Zechs begins slinking away from the group of pilots as their conversation finally turns from him to each other. He closes a door and thinks himself finally free.

 

Zechs is confronted with Noin as he slinks away, what does he do?

 

Throws an INVISIBILITY CLOAK over his shoulders.

 

Which doesn’t help because she can sense you... she's got a built in Milliardo/Zechs Meter.

 

Still slinking away because he hasn’t been stopped.

 

Noin goes with him.

 

Sheds the cloak, “You heard nothing of what they spoke of, Noin. Are we clear?”

 

“Of course Sir.”

 

“Good. Do you have a status update, or are you merely wanting company?”

 

“Just bored Sir, figured I would annoy some Gundam Pilots.”

 

“I apologize for pulling you from that. You need not stay here, though, if you wish to go and harass them.”

 

“You were a Gundam Pilot too you know. Besides... why are you sneaking off anyway?”

 

“I still am a pilot, Lieutenant.” He is silent for a moment, even stopping his walking. “… I didn’t wish to continue with that conversation. They were diving into my personal life.”

 

Lu chuckles, “It's because they want to know you. You are a rather closed book you know.”

 

Zechs gives a small smile, “I suppose you’re right. But isn’t that better than being an open one?” Starts walking again, but this time walking beside her.

 

“That really depends. Sometimes it's better if people pick up on how you're feeling without having to be told.”

 

“I see. Are you saying that’s something you would to have happen? Me become more open about my emotions?”

 

“Not necessarily, though I'm sure Treize would enjoy knowing.” She smirks at him knowingly. “Though he's probably the one who can read you the easiest, and then there's me of course. We've known you the longest after all. I'm just saying that some people prefer that others aren't so hard to figure out.”

 

“Treize knows some of the things that I think, and as do you. Some secrets are meant to stay just that way, lest someone becomes too open about how they feel.” Finally goes to lean against a wall, arms crossed over his chest. “I’m not here to be easy for anyone to read. But.. I shall heed your words and become more open about myself.”

 

“I look forward to the effort. And I'm sure your sister would appreciate it the most. Though she seems to have a thing for men who are hard to read.” She smiles fondly at him and crosses her own arms, “What exactly was it they were asking you that made you uncomfortable, Mr. Orange Underwear?”

 

“Excuse me?! I don’t have orange undergarments…” Turns his head away, not looking her in the eye. “It doesn’t matter. The conversation has ended. Everyone is quite open about their relationships, and I prefer to keep mine between me and said person or persons.”

 

She laughs lightly, “Yeah, yeah, you turn up that beautiful nose of yours. And you are right about that. I completely agree with keeping your personal relationships to yourself. That's perfectly fine.”

 

“Everyone was trying to pry into them, and so I left.” Looks back to her after a moment, “…Why do you ask? Normally you don’t pry into these things, Lucrezia.”

 

“It isn't often you simply run away from things. Let alone literally physically distance yourself. I was concerned about you. I do love you, you know. You're my best friend.”

 

“My running seems to be happening more and more lately. The other pilots have been harassing me about my personal relations to a few of my subordinates.” He lifts off from the wall, “Come, let’s walk together. The walls have ears, and some things are meant to be private between good friends.”

 

Lu smiles, “I'm sorry you feel so harassed. Is there anything I could do to help? And are you meaning the little dragon?” She moves down the hallway with him, curious as to why anyone would pry into Zechs' or WuFei's lives.

 

“For now, I’ll let it play out. No harm has come of it so far, though sometimes I do fear for the worst.” He takes his pace slow, careful to make sure that she is beside him, and not behind. “No, not WuFei. Servants and the sorts carry nasty secrets about everyone, and I have a preference for where we can sit and not be listened into while we speak.” A hand lifts, brushing off a small ball of fluff from the shoulder of her uniform.

 

She nods, “That’s understandable.” She watches his hand move and smiles. “It’s a nice night don’t you think?”

 

“Brilliantly so.” Totally lost from looking at her, but then catches himself and shakes his head. “Ahh. Yes… My apologies. We’re going to go and sit upstairs in the billiards room.”

 

She grins at him, “No worries. That sounds like a great place to get away and talk.”

 

“We can also play, if you’d like. To pass the time while we talk.” Resisting to show any form of affection towards her.

 

She claps him on the back, “Sure, I enjoy watching you lose.” She gives him a saucy wink.

 

He scoffs softly, “I have gotten better. Treize has been showing me a few pointers about the game.” Finally opens the door up for her and gestures for her to enter.

 

She steps into the room at his chivalrous gesture. “We'll see Zechs, we'll see. For your sake I hope you have. It will make that much more fun.” Her eyes shine in excitement.

 

He follows her in, closing the door behind them and locking it. “You’re excited. I haven’t seen you like this in a long time, Noin. It’s a good look for you.”

 

She turned back to look at him, "Yeah, well, the prospect of winning excites me." She noted that he locked the door and determined that he really was sick of everyone else if he didn't want to be disturbed that badly. "Besides, when was the last time we actually got to spend time together that wasn't a mission?"

 

Zechs nodded, fingertips brushing up against the billiard table while he walked. “You bring up a good point, Noin. When was the last time we spent time together that wasn’t either in battle, or in passing?” Silvered blue eyes looked up at her, while he gestured towards the wall of pool sticks. “Pick your stick; I’ll pick the poison for tonight."

 

Lu grinned at him before walking over to the wall and picking out her cue. She grabbed a chalk square and moved over to the board. She watched as Zechs moved gracefully around the room and thought hard about their question. "You know... I honestly can't remember. Perhaps some time shortly after the war? Before Dekim and Mariemaia popped onto the scene."

 

Dipping into one of stands along the wall, he pulled out two glasses and some brandy, giving a sigh. “Too long, if your mind cannot remember it.” Setting the liquor onto the coffee table, Zechs then stood up and held out one of the glasses to her. “I find it hard to believe that so much time has passed. It seems like it was a few days ago that we last had a drink.”

 

"Oh I'm sure us having a drink was much more recent." She chuckled as she came over and took the offered glass. "It just probably wasn't just the two of us... and we probably got plastered."

 

A soft chuckle left his lips. “I suppose you are right… I’ll set and you can break.” Treize preferred to shoot into the side pockets; Most of the balls were sunk into the two sides from the last game he had. Once the balls were set, though, he handed her the white cue ball, the chalk wiped off.

 

Lu nodded her head, "Sounds good to me." She took the ball when it was handed to her and went to line up her shot. She hit it perfectly sending every ball careening around the table and sinking in a stripe. "Whoo! You sure you're up for this Zechs?"

 

While she was shooting, he was choosing his own cue stick, a faint smile upon his lips. “I’m sure, Noin. It’s still your turn, is it not?” Leaning against the wall, he watched carefully, not getting in her way just yet. Mind you, he had a few sips of the brandy within his glass, not setting it down yet.

 

Lu grinned and sank another stripe before there were too many solids in her way and it was finally Zechs' turn. "You're go Lightning Count." She sashayed her way back to her glass and took a swallow before leaning against the arm of the couch sitting before the coffee table to watch him.

 

In theory, it shouldn’t be hard to sink any of the targets. His form had improved drastically, and within moments, he had sunk two of the solids. Chalking up his stick, he started to make a judgement call- Where to go next? His stick wasn’t able to slip between any of the group comfortably for a lined shot… Taking the cue, he pointed it at severe angle, hopping the white ball as he had been taught to break up the others. Another solid sunk, though, so did the white on it’s back turn. “Three isn’t so bad. Your turn, <Min kärlek>.”

 

Noin bit her lip as she saw just how much Zechs' game had improved since the last time she'd played with him. She laughed a bit as the white ball sank as well, but refrained from commenting on it. She blinked at him for a moment stunned by the endearment but shook it off and moved back up to the table. A slight blush gracing her cheeks she pulled the cue ball out and lined up her next shot getting two stripes in with one hit. She knocked the last stripe in, though a little too hard as the white ball went with it. "Well, crap!" She giggled a bit and looked over at him, "You're go Zexy."

 

“You seem to be losing your game face, dear Lieutenant. You’re not that much of a lightweight, are you?” The rest of the solids were sunk, the last being the 8. Lining up the shot, the blond was bent over the table, sinking the last one, and just to be a show off, the white was shot across the table, ricocheting off of the board’s sides before landing in the pocket. across from where he shot from. “I believe I… What’s the term… Wiped the board clean?” A brow raised, taking a sip from his glass.

 

Lu sighed and downed the rest of her drink in a long swallow, "Show off. But I admit defeat. Should we play again?" She grinned at him, "Maybe a best two out of three?"

 

“Show off? I merely played the game as it should be played.” Setting the crystal glass down again, the blond pulled the setting triangle out and started placing the balls closest to him into it’s centre. “Shall I let you go first again?”

 

Noin smirked, "No, it's your turn to go first." She started pulling balls out of the pockets and placing them in the triangle as well. "I think we may be too good at this game. It's over so quickly." She chuckled.

 

The Count moved up beside her, a hand resting on her lower back. “We don’t need to continue to play, Lucrezia. We do have other options on how we can entertain ourselves.” The hand didn’t move, but if told to, he would back off.

 

Lu leaned into the hand with a smirk, "Oh? And what options would those be?"

 

“That depends on what you want, and if you’re feeling sober enough to consent.” Turning to lean his rear against the billiards board, he did gently pull her in front of him, arm still around her waist. “What would you like to do? The room is private; I’ve already scouted for cameras, and there’s none. It’s just you and me in here, and you’re quite the open book when it comes to your feelings.”

 

Noin's eyes narrowed as he spoke but she allowed herself to be pulled over. "Are you trying to use my feelings against me Zechs? Because that really isn't very nice." She'd noticed the lack of cameras herself while playing their game. "But considering I've only had one drink, I'm pretty certain I'm fine in that regard. What exactly did you have planned?"

 

“Do you really think I’d stoop that low? You wanted to know how I was feeling, and I’m letting you know how I feel about you.” Leaning down, he tipped her head upwards with a gentle nudge of his free hand. “You can tell me to stop, Noin. And I’ll release you and we never have to talk about this again. That’s what I have planned. I will never pressure you into something like this.”

 

Lu grinned, "No, you don't generally 'stoop' to anything." She cupped a hand to the side of his face and smiled, "You already know that I don't want you to stop. Show me how you feel."

 

No need to tell him twice. Zechs’ eyes closed, lips gingerly pressing against hers. It didn’t last long- Despite his confidence he gave off, romance wasn’t his thing. “My apologies… I haven’t had too much experience with this.” Finally, the alcohol was starting to kick into his system, allowing him to give a nervous chuckle. “They don’t teach you this when you’re getting ready for war…”

 

Lu giggled, "I was there duffus." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again simply learning how it felt. It wasn't as if she'd ever done anything like this either. She sank back on her heels and smiled at him, "Just do whatever you feel like doing. It's just us, no need to be awkward."

 

"That's what worries me. I don't know how to do this. I don't know what's natural." His heart was screaming at him, telling him what it wanted, the things he craved. On the other hand, his brain caused him to freeze up. His hand moved from her chin, and the blond maneuver into a squat only to lift the small woman up against his chest. Instead of her lips he kissed her jaw, moving along it with a kindness not many saw. "God, you're beautiful, Noin..."

 

Lu smiled at him again and wrapped her legs around him when he lifted her up. She shivered at the friction as his mouth moved along her skin, his words forcing a small moan to escape her throat. "Zechs~." She bent her head down to look at him and tangled a hand in his hair. "I love you. Just touch me."

 

It was the moan that would become his undoing. While he may have been leaning against the table, he easily started walk with her extra weight, and setting down on the couch within the room. “Love isn’t a strong enough word for the feelings that I have,” the Count uttered against her jaw, hands starting to unbutton her coat.

 

Noin grinned as Zechs took them across the room and sat them down on the couch another shiver running through her as he spoke. Honestly she could probably get off on just this man's voice, but bringing even more honesty to the party, she really wanted more than just his words. She let him remove her jacket, finally disentangling her fingers from his silky hair.

 

She bent her head and nuzzled his ear with her nose before nibbling on the tip of it, her hands now at work on the buttons of his own attire. She wanted him bare so that she could explore, she knew for the most part what he looked like, she'd bandaged him up enough over the years. But she'd never got to touch him, not like she wanted. She'd always thought he would rebuff her. If he was willing to allow it now though, she was going to take him up on the offer!

 

Several heart-stopping minutes had passed. Somehow, they had made their way around the room, landing on the floor somewhere along the way. Delicate hands traced along her body, the fair skin slightly marked from the roughness that somehow came natural. Despite this, in the back of his head he knew none of it would bruise terribly- Lucrezia had a tough hide. It took a moment for the Count to finally adjust from the woman wrapped around him, leaning on his forearm while looking down at her with a soft gaze. “Are you feeling alright, my jewel? You haven’t spoken much since you were up against the wall…” The curtain of hair had fallen of to the side he was leaning on. His free hand lifted from her side, pushing back the bangs away from his eyes.

 

Lu smiled up at him, "I'm fantastic, how are you?" She'd never had such a wild ride before and she would gladly do it again. She reached up and cupped his cheek, running her thumb back and forth over the skin. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

 

“Content. Very, very content.” He allowed for his head to gingerly lean into her hand, eyes closing for a moment. “My own beauty doesn’t hold it’s breath to yours, <min älskade.>” Leaning down, his swollen lips kissed her forehead, right at her hairline. “We’ve been gone for a while; Should we get dressed and leave? We can take a drive back home and you can stay the night more comfortably in bed with me than on the floor here.”

 

Noin smiles at him, "That sounds like a wonderful idea." She stretched languidly before rolling to her feet and beginning the search for her clothing. Chuckling, she has to comment, "I am never going to think about this room the same way again."

 

"Who said that you were ever going to be in this room again?" There was a soft huff, the blonde standing and wandering towards the pile as well. Once the clothes were sorted, he started to pull on his undergarments, turned away from her to give his Lieutenant the courtesy of privacy while she dressed. "Will you help tame my hair, Noin? I'm afraid that if I go out this dishevelled, someone will ask what happened."

 

Lu chuckled, "You never know. I may try to beat one of the boys at pool someday." She got dressed quickly and turned to Zechs at his comment, "Of course love." She blushed slightly before turning away again, not really sure why it was embarrassing to watch someone dress when she had just helped undress them. "Just let me know when you're ready." She ran her fingers through her own short hair to make sure it wasn't sticking out at odd angles.

 

It took the shuffling Count a tad longer than usual to get dressed, as he was in that state of... Well, the best way to say it was bliss. Alas, once all the buttons were done up, he beckoned her over, icy irises following her every move until she was behind him. "You seemed to enjoy playing with my hair during that incident. Tell me, what was it like, being able to control someone with just their hair?" There had been a few points where he had given her complete control, though his neck was now going to be sore after all of that.

 

Noin gave a wicked grin as she reached up to thread her fingers carefully through his hair to untangle it. "I did enjoy it, I adore your hair. The fact that you can be controlled through it is a rather large turn on. It was... exciting, but I also felt very loved that you allowed it."

 

"My head is one of those spots that... You could say is quite sensitive. Only a slight pull one way or another will cause me to crumble at very specific people's touch." At points where the knot was large and pulled his head, he didn't wince. Instead, he bit his tongue the to keep the goans that threatened to release inside him. "Thank you, Lu. For allowing for this to happen."

 

"Hmmm, so your head is very much like my back, interesting." She tried her best to be gentle when she found knots and worked through his hair quickly. "Any time. Thank you for allowing it yourself." She moved around in front of him to make sure his bangs settled properly and smiled at him. "All done."

 

A hand came up, cupping her cheek and brushing his thumb across her cheek. There seemed to be something on the tip of his tongue, the feeling that there was something that he wanted to say, but didn’t have the words. When he pulled away, a faint smile crossed his lips. “Come, spend the night with me. I’ll cook something in the morning for the two of us.” Zechs gestured to the door.

 

Noin smiled softly at him and leaned into the hand on her cheek, she could see it there, what he seemed to be wanting to say, but she could wait. “Hmmm, home cooking, when was the last time I had that?” Lu giggled as she moved to the door and unlocked it before tossing it open.

 

“The last time you spent the day with me, before we went on our missions.” He couldn’t help but watch her leave, following right behind her with no questions asked. “I should still have some food that’s good, but if not, I’ll get someone to pick it up for us in the morning, and we can have a late breakfast.”

Noin smiled, "That sounds good to me. And I was teasing about the last time I had home cooked food. I honestly think the only time I have it is when I spend time with you. I never take the time to cook for myself." She headed swiftly through the halls until they made it to the front doors. "Should we tell the boys we're leaving?"