Author's Note, OCTOBER 2014: I'm back. I'm currently cleaning up this story, and will be uploading fresh chapters, soon. Please feel free to reread the entire thing, once I've announced that I'm done with clean up. There's going to be a lot of trimming, and I don't want my reader's confused, so If you just give me a couple weeks, I should have a MUCH better story for you to sink your teeth into. TIA!

-Bear

A/N: Now, truly, if I have ever been cruel to you, it is now. This may end up reading as a one-shot, but it is not. Nope. It's actually something that's been brewing in my head for a while. So, while I have a moment and the right direction, I'm going to spit out the first chapter, but I'm afraid you'll all have to wait until after I finish my other two long ones before I move any further than this chapter with this piece. Um….I love you guys…?

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

When honest with herself, Relena had to admit that she was a bit picky about her coffee. For years, she tried to hide it, but the fact was she hated when other people made her coffee. Oh, she knew how to graciously thank the giver, offering them a genuine smile, and forcing herself to take a satisfied looking sip with her poker face intact, but as soon as they left the room, she frowned, pushing it away. Granted, there were little concerns from the Type A part of her personality; fear of the age of the creamer, cross contamination in the sugar, the use of a dirty spoons or dirty pot, and usually it would be too hot or worse, too cold; but mostly she was upset that no one ever got the flavor right.

And her pretense would have lasted flawlessly, too, if the world's most observant soldier hadn't been her body guard for so long. Once or twice he might have seen it and thought nothing of it, but he'd stuck around long enough to clearly see it was a pattern. Relena Darlian was addicted to coffee, but she only drank it when she made it, herself.

Whenever those moments came, where some well-meaning bystander would bring her a cup, she'd put on her little act, but she'd feel him watching her. She was sure that if she turned quickly enough, the humor in his eyes would grace his lips with a smile, as well.

"Stop looking at me like that," she'd scold him when she pushed the cup away.

"I tried," she'd argue with the silence that hung between them.

"You just can't understand, can you?" She'd exclaim in exasperation.

"And besides," she'd add. "I have to make time to make my own coffee. It's like therapy. It's my—me time."

And did he ever say a word? No.

But he knew.

So why did he bring her a cup of coffee that day? Yes, she was late, but he knew better.

Relena's azure blue eyes widened as they fell on the steaming mug in front of her. She swallowed, looking up at him inquisitively.

His Prussian blues narrowed, challenging her to trust him.

Determined that she didn't want to insult him by letting it sit all day, she shook her head, pushing it back. "Thank you, no."

Heero Yuy grinned, pushing the cup closer to her, again. "You can't offend me," he answered her.

As Relena gave in, reaching for the cup, she noted that her fingers were trembling. She couldn't be sure if it was her need for caffeine after a long, sleepless night and a rushed, late wakeup call, or if it was panic over the fact that she felt her relationship with Heero, the most important friendship she'd ever had, might be on the line, in spite of what he said.

Or was there a third alternative that rattled her emotions?

Her soft, moist lips touched the porcelain, heat rising to meet her in the ascending steam and through the solid surface of the insulating mug. A passing fear crossed her mind about the liquid being too hot, and scalding the delicate surface of her mouth, but she suppressed it. She made solid eye contact with her companion as she allowed the liquid to trickle over her tongue.

It was—perfection.

Automatically, Relena's eyes rolled shut, savoring the drink. It was everything. The slightly smoky, fresh flavor, the temperature; and to be honest she was almost certain it was carefully assembled under the same pristine conditions she'd always worked, if not more so.

"Oh, my God," she moaned. "How—?"

Heero shook his head and walked quietly away.

:::

It only took a few months for Relena to realize just how much she enjoyed Heero making her coffee. He only did it on days when she was late, and she began to notice she was running late more and more. The actual epiphany came in the shower. She had at some point—though she wasn't sure when—begun sleeping naked on occasion. It wasn't a common thing, but she would. On the morning of the realization, she was naked. As was their new tradition, Heero came into her room to rush her out of bed a good twenty minutes after her "late" wakeup time. He noted her naked shoulders and neck and turned away, a flush creeping suspiciously up his neck as he growled something about hurrying into the shower. Once the door closed behind him, she gingerly dragged herself into the bathroom and lingered under the steaming water. She considered rushing, but again chose to relax instead. A smile alighted her face as he finally made the conscious decision, one she'd been making unconsciously for months, to take her time and ensure that Heero made her coffee.

She actually preferred it at his hand.

And then she realized she was sleeping naked and sleeping in so she could manipulate him into prepping her morning caffeine.

Did she feel guilty?

Sometimes.

Was she going to change it?

Nope.

:::

Months came and went, and Relena's habits fluctuated. At some points, he was making her morning fix three times a week, and at another she hadn't had his creation in a three months, straight. It was during an ebb of the routine that everything changed.

Relena fell asleep naked and woke naked. Heero refused to look at her as he called her back to consciousness, though he'd long since become immune to the embarrassment she used to cause him. She was easily twenty five minutes late, and to his chagrin she insisted on a shower. (After all, a woman's hair never cooperates like it should unless freshly showered.)

After the shower, Relena slipped down the stairs, finally ready to face the early summer morning, and found Heero waiting for her with her coffee in hand.

"Perfect," she whispered after the first steamy swallow. "Mmmm—I love you."

Through her morning fog, Relena could still see Heero's entire body tense when the words slipped past her lips. Every alarm in Relena's body was going off in a panic, but she couldn't find the words to backpedal. "Heero, I—"

"We're late, Vice Foreign Minister," he said in an abnormally icy tone.

"No, I know that. I was just—"

"Let's go." He turned from her, moving quickly toward the door.

"I'm coming. I just wanted to say—"

"Get in the car," Heero said, cutting her off, yet again, with a strangely deep and unfamiliar voice.

"Heero. What I meant—"

"Get in the car," he said, again. She could hear the patience running out, but she had to fix this.

"Dammit, Heero. If you're mad at me, we need to deal with this right now."

When his eyes met hers she froze in terror. It felt as though he suddenly, for the first time in years, intended to do her harm. "Get. In. The. Car."

"I won't let our friendship—"

His final statement, threateningly quiet, held the potential energy of an imminent eruption, burning with barely restrained fury. "Get in the fucking car."

Relena's balled fist came to her chest in a defensive stance, shock washing over her. Heero Yuy had never spoken in such a tone to her, and he had certainly never sworn at her. "Heero," she whispered, barely over a sigh.

Fighting to appear strong, she straightened her back, setting the coffee down on a table at the bottom of the stairs as she marched out the door. She refused to lose control to her trembling emotions, but she felt as though she was finally being brought before a firing squad.

Sitting against the window furthest from her security chief, Relena kept up the good fight. The silence between them had never been so pregnant or uncomfortable. His unusual temperament was eating at her and she felt helpless.

"Move away from the window," Heero reminded her, without even looking over.

"Heero, can we please talk about this?" She pleaded softly.

"There's nothing to discuss," he said, effectively ending the conversation.

Relena's greatest resolve gave out, allowing all the questions and panicked thoughts to plague her mind throughout the day. She wasn't angry, so much as perplexed and shocked. Ever firm as he was, Heero had always been extremely kind to her, even when he disagreed, so this morning's behavior was completely out of the ordinary. She fought back the taunting thought that she had angered him with her loose tongue, but she had to admit, something was amiss. Forgiving the action was not a problem, since it was out of character, of course. After all, who had never had a bad day and been unnecessarily hot headed to someone they'd otherwise shown only respect? She had more than enough grace to cover the unusually sharp flare of his temper, but what would be so weighing on his mind that her foolish terms would have inflamed him?

She had to get out of the office to make things right with her best friend, but when afternoon finally came, her office door opened, and in stepped Preventer Chang, one of Heero's trusted comrades.

Relena hid her fist under the table, digging her nails into her palm in frustration. "Where's Heero?" She asked in a demure tone.

"Officially, I am not privy to that information."

She stood, looking out of her window and over the view.

"Unofficially," Wufei Chang continued, causing Relena to peer at him over her shoulder. "I wouldn't be expecting to hear from him anytime soon, if I were you."

Relena couldn't hide the hurt on her face. "Well, what do you know?"

Wufei walked over, gripping her upper arm in a firm, but supportive hold. "I'm not sure what's happened between you two, but he's resigned his post. He's no longer the Chief of your Security, Relena."

Relena flushed with anger, trying to step back, but Wufei held her still.

"Relena? He asked me to see to you, himself."

She looked up at him with a million questions in her eyes.

"He cares to keep you safe."

Relena nodded, accepting the other Gundam Pilot's impression of the sentiment. But why did it make her feel no better?

:::

"I need to make coffee," Relena said cryptically to Wufei.

The Chinese warrior nodded, leading her to a break room and closing them both in, away from distractions. As requested, Heero's ally had stayed by Relena' side for nearly a year, taking on Heero's position in the Foreign Minister's staff.

Relena took her time, carefully wiping clean the coffee pot, one piece and then the next, so the machine was entirely spotless before she used it. From a locked shelf, high in the cabinets, Relena pulled down a bottle of filtered water, a sealed bag of coffee beans and a small, hand cranked grinder. She took her sweet time tending to the beans, measuring and grinding them for a precise taste and texture when she finally brewed the concoction. Finally, she lifted her porcelain to her lips, tasting the drink, which was a little hotter than she ever really liked.

"Yesterday was my birthday," she finally said, breaking the silence that hung between herself and her Chief of Security.

"I'm aware of that," he answered, crossing his arms as he observed her from against the door.

She gave him a small, sad smile before looking back into the cup. "He didn't come," she said in an even more tender voice.

Wufei lifted his chin ever so slightly, allowing himself to be attentive.

"For the last twelve years, he's visited me on my birthday every year," she said, clearly speaking about Heero. "It never failed. But this year, he didn't. I'm twenty-eight and he didn't even come home to say happy birthday."

Wufei opened his mouth to point out the pointlessness of the birthday celebration, but thinking better of it, he closed himself in, sinking again into silence.

"I've been lying," she sighed, sliding down a cabinet to the floor.

Wufei studied her, curious of her confession.

"I'm such an idiot," she groaned. After several seconds of useless sulking she brought her drink back to her mouth.

Wufei looked away in disinterest.

"I know why he left," she whispered.

His gaze darted back to her. Allowing his own curiosity to lead he stepped closer, sinking to the floor opposite her, where he could get better reception of her emotional mumbling.

"It was the coffee," she pouted. "I always loved it when he made my coffee."

Chang raised an eyebrow in surprise. Surely this woman didn't like someone else's coffee.

Relena nodded expressively, looking into her cup. "I think it was an exclamation, really. I'm not even entirely sure I wasn't talking to the coffee, itself."

"What did you say?" He pressed in annoyance of her delays.

Relena closed her eyes and frowned. She didn't want to think about this. "'I love you'."

Relena dropped head and Wufei raised his. Mischief was in his eyes as he looked over her. A dangerous smirk played at his lips.

"You weren't talking to the coffee," he stated, in his characteristically cocky tone.

"You don't know that," she snipped in defense.

"Ha!"

Relena's shoulders dropped. If her current Chief of Security was convinced she was in love with Heero Yuy, how was she ever supposed to convince Heero it wasn't true?

But had that ever been that option?

"And I assume that you're hypothesis is that Heero left because he doesn't love you, and your falling in love with him would have destroyed your friendship? Am I right?"

Relena turned her head a little further from him, wishing she could sink into herself like a turtle when threatened.

"You're correct in assuming that Heero Yuy took off because you professed your love to him, but the rest of your analysis is wrong, Peacecraft."

Relena peeked at him from behind her cooling mug.

"Heero left because he cares for you, and being the coward he is, he's never been prepared to face that."

Relena scoffed lightly.

"Trust me, Relena. Of the two of us, I'm the one who has no personal stock in this debate, so I have a better view as an outside observer."

The blonde set her cup on the floor, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

"The trouble lies in this, however," he continued.

Relena looked up at him through nervous eyes.

"If you spoke your endearment aloud, intentionally or otherwise, and he pushed you away, he has spit upon your offer of intimacy. In other words, you showed him your heart and he rejected it."

Tears finally came to her eyes as his words rang true. He had rejected her, and she was still feeling it, even now.

"And that, I'm afraid," he said, touching her leg in friendly comfort. "Is a hard mistake to remedy."