Dinner anyone?: Part two
Relena Darlian was fuming. She had gotten a phone call from that irritating Duo Maxwell inquiring if she could do Heero a favor. She was madly in love with Heero, so she decided she would do anything for him. Duo had asked her if she could pick up Heero's fiancé from the airport.
'This is the last time I do anything for you Heero, you good for nothing, lousy, son of a b-'
"Miss Relena Darlian! How nice to see you again!" came a female voice from close by. Relena turned to see a girl with waist length brown hair and dazzling violet eyes standing next to a plastic tree. Relena's eyebrows shot up at the girl's attire. Lani was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a blue tank top, something Relena would never even think of wearing on the same planet as Heero Yuy.
"Hello, Ms. Blake. You look nice…" Relena said, nervously smoothing her ankle length rose colored skirt and white blouse. Lani smiled, but made no comment on Relena's attire, and picked up her bag.
"So do you, as always Miss Relena. Shall we embark? I can't wait to see Heero!" Relena grumbled at the girl's optimism, but led the way to her car anyway.
Lani peered at the houses going by in the wealthy development. She sighed as the five story house came into view. 'Ooh,' she breathed. Lani had only been there once, but remembered its confusing hallways and misleading doors. Relena pulled into the driveway, let her out with her bag and sped away. A brown haired guy peeked through the curtains and disappeared suddenly. The door swung open and Duo came flying down the steps.
"Lani! Come on in! Its been too long." They embraced warmly and entered the house.
"Heero, Lani's here!" Duo shouted. Trowa and Quatre poked their heads out of the living room and scampered down the hall to greet her. Lani stepped inside the house and took a deep breath.
"Ah, home at last!" she exclaimed. She gave Trowa and Quatre each a hug before climbing the stairs to find Heero.
"Heero? Where are you?" she called softly. A door on her right opened a crack and a cold pair of eyes peered out at her. Lani glanced at the door.
"Heero? is that you?" the door slammed shut and Lani jumped in surprise.
"Guess not…" Lani looked at what she could see of the 1st floor, with its doors and never ending turns. Which one could it be? She assumed the door which had just slammed on her belonged to Zechs Merquise, or Milliardo Peacecraft; depending on his mood. The one at the end of the hall belonged to Chang Wufei, as she had discovered, unfortunately, in her last visit. She knew the other two were a bathroom and a linen closet.
After a thorough search, and a peek in the game room, she discovered another door, revealing a flight of stairs. She climbed until she came upon a floor with five doors instead of four. One, she remembered, was a linen closet; one more, was a bathroom; one was a flight of stairs leading to Duo's chilly bedroom, the fourth was a spare room, and the last was the perfect soldier's bedroom.
Lani sighed in relief as her memory kicked in, and she strode along slowly, the wooden floor creaking under her feet. She rapped softly on the last door and waited.
"Hello?" called a voice from within. The door swung open and the dreary face of Heero Yuy lit up as he grabbed Lani around the waist and swung her around.
"Ah! You're here, finally! I've been waiting, did you find your way alright?" Lani raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Of course, who could get lost in a five story house with a basement…."
* * * *
Wufei looked up. "Could someone please pass the rice?" Trowa handed him the bowl and continued eating. The twelve people present tried to make small conversation. Each Gundam pilot had invited a significant other or two for the meal and they were seated appropriately. Trowa had invited his sister Catherine, but of course sat next to Quatre; Zechs had brought his fiancé Noin, and his sister Relena; Duo had invited his girlfriend Hilde, Heero sat next to Lani, and Wufei had requested the presence of Sally, his own fiancé. Zechs cleared his voice quietly and addressed the newest member of the household.
"So Lani, what do you think of Earth?" asked Zechs, in a congenial manner. She smiled.
"Its beautiful, but I do find that it is rather cold. Of course, I am used to the warm climate of L4." Quatre smiled, himself being a former resident of the L4 colony which is a desert.
"I agree, but the temperature here is one which a person can adjust to quite easily. Don't you agree Trowa?" Trowa nodded, and Catherine smiled at the couple. Heero coughed, and glanced at Trowa. Trowa returned the glance with a nonchalant expression on his face.
"Have you forgotten about the cake?" Heero asked. Trowa blinked and smoothed his white shirt. "We have cake? Really? Quatre, help me with the cake." Catherine eyed her brother, trying to discover his true intentions, but Quatre smiled at Trowa, his eyes lit with a mysterious glow.
"Certainly… we'll be back in a minute." They left the table and exited in to the kitchen.
Heero watched them go, and set down his fork.
"Where do they live? Do they live here?" he asked. Duo looked up with an all knowing smile on his face.
"Of course they live here! This is one of the houses Quatre inherited. They live on the fifth floor. You just have to go through my room to get to theirs. What, did you think they just ate here?" Duo laughed. "That's a good one, He-Chan!" Duo slid his arm around Hilde, who snuggled into his shoulder. Heero turned to Lani next to him. She blinked her large violet eyes at him mischievously, leaned over, and kissed him on the nose. Heero blushed a little and concentrated on his peas.
"Aww! Is the stone cold soldier afraid of a little PDA?" teased Sally from across the table. Heero looked up confused.
"PDA? What does the Public Defense Agency have to do with anything?" Sally nearly spit out her mouthful of wine. Wufei chuckled politely, while Duo was being helped up from the floor by Hilde.
"No, no, Heero. PDA as in public display of affection," Sally gently corrected. Heero frowned. "Never mind…" Sally set down her glass and reached for her fork. Just then, Quatre and Trowa returned from the kitchen.
"So where's the cake, boys?" Hilde asked. Trowa blinked, and turned to Quatre.
"Cake? Oh that cake, its fine. It's still sitting on the counter like a good little cake," Quatre commented, taking his seat at the table, and Trowa doing likewise. Duo frowned.
"Trowa, weren't you wearing a white shirt a minute ago?" Trowa looked down at the deep blue shirt he was wearing and blinked. "Yes…" Duo continued. "And Quatre, weren't you wearing a tie?" Quatre glanced at the black tie Trowa was wearing.
"I guess I wasn't Duo. See? Trowa is wearing a blue shirt and has an attractive black tie… you must be mistaken," commented Quatre, absentmindedly buttoning the bottom five buttons on the white shirt he was wearing. Wufei opened his mouth in shock, realizing what had happened. Duo smiled, accepting the fact he couldn't fool the two of them.
"I guess I am mistaken…but yet again, I'm not the one who forgot the cake." Wufei put his head in his hands.
"Duo! Enough, why don't you go get the cake?" Duo stood up, and Hilde moved to join him. "Alone, Duo…" Wufei warned. Hilde sat down and sipped her glass of ice tea, mumbling under her breath. Duo returned with the perfectly vanilla-frosted cake and set it in the middle of the large table.
"That looks delicious. Did one of you bake the cake?" asked Lani. Zechs smiled.
"I'm glad you like the appearance of the cake. I took a culinary course a couple months ago… but I didn't do so well on the baking part. Quatre baked. I decorated." Zechs declared. Quatre nodded and smiled at their co- creation. Duo drooled.
"Who cares what it looks like! Lets eat!" exclaimed the ever hungry American. The table laughed, and Noin stood up to cut the cake, but not before giving Zechs a soft kiss. He smiled at the gesture, and poured himself another glass of wine.
"Quatre, this is a splendid wine. What year is it, do you know?" Quatre picked up the crystal decanter, and peered at the hand-written label on the bottom.
"It's very old. I guess I've been saving it a while, and the label has worn away. I think it says AC195…" Trowa smiled, as Quatre accepted the cake handed to him by Duo.
After the cake had been eaten, the company descended the stairs to the enormous basement. Trowa took his place behind the small bar, and Quatre sat on one of the bar stools. Heero and Lani took the two person sofa, Noin, Zechs, and Relena sat on the three person couch, and Duo, Hilde, Wufei, and Sally seated themselves on the four person settee. After a while of conversation, Duo stood up, and tapped his glass with a pen.
"Excuse me, friends of my saunter through life. I have an important announcement to make. Hilde and I, we're getting married!" Everyone congratulated the happy couple, while they kissed, and a toast was made. Quatre smiled with longing, and Trowa returned the heartbreaking grimace. He leaned over the bar, so that they were close enough that he could whisper in Quatre's ear;
"One day, little one, one day. But that day has yet to come…" Quatre lightly kissed Trowa's cheek, and sat back down on his stool.
Lani watched this conversation between them, and turned to Heero.
"They look so sad, He-san. Why are they whispering?" Heero frowned, and inconspicuously slid his arm around her.
"They know its still not legal on earth to get married." Lani smiled, admiring their fortitude.
"Heero-koi, we still haven't set a date for our own wedding…" she looked at him meaningfully. Heero stared into space for a moment.
"Well, when would you like? Is six weeks good to plan everything?" Lani's eyes shone, and she smiled excitedly. "I think I could pull it off, for only the most important moment in my life, but can you?" she questioned. Heero nodded slowly. The words 'commitment for eternity' ran through his mind, and he glanced at the woman next to him. Was this the person he wanted to spend the rest of his years with? His mind flashed back and he saw a 15 year old blonde with large blue eyes. 'Relena…' he thought. 'I never did love her…so why am I thinking about her now?' he shuddered at the thought and pulled Lani a little closer. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he played with a strand of her waist length hair. "Heero, what are you thinking?" Heero smiled.
"Just about how annoying Relena Darlian is…" Lani chuckled.
"Is it true that she used stalk you? I mean, even at the age of 15, it's kind of pathetic…" Heero nodded and twirled another long strand of her hair between his fingers. His hand found hers and they twined their fingers together. Lani looked up, smiled, and closed her eyes contentedly. "I love you Heero Yuy and don't you forget that…" she murmured.
"I love you, Lani Blake, and how could I forget with you reminding me so often? Also, I have this.." He replied, fingering his silver engagement ring. Lani glanced at her matching ring, and sighed. "They really are perfect, Heero. Indescribably perfect…." He kissed her forehead lightly.
"And what could be better than that?"
Relena Darlian was fuming. She had gotten a phone call from that irritating Duo Maxwell inquiring if she could do Heero a favor. She was madly in love with Heero, so she decided she would do anything for him. Duo had asked her if she could pick up Heero's fiancé from the airport.
'This is the last time I do anything for you Heero, you good for nothing, lousy, son of a b-'
"Miss Relena Darlian! How nice to see you again!" came a female voice from close by. Relena turned to see a girl with waist length brown hair and dazzling violet eyes standing next to a plastic tree. Relena's eyebrows shot up at the girl's attire. Lani was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a blue tank top, something Relena would never even think of wearing on the same planet as Heero Yuy.
"Hello, Ms. Blake. You look nice…" Relena said, nervously smoothing her ankle length rose colored skirt and white blouse. Lani smiled, but made no comment on Relena's attire, and picked up her bag.
"So do you, as always Miss Relena. Shall we embark? I can't wait to see Heero!" Relena grumbled at the girl's optimism, but led the way to her car anyway.
Lani peered at the houses going by in the wealthy development. She sighed as the five story house came into view. 'Ooh,' she breathed. Lani had only been there once, but remembered its confusing hallways and misleading doors. Relena pulled into the driveway, let her out with her bag and sped away. A brown haired guy peeked through the curtains and disappeared suddenly. The door swung open and Duo came flying down the steps.
"Lani! Come on in! Its been too long." They embraced warmly and entered the house.
"Heero, Lani's here!" Duo shouted. Trowa and Quatre poked their heads out of the living room and scampered down the hall to greet her. Lani stepped inside the house and took a deep breath.
"Ah, home at last!" she exclaimed. She gave Trowa and Quatre each a hug before climbing the stairs to find Heero.
"Heero? Where are you?" she called softly. A door on her right opened a crack and a cold pair of eyes peered out at her. Lani glanced at the door.
"Heero? is that you?" the door slammed shut and Lani jumped in surprise.
"Guess not…" Lani looked at what she could see of the 1st floor, with its doors and never ending turns. Which one could it be? She assumed the door which had just slammed on her belonged to Zechs Merquise, or Milliardo Peacecraft; depending on his mood. The one at the end of the hall belonged to Chang Wufei, as she had discovered, unfortunately, in her last visit. She knew the other two were a bathroom and a linen closet.
After a thorough search, and a peek in the game room, she discovered another door, revealing a flight of stairs. She climbed until she came upon a floor with five doors instead of four. One, she remembered, was a linen closet; one more, was a bathroom; one was a flight of stairs leading to Duo's chilly bedroom, the fourth was a spare room, and the last was the perfect soldier's bedroom.
Lani sighed in relief as her memory kicked in, and she strode along slowly, the wooden floor creaking under her feet. She rapped softly on the last door and waited.
"Hello?" called a voice from within. The door swung open and the dreary face of Heero Yuy lit up as he grabbed Lani around the waist and swung her around.
"Ah! You're here, finally! I've been waiting, did you find your way alright?" Lani raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Of course, who could get lost in a five story house with a basement…."
* * * *
Wufei looked up. "Could someone please pass the rice?" Trowa handed him the bowl and continued eating. The twelve people present tried to make small conversation. Each Gundam pilot had invited a significant other or two for the meal and they were seated appropriately. Trowa had invited his sister Catherine, but of course sat next to Quatre; Zechs had brought his fiancé Noin, and his sister Relena; Duo had invited his girlfriend Hilde, Heero sat next to Lani, and Wufei had requested the presence of Sally, his own fiancé. Zechs cleared his voice quietly and addressed the newest member of the household.
"So Lani, what do you think of Earth?" asked Zechs, in a congenial manner. She smiled.
"Its beautiful, but I do find that it is rather cold. Of course, I am used to the warm climate of L4." Quatre smiled, himself being a former resident of the L4 colony which is a desert.
"I agree, but the temperature here is one which a person can adjust to quite easily. Don't you agree Trowa?" Trowa nodded, and Catherine smiled at the couple. Heero coughed, and glanced at Trowa. Trowa returned the glance with a nonchalant expression on his face.
"Have you forgotten about the cake?" Heero asked. Trowa blinked and smoothed his white shirt. "We have cake? Really? Quatre, help me with the cake." Catherine eyed her brother, trying to discover his true intentions, but Quatre smiled at Trowa, his eyes lit with a mysterious glow.
"Certainly… we'll be back in a minute." They left the table and exited in to the kitchen.
Heero watched them go, and set down his fork.
"Where do they live? Do they live here?" he asked. Duo looked up with an all knowing smile on his face.
"Of course they live here! This is one of the houses Quatre inherited. They live on the fifth floor. You just have to go through my room to get to theirs. What, did you think they just ate here?" Duo laughed. "That's a good one, He-Chan!" Duo slid his arm around Hilde, who snuggled into his shoulder. Heero turned to Lani next to him. She blinked her large violet eyes at him mischievously, leaned over, and kissed him on the nose. Heero blushed a little and concentrated on his peas.
"Aww! Is the stone cold soldier afraid of a little PDA?" teased Sally from across the table. Heero looked up confused.
"PDA? What does the Public Defense Agency have to do with anything?" Sally nearly spit out her mouthful of wine. Wufei chuckled politely, while Duo was being helped up from the floor by Hilde.
"No, no, Heero. PDA as in public display of affection," Sally gently corrected. Heero frowned. "Never mind…" Sally set down her glass and reached for her fork. Just then, Quatre and Trowa returned from the kitchen.
"So where's the cake, boys?" Hilde asked. Trowa blinked, and turned to Quatre.
"Cake? Oh that cake, its fine. It's still sitting on the counter like a good little cake," Quatre commented, taking his seat at the table, and Trowa doing likewise. Duo frowned.
"Trowa, weren't you wearing a white shirt a minute ago?" Trowa looked down at the deep blue shirt he was wearing and blinked. "Yes…" Duo continued. "And Quatre, weren't you wearing a tie?" Quatre glanced at the black tie Trowa was wearing.
"I guess I wasn't Duo. See? Trowa is wearing a blue shirt and has an attractive black tie… you must be mistaken," commented Quatre, absentmindedly buttoning the bottom five buttons on the white shirt he was wearing. Wufei opened his mouth in shock, realizing what had happened. Duo smiled, accepting the fact he couldn't fool the two of them.
"I guess I am mistaken…but yet again, I'm not the one who forgot the cake." Wufei put his head in his hands.
"Duo! Enough, why don't you go get the cake?" Duo stood up, and Hilde moved to join him. "Alone, Duo…" Wufei warned. Hilde sat down and sipped her glass of ice tea, mumbling under her breath. Duo returned with the perfectly vanilla-frosted cake and set it in the middle of the large table.
"That looks delicious. Did one of you bake the cake?" asked Lani. Zechs smiled.
"I'm glad you like the appearance of the cake. I took a culinary course a couple months ago… but I didn't do so well on the baking part. Quatre baked. I decorated." Zechs declared. Quatre nodded and smiled at their co- creation. Duo drooled.
"Who cares what it looks like! Lets eat!" exclaimed the ever hungry American. The table laughed, and Noin stood up to cut the cake, but not before giving Zechs a soft kiss. He smiled at the gesture, and poured himself another glass of wine.
"Quatre, this is a splendid wine. What year is it, do you know?" Quatre picked up the crystal decanter, and peered at the hand-written label on the bottom.
"It's very old. I guess I've been saving it a while, and the label has worn away. I think it says AC195…" Trowa smiled, as Quatre accepted the cake handed to him by Duo.
After the cake had been eaten, the company descended the stairs to the enormous basement. Trowa took his place behind the small bar, and Quatre sat on one of the bar stools. Heero and Lani took the two person sofa, Noin, Zechs, and Relena sat on the three person couch, and Duo, Hilde, Wufei, and Sally seated themselves on the four person settee. After a while of conversation, Duo stood up, and tapped his glass with a pen.
"Excuse me, friends of my saunter through life. I have an important announcement to make. Hilde and I, we're getting married!" Everyone congratulated the happy couple, while they kissed, and a toast was made. Quatre smiled with longing, and Trowa returned the heartbreaking grimace. He leaned over the bar, so that they were close enough that he could whisper in Quatre's ear;
"One day, little one, one day. But that day has yet to come…" Quatre lightly kissed Trowa's cheek, and sat back down on his stool.
Lani watched this conversation between them, and turned to Heero.
"They look so sad, He-san. Why are they whispering?" Heero frowned, and inconspicuously slid his arm around her.
"They know its still not legal on earth to get married." Lani smiled, admiring their fortitude.
"Heero-koi, we still haven't set a date for our own wedding…" she looked at him meaningfully. Heero stared into space for a moment.
"Well, when would you like? Is six weeks good to plan everything?" Lani's eyes shone, and she smiled excitedly. "I think I could pull it off, for only the most important moment in my life, but can you?" she questioned. Heero nodded slowly. The words 'commitment for eternity' ran through his mind, and he glanced at the woman next to him. Was this the person he wanted to spend the rest of his years with? His mind flashed back and he saw a 15 year old blonde with large blue eyes. 'Relena…' he thought. 'I never did love her…so why am I thinking about her now?' he shuddered at the thought and pulled Lani a little closer. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he played with a strand of her waist length hair. "Heero, what are you thinking?" Heero smiled.
"Just about how annoying Relena Darlian is…" Lani chuckled.
"Is it true that she used stalk you? I mean, even at the age of 15, it's kind of pathetic…" Heero nodded and twirled another long strand of her hair between his fingers. His hand found hers and they twined their fingers together. Lani looked up, smiled, and closed her eyes contentedly. "I love you Heero Yuy and don't you forget that…" she murmured.
"I love you, Lani Blake, and how could I forget with you reminding me so often? Also, I have this.." He replied, fingering his silver engagement ring. Lani glanced at her matching ring, and sighed. "They really are perfect, Heero. Indescribably perfect…." He kissed her forehead lightly.
"And what could be better than that?"