Two Princes (1 OR 2 xR), 6/15...with a twist of lime

[Goldilocks]

Onward and upward we go...and lo, what's this? A bit of citrus?! Woohoo!!

...Nothing really racy, I'm afraid, but there is a little bit of a passage with some adult content in it. Nothing that would fail a PG-13 rating, though.

This chapter is shorter than the others. I'll make it up by posting Chapter 7 sooner. ^^

Having said that... *grins*


Two Princes
A pseudo-songfic, loosely based upon the song "Two Princes" by the Spin Doctors
by Sara
Pairings: 1 or 2 xR...which one will she choose? Read and find out!

Chapter 6

~And if you wanna buy me flowers
Just go ahead now
And if you'd like to talk for hours
Just go ahead now~

Dinner with Heero was almost a surreal experience for Relena. She had eaten with him numerous times, but never in a setting quite like this one. She didn't know whether to be impressed or very, very nervous.

After getting over her initial shock, she began to relax. Heero struck up idle conversation with her that, thankfully, did not turned toward her relationship with Duo. For some reason, she was hesitant to discuss it with Heero...even if she had convinced herself that Heero couldn't possibly be interested in her for anything more than a friend.

Heero had given her the grand tour of his apartment which, being that it was a studio apartment, hadn't taken very long. He had gone out of his way to be chivalrous, even pulling out her chair for her and serving her before sitting down to dinner himself. As for the food, Relena was amazed. She had had no idea that Heero could cook so well, or for that matter, that he could cook at all. She felt the stresses of the past few weeks melting away, and after a time, her irritation at Heero's stunt on her date with Duo faded as well.

After dinner found the two seated on the futon-couch in the 'den' area of his apartment, chatting amicably. When there was a lull in the conversation, Relena relaxed, resting her head against the back of the couch.

"Thank you, Heero...for dinner and everything," she said after a moment of comfortable silence. "It was really kind of you." She closed her eyes.

Heero's voice sounded, somewhere off to her right. "You're welcome," he said quietly. She could feel his proximity to her, and idly noted that he seemed to be inching closer to her every few minutes. She giggled inwardly. It was actually kind of cute, in a way.

"I think it's the nicest thing you've ever done for me," she continued. "I certainly can't think of any other time where you've gone to the trouble of doing something like this for me."

"Uh huh," said Heero distractedly. He had finally gathered up the courage to take her right hand, and was playing with it gently, tickling her palm with his fingertips and lacing his fingers through hers. She giggled softly. The rational part of her mind was screaming at her to pay closer attention to what he was doing, but she was too tired from a long day's work, and too full from dinner to pay it any heed.

"Heero, that tickles," she said drowsily, trying to tug her hand free. She lifted her head and looked at him, then rested her head against his shoulder, sighing softly, then giggled.

"Your shoulder is too bony," she mock-complained. "You need to eat more."

"Mmm," was Heero's distracted response. He rested his cheek against the top of her head gently, one arm slipping around her shoulders surreptitiously. Was this why he never invited her to dinner before? mused Relena to herself. Because he was afraid that his hard-won barriers against being human would crumble? She could feel herself dozing off, and idly thought that it was lucky that she had asked to be driven to Heero's apartment, rather than drive herself. She would've never made it home without falling asleep. Her eyes slipped closed again....

Only to snap open abruptly as she felt Heero's lips caressing her own.

Relena's first instinct was to jump away from Heero, but for some reason, she stayed still. Hadn't she been dreaming of this moment from the day that she met him? How long had she been waiting for him to kiss her? True, the circumstances had changed, but what was the harm in a little kiss?

She returned the kiss, almost eagerly, enjoying the feel of his firm lips pressed against hers. She slid one hand up to slide into his hair, tangling her fingers through his short, unruly locks.

Encouraged, Heero reached up and tilted her head toward him, deepening their kiss. One hand remained caressing her cheek, while the other slid down to her waist, tracing the line of her body gently. His hand slid up to caress one breast, teasing the sensitive skin through the fabric of her shirt.

Before she really realized what was happening, Heero had carefully leaned her against the arm of the couch, and was straddling her waist. He propped himself up with one arm, leaving his other hand free to work impatiently at the buttons of her shirt. He trailed hard, close-mouthed kisses along her jaw and down her neck, fastening onto a point on her collarbone, nibbling and licking at her skin. His hand worked enough buttons free, and slipped inside, caressing and exploring her soft flesh.

Relena was nearly lost in a haze of pleasurable sensations. She had never expected such passion of her bodyguard, and had certainly not, even in her wildest fantasies, imagined he would ever do something like this. In fact, she had resigned herself to never being touched like this, or kissed like this, not even when Duo had kissed her....

Duo...

Oh God, Duo...

Relena's mind snapped back to attention. Her body tensed as she once again became aware of her surroundings. Her hands pushed gently at his shoulders.

"Heero...please...stop, Heero...this isn't right..."

Heero leaned back, and sat back on his knees, regarding her. His eyes were dark and almost wild. "What? What's wrong?"

Relena shook her head, and tried to disentangle her legs from his. "This...it's not right, Heero...I can't...not when I...I just can't do this." She looked away, feeling miserably guilty.

Heero's eyes now reflected confusion. He reached up to gently push a strand of hair away from her face. "But I thought..."

Instantly, Relena's guilt shifted to ire. "You thought what? That this was an acceptable way for me to pay you back for dinner? That's pathetic! Get off of me, Heero!" She struggled to get out from under him. Heero didn't budge.

"I do not expect any sort of recompense for making dinner for you," he said, his voice beginning to even out. As he calmed down, he returned to his senses. "I...don't know what came over me..." He ran a hand through his hair, and looked away.

Relena stilled her angry movements, and calmed down slightly. "I didn't think that you'd expect something like that," she said softly. "But I...I still don't think this is such a good idea...I think we'd only end up hurting too many people."

Heero let out a gusty sigh. "It's Duo, isn't it."

Relena looked up at him, stricken by the hurt on his face. "I...it's not just Duo, Heero. I think we'd be cheating both ourselves if we did this now."

Heero regarded her for a long moment, then stood up abruptly, offering her his hand. "You're right," he said gruffly. "Perhaps you should leave."

Relena nodded. "I think that's a good idea, Heero." She gathered up her coat and turned to regard him fondly. "Thanks again for dinner," she said softly. "I did enjoy it...and I'm sorry about...for not being able to..."

"Forget about it," he replied abruptly. "It was a stupid move, on my part."

"No!" Her voice was firm. "I just don't think it's a good idea, that's all."

He shook his head slightly, hiding his emotions as she walked out the door. When she had left, he sat down heavily at the table and buried his face in his hands. What had he done?

. . . .

Heero spent the night at his apartment, but was at the estate bright and early to meet with Relena for breakfast. Relena was already in the morning room when he arrived.

She stood up when he walked into the room, and smoothed her hands over her skirt. "Heero...about last night...I..."

Heero shook his head. "It's in the past," he said quietly. "I should not have put you in that situation in the first place. I...just got carried away."

Relena smiled ruefully at him. "It's not wholly your fault, Heero. I could have said no from the get-go." She held out her hand to him. "Forgiven and forgotten?" she said, a slight smile gracing her features.

Heero took her hand, his only outward emotion showing in his eyes, and nodded.

They sat down to breakfast.

. . . .

Dorothy fairly slinked into Relena's office later that morning, to find her lost in thought. Relena had been having a hard enough time concentrating as it was. Her conscious was cycling guilt between stopping Heero, and feeling as though she had been cheating on Duo.

Which was ridiculous, really. Honestly, she wasn't in a committed relationship with either of them. Why should she feel guilty in the first place?

She pondered this for a moment. Perhaps it was because she had hoped for so long that Heero would do something like he had done last night, and then when he finally had, she stopped him. She shivered at the memory of his hands against her skin, his lips kissing her....

And then Duo's cheerful face had popped into her mind. That was why she had stopped Heero. She did care for Duo, and she didn't want to hurt him, either.

She snorted softly. When she sat down and thought about it, her dilemma seemed ridiculously simple to solve. "I can't believe I'm having this much trouble deciding," she mused aloud.

"Having so much trouble deciding over what, Miss Relena?" Dorothy's voice purred out of the shadows.

Relena jumped. "Oh...Dorothy! I didn't hear you come in," she started, trying to regain her composure.

"I let myself in," said Dorothy smoothly. "You seemed to be concentrating on something so intently, I didn't want to interrupt you." She crossed the office to stand before the bookshelf set into the wall, and began to idly pluck at a potted philodendron, pulling dead leaves away from the stems. Almost offhandedly, she spoke.

"Heero didn't stay at the estate last night, did he," she commented.

The comment caused an immediate reaction with Relena. Her fists tightened, and she stared fixedly at Dorothy's back. "What? How do you know that?"

Dorothy smirked, but did not turn to face Relena. "Oh, I have my sources, and they tell me that Mr. Yuy arrived at your estate this morning, before accompanying you to the office, as is tradition." She finally turned. "My sources also tell me that you were at his apartment last night, too." She raised her eyebrows, and her lips quirked up in an almost approving smirk. "Did you spend the night?"

"Dorothy!" Relena gasped. "I most certainly did not!"

"Pity," Dorothy sighed. "And here I thought you were finally working toward your ultimate goal of being with Mr. Yuy."

"Why do you think that is my ultimate goal?"

Dorothy sighed dramatically. "Well, for one thing, Miss Relena, I thought that you were actively pursuing Mr. Yuy, even if he wasn't pursuing you in return. She turned away from the bookcase, dusting her hands off slightly.

Relena watched her movements guardedly. "Yes...and...?"

"And it only makes sense that you and Heero eventually hook up. Think about it," Dorothy moved to stand in front of Relena's desk, placing her hands palms-down on the woodwork and leaning forward earnestly. "Just think of the status such a liaison would bring! The world's greatest pacifist with the war's most dangerous soldier." She stood up abruptly, clasping her hands together. "It would work wonders for your political career!"

Relena managed a very annoyed expression. "Why do you think I would date someone just for the political repercussions?"

Dorothy gave an exasperated sigh. "Miss Relena, that's what politics is all about! Furthering your career by the people you associate with."

"Well, I'm sorry, Dorothy, but I don't believe in using people as political pawns for my own purposes." She made a show of shuffling through the papers on her desk in an effort to make Dorothy go away.

Dorothy made no move to leave. Instead, she made a very sour face. "This is all because of Duo Maxwell, isn't it? The reason why you won't go out with Heero is because of Duo."

Relena scowled. "Dorothy, I hardly think this is any of your business..."

"Oh, but it is," she said sweetly. "I am not only looking out for your political career, but for your social standing, as well." She examined her fingernails casually. "Duo isn't exactly the type of person that someone in your social class should want to associate with."

Relena slammed her hands down on the desk. She did not look up. "Why is it," she started, keeping her voice carefully controlled, "that everyone thinks I have to date within some silly social structure? Does it even matter what I think of Duo?"

"Not really," said Dorothy airily, "though I am curious why you were at Heero's apartment last night."

Relena sighed, her patience thinning. "If you must know, he made dinner for me."

Dorothy's eyes lit up. "Really?" she said, her voice begging to know more. So all of those hints I've been dropping have made an impact, she thought with an inward smile.

"Yes, and that is all, Dorothy," Relena replied wearily. Relena knew quite well that Dorothy did not need to know about what else had happened at Heero's apartment last night.

"Oh. What a pity." Dorothy grinned ferally. "So that is why you're so uptight this morning? Because you feel guilty for cheating on Duo."

"I did not cheat on Duo! I doubt he even minds."

"Does he know?"

"Not yet, but I plan on telling him, though there's nothing to tell, really."

"How can you be so sure?"

Relena punched at the buttons on her vidphone with stiff, angry movements. "I will...prove...it to you...Dorothy!" Her voice was stilted as she dialed Duo's number.

Duo answered the phone after two rings. "Hello--oh, hey there, gorgeous!" His whole face lit up, and he unconsciously ran a hand through his bangs. "Taking a break from the rat race to talk to me, eh?" He grinned with boyish charm. "Can't say I blame ya."

Relena giggled in spite of herself, hiding her smile behind her hand. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't call you last night...I--Heero invited me over for dinner at the last minute."

Duo shrugged. "Don't worry about it, babe. It's not everyday Mr. No-Human-Emotions decides to do something nice for someone like that. Did you have a good time?"

"It was...an interesting experience," she replied, a slightly rueful expression her face.

Duo nodded slowly. "I...see...Hey, wanna do something tonight?"

Relena smiled. "Actually, I was wondering if you were free for lunch this afternoon."

Duo glanced at his watch. "Lunch? Sure. What time?"

"Meet me at my office in an hour. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure do. An hour, no problem. Oh..." His expression was suddenly guarded. "We're not going to that snooty French place, are we?"

Relena giggled again. "No Duo, I won't make you go to Le Chanson again." She smiled, and Duo's face broke into a disarming grin.

"I'll see you in an hour, then!" He blew her a kiss through the screen, and terminated the connection.

Relena clicked off the vidphone and looked up at Dorothy, a slightly triumphant expression on her face.

Dorothy shrugged. "So he's not the jealous type. I hardly think that it's sufficient grounds to totally dismiss Heero."

Relena looked away. "Come on, Dorothy. You and I both know he's not interested in me."

Dorothy arched an eyebrow. "And what makes you so sure?"

Relena shook her head slightly. "He'd have given me some sign by now, some sort of proof that he was interested."

"Isn't the fact that he made dinner for you proof enough?"

Relena sighed, and buried her face in her hands. "I know," she said, her voice muffled, "it does make me stop and think that maybe, maybe he is interested in me. And believe me, I've wanted this for a long time now...but there is a problem."

"And what is that?"

Relena looked up, her inner conflict visible across her face. "I don't know if I'm still interested in him."

~*~

TBC
As always, C&C is greatly loved and appreciated. ^_^
--Sara

[lilac310]

Oh no ..another cliffhanger!!!!..wah!!!!..I really can't wait!!!!...Is it really true that she's losing her interest in Heero...but, WHY!? ...He's so gorgeous..oh well, Duo's gorgeous too.....I can't blame Relena on that part...but still, why not Heero?...Post the next chapter soon!!!!!

[wicked]

So when you said you'd get chapter 7 posted quickly, does that mean later tonight? Hm? Yes? Please?

Now I'm normally all up for alt pairings but damed if I'm confused with this one. Do I want her with Duo? Do I want her with Heero? Should she just say screw both of them and hook up with someone else? Of course not the last one. Heh....

Another hooked reader here! ^___^ And we're not even half way through it. I feel like this was such a tease. Excellent job Sara!

~Wicked

[Kari]

And another cliffy. *sigh* You like keeping us waiting with who Relena is going to hook up ne.
Oooh well, we'll have to wait. But not to long heh.

[Mirai]

*sobs* Oh GOD NO, Relena, don't give up on Heero!! Do the right thing and TAKE THEM BOTH!!!

Love this fic to pieces!! I'll be waiting for the next chapter (hopefully I won't have to wait too long)!

[Goldilocks]

Oh no ..another cliffhanger!!!!..wah!!!!..I really can't wait!!!!...Is it really true that she's losing her interest in Heero...but, WHY!? ...He's so gorgeous..oh well, Duo's gorgeous too.....I can't blame Relena on that part...but still, why not Heero?...Post the next chapter soon!!!!!

*grins* I do like my cliffhangers, don't I? ^^ Don't worry--I won't make you wait long for Chapter 7. ^^ And has Relena lost interest in Heero...or has she turned to Duo? Only time will tell! ^_^ Thanks for reading! ^__^

[Mellie]

gah! Not again! I got all caught up...and I can't read more right now! I'm going to wither to nothing waiting to see who Relena ends up with. This fic makes me love both! Oh the tragedies! However will I go on!

[Goldilocks]

So when you said you'd get chapter 7 posted quickly, does that mean later tonight? Hm? Yes? Please?

Now I'm normally all up for alt pairings but damed if I'm confused with this one. Do I want her with Duo? Do I want her with Heero? Should she just say screw both of them and hook up with someone else? Of course not the last one. Heh....

Another hooked reader here! ^___^ And we're not even half way through it. I feel like this was such a tease. Excellent job Sara!

~Wicked

*grins* Well, I couldn't just make this an easy decision for Relena, now, could I?? Of course I'd have to make it a bit of a challenge for her, when it comes down to making a decision! ^_~

Relena: I knew I should've just stuck with my idea to choose Quatre.

Heero and Duo: *both glare*

Duo: I don't think so, babe.

Relena: O_O;;

*coughs* Anyway...I'm so glad you're enjoying this! ^__^ True to word, I'm getting ready to post the next chapter as soon as I've responded to all of the comments. Hopefully the second half will be as entertaining as the first half. ^^ Thanks so much for reading! ^__^

[Goldilocks]

And another cliffy. *sigh* You like keeping us waiting with who Relena is going to hook up ne.
Oooh well, we'll have to wait. But not to long heh.

*grins* Well, I have to keep it interesting now, don't I? ^_~ It wouldn't be as much fun if you knew who she was going to end up with!! And don't worry--I'm getting ready to post the next chapter very soon. Thanks so much for reading! ^_^

[Goldilocks]

*sobs* Oh GOD NO, Relena, don't give up on Heero!! Do the right thing and TAKE THEM BOTH!!!

Love this fic to pieces!! I'll be waiting for the next chapter (hopefully I won't have to wait too long)!

LOL!!! You know, interestingly enough, you're not the first person to suggest that she settle for both of them? I even seriously considered it. However...for the purposes of this story...I figured they wouldn't be able to handle sharing long enough for this to work. They kind of go at each other's throats farther along in the fic--you'll see. ^^

But I agree--why settle for one when you can have both? ^^

Thank you so much! ^_^ I'll be posting the next chapter shortly, and I am VERY glad that you are enjoying it. Thanks for reading! ^__^