Tearing at the Seams



disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or its characters. Please don't sue me!!!



AN: Before you read, this story may be a little intense, so if you don't like the idea of non-con/rape, then please don't read this. This is just a little challenge for me to write real-world related fics. Please don't hate a writer for things like these.





September AC 199





Stepping off the black steps of a bus, Heero adjusted his sunglasses before taking his one suitcase with him. There he stood, at the mouth of a huge university campus. He'd been through this before, he'd been through much worse than school. It was his second year at the University of Calder at L1. All the Gundam pilots and their respected girlfriends had attended last year, and they would once leave their families to live on campus at the university. Breathing in the crisp autumn air, he moved forwards towards the student union to collect his dorm key and straighten any paperwork that needed straightening.



Relena closed her eyes. The drive to the university seemed to take forever. She wished she was at work instead of school, but at least this gave her and Heero a chance to grow closer. They would all be living in the university dorms and this year her roomate would hopefully be Catherine, even though she was a senior. She hoped that Milliardo could pull some strings with the dean and get them together. Last year had been hell as Dorothy's roomate. She'd always bring Quatre over, although she didn't mind, she didn't like the fact that she could hear them all the time. Cringing at one embarrassing incident, she looked at the passing trees, their leaves turning golden hues of orange, yellow and red. Smiling to herself, she saw the campus nearing, and she'd once again be near Heero.



Grabbing his key, Heero turned around and bumped into a goofy looking boy with a long braid-Duo.



"Hey buddy, didn't expect to see me here huh? Well, I did manage to pass last year's final semester, so I'm baaack..." he said in a mock threatening tone.



Grinning, he slung his arm over a very irritated looking Heero.



"Duo, hand off me now," Heero said.



His eyes narrowed and Duo took the hint.



"Jeez, after knowing you for what, four years, you're still the same. Lighten up will ya? We're men now, stop acting like you're twelve. Hey, I heard that Relena was coming back this year too. Excited to see her?" Duo asked.



Heero stared at Duo. After four years, Duo was still the same loud-mouth, but good-hearted guy he first met on the dock.



"Not that it's your business, but yes, I am. I haven't seen her since August at your barbeque. We've kept in touch, but obviously we're both busy people, so it was hard to see each other as often as we've hoped. Isn't Hilde coming too?" Heero asked.



Duo just grinned. He'd *finally* managed to get Heero out of his shell. Heero had become more sociable and he damn well liked it that way.



"Yes, yes she is. One whole year to screw around with the girl I love," Duo joked.



Heero elbowed him in the ribs.



"Duo, I swear you are such a disgrace to men," Heero said.



Grinning an ear to ear smile, Duo slung his arm around his friend and dragged him to their dorm room.





Pagan entered the parking lot of the student union. Sighing, Relena gathered herself emotionally. Pagan was a dear old friend, and she knew she wouldn't see him until Christmas break. She felt like she was losing another member of her family. First it was her brother, then her sister-in-law Noin. Now it was Pagan. Opening the door of the limousine, she stepped around to grab the bags from the trunk. She would be together with all her friends, and more so with Heero. She missed him so much, and after what happened at Duo's barbeque, she was more eager to see him.





F l a s h b a c k





"Duo Maxwell, I swear to goodness, if you don't come back here, I will personally make you pay for it later!" Hilde yelled. She had been chasing Duo around for a while, trying to make him sit still. She had wanted the barbeque to be sophisticated, but someone, namely Duo, had managed to get drunk and run around half naked. Goodness knew why, but he had taken a liking to running around in his boxers and yelling at the top of his lungs 'Heero and Relena, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!'



Only an hour later, Relena's world had turned completely upside down. She had left the barbeque to get away from the commotion that was Duo. He had just left the 'buzzed' stage of drunk, and had started to perform an oddly funny striptease. She had her share of laughing, but found it rather disturbing once he reached his boxers. She wanted no part of that and left momentarily to see the view of the lake from the shore. The sun had begun to set, casting orange and pinks hues across the sky and reflecting itself onto the rippling water of the lake. Sighing, she smiled to herself as she heard birds chirp and insects chatter. This year, summer had been magnificent. Only a total of a week's worth of rain was cast down upon them, and she was thankful that it was almost over. She wanted to go back to school. Sitting idle had made her fidgety. Setting herself down on a log, she watched the water gently wave and ripple. The sky had darkened now, leaving dim light while the sun hid away behind half the earth. Footsteps sounded and she gasped. Whipping around, she came to see Heero walking out of a clearing, him in his own world.



"Heero, what are you doing here?" she asked.



He looked at her. The purplish sky had darkened her hair in its dim light, making the already blonde tresses shine.



"I came to get you. It's getting dark now. Let's head back, everyone is tired of seeing Duo run around in his boxers, although I'm sure Hilde's getting a kick out of it," he said.



She laughed. Only Heero could say something funny and not laugh at it. He was too, stoic.



'Relena seems...different. I don't know how, but she all of a sudden, seems very, attractive,' he thought as she decided to take his arm.



They walked together, comfortably, enjoying each other's company. While turning a bend in the pathway, Relena's foot caught on a root, sending her straight into Heero. He caught her, seeing her face flush a deep scarlet, even in the dim light.



"I-I- sorry," she stuttered.



"It's fine. Are you okay?" he asked, suddenly concerned.



She blushed once more.



"Yes, I'm fine thank you. It's awfully dark here. I should have come back earlier," she said.



Her head was speaking otherwise.



'Of course I'm alright. You caught me, didn't you?' her mind spoke. She cursed herself for developing such intense feelings for him. She smiled to herself in the dark. She rather liked Heero holding her.



"Heero? I...um...never mind," she said, suddenly frightened to tell him the truth.



He gave her a puzzled look, but kept walking alongside her.



Time passed uncomfortably, but both managed to walk together without accidentally blurting something out.



The moon illuminated the path, showing them the way back to Hilde and Duo's house. Animals of the night began to come out from hiding and Relena fought hard to keep herself warm. Stuffing her hands in her shorts pockets, she kept her eyes downcast so that she wouldn't accidentally lock eyes with Heero. She knew that one look from him would be able to tell him what she felt for the perfect soldier.



He looked over to his side and saw her shivering. Mentally shrugging, he kept looking at her, not sure whether to wrap his arm around her, or let her be cold. He didn't want to be too forward, and he didn't want to seem too cold. So he did the next best thing. He asked her.



"Relena, are you okay? You look really cold," he said.



She looked up at him, still trying to avoid eye contact.



"Um, actually, I'm a little cold. How about we just run for it? Maybe it'll warm me up," she said, while actually thinking...



'My GOD! Heero Yuy, you are the most *blind* person I know! I want y-o-u to warm me up.' she mentally yelled.



"Uh, if you want to," he said, indifference trying to cover his voice. He didn't want her to know he CARED.



She shrugged and decided against it.



"No, I think I'll just walk. I like it here, with you," she mumbled the last part.



"What was that?" he asked, not sure what he heard her say.



"I said uh, I like it here, don't you?"



He looked at her, even in the dark, he knew she was flushing.



"Yeah, kind of dark though. Are you sure you're okay?"



She looked at him again. Was he THAT blind? Yes, he was.



"No, not really. I should have brought a jacket. Well, my fault. It's okay. Don't worry, I won't catch cold or anything," she reassured him.



Deciding to just go with what he felt, Heero moved closer to her and draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.



"No, I won't have you shivering out here when I can prevent it. Come on, this way we'll both be okay," he said.



Relena mentally whooped for joy. Heero *actually* put his arm around her. This was getting interesting...



They walked the rest of the path, arm around each other. Feeling her face flush even deeper red, Relena thanked the stars that it was dark outside.



"Thanks for warming me up," she said, rather sheepishly.



He smiled a little.



"No problem. I hope you're okay...' he trailed.



An eerie silence hung in between them until Relena grabbed his head.



Pulling him close to her, she spoke.



"Heero, I don't want to keep this bottled up any longer. I like you, okay? Not as a friend, but more than that. Please say you understand. I'm not usually this forward with a guy, but I can't keep it hidden any longer. I like you, there. I said it," she said suddenly embarrassed.



He gave her a puzzled look. The words registered in his head, but it didn't quite him until a minute later.



"You do? I thought you were just being nice to me," he said.



She groaned. What a bad time to tell a guy she liked them...



"Yes, I do. I'm always nice to you. Sorry, I shouldn't have told you. Wrong time. I just felt caught up in the moment. I'm sorry you had to hear that, but at least you know the truth now..." she paused, then stopped.



He looked at her, eyes glinting. He saw the way the night wind tousled her golden hair.



"Why now?" he asked, suddenly curious.



She nearly glared at him.



"Why? I don't know. Spur of the moment, felt like it. I don't know why I said it. It was obviously a mistake, since you haven't said more than five words," she bit back.



He drew back, stung by her words.



"I didn't say anything! Why are you yelling at me?"



"That's why I'm yelling at you! Because you neglected to say anything. You could have said 'I like you' back, or 'I don't like you that way'. Instead, you chose to say nothing," she said, becoming silent.



He was in disbelief. She didn't give him more than one second to respond to her.



"Calm down Relena. I didn't say anything because I was shocked okay? Give me time. I'm not usually used to a girl saying they like me. This, it's just, I don't know. What would people say?" he asked, trying to get her off course.



She groaned. He was trying to avoid her.



"That's not the point. When you care for someone, it doesn't matter what the others think. As long as you're happy. I want to be happy with someone who can make me feel that way," she tried to explain.



He didn't quite understand her, but most of the words registered. He was still far in thought to really get it. She was trying to tell him that if he gave them a chance, he would find that nothing would matter anymore. He acted on his first impulse- to kiss her.



Bringing their heads close, he looked into her eyes for signs of uncertainty. She looked like she was ready.



"You never let me answer you. I do like you, and you're right, it doesn't matter what others think. All that matters is us," he spoke softly before claiming her soft lips.



She gasped. He wasn't joking, was he? No, not Heero Yuy, the guy who had no sense of humour, who was so stoic and closed off, that he could be Wufei's twin. He was kissing her, hard and ugent, but she matched his equally aggressive mannerisms.



She shut her eyes tight, letting his lips float over hers for a brief second before coming down once again, hard and insistent. The kiss was purely lust, animal need, but she wanted it. It showed her that Heero was human after all, and that he had needs and wants like any other person.



Breaking off the kiss, he slid his fingers over her bare arms. The night air blew gently, soothing both their raging hormones.



"I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kiss you like that," he apologized.



She looked at him, child-like and candid, eyes wide with happiness.



"No, don't apologize. I wanted that just as much as you. I liked it," she said, almost whispering the last sentence.



He felt his cheeks flush a little. He'd never been given compliments before, not ones so frank. He had to admit, she was quite good too.



An owl screeched somewhere in the trees and Relena could hear Duo's drunken slurring and moans of protest. She giggled and grabbed Heero's hand, dragging him with her and she took off running back to the house.



E n d f l a s h b a c k





Relena smiled secretly to herself. Only she and Heero knew that little secret, that one night where he was human, where he was breathtakingly urgent. She wished for another night like that one. Grabbing her last bag, she hugged Pagan goodbye and proceeded up the stairs to the student union. This school year would be wonderful, so she hoped.





AN: OOO... how was it? I know the flashback sequence was loooong, but I had to put it there!!! It's only the prologue, so I decided to show more character development, or at least try. I know it's kind of 1xR centric, but it'll cover all of the characters, trust me!!! Please review, but don't ask me where the lemons are gonna be. I haven't even decided yet!