the last request

chapter 13 love

M-Mr. Walker?" Lou Fa said meekly, walking into the hospital room with a huge cart, which was creaking rather severely under the weight of all the food, apparently having been under the completely correct impression that Allen was probably hungry.

"Oh, hi, Lou Fa…" Allen said with a polite smile.

"I-I… umm… brought some food for you. You looked hungry yesterday, so I thought maybe you hadn't been eating enough."

It was true. Allen was hungry, and he hadn't been eating nearly enough, as the hotel that they had been staying in would have charged a huge bill for such large meals, and Allen was fairly sure that the Order wouldn't pay that kind of bill. It was stingy of them, but Allen had never heard of such misers like the Catholic Church.

"Thank you very much! I'm starving, actually…" Allen said, his stomach growling, as if for emphasis. Lou Fa giggled at this, then pushed the tray over to Allen's bedside, sitting down on the other side, looking nervously at Allen.

"Y-you and Miss Lee are in love… A-aren't you… Mr. Walker?" Lou Fa asked, blushing heavily at her own question. She knew that she couldn't avoid the subject forever. But it was hard to bring it up right now, especially the day after she had seen Allen and Lenalee kissing like that.

"Y-yes… Well… I-I'm in love with her. I-I don't really know how she feels about it…" Allen said, glancing from the floor to the ceiling, apparently feeling uncomfortable.

"She is." Lou Fa said simply. "I see the way she looks at you. You and she have something special… And… I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Walker…"

For a moment, Allen was surprised. Was Lou Fa moving again to a different HQ? It didn't seem likely. She had just been transferred to Main HQ, and American and Australian HQ were still being rebuilt after the massive attacks on them from a few months before. Then it dawned on him, though, and he felt like slapping himself for being so dense. Had Lou Fa liked him all this time?"

"H-how long?" was all Allen could say.

"Ever since you first came to Asian HQ to restore your Innocence."

"I'm sorry. I should have noticed then."

"No! Please don't apologize! I'm so happy that I got to meet you. That we got to be friends, and that I got to move to the same headquarters as you! I'm happy that you're even still willing to talk to me. I-I saw how close you and Miss Lee were, and… I was really jealous. I shouldn't have been, and I'm sorry!"

"It's alright… There's nothing to apologize for… Oh, and, could you do me a favor?"

"Yes! Of course! Anything!" Lou Fa said excitedly, her eyes lighting up, her back going straight and rigid.

"Call me Allen? Being called Mr. Walker makes me feel like an old man…" Allen said with a laugh.

"Y-yes… Sure… Allen…" Lou Fa said, blushing lightly, but feeling happier than she had in a long time.

"I hope you get well soon, Allen! The R&D Department has created a new line of uniforms. They're able to fit any body type, can become nice and cool in warm weather, will instantly become dense and warm in cold weather, and is made with the strongest materials, woven in with nanomachines so that it can adjust itself to resist even the most powerful physical attacks, but it's still flexible enough to give your body a full range of movement! We're calling them Smart Suits!" Lou Fa said, her voice rising in urgency. It was at times like these that Allen realized just how very much like a scientist she really was. She was nearly ecstatic over the R&D Department's triumph in this area, and couldn't wait for someone to test the uniform out. Allen laughed upon seeing how happy she was.