A/N: I'm a traitor to my cause. If you've read my other stuff, you're probably wondering why I wrote a 1xR. So am I. ;) Actually, this is all Kara's fault. If I wrote a 1xR, she said she'd write me a good 1x2 fic. Except that I like citrus, and she doesn't write citrus (or slash, for that matter), so I eagerly wait to see how she'll do.

P.S. Kara: Not only am I writing a het main romance, there won't be any slash couples in this fic. I went all the way. *sigh* That had better be a damn good 1x2…

Disclaimer: Wishing on stars apparently doesn't work, because I still don't own Gundam Wing. I'll keep trying though… I'm not making any money from this work.

Feels Like Home

By Shikata ga nai

~*~

Heero groaned as he opened his eyes. It was so brightly white around him that he had to squeeze them shut again immediately, and he waited a few seconds before he tried again. Slowly, cautiously, he peeped his eyes open and soon was blinking tears out of them. The blinding white light resolved itself into a dull glow of sunlight through alabaster curtains.

He sat up; he was in a bed he didn't recognize, wearing pajamas that didn't belong to him, staring in confusion at the decorations of a bedroom he'd never seen before. He did recognize his jeans and tank top, lying neatly folded on a dresser by the far wall, and pushed the bedcovers off to get up and change his clothes and then escape from wherever he was being held. No sooner did he put one foot on the plush white carpet than the door opened and someone walked in. He tensed, ready for a fight.

He wasn't ready for what he saw: a young woman dressed in jeans and a pink T-shirt, with her honey blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was carrying a tray with a bowl on it. She saw his position, raised an eyebrow, and walked towards him with the tray held out in front of her.

"Good afternoon, Heero. It's nice to see that you're up and about."

He gaped at her. "Re-Relena?"

She smiled at him and looked pointedly at the rumpled bed. Taking the hint, he sat obediently. Her smile got wider and she put the soup tray on the bed in front of him. "I brought you something to eat. I'm sure you're starving."

He opened his mouth to object, but his stomach growled loudly, betraying him. "Thanks," he said instead.

She fetched a chair from the bureau opposite the window and pulled it over to the bed to sit in while she watched him eat. After a few minutes of silence, she cleared her throat and answered the question he had been about to ask. "It's been three weeks since the battle with Mariemaia. What do you remember?"

He put down his spoon and thought. "I remember Mariemaia dying…and I dropped my gun…" Heero stared with intense concentration at the soup bowl. "That's all." He said finally.

She nodded, folded her hands on her lap, and began to fill in the hole in his memory. "After you dropped your gun, you fainted. I just managed to catch you. I nearly dropped you, too." He blinked at her and she grinned ruefully. "I've started a workout regime since then. How can I support the colonies in the quest for peace if I can't even hold up a person not much bigger than me?" She blushed and went back to her retelling.

"Mariemaia's not dead. She got to a hospital in time and now she's recovering under Lady Une's care. You were brought here, to my house, and put to bed. You stayed unconscious for two days and then spent the last three weeks sleeping a lot. You've woken up before now, but you weren't coherent and always went right back to sleep." Her gaze softened and something glowed in her blue eyes. "I guess that makes up for two years of lost rest, huh?"

"It's been more than two years. Three weeks of laying around is far too long. I should get going." Heero started to get up again, but was bodily pushed back down by a manicured hand. He stared at Relena in wonder. She was stronger than he remembered.

"The war's over, Heero." She said it softly, but was betrayed by the firm pressure of her hand on his chest and the expression on her face. It was like she was reprimanding a child. "You don't have to fight anymore. No more battle, no more missions, no more killing. You can live your life now. Take the time to recover fully. Not for me, not for the colonies, for you."

After a pause, the meaning of her statement sunk in and he looked up into her eyes. "All right," he said grudgingly, and lay back down.

She beamed at him and stood back. "Finish your food. Get some more rest. We can talk later."

"Hn." He picked up his spoon and resumed eating as the door shut softly behind her.

***

Heero couldn't remember falling asleep, but when he woke up it was morning instead of afternoon. Absolute sloth, he thought with shame, imagining Doctor J's reaction to this show of weakness. Sloppy--it will make you soft. Not like a soldier. Then he froze and shook his head. He wasn't a soldier anymore. Now he was just a normal boy, like any other. Just a normal boy who could bench press almost twice his own body weight, run five miles without getting winded, and take apart and reassemble any gun blindfolded. He stretched lazily. I'll probably never be normal. He got out of bed and started to put on his clothes. But I can sure as hell try.

Fully dressed, he walked out of his room and down the unfamiliar staircase, looking for the kitchen. He found it behind a light blue swinging door and nearly gave Pagan a heart attack when he walked in.

"My goodness!" the elderly butler exclaimed when his breathing had calmed down. "Master Yuy, you startled me! You certainly walk softly. Are you hungry?" He gestured to the table and poured a bowl of cereal. "The rest will just be a moment…"

Heero worked his way steadily through the bowl of cereal, as well as three eggs, bacon and a large stack of pancakes before he leaned back in his chair, stuffed. Pagan laughed. "Just a bit hungry, I would say."

Heero grinned and remembered his manners, taught so long ago as an afterthought to battle and espionage. "Thank you, Pagan," he said, recalling the man's name after what seemed like many years since learning it.

"It was my pleasure, Master Yuy. If I may ask, what did you plan to do today?"

"Uh…" No brilliant ideas lit up his mind. 'We can talk later…' "Where's Relena?" he asked finally.

"Miss Relena has a number of meetings to attend today. She did ask me to tell you, however, that she will be joining you for dinner, if you are willing."

"Of course." But how to spend the hours until then? Heero was still at a loss for what to do with himself.

Pagan intervened. "She also informed me that you were to have the run of the house and estate for the duration of your stay."

That was the best he could get for now. He nodded. "I'll just… go look around, then." He thanked the butler and left the kitchen.

Pagan clucked his tongue as the door swung shut. "Poor boy doesn't know what to do with himself," he muttered under his breath. "Fish out of water…"

***

Heero wandered around the expansive house aimlessly, half-heartedly trying to acquaint himself with its layout while he killed time. He passed an office, three sitting rooms, three bedrooms, one of which he presumed was Relena's, since it was pink; as well as a bathroom and a powder room. He lingered in the library, browsing the shelves absently before moving on.

On the third floor, he finally came across something to hold his attention: a home gym. He examined a treadmill, an exercise bike, pyramids of small weights, and a couple of heavier arm and leg apparatuses with a shade of approval. 'I've started a workout regime since then. How can I support the colonies in the quest for peace if I can't even hold up a person not much bigger than me?' The conversation from the day before came back to him. All of the equipment was probably new, then. His muscles felt soft from lack of use, and he still had about three hours before Relena would be home. With a shrug, he sat down on a mat and started stretching out his legs.

***

At four-thirty, Pagan knocked on the door to the gym and interrupted Heero's workout on the bench press. The boy put the bar back on its hooks and sat up, breathing heavily. Pagan smiled. "I just came to tell you that Relena is expected home at five. You may wish to have a shower and change your clothes?"

"Thank you, Pagan." Heero stood up and walked past the butler out the door and to his room. There was an adjoining private bathroom, where he stripped down and climbed into the shower. He just stood there with his face in the jet of water for a few moments, then pulled it out, gasped and shook his head, spraying water around. His arms and legs felt a bit like overcooked spaghetti from the exercise he'd gotten. So out of shape… He vowed to use the gym every day while he stayed here, until he was back to his former state of fitness.

After his hot shower, Heero climbed out and dried off, then stood in his room, wrapped in a towel, wondering what he could wear to dinner, since all he had was one set of clothes, which were now dirty. His gaze caught on the dresser and he walked over to stand in front of it. There won't be anything in here… But he pulled the top drawer open anyway, just to prove it to himself. His eyes widened when he saw several pairs of pants lying inside, neatly folded like his had been. He closed the drawer and jerked open the one below it: piles of shirts. The other two drawers held underwear, socks, and pajamas.

He pulled out trousers and a white button-down shirt and tried them on. Both were a perfect fit. Obviously Relena had used his clothes as a size guideline. He shook his head in disbelief at the kindness she had shown him: looking after him for three weeks, feeding him, giving him the run of the house, and now providing clothes for him to wear. He felt unworthy of the attention.

After a mostly futile ten minute battle to get his hair to do something other than hang in messy brown spikes, Heero walked downstairs to the dining room. Relena was sitting at the table reading documents from a file folder. She looked up at him and smiled. "I see you found the clothes we left. I was going to say something, but it slipped my mind." She gestured at the papers. "Too many other things to think about, I suppose," she said apologetically.

Heero shook his head. "It was no problem." He pulled out a chair directly across from her and sat down. "You had meetings today?"

"Yes. More discussions and legal paper trails to sift through in the disarmament process." She sighed. "But we're nearly there, I think."

Heero leaned back in his chair. "I suppose the Mariemaia Incident didn't help things much."

"No, it didn't," she agreed. "Still, I'm glad she's all right and the earth is still in one piece and everything."

He laughed. "True quotes from the Vice Foreign Minister, dedicated to total pacifism."

She grinned and started to giggle. Soon she was laughing and even Heero was chuckling softly. They carried on for a few moments until Pagan came in with the food trolley.

The old man smiled and cleared his throat. "I am pleased to see that Madam is having a good time, but if it would oblige her to clean up her mess so that I can serve dinner."

Relena sat upright and started to clear away reports. "Sorry, Pagan." But her eyes still sparkled with mirth.

They calmed down and all that could be heard for a while was the clinking of cutlery against china. Then Relena spoke up again. "You wanted to talk some more?"

He nodded. "What happened to the other pilots?"

She stopped her fork halfway to her mouth and put it down. "I've only heard from Quatre. He called to ask me how you were doing. He's living on his home colony, managing the Winner estate. As for the rest of them, I don't know." She saw him frown. "I can find out for you, if you want."

"That would be good. I want to get in touch with them. If it's not too much trouble."

She waved dismissively. "None at all. I'm the Vice Foreign Minister. They let me get away with rather a lot." She smiled again and chuckled lightly.

That settled, they were quiet again. Then she remembered. "I have the day off tomorrow, do you want to go do something?"

"Like what?" Heero looked at her quizzically as he chewed his steak.

She grinned. "You can ride a horse, right?"

**********