Effecting Fate

Mission: Eden Prime

"Afternoon everybody, this is your handsome and talented pilot speaking. We will be leaving Arcturus Station in 30 minutes. Please make sure that your business on station is finished, and that everybody is at your station and ready to go at that time."

Shirou and Arturia listened to the announcement and pulled away from each other reluctantly.

For the past couple of hours they had taken the opportunity to bring each other up to speed on what the other had been up to. What they knew of how they came to be here, as well as what they had done up till them becoming N7's, all the while relishing the opportunity to just be in each other's arms.

Shirou sighed, "So, where exactly do we go from here?" He asked, to which Arturia gave him an arched look.

"I imagine we continue on our mission as we've been assigned." She stated in a matter fact tone. "Us being together hardly changes that." She sighed in annoyance, "As much as it frustrates me to admit it, we can't do anything about why the two of us were brought here, and from what you said, it sounds like Vivian had a hand in this, so I doubt it's detrimental to us at least." She concluded, her eyes narrowed in thought. "For now the best thing we can do is simply focus on completing our current mission and keeping an eye out for the reason why she would assist in bringing us here. Then, after we complete the mission, we'll return to Arcturus Station, and the moment we go on leave you shall be taking me out on a date."

Shirou, who had been listening and nodding along as she gave her analysis, felt his heart skip a beat as he registered her last sentence, and he looked up to see a small dusting of red that spread across her cheeks.

It was really an unfair advantage for her to look like that.

"Not that part," He said in a distracted tone, forcing his mind back to his concerns, "How do we explain that we know each other?"

He watched as Arturia's eyes narrowed in thought, and he could hear her growl under her breath, "I want to say that it's nobody's business but ours." She grumbled before sighing, "Unfortunately, I don't think that that explanation will work with my Father or Kay, and we'll also have a hard time hiding it from Uncle Anderson if we're going to be working under his command."

As she said that, he heard both fondness and exasperation in her voice and couldn't help but smile at it. She truly loved her family, both old and new, and from the sound of it she had taken advantage of this second chance to not to take either of them for granted.

Then again, I had done the same thing, Shirou thought with a slight chuckle while thinking of Ilya and Talitha, causing Arturia to look at him with a questioning look, "Yeah, it won't work for either of my sisters either." He said ruefully, "Plus, they'll probably be a bit suspicious that you look exactly like the 'pretty lady' I described to them all those years ago."

He saw her blush return and felt a sense of victory for being able to evoke that reaction in her.

From the connection they shared during the Fifth Grail War he knew she didn't particularly care how she looked - A side effect from pretending to be a boy for years. So he was always proud that he was able to make her feel that way by complimenting her.

Unable to resist the urge, he moved in and gave her a quick kiss, enjoying how her cheeks became more rosy in color.

She coughed in embarrassment, "So both of our families will be suspicious of our sudden relationship," She summed up quickly, sighing when he nodded in assent.

They stood in silent contemplation for a few moments, and he took the opportunity to run his hands through her golden hair, enjoying how she hummed in contentment. After a while of this, he spoke up hesitantly, "We could just take this slowly," He proposed reluctantly, "Pretend that we don't know each other until we have the opportunity to 'get to know each other'."