The Grass is Always Greener...
Part Four
Anyway, here it is. I've actually given this part a title:
"Ice Cream, Pillow Fights, and Memories of the Past."
Enjoy!
All the usual disclaimers apply.
Twenty-two minutes later, Sally escorted Heero down the long hallway to her apartment. She felt a little knot of tension forming in her stomach as they neared her door, warily eyeing the portal to room 814 with her peripheral vision. There was a part of her that wanted to put an ear to the door and listen to what was going on inside, but the larger part of her wanted to get inside her own apartment as quickly as possible. She didn't know what would happen if Relena chose this moment to come out of Wufei's apartment; it would be awkward to say the least. Although she had to admit, she was curious about how Wufei might react.
Doing her best to hide a sudden smile from Heero, Sally turned the lock to her apartment and led him inside. Heero breathed in deeply as he crossed the short foyer, smiling a satisfied smile as he caught the sent of their dinner. Sally quirked an eyebrow at his expression; there was a time when she thought she would never see this boy smile so casually. But then she had to remember how much he had changed after the events with Mariemaia. "Just have a seat on the couch, Heero," Sally called as she made her way into the kitchen. "I'll have dinner ready in a minute."
Heero silently wandered into the living room, pausing to run his gaze over each of the pictures that decorated Sally's walls. There were only a few chronicling Sally's time serving with Oz; pictures of her standing outside of the Third Federation Naval Hospital with friends, one of her floating in zero gravity. The rest were of family and friends, most containing a simple, straightforward Sally. One of these in particular caught his eye. It was taken at a holiday party at Quatre's house, just six months earlier. Sally and Quatre had their arms around each other's necks, both grinning ear to ear--the effects of too much eggnog. But in the background, Heero could see a dark image of himself, distanced from the rest of the party, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. He also noticed half of Relena, bordering the edge of the picture as she approached his still life image.
Heero remembered that night well. He had just recently returned to Earth after trying to make sense of his life in the colonies. He hadn't wanted to go to the party, not so soon after his return, but he couldn't stay away; he couldn't let himself be a loner forever. Relena had finally approached him that night, after giving him space to be alone during the month he had already been on Earth. He had seen the hope in her eyes that night as she entreated him to join the party, and he knew all of what she was thinking. He told her he needed time, time to adjust to being normal. She understood, a little too well, perhaps, but still made him join the party. He realized he was grateful to her, for many things, but mainly for never giving up on him when it seemed he was trying to slip back into his shell away from friends.
She had, in fact, been a perfect friend to him in the past six months, yet still he distanced himself from her, from everyone. And for the millionth time, he asked himself, why? He had always been too human for a soldier; now, it seemed he was too much of a soldier to be human.
"Heero?"
"Huh?" Heero startled out of his reverie, turning to meet Sally's concerned blue eyes.
"I called you from the kitchen--dinner's ready." Heero managed to produce a wan smile as Sally stepped aside, allowing him to precede her into the kitchen. It seems I'm not the only one with a preoccupied mind tonight, Sally mused, glancing at the photo before following Heero. "I hope you like Oriental beef and rice," she said with a smile, joining Heero by the stove.
"It smells wonderful." Heero's smile widened as he took in the aroma. Sally couldn't help but reveal a grateful smile, blushing slightly as she handed him a plate. Perhaps it was time she got to know the real Heero Yuy.
* * * * *
Back in apartment 814, Wufei and Relena sipped their green tea, talking about anything that came to mind. Relena was fairly glowing with amazement at how the evening had turned out: dinner had been spectacular, and their conversation seemed endless. At the moment, the two of them sat in contented silence, sipping their tea as they sat across from each other on Wufei's tattered couch.
Relena peered at Wufei over the rim of her cup, trying not to be obvious as she looked at him. He seemed lost in thought with his head turned away from her, his eyes focused on nothing. She noticed there were fine lines etched around his eyes and mouth, not signs of aging, but testaments of his life, the things he has done and seen. Absently, Relena wondered how many nights he had lain awake at night, unable to sleep for fear that the world might change before you could open your eyes again…
"Hm? Did you say something, Relena?"
"Wha? No, I--" Relena smiled, a little embarrassed that she was caught so off guard. "I guess I was just thinking about the past."
Wufei favored her with a kind look, tinged with his own sadness. "Yeah. I suppose I was, too." Silence closed around them once again, a little awkward this time. Relena felt the need to say something, but it was Wufei who broke the stillness. "Relena--"
"Yes?" she replied quickly, realizing she was somewhat nervous.
"I--" He paused as though he were trying to formulate the words he wanted to speak; but it was to no avail. Releasing his pent up breath, Wufei shook his head. Giving her a rueful smile, he nodded toward the kitchen. "There's plenty of chicken left. Why don't you take some home with you?"
Disappointed, Relena managed a smile. "Alright."
"Come on," he coaxed, standing up and extending a hand to her. "I'll get it ready for you."
Wordlessly, Relena accepted the proffered hand, preceding Wufei into the kitchen. Behind her, Wufei admired the sway of her long hair as she moved. Tired at the nape in her usual style, her hair fell well past her waist, softly swinging around her as she turned. "Wufei?"
Breaking out of his thoughts, his black orbs focused on sparkling violet. "Hmm?"
"Would you like to come back with me, to my apartment?" There must have been something in Wufei's confused look that made Relena's cheeks blossom with color. "I mean, I just… I was thinking it might be nice to have some ice cream, and I have some--"
"Ice cream?" Wufei wanted to smile, but it was much more fun to see Relena squirm under his questioning gaze. Afterall, how many others could make a diplomat at a loss for words?
"Well, you don't have to…" Relena said, turning back toward the leftover Ma Gu Gai Pin sitting on the stove. "It was just an idea."
Now Wufei did have to smile. For a political figure, she didn't hide her emotions very well. "Yes," Wufei said, concealing his smile once again. "Ice cream does sound good. It's been a while since I've had some."
Relena turned to him, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?"
* * *
Eight minutes later, Wufei and Relena were across the street, standing outside of room 706, Relena's apartment. Opening the door, Relena led Wufei into her living room. Scanning the area as he stepped across the threshold, Wufei took in the cozy furnishings before following her into the kitchen. "Sorry my kitchen isn't as well organized as yours, Wufei," Relena said with a smile. "But cooking is not my forte." She turned to the refrigerator, opening the freezer door for the ice cream; leaning against the wall, Wufei noted the several boxes of microwave entrees contained within.
"I can teach you if you'd like." Relena turned a questioning gaze upon him before returning her attention to her cabinet to fish out some bowls. A little miffed at her lack of response, Wufei scowled at her back. "It's not that hard," he insisted. "Even a complete baka could learn just a few--"
"Wufei!" Relena turned once again, placing her hands on her hips. "I have no doubt that you could teach me if I wanted to learn--but I really have no need to." Her voice was stern, a reprimanding tone he had heard from Sally many times. The only difference was that Sally never wore such a beautiful smile when she was in this position. Wufei felt something within him begin to melt--and it was a very disconcerting feeling. Hoping to hide his condition, Wufei crossed his arms, deepening his scowl as he assumed his usual, "I'm uninterested" pose. Relena sighed warily before grabbing the ice cream scoop and setting to work. "I'm sorry, Wufei," she continued. "It's just that with my busy schedule, I don't have time to cook, even if I could."
Now it was Wufei's turn to sigh. "Time, the classic copout. That's fine; cooking will just have to remain a lost art among modern society." Relena's unexpected giggle caused him to look up. His scowl was gone, but his arms remained crossed. "What kind of ice cream is that, anyway?"
"The best kind there is--Neapolitan!"
"What?!" Not believing her, he straightened and approached the counter. Sure enough, she was spooning up flavors of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. "How can Neapolitan be your favorite? A favorite implies that you prefer one above all others! Not three!" Relena was trying hard to stifle a laugh, but it wasn't working very well. Wufei gave her a glare that could have shattered glass, but that only caused her to laugh harder. "I give up!" Wufei declared, throwing up his hands and returning to his spot by the wall. Crossing his arms in his usual stance, Wufei shook his head. "Hmph. Women."
"There's nothing wrong with having Neapolitan as a favorite kind of ice cream," Relena said, opening the freezer door to put away the carton. "Just because there's a diversity of flavors… that's what makes it so good." Relena paused to pick up the bowls from the counter, holding one out for Wufei to take.
Opening his eyes, he gave her a critical look before taking the dish from her. Then, with a toss of her long hair, Relena silently walked into her living room, taking a seat on one end of her plush, red sofa. Wufei stared after her for a moment before joining her, sitting at the opposite end of the couch, closest to the door. "Do you have to be so diplomatic about everything?"
"It's not being diplomatic," she explained. "I just like Neapolitan."
Wufei stared at her blankly for a moment, hoping to break her resolve; Relena just ignored him, taking in a mouthful of strawberry. Wufei sighed heavily, then tried again. "If you had to pick just one--pistachio, chocolate chip, cherry garcia, whatever--what would it be?"
Without a word, Relena dragged her spoon around her bowl, picking up all three flavors before holding the spoon up for his inspection. "If you can find another name for this flavor in my spoon, then that is the name of my favorite ice cream." Wufei looked confused for a moment, but then the scowl returned. "Hn." Relena paid no attention, happily finishing off the contents of her spoon as Wufei did the same.
Several moments later, Relena noticed that Wufei was still in a huff, and broke the silence that surrounded them. "You know, Wufei, I think you take things too seriously."
"What?!" He had heard that line from Sally several times before; but somehow it sounded different coming from Relena.
"You do. I mean, look at you. You're still upset, over ice cream!"
"Woman--" Relena's eyes widened at the address-- "I was just making a point, that's all!" Realizing he was yelling, Wufei took a breath to calm himself down. He may be used to arguing like this with Sally, but Relena was definitely not, so he should go easy on her. "It doesn't really matter. This is an interesting flavor…"
Relena was left speechless by his sudden changes in demeanor, and thought it best not to say anything right away. Swirling her last bit of ice cream in her bowl, she did her best to appear non-chalant. "So, what's your favorite kind of ice cream?"
Wufei looked at her critically. Her eyes danced with humor, but he did not feel she was laughing at him. Allowing the smallest of smiles to transform his dark expression, Wufei focused on stirring his ice cream. "Anything with cherries is fine by me."
"That's not very specific, Wufei. In fact, that could be a lot of things…"
"Stop it," he said, unable to fully glare at her with a smile stuck on his face.
"Let's see, there's Cherry Garcia, Cherry Nut, Cherries and Cream…" Out of the blue, a pillow was thrown at Relena, knocking the bowl out of her hand. Luckily for Wufei, it was empty.
"Hey!"
"You deserved that!" Wufei said, still unable to erase the smile from his face.
Pretending to be angry, Relena did her best to glare at him. "We'll see about that!" Sitting up, Relena grabbed the square pillow behind her and launched it at his head. Wufei was easily able to deflect the missile with one hand while protecting the remains of his dessert in the other.
"Hey, cut it out! I haven't finished my ice cream yet!" Ignoring him, Relena picked up the circular pillow he threw at her, throwing it back at him. "Okay, this is war!" Wufei moved to set down his ice cream before getting involved. Taking advantage of his distraction, Relena grabbed the square pillow again. Wielding it in both hands, she delivered a series of blows to Wufei's arms and torso, leaving him defenseless under the barrage.
"Okay, gundam pilot!" Relena taunted. "You think I'm weak? Let's see what you've got!" Wufei needed no further prompting. In one quick move, the pillow was ripped from her hands and soon, she became subject to the same treatment she had just been giving Wufei.
Holding up her arms to block his attack, Relena was able to escape the couch, diving for the circular pillow that had landed a few feet away. Wufei was close behind her, however, and before she could fully stand up again, he was on the offensive. It wasn't long before they were engaged in an all-out pillow fight. But soon, Wufei gained the upper hand. Throwing his pillow aside, he nimbly dodged two of her swipes before grabbing the pillow from her hands. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, Relena held on desperately to her only defense.
"Let go!" she demanded.
"You first."
"Cheater!"
"Don't be a sore loser!"
Relena glared at him and tried to twist away, but he had an iron grip. "I haven't lost yet!" Pushing Wufei away, she released the pillow, then tried to retrieve the one Wufei had tossed. Going down to her knees, she knew Wufei was right behind her, and before she was able to acquire her target, he kicked it from her reach. Not to be outdone, Relena grabbed his leg and jerked it out from under him, sending him sprawling to the floor.
Quick as a cat, she reached for the pillow that had eluded her. Holding it up with both hands, she turned to look down at Wufei. "Ready to call a truce?"
"A truce? Gundam pilots fight to the death."
"But you're a Preventer now," she said, raising the pillow higher. "So you'll have to decide…"
Sitting up, Wufei hung his arms over his knees, pausing to smooth back a lock of hair that had come loose in the fight. Sighing, Wufei extended a hand. "Alright. Truce. Shake on it?"
Warily, Relena lowered her pillow before reaching to take his proffered hand. Locking her eyes with his, he gave her hand a firm shake. "I'm trusting you on your honor that you won't make a sneak attack."
Wufei's eyes grew serious. "A member of the Dragon Clan never goes back on his word." Relena smiled. There was something very reassuring about that statement.
Looking down, she realized that he was still clasping her hand. Feeling a sudden rush of warmth to her cheeks, Relena stood up hastily, turning to replace the pillows and retrieve their bowls.
Chuckling to himself, Wufei eased himself off the floor to help her. Relena failed to see him reaching for his bowl as she bent to do the same until his hand was suddenly next to hers on the bowl's edge. Working together to lift the dish, they paused, each waiting for the other to let go.
"Let go," Relena commanded.
"You first."
"It's my bowl." Relena tugged on the dish, emphasizing her point.
"Are you willing to fight me for it?" Wufei asked, tugging the bowl in his direction.
Relena fumed, then calmed herself down, gently tugging the bowl back in her direction. "I'm sure there are more peaceful solutions."
"That's not what you were thinking when you started that pillow fight," Wufei quipped, jerking the bowl back so that Relena nearly lost her grip.
"I didn't start it," she replied sternly, "Besides, you deserved that." Relena tried to pull the bowl back toward her, but Wufei was not easing up.
"Just because you're an influential political figure does not mean that you can dictate what others 'deserve.'"
"The fact that I'm an influential political figure has nothing to do with why I threw the pillow at you!"
"Then why don't you let go of the bowl?!"
"Because it's my bowl to begin with!" Relena sighed and closed her eyes. A moment later, it was as if a mask had transformed her face; all traces of anger were suddenly gone, replaced by calm serenity. Wufei arched an eyebrow when she finally looked at him, the faintest flash of violet fire the only hint of irritation. "Very well, Wufei. Let's go together." A delicate smile played upon her lips as she moved, bowl in hand, toward the kitchen.
Moving along with her, Wufei regarded the quiet Princess of Peace beside him. "You are indeed a very stubborn woman." Turning his gaze straight ahead, he did not meet Relena's eyes as she turned to glance at him.
"Sally says you think all women are stubborn."
"That's because Sally is stubborn, along with most of the women I know."
"And Noin told me you think women are weak."
Wufei shook his head. "Is she always going to throw that in my face?" Reaching their destination, the pair deposited the bowl in the otherwise empty stainless steel kitchen sink.
"So you're not denying any of this?"
Wufei let out an exasperated sigh. "Do I have to?"
"Then you admit it?"
"No!" Looking at him, Relena recognized a familiar expression as a scowl darkened his features. Still, it was all very amusing to her, and she couldn't help but smile. Wufei's expression lightened as well, and his voice took on a more sarcastic tone. "I thought women were supposed to be the more forgiving gender."
Relena laughed. "Forgiving, yes, we can do that. But one doesn't forget being called 'weak,' not by any means. That's an insult to the entire female population."
"Great." Leaning down, he rested his forearms on the sink's edge, staring at his distorted reflection in the sink faucet. "I guess that explains a few things…"
"Don't worry, Wufei," Relena said, turning to rinse out the bowls. "I forgive you."
Wufei looked up at her from the corner of his eye. "For what?"
"For calling me weak."
Wufei's brow crinkled as he straightened to regard her. "I never called you weak."
Relena continued rinsing. "Well, never out loud. But I'm sure you must've thought so at one time or another. Afterall, I'm just a politician. I didn't even fight in the war." Turning off the water, she grabbed a towel and began drying the bowls.
Wufei lowered his gaze, thinking back to his younger self, filled with hatred and the need for revenge. "It was different then. I wasn't even sure of what I was fighting for, or even whose side I was on."
Relena set her dishes down, looking up at him with surprise evident in her features. Her expression softened as he looked at her; his eyes seemed to overflow with sorrow and regret. I've seen that look before, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. It was Heero… Heero had that same look…
"I don't think you're weak, Relena," he continued. "No, you are very strong. It may not be physical… but you have the strength to guide billions to the right path, and that is something I could never do."
Relena was incredulous. She'd never expected this man to be so complex. "Wufei…"
"You don't have to say anything," he said, lowering his gaze. He turned to leave the kitchen, but her hand on his arm stopped him.
"No, I--" Relena struggled to make the words come out, but he was right. There was no need to say anything. Except… A moment later, her confusion vanished as she peered up at him, a smile spread wide across her face. "Thank you."