AN: Have a good Thanksgiving everyone!
Chapter 14: She Sells Sanctuary
Relena exited Sally's office, closing the door behind her. She leaned her back on it, looking up towards the ceiling with a smile exuding contentment. Heero had stayed behind, telling her he would leave on his own after he collected his thoughts for a bit. Of course, she offered to take him home when he was ready and, as she expected, he declined. She tried to remind him that he would be missing his bus, but he insisted that it was fine, that it didn't bother him. Relena asked him once more if he would be okay, and he gave her a nod. There was a part of her that wasn't sure whether to believe him or not and Heero picked up on that, telling her that all was good; he just needed some time to get himself together.
She would just have to trust him. Relena let him have his way, but reluctantly so. It was frightening to see Heero's body shake like it did. He must've really been going through something difficult to have that kind of reaction. It made her want to stick by his side, which is why she wished he accepted her offer to drop him off. She could at least keep an eye on him till he got home.
But of course he turned her down. She would just have to hope that he would get it together enough to revert back to the being the boy with the steely Prussian eyes that had tossed her invitation on the day they met. That had become such a funny memory now, smirking as she thought of it. Since then their relationship had become something of a bizarre roller coaster ride. They started off badly before they began building a friendship that almost turned romantic before going back down when Heero strangely rejected her and now… this.
It was probably just a friendship again but one that almost saw Relena taking the initiative and kissing Heero. She thought about brushing her lips against his when their heads were together but stopped herself from taking action. She wasn't sure if it was too soon considering how awkward they had been up to that point, nor was she confident that Heero would be fine with it. Relena took the safe route and kept her lips to herself.
But she hoped another opportunity would arise… and if the situation was right, she wouldn't hesitate.
Her cheeks produced a reddish tint and she sighed at the thought.
"He okay?" A voice she knew well brought her back to the present. She turned to look at the boy that helped her bring up the fallen Heero.
"He assures me he is." She answered Trowa. "I'm not confident that he's one hundred percent, but I'll just have to believe in him."
"Guys like that always prefer go through things alone. I can relate in some ways." Trowa commented. "You'll have your hands full with that one." Trowa nodded his head back towards Sally's door.
Relena chuckled. "I guess you're right."
"Pagan know you're on your way?" Trowa asked, knowing she probably didn't intend to spend this much time after school.
"I sent him a message letting him know I would need a little more time." Relena pushed off the door before moving over next to the emerald eyed friend of hers.
"I see." Trowa moved off of his spot on the wall and began walking towards the nearest staircase, Relena moving right beside him. His chance at the girl next to him was short lived. He did what he could in the time allotted, but nothing happened. He truly underestimated the kind of impact that Mr, Yuy had on her. He made sure that he had spent the entire past weekend with her, trying to make things happen, but whenever they were together, she always appeared as if her thoughts were somewhere else.
Or from what he could tell now, her thoughts were with someone else.
After what he saw in the nurse's office, he knew it was time to raise the white flag, to throw in the towel, to tap out. All the metaphors one would use to signal defeat came to mind. He knew it was over.
No fair, he jokingly thought, he met her first. A grin formed on his face.
As they reached the stairs, he noticed Relena pause before descending. "What's up?" Trowa asked.
"Trowa… sorry." Relena gave him an apologetic smile. "I know you were trying… and I was too, but… Heero…"
He raised a hand to keep her from continuing, giving her a smile of his own. "Hey now, I'm no sore loser. I know when I'm over-matched. All I can do is wish you the best of luck."
"Thanks Trowa." Relena was glad she had an understanding friend. She knew who she wanted and it was better to be honest with him.
He shrugged and moved closer to her. "But, if he blows this opportunity…" He reached out to tuck a strand of Relena's hair behind her ear. She took a sharp breath but gave him a smirk.
"I'll know where to find you." Relena replied, a blush returning to her face. She hoped this time would be different with Heero. She already told him that she would forget whatever he said when he tried to push her away. Relena was going to try again and she had a feeling that things would be better this time around.
And if she was wrong… hey, there was always Trowa Barton. Not a bad consolation prize. Though considering how stupidly attractive he was, she had to wonder if he would remain single for long.
But that didn't matter to her now. Making things work with Heero was what she wanted more than anything when it came to her personal life, and something about Heero made her feel like he would be more receptive to her feelings. She hoped, anyway.
"Good." He gave her a wink. "C'mon, I'll walk you to your ride."
Duo remained in front of his guy, watching him dribble the ball, taking a swipe at it here and there as Heero moved from one side to another. Heero pushed into Duo who tried his best to guard him, but Heero backed him down well enough under the hoop before turning to toss the ball in, scoring over Duo.
"Damn…" Duo passed the ball back to Heero who moved it back up to the three point line. He once again started dribbling as Duo moved back up to defend him, but before his braided friend got close enough, Heero rushed in and stopped suddenly to take a mid range shot, scoring yet another point against his friend.
"Some bullshit…" Duo muttered as he grabbed the ball to give it back to Heero. Once more Heero took off and Duo kept up with him. Heero took another shot but this time Duo defended well enough to get it to miss. He grabbed the rebound and ran it back up over the three point line. They continued to have an intense one on one basketball game at the local court in the neighborhood. They always played each other hard. Neither of them would say they were the best on the block, but they were some of the better players around. They saved this kind of play for whenever they went at each other, or when dollars were at stake.
Duo managed to shake Heero off as he laid it up into the basket. Heero grunted, knowing he could've stopped it. He wouldn't let Duo get another easy point. He had to make him work for it and work for it Duo did. He managed to get a few more points in but Heero made him stretch for every single shot. Duo used up more energy than he wanted to as Heero did his best to grind his friend down. At a certain point they went back and forth, shot for shot. One of them would score, but the next play would see the defender come back tougher and get the ball back.
As the game went on, Duo had found himself one point away from finishing their battle. He had the ball and he just needed to put it in the hoop one more time to finish Heero off. He couldn't afford to miss, because that would give Heero the chance to close it out as he was also just one point shy from taking the win. Duo dribbled and dribbled, trying to get as fancy as he could to shake Heero off. He knew he had more success against him when he took him to the basket. He liked his shot enough, but better off to go with what's been working, Duo deduced.
"I'm closing this out. It's gonna be a wrap… watch." Duo began to add some trash talk to his game. He had always had fun talking to Heero during games, win or lose. He gave him a smirk as he shook him off to get enough space to get closer to the basket. "Can't guard me, back off." Heero remained quiet, he never responded to Duo's shit talk. He was all business.
Heero immediately recovered and got right back up on Duo. The boy with the chestnut colored braid took the opportunity to shoot his shot. He liked how it felt leaving his hands but he didn't consider that Heero would jump high enough to tip it and cause the ball to smack rim and fall back into Heero's possession. "Oh come on!" Duo whined, following Heero back up to the three point line.
Duo kept his eye on Heero's movements. The boy with the ball slowed it down, simply dribbling the ball, standing in place as he eyed Duo down.
"Feeling better?" Duo asked, still keeping his attention on the ball.
"Hn." Heero knew what he was asking him about. It was the end of the school week and after the whole passing out incident at school, he spent the rest of his free time locked away in his room. He ignored calls from anyone who tried to contact him and kept to himself. He needed to get lost in his head. He had gone through some rough stuff lately and he felt like he needed to slow the world down for a second so he could get himself back together.
It worked well enough. He spent his time outside of St. Gabriel's walls doing school work, reading and catching up on sleep. Things had come easier to him and he could feel his head start to piece itself back together. Heero figured a lot of that had to do with a specific person who was there when he needed her the most.
She definitely helped in his mental recovery. She saw him at his lowest and she still became someone he could lean on. She gave him something to believe in. He still didn't feel like he deserved it, but he didn't care anymore. He knew she had a spot in his life. Relena gave him hope and in her he found the sanctuary.
And If he hadn't hesitated on that day in the gym, she would've become something more to him than just an important ally.
But maybe that could change, Heero wondered as he switched the ball from hand to another. Maybe he would take the chance to make her the most important person in his life, if she wasn't already.
He just needed the right opportunity and, well, there was tomorrow…
"Your face is looking normal again." Duo noted as he stood there, waiting for Heero to move. His friend's face started to revert back to its original form.
"Hn."
"You gonna go or what?" Duo was getting impatient. Either he was going to try and end the game or Duo was just going to defend him to the point of fouling him to get the ball away. Heero didn't respond, he just backed up farther away from the three point line. Duo looked at him curiously. What was he trying to do?
Heero gave him a faint smile and this got a raised eyebrow from Duo. "What's with you all of a sudden?"
"Nothing at all." Heero took a quick step back and shot the ball from well over twenty-nine feet away from the basket.
A flabbergasted Duo followed the ball that left Heero's hands from a ridiculous distance. There was no way! Duo thought it was a stupid shot to take and he ran up to catch the rebound… but there was none to get. The ball splashed right through the hoop, ending the game. Duo's jaw felt like it would go straight through the concrete under his feet. "You gotta be kiddin'..." To see such a dumb shot go in… yeah, Heero was feeling better all right. Duo shook his head and looked back to see Heero walk over to the rusted out steel bleachers that were court side to take a seat. "Damn, what a stupid way to lose a game." He grabbed the ball that bounced back towards him and ran back up towards his friend. "C'mon, two outta three!"
Heero shook his head and waved him off, not wanting to run it back right now.
"I'm gonna get my win back, you'll see." Duo dribbled some more before putting the ball down and taking a spot next to Heero. "Oh, I forgot to tell you!"
"What?" Heero spun his head over at him.
"Wufei, he's got his fight booked for tomorrow." Duo mentioned, reminding Heero that Wufei had his own money to make. "It's gonna be at that building on 5th street that used to be a drug den. You know the one."
Heero nodded, yeah he remembered. It was raided by the police a few months ago. He was actually on his way there when the cops busted in. He was lucky to be running late that day. "What time is the fight?"
"I'll have to double check with Wufei." Duo replied. "I know it's in the afternoon though."
"Afternoon, huh?" Heero muttered.
"We're going right?"
"Hmm…" Heero kept his vision towards the court. "I won't be able to make it."
"What? Why not?" That was strange, Heero always watched Wufei fight.
"I…" Heero found it hard to say. "I…" Duo watched Heero's expression change, clearly not able to communicate his reason very well.
"You… You… what? Spit out already!" Duo pressed. What was so hard about telling him his reason for his absence at Wufei's fight?
Heero released a labored sigh. He couldn't believe the words that were about to escape his lips. He probably shouldn't even say it, but it came out anyway. It wasn't something he ever thought he would say. Not in a million years.
And Duo most definitely didn't expect to hear what he was about to hear come out of Heero's mouth next.
"I… have a date tomorrow."
Earlier that day, Heero sat on a bench by the fields at school during lunch time. He had his arms crossed and looked towards the sky, watching mindlessly as clouds floated and the birds flew by. He was halfway done with yet another school day and a few more hours away from ending yet another school week.
He raked a hand through his head and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift away. The week started off shitty, but as it progressed things started to find its way back to a relative normalcy. He kept himself home all week and just focused on himself. Today, though, he felt like he got to a point where he could step back out again. He had the idea of contacting Duo to play some ball. Hooping could get intense, but he loved getting lost in the competition. It was a battlefield he didn't mind jumping into.
Here in school, things were about as normal as they could get with him. As usual, he kept to himself, not interested in getting involved with anyone. He would continue to refuse people his attention unless it was absolutely necessary.
Well, not exactly everyone. He owed her his attention, and they went back to where they were before this whole mess. Relena made sure to go out of her way to check up on him everyday since their reconciliation. He would always assure her that he was fine, and she would remind him that she was always available if he needed her. He really appreciated her concern. It used to bother him somewhat to have someone so worried about him, but now he was coming around to the idea.
It was just another way that Relena managed to strike a bit of change within him.
The way she held his face… it was an odd sensation to describe, but when she did that, it was like a ray of light hitting him from the heavens. Her palms were warm and she held him so gently. With their foreheads pressed to one another, he almost felt like if he were in another state of mind, he could have actually done what he almost did when he held her in the gym. His body produced a small shiver as he thought that. It was a little embarrassing to admit, but now he was thinking it would be nice if she were around now.
"Heero?"
It was almost as if his thoughts had summoned her. Heero lifted his eyelids and saw her standing before him, looking both graceful and alluring as always. Her perfectly groomed hair dancing behind her as the breeze ran through it.
"Mind if I have a seat?" She asked.
Heero shrugged. "I don't mind."
She sat beside him, not saying anything to each other right away. They sat in perfectly comfortable silence, both of them taking in their surroundings. They saw other kids pass them by; Relena looked around to see the same things Heero had been looking at before he closed his eyes. It was a perfectly nice day out today. There would be a few more good days out before they began entering a colder change in climate. They would have to take advantage of that.
Relena turned to look over at him and analyzed his features. His face wasn't as badly bruised as it was when she saw him earlier in the week; that tough, unyielding glare that she was used to seeing on him had also appeared to have returned. This pleased the honey blonde greatly.
"Your face looks better." She spoke, ending the silence between them.
"Hn." Heero nodded. He was glad about that. It was a pain in the ass to keep his face covered all the time.
"I wish you would tell me what happened." Relena wasn't sure if she was bothering him by bringing it up. He didn't want to answer it before, so he probably wasn't eager to say anything now.
Heero frowned, but he guessed it couldn't be helped. With a face screwed up like his, there had to be an explanation. He would give her one, he decided, but he would choose to leave out the important facts. She didn't need to know it was a cop who beat on him and that it was basically a suicide attempt on his part.
"I got into a fight." He looked over at her, meeting her stare. "I was by myself and a few guys decided to test me." That's what he decided to run with.
"Really?" She could see how that would leave a mark or two on him. "Why did that happen?"
Heero shrugged again. "No real reason." He said nonchalantly. "Random things like that occur all the time where I'm from."
"Well that sounds awful." Relena shook her head, feeling sorry that Heero had to live in a world of aimless violence. The closer she got to him, the more she concerned herself with his health, physical and mental.
"Now do you understand why I was so upset when you came to see me?" Heero reminded her of that little stunt she pulled.
"I do now." Relena nodded. "But I don't regret doing it. I think it was important for me to see where you're from."
"Not that important, not when it comes to risking your own safety, Relena." Heero chided.
She smirked at him. "But there's nothing to worry about if you're there to protect me, right?"
Heero rolled his eyes. "That's not the point. As you can plainly see, sometimes I can't even protect myself."
"Isn't that what I'm for? To protect you?" Relena reminded him of the words she spoke back in Sally's office.
"No offense, but I may need a little more back up if I'm going up against a bunch of guys again."
Relena chuckled with a nod of her head. "I guess you have a point there, but I would still need to think of something to do to help you in that situation."
"Don't think too hard about it." he replied. "I'll make sure you're never in that kind of predicament."
"By keeping me away from your neighborhood as much as possible." Relena knew what he meant by that.
"Precisely."
Relena sighed. "It's a shame your home is located in such a sketchy part of town. I wouldn't of minded dropping in on you every once in a while." He noticed her eyes soften on him and he simultaneously felt awkward and fortunate… fortunate to have someone like her around. She was keeping him sane, keeping him from losing his mind while he continued living out his life looking over his shoulder.
"Nothing I can do about that, at least not right now." He was here to work on it, to get himself out of there. His eyes looked back out, scanning the scenery, watching students walk past them and through the fields.
They fell back into silence.
The girl beside him thought about what he said and how he had acted recently. From what she could tell, a lot of Heero's personal issues seem to stem from his hatred of his living situation. Being surrounded by what he had to face everyday must've started to break him down. Not that she considered Heero weak or anything because he most certainly wasn't that, but she could tell that he was a lot more sensitive than he let on. He didn't want to be there. Relena was positive that living in the North End was getting to him. Life had caught up with Heero and it was breaking both him down and her heart as well.
She was ready to admit that, at this point, his pain was becoming hers. She didn't want to see him go through what he went through a few days ago again. He was fine now, but that didn't mean he couldn't revert back to a quivering, depressed mess.
No, she wouldn't let that happen. She said she would protect him and she meant it. She cared for him, she… she loved him. Yeah, she was there already. She could say it now, at least to herself.
She loved Heero Yuy.
She was going to do what she could to help him through whatever personal hell he might suffer through.
And she was going to start now. If she was right, and being stuck in the North End was the source of his pain, then she would have to bring him out of there. He needed to spend more time in places that weren't his usual settings. She had an idea, one she had been mulling over these past few days. All she needed was his cooperation. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, collecting herself before turning over to Heero.
"Hey, um, can I ask you something?"
Heero's eyes returned to acknowledge her again. "What is it?" She could've just asked him straight up, Heero thought as he gave her a curious look.
"Are... are you doing anything tomorrow?" Her heart began to pound just a little faster after asking that question.
"Uh, well…" Where did that question come from? He could think of some things he could do, but nothing he really wanted to do. There was some business he had to take care of, but these days his enthusiasm for his work was greatly decreasing. Not that he had much love for it to begin with. "I guess not, why do you ask?"
'Good' she thought to herself as a smile began to form. "Oh, well, I was thinking that maybe it could do you some good to get out of your usual habitat for a day."
"What do you mean by that?" Heero frowned, not getting what she was implying.
"What I mean is…" Now there was heat beginning to rush to her face. "How about you and I go do something tomorrow?" She swallowed down the lump forming in her throat. Her mind began racing, hoping that he would accept.
Oh… Heero wasn't expecting that. Now he began to feel funny. It was aggravating to all of a sudden feel his stomach become bombarded with butterflies. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. He thought about her question again and it sounded like… "Uh… so like a… date?" Those words felt so strange coming out of his mouth. It was actually kind of uncomfortable.
"Um, well, I suppose you could look at it that way, sure." As stoic as he could be sometimes, he was very easy to read right now. He looked so bewildered to the point where it was actually kind of cute. This got a chuckle out of her and a frown out of him. "We don't have to do anything crazy. I was thinking maybe just a simple stroll through a park. The weather is still nice so I figured we could do something outdoors. You don't have to say yes, it was just something I thought you might want to do that didn't involve being stuck in the North End all day long."
She watched him turn away, his eyes narrowing. He didn't look too happy and she felt deflated. She was really hoping he would accept, not just because of her strong feelings for him, but because she knew he needed it. Yes, she selfishly wanted to spend the day with him, but she also had his well-being in mind. She turned away and got rid of another lump down her throat and began feeling stupid for asking now that Heero had yet to respond. His expression hadn't changed. She figured it was best to rescind her offer.
One step forward, two steps back. Relena sighed.
"Sorry, I guess that was a du-"
"Fine, we can do whatever you want." He nodded over to her as he stood up, noticing lunchtime was beginning to wrap up. She was right, he could use some time away from his usual bullshit and… that meant he could spend more time with her, in his sanctuary. The place where he could find peace.
Okay… "Uh…" Relena happily shook off her negative thoughts and stood up alongside him as she noticed lunch end, as well. "Good!' Her lips curved upwards as much as they possibly could. She wouldn't get too animated here in front of him, but to say that she was elated to hear him accept her offer would be an understatement. She could freak out when she got home.
"I'll… walk you to your next class, let's go." Heero's feet moved back towards the building. Relena nodded, she placed a fist on her chest, as if trying to keep her heart from bursting out of her. She caught up with Heero and the two of them retreated to the school they shared.
Side by side.
AN: The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary"
