Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing
Author's note: Still working on Getaway, Three, and Amends. Got another story in the works with no penned title. Even started a Christmas fic, God willing. We shall see. Also, I've been asked to move copies over to AO3 for access. I'm in the process of doing that. This is still an easier interface for me, but I'm trying to make the work more accessible.
That said, it's time for another oneshot; I was listening to Train's "Marry Me" the other day and this developed. It's a long one, but I just had to…
He was just relieved to have a day off of work, at first. It would have been quite productive, he thought, had the net access at his home not gone out.
That's how he ended up in this room, constant noise draining his energy. So it was in a city cafe. This was not somewhere that Heero Yuy would typically choose to be, but productivity was important to him, and he needed network access for that.
Right as he raised a coffee mug to his mouth with one hand, someone bumped his opposing shoulder as they made their way back from the bathroom to the seating area. His reactive sigh held a guttural sound.
Despite the frustrations, he tried to focus on the research he was doing, but soon he was drawn away by a more familiar sound. Images of explosions and rubble coupled with the smell of hot gundanium and a feminine, rose kissed skin filled his mind.
It can't be.
His only warning that this might happen had been a passing comment on the news that morning, but so often those remarks had led to nothing. Now he put down the coffee and looked up, just staring at her for several seconds before he realized that she had no idea he was there.
The Vice Foreign Minister was in town for business and she happened to stop at this coffee shop for her morning joe.
He leaned back and watched as she shuffled awkwardly to the pick-up window. She turned her back to the workers as she watched the door, giving each passerby a shy smile and nod. She looked different, now. He tried to calculate how many years it had been, but struggled to focus on the numbers. She was just there. In front of him. In person.
After all these years.
And by God, she was beautiful.
He blinked in surprise. He wasn't so much a surprise that she was beautiful, as he was at how much her beauty had changed. The awkward coming of age period had been far more generous with her than her peers. This was most evident when her enemies dolled her up as their toy queen. She was ethereal in her crown. But her appearance now was that much more appealing. He could barely pull his eyes away from where the stray golden strands of her hair clung to her jaw and her high cheekbones. Something about it made him want to reach out and touch her.
Heero swallowed, looking back down at his keyboard before deciding that crossing paths with an old friend was a reasonably platonic pursuit. She would never know that her appearance had caught his eye and he really just wanted to speak with her again. He wondered over what her life had been like in his absence — about whether she was happy or if the work was still really too much for a girl. Of course, she wasn't a girl anymore, as he had marked.
The reason to go and reveal himself was valid, and yet he could not will his legs to move strongly enough to even shift his weight. Stage fright was not something Heero readily empathized with, nor was social anxiety, and yet here he sat, completely frozen. He could not will himself to talk to a woman he knew in his youth — a woman into whom he used to try and put terror.
And then the moment passed. Relena took her paper cup with a warm smile and slipped out the door into the cool colony air.
Heero felt his body relax as the door fell shut between them, yet his mind remained transfixed. He felt physically unsettled by the encounter — or lack thereof — but he tried to put it from his thoughts.
For the following hour, he turned his attention back to his work, but it eluded him. He ran an exasperated hand through his hair, then rubbed his face. Was the crowd growing louder? He felt like he was grasping for the straws of information but they continued to slip away.
He finally closed the laptop a little more forcefully than he ought and sat, staring out the window. He knew that a full crew of embarassaries were gathered at the large hotel and conference center a few doors down. She would be there. The news had made no secret of that. Even if security were relatively tight, he felt confident that he could navigate his way around them, despite being a little rusty. But was that really what was best for either of them?
Simply hearing her voice had brought back so many memories, and not all good ones at that. He'd managed his post traumatic stress rather well, these past few years. Was seeing her worth triggering a relapse?
And what of her trauma? Last time he had seen her, she was covered in dust from an attack on the bunker in which she was being kept against her will — his attack. She didn't look much better than he was in the moments before he blacked out. When he did awake, he thought it was best for her if he vanished. If that was the case in 196, how was it any different now?
On the other hand, if she didn't see him, then the repercussions of his visit sat solely with him to manage. He had done it before, and the infiltration was simple enough. One more glance at her wouldn't hurt, would it?
What drew him to her, he wasn't sure, but in contrast to its previous behavior, he found his body carrying him out the door before a decision was really made.
Before he knew it, he was in the conference center, using his laptop as a prop to make him look like another busy guest working in the lobby. In the hours before the afternoon meetings released on the second floor, Heero managed to confirm the identities of six of the eight highest ranking members in attendance and on which floor three of them were residing — including the Vice Foreign Minister, herself. He wasn't easily able to gather her room number from his careful observation and listening, but he was confident that the floor was enough.
Minutes before the 3:00 PM release, he slipped in through the hotel's management offices and made his way to a back room, where he easily found a cabinet of uniforms that fit his needs. He tucked his computer into a secure hiding spot and pulled a uniform jacket down to him. He shifted it into alignment as he dressed and glanced at the mirror to confirm that he would blend in with the other staff. Security here was far too lax, and he would have to tell Relena as much when he found her.
That, he thought as he made his way up a back stairwell, would be exactly what he would tell her when he did finally see her. In the hours he'd been here, he hadn't come up with anything more interesting to say. If he stopped to think about it, he might realize that the fact that she was there and he had seen her in passing was all the reason he had to see her again.
How does one explain that?
He pushed the thought away as he moved swiftly up the winding stairs, checking the floor numbers as he climbed. He straightened his stolen jacket and caught his breath as he reached the thirty-sixth floor. Once his breathing had settled, he began to slowly pace the length of the halls, careful to obscure his face and remain unobtrusive. Sure enough, his patience paid off within minutes.
When he heard her entourage round the corner, he turned his back and pretended to give particular interest to a fire escape map on the wall beside him. He heard the door open as the party droned on, slipping into the room. As the room enveloped them, he stepped back to confirm the location before the door fell shut.
3619.
Perfect.
He dipped back into the stairwell, jamming the door open just enough to hear the silence of the hallway. He leaned back against the wall, tipped the bellhop hat forward over his brows, and waited.
It took well over another hour before the Vice Foreign Minister's cohorts finally moved on for the evening. Heero stepped close as he heard them pour into the hall. Moving toward the room labeled 3619, the air around him grew thicker. He stopped at the door, now closed, and balled his fists at his side.
With a deep sigh, he gave it two firm knocks and then waited.
He could hear her footfalls as she moved toward him. He instinctively tilted his head so the brim of the uniform cap obscured his face. There was a long pause and he wondered if he should have been more forthcoming, but he didn't want to give her the strategic advantage, either.
He listened as she turned the bolt lock, leaving the swing lock between them to prevent him from barging in.
He grinned. Cautious. It's about time.
The door whined lightly as it moved between them. A pang of anxiety moved across him like a shock.
His eyes met hers. Her lips parted.
The door closed, again, and she removed the swing lock that separated them.
He took a deep breath.
And the door was open.
She stood there a moment, looking up at him, then raked her eyes over his body. "Heero," she said softly.
He swallowed and lifted his head.
"Is something the matter?"
Heero frowned, tilting his head in confusion.
She gave a relieved smile. "I just mean—" She looked away in embarrassment, then shook her head. "Nevermind."
They stood there looking away from each other for several long moments. Finally she said, "Would you like to come in?"
He hadn't realized he was holding his breath until she made the offer. He nodded and stepped inside as she closed the door behind them.
He scanned the suite to get his bearings, noting where the previous guests had shifted the pillows and left their used cups on the coffee table. Unbothered by the details of it, he turned to face here again, hands folded neatly behind his back.
Relena mimicked the straight posture, folding her hands in front of her instead of behind. "Are you —?" She stopped and blushed in embarrassment.
Again, he felt confused and tried to communicate that in his expression.
She smirked and spit out honestly, "I don't know if you were actually working here or if you infiltrated the hotel for something."
He blinked, then remembered what he was wearing. "Oh." At the questions, he removed the hat and shook his hair free. The button of the collar followed as he stretched his neck back and forth for comfort.
"So something is wrong?" She asked.
"No," he answered plainly, glancing back at the door before openly watching her.
Relena struggled to make eye contact, massaging her wrist with her thumb in a comforting gesture as she looked at the various clutter that she and her guests had strewn about.
Her nose wrinkled as she fell on a new realization. She turned her eyes directly on him. "Heero Yuy, are you here for a social call?"
This time it was he who looked suddenly uncomfortable as he broke the eye contact. He opened his mouth but did not speak as he looked at the floor behind her.
Relena sighed a small affirmative sound and then turned on her heel to approach the kitchenette. "Would you like a drink?" She asked.
He gave her an unsure expression, almost shrugging.
She smiled. "I have whiskey or bourbon," she announced, pulling the fifths from the freezer, then turning to face him. "Or I can offer you orange juice or water. Whatever you like."
His eyes shifted to the ground as he slowly paced the room. "Water?"
She gave him a pleased nod and drew a glass from the cabinet. "Ice?"
He had stopped at the large glass wall overlooking the city and looked down at the busyness of the people below. "Thank you, no."
Relena shot him an unspecific look and filled his glass with cool water. She slowly moved toward him, raising the offering before him without pressing for a response, verbal or non. When he took it in his hand, she turned and moved back to the couch, setting herself down and crossing her ankles as she sipped her own water and watched him acclimate with his surroundings.
Finally she said, "To what do I owe the honor?"
Heero put the glass to his lips and sipped it slowly after she asked, then turned to face her. "Your security detail is too relaxed," he said. "It was far too easy to get up here."
She gave him a long look then intuitively responded, "You didn't come here to tell me that."
Heero's breath came out harshly, like half of a chuckle, and he looked away again. "No," he finally answered.
She grinned as if she'd won something, then waited several more minutes for a better explanation that would never come. After a while she thought about the last time she had seen him and the goodbye he never gave her. A pang of sadness groaned within her, but she pushed it away, deciding to try and keep the conversation light.
"What are you up to these days?" Her voice broke the silence with a question that would have felt safer had she asked anyone else. She second guessed herself when she posed it but she tried to keep an optimistic and confident posture.
To her relief he shrugged and answered, "I've been working at a garage here in town."
She let out a breath and fluttered her lashes, though his back was still to her. "I can see that you might enjoy that," she commented.
He turned to face her, narrowing his eyes. "You're surprised?"
"No," she lied as she tilted her head, thinking of an explanation.
"You are," he said firmly.
She grinned and looked down, placing her hands in her lap. "I guess I thought this whole time that you might have joined the Preventers."
He knit his brows as he listened. "The paramilitary group?"
She pursed her lip to one side, shifting in embarrassment and nodded. "I see how that doesn't work, now."
"Yeah."
She glanced up and smirked. "You're really one for words, aren't you Heero Yuy?"
To this he simply raised a brow, refusing to prod her further.
Relena huffed. "I guess I had this idea that you were still there with me, somewhere, and I thought I would eventually run into you, but—" She shrugged. "Now that I think about the last time we saw each other—" Her face relaxed into a sad expression as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"You don't have to feel bad," he said.
She gave him an empty smile. "I guess I let how I missed you get in the way of really listening to you."
Heero moved toward her, placing his empty cup on the table in front of her as he sat in a chair. He leaned close on his elbows and he spoke. "We ran into each other, Relena," he said, searching her eyes.
Relena held his gaze for a long while until the giddiness of it broke her face into a shy smile.
"What?" He still looked very serious as she turned away from him.
"I'm sorry," she answered. "It's really nothing. I think I'm just — embarrassed."
He tilted his head. "Why?"
Her bright blue eyes met his with a sharpness. "You ask a lot of questions, you know."
He exhaled and leaned back in the seat, studying the designs of the ceiling. She held her position, watching him and letting herself steal little glimpses of his figure while he was distracted.
"I have a question for you," she finally said.
He sat back up, leaning in to hear her.
Relena fought the blush in her cheeks as she spoke. "You said you work here. You live here, then? On the colony?"
He nodded without words.
Her gaze shifted away and back again. It made her feel childish, but she almost giggled as she asked. "Can I see your place from here?"
He rose and moved back to the window, looking down over the city. When Relena joined him, he leaned close to her face and pointed down to a restaurant below. "You see the pink donut sign right there?"
She strained to find the reference point, fighting to ignore how his breath tickled her cheek when he spoke. "Hm?"
"It's turning," he said, helping her filter out the unnecessary details.
"Yes," she said in a voice that gave away her unreasonable excitement.
He stole a glance at her and his lip twitched as he tried to hide a smirk. "One block further," he said slowly, so she could trace the streets, "and two to the right. Do you see the gas station? With the green canopy?"
Her voice had increased in excitement as she answered. "Yes?"
"And the apartments behind it?"
She took a steeling breath. "Uh huh?"
She could feel him shrug. "I live there," he said, "facing away from here.
Relena leaned back on her heels, and turned a warm smile to him. "And you work…?"
This time he let her see the barest hint of his one smirk before he leaned back in near her. Again he helped her trace the streets, this time from his apartment to Clinton's Garage three blocks closer to the hotel in which she was staying.
It was when she turned to step back that Relena noticed that he'd placed his hand at the base of her back to anchor himself to her. She jumped in surprise, deciding out of embarrassment to move forward, toward the exterior door, rather than back to the seating area. This time, she was sure her blush was evident.
She drew the double glass doors wide open and stepped out onto the balcony and into the colony air. The artificial wind in these higher levels was not nearly as intense as that of the skyscrapers back home, but it caught her hair, flipping and twisting the free strands around her body. Relena guided it them from her face with her fingertips and turned to find Heero standing in the opening at her back, watching her with wide eyes and parted lips.
Her breath caught.
She turned and peered down at the streets below, attempting to regain some sense of control over her emotions. She felt she needed to speak to direct the mood of the exchange, so she returned to the previous conversation. "I apologize, again, about that silly assumption, Heero."
There was a long silence before he stepped up beside her, leaning his elbows against the railing. "I didn't take offense, Relena. I realize I disappointed you."
The suggestion wounded her, but she tried not to show it. "Never," she whispered in a hard voice. She remained still another moment, pivoting her face toward him as on a pin. "You were exhausted. I remember that. I just — I guess I didn't connect your absence to what you said. I was a silly oversight. You have to give me that, at least."
He shrugged, still not meeting her gaze. "I don't see why it would have been memorable for you."
This time her cheeks felt cold, as if the blood was draining out of them. "Your story is always memorable to me, Heero." She turned her face up and away. "Your story is worthy of being remembered."
He huffed lightly as he stood and turned his back to the city, leaning backwards against the barrier that protected them. "You would say something like that," scanning what was left of the buildings concrete walls above them.
She shook her head, growing frustrated with his indifference to his own value. "You just never get it, do you?" She laced her hands together and looked down over the people below. She let her eyes wander the streets until she found her way back to the donut shop and the gas station. There was his home — Heero Yuy's home — and that mattered to her. "You've always been special to me," she confessed.
He turned to face her at the statement, causing her to jump and straighten under his scrutiny.
She heaved a heavy breath and looked away from him again. "You'll always be special to me, Heero Yuy," she repeated in a bit of a pout. "I just missed you so much and I —" She took a steeling breath and wrapped her arms around herself, again. She thought about what he said about disappointing her and her eyes stung. "I've always been so proud of you."
His face relaxed into a surprised expression. "Huh?"
She dropped her hands to her sides, fists balled tight as she looked intently up to his eyes. "I said I'm proud of you, Heero Yuy. I've always been proud of you, and now I'm twice so." She squeezed her eyes shut, now, letting tears fall down her cheeks as she emphasized each syllable. "You took care of yourself, and that is brave. And I wish I could have half the courage you had to have to —"
And then suddenly she could not speak.
His mouth was over hers and his arms were around her, pulling her against his body.
Relena's eyes flew open in shock and her body stiffened in his embrace until the surprise wore off. His grip only loosened enough for her arms to get free once she started kissing him back, nip for nip. She mumbled his name into his mouth and wrapped her hands around his skull as he pinned her body against the glass wall.
She cried out in surprise when his tongue hit hers, and yet her hands became still more vigorous, pulling at his hair and then roaming over his shoulders and back. Likewise, Heero pulled her to him, and turned her away from the balcony wall, pressing her now against the door.
Once she was safely leaning back toward the security of the room, he pulled his mouth off of hers and began to nibble at her jaw and neck, working his way down to the bare skin under her collar.
She tried to slow him by calling his name, but her voice came out as an encouragement. When his fingers pulled loose the hem of her shirt from her skirt, she realized that she really didn't want him to stop — consequences be damned.
Once he'd freed her of her blouse, he flung it to the side and lifted her by the hips. She squealed at the sensation, wrapping herself around him as he moved her to the couch. She landed with a bounce and he was immediately back upon her, lips on her neck and hands holding her still in a bruising grip.
Relena continued to kiss back, bucking her hips up against his arousal for several minutes, but he resisted the urge to touch her covered breasts. She moaned for more, but he responded by bringing his kisses back up and exploring her mouth.
She ripped her own away, calling his name. "Heero, please," she begged, grinding her body up against him.
He propped himself over her on his elbows and looked deeply into her eyes.
Relena felt herself blush despite her otherwise high level of sexual frustration. She broke eye contact just long enough to watch her hands run down his torso and pull at the buttons of the stolen uniform. When she met his gaze again, her eyes were on fire with passion.
The words felt foreign and scary on her lips, but she knew he was resisting going further without her consent. She pushed herself up against him, groaning before she asked in a hoarse whisper, "I need you."
His breath grew heavy but he was careful. He shifted his weight back onto his legs and brought one hand slowly down, wrapping it firmly around her breast as he watched her jerk and beg for more. A small grin played at his lips. He leaned closer to kiss her again.
Knock, knock.
They both froze and looked at the door.
Relena quickly turned her attention back to him, spreading her hands over the base of his neck. "Ignore it," she pleaded.
He looked down at her, still contemplating the distraction as she continued to undo the buttons on his jacket.
The knock came, again. "Miss Relena?"
The sound of the man's voice seemed to confirm Relena's indifference toward him. She rolled her eyes and then pulled Heero's lips to hers, kissing him deeply and passionately. He allowed his body to relax into hers again, lying flush on top of her as his hands went back to exploring every inch of bare skin he could reach without breaking the kiss.
And then he did something she did not expect. He dropped his weight to one side, tumbling onto the floor with her still very much attached to him. They landed with a loud thud, her body now on top of his. She squealed in surprise, but quickly seized his mouth again.
Heero could almost hear the man on the other side of the door stop at the sound of it, before he knocked a third time. This time his voice conveyed exasperation. "Miss Relena? I know you're in there. I can hear you."
Relena stopped, looking into Heero's eyes as she turned deep red with a blush.
"Look. I know you don't really want to see me, but I think we should discuss this resource satellite issue before tomorrow's debate."
She sat up so her sex rested on his and looked at the door with a pained expression. When she met Heero's gaze this time, she frowned. "I have to take this," she told him.
She watched as his eyes ran down her body to where his hand still clung to her bare thigh, fingertips under the hem of her skirt, and then raked his way back up to trace the designs of her bra. He swallowed as his stare shot back up to hers, and then he slowly nodded.
Another quick knock brought both of them to look at the door once more. "Can you just give me another minute, Jared?"
"Oh," the man answered in a pitchy and sarcastic tone. "So you are in there?"
She ignored him, touching Heero's hair and neck and jaw before pulling away. She scanned the room, then dove for her shirt as Heero rose to his feet. She looked up at him as she dressed. "Would you wait for me?" She asked.
The sharp angles of his face softened and he nodded. He turned and looked at the bedroom door of the suite, then stepped in for one more kiss. It was deep and warm and thirsty. His fingers tangled in her hair as he held her close and lingered another moment before disappearing into her rented bedroom.
Relena fluffed her shirt in her hands before continuing to work at the buttons. Her belly trembled at the way he looked at her now. It made her feel dizzy and unfocussed. She was glad for the relief of a door closing between them, allowing her to face her work for just a little while longer.
She checked her hair and opened the door, offering her rival the same quiet niceties she had her friendlier guests. When he attempted to surmise what had taken her so long to respond, she was quick to remind him that he was not entitled to her time and if she wants to watch a movie after work, that is her prerogative.
And then the debate began again where it had left off hours before. Relena couldn't be sure how long she argued with her peer before they agreed to disagree and he finally left, but it had been daylight when they started and the colony's artificially lighting had turned to pitch by the time he said goodnight, promising to continue his fight in the morning.
When the door finally closed at his back, Relena breathed a heavy sigh. She'd had some time to let her body cool off from the steamy encounter with Heero that afternoon, and in doing so she came to herself. She remained ever reminded throughout the evening of why she had tried to slow his affections in the first place, and she was fairly horrified at her actions once his body was responding to hers.
She swallowed and straightened, holding her head high as she marched toward the bedroom door. On the other side she knew Heero was waiting for her — waiting to make love to her — and she had to give him the bad news.
She released another steeling breath as she turned the knob and stepped through. It was dark, but she could see him lying on the bed. She tried to suppress a smile before she moved to turn on the reading lamp.
He lay straight along the length of the bed, arms folded and legs crossing at the ankles. He had waited for her to finish her work, which was completely unnecessary on his part, and now he was asleep on her pillow.
Relena reached up and gently brushed the hair that framed his face with her fingertips. That brought his eyes open and his hand gently around her wrist. He blinked and met her gaze.
She gave him a sad smile. "I'm sorry that took so long," she said softly.
He closed his eyes and pressed her hand to his cheek before looking at her again. The look made her feel light headed, but she tried to maintain her regal pose.
"Heero," she said softly, closing her eyes and she turned her face away.
She felt him release her and sit up, shifting his weight so he could straighten. It felt as though he was distancing himself from her.
He knew.
Relena folded her hands in her lap and turned to him with an embarrassed expression. She pressed her lips together in a sort of humored frown. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.
Heero turned his face away, draping one arm over his raised knee as he spoke. "I didn't come here to sleep with you, Relena."
Her breath caught and her cheeks felt warm. She looked at him a long moment, then down at the books she had resting by the lamp. "Why did you come?"
Her voice was soft but full of emotion. The truth was that she and Heero had always had a relationship that confused her. Certainly she could own the fact that in their first months of their friendship, she had an insatiable crush on him, but clearly it grew to something deeper and greater than that. She admired him. She respected him. In a less girlish, less infatuated sense, she definitely loved him. But Heero's reciprocation of that friendship was always unclear. One moment, he seemed to care deeply for her, at times there even seemed to be a sort of sexual frustration, but then in the next he would vanish without a word — and this last time his vanishing had been for years. Hell. She half expected him to be gone if she ever came back to this colony, as he avoided her so well.
"I don't know," he finally said.
Relena blinked at him in surprise. He was still turned from her, eyes searching the darkness.
He went on. "I saw you pick up your coffee today and I just — followed you." When he turned his face back toward her, his eyes were dark and sharp.
Relena felt her belly begin to tremble again, so she turned away. Still, he reached out and touched her hair, brushing some free strands behind her ear. He let his fingers brush the edge of her ear as he slowly pulled his hand down, grazing her neck, before drawing away. The sensation sent goosebumps cascading all down her side.
"I'm still drawn to you," he confessed before turning back to the darkness, as though he could search it for the answers. "I don't know why."
Relena reached out and adjusted the stack of books, straightening it, as if the order would solve the conundrum she was now in. There was a solution, of course, which was simple and to the point. Perhaps, she knew, it might even be the right thing to do. But she also knew that some part of her didn't want that option.
Still, she had to at least be honest with him.
"I've been seeing someone," she said in a voice devoid of emotion. She was still as she confessed it, hoping he would say or do something to reveal his thoughts, but she was disappointed. That was reason enough to go on. "It's nothing serious," she said. "At least, I don't think it is."
She touched her finger to her chin and considered the risks and benefits of taking a lover, and then shrugged it off. Heero had said he was drawn to her and had shown that it was at least partly sexual, but that was no confession of undying love. She knew that telling him that she was already shopping for a husband in other places would be enough to put a stop to any confusion he felt now, and as a self-respecting woman, she would accept that lot.
She only noticed he had turned to look at her because his voice sounded closer and clearer when he next spoke.
"I'd like to see you again," he told her.
She remained very still but shifted her gaze further from him as she tried to decipher whether he meant that in a romantic way or just as a friend — or even in a sexual way, since that was not inherently in either category.
"If you remain with him, I'll respect that. I can be your friend," he said. He released a low sigh just loud enough for her to hear as he turned away again. "I just want to see you."
"And if I don't?" She immediately wished she could reel her words back in. She didn't know what made her say it, but it slipped out as they were still looking carefully away from each other. She squeezed her eyes shut in regret.
A moment later she felt something brush her forearm lightly enough to tickle before his finger began to draw patterns on the back of her hand. She looked down and Heero was tracing the bones of her hands with his ring finger. She raised her head to find him peering into her eyes, saying nothing but telling her everything she could ever hope to hear.
Her cheeks stained pink with a girlish blush before she dodge his gaze again. She swallowed and tried to suppress a smile as she answered. Then she nodded and tilted her head away from him in a flattered posture. "I have to finish this tour," she said, "and I'll need to put some affairs in order back home."
"And then?" He asked.
She shrugged and turned away so he couldn't see how broadly she was smiling. "Clinton's Garage?"
"Yeah."
Relena took a deep breath. "Donut, green canopy, apartment?"
He raised his hand from hers to her chin, turning her head toward him and looking seriously into her eyes. "324a," he answered.