Relena did not consider herself a smoker, but she had to admit that there were a few times a year when a cigarette just felt really good.
Like at 2 am in the morning, lounging in a giant bubble bath recovering from what had to be one of the greatest rounds of sex in her young life, a cigarette hit just the right spt.
Her arms were wrapped around the tub, her hair was hastily tied in the back, and the cigarette in her right hand was giving off just the faint smell of tobacco. She almost thought she was in heaven. It was decadent, something with which she relished.
And as she was enjoying this one moment of lapse in proper behavior, she heard the door to the bathroom creak open and her lover's soft footsteps over the bathroom tile as he walked in.
Although "lover" may not be the best term to describe what Heero Yuy was to her, but at the moment it fit. She looked over at him, and after taking mental note about how hot his ass looked in denim, she broke the silence.
"You're leaving?" she asked.
He looked at her strangely. He cocked an eyebrow at the cigarette in her hand and shrugged.
"No, why do you ask?"
"If you weren't leaving, you really didn't need to put on pants," she said and took another drag of her cigarette.
"You complaining?"
"Not really," she said.
He said nothing for a bit and turned to the sink which was across from the tub, and ran a bit of water through his hair to clean off some of the sweat from their previous activities.
"Since when do you smoke?" he asked, as he wiped his face.
"Oh for awhile," she said, and when he gave her a stern look she sighed, "don't look at me like that, I don't do it often, and it would be really nice if you wouldn't treat me like all the other sycophants in my life do when I do something that isn't considered proper or right."
"Sorry," he said, "but I thought you were above that kind of thing."
"Well, I'm not," she said, "and for your information, a cigarette is a great way to relax after you once again are forced to deal with some out of touch, corrupt politician who is leering at you all day instead of actually taking you seriously because you are young and pretty and nubile. Also it is feels even better after you just experience great sex."
Her next drag had the slight air of defiance, and had she been looking at him at the moment, she would have noticed that Heero had almost broke out in a grin.
"So who was the bastard?" he asked.
"Oh there isn't just one," she said, "and don't worry about it, I can handle myself, I win in the end anyways. I always do."
"You seem confident," he said.
"You would be too if you were me," she said, "I am good at my job, you think I am going to be defeated by a couple of old perverts? You know me better than that."
"I do," he said, "though you aren't quite the same as you used to be."
She stared at him knowingly, she knew where this was going.
"So have you," she said, "it used to be that you would be gone by now."
He knelt down beside her, and she finally put out the cigarette in the ashtray that was laying by the floor.
"So what does this mean?" she asked.
"What does what mean?" he asked.
"The fact that we have changed," Relena said, "Do you want me to start asking you to stay? To live together? I don't know how I feel about that."
"Do you want me to?" he asked.
"I don't know, I am not that pleased that you interrupted my longstanding tradition of a bath and cigarette after great sex. What else will you interrupt?"
"I think that is a good thing," he said, "I don't know how I feel about you smoking."
"Then do you want to live here?" Relena asked.
"Do I need to answer?" he asked.
She thought for a moment.
"No, now isn't the time to decide such things, I may have vices you know, but I am still sensible," she said.
"Right." She noted the subtle sarcasm in his voice and smiled.
"However, I was not wrong in that you interrupted me, I needed to relax. You were a bit rough tonight," she said.
"If I remember it correctly, it was you who slammed me against the wall," he retorted.
"Well, we all have needs. You weren't being quick enough," she said, "and don't complain; you like it when I tie you up."
"Maybe, I am just saying you were rougher then me," he said.
"All I am saying is I needed to relax, and you killed it in a way," she said, "so you should find another way to relax me."
She crossed her arms around the edge of the tub and laid her chin on them; she looked at him smugly.
"Fine," he said, "I will."
He pressed his thumb to her chin and lifted it up and leaned in to kiss her. It was soft and gentle and long, and she instantly felt her body relax as she melted into him. And he told her later, after they were both in the tub and completely relaxed, that he had kind of enjoyed the fact that she tasted like cigarettes.
That was all the encouragement she needed to light another one up, and laugh to herself as his head rested on her bare shoulder, that maybe in the future, when he actually did move in with her and the whole "what they are to each other" thing was resolved that he would kick back and have one too.
But until then, she would take him interrupting her cigarette time any day.