's not much machines in Central Integra, so we have to do the work manually. Holden, my brother, spent more time studying than he did helping around the neighborhood, so that explains a lot of the differences between us."

"I'd like to meet him someday."

"No. You won't."

Milano laughed. "There's something about you, Geo, that I can't believe others haven't picked up on yet..."

Geo cocked his head, wondering if Milano had given him a compliment or if it was cleverly disguised way of insulting him. Milano had the tendency to do the latter, and she would always give him a soft smile and a small pat on his shoulder and assure him that she was only joking. But she was smiling nervously, seeming all of a sudden unsure of herself, like she had in front of her father only a couple of hours before. Geo couldn't ask what she meant by it. She talked before he could figure out how to pronounce the word "what" without stuttering.

"I... I didn't come here to apologize to you about my father," she said quietly, staring across to the other side of the room. "There was something else I thought I should... tell you... it's probably a bad time to. I should've waited until... yeah, I'll wait. Good night..."

She turned to leave, but Geo grabbed her arm. She didn't meet his eyes as he asked, "Wait a second. What did you want to talk to me about? You might as well tell me now while I'm curious, right?"

"Because it will bother you until I tell you, and by that time, you might forget," said Milano, nodding. She was still refusing to look at Geo. Her features had a severe tension to them, and Geo frowned. "I think I'll wait."

"Milano, quit it. Tell me. You know how much I hate secrets."

She sighed. Geo found enough trust to let her go, and she relaxed a little. For a moment neither of the two spoke, and it would be a couple of moments more before either of them could find any words to say.

Milano turned abruptly, grabbed the back of Geo's head, and kissed him deeply.

Geo just froze in position.

When she finally let him go, she smiled softly. "That's the other thing I wanted to tell you," she whispered. "I'm sorry... I... good night."

Once again, she tried to leave the room, but before she could open the door, Geo found himself grabbing her again.

"Wait," he said, and she stopped, giving him a surprised and uneasy look. Geo frowned at himself, wondering why he had done that.

She had kissed him. It normally meant that she was in love with him, but Geo found it very hard to believe. Wasn't this the reason why Romeo mistrusted Geo so much? Did he know, or did he think that Geo felt the same way? Did he? Geo didn't know. He was unsure of a lot things, but he did know one thing.

The sadness in Milano's eyes had bothered him just too much.

He didn't give his actions a second thought. He leaned in and gently kissed Milano on the lips, and they stayed in each other's arms for the rest of the night.

*

As soon as Meson received wind as to when Geo and Milano were to return from the Alfa Romeo colony, he made arrangements to arrive back in Vigor the day before so he could settle in a good twenty-four hours before the two were to be back into the academy doors. His friend, Aston Martin, wrinkled his nose when Meson decided to do this, wondering what made those two so damned special to cut his two week vacation short.

There was nothing special about Milano, Meson admitted, but if Geo was involved, Meson's priorities always did a flip-flop. He ignored Aston's complaint about Meson slowly transforming into another Holden Torana Metro.

"You're getting too damned overprotective," Aston had said. "Holden was the same way. If you don't watch your step, you know you and Geo won't be friends anymore. He never understood his brother the way I had, and the way I'm beginning to understand you. What is it about Geo anyway that you two have a need to stop him from becoming friends with anyone who would use that friendship to his or her advantage?"

At any other time, Meson would snap at Aston and tell him that if anybody was going to use anybody's friendship to his advantage, it would be Geo because of his destitute background. However, both of the boys knew otherwise. The friendliness Geo showed to everybody that he liked was open, profound, and very, very kind. Meson understood why Holden hated the growing relationship between Geo and Eagle; he was afraid that Eagle would somehow betray him.

Meson couldn't understand why. Eagle was not that type of person, but Holden had a prejudice against anybody who came from a rich family. Zazu was the only one who was excluded from that stereotype; Meson was a part of it.

However, Meson was unsure if he liked being compared to Geo's older brother. Sure, Holden was just as kind as Geo was (very deep down), but he acted like an asshole to anybody he thought was unworthy of Geo's friendship. That was everybody but Zazu. Meson still felt uncomfortable around the guy, and he knew that he was not the same as Holden. He tried to befriend everybody that Geo did, but there was something about Milano...

There was something about Milano that Meson just did not like. Be it her narcissist attitude or her snobbish ways, there was just something.

And Meson was quite aware of the fact that Milano acted like a completely different person around Geo.

He had a better reason to not like a friendship that Geo shared with somebody than Holden's. Milano was fishy. He hated her.

Eagle was a little surprised at how early Meson and Aston returned from the academy, but he seemed to have waved it off as soon as Aston began complaining about how similar Meson and Holden were. Meson had just groaned and dragged his suitcase to his dorm room, refusing to listen to Aston's comparisons:

"Meson hates Milano in the same way Holden hated you, Eagle," Aston had said, a playful smirk appearing on his face. Eagle had only laughed along.

Now Meson, with Eagle and Zazu, who had just returned from Western Integra, waited for the Alfa Romeo aircraft to land in the academy's port. Aston wanted to refresh his memory on some of his notes for his classes since he went two weeks with only glancing at them from time to time, forgetting to have some fun with Meson and their friends from their childhood days. Meson was actually quite glad that Aston decided not to come. Meson told himself to be as hospitable as possible as to not aggravate Geo, and if Aston had come along, since he didn't like Milano either (though for his own reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with Geo), such anger would be inevitable.

With Eagle and Zazu, however, Meson felt quite relieved. There would be no way that Geo would lose his temper so easily.

"Come on, Meson," Zazu whined. "You only told me what you did over your vacations once, and this is your last one. Why won't you tell me?"

"It's the same story as the last one I told during my sophomore year. There's no need to."

"I think you're hiding something from me."

"I'm not. It's a boring story, you heard it already, my friends in Matador County are all so... typical." Meson paused. That somehow didn't sound right. "Typical in their own way. You heard all of the stories already."

"You're no fun. Holden was more fun than you."

Meson glared at Zazu for a moment, and then he turned the scowl to Eagle, who only gave a small smile. "Aston wasn't the only one who noticed it," he said simply. Meson sighed.

"So I was the only who had no idea?" he asked. "I'm the only one who still doesn't see it or believe it?"

"Geo and Milano don't know."

"How do you know that?"

"They just don't."

"Not a good answer."

"I know."

Meson groaned and turned to stare outside of the window again, hoping to see even the slightest sign of an aircraft approaching the harbor. It was a useless tactic. The intercom would normally if a flight was within ten minutes of arriving, and it had to be within five minutes before anybody could see anything coming towards them. If the atmosphere was different, then the intercom would be the useless thing to rely on unless one was on the completely opposite side of the arrival horizon. But because of Autozam's terrible pollution problem, the clouds were too dense to see anything.

Meson didn't blame Holden for being in Chizeta and staying in Chizeta.

He wondered if Holden had ever been to Fahren yet, or even attempted to go to Cephiro. Of course, it was difficult for most people to get into Cephiro, so Meson highly doubted that Holden managed to get through Cephiro's atmosphere. Chizeta and Fahren, those countries were the only two he could possibly visit.

"The 147 Selespeed will be arriving in the docks in approximately ten minutes. Repeat..."

"That would be the ship Geo is taking," said Eagle with a small nod.

Meson looked at Eagle with a question mark hanging over his head. "You knew?"

"I was the one who sent you that message."

"Why am I not surprised?" Zazu laughed for a reason Meson couldn't quite grasp. Meson sighed and continued, "You sent it in as anonymous. I remember you telling me that you did that to everybody but government officials for the sake of secrecy. How did you find out?"

"I have my ways."

"Oh. Yeah. You being the son of the president and everything."

Eagle grinned. "It can be an advantage sometimes," he said, and there was silence among the three once again.

Meson had been very, very upset when Geo said that he would spend his vacation, his last vacation, in the Alfa Romeo colony with Milano. It wasn't so much because Meson didn't like Milano but rather for the reason that there was only one friend of his who was staying at the academy, and Geo really wasn't being the greatest friend for abandoning him for some wannabe boy. Eagle masked his disappointment really well, something that impressed Meson, but it was still evident that it was still there.

Why had Zazu encouraged Geo to go? Meson could only draw up one conclusion for that, and it was simply because Zazu made friends with everybody. There was not a single person in the school who disliked the young junior. Resented him? Plenty of times, but that sort of emotion was only prominent among the freshmen. They were simply jealous, that was all. They soon came to admire Zazu like the upperclassmen always had.

Meson was amazed that his group of friends belonged to their own set of popularity in the school. Geo was well respected, more so than any other cadet in the academy. Only Holden had ever beaten him out for the title. Aston was claimed the smartest and the most talented, and Zazu was hailed as the one who would revolutionize the technological world of Autozam (in other words, Autozam in its entirety). Eagle was the son of the president. He needed not to say anything there. And as for Milano...

Okay, so Milano wasn't his friend, but she was Geo's, and her being a part of a noble family and a girl who cross dressed to pass as a boy, her popularity instantly soared with everybody but half of the senior male cadets and half of the total female cadets. She was one of the most controversial students in the Air Force Academy.

Meson found himself growing impatient, but just as he realized it, Zazu exclaimed, "They're here! And look at that ship... it's an old prototype, isn't it?"

Meson and Eagle turned to look out the window, and indeed, a very old looking ship had already landed and the platform had been set down. Not many people were emerging, but Meson figured as much. Milano was the only one from the Alfa Romeo colony to be in the academy.

"It sure is taking them a while, isn't it?" he muttered. Apparently, neither Eagle nor Zazu heard him. Meson sighed and turned his back to the window, deciding that letting Zazu tell him when the two came out would be so much less stressful.

He didn't have to wait long.

"There they are!" said Zazu excitedly. "See... there's Geo... and... and Milano? They're, um... what?"

Meson stole a peek at his two friends before he turned to greet Geo and Milano. Zazu had his eyes widened and confused, jaw ajar, and Eagle's face had a momentary shock spilled all over it before it transformed to something more tragic. Meson, curiosity at its worst, finally looked out the window and saw something that seemed like had come out of a nightmare.

Oh, Geo and Milano were indeed walking away from the ship and towards the lobby, but not in a position Meson liked. Milano clung onto Geo's arm, her head against his shoulder, and Geo seemed to actually enjoy it. They were talking to one another, and both carried a wide smile. Meson didn't want to believe it, he couldn't believe it, not until Zazu said slowly, evilly, and yet cautiously:

"It looks like that Geo has a girlfriend now. That makes him the first, doesn't it, Meson? Na, Meson... Meson..."

Meson was ignoring Zazu, completely disgusted.

He saw immediately through Milano's plan to get Geo--alone--to the Alfa Romeo colony. It made perfect sense, and she surely seemed to be acting like an angel to hide what her plans.

THIS was why Meson hated the idea of Geo going to that colony. He decided that now.

And apparently, Eagle didn't seem happy about it either, but he wasn't angry. Meson frowned and wondered why, but before he could ask, the two walked into the lobby.

"Konnichiwa!" said Geo blissfully. "How was your vacation?"

Meson twitched an eyebrow and repeatedly told himself to not say a single word. He could not say a single word when Geo AND Milano were involved. The results were never good, but if he needed to step in, he would.

"Konbanwa," Eagle corrected politely, his previous emotions seeming to have disappeared. His features were loosely fragile like they always were; Eagle always had done such a good job at putting up an emotional barrier. "I had an enjoyable time."

"Alone," Meson muttered so softly he was absolutely certain no one heard. Well, maybe except Milano; she gave him a curious look, and Meson turned his head away with a small whistle.

"Are you sure?" Geo asked, his eyes narrowed. Eagle didn't respond, so Geo pressed on. "Look, I'm sorry about... it's just... let's talk about it later."

The underlying meaning: let's talk about it when Milano is NOT around because I'm too pansy to say anything that might insult her in front of her.

Meson scowled. There was yet another reason for him to hate Milano. She was getting in their way of friendship. This was getting ugly; now Meson wished Holden hadn't graduated yet. He would pay big money to see Milano even TRY to stand up to him. It would the show of the year, Meson could guarantee that.

Eagle nodded uncomfortably. "Yeah, sure. Let's."

Geo stared incredulously at his three friends, seeming very bewildered at first, but within ten seconds his face darkened. "I get it," he said slowly. "Na, Milano, go ahead and take the luggage to our rooms. I'll catch up with you later."

"H-hai," she mumbled, grabbing a bag and retreating to the elevators.

Meson grabbed her arm, halting her for a moment. "I know what your entire plan was," he hissed. "I know why you invited Geo and only Geo to your colony."

"What?" she asked softly.

"I'm not stupid. I know what your plan was. You're trying to break the four of us up, aren't you?"

"What are you--what?"

"Meson," Geo growled.

Meson glared at Geo, but before he finally let Milano go, he muttered, "You got Geo to your colony so that you can finally get your claws on him, weren't you?"

Milano gasped. "What... I... no, no, that's not what happened... I didn't... I didn't know... ano..." She sighed and whispered, "I didn't know I was in love with him until a week ago. I'm sorry."

She finally walked off, and Geo's scowl wasn't helping Meson's temper any. Had this been Holden, Meson would have been scared out of his skin, but Geo was someone Meson felt comfortable standing up to. Meson tried his best to match Geo's fierce look.

"So, what's with the whole deal between you two?" Meson demanded. "What happened?"

"You actually care?"

"Well, if a woman I hate is associating very, very closely with one of my closest friends, more closely than he is with his FRIENDS, I think I have the right to care."

"I haven't realized how much of an asshole you were until now."

"You willing to take it up in a fight?"

Before either of them could pounce on each other, Eagle stepped in between them, exasperated. "This isn't the best place to be doing this," he said. "Teachers and officers walk through here a lot. You could get kicked out of the academy. Besides, this isn't really something you need to start a fight about."

"Yes, it is," Meson growled.

"No, it isn't," Eagle persisted with a glower that would have scared Holden. Meson drew in a sharp breath, not knowing how to respond, not knowing if he wanted to respond. "Can't we just drop it?"

"All right, look," said Geo. Since Eagle's back was to Geo, he never saw the killer's glare, so he had the guts to say something. "I really don't care if you guys don't like her or anything. The fact that I love her isn't going to change a thing, so don't you even try."

Eagle stiffened and turned to Geo. "So, you really do love her?"

"Yes... why? What's wrong?" asked Geo, concern filling his eyes. Meson cocked an eyebrow curiously.

Eagle shook his head. "Nothing."

Geo frowned, but luckily, as Zazu always seemed to have a knack for doing, saved the three. "Um, okay, you know what? This is really, really strange talking here. Can we go into the lounge or something?"

The tension released, and Geo sighed. "All right, let's go. Actually, I need to meet up with Milano before anything... well..."

He glared at Meson, and Meson rivaled the look. Eagle and Zazu, luckily, ignored the electricity. Zazu ran off ahead of them, and Geo stormed off right behind him. Meson looked at Eagle and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What was that about?" Meson asked quietly, softly, so that no passersby could possibly hear. "Don't tell me that you're in love with Milano, too."

Eagle froze for a moment, and Meson had a feeling of dread overcome him. He couldn't believe it. What was so damned special about that tomboy anyway? She was such a... wimpy, conceited whiner. Meson turned away, but Eagle piped up with a perky tone to his voice.

"No, but you're close," he replied and followed his other two friends out of the lobby, leaving behind a very confused Meson.

"You seem... quite upset," Aston observed upon Meson barging into their shared dorm room and slamming his palm on the keypad to close and lock door.

Meson scowled. "Aston, tell me, what makes Mi--wait a second. Never mind. Wrong person to ask."

Meson flopped onto his bed as Aston swiveled his chair to watch him. Meson could feel an intense look coming from his valedictorian friend, but his voice held a tone of mild bewilderment.

"What makes what... what?"

"Never mind."

A pause settled in between the two boys. "Does this have to do with Geo?" asked Aston suspiciously.

"No," said Meson. He thought about it for a moment and changed his mind. "Yes. Kind of. I don't--"

"And Milano?"

Meson sat up from the bed to look at Aston and hesitated. He wondered how in the world Aston could have figured it out but then decided that it was a stupid thing to think about. Aston knew that Geo and Milano came back from the Alfa Romeo colony, and he also knew that Meson had a serious liking problem with Milano.

"Yes--"

Aston sighed. "Spill it."

"--but not entirely... it's just that those two... well... oh, just never mind!"

"Spill it," Aston said more forcefully, narrowing his eyes at Meson dangerously. Meson didn't feel inclined to tell him.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing your homework?" Meson asked, nodding pointedly at the two laptops on Aston's desk. Aston shook his head.

"I CAN'T do my homework with you like this," he said. "It's going to be distracting me. Either you go to Eagle's or Zazu's room or something and sleep with THEM or you can tell me what's bothering you." He rolled his eyes. "THIS is why I hate having you as a roommate."

Meson, after weighing the pros and cons of spending the night over at either Eagle's dorm room or Zazu's, decided that the bad outweighed the good. There was no other way to go about it. Besides, Aston may be able to figure out something he hadn't despite the overbearing fact that Aston didn't like Milano either. Still, Meson determined, Aston was the smartest person to grace Autozam. What could honestly go wrong?

"Fine," Meson said with resignation. He still had no wish to tell Aston. "Geo and Milano are definitely involved. First straight couple in the academy, let's put it that way--"

"Except that Milano's still trying to pass as a boy, so it really doesn't count," said Aston, wrinkling his nose. He seemed just as disgusted as Meson had been and still was. "Mattaku. What does Geo see in that girl?"

Meson shrugged. "Beats me. He's not the only one, though. Eagle is in love with her, too."

Aston stared at Meson with an arched brow for a moment and then shook his head. "I don't get it."

"Neither do I," Meson admitted. "You should have... well... wait..." He remembered what Eagle had told him. Oh, yes, this was why he had planned to talk to Aston about this in the first place. "Eagle's upset with their relationship, but he told me that he wasn't in love with Milano."

"Quit confusing me," Aston groaned.

Meson widened his eyes in mock shock. "You can actually get confused? Wow." He stared out the window. "I wonder if the pollution has lifted any yet..."

"Meson, be serious," Aston snapped. He was never in the mood to be teased. "Eagle isn't in love with Milano, right?"

Meson nodded. "You might... it's something like that." Aston tilted his head and frowned. He really did seem confused. Not that Meson was sure he was making any sense himself; after all, Eagle was the one who confused HIM. "When I asked Eagle if he was, he told me that I was wrong, but I was close. Do you have any idea what that could mean?"

"Hold on," said Aston, raising an open palm that always silenced anyone he spoke with. "Eagle says that he's not in love with Milano, but YOU were close when you said that he was. Right?"

"Right."

"And you also say that he's upset with her and Geo's relationship but he's not in love with... oh. Oh."

Meson frowned. "'Oh' what?"

Aston ignored him. "I get it now. I get it now!" He smirked and said nothing more as he spun in his chair and began working on his homework once again.

Meson knew better than to disturb Aston when he was studying, and he was only just lucky that Aston didn't blow up on him with his loud entrance only a few minutes before. So he said nothing and scowled as he pulled his laptop out from underneath his desk, switched it on, and tried to work on his Diplomacy homework. After about five minutes of staring at a blank computer screen, not knowing how he can possibly start the essay he long since procrastinated on, Aston began humming uncharacteristically.

Meson glared at Aston's back, but since he didn't have eyes there, Aston remained oblivious. Meson sighed heavily and randomly typed in some words on the laptop.

He hated being confused.

The next evening, the tensions didn't disappear whenever Milano came amongst the group, but Zazu never paid any attention to it, Eagle pretended it wasn't there, and Geo would always glare at Meson, almost daring him to say something that would get Milano uncomfortable. Meson knew that there was no need to. Milano was always already uncomfortable around Meson, and he needn't say a single word to put her in a state of more uneasiness. All he ever did was just glare at her, after all.

It was after dinner, and the five were in the lounge, tossing their attentions between talking and watching two other cadets battle each other out on a video game. Apparently, Geo and Milano had decided to keep their relationship discreet, for while they stood too close to one another, neither of them were touching. Zazu had squeezed his way to the front of the crowd, so he was nowhere in sight, and Meson kept his distance from Milano. Eagle, however, couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of the two.

Meson could swear that his glare was worse than Holden's could ever hope to be. He still could not understand what Eagle meant, but he was pretty sure that Milano had a BIG part with it. That was another thing he could not understand, and he tried to remember Aston's words from the night before to see if there was a hidden clue.

Meson paid no attention to the video game, so he didn't know why everyone burst into laughter all of a sudden. Geo was part of the loud guffaw, and as Meson stared at Eagle some more, his face twitched into a small, painful smile.

He kept watching, his eyes narrowed. Milano left Geo's side momentarily for a reason Meson didn't care to know. Eagle's eyes didn't stray with her. Meson arched a brow. Why was Eagle staring at Geo?

Meson frowned and studied Eagle some more, only to find an emotion in his eyes that was anything but jealousy, resentment, or any negative feeling. Instead, he seemed a little... regretful.

"And you also say that he's upset with her and Geo's relationship but he's not in love with... oh. OH."

Those were the words Aston had said the night before, and Meson gawked as he finally understood why Aston understood everything right then and there.

"Oh..." he said, wide-eyed and mouth gaping. "Oh... I GET it now!"

"Oro?" asked Zazu, arriving back to the three cadets. "Meson, what's wrong?"

Meson chose to ignore him and grabbed Eagle by the wrist, making the younger boy jump a little at the abrupt touch.

"Eagle, could I talk to you for a moment?" Meson asked. He didn't wait for an answer. He dragged Eagle out of the lounge, through the corridors to the male dormitories, and into an empty elevator. It was after dinner, after all. Who, besides bookworms, would want to go to their bedrooms so early?

But Meson had no plans to go to any room.

He pressed a button to get to the top floor, and the doors closed.

Eagle bewilderedly frowned. "Meson, what's wrong--" he began, but Meson put one hand up in the same manner Aston had the night before.

"Just shut UP for a couple of minutes," he growled.

There was a moment of heavy silence, to which Meson used to his advantage to regain his composure, to make sure he wasn't jumping to any conclusions. He clenched and unclenched his fists, faintly hearing his fingers crack every time he did so. He bit his lip and inhaled and exhaled deeply. He needed to make sure he wasn't jumping to conclusions, but as he remembered all of the actions Eagle had displayed the night before...

Meson shook his head, clenched his fists once again, and glared at Eagle.

"You're," he began through his teeth, seething with disbelief, "in love... with... GEO?!"

* * *