Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Summary: An arranged marriage? Some complications. Will true love prevail? Relena is being forced into an arranged marriage with Duo's one true love. But what does she have to say on the subject. AU. Heero x Duo.
I never wanted an arranged marriage. I was completely against it, and if I hadn't been such a horribly pleasant and charming young women, I would've chucked an absolutely humongous tantrum over the whole affair. I knew it had been an option my parents were considering, I'd even met most of the young men that I could quite possibly end up engaged to, but in my life as a Princess I always dreamed that the Prince Charming I'd have to marry would be someone I would fall in love with.
The thing is, after having met my future husband for the first time in the Royal Garden on the day of his arrival, I was actually feeling quite obliged to court and be courted by the absolutely gorgeous blue eyed adonis, Heero Yuy.
He just wasn't quite so pleased to be meeting me.
It wasn't anything in the way he acted towards me, on the contrary he was perfectly polite and even somewhat flirtatious on occasion...ok once, but even someone without half a brain could realise he was completely and absolutely in love with someone else.
That someone else was Duo Maxwell.
After I realised what an absolute God my future husband to be was, I couldn't help but sit around and just watch him. Nothing too obvious mind you, like staring at him across the dinner table, but by slightly more subtle means. Such as out the window while he was in the garden. Ok, yes, I had binoculars. Who could blame me. I swear he never really noticed. Or maybe he did, and it was all some big hoax to get me to break it off, but I'd prefer not to think of it that way.
In my observations of Heero Yuy, I nearly always ended up observing his best friend, Duo Maxwell who had accompanied him on his trip to meet with me. He was also a rather gorgeous young man, humorous and as charming as they come, and despite his less than warm greeting when he arrived, I became rather attached to him as well.
I thought it was incredibly sweet that Heero had such a close friend to confide in - which I knew he did - and was quite entertained just watching them 'stuff around'. They'd chase each other around the garden, leaping over hedges and splashing through the pond. Tackling each other on the grass and rolling all over the lawn. It made them look so much younger, and incredibly innocent. Which is probably why it took me so long to realise that there was something more between them and that it was tearing them both up that Heero would soon be married to me.
The first moment I actually acknowledged as more than friendship was on a day the same as any other. They were playing around outside amongst the hedges and Duo was trying to catch Heero. When he caught him from behind, his arms clamped over Heero's and instead of releasing him and tearing off so Heero would have to chase him, he just kept holding on. They both stilled for a minute, then Heero said something that caused Duo to shake his head and bury his face between Heero's shoulder blades. His arms loosened slightly, allowing Heero to turn around and they clung to each fiercely, rocking back and forth.
At that point I turned away, unable to watch any longer. I'd thought the engagement was going so well. I'd thought he'd been quite happy. It turned out he was. Just not quite so happy as he would've been if it had of been Duo.
From that point on I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing. Was I supposed to try and win Heero over, or should I attempt to encourage his relationship with Duo. I was so confused by the situation that I think I ended up doing both.
I insisted Heero go everywhere with me, cutting into his afternoon hours with Duo, but then I removed Duo from his downstairs rooms and placed him in the suite next to Heero saying that if my best friend had been staying I wouldn't want to walk all the way down three flights just to talk in the middle of the night.
I'd invite him to romantic outings and take him out to dinner, the opera and plays. But an attack of conscious would suddenly take over so I'd hurt myself 'accidently' or fake sickness and then send him with Duo claiming you couldn't very well waste the booking.
I'd see them together and tear over to break them up, only to waltz away again suddenly pretending I had duty's to attend to when I'd simply run out of things to say.
I sat in my room at night and cried and the oddest thing about the entire situation was that I wasn't crying just for me. I was crying for them.
I knew Heero wasn't going to break it off himself and I think Duo understood that even if he didn't like it.
The decision was up to me. Defy my parents and make Heero happy, or make all three of us incredibly sad.
I always wanted true love - admittedly beneath the girly facade I thought that idea was a little cheesy - but I wanted it just the same. Who was I to deny someone else theirs?
The night I made that decision they were standing beside the water fountain, their fingers entwined, practically kissing as they gazed into one another's eyes. (My camera has a fabulous zoom). I snapped the shot, loaded it onto my computer and printed it out, resolving to hand it, along with the engagement ring, to Heero the following morning.
I expected to be sad and I guess I kind of was, but I was definitely way more amused than anything else when I marched into Heero's bedroom at nine am.
As soon as the double doors swung open he jerked upright, his hair mussed, his gaze slightly blurry and I think I half died at the sight of his bare chest. His first reaction was to glare furiously at my intrusion but as soon as he realised exactly who I was he began to look mildly horrified due to the fact that there was a figure not quite hidden beneath the covers, lying in the bed beside him...on him...around him...
Whatever.
It really was such a shame that I wasn't going to be able to wake up next to that particular image every morning.
His eyes followed me as I calmly walked around to his side of the bed and I couldn't help but lean in and kiss him on the nose before I passed him the photo and engagement ring. He stared at his picture for a few moments then clenched the ring in his fist before he turned to face me again, looking ashamed.
I forced myself to smile warmly and managed to form words that indicated that his situation was perfectly fine by me and I'd fully support him when he chose to tell his parents and anyone else for that matter.
It was a hard thing to say and it was hard to say yes when he asked me if I was serious, but I couldn't help but feel slightly amused and happy I guess, by his sudden excitement even if he did ignore me completely in favor of his current bed companion. Besides, it was damn cute to see the way in which he began prodding Duo awake.
I gave one last smile before I walked back out into the hall, listening carefully to his tone of the delighted whispers until the door swung closed again, shutting me out.
A sudden jolt of loneliness hit me and I'd like to say I didn't regret breaking off my engagement to Heero Yuy, but I did. I had to pull up a mental image of the photo I'd taken to remind myself of what I truly wanted.
I wanted that. That closeness. That trust. That love.
I would never have that with Heero.
I would have to find it with somebody else.
A loud thump and a yelp followed by the crash of Heero's doors flying open made me swing back around in time to see Duo Maxwell dressed...well, not dressed, but...with a sheet...sort of...covering...at least his private parts, thankfully. He stopped in front of me, his mouth open in amazement and his enviable amount of hair falling in a tangled mess around his chest and shoulders.
"You knew." He finally choked out, adjusting the linens and sweeping a hand across his face.
"I knew." I said.
He glanced away for a second before asking me what he really wanted to know. "And it's ok?"
I smiled. "Perfectly."
The grin that spread across his face was beatific, even more so when Heero, who had at least managed to find some trousers, came hurtling out the door behind him.
Duo's surprised laugh almost turned into a sob as he suddenly wrapped an arm around my neck, giving me a quick hug. I was quite shocked when he suddenly planted a huge kiss in the middle of my forehead before turning to tackle Heero almost losing his sheets in the process.
I think I received my first ever real smile from Heero as he glanced at me over Duo's shoulder. I couldn't recall having seen him so happy and I felt the prickly sensation of almost tears as I realised again what I hadn't found.
He had found it though. And Duo had found it. And I could still hope to find something just as powerful. But this was theirs, and as I watched their attentions turn to one another, I suddenly felt as if I'd intruded long enough.
I'd have my own one day.
Well, I put this up once before, was completely ashamed of it and took it down again. It still mortifies me, but I figure you may as well have it anyway as it's just sitting there with everything else. At least it's finished.