Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing

A/N: I know, I know. I'm the world's most impatient woman. I really will make you wait for the next chapter, though. For real, this time. (Yes, I know I already said that.) In the mean time, enjoy your truncated citrus. ^_^

Relena's retreat to her room didn't go as smoothly as planned. She did not hear the careful footsteps of the shadow that followed her, but his presence was too familiar and too strong to ignore. She stopped mere paces from her door and waited in the silence.

He gave no indication that he would start the confrontation, but she could feel his powerful blue eyes glaring at her.

"Heero," she whispered in a tone laced with bitter anger.

He gave no response.

"You didn't come to ask about the outfit."

She could feel his frustration.

"I'm sick of this," she sighed, dropping her head in defeat. "I don't care what you think. I don't care if you announce it to the world. You will not change my mind." There was a contemplative pause. "I need this," she mumbled under her breath.

She could feel him drawing closer, studying her. She unconsciously straightened, rolling her shoulders back in defiance, as she balled a fist in front of her chest.

"I won't go back with you. Not yet."

"Why?" His growl was so close that the hair on her neck stood at attention.

Her eyes fluttered as she exhaled. "I will not die alone." A single tear escaped her eye, running the black mascara and eye shadow the Winner sisters had colored her with.

Heero's sigh blew at the baby soft hairs behind her ear, erupting her entire left side in goose bumps. Like a domino effect, her body shivered, defending itself with still more stubborn ripples of texture across her. The effect traveled all the way down her spine, covering her torso in tiny bumps of nerves, so even her nipples pebbled at his closeness.

Heero's eyes followed the earthquake, intrigued at her body's reaction to him, but he brushed the thought away.

She wanted to step away, but a strong left hand wrapped firmly around her own left elbow, forcing her to turn and face him. The bedlah she had been given, with a thin silk cover for her breast, did nothing, now, for her nerves. Relena trembled as their eyes met. She felt naked in front of him, again.

"Please?" He whispered.

Relena's eyes widened. Not many times had she heard that word on his lips. Heero did not show much interest or emotions for nearly anything, but to someone who knew him so well, he was begging. Why did he feel so strongly?

As though reading her mind, he swallowed hard, allowing his confession to out, answering her doubts. "I can't lose you."

Relena's breath caught. She wanted to believe he meant to keep her because she was his best friend, but something didn't allow for the illusion. The trembling in her body increased as she noticed that, in spite of his proximity, Heero Yuy was moving closer to her. She surrendered, closing her eyes in submission, as a mysterious warm, tugging sensation began in her lower abdomen.

When his lips brushed hers the first time, it was so light it felt as though he'd intended to tickle her. The corners of her mouth pulled up to a smile at the sensation, but sank back into a hungry, relaxed state when she felt him touch her, again.

His kiss was hesitant, and almost nervous. The sense of his silent plea only added to her arousal. Even her sigh shook as it puffed across his lower lip.

The feel of her compliance incited a small grin from him as he carefully pressed his lips on hers with a newfound confidence. He carefully sucked her bottom lip, at first, tasting what was left of the strawberry gloss Iria had put on her before dinner and the wine she'd been drinking lacing the soft moisture within.

The hand he'd turned her with released her arm, trailing gingerly down, across her flat stomach, over the dangling belly ring, until he gripped her right hip, pulling her closer to him. Relena hissed into his mouth at the sensation of her hardened nipples scraping against his chest as he guided her body. She could feel everything through the thin scrap on her breasts, and she was certain he could, too. Her hands found their way up to his shoulders, gripping him for support. The sound she'd made opened her lips, allowing the kiss to deepen softly.

She could taste him, now. The taste and texture of his mouth left her wanting for more. Her body shivered, again, with the hunger as her own tongue began to roam his lips, matching him nip for nip. The slight pull of their suction stopped when their tongues finally crossed paths, caressing each other intimately. Both of them held their breath anxiously, feeling this new sensation as they danced. The feel of the silky, soft and wet kiss seemed to make time stand still.

Heero's hand unconsciously slid off of her hip, spreading across the design on the small of her back, pulling her still closer. When Relena finally took another breath, her desire amplified. The gentle pull in her belly was becoming a furnace. A raging fire that fevered her whole body. The hunger for more of his sweet taste tightened in her jaw, making her want to bite down on him. Her shaking hands trailed higher up his frame. One rested firmly on his neck, her nails digging slightly into the tender skin, as the other went higher, massaging its way through his messy brown hair.

The silent request did not fall on deaf ears. Heero's free hand rose from his side, tangling itself into her soft golden braids, the hand on her back wrapping further around her tiny frame and pulling her even more, as his lips pressed bruisingly against hers.

Finally, he'd pushed her to her breaking point. Not to be upstaged, Relena let go, her teeth scraping much more vigorously against his lips as she plunged her tongue into his mouth. The kiss no longer felt like a soft dance, but a fight as each mouth fought for dominance. The arm that had engulfed her dropped, intentionally, just enough to allow his wanting hand to cup her ass as he drew her to him.

Relena was suddenly taken by the sensation of falling, and then gasped as her back slammed into the door behind her. When Heero pressed her against the barrier, his hip flattened against hers, giving her no ambiguity in his intentions. His readiness was against the heat in her belly, begging her to push him just a little further.

Rising to the challenge, Relena's right hand released him, twisting against the door, feeling blindly around, as though looking for support. Her heavy eyes opened only slightly in victory, when she found what she was looking for. Her hand unlatched the entrance.

Relena stumbled backward, still flush against Heero's body, until they toppled onto the bed. Immediately, both of her hands found their way under her, supporting her weight and some of his as the dragged her body toward the pillows. Without thought or breaking the kiss, Heero kept pace, caging her in, under him, as her head finally found the soft, down cushions.

Now able to relax on her back, her head supported, Relena's hands were free to work. Without inhibition, her greedy fingers found their way to the hem of his shirt, tearing it free from the belt of his pants and pulling it up his rippling back, until it came over his head, finally breaking the kiss.

Taking his cue from her, Heero accepted the break and reunited their bodies with his hungry lips at her jaw line, trailing up until he'd taken her earlobe between his teeth. Relena gasped as he enjoyed the feel of the soft piece of flesh on his tongue, sucking at it and allowing shallow puffs of air to cool it, sending a new strain of goose bumps down her skin.

"Heero," she pleaded in a strangled cry. He understood the request, and was happy to finally oblige.

:::

Heero caught his breath, first, realizing that his lover was shivering underneath him, still unable to speak, let alone move. Sweat dripped liberally from his brow as his eyes met hers, offering pure adoration and comfort before he reluctantly pulled away. He looked down over her with a softness that only she could ever see in his normally emotionless expression. Relena gasped at the sensation of loss as he fell away from her, but quickly found him at her back, wrapping her in his warm embrace as he covered them both with a blanket. Slowly the shivering came to a stop in his strong arms.

"Heero," she whispered through a veil of exhaustion.

"Shhh," he answered, pressing his lips against the crown of her head. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she sighed, drifting into a deep sleep.