A/N: Valentine's gift fic for Maevemauvaise. I have to also give a huge thanks to Amberlyinviolet for being super patient with some D/s questions from me as well as doing a great beta read. Any mistakes you see are my own and NOT her fault though.
A/N #2: Please take a moment to leave a review and let me know if you enjoyed this. Feedback is a precious thing and greatly appreciated.
Warnings: D/s, BDSM, fluff, angst, violence, language, smutty smut smut (of the 2x5 variety only). Also cliches because… I really wanted to do some fun things. And a few Star Wars quotes because Star Wars.
Pairings: 2X5, 3xR
True Romance
Part 5
The day of the wedding Relena woke up feeling like a repentant child.
After her argument with Trowa that first night they had spent the next day in near silence. The fact that Relena had had no fewer than three conference calls and another another four sudden political crises to deal with helped, but only barely.
She was keenly aware of Trowa's silent presence in the background while she worked and when he called room service and made her eat after she had entirely forgotten about food. They had eaten in silence and Relena had been desperate for him to make a snide remark just so she could react, but he had remained quiet and Relena hadn't known how to break the silence.
It wasn't that she felt wrong about the things she had said to him their first night. She had been too blunt, probably, but she had told the truth. Of course, she had been hoping that his reaction to her words wouldn't be silence but instead some kind of apology or maybe even an admittance of affection from him. Something. Anything other than the silent treatment.
Since the wedding wasn't until that evening, Relena had agreed to meet up with Amy and Mark for a game of tennis that morning.
She hadn't played with friends in years, and as much as she wasn't looking forward to more reminders of how perfectly ordinary and happy Amy and Mark were, she was desperate to get away from the no speaking zone that Trowa had instituted.
It was just after nine in the morning when someone knocked on their hotel room door.
Trowa arched an eyebrow at her over his book.
"Expecting someone?" He asked.
"Er, yes."
Relena hadn't mentioned the tennis plans to Trowa.
He set aside the book and got up to answer the door.
A member of the hotel staff stood on the other side of the door holding a large gift bag.
"For Ms. Darlian," he said.
"Thank you," Trowa took the bag, tipped the man, and closed the door.
Relena got up to take the bag from him but Trowa held up a hand to ward her off.
"I need to look through it first."
"Of for the love of -"
"Maybe you don't mind the thought of being blown up first thing in the morning by a hidden explosive device but I don't want to go out that way," Trowa spoke over her.
Relena huffed and crossed her arms.
She had thought that Heero was overprotective. She had thought that Duo, who generally assumed that there was a potential assassin lurking in every shadow, was overprotective. They were nothing compared to Trowa.
Relena found herself desperately wishing to have Wufei as her bodyguard again.
Trowa very carefully opened the bag and lifted out several layers of tissue paper before holing up a white tennis dress.
He arched an eyebrow at her.
"Don't tell me you want to critique my choice of clothing again?" She asked.
"That depends. Where were you planning on wearing this?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Mark and Amy invited us to play tennis this morning. I didn't think to pack anything for tennis so I had the pro shop send over a few things."
Trowa laid the dress aside and looked in the bag again.
He pulled out a pair of rather large white tennis shoes.
"I didn't realize your feet were so big."
"Those are for you. I always pack running shoes with me and I can just wear those."
"You always pack -"
"I like to be prepared."
Trowa gave her a look but just shrugged and reached into the bag again to pull out a white shirt and a pair of white shorts that were much, much shorter than they had looked in the catalog when she ordered them last night.
Relena stared at them with wide eyes.
"Those are a lot worse than I thought they would be."
Trowa dropped the shorts and glared at her.
"What?"
"Hm?" Relena flattened her lips together.
"What do you mean they're worse than you thought they would be? You knew they were going to be bad in the first place?"
"Well the catalog didn't have a photo with a model so the inseam length could have been misleading."
Trowa arched an eyebrow.
"Is this because of what I said about your dress? Some kind of revenge?"
"I don't know where you get your delusions. I realize that they are shorter than your Preventers' uniform trousers but honestly - your cover is to be a model."
Trowa opened his mouth, clearly about to say something cutting, but then he shook his head and picked up the shoes again.
"How did you even know my shoe size?"
"My assistant had it on file."
"Your - why would you have that on file?"
"I have everyone's information on file. For Christmas and birthday presents."
Trowa stared at her.
"Anyway… I told them we would meet them at the courts at nine-thirty so we should probably get ready?"
"What about rackets?"
"Oh those are at the pro center - I didn't see any reason to buy those so we're only renting them."
Trowa shook his head and muttered something under his breath.
"You don't mind, do you?"
Trowa glared at her.
"Do I not mind the miniscule white shorts, the impromptu plans to go to a venue I haven't had the chance to look over, or the fact that you didn't buy me a tennis racket?"
"Right. I'm going to get dressed while you sort through your feelings."
-o-
"Oh you two look like you stepped out of a photoshoot!"
Mark and Amy were already waiting for them at the court when Trowa and Relena walked out with their rackets and two containers of tennis balls.
Relena offered her polite politicians smile that Trowa knew meant she was thinking horrible thoughts in her head.
He smirked and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight to his side.
"How do you know we didn't?" He replied.
Relena stiffened and tried to pull away but he held her close.
If she was able to get away with stuffing him into this ridiculous costume he was at least going to make her feel as uncomfortable as he did.
"Oh that's right - your work!" Amy looked over his legs, eyes lingering much too long on his crotch, before she looked him in the eye and winked.
Trowa didn't even want to begin trying to figure out what that was supposed to convey.
"Mark and I don't get to play doubles very often - I'm so glad you were able to take some time out of your busy schedule and join us."
"Our pleasure," Trowa said.
"Say, why don't Relena and I partner and Alex, you and Amy can partner? I'm sure we'd all like the chance to change things up!"
There was no way in hell Trowa was going to allow himself to be on the opposite side of the court from Relena. If any threat presented itself it would take far too long to get to her.
"What a great -"
"Maybe some other time," Trowa cut her off and gave her a look. " It's been ages since I've had the chance to play and I don't want Amy to have to do all the work for me."
"Oh I wouldn't mind!" Amy blushed. "I -"
"No, no," Relena shook her head. "Alex is right. He really is an awful tennis player - maybe the worst I've ever seen. It wouldn't be at all fair to you."
Trowa glared at her and she just smiled back at him.
Never again.
"Well, shall we?" Mark asked and gestured towards the court.
"You don't have to try to make me miserable," Relena hissed at him. "I'm sorry about the shorts."
"And I'm sorry that it's my job to keep you alive," Trowa hissed back. " Maybe Heero would be able to take a bullet for you from across a tennis court but a mere mortal like me needs to be at your side to protect you."
"Oh."
She looked apologetic and Trowa sighed.
"I'm not trying to make you miserable," he added. "I - I didn't realize how you felt about me before yesterday. I'm sorry you got stuck with me for the weekend."
Relena stared at him, and Trowa tried to figure out what she was thinking.
"Come on you two! It's Mark's serve!"
Relena turned away and Trowa sighed and prepared to showcase his awful, worst tennis player Relena had ever seen skills.
It turned out to be quite a challenge.
Not only was Relena actually very good at tennis, but her friends appeared to be genuinely awful.
Trowa was grateful that he knew only the basics of the game, having suffered through Quatre trying to teach him how to play years ago, because he was confident that if he had even more than a passing familiarity with the game he and Relena would be destroying Mark and Amy.
As it was, Trowa found himself having to stumble and trip as he tried to return their clumsy serves.
Relena seemed to be having the time of her life, crushing serve after serve and returning volley's with a ferocious expression on her face that reminded Trowa of the way she had dressed him down two nights ago.
The recent history of the Earthsphere was littered with the corpses - literal and figurative - of people who had written Relena off as a pushover. Trowa hated the realization that he was among their number.
He was so distracted thinking about her and just how little he had understood her before that he missed returning Amy's next serve.
"Nicely done babe!"
Mark pulled Amy close and kissed her.
Relena arched an eyebrow at Trowa.
"I thought I was the worst player you had ever seen?" He muttered.
"That's because I forgot how terrible these two are," she retorted.
Trowa managed to return the next serve, hitting the ball towards Mark's side of the court. The man dove to try to return it but missed.
Trowa smirked at Relena and arched an eyebrow.
"Great job sweetie!" She gave him a fake smile and a thumbs up.
Trowa rolled his eyes.
"We're supposed to be dating, Relena." He reminded her.
Relena's smile vanished. She narrowed her eyes but closed the space between them and kissed him, a quick, almost painfully hard press of her lips against his.
"Aww! You two are just so adorable together!" Amy called out from across the court.
Relena made a face as she stepped back.
"Look out!"
Trowa reacted without thought. He tackled Relena to the ground and threw his body on top of hers, shielding her and cradling her against him.
He felt his heartbeat thundering in his ears as he looked around for the source of the threat.
A tennis ball bounced past, chased after by a teenaged boy who looked at Trowa as though he were insane.
No threat. Just a loose tennis ball.
Trowa felt like an idiot.
"Get off me," Relena shoved at his chest and Trowa scrambled up.
He offered her a hand and noticed that there was blood on her thigh.
Idiot. Not only was there not a threat, but Trowa had actually hurt her.
"I need to find a first aid kit for you," Trowa said once Relena was back on her feet.
"What? No I'm fine. Are you - Trowa are you okay?"
He ignored her concerned look.
"Sorry - I need to get this looked at," he called out to Mark and Amy.
They gave him puzzled looks.
"We'll have to take a raincheck on the game!" Relena added.
She allowed Trowa to escort her back to their room, his hand on her arm the entire time, before finally pulling away from him once the door was closed behind them.
"Are you -" she started to speak.
"Don't start with me. I'm sorry for ruining your fun but you're injured and -"
"Trowa. I'm fine."
"You're bleeding, Relena. This isn't about you trying to prove how tough you are or show me that you're not a civilian - you need -"
"It's not my blood!"
She wiped at her thigh, smearing the half-dried blood there and showing that there was no cut or abrasion under it.
"Then what -"
"Trowa, it's your blood."
Relena gestured and he looked down to see that both of his knees where scraped.
She smiled at him.
"Here, let me clean you up."
"I don't need -"
"Oh shut up. Do you have a first aid kit?"
Trowa searched through his travel bag and handed it to her.
Relena took the kit and one hand and Trowa's hand in the other. She dragged him into the bathroom and pushed him down into a sitting position on the edge of the bathtub.
She knelt down in front of him and opened up the kit.
Trowa had never felt like more of an idiot or a failure. This moment might be just as bad as that night two years ago.
"And besides," Relena said as she cleaned off his knees with an alcohol swab, " it's not as if I was having that much fun. Honestly I can't believe Mark and Amy have the courage to ask anyone to play tennis with them considering how terrible they are."
"Maybe they thought you were even worse than them?"
Relena glared up at him.
"I happen to be an excellent tennis player."
"I didn't say I thought you were worse than them."
Relena smirked and taped gauze over his knees. It seemed like overkill to Trowa. It also seemed like a sure way to remind him what an idiot he was every time he looked down at himself.
"I suppose I should thank you for saving me."
Trowa arched an eyebrow at her.
"From the tennis ball," she clarified as she got to her feet and threw away the used supplies. "It's a big scary world out there with danger at every corner. Us civilians just can't seem to -"
"I'm not treating you like a civilian. I am well aware of the fact that you are not a civilian."
She folder her arms across her chest, clearing wanting more of an apology than just that.
Trowa stared at her for a long moment.
"You're right," he said eventually. You aren't one of us - you aren't like Heero, Duo, Quatre Wufei and I. Your war wasn't the same as ours. We had orders, we had a mission. But you didn't have any of that. You had to figure everything out on your own and you had to figure out who was right and who was wrong and you had something you believed in - you're willing to sacrifice your life just at the thought of saving other people. The rest of us? We aren't like you. Heero has spent his entire life following orders. Quatre - Quatre only sees the best in everyone while Wufei only sees the worst and Duo and I shouldn't be alive, we should have died in the gutter as children and everything we do, every day we stay alive, we're fighting just for that - just to stay alive. You aren't one of us. You don't follow orders ever. You don't see the best or the worst in people - you see people exactly as they are and you try to save them anyway."
"I… I don't understand what you're trying to say," Relena admitted.
"Two years ago you caught me on one of the worst nights of my life and I made a fool of myself. I cried and I - I almost threw up all over you."
"I was there, I remember it. Vividly. And you haven't spoken to me, not really, ever since."
"Because what the hell am I supposed to say to you? Relena, Duo is your friend just as much as he is mine - he's saved your life just as many times as he's saved mine - and I couldn't hold myself together."
"Is that what this is about? You're embarrassed because you expressed emotion?"
Trowa glared.
"You're the strongest person that I know, the most principled, the most passionate and even though you make a lot of terrible decisions you are also brilliant. I'm not embarrassed because I expressed emotion. I'm simply very aware of the distance between us."
"You… you think I'm too good to be your friend?" She realized.
"You don't need to waste your time on someone like me," he confirmed. "Not that you have time to waste on anything or anyone."
"I don't even get a say in who I can waste my time on now?" Relena asked. "First you try to tell me what I can wear, now you want to tell me who I can -"
"Relena, it's not a joke. I'm not someone you want in your life."
She rolled her eyes.
"Trowa you've been there - you know what it's been like. You're one of a handful of people in the Earthsphere who knows me. Look at the people I went to school with - listen to what they talk about, what they think about. I've got them on one side of me and I have ancient, prejudiced diplomats on my other side telling me I'm too young and foolish to be any good at this. I'm trapped, Trowa, and almost no one can see that."
Trowa frowned.
"I don't understand you. I don't understand why you don't just walk away from it all."
"If I walk away, who will fill my place?"
Trowa shook his head.
"I wouldn't even care, if I were you."
"That's bullshit and you know it, Trowa. You can tell me you only care about surviving from one day to the next, but if that were true you wouldn't be a Preventer - you wouldn't have even fought in the wars. You risk your life, every day. You care."
Trowa sighed.
"Maybe I do care, but I also know that in the grand scheme of things, nothing I do matters."
"Oh and I haven't learned that lesson yet?"
"I was going to say that you on the other hand, do everything that matters."
"Oh."
She bit her lip and looked at him as if she was just seeing him for the first time.
"So you… don't hate me."
"Maybe a little," Trowa allowed. He tugged at the hem of his too short shorts. "You did force me to wear these."
Relena rolled her eyes.
"Stop whining. You look amazing in them and you know it."
Trowa couldn't help but notice the way she blushed as soon as she complimented him.
"Princess are you attracted to me?" He teased.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I'm simply making an observation," she bit out.
"Hm."
"Don't 'hm' me!"
"Well just admit the truth."
She rolled her eyes again.
"Fine. Yes. I find you attractive. Surely that isn't an earth shattering revelation."
While Trowa was aware of how handsome he was, he hadn't known that Relena found him attractive at all.
"It's at least significant enough to merit gravitational realignment."
"Oh please. You are so full of yourself!"
Throwa shrugged and crossed his arms.
"It's not every day a simple colony boy like me finds out that the Queen of the World is in love with him. At least let me have a moment to enjoy this."
"I am not in love with you, you scruffy looking -"
"You have a conference call with the L5 representative starting in half an hour. Do you want me to order lunch for us?"
Relena glared at him, the look fierce enough to rival even Wufei's worst.
"Yes. Pease. Thank you."
Trowa smirked at her tone.
"My pleasure, princess."
He caught the first aid kit that she threw at his head and made his escape.
-o-
Relena shifted in her seat beside Trowa, trying to see if the bride was finally ready to make her entrance and he arched an eyebrow at her.
"Okay there?"
"I hate weddings," she muttered.
"You - why do you hate weddings? How can you possibly hate an event where two people commit their lives to each other?"
"Are you a closet romantic?"
"I'm not in the closet about this," Trowa argued. "What do you have against weddings?"
"When I was younger, before the war, I was a flower girl in fourteen weddings."
Trowa stared at her with wide eyes and Relena nodded.
"People wanted to get in good with my father, so they kept asking him if I wanted to be in the wedding and my mother loved to dress me up and show me off."
"So you're scarred for life now."
Relena rolled her eyes.
"I'm not scarred, I just… I think the ceremony is so boring and I just - if I ever get married I want it to be quiet, simple. No guests."
"That's not surprising."
"Really? You didn't think I'd want some huge society wedding?"
Trowa shrugged.
"You live your life in the public eye. Of course you'd rather keep your personal life private."
Relena looked at him and she couldn't help but smile.
"That's it exactly."
Trowa smirked.
"It's too bad though. Puts a stop to my dreams of us flying in royalty and politicians from all over the Earthsphere when we get married on the beach and -"
"The beach?"
"I like the beach. It's wet."
Relena couldn't decide just how much of this was a joke to Trowa.
Before she could find out, however, the wedding march started to play.
"It's about time," she muttered as she turned to see the bride enter.
Relena hadn't been particularly close to Sandy or Diego in school, and had frankly been surprised to be invited to their wedding, until she realized that the invitation had very little to do with childhood friendship and everything to do with her political position. She knew that Sandy ran some sort off import business and likely having Relena at her wedding was something she would be able to brag about to her colleagues and potential trade partners.
She watched Sandy walk down the aisle, her dark skin radiant next to her white wedding dress. She hoped the vows were short and traditional. Relena didn't remember too much about Sandy from school, only that she had been very quiet, almost mousy.
Just as Sandy reached the front of the aisle and took Diego's hand there was a commotion at the back of the room.
Relena turned and was shocked to see Duo and Wufei pushing past two attendants and forcing their way into the room.
"What is going on?" She hissed at Trowa.
He frowned and shook his head.
"No idea."
Relena looked back at Duo and Wufei.
They were scanning the room, eyes intense and body language practically screaming danger.
"Sorry to interrupt, folks, but we have reason to believe that your lives are in danger."
Relena heard several people gasp. She felt Trowa grab her wrist and he shifted his body, clearly ready to react.
Relena felt her heart beat faster.
This was seriously happening now? She couldn't even sit still and be bored at a wedding without something going wrong?
"Just remain calm," Wufei instructed. "And stay in your seats. We just need to -"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sandy shouted from the front of the room.
Duo and Wufei's jaws dropped as they looked first at the bride and then each other.
"What are you doing here?" Duo demanded.
Sandy gestured to her wedding gown.
"I'm getting married. Quite obviously. Now how did you even get in here? You weren't invited."
"No, ah, sorry about that." Duo gave Wufei a look but the other man shrugged. "I'm ah, sorry to do this here but -"
Duo saw them and jerked his head.
Trowa was out of his seat and pushing Relena ahead of him and down the aisle before she could even protest.
"Let me -"
"We don't have time to discuss this in a committee," Trowa snapped.
"I am not a committee!"
They were at the back of the room by the time Duo continued speaking.
"I'm going to have to take you into custody, Ms. - what's your name?"
"My name is Sandy Gaea and what exactly are you taking me into custody for? I didn't break any laws last night although you -"
"Okay, okay. Let's just… keep some things private," Duo said. "I'm arresting you in connection with your terrorist activities as Lady Carmen."
Relena stared with wide eyes and even Trowa stopped trying to get her out of the room.
She had read about Carmen in intelligence briefings - the woman ran an organization that was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
Apparently a few of the other guests had heard about her as well.
There were more gasps and people started to get up.
"Sit back down!" Wufei ordered. "Ms. Gaea please come with us."
Sandy glared at them but after a moment she kissed Diego, threw her bouquet at her flower girl, and stalked towards Duo and Wufei.
Wufei secure her wrists with zip ties and they escorted her from the room.
"Come on," Trowa gestured for Relena to follow him out.
Behind them it sounded like chaos erupted in the room as they remaining guests tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.
When they got back to the hotel room Relena noticed the phone blinking with a message.
She pressed the button to play it.
"Hey, this is Duo. Damnit I thought I could catch you before you left. We think Lady Carmen is going to be at the wedding and she's the threat against Relena. Last night we met her and she said something about a rare acquisition and we think she's planning something. Damnit, damnit damnit. Fei and I are on our way."
Relena stared at Trowa when he started to laugh.
"What - Trowa are you okay?"
It took him a minute to regain control of himself.
"Fine. I'm fine. It's just," he paused and drew in an uneven breath. "It's just that the one person you went to school with who isn't ordinary or mind numbingly boring is the leader of a terrorist ring trying to bring down your government."
Relena arched an eyebrow.
"You have a strange sense of humor."
"Relena. What the hell kind of school produces Mary, Amy, Marie and then you two."
"I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or an insult."
"I'm not either," Trowa admitted. He shook his head.
The hotel phone rang and Relena answered it.
"Hey, it's Duo. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"We're fine," Relena assured him.
"Great. Can I talk to Trowa?"
Relena passed the phone over to him and sat down.
When Trowa hung up the phone he looked over at her.
"I'm sorry your vacation was ruined."
Relena took off her heals and sighed.
"I don't really have much to compare it to. Maybe everyone's vacations are like this."
Trowa snorted.
"What did Duo have to say?"
"He wanted to remind me that there was still a chance someone might try to hurt you and to keep my guard up until we leave tomorrow."
Relena nodded. She knew it would be unrealistic for Duo to have said anything else. Of course she was still in danger. She was in danger all of the time.
"What?" Trowa asked, looking at her closely.
"Oh, nothing. I understand. I just… I just sometimes wish I could be ordinary and mind numbingly boring sometimes."
"No you don't."
"Maybe not," she agreed, "but at least I'd like to be able to live my life without the constant threat of being kidnapped or assassinated. I just - I just want something normal to happen to me sometimes."
Trowa looked thoughtful.
"Do you want to get drunk and tell me about the time you rode a horse naked at midnight again?"
"That wasn't me!" Relena yelled. "That was Marie and Amy!"
"Hm. If you say so."
Relena glared at him and he smirked.
"Or," he said, "we could just get out of here."
"What do you mean?"
Trowa shrugged.
"You want to do something normal? We could go get some cheap food and go see a crappy movie. Something the Queen of the World would never do."
Relena rolled her eyes.
"You're serious?" She asked, almost afraid to get her hopes up.
Trowa nodded.
"I doubt it will be more dangerous that you being here. It's not like a would be assassin or kidnapper is going to think to look for you in a diner."
Relena grinned.
"Okay. Let's do it."
"You'll have to change though," Trowa said.
Relena glared at him.
"Did you come up with this whole plan just so you could tell me what to wear?"
He scoffed.
"No. I mean it crossed it mind."
"Fine. I'll change. But only if you stop calling me Queen of the world or princess."
He arched an eyebrow.
"What am I supposed to call you instead?"
"Just call me Relena. I - I'm just Relena."
"You're not just anything," Trowa scoffed. "But I'll call you Relena. I like saying your name."
Relena looked at him and she could swear he was blushing.
She grinned.
"Trowa Barton. Are you in love with me?"
He snorted.
"No." He said quickly but she could see one corner of his lips twitch.
"Hm."
"Oh so you're 'hming' me now?"
She shrugged.
"You're the one who was busy planning out our wedding on the beach."
"That was for our cover. In case people were listening to us talk."
"Hm."
-o-
The End
SO I'd like to try something.
While I WILL be working on updates for my WIPs, I'd also like to make March my 31 days of smut personal challenge. I want to try to post one fic a day, each day, that is nothing but pure smutty smut.
I'd like to take submissions. If you've got some Gundam Wing smut you've wanted me to write or wanted to read, well, it's your lucky month.
I will tackle any pairing, any setting, any kind of theme with the sole exception of non-con.
Send me an ask with what you want. It can be as vague as "2x3 angst-smut" or as detailed as "Cathy x Noin college roommate AU."
I'm up for the challenge (I hope).
I'm going to go ahead and start taking requests now (if anyone is interested) and keep the requests open until I reach 31 or until March 1st.
TL;DR: Help me. Tell me the smut you want.
(And I really am in the middle of updating Going the Distance and Unexpected Development. Sideshow is on the backburner atm but it WILL get an update soon).