It took Duo two additional weeks to broach the subject of not being an emotionless robot to his friends with Heero.
"This might not be my place, but you might want to find a way to thank Quatre for all the hard work he put in to making you look like cassanova for your girlfriend."
"I'll be sure to thank him, Heero said, nodding firmly."
"But more than just saying it, right?" probed. "This is a big investment of his time and he's not getting anything out of it."
Heero grunted, "What do you suggest I do?" Duo was probably right. He was about as socially ept as a blind rhinoceros and would never have considered a gesture of gratitude, but he also knew Relena would be beside herself with embarassment if she ever found out Quatre had done him such a huge favor and hadn't been properly thanked.
"You might...bring him something back from Cuba," the pilot suggested. "I'm sure there are some authentic, souvenir style items he'd like, or you could find something more specific to his tastes."
Heero furrowed his brow, mulling the suggestion over. "I'll come up with something," he promised. Looking out the main view screen, he noticed they were about to dock "I'd better change," he said flatly, leaving Duo alone in the cockpit.
"Good talk," he said to no one in particular. Duo should be grateful he was talking at all. Relena had worked undeniable wonders to improve the 'antisocial" and "Evel Knievel" aspects of Heero's personality but the "barely speaks" thing still needed some work.
"Cradle my neck and support my weight…good, good. Now, hands on my waist and lift."
Heero scowled throughout the process as Quatre held his arms in perfect female posture. His graceful movements contrasted with Heero's pointed movements that were technically correct: strong and precise.
"Better!" Quatre clapped when they were finished. "You still have to work out some of those jerky movements, but you're doing really well. What did you think, Duo?"
Duo just blinked. "I'm not sure if this is the most awkwardly beautiful thing I've seen or the most beautifully awkward thing I've ever seen."
"Actually, you should learn, too, Duo. You and Hilde. It's a little bit harder with two inexperienced partners but it's actually more organic since you grow together instead of there being a skill disparity."
"Well, I'm leaving." Heero said, wiping his face with a towel. We have to catch our flight back to earth in about four hours."
"Alright. Best of luck to you!" Quatre said, encompassing Heero in a friendly hug.
"Thanks," Heero grunted as he slung the garment bag with his newly tailored suit over his shoulder, his other hand gripping the gym bag, walking silently out of the studio without another word. With Duo having some Preventer work keeping him at the L colonies over the weekend, Heero had to take a commercial shuttle back to the L1 cluster. Quatre had invited Duo to stay for dinner and he was hardly one to ever deny free food, especially from an old friend.
"Not for nothing," Duo said casually over dinner, "but you seem really invested in this whole dancing thing."
Quatre beamed. "Of course, I am! Heero and Relena are friends and I want to make sure they succeed."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's all of it."
"I mean, Relena is trying to get trade established between North America and the colonies. Out of the five colony clusters, two are Asian, two are European and my family's cluster of Arabic colonies. If she can convince the delegates to branch out into space, it will open up so many options for the colonies as far as resources and industry. I just wanted them to make the best possible impression, even if it's something as innocuous as table manners or a ballroom dance."
"I guess I can see that," Duo said as he folded his arms behind his head.
"Also, I'm 90% sure he's going to propose to her while they're there and he wants to make it perfect."
Duo whipped his head back at Quatre, his braid following behind him. "He's gonna what? How do you know?"
Quatre shrugged with his hands in his pockets. "I can just…feel it. In my heart. Not that heart, my…you remember how I told you I can feel things? I can just…understand how and what other people are feeling?"
"Yeah. It creeped me out." He was only being half-serious and Quatre knew it. It wasn't so much a distaste Duo had for Quatre's abilities, but rather how entirely baffled he and the other pilots were by it.
The Arab boy sighed. "For some reason, some people are just easier to feel than others. Dorothy Catalonia was one and Heero was another. They just…are so distinct in their identities, I don't just get feelings from them I get exact thoughts, and Heero had lots of thoughts going through his head. Some of him being accepted by Relena and others about him possibly being rejected. He's nervous about it, and he thought about it a lot."
"Honestly, I never thought he'd work up the nerve," Duo said, raising his glass in an imaginary toast. "Here's to hoping he can pull that off."
Despite her brief stint as royalty, Relena was a woman of modest means, choosing to stay in an affordable hotel near the venue of the summit. As always, Heero insisted on staying in the room annexed to hers and did a security sweep of both before she could settle in.
"We have the rest of tonight if you want to do any sightseeing or shopping," Heero said as Relena unpacked. They were both well-travelled to the point they hardly even felt the jet lag any more. "I'd be willing to escort you through the tourist traps, or if you'd rather go over your proposals, I can leave you alone."
She slumped into the desk chair, "I am so tired of the speech prep. I've been working on it for over a month. At this point, it's going to be persuasive or it isn't; no amount of extra attention is going to change it." She inhaled deeply and sighed. "I'm genuinely excited about the prospect, but this whole affair has been mentally and emotionally draining."
"Then let's take a break." Heero stood in front of her, planting his hands on the arms of the chair and leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Let's just go enjoy the city. Decompress."
Relena chuckle lightly, "Decompress?"
"Recharge, decompress, whatever you want to call it," he replied, kissing lower on her cheek this time. "Give your brain a day off and you can be refreshed for tomorrow."
"A night off in Havana sounds amazing." she admitted. "And we haven't gotten to spend any quality time together lately."
He stood upright and offered her his hands, which she grasped and pulled herself to her feet. "Let's fix that." He put his hands on her waist and kissed her. "You want to get changed first?"
"Yeah, give me ten minutes to freshen up and we can go."
He smiled, "I'll leave you to it." He kissed her one more time before leaving through the front door of her room to return to his own. The rooms were annexed inside with a set of doors, but that was strictly for security purposes, not accessibility for their romance. He refused to do anything to jeopardize the reputation of the vice foreign minister of the ESA.
Once she had 'freshened up' they spent the afternoon taking in the sights and sounds of the island. From the small things like the smell of tobacco from the cigar stands to the bustling noise and smiling faces of the open air market, Relena took it all in with almost childlike wonder. They visited the remains of the Fusterlandia mosaic, the majority destroyed by a hurricane almost a hundred years before and paid their respects at the Colon cemetery.
After sampling the local fare at a café, they walked back to the hotel, hand in hand, simply enjoying each other's company. With the weight of the world and the colonies on her shoulders, it was easy to feel overwhelmed and internalize all the pressure and fear she was feeling. But somehow, all of her worries melted away when she was with Heero. He was quiet, never demanding of her time or attention, patient, affectionate, and always managed to make her feel safe. He was the only person aside from Pagan who didn't drain her social battery, but rather recharged it. This day out was exactly what she needed. She let go of his hand and gripped his arm, leaning on his shoulder as they walked.
"Tired?" he asked.
"Nope, just enjoying the moment," she replied.
He smiled. Unaccustomed as he was to getting any kind of affection, Relena's was always measured, never overwhelming and he couldn't get enough of it. How could just one, tiny, 21-year-old woman have such a huge impact on humanity. It was obvious that she was special: she given him the will to live...
His thoughts were interrupted when Relena stopped to look in a shop window, tugging his arm to stop and look as well.
It was a dance studio with floor to ceiling windows to allowed passerbys to see the couple's practicing "That looks like fun," Relena said pointing to the couples moving in sync. Heero recognized it as a salsa, but said nothing.
"We should take a salsa class while I we're here, "Relena said, only half serious, knowing her boyfriend would never go for something as ostentatious as a dance class.
"I'm not opposed, but can we wait until after all the delegate meetings?" Heero replied. "A twisted ankle is the last thing you need."
"Fair enough." she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "What about you? Is there anything you want to do or see while we're here?"
Heero thought about what Duo had said. "Maybe... buy some souvenirs."
Relena stared at him quizzically. "You've never been sentimental about any of our other trips."
"I have a feeling this trip is going to be special." He started forward again, aiming for a trinket shop.
Perspective would draw varying meanings from his last statement Was it him being confident that Relena was going to help usher in a new wave of space colonization? or was it his confidence that all his hours of practicing would pay off and showcase his girlfriend as the queen she was? Heero mused what conclusion Relena had come to as he packed his gifts for Duo and Quatre next to the small, velvet box containing the biggest surprise of all. This trip would be special He hoped.
