Empty Glass (Gundam Wing: Noin/Une)
Title: Empty Glass
Author/Artist: katiroth
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: Noin/Une
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Request: earth - "let's drink to the military, the glass is empty"
Summary: Despite peace, there is always evidence of war. A few minutes in time between comrades.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing isn't mine. No profit gained, all that lovely stuff.
"I did not think I would find you here, Noin."
Lucrezia Noin glanced up from her intense studying of the table and smiled wanly at the woman in front of her. "Hello, Une," she murmured quietly, lifting her empty glass in greeting. "I didn't think you'd find me here either." With a slight chuckle Noin gestured to the empty stool across from her. "Please sit down."
Nodding, Une straightened out her skirt and sat, crossing her legs carefully. "If I may ask, what are you doing here?" She looked around, brown eyes narrowing disapprovingly of the surroundings. It was a smaller bar, dirty and inhabited by scraggly men in various states of inebriation. Hardly the place for either of them, though Une would share her reason after she discovered what her fellow Preventer was doing here.
Noin shrugged and set her glass on the well-worn table. "I'm not sure, actually," the woman admitted. She was never much of a drinker, and while she could certainly handle herself if a situation broke out which required fighting, it wasn't normal practice to be seen in places such as these. But something had drawn her here tonight, to drink with the scum of the earth, former soldiers and fighters from a war that should never have been.
She could see broken men. Men who had fought for men who didn't care if they lived or died. Men with no family, no home to return to. Empty shells of what they once were, the greatest soldiers the Earth could provide. Some of them had possibly piloted mobile suits, some had likely been to space.
"I've been...watching," she finally said, noticing the expression on Une's face. Another slight smile crossed Noin's face and she leaned back in her chair. She knew all too well the look she was being given, but by this point, it didn't even faze her. "No, really. Have you ever just sat and watched people?"
Une seemed to consider that question for a moment, but before she could answer, a blonde waitress in a too skimpy skirt came by. "What can I get you?" the girl asked in a bored tone, tapping a pencil against her notepad. She too was like the men, no longer the person she once was. Creases in her young skin that should have only come many years from now, an ashen color to her fingernails, chewed too short.
Almost idly, Noin wondered if Une saw such things. It was true, that since the war her friend was a completely different person, whole once again. But the ravages of war had left scars that marred the woman's heart. A good person now, perhaps, but probably not one who noticed the emotional wounds on another person.
Glancing toward the bar, Une threw her hair over her shoulder and then looked at the girl with a slight lifting of her chin. "Water. In a clean glass, if you please."
"How is Zechs?"
The sudden question caught Noin off guard, looking back to Une and away from the departing waitress. "Same as always," she said simply. That was true enough, her best friend was as he always was. Slightly moody, slightly cold, all business. Just the way she liked him.
Une nodded and then looked past Noin for a moment, her forehead crinkling in a frown. "I believe that man is completely drunk," she whispered, leaning forward against the table to get a better look at him. Tall, a large and bushy beard, an old and wrinkled uniform. A tear in the fabric, where the symbol of OZ had once been. Une's eyes narrowed slightly and she glanced back at Noin. "Pathetic."
With a tilt of her head, Noin frowned back. "Not everyone has done as well as we have, Une. I thought you would realize that."
Once again, before she could reply, Une was interrupted by the waitress sloshing the glass of water on the table, almost half of the glass spilling over the rim and onto the table. Une arched an eyebrow and cleared her throat, but the waitress ignored her and continued on her way back to the bar counter. "Hnph," the brunette woman said, eying the glass. Not entirely clean.
Noin laughed and glanced back at her own empty glass. Lifting it up, she winked at Une. "A toast, if I may."
"...A toast? To what, Noin?"
As she lifted the half-empty glass and swished the water around, Une looked again to the drunken man across the bar. "Seriously, Noin. What is there to toast to?"
Grinning, Noin lifted her empty glass, her dark violet eyes twinkling in the soft light coming from the fixtures hanging over the bar. "To the future." She paused and allowed her smile to fade slightly. It was hard to toast with an empty glass. "Or alternately, to the past. To the military, to war, to pain and suffering." Noin paused, her smile completely gone from her face. "That is something I can toast with an empty glass."
Une went silent for a moment and drank the entirely of her water in one gulp, leaving her own glass empty as she raised it to her friend. "We have indeed been fortunate, Noin. I sometimes forget that...but when I see people like that..." she paused, once again looking at the drunken former OZ member. "It can be difficult to forget the past."
"And we should never forget it, Une." Noin's voice was softer, calmer as she looked at the woman sitting across from her. Slowly her hand crept out, taking Une's in her own as her smile returned. "But we have the future to take care of, the future to protect." She paused for a moment, glancing away. Normally she wasn't much for any sort of public display of affection, even something as simple as this. "And I am happy to protect it with you."
A very slight flush of red crossed Une's cheeks and she nodded slightly. "But for now, Noin, let us have that toast."
Noin too raised her empty glass. "The past. May it continue to be just that."
They looked at each other silently for a moment and clinked their glasses together, then slowly set them down. They remained silent for several more long moments, simply staring at the other before Noin finally looked away, quickly standing to her feet. "I should leave now, I'll see you after a while?"
Une nodded slowly and also stood, the faintest hint of a smile crossing her face. "You will."
Author/Artist: katiroth
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: Noin/Une
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Request: earth - "let's drink to the military, the glass is empty"
Summary: Despite peace, there is always evidence of war. A few minutes in time between comrades.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing isn't mine. No profit gained, all that lovely stuff.
"I did not think I would find you here, Noin."
Lucrezia Noin glanced up from her intense studying of the table and smiled wanly at the woman in front of her. "Hello, Une," she murmured quietly, lifting her empty glass in greeting. "I didn't think you'd find me here either." With a slight chuckle Noin gestured to the empty stool across from her. "Please sit down."
Nodding, Une straightened out her skirt and sat, crossing her legs carefully. "If I may ask, what are you doing here?" She looked around, brown eyes narrowing disapprovingly of the surroundings. It was a smaller bar, dirty and inhabited by scraggly men in various states of inebriation. Hardly the place for either of them, though Une would share her reason after she discovered what her fellow Preventer was doing here.
Noin shrugged and set her glass on the well-worn table. "I'm not sure, actually," the woman admitted. She was never much of a drinker, and while she could certainly handle herself if a situation broke out which required fighting, it wasn't normal practice to be seen in places such as these. But something had drawn her here tonight, to drink with the scum of the earth, former soldiers and fighters from a war that should never have been.
She could see broken men. Men who had fought for men who didn't care if they lived or died. Men with no family, no home to return to. Empty shells of what they once were, the greatest soldiers the Earth could provide. Some of them had possibly piloted mobile suits, some had likely been to space.
"I've been...watching," she finally said, noticing the expression on Une's face. Another slight smile crossed Noin's face and she leaned back in her chair. She knew all too well the look she was being given, but by this point, it didn't even faze her. "No, really. Have you ever just sat and watched people?"
Une seemed to consider that question for a moment, but before she could answer, a blonde waitress in a too skimpy skirt came by. "What can I get you?" the girl asked in a bored tone, tapping a pencil against her notepad. She too was like the men, no longer the person she once was. Creases in her young skin that should have only come many years from now, an ashen color to her fingernails, chewed too short.
Almost idly, Noin wondered if Une saw such things. It was true, that since the war her friend was a completely different person, whole once again. But the ravages of war had left scars that marred the woman's heart. A good person now, perhaps, but probably not one who noticed the emotional wounds on another person.
Glancing toward the bar, Une threw her hair over her shoulder and then looked at the girl with a slight lifting of her chin. "Water. In a clean glass, if you please."
"How is Zechs?"
The sudden question caught Noin off guard, looking back to Une and away from the departing waitress. "Same as always," she said simply. That was true enough, her best friend was as he always was. Slightly moody, slightly cold, all business. Just the way she liked him.
Une nodded and then looked past Noin for a moment, her forehead crinkling in a frown. "I believe that man is completely drunk," she whispered, leaning forward against the table to get a better look at him. Tall, a large and bushy beard, an old and wrinkled uniform. A tear in the fabric, where the symbol of OZ had once been. Une's eyes narrowed slightly and she glanced back at Noin. "Pathetic."
With a tilt of her head, Noin frowned back. "Not everyone has done as well as we have, Une. I thought you would realize that."
Once again, before she could reply, Une was interrupted by the waitress sloshing the glass of water on the table, almost half of the glass spilling over the rim and onto the table. Une arched an eyebrow and cleared her throat, but the waitress ignored her and continued on her way back to the bar counter. "Hnph," the brunette woman said, eying the glass. Not entirely clean.
Noin laughed and glanced back at her own empty glass. Lifting it up, she winked at Une. "A toast, if I may."
"...A toast? To what, Noin?"
As she lifted the half-empty glass and swished the water around, Une looked again to the drunken man across the bar. "Seriously, Noin. What is there to toast to?"
Grinning, Noin lifted her empty glass, her dark violet eyes twinkling in the soft light coming from the fixtures hanging over the bar. "To the future." She paused and allowed her smile to fade slightly. It was hard to toast with an empty glass. "Or alternately, to the past. To the military, to war, to pain and suffering." Noin paused, her smile completely gone from her face. "That is something I can toast with an empty glass."
Une went silent for a moment and drank the entirely of her water in one gulp, leaving her own glass empty as she raised it to her friend. "We have indeed been fortunate, Noin. I sometimes forget that...but when I see people like that..." she paused, once again looking at the drunken former OZ member. "It can be difficult to forget the past."
"And we should never forget it, Une." Noin's voice was softer, calmer as she looked at the woman sitting across from her. Slowly her hand crept out, taking Une's in her own as her smile returned. "But we have the future to take care of, the future to protect." She paused for a moment, glancing away. Normally she wasn't much for any sort of public display of affection, even something as simple as this. "And I am happy to protect it with you."
A very slight flush of red crossed Une's cheeks and she nodded slightly. "But for now, Noin, let us have that toast."
Noin too raised her empty glass. "The past. May it continue to be just that."
They looked at each other silently for a moment and clinked their glasses together, then slowly set them down. They remained silent for several more long moments, simply staring at the other before Noin finally looked away, quickly standing to her feet. "I should leave now, I'll see you after a while?"
Une nodded slowly and also stood, the faintest hint of a smile crossing her face. "You will."