Disclaimer: GW does not belong to me I'm only an obsessed ff writer. The lowest of the low...

Dying for a Life Worth Living - A Lady Syndil story

Chapter Summary: Relena comes to visit Heero in the hospital, wonder how that's going to turn out. And there's good news coming up.

Main pairing 1X2, Side pairs 3x4 5xS

Warnings: Shonen Ai, Yaoi. Language. Relena bashing. Current rating is T but later chapters will change to M as the story and life progresses.

chapter 8 - Her 'Pinkness'

Heero outlined her idea as Duo and Sally listened avidly. Duo's violet eyes getting brighter and brighter with each passing moment, until they literally sparkled with his joy and mischief. This was the kind of stuff that was life's blood to him, and it had been 'his' Heero's idea. Quite honestly Heero's idea was relatively simple. There would be absolutely NO lying to Relena, they could tell her almost everything without actually coming out and telling her anything specific. Innuendo's, hints, subtle movements and looks, that was not only okay but encouraged. So was face making behind Relena's head. As the first one to lose it and crack up lost. Heero even had her excuse all ready, she was going to blame the meds. See,... the meds could help her with more than the pain, and Um, keeping the pace slow enough with her Koi so that she could catch up on this whole being a guy thing. As for Duo, he was just going to say he'd thought of something 'funny' which would be true, and Relena would accept that coming from the braided menace.

Now if they both completed the 'Mission' successfully then Sally offered to buy them ice cream cones from the commissary tonight for desert. If Heero lost then she'd have to give Duo the new yaoi manga that Quatre had brought yesterday. If Duo lost he had to bring Heero's laptop in the next day. Considering the 'old' Heero's obsession with his laptop, Duo was rather motivated to win. He'd seen the familiar techo geek, nerdy gleam in Heero's eyes when the Japanese male had decided Duo's forfeit.

The game and rules set, the boys now set about setting the 'stage' for Relena's imminent arrival. They raised the bed up to its fully sitting position, so Heero could dramatically lay against appearing more invalid than he was. Duo garnered a place at the other end of the bed sitting Indian style between Heero's outstretched legs, the covers strategically placed so that Heero's left leg was safely covered from Relena sight and the right leg the one farthest from the soon to arrive Pinkness was almost but not quite bare. This way Duo would be able to touch Heero's skin whenever he wanted and when they needed the contact. And it would all be right in front of Relena. While they waited they rolled the hospital bed tray table between them and started playing a card game. I mean really how innocent is that...Right?

Right.

Relena arrived about 15 minutes after they set the stage. They had debated leaving the door open vs. closed and/or closed and locked thing. They opted for the door closed but unlocked. Deciding that Relena's 'spies' may have reported to her the fact that the door was usually closed. But they left it unlocked so she would be able to 'walk in and catch them' in their well planned scene. So everything was in place when her 'Pinkness' arrived. Really Heero had thought it was just a cute nickname, but the woman really was dressed all in pink, dark pink skirt and jacket with a light pink blouse, even her shoes were pink.....Can anyone say Pepto Bismal overload? Anyway her 'Pinkness' barged thru the door, rushing to Heero's side...

"Oh, Heeeee-Rooo! I've been so worried about you!"

"Relena."

Heero had instinctively put up her left hand in an attempt to keep Relena from Glomping her. Relena of course smiled with joy at the gesture and took this as a sign that Heero was reaching out to her. She took the hand into her both of hers as she took in every detail of Heero's face.

"Hee-ro, really, what were you thinking, jumping out of a jet plane that was already taking off?"

"I had a mission to complete." Heero monotoned.

"Honestly Heero, you really have to start thinking about yourself..."

Duo sensing that Relena was about to go into her 'You need to leave the Preventors and come work for 'me' speech, decided to make her 'Pinkness' acknowledge his presence, as well as interrupt her flow before she could really get going.

"Ahem."

Relena sighed and turned towards the ex-02 pilot with a decidedly less than happy expression on her pretty face.

"Oh, Mr. Maxwell,... I didn't see you there." Score Relena.

"I bet, I hear I'm easy to miss sometimes." Score Duo.

Relena sniffed and then looked the long haired pilot up and down, her distain obvious in the slight sneer she was wearing.

"You're looking a little flabby there, Mr. Maxwell. have you put on weight? That can't be good for your job, don't you need to be fit or something?" Relena asked cattily. Ooo Big score for Relena.

Duo miffed pulled up his still untucked shirt exposing his trim and tight rock hard abs... he even poked his stomach and pursed his lips as he did so. Heero chuckled to herself, Relena was an ass if she wasn't affected by that sight. But the Queen of Pink sure did know how to push Duo's buttons. He dropped the shirt, which Heero thought was just too bad she'd been enjoying the view, and placed his palms face down on the bed next to his sides. The wrist of his left arm coming into contact with the exposed skin of Heero's leg. Silent score Duo... Then Duo shrugged and responded to Relena's remark.

"Maybe. I've been eating a lot of fast food since Heero's accident. Nothing a few hours in a gym can't fix." Score Duo.

"Looks to me like you've been spending your time someplace 'other' than the gym."

Relena gave Duo's neck and the giant dark reddish brown Hickey's there a pointed look. Duo flushed. Score Relena. But then Duo gave the girl a somewhat creepy half smile, the one he used to get all the time when he was fighting in his Gundam Deathscythe and still sometimes got on their more exciting assignments for the Preventors. Looks like Shinigami had come out to play, at the Queen of Pink's expense. Heero was fascinated with the byplay between the two and had started keeping score immediately. This was turning out to be funnier than she thought it would. Duo stepped up the pace...

"Oh that, yeah I got someone 'special' in my life." Heero gave Duo a warm look from behind Relena's head. Score Duo, and kiss later.

"Well then, if you have someone 'special' as you say. Why are you hanging out here and bothering 'my' Heero." Score Relena.

"Oh Une's got me watching over Heero, to you know, make sure he doesn't over do it. 'You' know how he is." Double score Duo for using the truth and being catty. Meow...

"HUmmmph, Well of course 'I' know how he is. I meet him first after all." Oohhhh major score for Relena with that one.

Heero noticed that her 'Pinkness' split her time either fawning and fussing over 'her' Heero, or snapping and verbally sparring with 'Mr. Maxwell'. All in all her 'Pinkness' was there for approximately an hour and a half. She couldn't stay any longer, Aw shucks darn, due to several high profile public appearances and meetings back on L3. Apologizing profusely as she left Relena, threatened, Ah, I mean promised to return as soon as her schedule would let her. Thanks goodness for Relena's political ambitions, she may cancel or rearrange a couple of meetings for Heero's sake, but there was no way she could get out of everything. Things she had worked so hard to achieve. Though it was close, very close, had Heero ever actually asked her to give up her political career she may just have done it. But if Relena had her way, she would continue to work at the peace they had established 'with' Heero Yuy constantly at her side.

To that end she also promised to talk to Une yet again about reassigning Heero to her as her 'very' personal bodyguard. Wouldn't that be just lovely? Yeah, about as lovely as a bag of dog shit mixed with vomit thought Heero to herself. Looking over at Duo, the violet eyed male rolled his eyes behind Relena's back showing that he fully agreed with Heero assessment. Once she left both boys heaved a huge dramatic sigh of relief, and then spent the next hour rehashing and bashing the 'Pink' visit.

As far as the game went, in the end Duo had lost. He had cracked up at one of Heero's more inventive faces. But it wasn't just the 'face', but how Heero would be making a face behind Relena's head, and as soon as she turned back to Heero, the Japanese male's face would instantly transform back into an expressionless mask.

Sally still went and bought the boys their Ice Cream for dessert, seeing as they had been such good sports about the whole thing. And because Relena actually left in a decent mood and didn't cause any trouble for Sally and the hospital staff.

And though Duo had to bring in Heero's 'sweetheart' as he'd nicknamed the laptop. It wasn't as bad as he had feared. While Heero worked on cleaning out weeks and weeks of e-mails and spam, he let Duo read the Yaoi manga he'd wanted. Plus the new Heero preferred the Fey young man over the laptop, and Duo found it wasn't hard at all to distract the solid Japanese male as it once had been. In fact once Heero pointed out that they could using the hospital internet connection to stream movies onto the laptop, Duo found himself wishing he had brought it in sooner.

Over the days following the removal of Heero's casts, the staff would now see the pair strolling down the halls hand in hand as Heero learned to walk with the leg/knee brace and continued to build up strength. When Heero had leapt from that jet plane he had broken his right leg in three separate places and severely wrenched the knee, In fact they had had to operate on the knee when Heero had first come in. So he would be using the brace for several weeks to help get around. Also now that the casts were off, there was daily physical therapy sessions to help Heero isolate and strengthen the muscles that had weakened during his convalescence. Once Heero was released from the hospital, the physical therapy sessions would be scheduled for every other day and gradually decrease as Heero fully healed.

On the sixth night after Relena's visit Sally announced to the group, waiting for everyone to gather before telling them all the good news, that she was letting Heero go home the following day. Everyone was overjoyed at the news, especially Duo. Well at least at first, then the hyperactive American started to get a little frantic.....See, the house was a mess,... there was no food, well no fresh edible food,.... he was out of just about everything.... Soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc...

Sally and the three other pilots let the ex-02 pilot ramble and fret or several minutes before putting him out of his misery. They all knew Duo had been spending nearly every waking moment at the hospital with Heero since the accident. Quatre had 'suggested' that as a home coming present for the pair that they all pitch in and do the cleaning and shopping. And what Quatre 'suggests' usually has a tendency to happen, ever notice that? No one can say no to those big blue eyes. Wufei quickly offered to cook dinner before Quatre could think of it himself, as Quatre was about as handy in a kitchen as a hand grenade.

This news relieved not only Duo, but Heero as well. As that meant her friends would be there to greet her when she arrived to her new home. At least it was new to her. having so many familiar faces would hopefully ease the transition from the sterile and safe hospital environment to the hugely more personal one of being in her own home, with Duo. And the 'old' Heero's stuff.

Syn: It's time to leave the safety of the hospital and for Heero to begin a life as Heero. While building a relationship with Duo.