A.C. 200
Heero Yuy moved silently in the shadows of the big ballroom, watching the crowd for anyone who looked suspicious. Zechs, across the room, met his eyes briefly and they shared a nod. He had gotten a tip that an assassination attempt would take place tonight, and had enlisted Heero’s help in protecting Relena. Right now the young Vice Foreign Minister was the center of a large group of people and laughing merrily at someone’s joke.
He sighed. The fact that they were such polar opposites made his feelings for her even more confusing. He would never be comfortable as the center of attention like she was. He preferred to stay in the shadows, at a distance, away from the sunlight that seemed to accompany her wherever she went.
A small dais was set up on one side of the room, and a man stepped up onto it and walked to the microphone. "Can I have everyone’s attention just for a moment," he said. "Even though this is a going-away party for Ms. Darlian, we’d also like to wish her a happy belated birthday. So let’s give her a big round of applause."
As the crowd clapped, Heero walked quickly toward the dais. He knew what was going to happen next. It was inevitable. Soon enough, someone shouted out "Speech!" and the cry was taken up by others. Relena protested, but allowed herself to be pushed up onto the dais, and she went to the microphone. "Thank you," she said, her hands clasped modestly in front of her.
She continued speaking, but Heero didn’t hear anything. There, he thought, his eye catching a telltale flash of metal from the balcony behind Relena. He snapped into action, running toward her, weaving nimbly through the crowd. Unaware of the danger, she stood alone and vulnerable, smiling as she spoke. He saw her eyes widen in surprise when he burst through the front of the crowd and ran toward the dais. He put one foot on the dais as the assassin finished steadying his aim and lunged forward, tackling her. The shot rang out as the killer’s bullet put a hole in a spot just ahead of where Relena had been standing.
Screams and chaos erupted, but when Heero looked up, he saw that some of the guests had had the presence of mind to grab the assassin and force him to the floor. He looked down at Relena. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," she said, sitting up. She looked at him and smiled. "I thought I saw you earlier, but I wasn’t sure. Thank you."
"I didn’t hurt you, did I?" he asked as he helped her to her feet.
"No, I’m fine." She looked around the room, where order was slowly being regained. "I’m glad you decided to do something more than just follow me around, pretending to be invisible," she said, looking back at him.
His eyes widened slightly in surprise. "What?"
She smiled impishly. "I caught a glimpse of you a few months ago...and then last month I saw you again, so I made a guess. Was I right?"
Stunned, all he could do was nod. Underestimate her, and of course you’re going to be surprised, a part of his mind chided. She’s not the Vice Foreign Minister just because of her name, you know.
She giggled, and then made a face. "Listen to me. You’d think I was still a silly teenager, the way I’m carrying on."
Zechs stepped up on the dais and walked over to them. "The assassin is in custody," he said, "so you should be safe for the rest of the night."
Relena hugged him. "Thank you, Milliardo, although I wish you would have told me."
"I didn’t want you to be afraid," he said, hugging her back.
When they released one another, Heero was gone. "Heero?" Relena said, scanning the room for him. She saw him halfway to the door. "Heero, wait!"
"I’ll get him," Zechs said, jumping to the floor and going after him. He caught up with him outside. "Where do you think you’re going?"
"Somewhere," Heero replied, not stopping or looking back.
"You’re just going to go? Leave her again?" Heero didn’t say anything and kept walking. "She loves you, you know!" Zechs shouted, frustrated.
Now Heero did stop, and he turned. "I know," he said, Prussian blue eyes meeting Zechs’ ice blue ones for a moment. Then Heero turned and walked away, melting into the darkness while Zechs watched helplessly.
~Six Months Later~
At one of the many balls celebrating the fifth anniversary of the end of the war between Earth and the colonies, Relena tried to keep smiling as Charles stepped on her right foot again while he tried to slide his hand down her back to grab her rear. The music ended just in time and she got out of his grasp as fast as was polite, begging off the next song on the pretense of being a little tired by all the dancing they had done that evening. As Charles went off to find some other girl to dance with and grope, she walked out to the palace garden.
Finding her favorite bench next to a rosebush that bore deep red flowers, she sat down and sighed. Looking up at the stars, she murmured softly, "What a sham my life has become, Father. Smiling at that...lecherous pig while inside I just loathe him. The only reason I’m dating him is because I didn’t want Milliardo and Lucrezia to worry about me, especially while they should be enjoying their new marriage. I think he’s going to propose tonight, too. What can I do? I can’t just say no in front of all these high-society people, but I really don’t want to say yes, either, because then I’ll really be stuck. Would he take a ‘maybe’?" She sighed again. "Probably not." She leaned forward and inhaled the sweet scent from one of the blossoms. "Oh well, I guess I’d better get back inside before they come looking for me," she said as she got up. She walked back into the building, not noticing as a slim shadow detached itself from that of a nearby tree and slipped silently to the rosebush.
Charles found her at the refreshment table under the gallery and began to lead her back to the dance floor. As they came out from under the gallery, something dropped at Relena’s feet. She looked down, startled, and was even more startled when she saw what it was. It was one of the deep red roses. She picked it up and looked up, but no one along the railing of the gallery looked familiar.
"C’mon, let’s just dance," Charles said, grabbing her arm, but she pulled away.
"You’ll have to excuse me for a while," she said, and climbed the stairs to the gallery. She walked the length of the gallery, peering at faces but not seeing the one person she thought might have been eavesdropping in the garden and dropped the rose for her. Then she saw the partially hidden slim figure standing in a corner of a balcony, and she walked out onto it. "Heero?"
"Relena," he replied softly. He was clothed in a pair of jeans, a dark t-shirt, and tennis shoes, but Relena found herself thinking that he’d never looked better.
"How’d you get up on the balcony without someone seeing you?"
He motioned toward the outside wall. "There’s a trellis."
"Oh...that makes sense. Why are you here?"
"I thought you’d want to see me again."
His near-nonchalant tone of voice angered her, and she threw the rose down. "Wanted to see you again! As if seeing you were some kind of great event that I wouldn’t want to miss! Do you think you can just waltz in and out of my life as you please and have me throw myself at your feet whenever you deign to show up?"
His eyes widened almost imperceptibly in surprise. "Relena--"
"I’ve spent half my life following you around and fawning over you, and you’ve never given me any evidence that you give a damn about me!"
"I...I gave you that bear," he said, looking uncomfortable.
"My father gave me teddy bears too. It’s a polite, socially acceptable gift. It doesn’t mean anything." There was a slight tremble in her voice, and she fought to keep her sudden need to cry from taking over. The gift had meant something to her, but she couldn’t let him know that. She was tired of being used and abused by nearly everyone in her life, and this was a good a place as any to start.
"I just...I came because...I wanted to ask you to wait for me," Heero said. "Just a little longer, Relena."
She shook her head. "I’ve waited for you before, and I’m tired of waiting. I’m tired of you taking my acceptance for granted. You’re not worthy of the kind of devotion I’ve given you!" She began to storm back inside, but his voice stopped her. There was an odd, broken, almost emotional quality about it that made her turn and look at him.
"You’re right," he said. "I’m not worthy. I...I won’t bother you anymore." He turned toward the balcony rail.
She abruptly burst into tears and ran toward him, falling on her knees and flinging her arms around his waist. "Don’t go!" she cried. "Please don’t!" She knew that in the morning she’d probably hate herself for being so weak, but right now she couldn’t help it. The sight of him had been such a shock, and to have him disappear again so soon would be even worse. She felt him trying to move her arms and held tighter.
"Relena, it’s okay, I’m not leaving," he said. He gently pulled her arms away from his waist and turned around, kneeling in front of her. With a sob, she wrapped her arms around his waist again and buried her face in his shoulder. He put his arms around her and held her while she cried, one hand stroking the hair that cascaded down her back. "I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you," he said softly. A thought crossed his mind, and he said, "You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before."
She looked up at him, surprise etched on her face. Then she laughed. "I don’t very often...only when I get really mad." He released her and she sat back, sniffling a little. "Before...why did you leave?"
"I’ve had a lot of things to think about, and I think best when I’m alone."
"You couldn’t have at least told me that?"
He shrugged a little and then impulsively reached out and wiped the last of her tears away with his fingers. She smiled. "That brings back memories."
"Good ones?"
"Yes." She bit her lip, then sighed. "Heero, I don’t know if I can wait for you. Things are kind of getting out of my control."
"I know. I heard you talking in the garden. If he asks, why can’t you just say no?"
"And embarrass and insult him in front of everyone? I’d never hear the end of it."
"He’d deserve it."
She smiled. "Yes, but that’s not the point. There are just some things you don’t do in public."
"So do it in private." At Relena’s expression, he added, "but he’d probably make it public, right?"
"Definitely. He’d cause such a commotion that the entire kingdom would hear it."
He helped her to her feet and then leaned back against the railing. "How do you get into these situations?" he asked.
She put her hands on her hips. "Well, when the man I love disappears for six months, what am I supposed to do?"
"Wait for him to make up his mind," he said with a hint of a smile.
"With both my brother and Lucrezia going ‘You really should get over him and get on with your life’ all the time? It’s practically impossible!" She threw her hands up in exasperation as she finished speaking.
"So what are we going to do?"
She cocked her head and cast an appraising eye over him. "You’re almost as tall as my brother. Why don’t you borrow something formal and come join the dance?"
As if on cue, Zechs’ voice reached their ears from where he stood just beyond the balcony. "Relena, everyone’s wondering where you are." He stepped into view and saw Heero. The two eyed one another for a moment. "So..." Zechs finally said. "The prodigal finally returns."
"Milliardo, please..."
"Relena--"
"She already yelled at me," Heero interrupted.
"Yelled at you?" Zechs looked from Heero to Relena.
She drew herself upright. "I’m not completely without dignity where he’s concerned, my dear brother. He got an earful from me about his behavior." Smiling, she switched the subject. "He’d like to join the party, but he doesn’t have anything to wear. You have something you could loan him, don’t you?"
"I--uh--yes, I think so." He looked at Heero, who seemed equally off-balance.
"Good," she said. "I’ll get back to the dance and let you two take care of the details."
She left the balcony, and Heero muttered, "How does she do that?"
"Make everyone do what she wants without making it seem like an order or raising her voice? Beats the hell outta me."
"I never said I was going to stay, but now I feel obligated..."
Zechs laughed softly. "Welcome to life with Relena."
In a short while, Heero was dressed in one of Zech’s tuxedos. It did fit fairly well, and where it was a little loose, it wasn’t noticeable. "Why would you ever need more than one of these?" he asked.
"You’d be surprised," Zechs said dryly.
Heero stared at himself in the mirror. "I guess I’ll have to get used to this."
"So you’re planning on staying, then?"
"Yeah."
"Well, if it means anything to you, I give you permission to ask Relena for her hand in marriage."
They stared at each other for a long moment, and then identical little smiles curled the corners of their mouths. "We’d better get back to the party before Relena starts to think that we killed each other," Zechs said.
As they walked back to the ballroom, Heero said, "So you married Noin?"
"I don’t think I had much choice in the matter. She wouldn’t leave me alone until I did."
"Don’t you listen to a word he says," Noin interjected from where she was leaning against the wall near the doorway. "When he proposed, he was pale and trembling and his eyes were going ‘Please, please, please don’t reject me...’ I almost said no just to see if he’d pass out or cry."
"Is that why you instantly flung your arms around my neck and nearly deafened me by screaming ‘yes’ in my ear?" Zechs countered, smiling. As they leaned toward one another to share a quick kiss, Heero could tell that their argument was already an old joke between them. They put an arm around each others’ waists and began to walk into the ballroom.
"Hey, Zechs," Heero called.
Zechs half-turned and looked at him. "Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Zechs nodded. "You’re welcome." He turned away again and began a soft conversation with Noin as they walked away.
Heero walked into the ballroom and looked for Relena. He saw her on the dance floor with a young man he guessed was her boyfriend. As he watched, the man’s hand began sliding downward from the small of her back. Smarmy bastard, he thought, startling himself with the intensity of his dislike for this man he had never met. Maybe he was more in love with her than he was letting himself think. Nah. In his most secret innermost thoughts, he utterly adored her, and he knew that very well.
He made his way through the people to where they were dancing and tapped the man on the shoulder. "May I cut in?"
"No," the man said.
"Charles, that isn’t very nice," Relena chided.
Charles put a finger on her lips and smiled at her. "Hush, pet, I’m talking." He looked at Heero again. "Go find someone else to dance with."
Pet? Heero thought. Who in God’s name would be so stupid as to call Relena pet and act like she was nothing but...but window dressing? While young and vulnerable looking, Relena was a force to be reckoned with when she was focused on a goal. She was the vice foreign minister, after all, and it couldn’t be easy to conduct negotiations with a bunch of self-serving politicians. But somehow she managed very well. And by the look on her face, she didn’t like being shut up by this arrogant fool.
"Charles, dearest, we’ve been dancing all night. I’m sure there are others who would like to dance with me." Her smile was insincere and her tone was just short of icy as she firmly removed herself from his arms and held out a hand to Heero. "Lead the way," she said, giving him a much more genuine smile. Gathering her against him, Heero spun her expertly back into the dance. "Thank you," she said with a sigh. "I don’t know how much longer I could stand him. If he put his hand on my rear one more time, I was going to stomp on his foot."
"Maybe I should’ve waited, then," Heero replied. She laughed. "How’d you get involved with him? He doesn’t seem like your type at all."
"I thought his behavior was chivalrous at first, you know, the whole opening doors and pulling out chairs bit, but then he started getting jealous and overpossessive. By the time he became thoroughly chauvinistic, I couldn’t get away from him."
When the music ended, they were on the far side of the dance floor from where Charles was still standing. Spurred by a sudden idea, Heero grabbed her hand. "Come on," he said, pulling her through the crowd. From the corner of his eye, he saw Charles start after them, and he walked faster. He led her back down the hallway that led to Zechs and Noin’s room and, he assumed, the other bedrooms in the mansion.
"What are you doing, Heero?" Relena asked, pulling her hand out of his.
He stopped and looked at her. "Let’s just go."
"Go where?"
He shrugged a little, then said, "The colonies."
"You’re suggesting I just abandon my guests and my party and fly off with you to the colonies?" she asked, trying to sound annoyed, but she couldn’t hide the smile that twitched at the corners of her mouth.
"Yeah."
"And what if I say no?"
He smiled for the first time in her memory, but it wasn’t the tentative half-smile she’d always expected to see. It was an out-and-out mischievous, Duo Maxwell-quality grin. It should have warned her, but she still gave a squeak of surprise as he lifted her by the waist and threw her over one shoulder. He continued walking down the hall as she hung upside down, laughing and protesting.
He set her on her feet in Zechs’ room. "So are you coming?"
"This is so unlike you. I can’t remember you ever being this spontaneous before," she said, breathless from laughing. "Did Duo drug you or something?"
"Maybe I had this all planned."
"If you expect me to believe that, you’re crazy," she said, and he shrugged. "How long are you planning on being gone?" she asked.
"A couple days...a week, something like that."
"Okay. I’ll go run and change and pack and I’ll meet you here."
He nodded, and she disappeared out the door, her high heels clicking on the floor as she hurried to her room. He contemplated his actions as he changed back into his jeans and t-shirt. Why was he being so spontaneous? He certainly hadn’t planned on taking her to his apartment in L1 tonight. That wasn’t supposed to be for a few months at least. He couldn’t put his finger on a specific reason and shrugged mentally. Maybe it was just the events of the night and being close to Relena again.
He laid out the tuxedo so it wouldn’t wrinkle and then sat down to wait for Relena. He didn’t have to wait for very long before she knocked softly and slipped back into the room. She was dressed similar to him, although her shirt was purple. Her hair was up in a ponytail and for once she looked like an average young woman rather than her usual all-business self. All she was carrying was a duffel bag, and he raised an eyebrow, his gaze switching from the bag to her face. "Just because I’m female doesn’t mean I feel like I have to take half my closet with me," she said.
"True," he said as he got up. They walked out into the hall and almost bumped into Charles.
"Where do you think you’re going with my fiancee?" he yelled angrily.
"I’m not your fiancee!" Relena yelled back. "The only reason I even began dating you was because I didn’t want Lucrezia and my brother to worry about me. We’re over, Charles. Go find some other girl to grope!" Heero grabbed her hand and they ran down the hall together, Relena unable to stop the excited laughter that bubbled up out of her.
They were outside when Zechs burst out of the building and shouted, "Relena!"
They stopped and looked back as Noin came up beside him. "We’ll be back, don’t worry!" she called.
"Where are you going?" Noin asked.
"The colonies!" They turned and ran again, forestalling any further questions from Zechs and Noin.
* * * * *
The shuttle trip to L1 passed in silence. Heero concentrated on flying, and Relena stared out the window, watching the stars. When they docked at the colony, Heero led Relena through the streets to his apartment building. They took the elevator to the top floor and walked down the hall. He stopped at the door, then unlocked and opened it, gesturing for Relena to step inside first.
She gazed around in silent awe as she took in the living room of his apartment. It was sparsely but tastefully furnished, with a couch and two chairs that had carved wooden arms and deep gold upholstering that brought out the faint yellow of the wall paint. A couple of cloth hangings of Japanese artwork graced the walls. A small table sitting next to one of the chairs held a decorative lamp, obviously for use when reading. She wandered through the apartment, trailed by Heero, enchanted by the entire place. After all the opulence she was used to seeing every day, the minimalist decorating style was indescribably beautiful and extended to all the rooms of the apartment. She couldn’t decide whether she liked the living room or the bedroom better, with its pale blue walls, darker blue carpet, and matching oak dresser, bedside table, and headboard. A lamp that matched the one in the living room sat on the bedside table. The bed was made up with sheets that matched the walls. "Did you do all the decorating?" she asked.
"Yeah," Heero replied. "This place was a disaster area when I first rented it. It took a while to fix it up."
"It was worth all your hard work. It’s so lovely. The whole place just emanates peace and serenity." She sighed deeply, then looked at him and smiled. "You could make a living designing getaways for overworked politicians and company executives."
"Why would I want to?"
She laughed. "Good point."
"I have to go out and get some things," he said. "Don’t be afraid to make yourself at home while I’m gone."
"Thank you," she said, and he walked out of the apartment.
When Heero returned later with bags of groceries, the apartment was silent. "Relena?" he called out, nudging the door shut with his foot and walking to the kitchen. He set the bags down and walked out of the kitchen and down a hallway leading to the bathroom and his bedroom. The bathroom door was open, but the shower curtain was damp, as was one of the towels. Okay, so she took a shower. Next stop, the bedroom. The door was closed, and he knocked. "Relena?" he said again. No answer, so he opened the door. She was asleep in his bed, on top of the sheets, wearing nothing but the purple t-shirt and underwear. Her slim legs were pale-skinned and rounded just right in the calves and thighs. Wow, he thought, startling himself again, this time with the lustful thoughts that were circulating through his head. He wanted to touch her. Instead, he pulled a blanket from a shelf in his closet and covered her, then grabbed another blanket and a pillow and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He had spent a few weeks on the couch while he was repairing the bedroom, and one more wouldn’t hurt him.
After he put the groceries away, he realized he was dead tired, so he kicked off his shoes and curled up on the couch. He drifted away almost as soon as he pulled the blanket over him.
The next morning Relena tried to get him to agree to sleeping in the bed while she slept on the couch for the rest of the week, but he refused. He also refused to let her pay for anything when they went out sightseeing or shopping that week.
That was one thing he’d never let Duo see him do, he decided. He’d never hear the end of it if the baka knew he actually kind of enjoyed trailing after Relena through the mall. Although, to be truthful, it wasn’t too arduous of a task as she mostly window-shopped and only bought a few things on their trips. He felt sorry for the few guys he saw whose girlfriends or wives lived up to the stereotype of "shop ‘till you drop", or in their cases, until their men’s arms dropped off from all the bags they had to lug around.
On their last day, they went to an amusement park where they rode everything and ate until they were almost sick. Well, until Heero was almost sick, anyway. He was disgruntled by the fact that while they had both eaten hot dogs right before going on a roller coaster, he was the one trying not to lose his food while she wasn’t even fazed. But she sat patiently with him until he had recovered enough to keep walking. When they passed the game stalls, Relena caught sight of a huge stuffed tiger hanging above one of the games. "Ooooh, look!" she exclaimed, pointing at it.
They walked over to the game stall. In the middle of the stall, a number of large glass bottles with thin necks sat packed together in a square. "Wanna try it?" the attendant asked. "Get a ring on a bottle and you win a prize. Only a buck for seven rings."
Heero smirked a little. "Do you get seven prizes if you get all seven rings on the bottles?" he asked.
The attendant laughed. "It’s a lot harder than it looks, friend. I don’t think anybody would be able to do that."
Heero handed the man a dollar and received seven small plastic rings in return. He examined them a moment, and then with quick, practiced tosses landed every ring on a bottle. Relena laughed and hugged him while the attendant stared in shock. "I...uh...I don’t think it’s policy to give out seven prizes to one customer," he stammered.
"That’s okay, I only want one," Relena said, giggling. The attendant handed her one of the tigers and they walked away, Relena hugging the tiger and giggling softly. Heero smiled faintly as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
Back at the apartment, Relena hugged the tiger again before setting it in a corner of the living room. "You really like that thing, huh?" Heero said as he sat on the couch. She nodded. "Good to know my abilities are still useful for something."
"You’ve been so good to me this week, Heero, thank you," Relena said as she sat down beside him.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I know I must’ve been annoying, dragging you all over the place with me, but you haven’t said anything about it."
"You haven’t been annoying. I...well, to be perfectly honest, I enjoyed doing things with you."
"Really?" she said, looking at him in surprise. "Even shopping?"
He smiled a little. "Well, I might have had a different opinion about that if you bought every little thing that caught your eye or spent three hours in a shoe store trying on fifty different pairs without buying anything."
She drew herself upright and took on an offended tone. "I’ll have you know, Mr. Yuy, that I am a practical shopper. I won’t buy something if I’m not going to use it, wear it, or give it away as a gift."
"Good." His smile grew a little wider. "I still think you should’ve gotten Zechs those little plastic hair clip things with the butterflies and flowers."
She burst out laughing the same way she had when he’d first showed them to her and suggested it. "He’d kill me!" she said. "Or you, for giving me the idea in the first place."
"More likely me than you."
"Yeah..." she said, her smile disappearing as she looked down at her hands.
"Is something wrong?"
She bit her lip. "I was wondering if..."
"What?"
"Nothing. Never mind."
"Relena, tell me," Heero said as gently as he could.
She looked up at him. "Heero, would you sleep with me?"
"What?" he said, startled. Did she just say what he thought she said?
"Oh!" she exclaimed, giggling. "That came out wrong. Well, it didn’t really, but I mean sleep in the literal sense, not the euphemistic one."
"Oh," he replied. "Of course, if that’s what you want."
"I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t what I wanted," she said, standing up and stretching. "I’m going to shower first tonight, if that’s all right with you."
"That’s fine," he replied.
When he walked into the bedroom after his shower, she was sitting on the bed wearing a nightgown that barely reached her knees. He was wearing nothing except a pair of black boxers, and when she looked at him she quickly dropped her gaze, a delicate flush covering her cheeks. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing," she replied, looking at him again. "I’ve just never seen you like that before."
"Like what?"
"Undressed."
He looked down at his boxers and then back at her. "I’m not undressed."
She sighed. "You know what I mean."
He lay down on the bed and looked up at her. "That tank top I was so attached to five years ago didn’t hide much."
"Yeah, but..." She grinned at him. "But you were this skinny, wiry kid. You weren’t all muscular like you are now."
With a swift movement, he pushed her down to the bed, ignoring her startled squawk and pulling her nightgown down so it was tight over her breasts. "I don’t seem to remember you having this much of a chest, either," he teased.
She shoved him away and sat up, crossing her arms over her chest. "So I developed late. Big deal." When he didn’t say anything, she turned away from him and started to push herself off the bed. "I think I’ll sleep on the couch tonight."
He caught her, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her back. "Relena, wait. What’s the matter?"
She twisted around to look at him. "Just because I was the richest girl in school doesn’t mean I never had any moments of insecurity about my appearance, especially when a lot of the girls started looking a lot more...mature...than me. They all liked me because I was rich and friendly, but I know the boys didn’t think I was very attractive."
"That blond guy liked you."
She snorted scornfully. "Who, the Edgar Allen Poe look-a-like?"
Heero laughed, then sobered. "You were beautiful then, and you’re beautiful now. Who cares about what happened in the past?"
"Yeah, you’re right. Sorry I’m being so snappish tonight."
"That’s okay. You’re probably just tired."
They simultaneously became aware that his free hand was lightly rubbing one of her legs, and he jerked his hand away, embarrassed. "Sorry."
She giggled. "I think we both need some sleep."
"Yeah."
They slid under the covers, and Relena turned on her side, her back to him. Heero turned off the lamp and settled back with his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling while his eyes adjusted to the dim light coming in the window from the street. He was dozing off when he heard the sheets rustle as Relena turned over and slid over to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and draped one arm across his waist. "Good night, Heero," she murmured.
He lowered his arms, one snugging her body a little closer to his, the other crossing over Relena’s at his waist. "Good night, Relena," he whispered.
While her breathing gradually settled into the slow rhythm of deep sleep, Heero remained awake, staring into the dark. Her body was a warm, comforting presence at his side and he had to confess that the week had been entirely enjoyable. She was mature, intelligent; a far cry from the foolish, rather annoying schoolgirl she’d been when he’d first met her. He knew it wouldn’t be all fun and games, but could he see himself doing this or something like it for the rest of his life? He smiled. Hell yeah. With that decided, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
* * * * *
When they returned to Earth, Relena had to immediately pack and head off to more meetings in the colonies. Heero watched as Pagen set the last of her bags down in the hallway near the door. She walked over to him. "Are you coming with me?"
Heero shook his head. "Not right now."
Fine worry lines appeared on her forehead. "But..."
He reached out and cupped her face with one hand, his thumb rubbing her cheek. "Don’t worry, Relena. I’ll be around."
She sighed and leaned her face into his hand, knowing she would have to be content with that. "Okay."
* * * * *
True to his word, Heero was around, and she became accustomed to returning to her hotel room some days and finding him stretched out on the bed, waiting for her. After a day or two in her company, he would disappear as suddenly as he had appeared, and she got used to that, too. It was an odd courtship, she thought, but then she had never known Heero to do things the normal way.
She didn’t see him on her birthday, but there was a present wrapped in gold paper sitting on the bed when she returned to her room one evening. When she opened the gift, she collapsed into laughter. "I should have guessed," she said to herself, holding the package of colorful plastic barrettes with flowers and butterflies.
* * * * *
As she walked into the conference room one morning, the assistant handed her a small box and a note. "A young man asked me to give this to you," he said.
Relena smiled, knowing who it was from. "Thank you," she said. She examined the box first. It was one of the velvet-covered ones that usually held rings or other jewelry. She set it on the conference table and opened the note. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as a fine trembling took up in her body. In Heero’s impeccable handwriting, the note said:
Relena,
Will you marry me?
Heero
Snatching up the box, Relena ran from the conference room and scanned the hallway. He has to be here somewhere, she thought. Please, let him be here. She looked back and forth over and over again, but she couldn’t see him. She bit her lip, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. This wasn’t how she’d imagined his proposal, a velvet box and a distant note handed to a stranger to deliver to her. But he was gone. Didn’t he even want to know what she would say? Don’t be ridiculous, he knows you’d say yes, her mind said, but she pushed that thought away. That wasn’t the point. The point was he was supposed to be there for a tender, loving, emotional moment like a proposal. She felt a flare of anger and her hand tightened on the box. If he didn’t feel the need to be around for his own proposal, that was fine with her. He just better not expect her to say yes. She deserved better than this.
"Miss Vice Foreign Minister, are you all right?"
She turned to see one of the colony delegates standing at the door and looking at her. "Yes, I’m fine," she said.
"All the conference members are assembled," he said.
She nodded. "All right, I’m coming." The man nodded and disappeared back into the room, letting the door shut behind him.
She walked to the door and had her hand on the knob when she heard the voice behind her. "Relena."
She turned and looked at Heero. He was dressed up a little, in brown slacks and a black turtleneck, but he stood comfortably, hands stuffed in his pockets. "So you are here after all," she said.
"Yeah," he said simply. He walked over to her and gently took the box from her hand. "You don’t like it?"
"I...didn’t look at it yet," she said softly. "I was too busy trying to find you."
"What did you need to find me for?"
"I need to hear you say it," she said, the tears flowing down her face. "Please say it, Heero. Please."
He took her hands and put the box in her cupped palms, curling her fingers around it. He smiled a little, just a faint curling at the edges of his mouth. "Relena," he said softly, "will you marry me?"
"You won’t ever leave me again?" she asked.
He shook his head slightly, eyes never leaving hers. "Never."
She hugged him. "Yes," she said, "I will marry you."
She released him and opened the box. For the second time that day, her mouth dropped open in surprise. "Ohhh..." she breathed. A good-sized diamond crowned a simple gold band with two smaller diamonds set into the band on either side of it. Heero took it out of the box and slid it on her finger, and she admired it. "It’s so beautiful."
The door opened and broke the magic of the moment by bumping into Relena and making her stumble into Heero. "Oh, Miss Vice Foreign Minister, I’m so sorry!" the colony delegate said when he saw what he had done.
"It’s all right, I’m fine," Relena replied, trying not to laugh. "I’ll be right there, I just had to discuss something important with Heero." The man nodded and shut the door, and she looked at Heero, giggling softly. "I guess I’d better go."
"I’ll be waiting," he said. "You are going to be free for dinner, aren’t you?"
"Oh yes," she replied. "I will most definitely be free for dinner."
"Good," he said, then ducked his head and kissed her, lips brushing her cheek. "I love you, Relena," he said.
"I love you, too," she replied.
He walked away, gradually vanishing into the crowd. Relena sighed deeply and turned to the conference room door, glancing down at her ring again. Realization washed over her like a wave and she almost burst into tears again, only this time from joy. Heero had actually asked her to marry him! They were going to spend the rest of their lives together, starting that night at dinner. Oh God, she thought as she opened the door and walked inside the room, realizing she had to get through the day before she’d see Heero again. This is going to be an unbearably long meeting!
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