For You
Ninjette Twitch
~*~v~*~
It was another night, another party and another reason to get overly dressed up. She was really tired of all the formalities sometimes. It was part of her job to attend these fancy get-togethers, and she knew how to put on a good show. She'd been in politics long enough to know how to control her outer image. Inside, she was annoyed and tired. Outside, she was poised and perfect. Her face would show nothing of the boredom she felt inside. Instead, it would show interest in what was going on around her. She would talk to everyone as if she really cared about what they had to say. For the most part, she didn't. Many times these occasions were used to show off a high arch's new home or to convince other politicians to join their cause. Tonight was something far less impressive. It was her birthday.
Yes, her birthday. To her, it was just another day. She'd had far too much going on to worry about celebrating something so tedious. Too many bills she was trying to pass. Too many conferences she had to go to. Too many stacks of paperwork that needed her attention. Her ideal birthday would be to get away from all of this mess; to sit in a quiet room with a book, or have a nice dinner with just her friends. A small cake, a few drinks. Yeah, now that would be a good time.
A knock came at her door. It was time. Time to endure the looks, the 'Happy Birthdays', the classic dancing and swaying and 'Thank yous.' She stared into the vanity at her reflection, putting the last few clips into her curled hair that twisted and cascaded around her shoulders.
"Come in," she sighed, picking up a dangling silver earring with a small tear-dropped diamond latched onto the end. The door opened but she didn't look to see who it was. She already knew. His presence changed the air in the room. She knew the second he walked in. Her stomach filled with butterflies whenever his eyes landed on her, and she could feel his stare from across the room.
She smiled, as she heard the door close behind him and his feet padded across the room towards her. She slipped her last earring in as his footsteps stopped behind her. She saw him in the mirror, his Prussian blue eyes meeting her gaze in the reflection.
"Are you ready?" His voice came out in a soft growl. Classic Heero. She twisted around in her chair, craning her neck to look him up and down.
"Uh huh," she said, her smile widening. He was dressed up for this affair in a black tux. His hair was unkempt, as always, and she doubted it would ever be any different. She hoped not at least. She loved his hair. His tux molded nicely to his body, showcasing the rippling muscles that lay beneath the fabric. It was a reminder of how strong and dangerous he truly was.
Although she couldn't see it, she knew there was a gun somewhere on his person. As a Preventer, he was never without one. Despite her pacifism, she found that very sexy. She suspected that even if he wasn't a Preventer, he'd still carry one. Of course, she hated it whenever he had to use it, which thankfully wasn't very often.
Her movements were controlled and graceful as she stood from her chair and walked over to him. She lifted her hands, slender fingers daintily straightening his bowtie. "You clean up very nice, agent Yuy," she teased playfully.
"You look amazing," he answered back, no growl detectable in his voice. It was smooth as silk.
Her hands stopped fidgeting with his bowtie and she could feel her face reddening from the blush that crept up and spread becomingly across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She fixed her gaze on his tie for a minute, finding herself unable to look into his eyes. It was only on rare occasions when he spoke to her so softly. Only in the safe confines of each other's confidence would he let his guard down, just slightly. It usually didn't last long, but she treasured every moment.
Finally, she hesitantly pulled her hands away and looked up, meeting the intensity of his gaze once again. "Thank you," she muttered, smiling as her face turned an even deeper shade of red.
The corners of his lips curled up into a small smirk. She was the only one that he graced with that tantalizing smile. It made her feel special that she was the only one he entrusted with it.
She turned quickly to check herself once more in the mirror before descending into the pit of vultures. She also needed to get away from those piercing eyes that she swore could look right into the depths of her soul and see her innermost secrets.
Her hair rippled down her back in silky, coiled ringlets, that dusted the top of her bared shoulders. Her make-up was light, just enough to enhance her own beauty while her strapless, shimmery blue gown hugged the contours of her body tightly, highlighting her perfect figure before flowing freely down her legs. This was her favorite dress.
Despite what most people thought, she hated the color pink. All of her outfits were carefully selected so that the public, when they saw her in pink, would view her as the 'innocent politician who just wanted peace.' In reality, she couldn't stand the color; blue was her favorite. She did have a light pink dress picked out for this occasion, but Heero had insisted that she wear what she wanted to. So, she had. Even with her 2-inch heels, her dress only lightly grazed the floor.
She straightened out her crooked earring, and, finally satisfied with her appearance, turned back to the man who haunted her dreams. "I'm ready," she said. He thrust his arm out for her to take and led her to the door.
As they walked down the hall towards the steps, the music and voices became louder. She took a deep breath. "Are you ok?" He asked without looking at her. She noticed his pace slowed slightly in order to give her a chance to answer. She didn't bother to look back at him as she slightly shrugged her shoulders.
"Just ready to get this over with," she answered with a sigh. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw his lips twitch into another small smile.
They stopped directly before leaving the cozy confinement of the hallway to the open room below that contained her many guests. The band was playing some classical music and she could hear people talking. After a moment, she took a deep breath and lightly squeezed Heero's arm, alerting him that she was ready. He took a few steps forward with her as she plastered on her best, heartwarming, political smile. Upon her arrival at the top of the steps, her gaze swept out over her audience. What she saw was not what she'd expected.
Standing in the middle of her ballroom was not as large of a group as there was supposed to be. Everyone was still in formal attire, gowns and tuxedos, but her crowd only consisted of a few people. And those few people happened to be her favorites. She scanned the faces of her onlookers, seeing Hilde in a group talking to Dorothy, Trowa, and Catherine standing closest to the staircase. Duo stood off to the side, waving frantically with a huge smile on his face while looking as though he was getting scolded by Wufei. Lady Une was sipping on a glass of Champagne and smiling at something Mariemaia was telling her. Judging by the giggle chiming from the child's lips, it appeared to be a joke.
Her heart stopped when she saw who was in the corner. Milliardo stood with Noin and Sally Po, although he seemed to be listening instead of talking. Quatre was speaking to one of the men from the band perched on the makeshift stage that was not currently playing.
"Heero?" She breathed. He pulled her with him as he descended the staircase. Everyone turned to look at her and her breath caught in her throat. No longer was she the politician whose face showed only a smile and a nod. She could be Relena, the girl whose friends and family all showed up for her birthday party. She vaguely wondered where all the dignitaries were but quickly pushed the thought from her mind once she got to the bottom of the stairs and saw Hilde run to her. The man next to her released his hold on her arm as her best friend rushed into her open embrace.
"Happy birthday, Relena!" She cried into her ear. "Come on!" She grabbed Relena's hand and dragged her to the group she'd just left. Relena noticed Heero's gaze on her before he got whisked away by the ever-chatty Duo, and Relena became caught up in 'Happy Birthdays' and 'How are yous.'
The next few hours were spent talking, laughing and dancing with all of her friends. She was having such a good time. There was a large table pressed against the wall that held little finger foods, punch, wine, champagne, and beer. The punch remained untouched except for Mariemaia, although Relena suspected she was the only reason they had punch there in the first place.
Duo spent most of the night scarfing down the food before Hilde grabbed his braid and pulled him towards the dance floor. She heard him yell a, "But baaaaaabe!" as he was dragged along.
Finally, she made her way to the people she wanted to see the most. "Milliardo!" She exclaimed excitedly and rushed into her brother's open arms.
"Happy birthday, Relena," he said, his long platinum hair tickling her arms. She released him and turned her attention to her sister-in-law standing next to him.
"Noin!" She hugged the woman who hugged her back.
"Happy birthday, Relena. Are you having fun?" Noin asked, releasing her. Relena clasped her hands in front of her and jumped a little to show her excitement.
"I really am! This has been one of the best nights I've had in a long time. I can't believe everyone is here! Even you guys. How did you get away?" Milliardo and Noin were married a few years back and they now had 3 kids. Milliardo was a high-ranking officer in the Preventers but conducted his business in the colonies with his own team. For that reason, she rarely saw her family in person. She only got to speak to them via comlink when they had time.
"Well, he started planning this a few months ago so we were able to set up our days off and babysitters early," Noin replied, smiling at the blonde. "Are you surprised?"
"Very! I was expecting to have to put on a political front as Vice Foreign Minister to a room full of people I didn't know. Not a room filled with friends where I can just be myself. I think this really is the best party I've ever had. I still can't believe everyone is here. Everyone!" She was telling the truth. She was still in shock and her head swam with how elated she was.
"He really is amazing when he wants to be," Noin stated and winked at her.
Relena smiled and touched her brother's forearm. "I'm sure he is," she giggled gratefully. Milliardo frowned and peered down at his sister with a look of confusion.
"Not him," Noin laughed. She gestured over Relena's shoulder with her glass. "Him." Relena turned to see Heero looking like he'd been caught mid-stride by a smiling Quatre and Duo who had his arm around Heero's neck. The Perfect Soldier did not look amused in the least. Confused, she turned back to the couple.
"Heero?" She questioned. Noin's smile covered her whole face as she nodded but it was Milliardo who spoke up.
"Heero called us a few months ago about setting this up for you. He wanted to be sure he gave us plenty of time to get things together in order to make it. I believe everyone knew about this affair months ago. Am I correct?" He asked over her shoulder. She turned to see that Heero had quietly come up behind her to join the conversation. He nodded once to his former adversary.
Relena stared at him incredulously, but before she could say anything, he turned to her and extended his hand."Would you like to dance?" Her breath caught in her throat as she took his hand and he led her to the dance floor.
Behind her, she heard Noin snicker and say something about secret romances. She ignored the woman and concentrated on not tripping over her own feet. Her heart skipped a beat as Heero firmly placed one hand on her waist, and gently intertwined their fingers with the other. She settled her forearm on his shoulder, curling her hand at the nape of his neck.
She knew how to dance. Her father had taught her when she was a little girl since she'd attended so many of his galas. But dancing with Heero made her second guess her abilities, although she didn't let it show. She happened to notice they were standing closer than normal as the dance began, their bodies pressed almost intimately together.
She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of his voice. "Are you having a good time?"
She blushed prettily, her eyes filled with warmth as she gazed up at him. "Oh, Heero. Tonight has been wonderful. I can't believe you did this for me," she replied as he gracefully spun her around. She was vaguely aware that they were being watched by probably everyone in the room, but she ignored them. The man in front of her was far more important.
"You deserve to actually have fun on your birthday. Not make sure everyone else does. This is your night." His eyes were glued to hers, warmly holding her gaze, and she couldn't bring herself to look away.
"And I wouldn't have this night without you. Thank you so much." He gave her a small smile and spun her again. Upon returning to his arms, both her arms wrapped around his neck and he curled his around her waist, encircling her in a firm hold that made her head spin. She swore his head started dipping towards her. Their breathing simultaneously quickened as his warm breath fanned her face when all of a sudden…
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Duo's voice boomed loudly over the speakers. He'd jumped on the stage and grabbed the mic. Relena reminded herself to chop that braid right off of her friend's head when she felt Heero's warmth leave her as he stepped away.
The smile was gone from his face as he turned and walked in the other direction towards the back of the room. She didn't let her gaze follow him, instead willing herself to turn to the braided ass who demanded everyone's attention. "Everyone having a good night tonight?" Everyone in the room cheered and held up their glasses. "Good! Relena!" She walked up to the stage and looked up at him with a genuine smile. She couldn't stay mad at him for too long. "Happy birthday, Princess." He said into the mic as he crouched down and looked down at her.
"Thank you, Duo." She grinned. Duo stood back up in a mad dash.
"And now, guys and gals, I have a present for our charming birthday girl." He walked around the stage as he talked. "Now, this present isn't originally from me. I'm just the one who will be presenting it to you. I'm gonna let you try and figure out who it's from. I'm not going to say who, because this person is not aware that I'm doing this. I've used my top secret sneaky skills to retrieve this precious information from said person's laptop. This person not only wrote this song but wrote the music to go with it! Genius! Before I release this onto the world, I wish to say just a few things. One," he looked at Relena, "Relena, you truly are an awesome person. We wouldn't all be here without you." He crouched back down and reached for Relena's hand. She gave it to him and he kissed the back of it. She gave an exaggerated embarrassed look and eye roll as he stood back up. "Hilde!" He yelled out. She rushed the stage and he reached down to grab her, pulling her up with him. "Hilde, you know what I'm about to do." He said.
"I do," she giggled.
"Get on with it, Maxwell!" Wufei was heard from the back. Duo ignored him.
"And you know I'm probably going to die tonight."
"Very good possibility," she agreed seriously.
"I love you, babe."
"I love you too, babe," she leaned in and kissed him. At that moment, a few people Relena had never seen before joined her two friends on stage. Some picked up instruments while others just moved to stand behind Duo. Hilde smiled at the crowd and moved to join the group. Duo finally turned back to his patient audience. At the back of the room, his best friend's icy glare turned his insides cold. He took a deep breath.
"And now, for your listening pleasure! A song! For you!" He looked over her shoulder at the band and flared a finger up to signal their start. As the guitar started, Duo caught his eyes again and watched as they grew wider than he'd ever seen and his face visibly paled. This was either going to go extremely bad or extremely well. Duo took another deep breath. If he was going to do this, he was going to put on a show. His smile took over his face and he looked to Relena as he started to sing.
"When life leaves you high and dry
I'll be at your door tonight
If you need help, if you need help.
I'll shut down the city lights,
I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe
To make you well, to make you well."
Duo danced around the stage, really getting into the song. Relena laughed at him as she paid close attention to the words. Around her, she heard a mixed response. Some laughed with her at how much fun the man was having on stage. Others huffed at his silliness.
"When enemies are at your door
I'll carry you away from war
If you need help, if you need help.
Your hope dangling by a string
I'll share in your suffering
To make you well, to make you well.
Give me reasons to believe
That you would do the same for me."
Duo's backup singers, that included Hilde, kicked in.
"And I would do it for you, for you.
Baby, I'm not moving on
I love you long after you're gone.
For you, for you.
You will never sleep alone.
I love you long after you're gone
And long after you're gone, gone, gone."
Relena started looking around the room at the people around her, trying to determine who could write her such an amazing song. Each person was watching the performance onstage or looking at her and looking about the room to try and find out for themselves.
"When you fall like a statue
I'm gon' be there to catch you
Put you on your feet, you on your feet.
And if your well is empty
Not a thing will prevent me.
Tell me what you need, what do you need?"
Her eyes finally landed on Heero. He stood at the very back of the room, ashen-faced, with a look in his eyes she'd never seen. He looked worried, almost scared, and very angry. Until he met her gaze. Then, it completely changed. It softened, though still tinged with a bit of nervousness.
"I surrender honestly.
You've always done the same for me."
She turned completely to face him and, upon noticing this, the crowd filled with their friends seemed to part like the red sea giving her room to walk up to him. She heard some gasps when they realized as well who had written the song. She could feel Duo's eyes on her as he intently watched what was about to happen. No wonder he was scared of dying tonight if Heero really was the one who'd written this song.
"So I would do it for you, for you.
Baby, I'm not moving on,
I love you long after you're gone.
For you, for you.
You will never sleep alone.
I love you long after you're gone
And long after you're gone, gone, gone."
She stood in front of him, cerulean eyes wide and filled with awe as she tried to wrap her mind around the lyrics while she listened to Duo singing. The words seemed to cut through her and she wasn't entirely sure how to read Heero's expression. His posture was stiff, unyielding, and he attempted an impassive expression, but the look emanating from deep blue eyes told a different story. They bore into her as if searching for something. Behind her, she could feel everyone's gaze as they watched the event unfold.
"You're my back bone.
You're my cornerstone.
You're my crutch when my legs stop moving.
You're my head start.
You're my rugged heart.
You're the pulse that I've always needed.
Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating."
"You wrote this for me?" She whispered softly, her words breaking with barely restrained emotion.
"Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating."
He didn't answer her, but his eyes were searching as if trying to find the right words.
"Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating."
"Yes," was his only reply. She swallowed around the lump in her throat and her heart felt like it was going to soar right out of the cavity of her chest. Her lips curled into a tentative smile.
"Like a drum my heart never stops beating..."
She couldn't take it anymore. This was her breaking point. She cradled his face in her hands, propelled herself to the tips of her toes and, after only a brief moment of hesitation, crushed her lips onto his. Their lips molded together perfectly, though he didn't immediately reciprocate. She knew that she'd caught him off guard, so she pressed her body against his, their hearts beating in tandem, refusing to allow him to pull away. He didn't try and with a little more coaxing, he softened beneath her persistent ministrations, and warmly returned her kiss.
"For you, for you.
Baby, I'm not moving on.
I love you long after you're gone."
His arms slid around her waist as he deepened their kiss. His tongue swept along her bottom lip, eliciting a gasp that parted them and granted him access. For the moment, he didn't seem to care that the whole room had erupted with cheers, glass clinking and jovially whispered "finallys!" She didn't either. Her full attention was on the love of her life that was currently assaulting her lips, deftly pressing a hand at the small of her back, pulling her even closer. She could hear the smile in Duo's voice as he continued.
"For you, for you.
You will never sleep alone.
I love you long after you're gone.
For you, for you.
Baby, I'm not moving on,
I love you long after you're gone.
For you, for you.
You will never sleep alone.
I love you long, long after you're gone."
They broke away breathlessly and he peered down at her, offering her that smile. The one that he reserved just for her, though this time everyone could see it. He reached down and brushed some hair out of her eyes, tenderly tucking it behind her ear. His hand halted and he cupped the side of her face, the tips of his fingers interlacing into the silky strands of hair along her temple.
"Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating."
"I love you, Relena," he said, as he gently ran his thumb along her jawline.
"Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating."
Her vision blurred as her eyes began to well with unshed tears.
"Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating."
"I love you too, Heero," she breathed back, and her tears fell, trailing listlessly down flushed cheeks.
"Like a drum, my heart never stops beating for you."
He pulled her again into a soft, tantalizing kiss. This really was the best birthday she'd ever had.
"And long after you're gone, gone, gone.
I love you long after you're gone, gone, gone."
Maybe, just maybe, Duo wouldn't die tonight.
oOo
Author's Note: "Gone, gone, gone" is a Phillip Phillips song. Obviously, Heero, who is a fictional Gundam Wing character, did not write the song, Phillip Phillips did. The words fit perfectly with his love for Relena so I used artistic license in this particular fic. I highly encourage you to support Phillip Phillips by watching or buying his song "Gone, gone, gone".
I really hope you guys like this one! Please let me know!
And a special shout out to Beej88, Revy679, and Wings Landing for helping me beta this! You guys are ducking incredible!