AN: Went back to add titles to my chapters. I always liked chapter titles and always used them. Not sure what made me forget this time around, but oh well. Hope you like the update. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: An Ideal For Living

With eyes like a hawk, Heero scanned the outside area in front of his building for anything suspicious or threatening while descending from his stoop, being incredibly cautious and equally aware. He always had to remain vigilant. But now, he kicked it up a notch. Because behind him followed the girl from school who decided to shock him and make a surprise appearance at his home. He still couldn't believe it. So now, here he was… walking her to her ride.

That car stuck out way too much and, quite frankly, Heero was a tad bit surprised that nothing had happened to it. He assumed the old guy driving this thing had his doors locked and the police one button press away. It was too risky for Relena to be here, Heero thought. He hoped she wouldn't pull this stunt again. He couldn't guarantee that everyone around here would be on their best behavior. She asked him if he was ashamed of where he comes from and he had said 'maybe'. He might have to change that to a straight up 'yes'.

"So, I guess I'll see you in a couple days?" Relena asked as they both got to her door.

Heero nodded as he continued to scope out their surroundings. He kind of developed a sixth sense living around here, always knowing when something felt a little off. As strange as it was to admit, he was feeling super protective of her. Last thing he wanted was to put the girl in harm's way. Though, if he really wanted to do that, it would probably be best to just sever ties with her completely. That was the unfortunate reality of the situation.

'Because I care about you'

That's what she said to him.

That's right, they were friends, Heero remembered. Could he really end this? They were already building something together, and Heero was getting comfortable with that. He shouldn't of, but it was the truth. There was a weird part of his humanity that she was getting to. It made feel both uneasy yet curious. She puzzled him.

And it was only making him dig deeper despite his better judgement.

"Is everything alright?" Relena noticed that Heero looked a little spaced out, though his head constantly moved like he was keeping an eye on everything around them.

"Yeah, sorry." Heero sighed, he reached up to rub his eyes.

"You sure?" And Heero nodded again. "Okay then, well before I take off, I never did find out why you had to miss time. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but are things okay?"

He looked down at her, those eyes filled with concern and looking straight at him. He felt like trembling for a second but didn't allow it to show. "I just need some time off. This past month got me a little stressed out."

"Oh… Is there anything we can do at school to make things better?" The worry in her voice obvious.

Heero shook his head. No, there was nothing they needed to change at school. He hated that he had to lie to her. She didn't deserve to be fed bullshit. But he also couldn't just say the truth: There was money to make. He was going to have to talk to Otto. Heero couldn't afford to take any more time off school. And there weren't many other fake excuses he could come up with.

"Well, okay." Relena kept searching his eyes. "If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

"Hn." Heero looked down his street. "By the way, when you leave, tell your driver to take a right at the end of the road. Go straight and you'll end up at a roundabout. Take the second exit and your navigation should do the rest. It's a safer route."

Relena nodded with a light smile. "Thanks, I'll let Pagan know." She turned for the car door. Her hand gripped the handle as she looked back over at Heero once more. "Promise you'll be fine?" She had to fight back the feeling of wanting to reach for him again, to let him know she was there and she cared.

"Yeah." And Heero had to fight back the feeling of wanting to run a hand through her hair again. He had to admit, it felt nice to do. For him it was a bizarre thought, but she had the most beautiful head of hair he had ever seen.

"Good." Relena trusted that he would be okay. She could tell how strong he was. "I'll see you in a couple days then." From there, she opened the door and took her seat. Her window rolled down and she gave Heero one last smile. He returned a head nod and watched as they drove off.

He watched till they disappeared.


Heero re-entered his apartment and made for his room where he knew Duo was ready to interrogate him about Relena. He considered kicking him out of his house.

"Heero…" Uncle J called out to him.

Heero stopped, not looking towards his Uncle.

"You know I'll never tell you what to do. But you better be careful with that girl. Remember, two different worlds and two different lives. Never forget that."

"You didn't say anything, right?" Heero's eyes narrowed, thinking his uncle's words over.

"Of course not. I'll save that conversation for the both of you to have, heh heh." Uncle J knew that telling the truth is something that was Heero's responsibility.

Heero didn't want to think about that. Not right now. His feet began moving once more.

He pushed his door open, revealing Duo sitting with his arms crossed at his desk, shit eating grin on his face. "I'm not talking about it."

"Oh yes you are." Duo shot back.

"No, I'm not."

"Yeah, you are." Duo wasn't having it.

"I'll kill you."

"Go ahead, but I'm not leaving here without an explanation." The braided boy wanted his answers. Heero looked to be involved with a girl, and Duo's need for details would not go away.

Heero shifted over to his bed and dug under his mattress. Pulling out his firearm, he gripped on the cold black steel and aimed the barrel at Duo's head. "I mean it, I'm not talking about it."

Duo couldn't help but smile even more. "I mean it too. And yeah, you are. Oh, and the safety is on, can't kill me with that gun unless you plan on beating me to death with it. Or take the safety off." He winked at his friend.

"Maybe I will."

"Does it really bother you that much to talk about this?" Duo tilted his head at him.

Heero grunted before lowering his weapon and putting it back under his mattress. "Kinda, yeah." Heero sat on his bed, not happy about Duo prying about Relena.

"You'll be fine." Duo waved off his friend.

"Hn." Heero growled, not caring to be dismissed like that.

"She's really pretty." Heero looked away at this comment. Duo was amused. "Don't you think?"

"Hn."

"Is that your away of agreeing with me?"

Heero sighed. Was she pretty? Somehow that word didn't feel like enough for her. She was more than just 'pretty'. But he wasn't telling Duo that.

"You guys close?" The questioning continued.

Heero just shrugged his shoulders. He guessed they were. They both considered the other a friend. She even went as far as telling him she cared. So that obviously implied a level of closeness.

"I'll take that as yes." Duo snickered. "So what she like?"

Slumped over, elbows on his knees, eyes scanning the floor. "She's just a girl, you know. It's no big deal."

"That doesn't tell me shit." He wasn't taking any lame answers on this topic. "C'mon man, she's more than just a girl and you know it. Seriously, she seems like a good chick. Am I right about that?"

Heero groaned before looking back up, eyes wandering his room. "I guess so."

"Good, we're getting somewhere." Duo nodded. "What else is she like?"

Heero reached a hand over to rub his shoulder, shrugging again at his friend's inquiry. "She's kind of… I don't know. She's nice… caring and… weird."

"Weird?"

"Not a great word." Heero was getting frustrated, Duo was pulling teeth here and Heero was never put in a position where he had to explain his feelings involving a female. "But it's just weird for a person to be that way."

"Safe to say you never met someone like that before?"

Heero nodded. Duo smiled at his friend. "So, you like her." he said matter-of-factly.

Heero didn't like hearing that. It made him wonder if that was because that statement was true. Heero remembered what his Uncle told him and knew he wasn't allowed to like her. But he couldn't stay away. Not like he could if he wanted to, they went to the same school after all.

"Trying to make her your lady?"

Furrowed brows and an annoyed expression got shot at Duo's direction. "She's only a friend."

"And like I told your 'friend', that's how it starts." he replied. "You guys got a month in already. Why not go out with her?"

"You know why." a flat response from Heero answered that question. Both of them knowing the problems a relationship between the two of them could present.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Duo sighed, closing his eyes. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

"Hn." As conflicted and ashamed as he always was about his lifestyle and upbringing, he never worried about bringing other people down with him. This is why he couldn't pursue anything other than friendship with Relena, and even that was going too far.

Duo chuckled. "I know how this goes, bud. I ain't gonna stop you from doing anything. Hell, I think that girl might be the best thing for you. Just make sure you do the right thing. If you let shit get out of hand, then the truth gotta come out, you get me?"

"That's why I won't make that mistake. I'm going to school for myself and that's all, so I know I can't allow this to get too crazy." Heero couldn't allow himself to be compromised. His future was at stake and he wasn't about to allow anyone to get in the way of his goals. No matter how nice, caring or beautiful or… Heero had to mentally slap himself to keep from continuing that thought.

"Yeah." Duo agreed, eyes looking upward as he thought about his friend's situation. He was lucky that Hilde came from a similar background. He didn't have to worry about this. "But sometimes you can't stop what's coming. Love is a bitch, my guy."

"I've never let that get to me, I can't let it happen now." Heero's tone was determined. He couldn't get involved. It wouldn't work out for either party involved.

"Hm." Duo eyed zeroed in on his buddy on the bed. "I think you forget sometimes that you're human, and you have a need to be loved." Duo then thought of his own girl, grinning as he did so. That was his ideal for living.

Heero raised an eyebrow at this statement, looking confused at his braided friend's odd sentimentality.

"I mean, doesn't everyone?"


Those two days passed. Heero did his dirt and headed back to school. It was actually refreshing to be back. He wasn't gone for too long, but now knowing what he had at school, it made him want to get away from his usual habitat faster than before. He walked in early for his first class and not surprised to be greeted by the one person in school who could do that.

Relena checked up on him, hoping that everything was alright. Heero assured her he was well, appreciating the concern but not really appreciating how her platinum haired friend looked upon them with a mischievous smirk. Was that her own Duo, this Dorothy person?

The day progressed and Lunch time came. As usual, Heero separated himself, still wanting to have his alone time. Relena of course was surrounded by her friends. Friends who now had some questions they wanted answered.

"You did what!?" Dorothy nearly shrieked when Relena had let slip that she had visited Heero at home. "That's… incredibly bold of you, Miss Relena… I'm… impressed, to be honest."

Trowa and Quatre both looked at each other, also surprised at this revelation. Of course, they both knew what kind of living conditions Heero came from. Relena must really like this kid if she decided to continue to look for him after seeing what his neighborhood looked like, Trowa thought.

"It's no big deal, I just dropped off his school work." Relena said, playing down Dorothy's shock.

"No big deal…" Dorothy huffed. "Going to Heero's house out of the blue is not 'no big deal'." Dorothy continued. "So, did he take you to his room and get a little 'private time' with our dearly beloved Miss Relena?"

"Good lord, Dorothy." Relena rolled her eyes. "No, and he wasn't he even home for most of the time I was there. I caught him at the end, when I was about to leave."

"And what kind of home does our stoic classmate reside in? Was it a nice house somewhere on the east end?" Dorothy asked, forked eyebrows raised in interest. Trowa and Quatre were both also curious to hear this.

Relena was about to eat something when she paused at Dorothy's questioning. She wasn't sure if she should give out any kind of information regarding Heero's home. She remembered how much shame it brought him just to have her see where he came from. It wasn't her place to speak about it, even to some of her closest friends. "No. Let's just say it's… more modest than that." Relena knew that she had classes in rooms that were almost as big as Heero's whole apartment. She didn't know if the others would understand.

"So like a loft or condo…?" Dorothy asked, wondering why Relena was being coy with this particular detail.

"Something like that." Relena nodded as she continued to eat.

Dorothy shrugged. "Well, okay then."

Quatre gave Trowa a look. Trowa nodded, knowing what that look meant. He would have to figure things out on his own. There had to be more to this.

"Anyway, we're heading to Quatre's place after school, gonna come?" Dorothy continued. "And yes, you can bring your boyfriend if you like."

With a roll of the eyes, Relena replied. "Sure, but I'll be late. I promised some underclassmen that I would tutor them a bit after school."

"Ah, always the Good Samaritan." Dorothy teased.

"Just lending a helping hand."

"I'm sure Heero loves that about you." Dorothy watched Relena shake her head at that comment and laughed.


"Thank you Relena!"

"Yeah, we appreciate the help, sometimes this stuff just overwhelms us, you know?"

"No problem, glad I could be of help." Relena smiled at the pair of first year girls as they thanked her. She watched them run off and decided to make her way out of the building. It was already an hour and a half since school ended. She knew Pagan would be pulling up at any second. From there she would go and meet Dorothy and the rest at Quatre's place. With her bag over her shoulder she took off.

The classroom she had been in was next to the gymnasium and Relena decided to cut through there as it was a bit of a shortcut. As she proceeded, she noticed some noise coming from a specific room there. Curiosity got the best of her and she wondered who was still here. It seemed like it was coming from the room with all the weights and workout equipment. She took careful steps and walked up to the entrance.

She looked around and noticed that there was a treadmill being used.

Used by… Heero.

She was stuck in place as she watched Heero, his face showing complete focus on his running. He was wearing shorts and a green muscle shirt. He was clearly in very good shape, his arms were cut up and well defined. She watched as she noticed some sweat drop and travel down the angles of his neck and into the middle of his chest. It made her wonder if his pectoral muscles were equally well kept as his arms. Maybe there were some abs he was hiding under that shirt as well that she wouldn't have minded seeing. Relena shook her head, surprised at the thoughts racing through her mind.

Her cheeks began to flare up and she quickly turned around, almost dropping her bag on the floor. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself. Her face was still hot from all that inappropriate thinking.

Dorothy would have a field day if she knew how flustered these relatively tame thoughts made her. She closed her eyes and took one last breath before sneaking her way out. As much as she would like to talk to Heero, she also didn't want to bother his workout.

And as she was about to walk away, his voice stopped her right in her tracks.

"Relena?"

"Um, hey." She turned around to face him. He had moved from his spot on the treadmill and made his way towards her.

"What're you doing here this late?" Heero asked, thinking he might have been the only student still left in school.

"I, uh, was tutoring some students when classes ended." She explained. 'Oh god, I think I can make out some abs through his shirt.' Her face burned at those thoughts again and she swallowed hard, trying to fight the heat developing in her. "What're you still doing here?"

"I had some time, wanted to use the equipment here." Heero began. "They said I could stay if I closed up the gym for them."

"Oh okay." Relena smiled. "Well, I apologize if I interrupted you. I was about to leave now."

"It's fine." Heero told her. "I was done here anyway." As he said that he went and turned off the lights to the room. They both moved out and Heero threw the locks on as he closed up shop as he had promised.

"I assume your ride is out there?" Heero asked they walked off together.

"He should be." Relena knew Pagan would probably be waiting for her already. "You know, we can take you home if you want, you don't have to wait for the bus."

"Don't worry about it." Heero didn't need her to do that for him. He was fine as is.

"I mean, we've been to your place before."

"And I'd rather you not have to see it again." Heero said with furrowed brows. Still not liking that she did that. She put herself in harm's way for nothing. And make no mistake, Heero very much thought he was nothing.

"I don't mean to offend but you should really try and get over what you feel about where you come from." Relena started, looking over to him. He looked irritated that she said that, which she expected. "At least with me, anyway. I already told you I don't care."

"I do."

"I get it, but I'm on your side." She continued on, wanting him to trust her. "I'll never think of you any differently." 'That's because you don't know the truth, Relena.' Heero metally responded to her.

"Hn." They walked through the basketball court. Heero noticed a ball was still out. As they got close to it he dropped his bag so that he could pick up the ball and take a shot. It was nothing but net. He watched as the ball bounced back to him.

"You're really good." Relena had her arms crossed as she watched him take another shot. "Not like I know much about this sport but I can tell how great you are."

He shook his head. "Not that good, really."

"No need to be so modest, Heero." The honey blonde chuckled. "I saw you play, remember? Why not play for the school?"

"Not interested, I just play for myself." Heero took one more jump shot. It surprisingly bounced off the rim and headed towards Relena's direction.

"Whoa!" She was startled as the ball bounced to her but shocked herself as it landed right in her hands. She blinked, not knowing how she caught it. She looked over at Heero who shrugged and nodded towards the hoop. "You want me to shoot?"

"Give it a try." Heero watched her stand there awkwardly with the ball in her small hands.

"I'm not very good at this." Relena laughed as she got closer to the hoop and removing her bag, knowing that her upper body strength wasn't enough for the distance she was currently standing at. "Okay, here!" Relena didn't so much as shoot the ball as she pushed it away from her. "Ugh…" Relena groaned as the ball barely touched the net and hit the back wall. "Told you." Heero found it… amusing. He gave her a lighthearted smirk before picking the ball back up and approached her.

"Here." Heero gave her the ball back.

"Don't tell me you want to see that again?" Relena just wasn't a sports person. She knew she looked silly doing this.

"Just take it." Heero pressed. Relena sighed and followed his command.

"Now what?"

Heero moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her, hands covering her's. Relena shivered at the closeness they shared and bit her bottom lip. Her breathing had taken a break as she held it. She watched as he adjusted her grip on the ball, making it look like how he would shoot it. He observed as she struggled to keep the ball in her hold but pressed on her hands tightly enough to establish a hold on the ball. Heero also felt goosebumps from the contact. He fought back any awkward actions his body might take. It took a lot of restraint to do anything more considering how pleasant her skin felt and how nice she smelled. He bit his lower lip as well before letting go of her hands and saying "There, try again."

"R-Right…" Relena's breathing normalized again and she nodded. She aimed and nodded. "Here it goes." She took her shot, releasing the ball into the air… this time hitting the front of the rim, with the ball ricocheting away from their direction. Relena laughed and sighed. "This just isn't for me."

"You got rim." Heero mentioned. "Better than before."

"Not saying much." Relena crossed her arms and smiled at Heero's attempt to make her see the glass half full. She relaxed herself and leaned back into Heero, surprising him. "Though I'm sure if you spent enough time teaching me, I would probably be able to develop something resembling a shot."

"Maybe." Her scent was intoxicating and how she was currently using him as a standing support, there was no escaping it. He looked down at her, she wore a content smile and she moved her head to match gazes with him.

"Well, you're good so I'm sure you'd be able to make me even a little better."

Heero shrugged. They held stares, feeling something developing as they continued to get lost in deep seas of blue. Neither knowing how to continue from here. Heero narrowed his eyes as Relena bit her lip and broke away from his scrutinizing look. Their staring match was causing her heart to skip and filled her stomach with butterflies. She felt him tense up but every time they got close his body reacted the same way and he never pushed her away or broke it off. She smiled, hoping that meant he was letting her in.

Her hopes were raised even more when he caught her off guard, taking one of his arms and wrapping her tightly into him.

Heero should have stopped himself but he didn't want this to end. His eyes narrowed more, battling his frustration and his weird feeling towards her. 'Please stay away from me'. Those were the first words he ever uttered to her. And now here he was, not allowing her to get away. Boy, did he fuck this one up, Heero thought.

Relena shifted in his hold, her hands moving up to take a hold on his arm. Her hands gently glided up and down his tough, exposed skin. It caused shockwaves to produce in both of their bodies. Their breathing became stuttered and this whirlwind of emotions picked up and became tougher to deal with when they chose to lock eyes once more.

She held on tightly to his arm as she looked through his brown bangs, wishing she could take a hand through them. She could see some perspiration from his work out still visible on his forehead, but that didn't matter, she still wanted to feel more.

Heero took his free hand and seized the opportunity to run it through her perfect head of golden colored strands. Relena closed her eyes, loving the sensation of his hand gently flying through her head. Heero could hear her exhale, sounding satisfied. His hand traveled downward, very lightly dragging his fingertips to her chin, lifting it upward.

He heard her release a low gasp. Heero eyes switched to focus on her lips, her mouth slightly open. Her eyes remained closed, Relena didn't know what Heero would do next, but she would let him take control. She wanted to see if his actions said anything about how he felt about her. For her part, she was melting into his hold. She felt ready to return whatever affection he showed. A month after their strange first meeting and here she was now.

Falling for Heero Yuy.

Her body began quivering when she felt Heero raise his fingers to smoothly run them over her lips. Heero swallowed a large lump in his throat as he did so. Her lips felt soft to his touch and Relena moved her head around very slowly to feel more. She opened her eyelids halfway just to get enough of a look at him. She felt as if this were a dream, like she was floating in space alone with him. "Heero…" His name came out of her, barely above a whisper.

They way she said his name, made him tremble. But it was also soothing. His index finger ran once more over before he found himself leaning downward, deciding he would close the space between their lips.

Relena closed her eyes again. She wanted to kiss him. To let him know she cared and that she wanted, and perhaps needed him in her life. She felt his breath on her as he got closer.

"Relena…" she heard him mutter.

She was ready.

AN: Thank you for stopping by! Joy Division - An Ideal for Living