Author: the Black Rose
Pairing: Heero x Relena
Word Count: 693
AN: Written for Psyche and Dracostella's 101 ways to snog en route to a colony http://www.happyfangirl.org/snogs/index.htm
This is set in the Gundam universe - in the storyline of a series fic I'm working on, but it can stand on it's own. I hope you'll enjoy it.
Love,
Rose
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January 21, AC 206
ESUN Presidential Shuttle en route to L1
Relena stared across the shuttle aisle at her newly appointed head of the Preventer agency. His tousled mane hung down into his face as he studied the printed pages of his presentation.
They were crumpled at the edges where he held them. His face was pale, his jaw line tight and severe. The uniform of a general leant him an air of someone much older than his twenty-six years.
A small, sympathetic smile turned up the corners of her mouth and she moved across the aisle to sit next to him. "Are you ready?" She put a hand on his shoulder as she slid into the seat.
He looked up at her and scowled.
"Heero, you'll do fine."
He shrugged out of her grasp. "I didn't ask for this."
She retracted her hand; hurt gripped her heart in a vice. He had resisted throughout the entire process of having him appointed, the congressional hearings, the political maneuvering and backlash from others within the agency who considered themselves 'next in line'. "We've already been over this. I know you don't think you're the best suited for this position, but you were the only one I could trust."
"You could have trusted Une."
"Not the way I trust you." She looked at him, trying to plead her case. Heero had to know this was about more than the job description. He deserved more than this small 'political favor'. He could have a career that would outlast her own newly elected position.
He continued to stare straight ahead. "She agrees with you more than I do."
"I don't need someone who agrees with me. I need you."
His eyes closed; the papers, his report, began to tear. And she felt like she would tear with it. She wouldn't be here, the president of ESUN if it wasn't for him. It was their partnership, regardless of his past and her heritage, that had gotten her this far, and kept the Earth and colonies at peace for so long.
"I wasn't meant for this." He opened his eyes and turned to face her. She could see the lines etched in his face and the dark circles under his eyes. He was hurting, scared, unsure. And she could feel it, too.
"I wasn't meant for y-"
She cut off the rest of his protest with a kiss. Her lips pressed against his and she leaned into him as his arms came up to wrap around her. The dim sound of pages scattering across the floor reached her ears, but she didn?t care. She lost herself in his warmth, his scent, the coffee flavor on his lips...
It broke too soon. Relena had to remember to breathe. His hand came up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"We're almost to the colony," he said in a low voice.
She nodded, keeping her eyes locked on his. "I know." She took a deep breath and sat back; her gaze came to rest on the ceiling. "Duty calls."
"It always has."
Pain seared her chest. "But it won't always," Relena said and looked back at him. He was facing forward, again, staring at the front of the shuttle.
Heero nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. Hurt stormed into her heart, dragging guilt behind. It wasn't fair. He deserved more.
She stood up to go back to her seat. "I never asked you to wait." Her voice shook, and she couldn't get it to rise above a whisper.
His arm darted out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. The movement caught her off guard, and she somehow ended up in his lap. Heero leaned forward and caught her lips in a heated kiss. She felt herself falling, but his grip was tight.
He broke away. "You didn't have to," he said. She held his gaze for a silent moment. Nothing else in the universe mattered....
I still hope and believe in you.
He nodded and pulled her close for another kiss.
