The war is almost over... Eight years later.
Ok... um.. semi-serious.. nothing is ever too serious to not crack a joke here and there. The basic plot.. Relena has to pretend to be married to Duo for protection from White Fang.. Heero is basically pretty peeved... Oh, and the bit about Duo and twinkies? Read "Fairy Tales, the God of Death and Twinkies", by, I think, STeven McPhail.It's great! And you won't get it otherwise. I'm sorry for stealing the bit, it was just too easy to insert it, and far too funny. (not mine, of course... your fic was awesome... and the twinky bit... who knew??) lol! anyway! The REST of this story is mine... ALL MINE! Except the characters, which I don't own... *snf* But I promise they'll only be *slightly* worse for wear when I'm finished. Thanks for reading!
Your...
Desert Rose
Relena was in Duo's seventh floor apartment, cooking dinner. To an outsider, it may seem like a happy couple, but any of the Gundam pilots, especially Duo, knew better.
"Duo, darling," Relena sang out, "set the table! Are Heero and Hilde coming for dinner?"
"Yep," Duo replied, "our entertainment for the eveningà The incredible incessantly talking," He opened the apartment door to reveal Heero standing with his arm casually around Hilde. "Heero Yuy!!"
"..." Heero, ever the strong silent type, shook Duo's hand, and walked in the apartment to nod at Relena. "Relena."
"Hey, love," Duo called to Relena as they exited to the balcony, "Heero and I need to have a cigarette! Hey, Hilde!"
"Duo!" Both women shouted, "Smoking is BAD for you!!"
Outside, Heero lit up quickly, taking a large drag off of it. Duo did the same, grinning sheepishly, saying, "Relena's gonna kill us... We gotta quit."
Heero gave Duo a silent 'Death Glare'. "Love? Her name," Heero stated icily, "Is Relena Peacecraft."
Duo saw where this was headed and felt like antagonizing his friend. "Well, in this little
world, to everyone out there, for her own protection, it's Relena Maxwell. If you don't like it, Heero, say something. If not," he shrugged carelessly, "maybe I really will marry her when this whole thing is ov-... AGCK!!"
Heero grabbed Duo and held him over the balcony by his feet, out of sight of the women. His loose change fell out of his pockets, hitting the ground with indistinct *pings* and he looked at Heero like he was mad.
"Wh- Wh- WHAT are you DOING? Put me down!!!"
"You'll not marry Relena. You'd hurt her, Duo. You'd do well to remember that this is a farce. For Relena's protection." He pulled him back up, set him on his feet and turned to face the side railing.
"You love her, Heero." Duo stated this simply to Heero's back. "Admit it."
Heero was silent a moment, then said quietly, "Just like you admit to loving Hilde?"
Meanwhile... Insideà
"So," Hilde asked, "How's it going, living with the God of Death?"
Relena sighed. "He's really sweet, and funny." She frowned for a minute. "A real pervert, and a Twinky hog... He actually *bit* me for trying to eat one!! Can you imagine!?" Hilde smiled secretly as Relena continued on in the 'twinky vain' for a little while. "He said I wasn't *worthy* of the Twinky!"
Hilde couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing. Duo was a psycho... and she loved him for it...
"So..." Relena started slowly, "how's it like living with the Perfect Soldier?"
"Quiet," Hilde deadpanned. "Cryptic. Silent. The word library comes to mind for some reason..."
The women shared a small laugh. The men came back in, Duo looking rather pale.
Dinner was a silent affair. Until dessert.
"JELL-O!?!?" Duo shouted. "JELL-O?? YES!!!!" Relena looked at Heero questioningly. A slight shrug of the shoulder and a still stoic face was all she got for her pains. So, Jello was served, and Duo looked Relena slyly. "Oh, Relena... Can we all have some napkins?"
She handed out napkins warily, eyeing Duo the entire time.
"There," she said, seating herself when the chore was done. "Now, why-MMMMMMMMPFFF!!" Duo shoved a handful of Jello into Relena's mouth and the surrounding area of her face. Relena, ever the Peacecraft, wiped off her face, (( with the napkins Duo asked her to hand out)) and sat down, her spine like a taut wire. "Are you quite finished?" she asked Duo icily. Under the table, Duo felt a pistol being shoved into his kneecap. He grew nervous. And disappointed. "Geez..." he muttered, "just trying to lighten the atmosphere... Could shove a piece of coal up-"
"What was that?" Heero questioned with Duo's second Death Glare for the evening.
"Yes," he sulked. "I'm quite finished."
Relena remained poised. "Good." Suddenly, she jumped across the table, tackling Duo, sending his chair crashing to the floor. Relena grabbed the remaining Jello and shoved it into Duo's gaping face, smearing it all over his shirt, face, and neck. She was kneeling on his lower chest, and daintily wiped her fingers on the napkin that had fallen on the floor, and stood gracefully.
No one had seen it, but Heero had let a smile reach his eyes. If not his lips entirely, his eyes.
Five minutes later, while they were all clearing the table, eight White Fang members burst through the door, yelling and shooting. Heero calmly took out four with his ever-present pistol, and Duo had three by turns. A lone figure quickly whipped out a gun in the ensuing chaos and attempted to shoot Hilde. Relena saw him aim and shouted to Hilde, tackling her and taking the bullet for her. They fell, Relena crying out in pain. Heero saw the girls fall and took careful aim at the soldier and killed him. When all eight were, uh, taken care of, Heero pushed Duo away from Relena's side, kneeling beside her.
"Relena? Are you alright?" His Prussian blue eyes, carefully blanked of all the panic running through his veins, his brain, his whole being, looked down at her.
"Ià I feel like I just got done arguing with you..." Relena told him, attempting humor. when she giggled lightly, she gasped in pain and grabbed her side.
Heero frowned at her attempt at humor. "What hurts?" he asked, turning her on her uninjured side.
"It... It hurts to breathe," she moaned tearfully. "Where is Hilde? Is she all right?"
Hilde took her hand, and squeezed it, tears running down her cheeks. "You are the dumbest princess in the world! Why would you go and do something like that?"
"Ià I-"
"It can wait," Heero said quietly. Deadly quiet. "Relenaà You were shot in ribs. It's going to hurt when you breathe. And anything else. That includes talking. I want you to be silent, breathe slowly, and deeply. I know," he sounded pained as Relena tried and closed her eyes in agony and the tears ran faster. "I know, believe me... I know it hurts... You'll be alright." He picked her up carefully, telling Duo as he headed towards the door, "Find all of them... No... Find Zechs. Tell him Relena was injured and to come to the hospital. And no more."
At the hospital, Relena was, to put it mildly, at Heero's insistence, doped to the eyeballs for the pain. She had passed out twice on him, and once, roundly cursed his pedigree for "jostling her too hard, you poop!" When Zechs arrived, Heero was highly agitated to say the least. The doctor would not let him see Relena or tell him anything about her condition. The only people in the world not intimidated by his Death Glare had to be Relena and this doctor. Which, any other time, might impress him. Right then, he was fingering his pistol. None of his emotions showed on his face. He looked cold and unaffected. He was this way when Zechs entered the hallway outside Relena's room. He walked up to a now standing Heero, and extended his hand. The only thing he saw was Heero's face distorted in cold rage and his fist connecting with Zechs face.
"Your organization almost killed your sister, you pitiful waste of carbon, and a beating heart."
Zechs had a hand to his jaw, and suddenly comprehension dawned on his face, while all color fled. "White Fang shot my Relena?" The muscles in his jaw worked in a maddening rhythm. "Did you kill them? All of the renegades? And the one who shot her?"
"Of course," Heero answered in contempt. Seeing Zechs this close to cracking was satisfying, to say the least, but Heero wanted more. He wanted Zechs to be so bad, he'd agree with anything Relena asked him... Maybe in tears. He did respect Zechs, in a small grudging manner. He was, after all, the only man to ever tangle with Heero and his Wing00 and live to tell the tale. But the fact that the man led the organization that was responsible for that much pain towards Relena... He was lucky that Heero hadn't killed him yet. His eyes narrowed imperceptibly.
'Yetà' he thought as the perfect soldier took over...
Meanwhile... With Duo and Hildeà
Duo sighed heavily, wrapping his right arm around a sobbing Hilde, and sat her on the steps to the apartment building.
"Hilde, hun... It's all right. Relena will be fine, and you're all right, and everyone's ok..." He was thoroughly upset at the fact that he couldn't stop her tears... *light bulb going off in Duo's less than crowded brain* "Want a cigarette, Hild? Huh?" Hilde stopped crying, and hit him in the arm.
"You butt head... I wish you'd stop."
He jumped up, and pretended to dance around like a jester. "Your wish is my command!" He threw the cigarettes on the ground, and after one, longing look, stepped on them.
"The lighter?" Hilde said questioningly.
"But! It's a Zippo! And I happen to be a pyro! Like Heero, with a sense of humor!"
She narrowed her eyes and said with mock seriousness. "The lighter, Duo Maxwell. I'm doing this because I love you."
Duo suddenly got serious. "Are you?"
Hilde was confused. "Am I what?"
"Doing this because you love me?"
"I-à Um..."
"I love you, Hilde." He closed the small distance between them to lightly kiss her lips. In the mean time, Hilde stole the lighter from his suddenly lax hands. Duo smiled against her lips, deepening the kiss, and stole the lighter back, slipping it in his pocket.
Back at the hospitalà
"Mr. Yuy?" A doctor in a white lab coat greeted him.
"Yeah," Heero said, standing carelessly beside Zechs who was rubbing his jaw.
"Princess Relena wishes to talk to you." He led Heero to her room, and closed the door quietly behind him.
"..." Heero just stood quietly, waiting for her to speak.
Relena looked at him, contemplating a million things silently. Finally, she said, still drugged quite a bit, "Think it'll leave a scar?"
Heero allowed himself a small smile. A genuine small smile. Not a smirk. The heart monitor beside Relena started beeping faster. A flush stole over her face at the obvious give away... 'I thought it was just an expression,' she thought ruefully.
"You know... You should tell me when you're going to do that... I'd like to be sitting down!"
"Relena," he said sadly, "I hate to tell you this..."
"What?" She asked, dreading the now boring "I'll kill you."
"You are sitting down. In fact, you're lying down. And yes. Bullets have been known to leave scars. Why?"
"Well, I want to be able to say, 'I took a bullet for my friend! See my scar?' and show it off."
Heero rolled his eyes, and said to her, "Let me see your ribs."
Relena, modest to the end, pulled the covers up to where the bandage was lowest, and her shirt up exactly to the top. Heero looked at it, frowning, as if he expected it to come unraveled at his glare. Finally, he grunted satisfied and tugged her shirt back down.
"You'll be out of the hospital tomorrow, and moved in with another pilot. On a different colony." He didn't wait for a response; didn't expect one, and began to walk towards the door.
"Heero! That's not fair! I've been there six months!" The drugs were wearing off. And her ribs hurt.
"And now you get to be somewhere else until you're safe from Zechs."
"I'm not safe from Zechs... but what of Milliardo?"
He turned angrily on her, saying, "They are one and the same! How can you not understand that??"
Relena stared back at him, then absently began to pick lint off the blanket. "Zechs is a man with bloodstained hands who shows no pity or remorse for anyone. Milliardo is my brother. A Peacecraft." She whispered again, "My brother... My blood."
Her words struck a chord in his heart. Through his defenses. 'Her blood. She'll love Milliardo till she dies, and forever pity Zechs. She'll never fear them, him. How can she...?'
He shook his head and said softly, "I'm keeping watch over you tonight."
Relena blew out an exasperated breath. "Why on Earth would you do such a thing? I'm perfectly fine!" Her eyes darkened and her hand went discreetly to her side. That hurt.
He glared at her, saying quietly, "Don't argue with me, Relena. I'll be back in an hour. In that time, no one but that doctor had better be in here." That said, he left the room quietly.
That night, Relena finally fell asleep, with Heero reading in the chair next to her bed. His pistol lay in his lap. The night passed uneventfully, despite a few nurses being confronted with the barrel of Heero's gun for coming in to check on Relena. The next morning, Relena awoke to find Heero staring into her face.
"Wondered when you were gonna get up. It's time to go. Come on." She got up and glared at him pointedly, waiting for him to turn around so she could change.
"Where's Duo?"
"In his apartment. He might be at the shuttle. Are you dressed yet?"
In response she breezed past him, walking out of the room, and colliding with...
"Milliardo!" Relena was shocked. He drew her close to him to steady and hug her.
"Zechs..." Heero silently pulled his gun out, holding it at Zechs' head from behind Relena. "Don't touch her. I'll kill you."
He shot Heero a pained look. "This is my baby sister, Heero. I'm glad she's all right." He looked into Relena's face, saying, "I've gotten rid of the men who ordered the attack on you... I didn't know, Relena... I may not agree with you, but you are my sister. I would have protected you." She hugged the much taller man back, saying with deliberation, "Heero, this is my brother, Milliardo Peacecraft."
Heero didn't lower the gun. "We have to go, Relena. The craft is waiting to go to Colony 3." He had inserted the lie deliberately. He looked who he thought of as Zechs in the eye. "I hold you personally responsible for what happened to Relena. And now, she's under my care. I tend to shoot first and ask questions later."
Relena was dismayed. She hugged her brother, whispering in his ear, "It's all right, Milliardo. I trust you. I have to go because they need me around... I love you, brother."
Milliardo, overcome with her trust, watched as Heero dragged her off to the boarding gate. She waved once, cheerfully at him, and turned, saying something sharply to Heero.
Once they were settled, "Mr. and Mrs. Yuy" had their first argument.
"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN MY BROTHER LIKE THAT!!" Relena was livid and ignoring the pain in her ribs, except to put a hand to them in a vain attempt to stop the ache.
Heero, much more calmly, said, "His men shot you. He needs to die. You keep ignoring that fact. Be still while I rewrap your ribs."
She suffered the indignity of him seeing her ribs loudly, complaining of the injustice.
"Careful," he said dryly, "you're starting to sound like Wufei." She sputtered indignantly for a moment, then shut up wisely, as Heero was beginning to look annoyed.
That night, as sleep closed in on her, her last thoughts were of Heero, her "husband" sleeping in the living room. "I wish," she murmured before her eyes drifted shut for the night.
Three nights later, this one was not unlike the others. An hour after Relena fell asleep, the door between her and Heero's 'rooms' opened silently. Her visitor simply stood, watching her sleep, then, after a while, the phantom would seat himself on the chair to her vanity.
'Relena,' Heero spoke the words in his mind, 'I care... I think... It's so dangerous for you to be close to me. If the people who want me don't destroy you, I'm sure to...' He stood suddenly and left, but before he closed the door, he heard Relena mumble, "Mmm... Heero... " She snuggled her pillow and kept mumbling unintelligibly. Then suddenly she said, "Heerooo... no spaghetti!" He shook his head and closed the door behind him... Sleep came quickly that night. And for once, he wasn't plagued by the dreams.
The next morning, Relena was up before Heero. He awoke to the sounds of pots and pans banging together. He sat up with a start. Who was out there? There was only he and Relena... Before he could finish his line of thought, he had pulled on a (duh...) green tank top and (GASP!) worn blue jeans. He stalked silently into the kitchen pointing a gun, that he realized belatedly was unloaded, at the intruder.
Relena blinked up at him innocently, holding a pan in one hand, and a cup of tea in the other. Finally, comprehension dawned on her sleepy face. She blew out an exasperated breath.
She said somewhat sassily, "Put it away, Heero.. It's not loaded. I'm making breakfast."
Heero took the pan, and pushed her towards the cutely decorated living room.
"No. You aren't allowed to lift anything, Relena. It'll delay your recovery." 'Besides,' he thought privately, 'you look too tired to do anything... Take a nap!'
Relena, still clad charmingly in pale blue pajama pants and one of Heero's athletic tees, pouted for a moment, saying, "I was going to make you breakfast. Please?" Heero stoically shook his head.
She looked on the verge of tears and finally he said, "You can sit at the counter and watch. Don't touch anything." She sat not at, but on the counter and swung her legs as Heero prepared an excellent omelette.
She yawned as she said, "Duo always let me make him breakfast. Allllways, Heero," she lied.
"Yes, and you weren't shot in the ribs then. It's my mission to look after you. See that that maniac brother of yours doesn't kill you. When you're all healed you can make me breakfast."
Relena got angry, and jumping off the counter, walked to her bedroom. "Yes... Your *mission*. I need to get ready for the day. Diplomatic matters on L-2, you know?"
Heero's icy tone could have made the most hardened warrior shiver with fear, but it simply rolled off Relena's back as he said, "You aren't going."
She yawned, bored. "Yes, Heero, I am. Get over it."
Before she could take another step, Heero had her arm in a secure grasp. "I said you aren't going."
Before she could answer, Relena was amazed at the transformation of Heero. She had never really noticed. Now, at twenty-three, he was taller, almost six feet tall, and he had filled out. A lot. Where once there was nothing but skin pulled over sleek muscle, there was definite definition. The masses had feared the Perfect Soldier as a teenager. As a man, he had no equal. There was not a person on Earth or any colony that did not fear him or his reputation, or his wrath. Except this slip of a woman. This Relena. She stared into his eyes. They were cold, carefully blanked of any incriminating emotions. They had seen too much. But she knew of his innocence. She knew those iron walls hid a pure soul. She would unearth it if he killed her trying.
"I'm going, Heero. Save the Death Glare for someone it scares." She slammed the door to her room.
Heero stood silently, rooted to the spot he was in. What had he seen in her eyes? He had been trained since he was a toddler to read people, their actions, but her eyes. He had never seen what they shown like stars with. His heart rate was up, he noticed. Heero grew angry with his limited knowledge of her. He knew everything political, knew where she went, who she had meetings with and the like. But he had no idea what her heart held. Besides peace, and her unending supply of forgiveness and love for that low-life brother. She had made an interest in him quite clear eight years ago, but much had happened. Maybe too much. She had never really dated that Rick guy, but Heero still hated him. Didn't she realize that he had watched her, those six months with Duo? Every day that he knew her, he had watched. Always. He had prevented innumerable mishaps and assassination attempts, without her even being aware of his presence. He watched, worshiped, protected from afar. His Relena.
Suddenly, he yawned hugely. Heero blinked. He didn't yawn! He shook his head disgustedly and went back to preparing the omelette. Relena walked out, wearing a navy day suit. Heero did a mental double take. The white blouse she was wearing was unbuttoned to reveal her creamy skin, a little too much skin, to Heero's way of thinking. But all in all, it was cute. And Relena was right, she did go. And Heero did save the Death Glare for someone it scared. Like Quatre.
"Hello, Heero! I brought a house-warming present!" Quatre walked in the apartment, not even knocking. He was very excited about his present. Until Heero turned around. And pinned a cute shivering SD Quatre to the wall with his Death Glare. Quatre held out the brightly wrapped gift toward Heero like a peace offering.
"How's it going, Heero?" Heero merely grunted and placed the present on the table, thinking that Relena could open it.
"Fine. Relena is fine. She's on L-2."
Quatre was shocked. "And you're not watching her? Why aren't you with her?"
Heero's glare silenced him. "I am watching." He gestured to the lap top, where a picture of Relena could be seen seated in the space shuttle. "L-2 is rigged to explode if anything happens to Relena. So is the space shuttle, but all have escape plans for her."
Relena could be heard humming, and she smiled slightly and picked up her phone. She dialed and the phone in the kitchen rang.
Heero would have let it ring, but Quatre answered the phone, saying, "Yuy residence, Quatre speaking. How may I direct your call?"
Relena laughingly said, "Why, hello, Quatre! This is Relena! How are you?" Her question, although it was customary to ask, seemed like she was interested in the answer.
"Oh! Hello, Ms. Relena! I'm fine! In fact, Ms. Dorothy and I-" Heero's glare cut off his announcement, and he said sheepishly, "I think Heero wants to say hello."
Relena smirked sarcastically. "I'll bet... Hello, Heero!!"
"Relena. ... "
On the screen, Relena stood into the aisle and did a full turn, looking the hidden camera in the eye. "Did my skirt wrinkle?"
Heero swallowed, and said, "I haven't looked. Sorry."
Relena just shrugged. "Quatre? Do I look ok?"
"Oh, yes," Quatre spoke into the phone, "I truly like the navy contrasting with the white. And the pendant. What does it symbolize?"
Relena smiled as she spoke, fingering the pendant. "Protection. My brother gave it to-eep!" Relena jumped as a man passed her, goosing her. Her face flamed and she tried to regain her composure. Quatre noticed that Heero's eyes narrowed and looked like chips of freezing fire. Blue hot. Blue cold. Quatre didn't know which, but he certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of it. He noticed Heero's hand flick out for the detonation device, and stroked the button like a lover.
'Oh, dear... Relena's in for it when she gets home.' Quatre thought as he said his goodbyes, and discreetly stole the detonation device.
That night, as Relena returned home wearily, she noticed that all the lights were off. She slipped her key into the lock and walked in the door exhausted. She dropped her purse, and looked at the far wall where the couch was. Heero was sitting, with his lap top on his thighs, typing furiously.
"Shut the door. We don't pay to heat the outside." She sighed. He hadn't even looked up.
"You didn't watch the council summit."
"No."
"I have something to show you."
"Hmm.." He still didn't look up.
Relena went over and snapped the lap top shut, and smacked it across the couch.
Heero said nothing, just looked at her impassively. Until he saw her throat. A thin line of dried blood smudged her white throat. The moonlight dripping into the room gave her a translucent look, and the blood looked out of place. His nostrils flared in concern and fury.
"What happened?" he asked neutrally, masking his emotions as he always did.
"Nothing much, except that some dumb assassin thought throwing a knife in my vicinity would scare me enough to shut up. I turned my head as best I could." Her voice faltered,"It was so fastà" Her composure was slowly slipping, and she had to leave before she cried in front of him. She jerked her shoulders abruptly, and walked out of the room, closing the door softly to her bedroom, and collapsed, sobbing harshly into the bed sheets. She didn't even take off her shoes.
She heard the door to the apartment slam and didn't care. She went on sobbing, scared and alone.
Heero wandered the streets, feeling useless for a few minutes. It was one AM now, he had been gone for a half and hour. He shouldn't have left her, but hearing her cry... and not knowing what to do had him trembling in minutes. He stopped in a street light, and looked around him. To his left on the sidewalk was a 24-hour toy shop. He saw a teddy bear in the window that looked like a hug w/ a furry brown body. It's red bow tie added to its charm and Heero found himself going in, and buying it. He walked in the door to the apartment, and hearing no noise, closed and locked it silently. It was 2:30 now. Relena had to be asleep.
He was correct, he noted as she was curled on top of the sheets, in a ball. She was breathing deeply, her hair falling over her shoulder in a cascade of light brown. He walked over to the bed, one hand lightly clutching the teddy bear, the other, reaching out to touch her cheek gently. She nuzzled into his hand sweetly, sighing in her sleep, "Hmm... Heero..." His fingers trailed down to her mouth where her lips pursed lightly under his fingers, brushing a kiss on his scarred hands. "Ai shiteru..."
The words, though spoken softly had an impact like his Wing Zero. She just said she loved him. He pulled his hand away swiftly, slipped off her shoes, and, covering her with a sheet from the closet, settled the teddy bear in her arms, smiling as she snuggled it in her sleep.
The next morning, Relena woke silently, still hugging the teddy bear. She looked down at it, puzzled. Where had this come from? Had Heero given it to her while she slept? She smiled broadly. This, she decided, was going to be a good day, indeed. She got up and dressed silently, in a turtle neck shirt she had borrowed from Trowa and hoped would hide the cut. She noticed Heero was still asleep in the living room, uncovered. She also discovered that Heero slept in nothing but a pair of black silk boxers.
'Thank God he's given up that terrible spandex,' she thought, shuddering lightly. Relena moved around the kitchen silently, making breakfast. She cracked eggs, prepared pancakes, and made some bacon. When the coffee was brewing, a sleep tousled Heero stumbled into the kitchen. Relena handed him a mug of coffee, and he sipped it gratefully, still looking at her through hazy cobalt eyes.
"Feeling better this morning?"
'Well,' Relena decided, 'it was a start.'
"Yes... I- I'm sorry I hit your computer."
"Hn."
She stood and said, "I made breakfast!"
Heero grinned, at least, it was a Heero grin, a slight, almost undetectable twitch of his upper lip. "So I smelled. It's what woke me up. But you really shouldn't have, because-"
"Because," Relena yawned, "I got shot in the ribs and a knife to the neck... Blah, blah! Eat up! Don't you have any missions today?"
Around a forkful of eggs and pancakes drennnnnnnnched in syrup, Relena noted, he mumbled, "Chst koompig oo awife."
Relena arched her eyebrows, and leaning across the table, stole his fork and said, "In English, or some other language not hindered by food?"
He scowled, looking longingly at his fork, swallowed and said, "Just keeping you alive. You're staying home today. No work."
Relena flashed him a bright smile. "That's fine. I took today off! Duo and I are going shopping!"
"For what?" Heero's flat voice had Relena looking at him curiously.
"Hm... I was thinking clothes. And curtains, and a picture to put in the living room. And a stereo." She nibbled a fingernail thoughtfully. "And a tuxedo."
"Why?"
"For you, silly! You have to come with me on Saturday to Earth..." She sighed longingly. She missed her home.
Handing him back his fork, she sipped her coffee thoughtfully. A normal tux wouldn't do for him... Perhaps.. Perhaps a blue shirt, instead of white. Yes.. That sounded lovely. It would compliment his coloring, his incredible build, those eyes... 'Oh, my...' Relena drooled to herself. 'Those eyes... Tsk... should come with a surgeon's general warning... may cause heart failure... He did look wonderful this morning. I wonder if he has to work out to keep his abs in that good of shape... Hmm...' Relena unconsciously went on in this vein for a few minutes.
"Careful, Relena..." Heero leaned across the table and wiped at an imaginary string of saliva. "Your starting to drool." he almost smiled.
"..." Relena blushed horribly for a moment. "You know what? Since you need to be fitted, Duo doesn't have to come. You and I are going shopping."
Three hours later, Heero was wondering why it had saddened him that an attempt had been made on her life... Silence of any sort would have a welcome distraction.
She had turned him over to two fitters. They had stripped him down to his boxers and were taking measurements, mumbling about his legs being too long, and his torso too broad and the like. Relena nodded and conferred with the two men about the style of tuxedo Heero was to wear.
"What is it for, Madam? A wedding perhaps? We have an excellent bridal selection and-"
"Oh, no!" Relena cried out, embarrassed. "This is for... for a meeting. With some very important people."
The man frowned. "But, madam, the forms you filled out state that you-"
"Live in the same apartment." Heero finished for the man, giving him a Death Glare that would have had Satan quaking.
"Y-y-yes..."
Relena took pity on the poor man and shot Heero a disapproving look. "Heero has been my best friend since we were about five years old," she lied smoothly. "We just share an apartment to make rent easier while we're in college."
The man nodded, no longer giving Heero disapproving looks. "I see. And the tuxedo-"
"Is to have a blue shirt. Lighter then his eyes, but darker than the sky. Perhaps...?" She had a hand on a bolt of fabric shown on the wall.
The mans eyes shone. This Heero would be his masterpiece. "Blue is magnificent. You're taste, ma'am is exquisite. But what will you wear?"
Relena was startled. "I- I don't know."
Heero's eyes narrowed as he looked over the women's department. A dress caught his eye.
"Relena." He grabbed the dress and held it up to her. It was a glowing rose color. There were too many ruffles and he didn't like the sleeves, but a plan was coming to his head.
"Here." He handed the dress to the man that had fitted him. Heero made quite a spectacle of himself, marching around the women's department in nothing but a pair of boxers. "The ruffles need to go. All of them. The neckline needs to be higher." He glared at Relena. "It looks like the shirt you wore yesterday. What were you trying to do? Get raped?" he frowned, going over the design in his head. "Make it well-fitted the whole way down. Until you hit the knees, then let it flare out slightly." He glared at the man who was scribbling furiously on a tablet. "Slightly. Are you getting all of this? Then, the sleeves need to be gone. Like a tank top. Definitely make the neckline a vee. NO slits, no ruffles, no sleeves." The poor tailor just nodded and scribbled more. Finally he handed the sketch to an impatient Heero.
"No." He tore the work out and to the floor and did a quick, but perfect sketch of the dress. "That."
When they returned home, Relena was exhausted. The fact that Heero designed the most beautiful dress she had ever seen still blew her mind. When she had questioned him, he had simply ignored her, telling her that they should go see Duo tomorrow, because it was his last day on the colony. As Heero prepared for bed, Relena did the same. Around midnight, she yawned her goodnights, and left as Heero was turning down the sheets to his 'bed' on the couch.
Later, for the first night since they had arrived, Heero did not come to her room. He was more emotionally exhausted from shopping with Relena than if he had fought with Wing Zero. She no longer pursued him, she simply tortured him, examples being the skirt she had worn that day on the space shuttle, and the deep vee of her blouse, the scent of her hair, the way her eyes sparkled as she laughed, then ran away to try this or that on. His mind roved to the last shop they had visited that day...
"Heero?" Relena's muffled voice came from the dressing room.
"Hn?" He had grunted at her, trying to be inconspicuous, hoping against hope that no one could see him in the frilliest girlyiest store ever created.
Her timid voice came out quietly,"Will you zip me up?"
"Fine."
Relena stepped shyly out of the dressing room, wearing a floofy gown of a blue so pale, it shimmered white. As she turned her back to him, he took in the fine line of her back, and the way that one curl lay cutely against her neck. He ached to wrap his finger around it, caress the back of her neck. She reached up unconsciously and took the curl between two fingers, and smoothing in out absently, let it curl back upwards to her nape. Heero felt as if all the air had been pushed forcefully out of his lungs. He could read her thoughts, true. Often even knew what she would say before she said it, but she couldn't... read, or rather, feel his touch could she? He blinked rapidly for a moment before zipping her dress. He noted with some disapproval that it was a very short zipper and a very low back.
Relena turned anxiously. "Well?" She said, biting her lower lip nervously. Heero worked his eyes from her toes up. The dress was beautiful. It was strapless, hugging her torso in a demure heart neckline, to the middle of her hips, where it flared, with layers of tuele and satin, and the indescribable fabric over top. It was slightly sheer, a very, very pale blue. So pale that at first glimpse, it appeared white. The top was made of this, twisted and manipulated to make a very intricate bodice. Around the back, it sloped dramatically, showing off the elegant set of her shoulders and neck. It came with gloves, and a white silk wrap that topped everything off beautifully. Heero had inwardly gaped.
He smiled at the memory, and also at the fact that it now hung in her closet... With these thoughts, the soldier was swept gently away to a sleepy world of blue dressed maidens, and endless waltzes.
Hours later, Relena crept into the living room, clad only in her favorite pair of star and moon pajama pants and tank, and a pair of socks. She watched Heero sleep, taking in the steady rise and fall of his chest, and his even breathing. The moonlight bleeding into the room through their new curtains gave his face a softer look, almost one of innocence. In his sleep, the walls that hid his heart were down. She smiled as she watched him, tracing the lines of his face with her eyes. How beautiful her warrior was. She rolled her eyes slightly as she saw that untamable piece of hair in his eyes. She knelt by the couch, letting her eyes drink him in. He was on his side, one hand tucked securely beneath the pillow, the other laying by his chest.
Relena bit her lip, and gently reached her hand out to move the ever-present piece of hair. She had rested her hand against his cheek when his eyes snapped open, unseeingly, tore the gun from under his pillow, and pointed it at her face, his other hand gripping hers tightly. His face was expressionless, cold. He again wore his mask.
Relena sat, staring at him, frozen. They sat like that for only seconds, though for them it seemed a fraction of eternity.
Heero's chest was heaving. He was pointing a gun at Relena's face, and he didn't... he didn't know how it happened... he pointed a gun... At Relena... With the intention of pulling the trigger. His stomach rolled and he felt like vomiting.
"Re... Relena...?"
Tears streamed down Relena's cheeks, her breathing rapid and shallow. Of course he had pointed a gun at her in the past, but this time, there had been no emotion... Justà Cold fury... She trembled in fear, and when she heard her name whispered, seemingly a solar-system away, it jolted her out of her fog. With a gasping sob, she broke from Heero's iron grasp and ran for the door. Before Heero's dulled senses could react, she had unlocked the door and bolted down the stairs, bypassing the elevator and when she reached the entryway she realized she had no where to go...
"But Duo's..." She whispered aloud to herself. Ignoring the looks of the people around her, she hastened through the doors and made her way to Duo's hotel. She ran the entire way, sobbing and tripping over everything... Her socks were black from the dirt and pavement, and she noticed belatedly that it was raining.
Heero remained frozen only long enough for her to reach the second floor, then he raced after her. He ran, faster than he had for any mission in the past. He had to find her, catch her. The doorman took pity on the boy and pointed him in the right direction. Heero shot out in the direction he had been pointed and soon realized where he was headed.
'Duo's... Man... I've got to catch her. I love her.' The realization seemed to speed him up, and he rounded a corner to see Relena, twenty yards away, trip on a grate, fall, and sob. She tried to pull herself up, but winced and looked around like a trapped animal. She spotted him and forced herself to her feet. She sprinted away, slowed, but still fast. Her breaths were more harsh sobs than anything else, and Heero was gaining. She tripped again, but instead of hitting the pavement, she found herself cushioned in Heero's arms. She looked at him, frightened, and fought to get out of his arms.
"No... Relena... I-" Heero whispered in her ear, holding her more tightly the more she struggled. She felt the trembling in his limbs and stopped, gasping for breath.
"Relena-"
"Heero-" They both spoke at the same time, and he paused, while Relena plunged on.
"I.. I was so afraid.. You always say you'll kill me, and then you pulled that gun tonight..." She started trembling again, harder. The rain still fell in drizzling sheets, and she noticed for the first time that Heero wore no shirt, or shoes, or socks. Only those black boxers. She swallowed, her tears mixing with the rain on her cheeks.
He held her face in his hands, tears making tracks on his wet face. "Oh... Relena.. My Relena... I... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.. I never meant..." He drew a deep breath, and emotionally prepared himself to lay his soul bare. Disregard almost two decades of what he'd been taught.
"But," Relena interrupted what he was going to say, "You've threatened to kill me, so many times, and tonight... You were so cold..."
Heero lifted her chin to make her look at him. "I've tried so many times, for so many reasons to kill you. I, the perfect soldier, have failed so many times. How," he asked her incredulously, hoping she would accept what he said as truth,"could I kill my own soul? The one that holds my heart?"
He knelt to the pavement, with her beside him and cradled her head against his chest. "I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear, "so, so sorry..."
Relena continued to sob, too overcome with emotion to take in all that he was saying. She lifted her head, and said hoarsely, "How many times...? How many times have you vowed to kill me? And then, tonight... " She knew she was repeating herself, but she really couldn't get past it. Heero, in some desperation shook her shoulders, peering into her eyes.
"You're right... I did... I tried so many times. And you..." He looked piercingly into her eyes, "You... This little girl, this woman.. I could not kill. After a while you *became* my mission." He brushed his lips tentatively across hers.
"My one love... I couldn't kill you... You set me free.." He kissed her fully on the mouth, and Relena wound her arms around his neck, kissing him back.
He pulled away enough to look her in the eyes. Relena almost sobbed at what she found in his. The iron walls had dropped. Warmth radiated from the Prussian depths and his soul shimmered in the tears in his lids. Only one small doubt lingered in them, and Relena quickly pushed it away.
"I love you, Heero."
Their lips met again, and Relena shivered. But not from the kiss... Simply the rain finally chilling her body enough to make it quiver. Heero noticed and gathered Relena in his arms.
"It's warm at home," he said softly, "But tomorrow, you go to live with Quatre..."
Relena looked at him in amazement. "What??"
Heero, with a devilish gleam in his eye that Duo would envy, set her on her feet an said in mock consternation, "When I marry you, you'll be in one piece... Besides, I think Ze-" he corrected himself quickly, "Milliardo would have my head if..." Relena blushed and noticed he was wearing less clothing than her. As they ran back to the apartment hand-in-hand, their phone was ringing....
"This is the Yuy's," Relena's chipper voice rang out from the answering machine, "We're not home... Or we're *giggle* otherwise engaged. *Heero's derisive snort* Leave a message.."
"HEERO?!?!?" Milliardo's voice yelled, outraged into the phone, "WHERE ARE YOU AT, AT... TWO IN THE MORNING!!?!?!?"