Chapter 9: Eve
The lights twinkled dim and the eggnog flowed. It was strange and thick and milky-rich, Relena thought, sipping from her glass and watching Duo make Quatre laugh so hard that his cheeks turned a violent red and he had to hold onto his stomach. He ended up half-lying in Dorothy's lap, who was patient while he caught his breath, but promptly shoved him off the couch when he was done. She smirked, he blushed, and Duo chuckled. She could see him murmur a "Sorry."
Noin was in and out of the kitchen with cookies and drinks, Catherine working silently behind the scenes with the food. The tree sparkled in the corner and a small fire was lit. Milliardo sat by it to tend it, the light playing with the outline of his hair.
Relena sat by Heero on the couch, the soft cushions making them fall closer together than she had meant. He put an arm around her but didn't look at her, awareness settling over them. The moment earlier after her bath was an almost physical link both connecting and separating them. His mother kept sending them smiling glances, putting them even more on edge than they were, and Heero was both aware of the soft woman beside him and the way his mother put her hand so intimately on Dr. J's knee. Didn't the woman have any shame?!
All the treats were soon served and Noin and Catherine settled in among the softly chattering group.
It was tradition that everyone open one present on Christmas Eve, so eyes were bright and hands eager as packages were distributed. Out of politeness, Heero and Relena took what Heero's mother handed them, but when it came their turn to open their presents, satisfaction in their gifts was something that was very hard to fake.
Relena stared in poorly disguised horror at a red silk teddy with matching thong underwear. Heero had a bit more trouble figuring what his gift was for, as he could come up with no sensible reason anyone would want fluffy, tiger-print handcuffs.
Relena could see that her brother was about to swallow his tongue in his anger, so she made Heero put the handcuffs away and they politely thanked his mother. After another moment of shocked silence, Duo started laughing very hard and could barely keep from bursting into chuckles as he opened his present, shaking his head repeatedly over the incongruity of it all.
"I hope you enjoy them," Heero's mother smiled before everyone went up to bed. "I'm sure that will look lovely on you, dear."
"Thank you," Relena smiled, all her political training coming heavily to the fore. Even so, she couldn't keep a blush back.
"Young couples always like those kinds of things," she winked knowingly and left the girl to stand on her own.
In their room later that night, barely before the two could get inside themselves, Milliardo rapped gently on the door and asked for a moment alone with Heero. Relena stood in the hallway, worried, and hoped her brother wasn't being too harsh on the unsuspecting man.
When she was allowed to go back in, Heero's mouth was thin and the Christmas present was over in an obscure corner.
"Heero?" Relena asked, and he sighed.
"You could have told me what they were," he grated, "instead of letting me hold them up in front of everyone."
She blushed heavily. "I'm sorry."
"I didn't even see what you got," he pushed on, "but now I'm pretty sure I don't want to."
"Just clothes," she murmured. "Underthings. Not quite as bad as . . ." She looked over at the corner, then turned her attention to the man who was straightening his sheets with more passion than she'd seen anyone use on a bed. "Heero . . ." she remembered earlier that day and for a moment her embarrassment was replaced by another, warmer emotion, "would you . . . kiss me?"
His hands stopped and his eyes went hard. "No." At her dejected look, he added bitterly, "You're 'just doing me a favor.' I shouldn't 'take advantage of you.'" They were obviously Milliardo's words.
Relena was annoyed. I don't want to do you a favor, she thought. I want to do you! Then she was astonished with herself and went to get her comfortable, sensible pajamas, blushing and ashamed. This wasn't going at all like she wanted it to.
She just needed to get to sleep, she decided as she picked up her Gundam toothbrush. Lots and lots of nice, healing, safe sleep.
Why did safe sleep make her think of safe sex?
Frustrated with herself and the word plays going on in her head, she spat out her toothpaste and flounced out of the bathroom to feed her bird. It was on Heero's side of the room, by the window, so she had to pass his bed. He was already in it, reading. She tried to ignore him, but as she poured a little birdseed into Zero's bowl, she glanced back at him.
And smiled, holding back a soft gasp of laughter. She must have made a small choked noise, though, because he glanced up at her grumpily.
"What?"
She smiled. "You wear glasses?"
He frowned, but took them off self-consciously. "Just to read."
"You're like an old man," she grinned.
He looked at her until she stopped smiling and turned away, and was overwhelmed with the sight of how pretty she was. She looked so soft in her pajamas, and he was immediately drawn back to the moment with her towl, when she'd locked the door and . . .
He shook his head. He was being an idiot -- hadn't her brother just warned him about even having thoughts about his sister?! Heero sighed and turned off his lamp. He just needed to get to sleep. It'd been a long, strange day -- and he hoped to God that the rest of his friends didn't have the same twisted humor his mother did.
But as he settled down into his covers, a weight settled over his legs. He opened his eyes to find Relena straddling him.
Cool panic was his first reaction. And then, as she pressed higher against his pelvis, it bloomed into something hotter.
"Get off," he grunted, and pulled her around to his side, rather than on top of him. He glared at her through the darkness and her eyes were wide and hurt. "Do you have any idea what your brother would do to me?!" he hissed.
She glared at him. "I didn't want to do anything bad, Heero. I just wanted . . ." she fiddled with her fingers.
"What?" He was exasperated with her.
"I like you," she said very firmly, looking him in the eye. "And you're attracted to me, or something, because otherwise you wouldn't react the way you do. And I just . . ." There were tears in her eyes. "I just wanted you to kiss me again. I like it when you kiss me. But you won't." She trailed off in a whisper.
Heero sighed and relented. "Okay." And he kissed her.
It was far too impersonal to start with. Perfunctory and duty-bound. But after Relena worried at his lips for a few moments with licking and nipping, she lost all conscious thought with his reaction.
It wasn't as charged as that morning with the towel. It wasn't as sweet as the first in the wrapping room. But as Heero released her, breathing roughly, and murmured that he did like her -- very much -- it was somehow better than the rest. And as Heero put her sleeping form into her bed later that night, he allowed himself a small smile of triumph.
God, her brother would kill him.
