Chapter Text
Earth, the third planet in distance from the Sun, a blue marble so different from the desolated Mars. From the handrail Ein was standing, it almost felt like he could crush it with his hands.
So this is Earth….
Never in his life he imagined he could be this close to the planet he only knew from the bedtime stories his father used to tell him when he was a child.
So caught up by the beauty of the Earth, Ein failed to notice the azure eyes observing him from afar.
~~~~~~~~~~
Recently, Gaelio came to a realisation: his new subordinate probably didn't like him, in fact he was being avoided. It only started happening after Gaelio came back from his little vacation on Earth, but it seemed like Ein would disappear from time to time. It was only during their free time, obviously, as such a dutiful soldier would never skip work. However, he really was nowhere to be found: various times Gaelio tried to search for him for a chat, but the other soldier was apparently unavailable.
It wasn't like this in the beginning, Gaelio often invited Ein to spend their break together and he was never turned down.
Did he come to dislike his company? Ein was quite a reserved person after all, it wouldn't be a surprise if he found his friendliness bothersome. Now that he thought about it, Gaelio also called him a boring man... That may not have been a good start.
Well, what’s done is done.
If Ein really hated him, there was nothing that could be done, as long as they were able to work together until the end of this mission, it would be fine.
Still, Gaelio was curious where in this huge spaceship the young man wandered off to. That’s why he decided to tail him, just for once.
~~~~~~~~~~
It was around noon that Gaelio put his plan in action: he left his office earlier than usual, ditching all the documents he had yet to compile. There weren't many anyway, he was pretty much on standby until McGillis’ return, thus he could afford to take a longer break if it was a one time only occurrence.
Around this time Ein was, most likely, still training. Considering his performance in the simulations, Gaelio was even thinking of giving him his Schwalbe Graze. He didn't need it anymore since he was going to pilot his family heirloom, the Kimaris, but it would be a pity to just let it rust. Although it couldn't be compared with a Gundam Frame, it was still an excellent suit.
Once Gaelio arrived at the hangar, he had to find a good place to hide. Obviously he didn't want to get caught by his subordinate, but he couldn't let other soldiers question his suspicious behavior too. The room was rather large, housing numerous mobile suits, it could be considered the perfect place to play hide and seek, sadly none of those hiding spots offered the view needed to stalk someone.
Eventually he decided to just search for Ein’s Graze from one of the many decks in the room, prioritizing a wide view of the surroundings.
His suit should be around here… Ah there he is!
He arrived just in time to see Ein getting off his Graze, sliding from it to be exact. He was out of breath and even from a distance one could tell that he looked drenched in sweat.
Didn't I already tell him to not overdo!?
“E----” Worried about his subordinate well being, Gaelio almost reached out to him.
Placing a hand on his mouth, he stopped before he could pronounce his name.
While it was a rare occasion to finally talk to him outside of work, wasn't he going to investigate where Ein disappeared to? Not only that, wasn't this the reason he was being avoided? Ein probably disliked his constant nagging.
At least he was properly taking a break, Gaelio was thinking. There was a time when Ein was just assigned to work under him, where he had to scold him: so engrossed in his training, he ran the simulation for 20 hours straight, without rest, without eating, only fueled by his anger. At the end of the day Gaelio almost had to force feed him! It’s good to be eager, but not at the cost of one’s health.
*
Meanwhile Ein was heading to the changing room as he couldn't leave in his training gear.
“Aff… Uff…” The air was filling with his breathing.
He could feel his combat uniform tighter than usual, possibly due to his sweat.
Today too, he set simulations at the highest difficulty available. It was based on the data they were able to gather from the few skirmishes against Tekkadan: a perfect recreation of their battle, yet something was off.
Not enough…. This won’t cut….
Even if his results were above average, great even, he still had a long way to go, he knew that was not enough, his strength just wasn't enough.
How much? For how much longer do I have to feel….. so powerless?
*THUMP*
Ein slammed his fist against the wall of the changing room. It was unbearable.
He wanted to turn back, get in his mobile suit and run the simulation for another 10… 20…. 40 hours, in fact he would much prefer to just tirelessly continue his training, but he was “ordered” to rest from time to time.
Ein remembered how Specialist Major Bauduin previously chided him:
“You can’t just run the simulation all day without a break! You need to rest!” His superior, usually pretty laid back, was fuming.
That time Ein remained silent as he couldn't understand. From his perspective, he did nothing wrong: if he wasn't strong enough, wasn’t the right choice to train more and more? Unfortunately his conclusion didn't take into consideration his own health. The two things weren't unrelated, truth be told, even after such an intensive session, he wasn’t feeling exhausted nor hungry.
“Maybe you didn't notice, but you are shaking!” Special Major reprimed.
Was he? Ein quickly raised his arms and glanced at them, he was in fact trembling. Saying that he wasn’t feeling exhausted wasn’t correct, it was more like he was unable to. So focused on his revenge, he failed to notice the fatigue he placed on his body.
“Geez… Do I need to make this an order?”
“An order...?”
“If that will make you actually rest, then yes, it is an “order”. Now, follow me to the cafeteria, you should eat something!” Specialist Major grabbed his wrist, dragging him to the cafeteria.
Ein was left confused: is Specialist Major Bauduin perhaps worried? But why would he worry for someone like Ein? Maybe there was another reason, there must have been and yet…. He could feel the genuinity behind his action.
So warm…..
In the end, Ein decided to listen to Specialist Major's advice, not only because it was an “order”.
Thinking back on that previous exchange, on that sincere gesture, Ein was able to relax, even if just a bit.
He decided to take a shower to wash his tired body, after which he changed into his light gray uniform. Still unaware of the man following him, he finally left the training area.
~~~~~~~~~~
When Ein exited the hangar, Gaelio followed suit: it was time to uncover the mystery!
There weren't any problems in the beginning, Ein wasn't walking particularly fast and most importantly, it was easy to spot him even in a crowd. That's because, unlike the majority of the officials and soldiers in this spaceship, he was wearing a different uniform, that of the Mars branch.
Things were going smoothly until Gaelio realized a fatal flaw in his not so throughout plan: the further they went, the less people were around. Even from a distance it became hard not being noticed and Ein didn't make it any easier: he would sometimes turn around, making Gaelio break into a cold sweat.
How thrilling..!
He was starting to have fun, it reminded him of his younger days, when he would try to tail McGillis on his supposedly secret dates. To no one's surprise, even back then McGillis was insanely popular, receiving billions of love letters, love that would be unfortunately rejected.
“I’m sorry, I can't accept your feelings.” That was how McGillis would answer those confessions.
His voice was soft and calm as he gently explained the reasoning behind his negative response not wanting to offend the other party involved.
This was a memory from his past, a scene he witnessed many times.
Hidden in a nearby bush, Gaelio was watching as the scene unfolded. As the girl who just professed her love disappeared from their sight, the blonde man turned around.
“Did you follow me yet again?” McGillis called out to Gaelio, who didn't reply.
Did he really notice me?
Maybe McGillis wasn't really aware that his friend was there, and was just pretending, to make sure. After all, Gaelio didn't ALWAYS trail him... just most of the time.
“I know you were here from the beginning.” He snorted.
Since Gaelio wouldn't admit defeat, McGillis had to expose him. He walked up to a suspiciously wobbly bush and low and behold, he could already see a violet haired man fidgeting behind it. He quietly placed a hand on his left shoulder.
“Caught you.”
Gaelio slowly turned around just to be greeted by his friend's handsome face. A smug smile was plastered on it: Told you , it seemed to mock him.
“Sorry, sorry, curiosity killed the cat.” Gaelio apologised while laughing.
No matter how sneaky he was, McGillis was always able to find him.
“Still…. You rejected this girl too, it’s a pity, you know? She seemed so serious too.”
It’s not like he couldn't understand why McGillis would always reject those letters. Being the son of a Seven Star family had his share of troubles, anything could bring shame to one family name, he knew full well. Still, a forbidden love story, one that would make your heart race like nothing else, isn't this what youth should be about?
“I’m not interested. Wouldn't giving false hope just make it worse?”
“I guess....”
“_____”
Did McGillis whisper something?
It was only for a split second, for a blink of an eye, McGillis' usual smile was replaced with an lonely one, nothing was reflected in his eye, an empty look. Gaelio wasn't able to hear what McGillis had said, but he didn't miss the change in his expression.
“Did you say something?” Gaelio asked worriedly.
“Nothing of relevance, don't worry.” His casual smile had returned on his face.
There were times like this when Gaelio thought that those letters weren't the real problem… No, what was being rejected was the concept of those emotions themselves.
But that couldn't be, right? He quickly dismissed the thought. Yes, it must have been only his imagination. It’s true McGillis was difficult to approach: he was always wearing a mask, not showing his true self. Gaelio had worked hard to be able to stand by his side, to be acknowledged by his friend and he really believed that McGillis took off that mask when talking to him...
Lost in his memory Gaelio almost forgot about Ein.
This won’t do! This is not the time to think about the past!
He needed to concentrate or all would be for nought, but then he had a sudden inspiration:
Wait... What if this is a secret date too!?
Ein previously said that he wasn't dating anyone, but maybe… just maybe... Could he have found a lover in the short amount of time Gaelio was absent?
In his opinion, Ein was not half bad, maybe not as awe inspiring as his childhood friend, but definitely not a bad looking fellow either. A bit on the plain side perhaps, but his serious face had a certain charm to it. Not to mention his sense of duty and loyalty, qualities that would certainly be highly appreciated.
If his hypothesis was true, he needed to know all the juicy details of this relationship.
In the end, Gaelio was guided in a corridor like any other, not too big, nor too narrow. It was a pretty secluded place within the spaceship, so that would explain why he was unable to find Ein in his previous attempts. No one was there waiting for Ein, nor it seemed like he was waiting for someone.
Instead, the lone soldier was standing still near the handrail, looking up to the clear window, the planet Earth reflected in his dark blue eyes. Ein was a smallish man, at least when compared to Gaelio or McGillis, but his stance and mannerism were always firm, the image of a perfect soldier. However, the figure before him was nothing like that, in that moment, Ein seemed so fragile…. If Gaelio looked away even for just a second he was sure Ein would fade away.
Why...?
As Ein was so captive by that unfamiliar planet, so was Gaelio by the man standing in the corridor, a truly breathtaking view.
Why are you making such a lonely face...?