a/n: I do not own Gundam Wing
Zechs was going to kill him.
He wouldn't even bother when another gundam duel. He would simply hunt Heero down, and shoot him. No questions asked, no time for explanations.
Laying on his side, Relena was curled up beside him. She was asleep, her cheek resting on her hands. He trailed a finger over the bare shoulder that stuck out of the sheets. He didn't often touch people so gently. His hands were meant to kill, and he relished the chance to simply touch her like he wanted.
He was due a transmission from Zechs in a half hour.
For the last three days, he had slept in her bed. Now it was more their bed as Relena refused to let him leave during the night. He had stayed with her, and discovered that he could actually sleep. Sleeping meant trust, and it dawned on him that he did trust her.
She didn't wake when he pressed a kiss to her hair, and slipped out of bed. Tugging on his jeans and shoes, he was buttoning up his shirt while walking down the hall. The door at the end looked like a broom closet, and if anyone else had opened the door that's all they would have seen. Moving aside the coats and a broom, there was a small hidden panel with a number lock. He entered the code, and watched the back wall slide open.
There was stairs that spiraled to the old fall-out shelter beneath the house. Years ago, Heero and it drilled out and built it into a private cargo bay. Wing Zero slept underneath the house, waiting patiently in case Heero would need it. The metal deck was built to the cockpit, which he opened and lowered himself inside.
It was the only place he could decompress. This was something familiar and something he knew, and in a way, it relaxed him. He didn't need to be fighting in battles, but simply sitting there helped when he was confused. The last three days had been...he couldn't even describe it. His soul was scrambling to try and catch up.
The com beeped.
Heero stared at the message. Zechs was calling him for updates. With a deep breath, he pressed the button, and Zechs appeared on screen.
The man leaned back in the chair, his hair pulled back and he looked relaxed. They were in the process of heading back to the Earth, had left the day Relena was shot, but they wouldn't arrive for another week.
"Zechs."
"So, how is the weather in old Sanc?"
"It's been raining off and on the last couple days."
"Huh," Zechs fell silent a moment, and then frowned, "You son of a bitch."
Heero's gaze didn't waver. He knew it was only a matter of time before Zechs got the feeling that Heero was sleeping with Relena, the other man wasn't stupid. But Heero didn't regret it, and he would never feel guilty about what they did.
So, instead of explaining himself, he pulled out the trump card.
"She said she loves me."
"They all say that," Zechs growled back, "They tell you they love you and then they swallow up your soul like it was never yours in the first place."
Was Zechs talking about Heero, or himself?
"Do you love her?"
"I don't know what love is," Heero leaned forward, checking Zero's status. It was something to do with his hands. He didn't feel as much like it was an interrogation if he didn't have to stare at Zechs' face. "It's an emotion that causes people to do senseless things, and to act before thinking. They ignore common sense to pursue something that we can't even scientifically verify. Emotions are troublesome and blind us to what our true purpose is."
"Do you love her, Heero?"
"Yeah."
That one world seemed simple, but spoke in so many different ways. Zechs stared at him for a moment, and then sighed. "We should reach Earth in about a week. We will be docking with Colony 04 in five days in order to refuel before our last run. Winner will be meeting us there to give us a full brief of the situation."
"The operation to take down the Awakeners is almost complete. Relena only needs to review the final version and approve," Heero said, "Wufei and Duo are already at the capital in order to make the final arrangements with the Preventers."
"In that case, we'll proceed with the plan. We'll meet with with the two of you at 04 and integrate Relena into the Mars crew before heading back to Earth. She'll be completely protected-"
"That's not good enough, Zechs."
The man stared at him from the other side of the screen, "You're suppose to lead the fleet, Heero."
"Emotions cause people to do stupid, reckless things," Heero looked up, "Duo is perfectly capable of leading the attack. I'll only be late."
Zechs was quiet a moment, and then nodded, "Make the appropriate changes."
"I've already done so."
"Good," Zechs leaned back in the chair, "Heero?"
"What?"
"Take care of my sister."
"Of course."
The transmission cut.
Heero sat and stared blankly at the screen. There were so many things on his mind he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He would be fine crawling back into bed and simply laying there with Relena. Everything was fine, as long as he was with her.
"So, this is what Wing Zero looks like on the inside."
He started.
Relena stood on the metal deck, leaning inside. She was only wearing slippers and one of his shirts.
Heero had always told himself that he would keep her away from Zero. It was the last place he could run to get away from all the chaos she caused him to feel. The emotions that was quickly wearing away at him. She looked mussed and beautiful, a look of genuine interest over her face.
If she came inside, he would never be able to get away from her.
"So, what did my brother have to say?"
"Once you approve the plan, we'll be leave for Colony 04 in two days."
She suddenly look guarded, "Oh." There was an awkward silence, and he would have given anything at that moment to take the stress from her shoulders. There was such a sorrow on her face that it gripped him to the heart and threatened to drive him crazy. "I better start packing tomorrow. We wouldn't want to forget anything."
She stood outside Zero, looking small and fragile.
Too hell with being safe.
Heero held out a hand towards her, "Would you like to come inside?"
She looked unsure a moment, like he had a hidden motive. Then, reaching her hand out and taking his, he slowly drew her inside the cockpit. He settled her into his lap, and she watched as he closed the cockpit door.
The lights powered on, and he turned up the heat since the cargo bay was cold. She was already shivering. Heero ran his hands over the controls, "Navigation, autopilot," he touched the panels, "Beam saber, double canon," he said, "These control the wings. I've reinforced them to act as a shield. This controls environmentals, this is communication."
There were hundreds of other things that he passed over that she didn't recognize. The whole thing was beyond her. How did he remember everything? How could a human being possibly understand this?
Then again, Heero had always been amazing.
She then glanced back at his face, "Zero is more than just a machine to you, is he?"
"Yes," he told her, "He's my partner. In battle, we fight together," he explained, "We could fall together. We work together. We win together."
Relena nodded.
Heero watched as she moved over his lap, her legs straddling his waist. Her hands brushed over his face, "Hey, Heero."
"Hm?"
"Bet ya' don't have the guts to have sex in this thing."
He tilted the seat back, enjoying the feel of her soft body against his.
They wouldn't talk about their limited time together, or the mission to come, or about the fact that Zechs knew about them. They wouldn't think about the future, or how they were going to stay together. They would take advantage of the time they had, and they were going to enjoy it.
"You're on."
Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I have some early mornings coming up, and class on Tuesday, so I probably won't be able to resume updates until later this week. But I'll try for two chapters again, so stay tuned! :D