A bit of girls-only lime
She gave him a sour look. "You shouldn't joke around like that."
"Did I say I was joking?"
Relena cocked her head to one side. "Trowa, you can't be serious."
He frowned slightly, lifted the mug to his mouth to hide it. "Why not?"
"I can't just quit my job. I can't just tell Pagan to take a hike. I can't just sell my house, all my belongings. I can't just leave Heero."
His eyes narrowed, glinting in the dim light. "Is that how it is then?"
She vented an exasperated sigh. "Don't start accusing me of ridiculous things again. As much as I like you, I will walk out that door and you will not see me again. I was so happy to see you that I was more than willing to forgive and forget, but I'm quickly getting over it and to be completely honest, I'm still bothered by your earlier behavior."
Trowa set his mug down and gestured for her to do the same. When she had complied, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, shifting until his back was against a pillow and her head rested on his shoulder. She cautiously placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat dimly beneath his shirt.
He placed two fingers beneath her chin and tilted her face up so that he could look into her eyes. She smiled suddenly. "Has anyone ever told you what gorgeous eyes you have?"
"No." He smiled faintly in return, but she could see that it was strained.
"What's the matter?" Her question made him chuckle, a deep rumble that was almost like a purr.
"You are." Trowa kept her silent with a brief kiss. "Relena, how am I to explain myself to you when I don't completely understand the issue?"
"Well, saying that I'm the issue and not explaining would make you an asshole of the third degree," she groused. He laughed again and she left a soft, open-mouthed kiss on his neck and his humor died an instant and painless death. "Start with what you're thinking," she suggested, continuing playful torture.
His eyes slipped shut for a second as he enjoyed wicked sensations before he gave himself a mental shake. The first words to pop out of his mouth were, for once, completely unplanned. "I'm in love with you."
Relena froze and pulled away from him slowly. The shock in her eyes mirrored his own. Trowa shrugged helplessly, a most unusual gesture coming from him. The silence stretched between them, becoming uncomfortable and intrusive. She knew she should say something, anything, but no words were forthcoming. Her mouth opened and closed several times, like something out of a sitcom, but she was far from finding the humor.
"I'm not sure what to say," she whispered, focusing on her mug of tea.
"Start with what you're thinking."
"I..." Her voice cracked and she licked her lips nervously, working up the courage to meet his gaze. "I'm scared."
...
Dorothy ran a brush through Relena's hair until her fingers were able to glide through the honey tresses without being caught in tangles, a feline smile on her lips at the appreciative moans and sighs her companion gave vent to. When she was finished she placed the brush back on her vanity and laughed at Relena's insistent tugging on her arms.
She raised an eyebrow and said, "Why, Miss Relena, you are acting like an impatient child." But she let herself be pulled back down, sighing as the insistent young woman beside her snuggled into position and wrapped Dorothy's arm around her, placing her hand on her head. She gave the appendage a nudge. Dorothy took the hint and scratched her head much as she would a cat's.
"I hope Quatre doesn't mind that I've stolen you for the time being." Relena's voice was sweet and drowsy.
The blond laughed, low and mischievous. "Oh, he would definitely be put out if he knew what we were up to, I think." She let her free hand trail down Relena's side, stopping just above her knee, and pulled the leg over her own before letting her fingers resume their lazy voyage.
Relena tilted her head up to look at her friend, her expression thoughtful. "Do you think he would be upset?"
"Hm, it's hard to say. At first, perhaps. I imagine he would feel betrayed." Dorothy's smile widened. "But I think he would get over it quickly. He isn't as innocent as people think. Knowing about the two of us would certainly give him some pleasant ideas to fantasize about." She dropped a kiss on Relena's nose and followed it up with one on her cheek, her lips, her chin. She did not linger, unwilling to rile the Vice Minister's passions despite the sweet ache that was beginning to build once again.
Relena sighed and tilted her head to capture Dorothy's lips with her own, taking her time with the action as she let her hands wander innocently. Her teeth gently tugged at Dorothy's lower lip when she pulled away. "Thank you," she murmured.
"Mm. Are you ready to talk about it?" Miss Catalonia stretched and held the position for a few brief seconds before sinking back onto the mattress, the action causing Relena's leg to slip between her own. She squeezed Relena's hip to make her keep it there.
The troubled young woman reached behind her awkwardly for her glass of honeyed wine and took a sip, spilling a few drops on Dorothy's clavicle which she dutifully licked away, earning a surprised hiss of pleasure. It made her smile, though it faded as she thought about the reason behind her visit. "Trowa told me he loves me." She hoisted herself up on one elbow and looked down at Dorothy. Her hair was spread across the pillows like a golden fan. She traced her jaw and the shell of her ear. "I told him I'm scared." Her eyes narrowed, frustration and anger beginning to boil inside of her. "And of course he took it the wrong way." She snorted. "He probably thought he was doing a good job of hiding behind that emotionless mask of his, but his eyes are always a dead give-away." Her own eyes softened a bit a she thought about the infuriating creature that had captured her own heart, but her voice did not. "And of course I couldn't explain what I meant because it doesn't make sense when I say it out loud. The worst part..." She trailed off, burying her head in Dorothy's neck for a few seconds to regain her composure. When she pulled away there was a hint of tears. Her voice became a raw whisper. "The worst part is that he thinks I'm scared of him."
"Oh, Relena. We always pick the complicated ones, don't we?" her companion mused with a wry twist of her lips. "Nothing is ever simple for us."
"No." She eyed Dorothy curiously. "You're not going to ask what it is I'm scared of?"
The blond vixen returned her gaze, shaking her head. "Isn't that why you sought me out instead of Heero?"
Relena smirked. "One of them, at least."
"So he still doesn't know about us?" Dorothy pulled Relena closer so she could sample her neck, smiling when she earned a happy sigh. "Not that I mind, of course."
"I'm entitled to have a few secrets. You're my favorite one. Besides, as close as we are, I don't think he'd understand." Heero had been her first kiss, and was her best friend; but Dorothy had been her first lover, remained the only one Relena had ever taken, and it made her something different. Each knew they were special to the Vice Minister, but Dorothy knew why she was and Heero didn't know why she was, which only fueled their polite animosity. Neither one enjoyed the company of the other, but they did their best to behave civilly when it was required.
"Well, I must confess that I enjoy being your dirty little secret much more than I would enjoy being your best friend," Dorothy teased. In a gentler tone she added, "You're going to need to explain yourself to Trowa."
Relena pulled away from her embrace and began pacing the floor, her frustrated, angry energy making her oblivious to the fact that she was naked. "I shouldn't have to spell everything out for that idiot. He should be able to figure some things out on his own." Her fury threatened to consume her. "And he should be the one doing the explaining. The conclusions he jumps to...Is there some reason I should be afraid of him, of all people? Does he think the fact that he's killed people bothers me? I mean, I wish for his sake that he hadn't had to be a soldier, but that's different from fearing him because of it. And how could he even think that I'm having sex with Misty when he's seen the way I look at him?"
"You've just had sex with me no matter how you look at him and we're probably going to do it again before you leave," Dorothy pointed out, sitting against the headboard and reaching for her own glass of wine.
"You are different." Her frustration and anger were beginning to fuel a simpler emotion. She stalked to the foot of the bed and stared at her confidant. "You are smart and funny and cruel." She knelt on the mattress. "You are deceptive and passionate." She crawled up the bed and trailed her hands up Dorothy's legs, letting her body follow. "You are confident and so goddamned beautiful and..." She trailed off, straddling the smirking woman's hips. "You understand me." She bent her head to kiss her and pulled away, looking sorrowful and lost. "Can you tell me why I'm so afraid to let him love me?" she whispered.
Dorothy ran her fingers up and down Relena's spine, enjoying the way she shivered beneath her touch. "Change is difficult and frightening and often requires some sacrifice or another. You don't want to sacrifice who you cherish for someone that might not be who you need." She cupped the brunette's face in her hands, forcing eye contact. "But Heero will still be your best friend and although I may not warm your bed in the future, I will still be your companion." She winked. "After all, there are simply some things a girl can't share with a man, no matter how close they are."
Relena nodded, not quite trusting her voice. She tried to speak anyway. "I want to try to make it work with him. I think...I think I love him back. I guess I should tell him. But how much should I say? Do you think I should tell him about...us?"
"That is for you to decide. If you feel it is the right thing to do, then tell him. If you don't, then keep it a secret." Her voice grew stern. "However, do not keep our relationship a secret if you're only doing so because you think he would disapprove. That would be a terrible mistake, and not one that I could easily forgive. I will not be your secret concubine if you feel ashamed or guilty." She paused, weighing her words. "In the end, it is up to you to decide how much he should know about our relationship. I will support you as long as my terms are met." She tugged Relena's hair, licking up her neck, her jaw, across her lips.
Relena opened her mouth in response, gasping at the jolt of pleasure that traveled through her, and pouted when her companion pulled away.
Dorothy pressed her lips to her ear and smiled as Relena shivered. "You're my favorite secret, too."
…
Dorothy escorted Relena to the front door, laughing when the Vice Minister melted against her as they hugged. "I'll have Quatre invite you for dinner soon," she promised the brunette and felt the answering nod. They pulled away and Dorothy opened the door, her fingers lingering just below Relena's ear. "You are going to be fine."
The spoken words were the last thing needed to put the young lady at complete ease. She zipped up her jacket and cradled her helmet in the crook of her elbow. She made it down the front steps, Dorothy leaning against the door frame, when she darted back and kissed her once more, enjoying the taste of honeyed wine and intimacy. "Good bye." She skipped down the steps, much happier than when she arrived, and disappeared on the motorcycle she had borrowed.
Neither woman noticed the person taking pictures beyond the fence.
…
"Where is it?" Wufei bellowed, his loud outburst echoing in the parking garage. A flock of lazy pigeons erupted in flight and even Heero winced as his eardrums were punished for their ability to hear.
He sported an impatient frown as he asked, "Where is what?"
"My motorcycle! I always park it over here, in this very spot!" Wufei emphasized his comment by pointing at the ground beneath him. "I didn't move it. So where the hell is it?" He was as close to panicking as anyone had ever seen him.
"Obviously someone stole it." The former Perfect Soldier rubbed at his eyes, wondering why Wufei was being so dense. "Is it necessary for you to shout?" The question sparked a verbal war, both trying to out-shout the other. There was no telling how long they would have been at it if Relena hadn't showed up as the passenger in an armored truck. The two men released one another and straightened up, doing their best to pretend that yelling in a garage was perfectly normal behavior.
The Vice Minister hopped out and gestured to the parking space Wufei had been standing in. "It goes right here," she called over the loud rumble of the engine. The driver nodded in acknowledgment and maneuvered the large vehicle so that it could back into the space. It stopped a third of the way in and the engine cut out. The heavy iron door rolled up and two men hopped out, pulling out a ramp and locking it into place. They walked up the ramp, disappeared, and came out balancing Wufei's motorcycle between them. Relena smiled at the men and thanked them for their help and waved when they drove off.
Wufei busied himself checking his prized possession for any dents or scratches, eventually having to admit that he found none. "Why did you take my bike?" He was practically vibrating from the effort of keeping his voice even. Relena could tell he would have gladly throttled her if he thought he could get away with it. She was vaguely relieved that Heero was present.
"I wanted to thank you for your help a few days ago," she replied softly, putting just the right mixture of fear and innocence in her tone. She allowed her voice to tremble slightly as she continued, "I tried to think of a suitable gift, but nothing seemed right so I thought...I thought that I could have your bike serviced and detailed for you. You had mentioned it was due for a tune-up and you were complaining about not having enough free time to get it done in one go..." She trailed off, keeping her eyes glued to her shoes. She glanced up quickly before breaking eye contact. "I'm sorry," she whimpered meekly. "I was just trying to surprise you."
She bit her lip to keep from grinning when she heard her mentor's resigned sigh. "I appreciate the gesture," he admitted. "But in the future, it would be in your best interest to inform me of your plans. You know I don't like strangers handling my bike."
She let her gaze drift upward and she laughed. "Do you think I would take your precious baby to a stranger? I took it to Black Moon."
Wufei's shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." The Vice Minister and her bodyguard took their leave and walked toward the elevator. They waited in a comfortable silence for the doors to open. It arrived, they entered, and Heero pressed the button for the eighth floor.
"You rode his motorcycle, didn't you?" Heero made sure to keep his line of sight straight ahead.
Relena gaped at him."How could you -" she broke off and instead asked, "Why would you think such a thing? You know that bike is way too big for me." She kept her expression neutral, though her skin was still flushed from his flat observation.
"For a politician, you are a crappy liar."
She glared at him. "I haven't denied it. I'm merely wondering how you could possibly arrive at such an outlandish conclusion."
He sighed. "Outlandish conclusion? You've got your hair twisted up in a cinnamon bun or whatever the hell it's called, which you only do when it's windy. The air has been still for most of the day with occasional light breezes. You're wearing your canvas pants, which you only wear when you're going to be riding or doing manual labor. Considering the lack of grime, it's obvious which reason you had. Your wrists still have indentations that indicate you were wearing gloves and you have your locker key around your wrist which means you deposited your jacket and helmet there before coming to the garage." He paused, turning his head to look at her. "Would you like me to continue, or is that enough evidence to support my conclusion?"
They stepped off the elevator and headed for her office. "Sometimes I wonder why you didn't go into law or something," she mused.
"I don't like to wear suits."
"Ha." She paused to exchange a few words with Marsha, who was leaving for the day.
"Why did you take Wufei's motorcycle?"
Relena smirked. "So now we get to the interesting questions. I decided to have lunch with Dorothy today. Don't worry, I had an escort."
"Hn." Heero returned his gaze to the elevator doors, disapproval radiating from him, and she frowned.
"One day you're going to have to get over this irrational dislike you have for her. It isn't healthy. And it's annoying."
Her bodyguard let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm terribly sorry I have an instinctive dislike for psychopaths. I will do my best to remedy this in the future."
"You're the one that told me to keep my friends close and my enemies closer," she reminded him.
He didn't bother responding.
Relena grinned. "Anyway, how was your date with Catherine? Obviously it went well since you took a personal day and then wore a turtleneck to work."
"Since the answer is obvious, what is the point of asking?"
"To annoy you."
They paused outside her office door and exchanged a look. Something wasn't right. Heero pulled a Desert Eagle from gods knew where and jerked his head. Relena moved to the doorway that led to the hallway and went around the corner.
Heero gripped the doorknob and twisted, kicking the door open. He quickly scanned the room and checked behind the door. The room was empty and there was no sign that anything had been tampered with it. There was a a large manilla envelope on her desk with CONFIDENTIAL stamped on the front in red ink. After close inspection he determined it was not a threat. He checked the rest of her desk and studied the air vent before calling, "It's safe, Vice Minister!"
Relena entered seconds later, frowning when her eyes noticed the envelope. "That wasn't here when I left and Marsh didn't mention anything about that arriving, although maybe I'm just being paranoid. She could have forgotten."
"Paranoia could save your life one day. Do you want me to open it for you?"
"No, I think I can manage." She stared at him unblinking. "You're certain it's safe?"
"Affirmative." He pushed it across the desk.
She pinched the metal tabs together and lifted the flap. Holding her breath, she pressed the sides inward and peered into the envelope. It contained pictures. More intrigued than worried at this point, she shook them out and sat down quite suddenly. The glossy eight by tens had been taken recently; that afternoon, to be precise. The top photo was a close-up of her kissing Dorothy goodbye. She peeled back the corner to get a glimpse of the next one and the blood left her face. It was probably safe to assume that the rest of the pictures were not as decent.
Relena quickly shoved the photos back in the envelope and sealed it. "I'm not sure why Marsha didn't mention that this had arrived. I'll take it home and work on it over the weekend." She tried to ignore Heero's suspicious frown.
"Something important, I take it?"
"Extremely." She lifted a finger. "However, I can't discuss the contents with you. It's very sensitive material." She offered a small smile. "I'm sorry."
"Hn." She wasn't lying, but he could tell she was withholding information. "How much longer will you be working?"
Relena glanced at the clock. It was almost six. "I think I would like to go home now." She tapped the envelope. "It's going to be another long night."