"One...two...three...four..."
As the little boy counted, Noin immediately dashed away...Zechs at her heels.
"Five...six...seven..."
Noin hurried inside the study, crawling underneath the table in the center of the room. She pulled her knees up immediately upon entering, allow Zechs more room as he joined her.
"You could get your revenge you know." Noin told him softly, shifting aside to let him sit next to her. "Find a different hiding place, make it hard for him. I know you don't get along with children very well."
"You'd be annoyed at me if I chose to do such a thing." Zechs responded simply.
"Oh I won't." Noin scoffed.
"Fifteen!" The little boy called loudly. "Ready or not! Here I come!" Footsteps were heard as he scuttered away in search of them. Noin muffled her giggles by burying her face upon her knees -- her body shaking with repressed giddiness.
The footsteps came closer. They held their breath and waited, as they paused and shuffled...the boy taking a glance around the room, wondering.
A few minutes later, still unbeknownst of their presence, he scurried out the room to explore another, as determined as ever to find them.
As soon as his footsteps disappeared down the hall, Noin and Zechs exhaled, Noin releasing her giggles afterwards -- her dark eyes twinkling.
She poked Zechs around the rib cage area teasingly.
"You don't intend to lose to him, do you?"
"I don't lose, especially not in games like this." Zechs smirked.
"Oh you lost in hide and seek once." Noin mused, pursing her lips. "The last game of hide and seek you played...you lost."
Zechs raised an eyebrow at her. "How so?"
"I knew you for about four months when that happened." Noin smiled mysteriously. "I was searching for you one evening, needed to ask you something. I went through every hall in the East Wing dormitory trying not to pay attention to the catcalls of the others residing there. I finally found you much later, passed out and as drunk as a lord under the library study table. You, the stress of schoolwork and a newfound love for fine wine." Noin shook her head. "I helped you back to your room."
She suddenly felt his eyes upon her, gazing upon her intently.
"What happened afterwards?" Zechs inquired.
In her mind, the little memory played -- setting Zechs upon his bed, getting him to take his shirt off and offering him his nightclothes. As he changed clumsily, Noin's back to him...there she learned how he had arrived there, what he was being trained for, why. That past that was gossip in between tray lunches at the cafeteria as he passed by, the man behind the silver mask.
It was the first time she saw him without the mask.
The first time....
"Noin."
His hand was upon hers, just like that evening.
Noin turned to him -- and was surprised to find his face very, very close to hers.
Zechs smiled triumphantly at her.
"One of those times I managed to outdo you myself, Noin?"
"Hmmm..." Noin was thoughtful. "Well, how nice. You conceited bastard." Her tone was playful, the taunt musical to him somewhat. He chuckled quietly, as he kissed her arm, below her chin, then met her lips -- tasting and delving into her.
It took all of Noin's willpower to nudge him away before his kisses take them any further. "Lest we forget, we're babysitting." She reminded him.
"We're still in hiding." Zechs said innocently, looking at her in silent appeal.
Noin shook her head. "Off time love for later, I promise." She winked, brushing away a stray lock of his light blonde hair away from his face.
"Aha!" The tablecloth lifted, and a pudgy face peered at them, grinning proudly. "Found ya! Found ya!"
"Oh no!" Noin laughed as the little boy ran off again, and she slipped out from under the table to chase after him. Zechs protested, unable to squeeze out as Noin did and limped after them after bumping his shin on the leg table.
He caught up with them a second too late, back to where the boy started counting. He was cheering for himself, having beaten the grown ups at his game. Noin shook her head as she watched him, then turned her gaze back to Zechs.
A millisecond smile, a mutual memory of the a promise saved for later.
~owari~
