I've got good news! There are only 3 more chapters to go (not counting this one) and two of them are already written so... This story will be completed. Yay! \o/ I'm still fumbling with the end of chapter 16 though so I'll wait at least another week or so before I upload chapter 15... Excited much? I know I am. =D

CHAPTER 14

On the outside, he looked as calm and composed as ever… On the inside, he was freaking out. Relena had taken his hand in hers. She had taken his hand in hers twice and he had absolutely no idea what that meant. Surely, it could not mean what he wanted it to mean. It would be way too good to be true if it did… He was skinny timid good for nothing Trowa Barton and she was gorgeous extrovert famous politician Relena Peacecraft… No, she could not be interested in him, not unless he was the last man – no, human – in the galaxy. Which he wasn't.

Hope cocked her head to the side and mewed at him from her comfy seat atop his tablet. He had been chosen – though Duo's logic had made no sense to him whatsoever when he had tried to explain how that had happened – to cook lunch and now he sat at the isle, desperately trying to find a recipe that was easy enough for him to cook. No, that wasn't quite right… Trowa couldn't cook. At all. So he needed a recipe easy enough that even Khadija and Hope could have cooked. The tabby did look quite eager as she sat there, staring cluelessly at him as he willed her to move (with his mind) so he could continue his fruitless search.

"If Quatre catches you on top of the isle, we are both going to be quite dead." He informed her, but she seemed unconvinced and, instead of leaving, stretched her neck so she could rub her head against his chin.

Relena giggled from the doorway, and Trowa had to school himself not to look up at her when he felt his cheeks burn. Something had definitely changed now that they were both single – as she had put it – he could not remember feeling this self-conscious around her before and he had to remind himself constantly that there was simply no way she would be interested in him, so being self-conscious was ridiculous. Wufei would have called it 'pathetic'.

"Do you need help?" she asked smiling and he finally raised his eyes to her. Why did she have to look so irresistible in a pair of ordinary jeans and a boring white blouse? How was it possible?

"Yeah…actually…" he admitted rather lamely and had to push Hope away when she rubbed against his face, making fur stick all over his nose and mouth. The young woman giggled again as she stepped up to him, and Trowa sighed.

"What did you have in mind?" Relena asked, picking up the tablet.

"Quatre said he's cooking ramen for dinner, so… Not ramen."

"Well… That's one less option."

He couldn't help but snicker at her forced optimism. She beamed at him, making Trowa feel funny all over. "Maybe we should slip through the back door, run to the nearest market, buy something then come back, serve and tell everybody we cooked it."

"Like Duo did?" Relena asked sceptically.

"I'm pretty sure he left through the front door."

"I'm glad you're being funny, Trowa, but we need to figure out what to cook for lunch. Besides you saw how Duo's adventure in the world of takeout ended…"

"Yes."

It had ended with a smirking Chinese man and a long braid full of salt. He sighed, hiding his face in his hands, and suddenly there were hands massaging his shoulders, and his heart was trying to run for it. "You know what I think we should do?" she asked so close to his ear, he felt every nerve ending in his body spring to life. He decided not to answer, afraid he might sound rather breathless. Thankfully, Relena continued. "Beef stroganoff."

"Stroganoff?" he croaked, raising his head away from his hands. Hope stopped licking her stretched knee to look up at him.

"Don't tell me you've never had stroganoff." She couldn't have sounded any more horrified.

"Of course, I've had stroganoff. It's one of my favourite dishes." He frowned quite sure that she already knew that small fact. Could she have suggested it on purpose?

"So… What do you think? It's easy to cook, it's quick…"

"I think…" he really didn't want to think. He wanted to close his eyes and enjoy the feeling of her hands on his shoulders…gentle yet strong… Every time she accidentally brushed against the skin of his neck he felt his entire body responding… Yes, he better start thinking before his body decided to show just how much it was liking her attention. "It's a perfect idea."

"Great!" Relena slapped his shoulder, nearly making him fall off his seat. Hope certainly looked annoyed, her eyes wide and her nostrils flared. "Let's get started then. We're going to need beef, onions, champignon, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, mustard... Maybe ketchup, too. Salt, definitely salt and olive oil to fry the beef and the onions."

"There's some meat in the fridge… I don't know if it's what we need but… As for the rest… I'm pretty sure Quatre's got all of it."

"He told me he stocked up for our visit." She commented opening and closing cabinets as she assembled pans and ingredients and spoons… "Cooking for others is a lot more fun than cooking for yourself."

Trowa didn't think cooking was fun at all, but he could understand. "I guess it's important to have a second opinion. Especially for someone like Quatre."

He picked up an onion out of a basket and brought it to Relena by the sink. She smiled at him, noticing how awkward and out of place he felt. "Just hold on. I'll find you something to do."

The tablet lied beside them on the counter in case they needed to check on the recipe, but the Foreign Minister seemed to know exactly what she was doing and Trowa trusted her blindly. Hope finished her tongue bath on the isle before deciding to settle on one of the stools. Hopefully, Quatre would never know she had licked her crotch where they ate their meals or at very least their breakfasts.

Relena insisted on making some rice as well so they had a source of carbs and not only fat and protein, even so the dish was really quick and easy to prepare and they soon found themselves sitting at the isle in companionable silence as they waited for the pans and fire to do their share of the work. He wished they had some potato crisps to go with it all… That would have made it perfect, but he guessed he should be satisfied that they had managed to finish without any accidents despite his lack of skill.

"I'm surprised no one came spying on us yet." Trowa commented quietly as he tugged on Hope's ear trying to coax a reaction out of the tabby.

"Well, Heero's been gone ever since before breakfast… Duo and Wufei were watching a film, if they could decide on one both of them liked that is…" she chuckled at that. He did not find it quite as funny…to imagine his two friends together on the sofa where he would be spending the night… No, it wasn't funny at all. "I think Quatre is with Khadija, though he was really worried about Heero…"

"I told him he need not worry, but I'm not sure he knows how to do that…"

Relena smiled at him. "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." She said suddenly and her unexpected bashfulness was both scary and endearing. "It may be a little soon… No…" she shook her head. "It is soon, but I… Well… What do you think about us dating?"

"Dating?" he asked as if the word made no sense whatsoever. The idea of them dating seemed…awkward. They knew each other so well already. Wait… What? "Dating? Why would you… Why…with me…"

Relena chuckled at him, blushing when their eyes met. Trowa too was blushing, he could feel the heat spreading down his neck. To an outsider they would have probably looked quite ridiculous. "You don't want to?" she asked quietly, timidly.

"No! I mean… I'd love to, but…" the moment he realised the L word had left his lips he wanted to die. She was right, it was too soon… If he used that word, she would surely flee and yet… There was no other word to describe the way he felt about her.

"But…?" she prompted, her eyes sparkling with anxiety. Trowa felt his breath catch in his throat.

"I'd love to." He reiterated in a whisper. He was dreaming, surely…and if he was dreaming it wouldn't make a difference whether she slapped or kissed him. Yeah, he would pretend for a minute that he believed that.

For better or worse though, she didn't do either. Relena beamed at him and the anxious sparkles turned into something else, something breath-taking. He swallowed, unsure of what to do… Was it okay to kiss her now? To touch her? Her hair, her hands… Was there a contract he needed to sign?

She seemed to notice his hesitation, and he watched transfixed as she stood up and moved to stand before him. He looked up at her, his heart was beating so wildly he feared it would give out. Relena's hands fell on his shoulders and the pink on her cheeks turned almost red. Trowa saw her lips part lightly as she leaned down, her hands running up his neck to cup his face. His whole body was taut as a bow and he had to remind himself that he was allowed to touch her now. Their lips found each other just as his hands found her hips.

Relena was soft and hot, so very hot. He risked licking her lips and felt her fingers slip into his hair as she opened her mouth to invite him in. She tasted of the spices they had used while cooking and something unique, something addictive… Trowa hooked his thumbs on her belt loops, pulling her closer until her stomach touched his chest. He didn't want it to ever stop, but his body was starting to take things too seriously.

They pulled away, flushed and breathless and when he met her eyes he was sure he must be dreaming… She wasn't just all he had ever wanted, she was more, much much more. In his elatedness he smiled rather brightly and her eyes widened for a moment in surprise before she smiled back just as brightly. Then, when she was about to kiss him again, she pulled away.

"The stroganoff!" she slipped out of his arms and ran back to the stove. He could hear the deep breath she exhaled.

"I'll go set the table." Trowa stood up, bursting with pent up energy. His overexcitement would probably kill his appetite, but it did not matter. He was feeling energetic like he had not felt in a long time. On his way to the dining room he stopped by Relena and gave her another smile. She beamed. He was feeling bold too.

OxOxO

Quatre bit his lip as he fought the urge to throw Wufei out. He had told Heero to 'stay', true he had meant 'do not follow', but he was still upset the other man had left. Trowa said he only needed some alone time and that the blonde should not worry. He blamed Wufei and wanted to punish him, but Duo – horrified at what the Chinese man had done – had promised his host a free day and taken the electronic babysitter for himself as a means of making it up to him. That was something he could not refuse, especially with his mind wandering as far from Khadija as it possibly could.

What if he had ruined things again? What if Heero didn't come back? He paced around the living room, Duo's eyes following him religiously until the braided man could stand it no longer. "Trowa told you he'd be back."

"It's been nearly two hours…" he moaned. At least his friend wasn't asking him to sit down. He thought he might combust if he did… There was so much pent up energy flowing through him, so much frustration… If there had been space inside the penthouse he would've gone jogging. Maybe he should buy a treadmill and some other gym equipment and turn one of the guest's bedrooms into a gym once his friends had left.

"It's been 57 minutes." His friend laughed at his expense, but Quatre was too caught up in his anxiety to care. It couldn't have been less than one hour… It felt like half a day already. "Then go after him." Duo shrugged. "The colony's small and I'm sure you know it like the back of your hand…or the palm…or whatever."

"You'll look after Khadija, right?"

He chuckled. "Quat', there are four of us here. 'Dija will be fine."

The blonde was already stepping into the elevator when he remembered to shout a 'thank you' over his shoulder. His worries, he thought – despite Trowa's reassurances – were completely justified. Heero was a master at disappearing, vanishing without a trace. He could be on his way back to Earth already… He had done it before.

"Where should I start?" he wondered as he stepped out of the building. "Maybe I should take the car…"

"Start what?"

Quatre turned around wide-eyed and startled to find the object of his frustration leaning peacefully against the building's outer-wall, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "Would you stop doing that? My heart can't take it."

"What—." Heero opened his mouth to complain or ask or whatever and found his arms full of Quatre.

"I thought you were not coming back." He explained, his voice muffled against the other man's neck.

"Why would you think that?"

The blonde could practically hear the other's eyebrows rising even further so he did not have to look. He chuckled. "Because I've fucked up… I realise it now…" he pulled away to meet Heero's eyes, his hands still clutching at the man's waist. "This is all my fault."

"Are you alright?" his friend frowned and there was a discreet hint of worry in his voice.

"Our conversation…" Quatre shook his head. "Are you okay to have it now? Or do you want to go kill Wufei first? Relena isn't angry, just so you know. I thought you should have all the facts before you made a decision."

It was Heero's turn to chuckle. "I do want to kill him, but I have sworn off killing." He lamented half-heartedly. The blonde laughed. "Are we still going shopping?"

"Ah…" Quatre checked his watch. "There're still a few hours until lunch so… If you're okay skipping breakfast…"

"Hn."

"Come." He beamed, tugging the other man by the hand.

"What were you talking about? What's your fault?" Heero asked once they were locked inside the elevator.

The blonde sighed, his smile vanishing. How could he explain? What if he was wrong? What if Heero hadn't been falling in love with him? What if Heero didn't care about him at all? "I…" the elevator chimed and they stepped out. Heero was waiting patiently. "When the war ended… Did you… Did you expect me to ask you to stay with me instead of Trowa?"

Quatre did not want to meet his eyes, he was mortified at his own presumption and, even though he did not sense anything, but curiosity from the other man he sort of expected him to be outraged and angry. When Heero did not answer though, he was forced to look up. There was nothing but amusement in his eyes and even a small smile on his lips. "I knew you were in love with Trowa, if that's what you're asking. I didn't expect anything."

"But did you want to?" he was practically begging, he realised, staring deep into the other's eyes, trying to will him – with the strength of a thought – not to lie. "Did you want me to?"

He seemed to think about it – seriously think about it – for a moment or he was simply scrutinizing the blonde's face and wondering what answer Quatre would like to hear. "Yes." He said finally and it sounded as much as confession as a realisation. "I felt completely lost when the war ended… There was Relena, of course, but – despite all we had been through – we were never what you could call intimate… So I had nowhere to go, I had nothing and I had no one. Yes, I did wish you would invite me to stay with you even though I knew you wouldn't."

The blonde had to blink back tears. "That's what I feared…" he said, smiling bitterly. "This is all my fault… Because I couldn't see, because – even though I am connected to you in a level way deeper than anyone else – I was too blind to see what you were truly feeling… I dismissed it as you being incapable of feelings, lying to spare myself…"

"It's fine, Quatre. I wouldn't have wanted to impose on you either way… I might not even have accepted had you offered. I… I wanted to be as far from those confusing feelings you evoked in me as was humanly possible."

"What? So you wished I had asked, but you would have said 'no' if I had?"

"Yes."

"You think maybe you wanted me to ask because you knew I wouldn't?"

"Maybe." He shook his head with a confused – annoyed too – frown. "But what is the point dwelling on it?"

Quatre scowled at the other's back as he allowed himself to be tugged towards the car. They were still holding hands… He had completely forgotten. It felt…comforting. He sighed. "Would you like to drive?" he had not allowed Heero to drive the night before and it had bothered the man for some reason, so now the blonde offered.

"Yes, if you don't mind… I'd rather busy myself while we talk."

"Okay." He nodded, handing his friend the keys. They didn't have the same passionate feelings about their cars as they once had about their gundams and, even if they did, Quatre liked to think they could trust one another enough to lend and borrow their wheels.

He watched Heero quietly, noticing how slender his hand looked as it rested on the gear shift… The mere thought of being touched by that hand had once set his blood on fire, he no longer felt that kind of desperate hunger, but he did take the other man's hand once they left the garage. The car was automatic so he figured it was alright. Heero did not complain, driving easily with a single hand.

"Turn right at the intersection then head straight until the end of the street and turn left." The blonde instructed, knowing they would reach their destination a lot sooner than he would've liked.

"Hn."

"I was remembering the time we spent in Sanc Kingdom…" he did not bother hiding the smile that curled his lips. Despite all the worries he'd had at the time, he was fond of the memories. Maybe it was because he had worried for nothing (because in the end Trowa had been alive) but he did not care. Now, that he could look back upon that time with all the foreknowledge, he actually missed it and regretted not having enjoyed it to its fullest. "I miss our dinners at the cafeteria… Even though you barely spoke." He chuckled at that final remark, and Heero smirked.

"I'm sorry." He said, though he didn't sound at all apologetic. "You were always so…excited. I never understood what you found so funny about the fact that the other students thought I was your bodyguard…" he glanced at Quatre out of the corner of his eye, the small smile persisted. "But I liked listening to you talk."

"You did? I thought you were just being polite…" the blonde started laughing. "I often wondered how hard it must be for you to stop yourself from killing me."

"What gave you the impression that I would like to kill you?" Heero turned to him fully for a second, his eyes slightly wider than usual.

"Well… It was probably Duo… We spent some time together after you self-destructed…" they both winced at the memory. "And he told me some really creepy stories about you jumping off buildings and resetting your own bones…" the dark haired man snickered, it was very discreet – much like everything he did – but Quatre heard it anyway. "It's not funny, Heero. They were very scary stories… There was another of you nearly severing your hand to escape from some sort of restraint or something… Duo said there was so much blood he could not stop having nightmares about it. I think you truly traumatized him."

"I still don't see how that would make you afraid of my killing you."

"It was just that… You seemed so unpredictable back then… Volatile, like a bomb about to go off and I knew what you were capable of." He quieted down for a moment as they turned left. The supermarket's bright red logo was up ahead. "I didn't really think you'd kill me though… Not after… Well…"

The half-smirk Heero had been wearing melted into a small fond smile. "You used to forget the bathroom door open… It always amused me how trusting you could be. Once I considered closing it for you, but it felt like I would be dishonouring the trust you placed on me."

Quatre tried really hard to hold back his laughter – the smile on the other man's face was so sweet – but he ended up sniggering. "I'm sorry. It's just… I can't believe…" he laughed, finally unable to hold back. Who would have thought Heero could be so dense? He was almost as bad as Trowa.

"You know… I used to leave the door open when I wanted you to join me in the shower."

"Join you in the shower?" he frowned for half a second before his face lit up with realisation and he turned away with an 'oh'. The blonde was quite sure he was hiding a blush… It was by sheer luck – or unluck – that they arrived at the supermarket before he could take a picture. "I'm sorry." Heero said clearing his throat and turned off the engine. "I wish I had known…"

It was Quatre's turn to blush. "I should've probably been more…direct."

"Hn." They watched as people walked in and out pushing their carts, but neither made any move to leave the car. "That time you walked out of the bathroom naked… Was it…"

"No. That time I really had forgotten my towel on the drying rack… I didn't know you would be back from Noin's secret underground base so early." He would never forget the dumb struck look on Heero's face, he would have laughed his ass off if he hadn't been so busy dying of embarrassment. The simple memory made him blush a nasty tomato red.

"Should we…"

"Yes, definitely." They finally got out of the car and bee-lined towards the entrance, picking up a cart on their way. Quatre still felt uncomfortable and knew their conversation had not yet reached its end. "Why were you never there in the mornings?" he asked quietly and that one question made the other man halt.

"I…" Heero frowned as he thought, body leaning forward against the handle of their empty cart. "I've never really inspected my reasons before." He admitted. "It felt wrong to stay, it felt painful as if I were crossing some boundary I was forbidden to… I don't know how to explain." He walked on, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

"Painful?" the blonde wondered as he followed into the first of many aisles. Love could be painful… No, it could be more than painful, especially when it was unrequited. He tried to picture himself in his friend's place… What would he feel if he were looking down at the sleeping face of someone he was falling in love with and knowing that that someone was in love with another? And a mutual friend at that? He imagined he would want to stop himself from falling in love at any cost and that would mean slipping out of bed before his eyes burned holes into its other occupant's forehead or his mind ran itself to pieces worrying over his situation.

Quatre bit his lip. Should he say something? A huge part of him wanted to apologize, but Heero wouldn't care for his pity, he was sure of it. The man had not even been aware of what he was doing, it had been instinctive to keep his distance from the blonde… But Quatre would make it up to him. Somehow… With the ramen and all. But would that be enough? How did you make up for breaking someone's heart?

OxOxO

As hard as Relena tried, she could not stop her brain from conjuring up images of Heero and Quatre together. It seemed surreal…and it was so difficult to form a clear picture that she started replaying scenes from all the gay movies she had ever seen – which weren't many – and replacing the characters with her ex and her host. She thought Quatre made a very believable Harvey Milk, but there was just no way she could imagine Heero in the lover's role… Then she tried that other movie, the one with Leonard DiCaprio, but though she could picture Wing's pilot as an FBI agent, the blonde man felt completely out of place… There was a third movie from which she only remembered sex scenes and golden skinned backsides, so she immediately discarded it. She settled – at last – for Brokeback Mountain and, though it still felt somewhat forced, Relena thought they looked gorgeous in it. She wasn't angry about their kiss or the fact that they had hidden their past relationship from her, but she wasn't happy about it either…

"Stop!" Quatre banged his hands on the table, startling her. Lunch had been a very uncomfortable affair with Wufei and Heero glaring daggers at each other and the blonde man did not seem to possess her powers of introspection. His eyes fell on the Chinese man. "I should kick you out." He said more frustrated than actually angry. "But I need someone to do the dishes while I look after Khadija." He turned to Duo. "You too."

"Wha'?! But it's 'Fei's fault!" he protested, disbelief written all over his furrowed eyebrows.

"And you too." He turned to Heero last and received two raised eyebrows. "And don't you dare leave the kitchen until you've made peace."

"I've made peace!" the braided man continued to protest. "Why must I go? Besides I'm taking care of 'Dija."

"No. You'll be mediator. I don't want bloodshed in here." Their host left no room for argument. "I'll be giving Khadija a bath now."

Relena laid her hand gently atop his, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "I think you need some time alone to cool down." She said slowly as if speaking to a child or an emotionally unstable person. "Why don't you let Trowa and I take care of Khadija?"

The green eyed man, who had been eating his dessert very quietly until that moment, raised wide incredulous eyes to her. She suspected he did not care much for naked babies, but she wanted him there, needed him to distract her from her unnerving obsession with their friends' relationship.

"Are you sure?" Quatre asked almost shyly.

"Quite." She said beaming and Trowa ran a hand over his face up to his hair in exasperation.

The blonde nodded gratefully and they proceeded to finish their meal in an uncomfortable – however, glareless – silence. Once they were done, Wufei and Heero dutifully picked up the dishes and retreated to the kitchen with Duo following behind, mumbling something about frugal rich people and dishwashing machines. Relena reinforced her recommendation, that Quatre relax for a couple of hours, before dragging Trowa with her to the nursery.

She sighed the moment the quiet and peace surrounded them and moved to gather all the things they would need. The nursery – like all other bedrooms in the penthouse – had its own bathroom and Khadija's pink plastic baby tub was already waiting for them inside the shower box. There was something so cute about bathing a baby… Relena had the alien urge to squeal at the thought. Trowa's pensive gaze on her back stopped her though. He seemed troubled and she didn't like it. She thought they had reached an understanding earlier in the kitchen…

"What is it?" she asked gently as she ducked into a cupboard in search of diapers.

"What?" he asked, startled.

"You look thoughtful… Distant even." Relena stopped in her rummaging to meet his eyes. "You know you can trust me. We've been over this before."

"I…" he looked ashamed, his eyes falling to her feet. "I know."

She smiled reassuringly and dropped the light blue bodysuit and diapers she'd been holding to take his face in her hands, he leaned against her touch. He was tired of fighting, Relena could see it. "But?" she prompted.

"It's silly." He confessed, chuckling at himself.

"If it's bothering you that much it's certainly not silly." Her hands slid down to caress his shoulders. When she had massaged them earlier she had been able to feel every bone, every crevice, every muscle… Trowa was so thin… She bit her lip worriedly. Maybe he would accept moving in with her so she could make sure he was eating healthily and not smoking… Relena didn't care if it was too soon. She was tired of worrying, tired of wasting time. Trowa needed her and she needed him.

"I was just wondering why it did not work out between you and Heero…" he drawled and at last looked horrified at his own question. "I mean… Because Heero and I are so similar… I thought…"

She smiled. "You thought 'why would she make the same mistake again?'." Trowa nodded, looking somewhat defeated. Relena caressed his cheek and sighed. He was going to be a handful, but she was so looking forward to it. Heero had always been so self-sufficient, like he did not need her at all. "You are so not like him." She whispered as if it were a secret then kissed him before he could protest.

He groaned when her tongue snuck into his mouth and his hands tightened on her hips as he pulled her closer. She let him. Her hands slid down his chest, taking in everything, drawing a map of his body in her mind until they were hovering very close to his backside.

For a fraction of a second she wondered what Quatre's reaction would be if he discovered they were making out in the nursery, but then her eager hands were moving of their own accord. Trowa gasped, pulling away from her wide eyed. Relena could not tell what emotion prevailed on his face… There was surprise, lust and even a little bit of horror, surely at her boldness. Heero would not have appreciated it, he'd never liked surprises. She felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment, but she forced her lips to part, ready to apologize, when Khadija started to cry.

In two steps, she was at the crib, picking up the little girl and talking soothing nonsense into her ear, grateful for the interruption. Khadija stopped crying almost immediately, peering up at the blonde woman with her wide green-blue eyes. Such innocence, Relena mused, smiling sweetly. Then met Trowa's eyes. He seemed to have recovered from his shock and, since he had not exactly complained, she decided he might not be completely averse to her advances. She had always wanted to let go and do whatever she felt like in the moment… Without worrying about her partner's displeasure.

"Would you fill the tub? Or would you prefer to hold her?" he turned towards the bathroom and dutifully started filling the little bathtub with warm water while Relena divested Khadija of her jumpsuit. "I'm sorry." She felt the need to say after sometime. Her heart was still beating wildly, but at least she wasn't thinking about anyone but Trowa, herself or Khadija anymore. "If I was too…"

"No!" he cleared his throat, blushing as he reigned in his agitation. "No, it's… It's fine. Really."

She had to repress a chuckle not wishing to embarrass him further. "Maybe we could…spend the night together?" it was her turn again to blush. Would he think of her as some sort of desperate horny sex addict? Would he refuse her?

"I…" he smiled tenderly at her over his shoulder and all of Relena's worries melted away. "I'd love to."