I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. No surprise in that. However, I think I can safely say that I do own Zero. Yaayy. Zero is mine! Oh, but not Zero the machine. You know, that huge, mass destruction gundam. No. I'm talking about the cat here folks. Hmph, me owning Gundam Zero, ha-ha, yeah right, that'll be the day. Oh well, on with the story.
Chapter 6
Heero Yuy was looking at the guest room's ceiling, lying under the covers of the bed. He had stayed like that for at least an hour. Just thinking. It was all he seemed to be able to do.
He was such a coward.
He had told Relena he didn't know why he was here. An utter lie. He knew exactly why he was where he was.
He had finally admitted his feelings to himself about her that night; it was just stupid and futile to keep telling himself that he wasn't in love with her. It was plain obvious, at least to himself.
And despite everything, she had completely believed him. It amazed him to know the extent of Relena's trust in him, and he wasn't going to risk betraying that trust.
Relena had told him, with a dashing smile, that she would be very glad to help him sort himself out. He had been a little lost there; not exactly comprehending why she had the idea he needed help.
She had yawned at that moment and Heero decided she had had too much for the night.
He had told her it would be better if she started to "help" him the next morning, stating that both of them were tired.
She had complied, if only after Heero had stubbornly insisted that she WAS tired and that both of them could use the sleep. She had leaded him into the guest room, showing him the bed and explaining she would be a few doors from his in case he needed anything. She had bided him goodnight then, after an awkward silence.
Heero turned towards the window at his left side. It was still raining, though it was just a gentle shower now.
He didn't know why, but the rain suddenly reminded him of past days. Hard days. He remembered his training days with Doctor J., often exercising under heavy rain for hours and hours, never weakening his training because of the weather inconveniences. After all, war wouldn't stop because of rain. And he would have to fight just as hard.
And he did.
And he remembered every battle he had had to endure. Never giving up. Always beating his adversary. And at the end, everything had turned out fine. He had survived, his companions had survived. Humanity had survived. And, most importantly, Relena had survived, thus giving his off-tracked life a new purpose.
To protect peace. To protect her.
He had found in Relena a way of protecting what he had worked so hard for. She was peace. She was the only one capable of bringing peace. So, he had proposed himself to protect Relena, and, in the act, protect humanity.
That had been the excuse he had given himself for the strange obsession he had started to develop for the golden-haired princess. That he had to protect her in order for peace to exist.
And he had. He had come in her aid once more when she had been kidnapped during the Mariemaia incident. Everything had righted itself once more after that.
And thus peace had progressed, growing and steadying itself with each passing day. But unlike its protectee, Relena in turn had decayed. Straining herself to her job and the world in a curiously lonely state; Relena's beautiful and cheerful personality had turned into a lonely and sad one, faking dazzling smiles to the camera, just for the sake of the people.
And while all of this happened he had been observing, guarding her from the shadows, watching as she grew even more apart from the happiness she had once known and, strangely, feeling his obsession for her increase. There had been a point where he had been so hooked with Relena that he had had to escape, to run far away from her, knowing that if he stayed so close to the princess he would soon lose his mind and reveal himself. That's when he ran to the colonies.
Jerking his head away from the window Heero looked once more to the ceiling.
Follow your emotions.
That had been the last thing Odin had told him. To follow his emotions. He had followed that advice in many occasions, but had completely ignored it many other times. For example, it had been his emotions that had brought him back to Earth, ending here on Relena's Victorian house, just a few doors away from her. He had been following them.
But he had ignored those emotions throughout all the night, continuously trying to lock them deep inside of him.
Heero's face dropped. He was sure Odin wouldn't be feeling very proud of him at the moment. Not that he cared but-
Somehow he felt as if that particular piece of advice had been given to him to use on situations like this one. Damn that old man. A dozen or so years later and he still haunted Heero.
Grunting, he changed his mind to a new course of action. Tomorrow, his emotions would lead him. He would leave everything up to them. He would trust in them.
He just hoped his emotions wouldn't be rejected.
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Heero's blue eyes jerked open, his internal clock waking him up. White light filtered through the window, making the room look clear and whitish. The sun still hadn't been able to make its presence noticed, the rain from the day before had made sure of it. Now it was all foggy and misty, like yesterday, but without the rain.
Heero stood up from the bed, his eyes completely devoid of any emotion as he did so.
His gaze caught his own reflection as he turned towards a mirror that stood over a dark-wood desk. His hair looked messier than ever, which was weird, as he had slept little during the night, and there were bangs under his eyes, again this being due to the lack of sleep.
He decided a shower was the best course of action at the moment; for some weird reason he wanted to look presentable for Relena.
His brows furrowed, first he came all over from the colonies to Earth just to see Relena, and now he was caring about his physical appearance. What the hell was wrong with him!
Sighing in frustration and annoyance at himself, he stepped into the bathroom and undressed himself. He turned the shower's knobs and braced himself for the cold water's hit.
A white towel around his waist, Heero Yuy stepped back into the room, condensation fog dissipating into it. Now all he had to do was find some clothes he could use. If not he would be forced to walk in Duo's pajamas for the rest of the day. Or at least until his own clothes dried.
Really hoping Duo had left some clothes from his last visit Heero opened one of the closet's drawers. Bingo. There, at the drawer's bottom, stood a pair of blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. No surprise there. After all, it was Duo. And Duo loved black. And even though Heero preferred green, black was a close second.
Wasting no time, Heero put on the black shirt and comfortable jeans after drying himself, doing his best to look nice for Relena. Even getting as far as trying to comb his hair. No such luck of course.
As soon as he stepped out of the room a delicious aroma that he couldn't quite identify reached his nostrils. He had never smelled something like that and, consequently, he was quite intrigued.
Heero walked down the hallway with swift steps, his socks making no sound on the smooth carpet. He reached the stairs and started his way down, the unknown aroma intensifying with every step.
The morning had flooded the house with light, and for the first time he really noticed what it held. The living room where he had hided the night before had a welcoming atmosphere, with nice sofas and a charming stoned fireplace.
Well actually, now that he noticed, the whole house seemed to display a…cozy feeling. The house was elegant in its own way; stone, wood and carpet where everywhere, giving it a sophisticated look, but it was also filled with decorated rugs, long window drapes (and boy did it have many windows) simple lamps, and love-seats that just seemed to beckon you to sit on them. Colored glass jars and random objects were placed strategically throughout the rooms, and framed pictures covered the walls and smooth surfaces. All in all, the house supported the whole Welcome Home sentiment.
That must have been one of the reasons why Duo and Hilde visited so much. Everything looked so cozy.
Heero decided he liked it. Very much in fact.
Apart from the battles, he had never been somewhere where he hadn't felt out of place. Throughout his life he had visited many places and experienced so many situations, and in not one of them, except for the battles, had he felt like he belonged. Until now. For some reason he felt welcomed here. Like he could breathe freely, and no one would care.
Whoa whoa, hold your horses there Yuy. Don't even think of going into that topic. Heero frowned, cursing himself for having thoughts like those. Home. Belonging. He had not even been there for a day and already he wanted to stay.
He inwardly sighed. It couldn't be really helped. There was just something about the house's atmosphere that smiled at him.
A clanking noise caught his attention. He gulped. That ought to be Relena.
Heero cocked his head to the side and looked through a hallway that seemed to connect the living room with what ought to be the kitchen. The aroma seemed to come from there.
Heero peeked at the kitchen and, sure enough, there was his princess doing god knows what near the stove.
Relena was an early riser, a habit she had kept from her job as Vice Foreign Minister. She had woken with a witty smile that morning, excited about the turn her dull life had taken the night before.
Of course it wasn't a fairytale. Heero had come because he had problems. He needed help, which she would be very glad to give. He hadn't come because of his undying love for her, but hey, at least he was there. And that was what counted. That the man that had stolen her heart was back to her life, and maybe, if she played her cards right, he would return it to her.
Already her old resolve was returning. She felt cheerful and giddy again. Amazing what a single man could do. Though of course Heero Yuy wasn't an ordinary man.
And that's what she loved about him.
With a smirk on her face Relena continued working on the delicious breakfast she was making. She hoped Heero liked it. She was determined to let people know that she wasn't as inutile as they thought. Wufei had once said that she couldn't cook. It had pissed her off. Where had he gotten that idea she didn't know. Maybe he had said that to tease her. It didn't matter much anyway; in truth she was an excellent cook.
Duo was the living proof of that.
A sudden knock on the kitchen's swinging door made her jump, almost dropping the spatula she was carrying in the process. She turned to see who her guest was, though in her mind she knew perfectly well who it was.
Relena turned to look at him when he knocked, her smooth golden tresses flying with the movement.
"Good morning Heero" she said, flashing him a charming smile and melting him with the way she pronounced his name.
Heero took a good look at her. And took a big gulp of air.
He had thought no creature could possibly be more beautiful than the one he had seen the night before. He was wrong. With the light flooding through the windows behind the sink she practically glowed. He could clearly see her, all of her. With smooth peachy skin, gorgeous sky blue eyes and full rosy lips that just beckoned him to get closer.
She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and lavender sweater, but what caught his attention was the white apron she was wearing. Never before had he seen her wearing one. She looked…adorable.
Heero found himself wishing she had bought instead of a plain white one, one of those aprons with the words Kiss the Cook printed on them. Maybe he would anyway. But those thoughts fell on a stubborn mind.
Instead he found himself giving a plain "Morning". It seemed to suit Relena just fine, because she turned and continued happily working on the stove.
The aroma he had smelled before was dominant in the kitchen.
"What are you doing?"
Turning her head halfway she gave him a can't-you-tell-? - look. She restrained herself from saying something along those lines though, and with a little smile proudly stated, "I'm making breakfast".
This earned a bewildered look from Heero. Relena could cook?
"You do are hungry, right?" she asked, her mind praying that he WAS hungry. She would feel really stupid if he wasn't.
"Hn" was her answer.
It earned a smile from her anyway. She seemed to be very smiley and cheery this morning.
"Good, I figured you were hungry. I'm sorry I didn't give you anything last night. I just kind of forgot" Relena said with a sheepish smile, embarrassed by her irresponsible attitude.
His mouth turned upwards a little. Always thinking of others before herself. That was Relena all right. "It's okay"
"Good, because breakfast's ready" Relena said, her back to Heero. Happy because he had arrived just in time for the food.
"Hn, what did you make?" now Heero wanted very badly to know what his princess had cooked.
"Pancakes, my favorites" Relena stated while placing a plate full of delicious, steaming pancakes in the middle of the table.
This earned a raised eyebrow from the former pilot. He stared at the pancakes with curiosity. After a minute of Heero staring at the pancakes Relena got worried and with a disappointed tone asked, "What, you don't like pancakes Heero?"
He looked at the pancake-filled plate in front of him, a silent debate at full swing inside of him.
"I…I've never eaten them before" Heero said, turning his head down so she couldn't see the slight embarrassment he felt.
At the unexpected declaration Relena's eyes grew wide, disbelief and surprise shining in them. There was a flicker of pity in there too. But all those emotions where washed away as complete comprehension settled in.
Trained to become the deathliest weapon in existence, he had had no time to experience some of life's simple pleasures, such as pancakes.
A small, nostalgic smile appeared on her rosy lips. She hadn't been much different in that sense if you thought about it; she too had been deprived of a great deal of her childhood and adolescence. Well, she would be honored to be the one to introduce Heero to such simple pleasures. Like pancakes for example.
"Well, what are you waiting for then" she said, her eyes merry and a soft grin forming on her face.
Heero gazed into Relena's cerulean depths, bewilderment hidden in his own. She didn't seem to care about his lack of "experience" with food.
He looked at the plate in front of him again. She does have a point though, he thought. And I guess it HAS been a while since I last ate.
Following Relena's lead, he squished the plastic bottle Relena had passed him and Maple syrup was spilled all over his pancakes.
Using his knife and fork with cool determination, he cut the pancakes into perfect, equal sized squares while Relena watched him in amusement.
He then pinched a square that looked inviting and into his mouth it went. He munched slowly, so as to enjoy the taste for a longer time. Heero gulped with ease, and before he knew it, his arm was already stretching for another square.
Damn Relena, now he would never want to leave.
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AN: That, my dear friends, was chapter 6. Wow, I'm already on Chapter 6…awesome. I hope it wasn't too OOC. Especially with the pancakes. As you can probably guess, I wrote this in the morning. On a Sunday morning, to be specific. And yes, my dear mother was making pancakes while I was writing this. So if you want to blame someone then blame my mother and her delicious breakfast.
To all the lovely people who reviewed, thank you very much. It is much appreciated. Oh, and I just wanted to say that chapter 7 may take a while. You see, I didn't like very much how that particular chapter turned out and so I decided to redo it. But don't worry, it's beingmade as you read. Until then, take care everyone!
Terra: You're right, people most often make Heero look as a machine. Wow, you think I got into his persona? I'm feeling VERY proud right now. Thanks.
Pureevil230: Yeah, I think Zero is cute too. Ha-ha, and yes, Heero is a bit jealous of Duo, but in a good way…I guess.
Dark-Light39: Wow, you like my writing! Thank you thank you thank you! You just increased my self-esteem hehe.