A/N: Written for the OTP Boot Camp at the Anime/Manga challenges forum, pairing: Athrun/Meyrin and prompt #032 – neon. Also written for the 100_tales on livejournal, prompt #022 – pink and group: Athrun & Lunamaria.

Minor Interior Design

Lunamaria rolled her eyes at the interior design. 'I don't know what made you think neon pink looks good in brown carpets –'

Athrun blushed. 'Actually, that's just…paint.'

'Paint,' the woman repeated, scrutinising the carpet again. 'And what were you doing with paint on your carpet?'

'Painting,' the other replied, as though it were obvious. Which it should have been; what else did one do with paint?

'On your carpet?'

'I had newspapers out.' Athrun sighed. 'I only forgot they were the same batch that the kids had been using before, so…'

'So?' Lunamaria arched an eyebrow, having a good idea where this was going but wanting to hear the famed war hero say it himself.

'So even the ones they didn't cut have holes in it.'

'And you piloted the Justice?'

'This isn't a battlefield, Lunamaria,' Athrun sighed, a little exasperated at the turn of conversation. 'Why are you here anyway?'

The woman sniffed. 'That's rather rude…and how many times to I have to tell you to call me Luna?' She shook her head, not waiting for an answer. 'I'm checking out your living room; what does it look like I'm doing? Geeze, those paint fumes…'

Athrun went awkwardly stiff. 'I've only got space for one,' he said.

Lunamaria waved a hand. 'Meyrin, I know. Shinn and I are staying with Kira and Lacus at the orphanage anyhow.'

'They're back?' Athrun asked in surprise. Last he'd talked with the pair, they'd been aboard the Eternal on a memorial visit to Jachin Due. He had chosen not to go, not only because he was occupied with other matters pertaining to Orb where he now lived, but because he didn't feel up to visiting his father's death site. Particularly with the way things had ended…

'Yeah, they're back.' Athrun snapped back to the present, with Lunamaria glaring. 'What sort of friend are you to not know that?'

'Well, I haven't checked my – ' Athrun began, before catching the twitching lips. 'Lunamaria!'

She relented, letting out a fullblown grin. 'They're the ones who told me they were going to surprise you.'

'That'll be a bit tough to do,' Athrun said dryly.

'Oh, whoops.' The woman shook her short-cropped hair. 'Never mind that anyhow; my sister is going to be staying with you, so you'd better get your apartment back into shape.'

'It's only a little paint – ' Athrun began to protest.

'And you think Meyrin won't notice?' Lunamaria shot back. 'She's not a profession at Informations for nothing, you know. And wouldn't you rather she focused on something else?'

Somehow, the question came out far less suggestive in the Mobile Suit Pilot's crisp voice.

Athrun shook his head. 'I think I'm more surprised you're not pulling the big-sister act on me.'

'Why should you be surprised at all?' the woman asked. 'And I'm no match for you anyhow…' She trailed off, before grinning again. 'But since I'm staying with Kira, I don't need to be.'

'Kira's too nice for the macho act.'

'Oh, I think I can convince him.'

The problem was, she probably could. Kira was still gullible, but two wars had hardened him.

'Now, the paint –'

'It's the odourless sort.'

'Oh?' Lunamaria sniffed the air experimentally. 'It is.' At Athrun's sigh of relief, she narrowed her eyes. 'But pink spots on a brown carpet? Neon pink?'

'It was an accident.'

And they were back at square one. But Athrun wasn't regretting offering Meyrin Hawke his one spare bedroom.