Authoress Note: Hey everyone. I want to thank you all for the great reviews
I've gotten! I was kind of worried at how you people would take a
Heero/Noin fic, but I guess it wasn't a problem. I got a few questions
though, and I'll try to answer them now.
Iron Duke: Noin heard the full exchange but she's in love with Zechs (at the moment). Noin likes Heero, but views him as a good friend (which will change, I promise).
Amscray: Not really. If you consider the fact that they met in Antarctica early in the series, then went through the Mariemaia Wars (about a year) and this fic is set about three years later, he had just about four years to develop these feelings. Good eye though!
EVERYONE WHO SAID NOIN AND ZECHS TOGETHER WAS KIND OF ICKY!: I didn't think so! At least I didn't go into excruciating detail about WHAT they were doing.Besides, don't worry, that's as bad as it's going to get. It isn't an NC-17 fic after all.And I'm very sorry if I offended some tender little ears (lol!). I promise to be good from here on in (well, pretty good.). But anyway and such and so on.
.Chapter 3.
"So, Heero's staying with you, eh?" Duo stretched languidly, almost falling backwards in his chair as Noin wrapped up her version of the night's events. Duo, plus Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Sally, were all lounging in Noin's office to catch up on Noin's "health after the attempt" as Quatre so charmingly put it. "What's Zechs think of that?"
"Oh, he's alright. He trusts my judgement." Noin glanced around the room at the other pilots. "What? Is there something I should know about?"
"Naw," Duo shot her a huge grin before anyone else could reply. "I just thought with the way those two idiots get along..."
"You're a brave woman, Noin," Sally interjected. "I wouldn't try it."
"Oh Sal," Noin punched her playfully on the arm. "Give me a break! They're both intelligent, mature young men! I think they can handle themselves."
"Who's an intelligent, mature young man?" Zechs popped his head in with two steaming cups, one of coffee and one of hot cocoa. He weaved his way through the others, gave the cup of cocoa to Noin, and leaned against the side of her desk. Noin glanced up at him.
"Not you."
"Ouch."
"You're an intelligent, mature old man."
Zechs put his hand to his heart. "And again.ouch."
Sally chuckled. "Well, I'm glad that everyone's alright Noin, but I'd better get going. I have work to do."
Murmurs of agreement all around as the others followed Sally out. Noin tapped the tip of her finger on each knuckle of Zechs's hand, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. "Now that we're alone, intelligent mature young lover of mine, what are you going to do?"
"Say hello properly, I should imagine." Zechs bent down to Noin, who tilted her face up at him in response.
"Before this gets too steamy for my poor, matronly eyes," Lady Une quipped dryly from her spot by the doorway. "Wind, may I borrow you for a moment?"
Zechs's eyes spoke volumes about what he'd like to say (something along the lines of "Get lost!"), but Noin knew he was too polite to voice them. She stifled a chuckle as he straightened up, gathering his hair in his hands and then letting it drop behind his back.
"Of course, Lady. I am yours to command." Noin winked at him, knowing his tone all too well: that subtle sarcasm that had become Zechs's trademark. As Zechs followed Une out, he took a second to turn and flash Noin a quick smile, just a quirk to the edge of his lips that told her he'd make the interruption up to her.
It was those kind of things that Noin loved most about Zechs. It wasn't necessarily the public displays of affection; it was all the little things he did. Like that smile, or the cocoa, or a quick air-kiss on her knuckles when he was too busy to stop for long.
Zechs and Une's meeting didn't last long. "I'm being sent on a mission, Noin."
"What kind of mission?" Zechs didn't appear agitated; his eyes were calm, so Noin wasn't too worried.
"Just a little border dispute thing. Shouldn't take long, a few days, and most of that as transit time."
Noin shrugged. "Alright,"
"Don't you want to hear the catch?"
"You have to leave tonight?"
Zechs nodded. "Absolutely right."
"Damn, cold bed tonight."
"But not for long."
"No, not for long." Noin agreed. "What time are you leaving?"
"Now. I came to say goodbye." Zechs took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. "I'll miss you, Noin."
"I'll miss you too. Be safe. Come back soon."
"I will." Zechs took a step back and swept into a graceful bow. "On my princely code of honor, lest some foul evil befall me."
"Let not a foul evil befall you, my prince." Noin curtseyed, equally graceful, which brought a smile to Zechs's face. "Lest evil find a force stronger than itself in me. Now, kiss me and get moving, before the dragon we named Une manifests itself in mine office."
He did, holding her a moment longer than usual. But then he was gone, with that purposeful stride Noin recognized as his 'king of the world' walk. She sat for a moment, watching the sunbeams flicker on her desk, feeling that slight emptiness that always followed his departures settle over her.
"Am I interrupting anything?" Heero's voice broke through her daydream as he came in, the top of his head just barely visible behind a stack of paperwork.
"Not at all," Noin grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day when great field agent Heero Yuy would be stuck in the office doing paperwork."
"Actually, most of this is yours."
Noin's eyes went wide. "Aren't you just the bearer of good tidings?" She chucked her thumb toward the chair by the door. "Be a friend and help me out, huh?"
Heero wordlessly dragged the chair over, swinging it down across from Noin. His reflexes went into high gear as she tossed him a pen. Heero caught it in the ready-to-write position and plopped down on his seat.
From time to time over the almost two hours they were in the office, Heero caught himself glancing up at Noin who had her head bent studiously over her share of the paperwork. He tried to shrug it off, go back to work, but the sun was setting and the red and gold tones streaming in through the bay window complemented her skin tone perfectly. It also turned her hair an interesting- and immensely attractive, in Heero's eyes- shade of reddish purple.
Suddenly, she stretched and caught his eyes. He quickly looked back down, but she tapped her pencil on his paper, right under his nose. "Need a break?"
"Don't need one. You can take one though."
"Come with me. We'll grab some dinner down the street. I hate eating alone."
"Hm," Heero stood, shuffling his papers into a neat pile before replying, ".Ok."
"Great!" Noin slapped her hands on her thighs and stood also "What're you hungry for?"
"Food."
Noin sighed. "Why did I think that I was going to get a straight answer out of Heero Yuy?"
"Don't know."
"Right! Pizza it is then."
Iron Duke: Noin heard the full exchange but she's in love with Zechs (at the moment). Noin likes Heero, but views him as a good friend (which will change, I promise).
Amscray: Not really. If you consider the fact that they met in Antarctica early in the series, then went through the Mariemaia Wars (about a year) and this fic is set about three years later, he had just about four years to develop these feelings. Good eye though!
EVERYONE WHO SAID NOIN AND ZECHS TOGETHER WAS KIND OF ICKY!: I didn't think so! At least I didn't go into excruciating detail about WHAT they were doing.Besides, don't worry, that's as bad as it's going to get. It isn't an NC-17 fic after all.And I'm very sorry if I offended some tender little ears (lol!). I promise to be good from here on in (well, pretty good.). But anyway and such and so on.
.Chapter 3.
"So, Heero's staying with you, eh?" Duo stretched languidly, almost falling backwards in his chair as Noin wrapped up her version of the night's events. Duo, plus Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Sally, were all lounging in Noin's office to catch up on Noin's "health after the attempt" as Quatre so charmingly put it. "What's Zechs think of that?"
"Oh, he's alright. He trusts my judgement." Noin glanced around the room at the other pilots. "What? Is there something I should know about?"
"Naw," Duo shot her a huge grin before anyone else could reply. "I just thought with the way those two idiots get along..."
"You're a brave woman, Noin," Sally interjected. "I wouldn't try it."
"Oh Sal," Noin punched her playfully on the arm. "Give me a break! They're both intelligent, mature young men! I think they can handle themselves."
"Who's an intelligent, mature young man?" Zechs popped his head in with two steaming cups, one of coffee and one of hot cocoa. He weaved his way through the others, gave the cup of cocoa to Noin, and leaned against the side of her desk. Noin glanced up at him.
"Not you."
"Ouch."
"You're an intelligent, mature old man."
Zechs put his hand to his heart. "And again.ouch."
Sally chuckled. "Well, I'm glad that everyone's alright Noin, but I'd better get going. I have work to do."
Murmurs of agreement all around as the others followed Sally out. Noin tapped the tip of her finger on each knuckle of Zechs's hand, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. "Now that we're alone, intelligent mature young lover of mine, what are you going to do?"
"Say hello properly, I should imagine." Zechs bent down to Noin, who tilted her face up at him in response.
"Before this gets too steamy for my poor, matronly eyes," Lady Une quipped dryly from her spot by the doorway. "Wind, may I borrow you for a moment?"
Zechs's eyes spoke volumes about what he'd like to say (something along the lines of "Get lost!"), but Noin knew he was too polite to voice them. She stifled a chuckle as he straightened up, gathering his hair in his hands and then letting it drop behind his back.
"Of course, Lady. I am yours to command." Noin winked at him, knowing his tone all too well: that subtle sarcasm that had become Zechs's trademark. As Zechs followed Une out, he took a second to turn and flash Noin a quick smile, just a quirk to the edge of his lips that told her he'd make the interruption up to her.
It was those kind of things that Noin loved most about Zechs. It wasn't necessarily the public displays of affection; it was all the little things he did. Like that smile, or the cocoa, or a quick air-kiss on her knuckles when he was too busy to stop for long.
Zechs and Une's meeting didn't last long. "I'm being sent on a mission, Noin."
"What kind of mission?" Zechs didn't appear agitated; his eyes were calm, so Noin wasn't too worried.
"Just a little border dispute thing. Shouldn't take long, a few days, and most of that as transit time."
Noin shrugged. "Alright,"
"Don't you want to hear the catch?"
"You have to leave tonight?"
Zechs nodded. "Absolutely right."
"Damn, cold bed tonight."
"But not for long."
"No, not for long." Noin agreed. "What time are you leaving?"
"Now. I came to say goodbye." Zechs took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. "I'll miss you, Noin."
"I'll miss you too. Be safe. Come back soon."
"I will." Zechs took a step back and swept into a graceful bow. "On my princely code of honor, lest some foul evil befall me."
"Let not a foul evil befall you, my prince." Noin curtseyed, equally graceful, which brought a smile to Zechs's face. "Lest evil find a force stronger than itself in me. Now, kiss me and get moving, before the dragon we named Une manifests itself in mine office."
He did, holding her a moment longer than usual. But then he was gone, with that purposeful stride Noin recognized as his 'king of the world' walk. She sat for a moment, watching the sunbeams flicker on her desk, feeling that slight emptiness that always followed his departures settle over her.
"Am I interrupting anything?" Heero's voice broke through her daydream as he came in, the top of his head just barely visible behind a stack of paperwork.
"Not at all," Noin grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day when great field agent Heero Yuy would be stuck in the office doing paperwork."
"Actually, most of this is yours."
Noin's eyes went wide. "Aren't you just the bearer of good tidings?" She chucked her thumb toward the chair by the door. "Be a friend and help me out, huh?"
Heero wordlessly dragged the chair over, swinging it down across from Noin. His reflexes went into high gear as she tossed him a pen. Heero caught it in the ready-to-write position and plopped down on his seat.
From time to time over the almost two hours they were in the office, Heero caught himself glancing up at Noin who had her head bent studiously over her share of the paperwork. He tried to shrug it off, go back to work, but the sun was setting and the red and gold tones streaming in through the bay window complemented her skin tone perfectly. It also turned her hair an interesting- and immensely attractive, in Heero's eyes- shade of reddish purple.
Suddenly, she stretched and caught his eyes. He quickly looked back down, but she tapped her pencil on his paper, right under his nose. "Need a break?"
"Don't need one. You can take one though."
"Come with me. We'll grab some dinner down the street. I hate eating alone."
"Hm," Heero stood, shuffling his papers into a neat pile before replying, ".Ok."
"Great!" Noin slapped her hands on her thighs and stood also "What're you hungry for?"
"Food."
Noin sighed. "Why did I think that I was going to get a straight answer out of Heero Yuy?"
"Don't know."
"Right! Pizza it is then."