Heero only drank coffee when he felt he had to. It had always been more of an essential, not an indulgence.
He liked to think of it like food rations, eaten only for their nutritional value, not the taste.
So while on his first trip abroad as Relena's new personal bodyguard, he thought nothing of it when he brought her a styrofoam cup of burnt coffee from his room's bathroom coffee pot.
"What is...this?" She asked, nose crinkling as she took in the overbrewed scent.
"You asked for coffee. I've brought you coffee." he deadpanned.
She had been curling her hair in front of her bathroom vanity, already dressed and ready for her planned day on L2. While fussing with her bangs, she had turned to Heero, who sat facing the hotel suite door, and asked if he would please be a dear and 'fetch her coffee'.
And so Heero had returned with the cup he had attempted to brew himself.
"Heero, its in the files I had you study. Day one of any trips abroad on L2, someone is to bring back coffee for the entire team from the hotel cafe." She took a moment to scribble out the drink orders and fish her credit card out of her purse. Apparently this whole thing had been a ritual Relena and her team indulged in every time they came to this specific hotel. She'd been doing it for several years now.
As much as he thrived following routine, ritual was just something he couldn't get behind.
In fact, it seemed that there were many 'rituals' in his new position, and it was beginning to make him uncomfortable.
As he stood in the long line at the hotel cafe, he fumbled to recollect just how he got himself there.
He had spent the last ten years since the Mariemaia Incident alternating between attempting to get an education and working contracts for Preventer. Everytime he got close to anything remotely civillian, he found himself running with his tail between his legs to the only remaining relic of the war.
And Preventer was happy to have him.
They definitely paid like they were.
Heero was their number one choice for anything too dangerous or complex for the fresher, full time recruits.
By his fifth year contracting, he had realized that he could make a salary by completing two missions a year. The missions took two to three months at a time, so he was free to do whatever he wanted in between. He was never in one place for too long, and spent the time traveling wherever and whenever he could. His only worldly possessions were his laptop and a few sets of clothing.
And then he got shot in the line of duty, intercepting a cargo ship transporting illegal drugs to the colonies from Earth.
If hadn't been for his team, he would have bled to death internally.
To this day he couldn't figure out how he hadn't seen the sniper lurking in the shadows, but the pain had been so great he had initially blocked out the incident. His femur had been shattered by the bullet, and had to be replaced by a metal rod. Sally Po had joked that she placed gundanium alloy in his leg. Heero didn't find it funny.
So he had spent the past year with a cane and in physical therapy, blowing through his savings after buying a townhouse near the Preventer 'Khushrenada Memorial' hospital in Brussels. He figured once he had healed, he could either rent the house out to recruits or stay there in between missions. He'd have to take on any missions available to pay down his newly acquired housing and medical debt. Because he had never been a full time agent, he didn't qualify for the government employee insurance plan. No worries, he had thought. He could pay off the medical debt within a year. Then he could rent out the house and the mortgage would pay for itself.
But the missions were not offered to him, as he was now apparently a liability Preventer couldn't afford. Heero was sure Une didn't have the heart to tell him it was because he was past his prime. 26 years old with a slightly stiff gait, he found that he was holding back while doing the most mundane daily tasks, in fear of aggravating his leg.
After he had recovered, and no longer needed the cane, he called Une, searching for some purpose. He was a bit more cautious, sure, but he was back in peak physical condition. He was ready.
"You know what I am about to offer you Heero, but I know you won't like it."
Heero knew what she was about to offer him. And although he had been dodging this particular job offer for the last ten years, he now had a mortgage and an empty fridge.
"Preventer security...secret service detail to be exact. My goal is to name you personal guard to our most difficult charge." Une said, testing the waters.
Heero knew which charge she had been alluding to, it was obvious. Over the past few years, Relena had strived to make a name for herself among Brussels as the most difficult person to work for. He wasn't sure when it started, or why, but it seemed as though a switch had been flipped on her. Newly elected President of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation in AC 204, she had even managed to piss off many of the very voters who had worshipped her as Queen Relena nearly a decade earlier. She was developing the reputation of a spoiled brat and never took 'no' for an answer. She was constantly trying to shake her security detail, and found herself at numerous wild parties and compromising social situations. Her behavior over the past few years had been surprisingly self-destructive.
Heero immediately felt guilty for characterizing her that way.
"Next!" came the voice several heads in front of him.
He looked down at the crinkled scribble of an order Relena had given him, and checked his watch. It was nearly seven in the morning, and Relena had to be on the road to her first destination by nine. Heero hoped she had accounted for how popular this cafe apparently was with visiting politicians. He eyed his line mates up and down. All were young, and dressed in business casual attire. He was the only chump wearing a body guard's suit, and the only one with a laminated Preventer badge clipped to his breast pocket.
These were all personal assistants.
Relena had at least three assistants, why did she send her top bodyguard?
He mentally retraced his steps, looking back on the last two hours. Not only had he been asked to retrieve her coffee, she also asked him to track down a suitcase she has accidentally sent off with an assistant, look over her speeches for the day and zip up the back of her mauve colored dress.
Immediately he felt himself flush.
Could he get fired for that?
"Next!"
The line moved again, and finally only one other person stood between him and his mission.
Relena apparently loved to take advantage of him and his military thirst for purpose. His tendency to forever seek out "missions".
Une was right, he was perfect for the assignment. Not because he was overqualified, but because he couldn't tell her no.
It was only his fifth day on the job, and he was beginning to realize he was in trouble. /
The girl in front of him finally placed her order, and vacated the line in order to wait for her drinks. He inhaled deeply, resigning to the fact that he was simply an armed and dangerous errand boy to quite possibly the most important person in the world, even if she had been a brat lately.
Without hesitating, he handed the scribbled note to the cashier, who upon reading it looked back up to stare at him with wide eyes.
What's the problem now? He asked himself
She must have recognized the order, he thought. Afterall, Relena was known to be particular. If she was a regular, she'd most likely order the same things every visit and she'd expect her drinks to be perfect every time. But she was the president, shouldn't they just be sending her room service? Had it become that bad? Immediately, Heero felt what could only be described as pity towards the young cashier.
The girl hesitated briefly, but after glancing at Heero's badge, relented and entered the orders into her computer system.
"Number 587." The cashier told him, handing him his receipt and losing all cheerfulness she had displayed earlier that morning.
Relena must have been scarier than he originally thought if she was instilling fear into the hearts of cafe workers.
Heero remembered the first time he truly experienced her wrath, last Monday.
He had been waiting outside her door, anticipating their first private meeting in years. It was his first day as her personal guard, so he wanted to make as good a first impression as he could, shoving aside his premature hatred for the position and arriving with only good intentions. As annoying as she was, he considered her someone he could tolerate. She was his friend. It had been a while. He wasn't sure how he'd react when she saw him.
He had his shoes shined and his suit freshly pressed. His usually messy hair had been slicked back in the new American style that had taken ESUN by storm. He wanted Relena to be impressed with him, even though he was no longer a hot shot part time agent. He was surprised at how worried he was. He didn't take on all that dangerous work to impress her all this time, had he?
But before he could knock, he heard the sound of vicious arguing, and papers being torn and thrown. In between the two voices, he could barely make out the quiet whispers of a young woman.
Relena was in danger!
He kicked open her door, glock drawn at the ready.
But he would have rather kicked himself upon witnessing the scene in front of him.
Relena was standing behind her desk, tearing papers in her hands, while a meek and timid young female assistant sat hunched in a chair in front of her.
Relena had been the one yelling.
Heero had heard the rumors, that she had become a stone cold bitch, but he paid them no mind. No one could be stone colder than he was, and the Relena he knew was so sickeningly sweet it drove him up a wall.
He didn't know this new person people were calling "President Darlian."
"Number 587?" the voice called from behind the counter, bringing Heero back to the present.
The barista handed him two carrying trays of drinks, as well as a small paper bag of croissants, and he turned to make his way back upstairs.
He approached Relena's suite with caution, he'd have to knock to get her to let him in, and he didn't have a free hand to pull her room key out of his pocket. Everyone knew how much she hated knocking.
He stood in front of the door, and knocked three times by banging his head against it.
The door flung open immediately, nearly causing Heero to lose his footing.
His eyes grew wide. None other than the girl who had been standing in front of him in the cafe had been the one to open the door.
He peeked inside, only to find that the girl had picked up the same exact order, and the team was already indulging in their drinks, discussing the day.
Relena caught his gaze and smiled sheepishly.
"Whoops!" she chuckled, bringing her cup to her lips. The team was deadly quiet, nearly shrinking into their own bodies. They were definitely afraid of Relena, but he was sure they were terrified of him.
Heero stomped into the room and unceremoniously dropped the trays onto the crowded kitchenette table. He then grabbed Relena by the wrist, and led her into his private room, which was located next to hers.
Relena's staff heard him lock the door.
"Can he do that?" a more brazen assistant asked.
"It's eight a.m..." the one who had opened the door for Heero whispered. "Do you think they will be done before we have to leave?" the rest of the staff turned to stare at her, eyes wide.
"WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Heero yelled, surprised by the tone of his own voice. He had never in a million years expected at he would one day be compelled to chastise Relena like a child.
"Excuse me?" she hissed, as if his words had bumped into her in the hallway without apologizing. "Me? What is wrong with YOU!"
"What are you talking about?"/
"Are you an idiot or something?" she grumbled, face falling immediately after having spoken the words.
"I have done everything required of me and then some since my assignment here." Heero stammered, resisting the urge to start manically pacing.
"For five days. You have only been here for five days." she answered in a somber voice. He had hit a nerve with her, no doubt about it. But she had come back at him, seeking out his innermost guilt.
"You have been anywhere but here the last ten years. I haven't heard from you since you e-mailed me "congrats" on my inauguration day!" she choked, eyes welling with tears.
Immediately, Heero felt like he should surrender his manhood. Her inauguration had been three years before. Six months before his last dangerous mission with Preventer. That mission.
It was true, his contact with her had been fleeting over the past decade. He had saw her once or twice after the Mariemaia Incident, and had even grabbed drinks with her on her eighteenth birthday. They had both drank a little too much, and she had invited him back to her room. They had kissed, and it terrified him. He ended things as she began to unbutton her ruffled blouse. He had never kissed anyone before, so he made up an excuse to leave.
He definitely regretted that.
He was starting to put two and two together.
Could it be? That Relena had become this way due to his treatment of her? Surely he thought too highly of himself to consider it.
But the way she stood there now, staring at him, eyes red with tears, told him he was right.
In that moment, he would have given anything to wipe her tears and beg for her forgiveness.
Immediately he was reminded of another time he had let her down. She had shown up at a hotel he had been staying at one Christmas, with a bottle of wine and a teddy bear. He accepted the wine and 'regretfully asked she come back another time'. He had been knee deep in tracking illegal arms deals then. He heard her stifle a sob from behind his own door. He felt a pang in his chest at his own cool treatment of her, but knew that allowing her inside could have compromised the mission. She had been spearheading her disarmament campaign as Vice Foreign Minister at the time, he was doing it for her.
Only now that he was older had he realized he had been absolutely horrible to her. He had ignored her e-mails and calls. He hadn't even missed them when they stopped coming.
But all of a sudden, he did.
What could he do? He deserved nothing from her.
The realization brought him to his knees.
"Relena...I...I'm sorry." his voice trembled, thick with years of denial and suppressed emotion.
Truly, he had always cared about her in his own way. He just couldn't put a name to it. Yes, he abhorred her attention and constant positivity, but he was coming to realize that life without those things was truly...boring.
He would give anything to have the old Relena back. He'd let her annoy him for the rest of his life. Seeing her sad, bitter, and angry like this in front of him was torture. He'd fix this. He'd burn her coffee every day for the next hundred years if she'd give him the chance.
He felt his own eyes water, and looked away in shame. He felt responsible for everything that may have went wrong in Relena's life after he ignorantly and repeatedly rejected her.
He felt her hands pull her to him by his shoulders, until they sat on the floor together in a clumsy embrace.
"I'm sorry Heero...I've been an absolute bitch..." she said between sobs. /
"It's all my fault..." Heero replied.
Relena didn't refute it, but instead mussed his slicked back hair.
"Why on Earth are you wearing your hair this way?" she choked out, throat already sore from crying. Heero laughed and then pulled her to him, meeting her mouth with his for a tender kiss.
"This is absolutely insane..." he muttered, melting into her. He pushed himself forward and arranged her onto the floor, supporting himself above her on his palms. /
Looking down at her, he could see fragments of the girl he knew swimming to the surface. For the good of the Earth Sphere, he would make sure to kiss her bitterness away.
"It's ten to nine!" one of Relena's assistants squealed from the kitchenette of the suite.
"Are you going to knock on the door and tell them that?" Another barked at her. The worried assistant sank into her chair, not daring to be the one.
End.
a/n Hey everyone! I needed a break from the angst and grit I've been writing in Dossier and Mountebank, so I decided to churn out this lil bit o fluff this morning. Hope you like it! It took me forever to post because somehow, ff posted it with all HTML garbled in? has this ever happened to anyone before?
thanks for your support!
~murshmallow