A/N: Hi guys! I wrote this for one of the most wonderful friends I've ever had, who also happens to be a huge LxK fan. You know who you are... Happy birthday, bro! Enjoy it. Review!

Kira flinches suddenly as the horrors in his dreams jolt him from his sleep. Instinctively, he reaches for the woman who should have been sleeping next to him, but she's not there.

"Lacus."

Her name falls clumsily from his lips as he rushes to get out of bed and pull on his clothes. Kira knows where she is already, but that doesn't stop him from worrying; it's the middle of the night after all, and Chairwoman Clyne is never far from danger.

He hurries out into the cool night air and is relieved to see his pink-haired lover sitting on a bench, eyes closed. Kira approaches her with a smile, and Lacus can feel his presence before he says a word.

"Couldn't sleep again?" she asks, opening her eyes to smile back at him.

"I was worried about you," Kira replies.

Lacus narrows her eyes but says nothing about him avoiding her question. Instead, she motions for Kira to sit down next to her, which he does.

"Lacus, you shouldn't unexpectedly leave in the middle of the night," Kira tells her.

She simply stares at him, and Kira softens.

"At least, not without me," he adds, as his arm encircles her waist.

"Do you think it isn't safe here?" Lacus inquires.

"Nowhere is quite safe for you," Kira points out, with a humorless chuckle. "If we know anything, it's that."

"I feel safe now," Lacus says softly.

She leans against him, her head on his shoulder, as Kira sighs. Lacus senses his distress and once again tries to determine the cause.

"Tell me what's wrong," she whispers.

"Nothing's wrong," Kira assures her.

Lacus laughs.

"We haven't been able to hide anything from each other for a while," she reminds him.

Kira smiles, nodding in acknowledgement at the truth of her statement.

"I've been having nightmares again," he admits.

"About the wars?" Lacus asks.

"Yes," Kira responds.

He falls silent again, and Lacus only gets more worried. She shifts so that they are facing each other, and reaches for his hand to take it in her own.

"Kira, aren't you going to tell me more?" she says gently.

"I wouldn't want to burden you with such minor things, Chairwoman Clyne," he answers.

Lacus is stunned, but she finds only sincerity in Kira's eyes. He is not being sarcastic or resentful; he fully supports her in nearly everything she does, including her choice to take on her most recent position. For this reason, he genuinely does not want to pile any extra stress on her.

"Have I been such a bad companion?" Lacus asks.

Kira's eyes widen in shock.

"No!" he exclaims. "Why would you think that?"

"You don't want to talk to me," Lacus points out.

"I don't want to burden you," Kira corrects her.

Lacus shakes her head as she stands up and starts pacing in front of the bench.

"Then I have failed in at least one way," she sighs. "We've never said it in so many words, but I thought you knew. Do you still not realize how important you are to me?"

Kira blinks, unsure of how to respond. He gets up and reaches out to touch her arm comfortingly, but she begins speaking again before he has the chance.

"I love you, Kira," Lacus confesses.

Kira is motionless for a moment, his hand completely frozen just centimeters away from her body. Then, the full weight of Lacus's words hits him.

His hands are suddenly at her hips, lifting her up in the air so that her lips descend onto his in a tender kiss. Her legs move unconsciously to wrap loosely around his torso, her arms around his neck. He smiles against her mouth, and she giggles.

Now, in this moment, they are not Chairwoman Lacus Clyne and Commander Kira Yamato, heroes of the century. They are Lacus and Kira, two people in love.

As they both pull back and Kira gently sets Lacus back down on the ground, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens his eyes again, they are immediately captured by Lacus's gaze. Undaunted, Kira prepares to make the same confession she had just seconds before.

"I love you too, Lacus," he tells her softly.

Kira smiles, and she smiles back at him.

"Now," Lacus replies, after a few moments. "Will you tell me what's wrong? You've been like this for months, Kira. Ever since the war ended, your smile hasn't quite reached your eyes."

Kira sighs and sits back down on the bench, his head in his hands.

"You can tell me anything," Lacus assures him.

She sits down next to him and puts a comforting around his shoulders.

"Have you ever thought about all the lives I've ruined?" Kira asks. "The families I've broken forever? How can I live here happily with you having done all that? I've killed people, Lacus. I've killed people. I'm a murderer."

His shoulders start to shake, and Lacus puts a hand on his cheek to direct his eyes towards hers.

"Kira," she says. "Have you ever thought about all the lives that you've saved? Coordinators, Naturals, adults, children. Everyone, Kira. You fought to save everyone."

The unshed tears glisten in Kira's eyes, and Lacus gives him a sad smile.

"You are not a murderer, Kira," she continues. "You are a hero."

"A hero doesn't kill people, Lacus," Kira tells her. "A hero saves people."

"You have saved people," Lacus responds. "You saved everyone, Kira! You helped end wars that were terrorizing people everywhere."

"But I did unforgivable things to do that," Kira sighs.

That's when the tears start to fall, and Lacus shakes her head.

"No, Kira," she says. "You are a good person who had to do terrible things to protect other people."

"That doesn't change the fact that I've done those things," he replies. "How can I sit here in this beautiful place with you after doing those terrible things?"

"If you hadn't done those things, more lives would have been lost," Lacus points out. "You might have been dead."

This statement doesn't seem to affect Kira, so Lacus tries again.

"I might have been dead," she adds quietly. "In fact, I would certainly have died if you hadn't fought to keep me and the others alive."

Kira's eyes widen, and his tears come to a sudden halt.

"Don't say that," he tells her, looking down. "Don't say that, Lacus."

"Are you suddenly scared to hear the truth?" Lacus asks. "You've been telling me about all these things that you've done, and that's the truth. This is also the truth—I would be dead if it weren't for you. All of our friends would also be dead. Half the soldiers in the world might be dead. These were the consequences of your actions. You cannot look only at the negative and tell me that you are unworthy of happiness. Think about all the good that you have done, Kira."

Lacus gently wipes away what tears remain on Kira's face. He manages a smile as he looks at her.

"I don't know what I did to be worthy of your love," Kira says. "But I'm glad to be by your side."

"I wouldn't have wanted anyone else here with me," Lacus tells him, with a small smile. "You didn't have to do anything for me to love you. You just had to be you, Kira."

His own smile grows wider.

"Let's go back inside," Kira suggests.

Lacus agrees and begins to get up, but Kira has already swept her off her feet, for the second time in one night.

"Kira!" Lacus exclaims, blushing.

He doesn't respond, but his smile gives away his thoughts. Lacus laughs as he carries her bridal style.

"I love you," Kira says again, even more quietly than the first time.

"I love you too," Lacus whispers back.

As they leave the pale moonlight and return to their room, they are both at peace.

Finally, they can be happy.