Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Author's Notes: Hang in with the story, it's gonna get rocky.
****
Some Kind of Wonderful
by Kristen Elizabeth
****
"Yeh, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes. Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord. And when you ask them, how much should we give? Oh, they only answer, more, more, more..." -John Fogerty
****
They spent the last day driving around the town, doing the little things they had always taken for granted. Sipping a milkshake at the diner, feeding the ducks at the pond, holding hands. It never ceased to amaze Relena how much comfort she took from the simple feeling of Heero's fingers threaded through her own.
Several times during the day, she tried to bring up her decision to go on to college without him, but every time she closed her mouth before the words could come out. It wasn't that she was afraid to tell Heero; he had done nothing but support her since they were eight years old. In some roundabout way, she was afraid to vocalize the words. She hadn't even told her brother that she was planning to attend, only that she had been accepted. Stating her intention in plain terms was a daunting task for a girl who only the day before would have been perfectly happy raising Heero's children for the rest of her life.
Duo and Hilde met up with them at the town's little movie theatre that night. They had apparently been doing almost the same sort of reminiscing as Heero and Relena....although Duo's shirt was buttoned up wrong and Hilde had only a trace of red lipstick left on her mouth.
After the movie, they stopped back at their diner for one last dinner together. After the waitress delivered their burgers and fries, Heero broke the news about the scholarship and the Marines.
Duo choked on his pickle. "You did what?!" He glanced at Relena; her lower lip threatened to tremble. "Why, man?"
"It's something I feel a duty to do," Heero replied, crumpling the paper from his straw.
Hilde shook her head. "Wow. This is kinda...square of you, Heero." She met her best friend's eyes. "But you're okay with it, Relena?"
"It's not my decision." Relena's voice was calm, but low. "It's Heero's."
Duo whistled under his breath. "He's in the Army now...Heero Yuy." He paused. "Do you get a gun? 'Cause that would be far out."
"Far out?" Relena repeated.
Heero set his drink down with a decisive smack. "Why don't you join up and find out, Duo?"
"No fucking way, man." Duo pulled his braid over his shoulder, protectively. "They'd make me get rid of my baby..."
"I thought I was your baby." Hilde winked at him.
"No, you're my babe," Duo corrected her. "And you're leaving me. My braid will never..."
"I'm going to college." Relena's abrupt revelation brought a halt to the conversation. "I got accepted at NC State," she continued a second later.
Duo broke into a wide smile. "I knew you were the brains of the operation, princess."
"Congratulations!" Hilde clapped her hands together.
Heero turned his head to look at his girlfriend better. "Are you sure about this, Relena?"
She nodded. "I got the letter this morning. It's just...you're not going now...and we can't get married right away. So, if I don't go, I'll just be sitting around on my hands until you get back from..."
"You don't have to justify anything to me." Heero cupped her cheek in his hand. "I'm proud of you."
Relena's shoulders relaxed. "At least I'll have something to put in the letters I plan to send to you every day."
Heero lifted an eyebrow. "A letter a day?"
"He'll be the luckiest little boy in boot camp!" Duo snickered.
Hilde gave him a solid pinch before asking, "When do you leave, Heero?"
"Tomorrow."
She glanced back at forth between the couple. "And you're sitting here, wasting time with us? You should be out...doing stuff. Together."
The insinuation brought a blush to Relena's cheeks and an embarrassed glare to Heero's brow. But, he did start to slide out of the booth. "I should get Relena home."
"Yes, you should." Duo eased out as well and reached for Heero's hand. "Take it easy in boot camp, man."
Heero moved Duo away from the girls as they shook hands. "Do something for me while I'm gone. Look out for Relena." He glanced at her, hugging Hilde. "She's the best thing in my life."
"Oh, man!!" Duo pushed at Heero's shoulder. "Why did you have to go and do that?!"
"Do what?
"Say something that stupid! Now it's just about guaranteed that something is going to happen to you! And I'll be looking after Relena because you're dead! And then we'll probably fall in love and..."
"Hey!" Heero's tone was sharp and deadly. "Knock that thought of your head right now, Maxwell. Nothing is going to happen to me in boot camp. And if you ever lay a single finger on Relena..."
Duo held up his hands. "I was just saying..."
"Don't say. Don't even think." After a second, Heero let himself relax. "Now, will you look after her?"
With a sigh, Duo nodded. "Yeah. I will, man."
"What are you two discussing so intently over here?" Hilde asked, sauntering over to them. When neither boy replied, she rolled her eyes. "I suppose my Hollywood adventure has been overshadowed by the United States Army, but considering that I'm leaving right after you, Heero, you'd better hug me now and get the goodbye out of the way."
Relena watched Hilde pull her boyfriend into a brief, resistant hug. She smothered a smile when Heero caught her eye. Clearing her throat, she walked over to them. "C'mon, Heero. I need to get home."
The inflection in her tone told him that home was the last thing on Relena's mind. "Yeah. I mean, yes, you do." He pulled away from Hilde and looked her and Duo for a minute. "I just want you both to know. High school was tolerable...because of you all."
Duo put a hand to his chest. "That, ladies and gentlemen, was the most beautiful..."
"Can it, Duo." Relena reached for her boyfriend's hand.
"You got it, princess."
As Heero and Relena walked away, hand in hand, Hilde pulled Duo back into the booth. "I think...maybe tonight."
"Maybe tonight what?" He reached for a handful of fries.
Hilde lifted a slender shoulder and picked up her burger. "Him leaving for boot camp, her leaving for college...if they don't do it..." She took a small bite. "She can officially apply for sainthood."
****
"Heero..." Relena's eyelids fluttered as Heero nuzzled the soft, exposed flesh over her collarbone. His fingers tugged at her bra strap. "I'm going to miss you so much."
He nodded into her neck as the strap popped open. Within seconds, his lips found her breasts. There couldn't be anything softer in the world, he decided. The thought that he wouldn't be able to touch her for months was almost enough to make him reconsider the Marines. Heero pulled her closer to his body, wanting to touch as much of her as he could.
The sudden action pushed his aching length against her inner thigh. Though separated by layers of clothing, Relena froze. Heero looked up from between her breasts. "I'm sorry, Relena." He started to pull back.
Without allowing herself time to think, Relena shook her head. "No. No, I want to...to feel you, Heero. All of you."
"Are you sure?" His tongue traced a pattern around her nipple. She whimpered her agreement and within seconds, he was pressing into her again. But now, she was not afraid. Fueled by the knowledge that the next night, he would be several states away, Relena slid her hands down from their usual place on his upper back to his waist. She could feel his muscles through his shirt and had the itching desire to feel them through bare skin.
Heero responded by pushing her blouse off her arms and throwing it to the car floor, followed by her lacy bra. Bare to the waist, Relena shivered, but was instantly warmed by Heero's arms wrapping around her. Completely on their own, her hands began pulling at his shirt until she could slip her hands underneath it.
His skin was hot and smooth. The muscles she had wanted to feel rippled just below the surface. Heero's mouth on her breast grew more insistent. Relena's back arched with pleasure. Every motion brought his hardness closer to the cleft between her thighs.
When her nails lightly scratched his back, Heero let out a low groan. This was the furthest they had ever been. Anymore and he was afraid he'd never be able to stop.
"Relena..."
"I know." Her hands pushed him until into a sitting position. She lay, half naked, awkwardly pressed into the corner of the seat, and stared up at him. Her blonde hair was mussed; her headband had slipped off during their heavy kissing. "We have to stop," she whispered.
He gently pulled her up. "Unless...you don't want to?"
Relena lowered her eyes. Even in the dim light from the moon though the fogged windows, she could make out the shape of his erection through his pants. "It feels too good to be right, Heero. And if we don't do it now, we'll have something to look forward to..."
"When we get married," he finished.
She sniffed suddenly. "It's hard for me, too, Heero. You're leaving and we'll be apart for so long." Her eyes filled with tears. "What if you forget me?"
"It'll never happen." Heero was firm.
Relena watched his deep blue eyes for a moment. "I believe you." A long moment passed between them. "Come back home to me, Heero. I'll be waiting for you."
He stroked a finger down her bare breast and took her lips in thorough kiss. "You'll be with me every day."
Despite her best efforts, Relena's tears fell, hot and fast. "I love you so much."
Heero lowered his mouth to hers, tasting the salt of her sorrow on her lips. He didn't need to echo the sentiment. She had not doubted his love since the day they met.
****
They both agreed that it would be too hard to say goodbye at the train station in public. So, they said their goodbyes on the front lawn of Relena's house that night. Heero held Relena to his chest for what seemed like years, but yet, wasn't long enough. Finally, he gave her one last, sweet kiss and watched her walk up the steps to her house. She turned around on the top step and looked back at him.
It was the image of her that Heero would carry with him through boot camp. Hair tousled, lips red, skin flushed, eyes sad, but sparkling, blowing him a little kiss.
So, it was Duo who ended up driving his best friend to the train station, to see him off on his journey. And to his great dismay, he was back at the train station a week later, only this time with his beloved Hilde...and all of her luggage.
Once her things had been taken onto the train, she turned to him. "Duo, I..."
He lifted a finger to cover her lips. "It's okay, babe. I think I get it now. This is something you have to do."
She nodded. "I won't be happy if I don't try. Even if I never get a part in a movie ever....I have to try."
Duo moved his hand across her face to run his fingers through her short curls. "You'll make it. You're a star, Hilde. You're my star..."
The touch sent a shiver down her spine; he could always turn her knees to jelly. From their first kiss to their last lovemaking in Duo's bed only an hour earlier...her body had been his long before she gave him her heart.
"You know I love you. Right?"
He smiled. "Good to know. Since I've always been crazy about you." There was a pause. "I always will be. So, if you get bored out there in California..."
"I know." Hilde stood up on her toes to give him a thorough kiss. "And you can always come out to see me, too."
The train whistle blew before he could reply. Clearing his throat, Duo took a step back. "Better go now or it'll leave without you."
Hilde glanced over his shoulder at the train. She had been able to hold in all of her tears up until that point. Seeing the train and the pained look in Duo's eyes, she lost her battle. "I'm going to miss you," she sobbed.
He pulled her against his shoulder, fighting his own tears. "You had better," he whispered in a choked voice. "I'll never be out of your life, I swear."
"All aboard!!"
The loud call broke the moment. Duo rubbed at his eyes and picked up Hilde's carry-on bag. Handing it to her, he attempted a characteristic wink. "Knock 'em dead out there, babe."
She nodded. "I will." With one last, soft kiss, she took the bag and started for the train. Duo watched her disappear for a moment, then reappear as she settled into a window seat. She lifted her hand to wave at him as the train jerked forward. He waved back, walking with the train. As it picked up speed, he began to jog to keep Hilde in sight. When he couldn't keep up anymore, she pressed her lips against the glass.
Duo slowed back down as she moved out of his sight. He stood in the station for a long time after the train became a little black spot down the long track. She was gone. And he was alone.
He drove back into town without so much as the radio on to keep him company. As he turned onto Main Street, he caught a glimpse of a slender figure, walking along the sidewalk. Duo leaned out of the car to see better. It was Relena.
"Princess!" he called to her, pulling over to the side.
She turned around and squinted in the morning sunlight. "Duo?"
"Can I give you a ride somewhere?"
Dark shadows colored the pale skin under her eyes. But she managed a sad smile. "Thank you. That would be nice."
****
TBC
Author's Notes: Hang in with the story, it's gonna get rocky.
****
Some Kind of Wonderful
by Kristen Elizabeth
****
"Yeh, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes. Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord. And when you ask them, how much should we give? Oh, they only answer, more, more, more..." -John Fogerty
****
They spent the last day driving around the town, doing the little things they had always taken for granted. Sipping a milkshake at the diner, feeding the ducks at the pond, holding hands. It never ceased to amaze Relena how much comfort she took from the simple feeling of Heero's fingers threaded through her own.
Several times during the day, she tried to bring up her decision to go on to college without him, but every time she closed her mouth before the words could come out. It wasn't that she was afraid to tell Heero; he had done nothing but support her since they were eight years old. In some roundabout way, she was afraid to vocalize the words. She hadn't even told her brother that she was planning to attend, only that she had been accepted. Stating her intention in plain terms was a daunting task for a girl who only the day before would have been perfectly happy raising Heero's children for the rest of her life.
Duo and Hilde met up with them at the town's little movie theatre that night. They had apparently been doing almost the same sort of reminiscing as Heero and Relena....although Duo's shirt was buttoned up wrong and Hilde had only a trace of red lipstick left on her mouth.
After the movie, they stopped back at their diner for one last dinner together. After the waitress delivered their burgers and fries, Heero broke the news about the scholarship and the Marines.
Duo choked on his pickle. "You did what?!" He glanced at Relena; her lower lip threatened to tremble. "Why, man?"
"It's something I feel a duty to do," Heero replied, crumpling the paper from his straw.
Hilde shook her head. "Wow. This is kinda...square of you, Heero." She met her best friend's eyes. "But you're okay with it, Relena?"
"It's not my decision." Relena's voice was calm, but low. "It's Heero's."
Duo whistled under his breath. "He's in the Army now...Heero Yuy." He paused. "Do you get a gun? 'Cause that would be far out."
"Far out?" Relena repeated.
Heero set his drink down with a decisive smack. "Why don't you join up and find out, Duo?"
"No fucking way, man." Duo pulled his braid over his shoulder, protectively. "They'd make me get rid of my baby..."
"I thought I was your baby." Hilde winked at him.
"No, you're my babe," Duo corrected her. "And you're leaving me. My braid will never..."
"I'm going to college." Relena's abrupt revelation brought a halt to the conversation. "I got accepted at NC State," she continued a second later.
Duo broke into a wide smile. "I knew you were the brains of the operation, princess."
"Congratulations!" Hilde clapped her hands together.
Heero turned his head to look at his girlfriend better. "Are you sure about this, Relena?"
She nodded. "I got the letter this morning. It's just...you're not going now...and we can't get married right away. So, if I don't go, I'll just be sitting around on my hands until you get back from..."
"You don't have to justify anything to me." Heero cupped her cheek in his hand. "I'm proud of you."
Relena's shoulders relaxed. "At least I'll have something to put in the letters I plan to send to you every day."
Heero lifted an eyebrow. "A letter a day?"
"He'll be the luckiest little boy in boot camp!" Duo snickered.
Hilde gave him a solid pinch before asking, "When do you leave, Heero?"
"Tomorrow."
She glanced back at forth between the couple. "And you're sitting here, wasting time with us? You should be out...doing stuff. Together."
The insinuation brought a blush to Relena's cheeks and an embarrassed glare to Heero's brow. But, he did start to slide out of the booth. "I should get Relena home."
"Yes, you should." Duo eased out as well and reached for Heero's hand. "Take it easy in boot camp, man."
Heero moved Duo away from the girls as they shook hands. "Do something for me while I'm gone. Look out for Relena." He glanced at her, hugging Hilde. "She's the best thing in my life."
"Oh, man!!" Duo pushed at Heero's shoulder. "Why did you have to go and do that?!"
"Do what?
"Say something that stupid! Now it's just about guaranteed that something is going to happen to you! And I'll be looking after Relena because you're dead! And then we'll probably fall in love and..."
"Hey!" Heero's tone was sharp and deadly. "Knock that thought of your head right now, Maxwell. Nothing is going to happen to me in boot camp. And if you ever lay a single finger on Relena..."
Duo held up his hands. "I was just saying..."
"Don't say. Don't even think." After a second, Heero let himself relax. "Now, will you look after her?"
With a sigh, Duo nodded. "Yeah. I will, man."
"What are you two discussing so intently over here?" Hilde asked, sauntering over to them. When neither boy replied, she rolled her eyes. "I suppose my Hollywood adventure has been overshadowed by the United States Army, but considering that I'm leaving right after you, Heero, you'd better hug me now and get the goodbye out of the way."
Relena watched Hilde pull her boyfriend into a brief, resistant hug. She smothered a smile when Heero caught her eye. Clearing her throat, she walked over to them. "C'mon, Heero. I need to get home."
The inflection in her tone told him that home was the last thing on Relena's mind. "Yeah. I mean, yes, you do." He pulled away from Hilde and looked her and Duo for a minute. "I just want you both to know. High school was tolerable...because of you all."
Duo put a hand to his chest. "That, ladies and gentlemen, was the most beautiful..."
"Can it, Duo." Relena reached for her boyfriend's hand.
"You got it, princess."
As Heero and Relena walked away, hand in hand, Hilde pulled Duo back into the booth. "I think...maybe tonight."
"Maybe tonight what?" He reached for a handful of fries.
Hilde lifted a slender shoulder and picked up her burger. "Him leaving for boot camp, her leaving for college...if they don't do it..." She took a small bite. "She can officially apply for sainthood."
****
"Heero..." Relena's eyelids fluttered as Heero nuzzled the soft, exposed flesh over her collarbone. His fingers tugged at her bra strap. "I'm going to miss you so much."
He nodded into her neck as the strap popped open. Within seconds, his lips found her breasts. There couldn't be anything softer in the world, he decided. The thought that he wouldn't be able to touch her for months was almost enough to make him reconsider the Marines. Heero pulled her closer to his body, wanting to touch as much of her as he could.
The sudden action pushed his aching length against her inner thigh. Though separated by layers of clothing, Relena froze. Heero looked up from between her breasts. "I'm sorry, Relena." He started to pull back.
Without allowing herself time to think, Relena shook her head. "No. No, I want to...to feel you, Heero. All of you."
"Are you sure?" His tongue traced a pattern around her nipple. She whimpered her agreement and within seconds, he was pressing into her again. But now, she was not afraid. Fueled by the knowledge that the next night, he would be several states away, Relena slid her hands down from their usual place on his upper back to his waist. She could feel his muscles through his shirt and had the itching desire to feel them through bare skin.
Heero responded by pushing her blouse off her arms and throwing it to the car floor, followed by her lacy bra. Bare to the waist, Relena shivered, but was instantly warmed by Heero's arms wrapping around her. Completely on their own, her hands began pulling at his shirt until she could slip her hands underneath it.
His skin was hot and smooth. The muscles she had wanted to feel rippled just below the surface. Heero's mouth on her breast grew more insistent. Relena's back arched with pleasure. Every motion brought his hardness closer to the cleft between her thighs.
When her nails lightly scratched his back, Heero let out a low groan. This was the furthest they had ever been. Anymore and he was afraid he'd never be able to stop.
"Relena..."
"I know." Her hands pushed him until into a sitting position. She lay, half naked, awkwardly pressed into the corner of the seat, and stared up at him. Her blonde hair was mussed; her headband had slipped off during their heavy kissing. "We have to stop," she whispered.
He gently pulled her up. "Unless...you don't want to?"
Relena lowered her eyes. Even in the dim light from the moon though the fogged windows, she could make out the shape of his erection through his pants. "It feels too good to be right, Heero. And if we don't do it now, we'll have something to look forward to..."
"When we get married," he finished.
She sniffed suddenly. "It's hard for me, too, Heero. You're leaving and we'll be apart for so long." Her eyes filled with tears. "What if you forget me?"
"It'll never happen." Heero was firm.
Relena watched his deep blue eyes for a moment. "I believe you." A long moment passed between them. "Come back home to me, Heero. I'll be waiting for you."
He stroked a finger down her bare breast and took her lips in thorough kiss. "You'll be with me every day."
Despite her best efforts, Relena's tears fell, hot and fast. "I love you so much."
Heero lowered his mouth to hers, tasting the salt of her sorrow on her lips. He didn't need to echo the sentiment. She had not doubted his love since the day they met.
****
They both agreed that it would be too hard to say goodbye at the train station in public. So, they said their goodbyes on the front lawn of Relena's house that night. Heero held Relena to his chest for what seemed like years, but yet, wasn't long enough. Finally, he gave her one last, sweet kiss and watched her walk up the steps to her house. She turned around on the top step and looked back at him.
It was the image of her that Heero would carry with him through boot camp. Hair tousled, lips red, skin flushed, eyes sad, but sparkling, blowing him a little kiss.
So, it was Duo who ended up driving his best friend to the train station, to see him off on his journey. And to his great dismay, he was back at the train station a week later, only this time with his beloved Hilde...and all of her luggage.
Once her things had been taken onto the train, she turned to him. "Duo, I..."
He lifted a finger to cover her lips. "It's okay, babe. I think I get it now. This is something you have to do."
She nodded. "I won't be happy if I don't try. Even if I never get a part in a movie ever....I have to try."
Duo moved his hand across her face to run his fingers through her short curls. "You'll make it. You're a star, Hilde. You're my star..."
The touch sent a shiver down her spine; he could always turn her knees to jelly. From their first kiss to their last lovemaking in Duo's bed only an hour earlier...her body had been his long before she gave him her heart.
"You know I love you. Right?"
He smiled. "Good to know. Since I've always been crazy about you." There was a pause. "I always will be. So, if you get bored out there in California..."
"I know." Hilde stood up on her toes to give him a thorough kiss. "And you can always come out to see me, too."
The train whistle blew before he could reply. Clearing his throat, Duo took a step back. "Better go now or it'll leave without you."
Hilde glanced over his shoulder at the train. She had been able to hold in all of her tears up until that point. Seeing the train and the pained look in Duo's eyes, she lost her battle. "I'm going to miss you," she sobbed.
He pulled her against his shoulder, fighting his own tears. "You had better," he whispered in a choked voice. "I'll never be out of your life, I swear."
"All aboard!!"
The loud call broke the moment. Duo rubbed at his eyes and picked up Hilde's carry-on bag. Handing it to her, he attempted a characteristic wink. "Knock 'em dead out there, babe."
She nodded. "I will." With one last, soft kiss, she took the bag and started for the train. Duo watched her disappear for a moment, then reappear as she settled into a window seat. She lifted her hand to wave at him as the train jerked forward. He waved back, walking with the train. As it picked up speed, he began to jog to keep Hilde in sight. When he couldn't keep up anymore, she pressed her lips against the glass.
Duo slowed back down as she moved out of his sight. He stood in the station for a long time after the train became a little black spot down the long track. She was gone. And he was alone.
He drove back into town without so much as the radio on to keep him company. As he turned onto Main Street, he caught a glimpse of a slender figure, walking along the sidewalk. Duo leaned out of the car to see better. It was Relena.
"Princess!" he called to her, pulling over to the side.
She turned around and squinted in the morning sunlight. "Duo?"
"Can I give you a ride somewhere?"
Dark shadows colored the pale skin under her eyes. But she managed a sad smile. "Thank you. That would be nice."
****
TBC