Chapter 12
It was Tuesday night, the day Heero and Relena started their trip to Africa. The last few days went by in a flash as Heero and Relena were enjoying their new relationship. It honestly didn't feel any different to them except for the fact they were now sharing a bed and were able to kiss and touch each other without Heero feeling awkward.
On Monday they had made their way to the spaceport to bid Zechs and Noin farewell on their trip to Mars. Relena was holding back tears at the thought of not being able to see her brother for a year, while Zechs gave Heero the over protective big brother speech again, to which Heero smirked. Noin told them not to get married or have any babies before they returned which allowed a moment of amusement to ease the sombre feeling.
Tuesday was spent packing. Heero had no idea what to do as this was a first for him. Relena inspected his wardrobe and announced that they needed to go shopping as he didn't have anything appropriate to wear, which was also an excuse for her to do some retail therapy.
After several hours, mainly consisting of Relena trying on nearly every item of clothing in the store while Heero was forced to watch and give his opinion, Heero staggered into the house, swamped by the weight of all the bags. He grumbled something about Duo being right which made Relena giggle. She was looking forward to this trip more than anything. At first it was going to be fun sharing in Heero's first vacation, but now that they were together, she was planning on making it special.
They were loading their bags into the car when Relena suddenly felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. Placing a hand on the area, she quickly rushed back inside telling Heero to keep packing as she would be right back. She quickly made her way to the bathroom and looked through the drawers to get what she needed. Once done, she looked at herself in the mirror before speaking.
"Looks like those plans are on hold," she said grumpily to her reflection.
She quickly straightened herself out before heading back to Heero.
"Everything okay?" asked Heero in concern. He could see frustration in Relena's eyes.
"Yes. Now we should get going, we don't want to miss our flight," replied Relena a little snappily as she got in the car.
Heero eyed his girlfriend questioningly. He could tell she was hiding something but didn't want to press her unless necessary. It was a twelve hour flight from Brussels to Johannesburg, and he didn't want it to be more uncomfortable than it had to be.
They arrived at the airport and parked in the long term lot. Heero carried their bags to the check in area, and after passing security, boarded the plane. Relena was surprised to see they were sitting in first class, she hadn't actually seen Heero book the flights.
"Heero, this is too much. You won't have any money left soon," said Relena trying to sound concerned yet flattered at the same time as she took her seat by the window.
Heero chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I have money, legitimate money. I got paid well by the government for my security programs. Besides I wanted to spoil you."
Relena blushed at Heero's statement. "But we weren't together when we decided to take this trip."
"It is my way of thanking you for everything you've done for me this past month. So don't overthink it. Relax and enjoy yourself, you deserve it," replied Heero with a smile before quickly kissing Relena.
When Heero pulled away, Relena smiled back and nodded, but her expression quickly changed when she felt another pain in her lower abdomen.
"Are you alright?" asked Heero in concern.
"Yes. It's already passed. Must have a stomach bug."
Heero wasn't convinced. "Do you want me to get you anything?"
"No, I'll be fine. The pain doesn't last long and it's not constant."
"If you're sure? You don't need to act tough in front of me."
Relena grinned at Heero's attempt to lighten her spirits. "I'm fine, thank you Heero. I think I'll try to get some sleep so I'm not tired for tomorrow," she said as she laid her seat back once the plane had taken off.
Heero nodded but didn't take his eyes off of Relena for the entire flight.
They arrived in Johannesburg and boarded a bus for the two hour drive to Sun City Resort. Relena was in awe of the resort's beauty, and Heero admitted to himself that the place looked impressive in person. It was an old palace situated next to a national park and had a multitude of pools, a golf course and safari plains.
They checked in and their bags were taken to their room. Given it was midday; they decided to get something to eat. They found a place to eat that was situated near a pool and had a view of the open plains. They sat in silence as they ate, enjoying the serenity of their surroundings. A little way into their meal, Relena felt another pain and she couldn't help but grit her teeth as she placed her hand down low.
"Okay, what's going on?" asked Heero firmly, letting Relena know he wanted answers this time.
"It's nothing, it's just, it's my time of month," replied Relena softly, feeling embarrassed.
It took a couple of seconds for Heero to understand what she meant. "Oh, why didn't you say so earlier? I was starting to get worried that it was something serious."
"I was feeling awkward and embarrassed as I didn't know how you would react given you haven't dealt with this situation before," said Relena turning her eyes away.
Heero placed his hand on Relena's and gave her a reassuring smile when she looked back. "No, I haven't been in this situation before. But at the same time you shouldn't feel embarrassed about telling me things like this," he said while Relena smiled back at Heero's positive and supportive attitude. "I thought women got really moody during this time?" asked Heero trying to make Relena feel comfortable.
She gave a giggle before replying. "We can be. I normally get a little irritable but I've learnt to control it thanks to working in politics. Though it was fun to take my frustration out on annoying politicians. But I will apologize in advance if I snap at you; just know I don't mean it."
Heero chuckled at Relena's answer but his expression changed when Relena flinched in pain. "Did you want to go home?"
Relena looked at Heero in shock. He was so devoted to her wellbeing that he was prepared to end their vacation before it began. She was touched. "No, we don't need to do that. I've been going through it for over five years now. It's just I had a tendency to skip the odd one over the last year due to stress and when the next one came it was always more painful. Which is what I think has happened this time. The first day is always the worst. I'll be fine tomorrow. Besides, who would want to leave all this?" she said gesturing to their surroundings. "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?"
"I'm looking at her right now," replied Heero.
Relena looked back at him, a smile on her face and a small blush appearing. "See that's all you need to do to make me feel better," she said before leaning towards Heero to give him a kiss. "How about after lunch we go for a walk and stretch our legs?"
Heero nodded, looking forward to exploring their new location with the woman he was starting to have incredibly strong feelings for.
After a walk around the grounds, they made their way to their room, and Relena gasped at how luxurious it was. It was the size of an apartment. The kitchen, dining room and living room were combined with the bedroom and bathroom separated. The bed was massive and Relena couldn't help but throw herself on it and relax in its softness. She then looked in the bathroom and gasped at how gorgeous it was. She spied the giant spa bath but started to feel disappointed that nothing would be happening this week.
Heero watched Relena check out their suite, struggling to keep the smile of his face at Relena's joy.
"Relena?"
"Yes?" asked Relena as she sat on the bed.
"I need to do something real quick. You should take a shower or bath and relax, order room service if you want."
"Okay," replied Relena feeling a little confused. They had only just got there and weren't working yet so she knew it wasn't something official. "Don't be too long."
"I'll be back soon," he said as he left the suite.
He walked a little way to a balcony and pulled out his phone.
"Duo here," came the God of Death's voice.
"It's Heero, can you talk?"
"Sure thing buddy. How's the vacation? Don't tell me you're calling cause you've already stuffed up and you need a place to stay?" asked Duo jokingly.
"Very funny Duo. No, I need your advice on something."
"I'll be dammed, you asking me for advice. What do you need?" asked Duo, revelling in the situation.
"I'm not one for talking about people behind their backs but Relena's at that time of month and I've got no idea what I'm supposed to do. She said she's fine but I feel like I'm supposed to do something."
Duo chuckled but he could hear the desperation in Heero's voice so he decided to be respectful. "Ah man, I know how you feel. I was in the same boat with Hilde. She would snap at me over little things. I had no idea what was going on until she told me. Thankfully I was better prepared for the next one. But hang on," said Duo as something occurred to him. "You've been living with her for a month. How come this is only an issue now?"
"Relena said she sometimes skipped one due to stress."
"That makes sense. Is she all moody?" asked Duo in that voice that always sounded like he was making a joke.
"No. Relena said she gets irritable and apologized in advance if she snaps at me."
"At least your girlfriend took your feelings into consideration," pouted Duo. "So I guess you aren't getting any then?" joked Duo.
"Duo," growled Heero.
"Sorry man it's just…I don't know if I should tell you this."
"Tell me what?"
"Hilde told me that Relena was planning on you two having your first time on your trip."
"It's not the most important thing about a relationship, Duo."
"I know. But you two took forever to get together and I think she wanted to show you how much your relationship means to her."
"I can see your point," agreed Heero as what Duo said made sense.
"Guess there's always Valentine's Day."
"Valentine's Day?"
"Yeah, you know, the day used to celebrate love. Don't tell me you didn't know about that day?"
"Obviously not."
"Well my advice is don't forget it if you don't want this to be the shortest relationship in history," chuckled Duo. "Who am I kidding? That girl would love you no matter how many important dates you forget. By the way it's the 14th of February. You're welcome."
"Thanks. And back to advice on the other matter."
"Oh, right. Just be sensitive to her needs, don't take anything she says personally and I found that chocolate, lower back massages and heat packs work wonders."
"Thanks Duo, for all of your advice. Now I know why she seemed a little down last night before our flight."
"Don't mention it. Hey can you get me an African tribal death mask?"
Heero chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to you later."
"Yep, no worries. Cya."
Heero hung up and went to the shopping complex. Meanwhile, Duo was chuckling as he put his phone down as Hilde walked into the room.
"What's so funny?" asked Hilde.
"Just giving Heero some advice."
"About what?" inquired Hilde, keen for juicy gossip as she knew what Relena had planned.
Duo chuckled at the look in Hilde's eyes as he pulled her onto his lap. "And you scold me for thinking dirty. No, sadly for them that won't be happening. Apparently an unwanted friend has paid Relena a visit and Heero didn't know what to do."
"And you gave him your expert advice?" asked Hilde raising an eyebrow.
"Well I learnt from the best," answered Duo as he kissed Hilde.
"Maybe I should give Relena a call. She must be feeling bummed."
"No, don't. She'll know that everyone has been talking about her and that won't go over well."
"When did you get so wise?" teased Hilde.
"Like I said, I learnt from the best," said Duo as he picked up Hilde and carried her to the bedroom.
Back in Africa, Relena was lying on the bed in a fluffy, oversized bathrobe after a nice relaxing shower. Heero had been gone for a while and she was starting to get worried. She was about to ring him when he entered their room, arms laden with items.
"What's all this?" she asked confused.
"I've been told that chocolate and heat packs help during this time," answered Heero bashfully as he handed her a giant box of chocolates.
"Oh Heero, you're so sweet. Did you look this up?"
"I might have done some research," he answered not wanting to let on that he spoke to Duo.
"Come here you," said Relena as she put the chocolates aside and pulled Heero onto the bed where she proceeded to kiss him passionately to show her appreciation. "How did I get so lucky to get you?"
"You lied to medical professionals," teased Heero.
Relena giggled. "And I'm glad I did," she replied before kissing Heero again.
They broke the kiss and Heero remembered something that made him chuckle.
"What's so funny?" asked Relena.
"I was just thinking about back then."
"About what?"
"About how before you were kidnapped I had planned on coming to see you so we could talk."
"About what?"
"About what happened between us on the L3 colony during the Sogran incident."
"You mean how you randomly kissed me, and then gave me the cold shoulder when I tried to bring it up during the Vulkanus thing, and then you didn't speak to me for six months?"
"Yeah, I wanted to apologize for that."
Relena giggled. "That's water under the bridge now. Plus you kind of apologized during our first walk in the park."
"I know but still. I shouldn't have done that to you. Especially after everything that happened to me I should have known better then to play with someone's emotions, especially when I knew they had feelings for me and when I wasn't prepared to enter into a relationship with them back then."
Relena placed her hand on Heero's cheek. "It's fine Heero. Even though we're together now I accept your apology. Plus I didn't mind what happened. Yes I was a little hurt, but that kiss at least told me that you felt something for me. We were young, we had other responsibilities, and I was prepared to wait. So what had you planned on doing after your apology?"
"In all honesty I hadn't planned past the apology. I was hoping you would take the lead."
"If that's the case, I probably would have done this," said Relena as she pressed her lips back to Heero's before pulling away. "To show you I accepted your apology. Then I would have asked you to spend Christmas with me."
Heero let a small smile show. "Then I would have left as soon as possible," he said with a smirk. Relena looked at him with wide eyes and slapped his arm. "Only joking; I would have accepted. Though Duo and Hilde would have been upset that I ditched them but seeing as how they were pushing for me to talk to you they would have understood."
"So one way or another we would have ended up together by now?"
"Most likely, though I think the way it happened was better. It meant I couldn't run away and that I had to face my feelings."
"Either way I'm glad."
"Me too," replied Heero as he initiated a kiss of his own. "Now I'm going to take a shower and when I get back I'll give your lower back a massage."
Relena smiled sweetly at Heero. When he got back she sat back and enjoyed a soothing back massage before ordering room service. She knew there were plenty of places to eat but given how tired she was, staying in sounded good and she was looking forward to being pampered some more by Heero.
The week flew by faster than Heero and Relena could have imagined, but they used every minute they had. During the day they explored the area, looking at all of the attractions. There was a cultural village, wave pool, and a safari area where Relena delighted in seeing the African wildlife. There were plenty of activities too. Bush walks, animal encounters, hot air ballooning, a maze that was built to look ancient. Heero even managed to convince Relena to have a go on the zip line and para sailing, but only after Heero did it first. Relena of course made sure to take plenty of photos and videos of the whole experience, even convincing Heero to partake in some selfies of them kissing.
At night they had dinner at one of the many restaurants. Then they would explore to see what was on offer. There were some clubs where Relena dragged Heero to dance; there was also a cinema and theater where Heero got to experience his first live musical.
Heero surprised Relena saying that he was having a good time. He let himself relax even though he was always keeping an eye out for danger. Relena had forbid him from hacking the resort's security system which led to Heero pouting for the first time, much to Relena's amusement.
Sadly it came time to leave. Relena had had the best time of her life and was happy that Heero had enjoyed himself and that they were able to experience it together. When they got home they begrudgingly dumped their bags in their room, now weighing more thanks to the souvenirs they got for their friends and family.
Heero and Relena knew they only had a little over a week left before their inevitable return to the real world. Even though they would be working together, it wouldn't be the same as what they were doing now. They were determined to make the most of the care free time they had left.
To be continued…