CHERRY WOOD
by: AliLamba
notes: I hope you all don't get another email informing you that I've update this. I mean, I haven't really. It's just sort of a rewrite after almost three years of heavily squinting at certain pieces of old writing. I'm still surprised that it jumps so much with the POV, and that I can't find a satisfactory way to fix that yet. Darn it, you just get so attached to old, sentimental stuff. Hmm.
Relena sighed heavily as she gave up on her paperwork. She glanced at her wristwatch: it was a little after seven. Well, she mused, rubbing her sore neck, she had skipped traffic, but with the nearly two-hour drive… Relena massaged her temples, knowing her aching back would have to wait until she got home.
The vid-link buzzed from the corner of her desk.
"Miss Peacecraft?" Apparently Brigitta was still here as well.
"Yes?" Relena addressed her secretary, smiling.
"I was just wondering if you had made plans to go home yet, Miss?"
The Foreign Minister nodded, "I was just getting to that. Brigitta, you know you could have gone home hours ago…"
"I am here to serve, Miss. Would you like a cup of tea before heading home?"
"No, thank you."
Brigitta smiled quaintly and terminated the connection. Relena leaned over to rub her tired ankle, but as the giant swell of her stomach pushed itself against her thighs, she knew she would have to live with the slight ache.
Relena looked for anything that she may need to take with her in the office, before realizing she would be too tired to commit to any of it. Suffering another laborious sigh, Relena pushed her chair away from the desk and hoisted herself, belly-first, from her seat. I wonder if you'll be as in the way once you're born? she thought with a smile to herself, acknowledging her limited mobility. She said goodnight to Brigitta, already in the midst of packing up herself, as she headed to the elevator.
Relena found her small white sedan easily, as there were few cars left in the lot. Brigitta continued to threaten Relena to give her reserved parking spot back, but Relena preferred to give the elderly woman the space closer to the entrance. There were certain perks that came with the position she had established in her chosen line of work, but Relena had come to feel that some were less important than others.
Relena forwent the air conditioning as she turned the key in the ignition and started to back up her automobile, opting instead to roll down the automatic windows in the August humidity. You have a whole year to wait before you feel this, Relena thought softly to the growth inside her stomach, feeling the car hum with life.
The drive into the country might have frustrated most people; it was stop and go out of the city, before the monotonous flatness of the countryside. And yet Relena found the bareness of the landscape comforting, enjoyed the one-lane road where few, if any, other automobiles drove. As the relative sunlight faded into dusk, she drove farther into overgrown fields, and the tall skyscrapers of her metropolis became a mere memory. Relena allowed herself to recline in her seat, extending her leg as far as it could go to reach the pedals.
The last rays of sunlight were struggling to be seen by the time Relena pulled off the road and stopped on the dusty, makeshift driveway before the front porch of her simple home. She had barely unbuckled her seatbelt, when she heard the screen door swing open, and Relena turned in time to see him outlined in its frame.
Heero descended the steps at slight hop, reaching the car door before Relena had a chance to open it herself. Relena had to smile to herself, as Heero opened it and helped her out.
"Heero, I'm not completely incompetent," she joked as he closed the car door behind her and began to help her up the porch steps.
"Hn."
"Welcome home to you too," Relena whispered affectionately, leaning over to kiss as his cheek when he held the mesh screen door open, allowing her to pass inside before him.
She stood in the foyer as Heero walked past her into the kitchen, dropping the car keys onto the side table next to the door. She always found herself pausing to admire the architecture of the simple furniture that would usually go by so unnoticed--Heero had made the cherry wood piece the year before.
"It was warm today," Relena observed conversationally, as she hobbled over to where Heero was standing over the stove, "I missed you." Her pregnancy impeded where she would have rested herself against his back, so she kissed his shoulder instead. "What are you making?"
"Pasta," Heero responded shortly, and Relena smiled. He had had a busy day, then. She stole a glance out the window.
Heero felt his wife tugging at his shirtsleeve, and cast Relena a sidelong glance. The final, struggling rays of sunshine lit her blue eyes, and though he was unconsciously careful not to show it, he couldn't help but acknowledge they way they shone with life. He had missed her, too.
"Let's sit out a while," she suggested quietly, and he knew he wouldn't be able to say no. Heero nodded and they walked through the backdoor of the kitchen to the porch, where the sun had very nearly set. She sat on her side of the wooden swing and he took an extra step to sit quickly, as he had been trying not to let her notice the way it had begun to sag under her weight.
Crickets chirped uninhibitedly as night descended over the wide spread of overgrown fields that was their backyard, the first stars making themselves known around the brilliantly full moon that hung low in the sky. The horizon was painted a deep orange; light pinks brushing the dark, inky blue.
Relena began to hum as she layed her head on Heero's shoulder, and he brought his arm around her.
"Are you warm enough?"
Relena nodded without disrupting her tune, merely punctuating an affirmative "Mm-hm" in her song.
The moon rose higher into the sky.
Heero circled his hand over her shoulder at a gentle pace, and her soft melody combined with the peace of the expanse.
The sky slowly gave way to a completely dark atmosphere, allowing the sparkle of millions of stars.
Relena's voice started to stutter, and Heero felt her head on his shoulder become heavier. He took over the leisurely swing of the bench as he sensed her falling asleep. A slight breeze blew the tall, yellow grass, now tinged blue with the moon's eerie light. Hearing her breathing become a slow, steady rhythm, Heero slowed the swing to a stop, standing tentatively before reaching to carry Relena to bed.
He overestimated her weight as he hoisted Relena and her load into his arms, and she shifted sleepily. Heero clenched his jaw, admonishing himself to be more careful. The man stood still, waiting for both his heart and her breathing to settle before he made his way to the back door.
Heero left the spaghetti on the counter where it lay uncooked, the pan filled with water at a standstill. He passed through the foyer, and made his way up the stairs, passing the baby's room where he had finished the crib earlier that day. He would show it to her tomorrow; could stay up all night staining the wood and sanding the edges again to surprise her.
The idea vanished, however, when Heero reached the bedroom, and realized he didn't want to leave the woman in his arms.
She stirred as he laid her on their bedspread, blinking her eyes open, trying to find him in the darkness. Heero placed a reassuring hand on her thigh as he stripped to his boxer briefs, casting his clothes unheeded to the worn wooden floor. Relena turned to watch him as Heero came to lie down next to her, squirming closer to him as she whispered something, the moonlight finding her from where it shone through the windows. She seemed to always glow.
"Hey, you know the rule," he looked at her out of the corner of his eye and raised his eyebrow a fraction, "No clothes in bed."
Relena saw the corner of his mouth quirk up in the pale darkness. Heero reached down and removed the last of his clothing, and Relena pushed herself against his warm skin. She was just getting comfortable, relaxing into the familiar and secure feeling of their shared intimacy, when she felt a gentle tug at the clasp of her skirt. Smiling, she opened one eye to find him concentrated on her hip, where the small button and zipper locked away her skin. Relena let out a giggle, moving her arm to help him until the ache in her back came back full force.
She let out a hiss beside herself; couldn't keep the wince from her features. Even in the dark, she could sense his sudden apprehension, and Relena knew well enough not to try and cover her pain with a smile, instead watching him sit himself up and roll her gingerly onto her back. His nude form moved to the edge of the bed where he removed her flats, massaging her ankles soothingly as he went. He rubbed her coarse skin as he peeled off her stockings, where she could no longer reach with moisturizer. His hand deftly undid her skirt and slid the soft material off her, adding it to the pool of material at the foot of the sturdy bed. He returned to the sheets beside her to undo the buttons of her blouse, touching the taut expanse of her stomach as he went. Her undergarments came off with the familiarity of removing them many times before.
She rolled on her side to face him as he relaxed beside her, comfortable in her nakedness only with him. His hand moved to her lower back, where he waited for the gentle sigh to escape her lips, letting him know he had the right spot.
Heero smiled unconsciously when it came.
And the moon rose higher in the sky.
"Oof!" Relena suddenly let out, one hand flying to her belly.
Heero sat up immediately, rolling her onto her back again and surveying her naked body.
She was smiling and shaking her head, taking in his startled expression. "You're still not used to that?" she reproached playfully.
He exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding, and came to rest a hand over hers on her stomach.
Relena tried to stifle a yawn, the gold band on her left hand glinting in the moonlight. Heero's eyes were drawn to the delicate jewelry, the simple token she wore with such unconditional dedication. He caught her digits in his hand before she could lower them, and ducked his head to kiss the small emblem. There would never be enough time to spend with her.
"I love you."
Relena smiled with uninhibited tenderness at his confession, and she lifted their hands to his cheek, soothing his skin and stubble with her cool touch. Heero kissed her palm with a turn of his head. Letting himself onto the mattress beside her, Heero rested his head on her pillow, taking a moment to inhale the sweet smell of her hair. Relena turned towards him, and kissed him, her lips warm and yielding. Heero slid an arm over her form, moving his other underneath her neck to grasp her left hand.
Their breathing matured together to a constant rhythm. The crickets chirped. The sky darkened, and the moon rose higher into the sky.
Original End Notes: Well, this bit of silly fluff was inspired by the crickets outside my window, the second disc of the latest Eels album, and the maternal feeling which comes from a certain time of the month. Thank you for reading :) -Ali