Superposition
By Beer-monster and RyanEX2000
Chapter Three
Cogito sumere potum alterum
Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. - Ernest Hemmingway
The soft buzzing of the lawnmower pulled Relena from her light sleep, her pretty face screwing up in irritation at the insistent noise. Yawning widely, she stretched her arms over her head, the light blue nightgown conforming to the contours and soft curves of her body. With a muffled groan she rose her head, mussed tresses of honey-coloured hair hanging across her face. Swinging her feet off the bed she moved to the window, pulling aside the curtain and allowing the sunlight to wash into the room, bathing her in it's rays. She stretched her arms out, feeling life return to her body with the pull of her muscles and spun around, angling herself towards her washroom.
Her eyes fell on the couch.
She paused as she regarded his profile, dark brown bangs dusted his brow and cast shows over his peacefully closed eyes. Many nights Heero would fall asleep there, watching over her; a personal guardian angel. She felt a smirk form on her lips. He had always hated when she called him that. So she had remembered to say it often.
Heero had stopped sleeping in her room after their break up, replacing his presence with a microphone, listening from his own chamber next door. The slightest noise out of place or a mere tremor in her voice and he would charge through the door with gun in hand, hair awry and dressed only in his boxers. Usually he would simply leave, but there were times when he stayed, the times she felt low, or upset or stressed. He would sit in the chair or beside her on the bed, listening patiently, saying honest words that always made her feel better somehow, and in the morning he would be gone again, never staying the night again. He gave no reason but she knew why well enough. The temptation had been...no was still there. She shook her head with a jerk, trying to flick the memories from her head, and pulled her nightgown over her head as she stepped into shower.
The memories followed her cheeks flushing pink as she stood in the spray of warm water remembering the many showers they shared, goose bumps trailing across her skin like the ghost of his touch. Biting her lip to muffle her growl she swung the tap onto cold, yelping at the sudden shift in temperature as the cold seeped through her wet skin. She felt the niggling itch grow at the back of her mind return. The dark tickle, that had become so familiar of recent, was staring starting to swarm through her thoughts like the licking heat of small flames.
Why now, she thought irritably, reaching for the scented soap she favoured, scrubbing vigorously. Nothing's changed. Heero's still Heero and I'm still me. So why do I feel so? anxious?"
Her only answer was the chattering of her own teeth and the rush as the water splashed against the tiled floor.
*****
Heero had always been a light sleeper, growing up in the streets before Odin and Doctor J found him, a kid learnt to stay alert. To pounce at the smallest sound. His training and the war had only reinforced that reflex. However the aura of Relena?s room drowned out the whir of the lawnmower?s engine and he slept on, his breathing light as he slept on his stomach. The shrill whine of his videophone did manage to piece his slumber. His eyes shot open as his body jerked upright and he scrabbled through his pocket for the screeching device, flipping it open and jabbing harshly at the receiver button with his thumb.
A white dot appeared on screen and expanded into a familiar face. Heero bit back a sigh and immediately regretted answering the accursed device.
"This had better be damned important," he scowled at the blonde haired woman who flashed a pixelled smirk from the tiny screen.
"Good morning to you too, Mister Yuy, " Dorothy purred, letting her voice slur across the title as she always did when they when they spoke. "You know you should really work on your greetings. I suggest you try ?hello? for variety."
?I suggest you braid your eyebrows,? he grunted dryly. ?Get to the point.?
"Dorothy? Who are you talking too?"
Heero raised an eyebrow as he recognised Quatre's voice. It was then he realised that the woman was wearing a very sheer, black lace negligee,
"I see you already got ?the point?," he folded his arms glared at the phone, transmitting his irritation across the airwaves. ?What do you want, Dorothy??
"What's this," she answered in lifting a hand to her forehead in an overblown getsure of despair. "Can't a person call just to check up on a friend?"
"A person can yes,"Heero scowled,"unfortunately you don?t fit the criteria.?
"Dorothy?? Quatre voice drifted from the background. ?I know you think these handcuffs are fun, but I can no longer feel my fingers."
Heero?s throat jerked and his hands balled to fist, fighting desperately at his urge to burst into laughter. Dorothy?s eyes darted to the side, frowning at something that lay beyond the limits of the small screen, before flicking back to look at Heero.
"I just want to make sure that Miss Relena is at the mall at the required time. Do you think you can handle that, Mister Yuy?" Dorothy answered,casting a glance
over her shoulder.
"She'll be there," Heero grunted in irritation." Now go away and let me
sleep."
"Oh very well,"the blonde pouted."I have other means of entertaining
myself..."
?Never ever tell me what those are,? Heero grunted before tapping at a button, the screen flashing to blackness instantly.
*****
LATER
The mall.
A bouncy tune warbled through the speakers of the mall, rippling with the pop songs that blasted from the door of the CD stores and fashion shops and the gentle classical music that wafted gently amonst the craft stores and art shops. The music was a background though, like melodic white noise to the garbled muttering, yells and conversations of the bustling people. Shoppers walked the floors, arms laden with carrier bags as they waved there arms to point across the court as they rode the escalator, or hugged the glass shop fronts, steaming the windows as they jealously ogled the merchandise and cursed the labels.
The true definition of a nightmare, for any man, even a man who had survived great battles during the war. The burning light of laser rifles or the crackle of mobile doll shield was nothing compared to the terrifying flash that appeared in a woman's eye when the saw the sign that boldly proclaimed; SALE.
"Never thought of you as a blonde, Heero," Noin smirked, reaching a hand to pull again at the yellow bang of hair that had been moistened to a blade point with coatings of dye and hair gel ?You look like a rock star, or a gay guy.?
The look he shot her was dark, as he jerked his hair from her fingers.
"Don't tease him," Relena scolded, giving her own hair, now coloured a midnight shade of black, a toss, her tight frown on her face."Wait till it's your turn. I have some new colours that I've been most interested to try. Maybe the bleached look?" She pouted thoughfully, resting her chin on her index finger.
Noin failed her attempt not to shudder. The disguises, though simple, were enough to fool anyone so long as they didn't look close enough. Heero called it ?hiding in plain view?. Trowa apparently gave him the idea, during their swapping of old stories, when he related how he snuck aboard the Barge and was even able to fool Lady Une during his stay. Besides the blonde dye he also hid behind a pair of tinted contacts that changed the intense blue eyes to a gentle teal.. He was wearing a pair of black jeans and a white shirt divided down the middle by a thick black stripe. Relena also wore lenses, a pair of false glasses made the soft azure of her irises a pale and stormy grey.
"I think I'll pass," she replied dryly, shoving her hands into the pockets of her form fitting blue jeans as she considered ways of getting back at Heero. It was his fault she was here. His and the fact that she couldn't bring herself to refuse Relena's good intentions at improving her wardrobe, even if it was for only one night. The young woman had the surliest and most stubborn politicians of the world bent to her whim, as well as the stolid Heero Yuy. What chance did she have?
"Here we are," Relena announced with a dimpled grin.
Noin glanced up at the flashing purple sign. In bold letters it proclaimed a desire hidden deep within the feminine consciousness. She turned and watched Heero?s eyes trace over the words, and saw his face crease with a wince. She caught his eyes darting to give a sidelong glance at the Budweiser sign flashing in the bar across the noisy food court.
"Forever Twenty-one," Noin snorted, turning back to the sign. "Who're they kidding?"
Relena heard none of this as she had flung herself into the store and was already flitting through the aisles, fingering materials while tossing a few hopefuls over her
shoulder. Within moments she was nothing more than a bob of dark bouncing hair barely visible as it wove between the racks, the clothes shaking on their hangers in a way that eerily reminded Noin of the bush leaves as a predator stormed through the jungle.
"I feel old," she grumbled. At Heero's raised eyebrow she growled," Something to say?"
?Nothing that won?t incriminate me,? he said quietly, his gaze rolling over the ceiling.
Noin gritted her teeth and reduced her string of obscenities to a low mumble. She glanced at the many aisles of clothes that twisted and turned through the vast store, watching the other women flitter about the products like rats caught in a maze of accessories and brand names. "I'm surprised you let her wander around on her own in here. Anything could happen in this labyrinth."
"I did a background check on all employees, they came out clean," Heero replied with a shrug. "Besides I think any assassin would probably get lost by himself inside there." He frowned at the head of black hair that now appeared as a rapidly moving dot between the shoe shelves. ?I also doubt anyone could keep up with her.?
"Speaking from experience?"
"Hn."
Noin returned a watchful gaze to the store eyes tracking their charge as she browsed. She had moved closer now, and Noin could clearly see the wide smile that lit her face and the sparkle than shone from her eyes, even through the thin glasses.
?It?s a good thing you picked up those disguises, if anyone saw Foreign Minister Dorlian-Peacecraft like this they would have a coronary.?
Crossing his arms across his chest, Heero?s eyes narrowed. ?Who cares,? he grunted with surprising viciousness. ?She deserves moments like this,? he said in a soft voice. ?She deserves to feel like a normal girl, a girl without the world on her shoulders.? His eyes glanced to at the floor, the green tint of of eyes seeming much more soulful than their usual icy blue. He sighed. ?Even for just a moment,? she barely heard him whisper.
Noin watched him watched her, and licked dry lips. The noises of the mall buzzed in her ears at the bounds of her senses, yet it seemed as if the world had gone silent, a bubble of quiet surrounded them a screamed for her to break it. Her mouth opened but she had no idea what to say. Then she felt a wry grin crawl onto her mouth, despite the inexplicable pressure in her chest, and she leaned over to gently nudge her partner?s ribs with the point of her elbow.
?So tell me Mr Soldier, what do you do to feel like a normal guy??
Heero smirked, ?The usual; drink beer, watch porn and scratch myself in public.?
The laughter exploded from Noin?s stomach with enough force to make her stomach hurt. Her eyes watered as she swapped from snickers to guffaws, arms crossed over her stomach and clutching at her splitting sides. She was glad to hear Heero?s soft chuckle behind her own helpless cackles. When did I last laugh like this?
A feminine scream cut through their laughter and she watched Heero burst into motion, shooting deep into the store in a wild dash. His gun was drawn and his finger poised on the trigger, faster than she could see, as if it had simply appeared in his hand by magic. Noin followed behind, barging shopper out of her path in her haste to keep up with the charging soldier. She saw him dart to the left and forcefully fling aside a rack of dresses and leaped to the dressing rooms, landing in front of Relena who simply stood like a statue, her glassed had fallen to reveal her wide, plate-sized eyes and her jaw hung open.
Noin shot to Heero?s flank, shielding the princess and pointing her gun in the direction of Relena?s petrified gaze. The weapon dropped from suddenly numb fingers.
?Trowa!? she gasped.
?Its not what it looks like,? the banged man yelped, standing with arms stretched wide across the entrance of the changing room, shielding the blonde girl whom Noin recognised as Sylvia Noventa.
?Don?t give me that, sonny boy,? an old woman managed between cackles. ?I may be old but I still know what one of those looks like.?
Trowa?s single visible eye widened as his face flushed to a scarlet sunset. His hands shot down to cup and cover his shame, revealing that Sylvia was in a similar state of undress; the buttons of her skirt were haphazardly fastened allowing the twisted upper band of her panties to be visible. She held both hands clamped in a cross over her bare breasts, a lace bra hanging from one fist.
?I?we?uh?? he spluttered.
Heero groaned and slapped a hand over his eyes. ?I really didn?t want to see that.?
?I didn?t mind,? came a female voice from the gathered crowd.
?Your turn, baby,? another woman cried at Heero. ?Show us who the bigger man is.?
Noin brow furrowed as she puzzled out the double meaning of that phrase. Then she felt her cheeks heat and she shook her head furiously. She was on duty, this was not the time for lewd thoughts and perverted mental pictures. You could volunteer to be the judge of the contest, a small voice said in her mind. She clenched her jaw, now was not the time for such ideas. Maybe later then? SHUT UP, she tried to quash the voice ruthlessly. She returned her eyes to the scene and saw Relena pat Heero on the shoulder.
?Don?t worry Hee-baby. We both know you?re still the champ.?
Heero made a harsh choking noise from his throat and his eyes looked ready to fall from their sockets. Trowa frowned and covered himself tighter.
Noin's smirked as she watched Heero become fascinated with the ceiling.
This is far better than anything I could've planned for him, she thought to herself, pushing the ?Hee-baby? to the back of her mind for future blackmail use.
*****
It was with great difficulty and not a little personal embarrassment that they managed to get Trowa and Sylvia out of the store and back into the bustle of the mall where they could, hopefully, disappear. Under the current circumstances Relena merely paid for a few of the dresses instead of hanging around for Noin to try each one. That could wait till they were safe at her home. The three girls walked ahead Relena and Sylvia chatting about her upcoming birthday while Noin tried to avoid looking at the bags that held her destiny. Trowa shifted slightly towards Heero and, in quiet tone that only he could hear, said,
"You even mention this to Duo and I'll kill you..."
Heero snorted and frowned, "I?ve really have got to get these death threats trademarked.? He glanced at the taller man from the corner of his eyes. ?You're the one who has to worry. The tabloids would pay a lot of money to find out who was boinking heiress Noventa in a changing room. I thought you wanted to keep it unofficial!"
Trowa winced, "It's not like that.I mean... It's like something makes me do things I normally... ,? he sighed and let his shoulders slump. ?She told me she was wearing stockings.?
Yeah, that would do it; Heero confirmed silently feeling a pang of sympathy for his friend. The smile that had begun to form on his lips dropped as he scanned his iron gaze across the mall. "Where are the others? They were all supposed to meet us here."
"I got a late message from Quatre. He said he wasn't going to be able to make it in time, "Trowa replied and shrugged. "He hopes they'll be able to make it by tomorrow morning."
"That's not like Quatre, "Heero frowned.
"He said he had called, but Peygan said you'd already left."
"Dammit," Heero sighed." What about Duo and Hilde? Wu Fei, Sally and the others?"
"Wu Fei and Sally are stuck in debriefing back at Preventer HQ. Duo? He's anybody's guess... Probably just late."
"Very late...," Heero scowled. "We can't keep her here much longer or she'll realise something's up."
"What are you two whispering about?"
The two men jerked up and Heero bit back a curse as he realised it was Noin. He let his hand drop from the hidden holster that held his gun.
?You?re going to get yourself killed doing that?? he grunted.
"Funny. That's what I always tell you," Noin said with a smirk, she shrugged her shoulders as if casting away the issue and turned to the other man. "Where is everyone Trowa?"
"Seems that he and Sylvia ARE everyone,? Heero muttered. He turned around, letting his eyes rove across the bustling mall, scanning each person as they made there way between the ceaseless expanse of shops and sale signs. ?We can't stay here much longer,? he said twisting back to face them and locking eyes with Noin. ?Where?s Relena??
"She's gone to the bathroom with Sylvia,? The dark-haired woman replied, "She?s already invited her for a few drinks but it's not going to be much of a party with only two people...no offence Trowa."
"None taken," the acrobat remarked dryly.
?I think he and Sylvia have ?partied? enough for the moment,? Heero said, a small smirking lifting the corner of his mouth. Trowa glowered at the pilot but said nothing. Noin chuckled and patted the acrobat on the shoulder with commiseration, before turning on her heel and sauntering back to the other two women.
Heero took a few more steps before realising Trowa was still glaring at him, but he shrugged it off.
?Just talking the piss. Get used to it,? he muttered, making the other man?s visible green eye narrow.
?When will you let this one go, Heero??
Heero lifted a hand to stroke at his chin in an exaggerated gesture of thought. ?Let see,? he murmured. ?You were caught fornicating in the dressing room of a popular women?s store. I don?t think this one?s going to die easy.?
Trowa sighed and his shoulders slumped as he followed behind his friend with a deflated expression.
*****
"SURPRISE!!!?
Relena stumbled back in shock, hand pressed over her heart as her jaw hung agape. Heero, drew his gun his body tensing like a panther?s. He barged in front of Relena, shielding her body with his. Noin drew her own weapon ready to support him but frowned in confusion as her partner?s eyes narrowed, yet he clicked the safety back on. She craned her head to glare over his shoulder at two unexpected guests, both of which wore beaming smiles of smug satisfaction.
"What mischief do you have planned this time, Duo" Relena asked, appraising the American from the corners of her eyes.
?A piss up,? he chimed with a grin that threaten to split his face, ?What else??
?A piss up?? Heero repeated, quirking an eyebrow.
?Yep,? Duo said with a firm nod. ?We?re gonna all get soaked, blathered, pissed, battered, four-sheets-to-the-wind, wasted, sloshed, rendered incapable of movement or speech, doused, tanked and wankered.?
?You mean, you want us to get drunk?? Noin asked as the long-haired pilot gasped in lungfuls of air, almost suffocated by his own long-winded speech.
?That too,? he said with a smile, which twisted to a grimace as a hand seized his chestnut braid in an iron grip.
?Duo, do shut up.? Hilde said punctuating her command with a stiff jerk on her boyfriend?s hair. She stepped around the wincing man to smile at the trio standing befuddled at the door. ?Forgive him, he?s been watching too much British TV.?
?That?s okay, Hilde,? Relena said catching the German girl with a quick hug. ?Though I do admire you?re method of man-control. I?ve got to try that myself someday.? Her eyes rolled to fix Heero with a pointed stare from the corners of her lids.
?Remind me to get my hair cut,? he muttered to Noin from the side of his lips. His partner chuckled and followed their charge and two friends into the house.
"Oh, Heero," Hilde reappeared around the door. "Love the new look."
Heero felt his lips tightened as he forced back a groan, his eyes rolled to the door as considered flight. However he saw Duo move to close the door and lean against the white panels; whistling a shrill tune as he played with his braid. Heero frowned but turned his attention back to the women before the American noticed his attention. Either Duo had an even greater talent for irritation than Heero had guessed, or the other pilot had known what he was thinking. A shudder ran down his spine, that was a scary thought.
"I must be getting soft," he sighed quietly to himself.
"Shall we?" Trowa nodded towards the next door. He swallowed audibly as his girlfriend moved to his side, entwining his fingers in hers.
Heero and Relena followed the pair past the ornate door, with glass pains of elegant shimmering leaves. Noin came right behind, her brow furrowing as she entered the dining room and glanced at it?s occupants.
Inside they found Dorothy in her ususal position on Quatre's lap, her head craned around to whisper with the blonde man whose blue eyes darted about the room like a caged animals. Catherine sat next to Wu Fei sipping out a teacup; she crossed her legs over each other as she watched the Chinese man from the corner of her eyes, occasionally smiling with polite inquiries as she tried to draw him in to a conversation. Wu Fei. leant back in to the plush leather of the couch, replying to the redheads questions in the monosyllabic grunts that seemed to make the pilots? private language. Occasionally Sally would poke an elbow into his ribs from where she sat perched on the sofa?s arm, snapping an instruction to reply to Catherine?s small talk more politely, a request he sometimes granted with a sullen face an a gare for the blone woman. Sally chuckled and mussed his hair, making the man grumble in Mandarin as he glowered into his teacup.
"Welcome home, Miss Relena," the soft-spoken words preceded Paygan as he slipped in quietly through the large oak portal that wafted in the scent of roasting meats as it swung closed behind him. His snowy white hair was still combed flawlessly, falling back in straw-like waves that feather the collar of his long tailed jacket, buttoned low to reveal the black waistcoat with its grey pinstripes and his perfectly knotted bow tie. His leathery face creased as he smiled warmly at the young diplomat and her friends, but still; standing stiffly as he readjusted his thin spectacles.
"Paygan,? Relena sang, moving across the room in a flash to catch the old man in a tight hug. ?It?s good to be back,? she said leaning close to place a peck on his wrinkled cheek.
?Really, Miss Relena,? he admonished in a flustered tone, his face flushing red.
"Hey Paygan?? Duo called pushing himelf off from the wall, and rubbing his hands together in a way that rang alarms in Heero?s head. ?Has the delivery arrived yet?? he asked his face lit with a mischievous lop-sided grin.
The old butler cleared his throat loudly, as he took a step back from the still smiling girl and tugged at his tie with a bony finger. ?Yes, Mr Maxwell, I?ll just go and fetch it for you.?
?No problem, Paygan,? the pilot said flicking his long braid over one shoulder and raising a hand, one thumb held up towards the older man. ?We?ll get it,? he swung his arm in a sweeping gesture that encompassed all of the pilots, who frowned at his attention.
?Delivery?? Trowa asked, quirking the brow above his visible eye.
?The booze,? Duo said simply, his tone and the knitting of his forehead made it seem as if the other man had just asked what colour the sky was, or how many legs dogs had.
?Um?Duo?? Quatre?s smile was wavering as he turned to the braided man. ?Just how much alcohol did you buy,?
"And why do you need all five of us to help you fetch it idiot,? Wu Fei barked as he rose from the couch, stepping away from the two women with a last darting glance.
?The usual amount,? Duo replied with a shrug that matched his nonchalant tone.
Heero?s lowered his head to his hand with a long sigh, rubbing at the bridge of his nose with his thumb and finger. ?This could take a while,? he said in a low mutter.
*****
TWO HOURS LATER
The pop rang in the air as Sally twisted the cork from the bottleneck and poured cool chardonnay into Relena?s outstretched glass, the liquid sloshing loudly as splashed into the vessel. Twisting the bottle to catch the last drop she then turned to top up Dorothy?s drink, glancing at Hilde from the side of her eyes as the dark-haired girl continued her speech.
?It?s like having a puppy,? she said with slumped shoulders.
?Duo? A puppy?? Relena said frowning as she took a sip from her glass.
?Can?t you stop him from humping your leg,? Sally asked with a smirk as she set the muc h lighter wine bottle back into the nearby ice bucket, water splashing as she did.
Hilde snorted, ?Excess humping is not what I would class as a problem.?
?No,? Dorothy agreed, ?That?s more like a wish.? The blonde lips had curled into a devilish grin.
?There are times when I really feel sorry for Quatre,? Relena said softly before turning back to the German girl. ?So what do you mean by puppy??
?Well he whines, constantly wants to either be fed or played with and I keep finding newspapers in the toilet,? she replied propping her face up with one hand as she reached for her wine glass.
?Newspapers?? Sally repeated a frown creasing her forehead.
?Men read on the toilet,? Dorothy supplied. ? It?s the only time they can do it. The rest of the time their brains are too distracted by engines, and computers, and breasts.?
Relena?s soft chuckle joined the other girls as Dorothy smiled into her glass. After a moment though she nodded sagely.
?It?s true, even Heero does it.? A giggle erupted from her mouth before she could hold it back. ?I wonder if Anne suspects where most of her paper work is done.? The giggle blossomed into a light peal of laughter, the sound swiftly chased by the answering cackles of all but one of her friends.
?Ew,? Sally said mouth twisted into a grimace as if she had tasted something sour. ?I?ve gotten paperwork from him before.? As soon as the sentence was uttered silence hung over the four women before the laughter broke again into full blown guffaws, Hilde pounded at her chest with her palm as her mouthful of wine threatened to choke her.
?Well there is one definite way that men are different from puppies,? the German woman said in a straggled voice as soon as she was able to, her face now slightly red.
?Hmm?? Dorothy grunted from around the rim of her glass.
?You can snuggle with a puppy,? Hilde said with a shrug.
Both Sally and Dorothy nodded, their heads bobbing up and down in total agreement the same disgruntled scowl flickering over their faces. ?Men don?t snuggle,? they spat simultaneously, stating the words like a axiom; a fundamental law of nature, which it was to any woman.
?Never,? Hilde grunted on a swift blow of air that stirred her dark bangs. ?Why not? Is there something wrong? Does our skin suddenly become toxic just after sex. Are they afraid that the sweat will dry and we?ll be stuck together at the hip, stopping them from enjoying a browse of the sports section when nature calls.
?I know,? Dororthy sighed, flicking a wave of yellow tresses over her shoulder. ?Quatre is a sweet man and a good lover, but when its over its like the end of a war. We should be basking in the after glow but he?s retreating across the border and setting up a fort. That is, until the next time he wants to ?enter my territory?.?
?The worst thing about it,? Hilde said reaching to refill her glass, ?is that he complains about it as if its my fault. He says he never has any room in the bed. He doesn?t seem to realise he would have more room if he wasn?t insistent on having two foot of empty bed between us like a quarantine zone. While at the same time he hoards the covers as if to make insulation. Why can?t he come closer I don?t bite.?
?You don?t?? Dorothy asked with a quirk of one of her forked eyebrows.
Hilde paused mid-pour, the wine stream of win seemed to halt into the bottle. All eyes swung to the blonde, whose lips quivered as she clearly fought against a growing grin.
?Dorothy,? Relena said slowly, the silence cracking like glass. ?Do you remember what we said about giving too much information? We are running out of places in which to repress these scary mental images.?
?Sorry Ladies,? the other girl said with a Cheshire cat grin that proved that she was anything but sorry. ?So how about you, Miss Relena, how did Heero avoid snuggle-time??
?Ha,? Hilde barked a dry laugh. ?The man?s an iceberg, Dorothy. Trying to snuggle would be like a recreation of the titanic disaster.? The German chuckled at her own analogy until the politician broke in with a sharp
?Actually-? her tone was like a blade that cut the laughter cleanly. She paused regarding the others with a raised eyebrow, and a wry smirk that could only be described as enigmatic. ?-Heero had no troubles with snuggling, I quite often woke with his arms around me.?
?Really?? doubt was layered thick over Sally?s tone. ?Heero??
Relena nodded, ?What can I say, he was even cuddlier than the teddy bear he bought me.? Her lips pursed, the line of her mouth firming to a flat line before she continued in a harder tone. ?I did have a problem with him bringing the gun to bed every night though.? She sighed with a slump and shook her head slowly. ?Imagine my disappointment when I turned over to find out the hard thing poking me every morning was just his magnum.?
The four girls collapsed into paroxysms of high-pitched cackles once again. After a while Dorothy?s chuckles faded to a wry grin that made the corner of her lip quiver as she tried to contain herself long enough to clear her throat.
?I was just thinking,? she said in a soft voice. ?Hilde keeps us up to date on the trials of Duo Maxwell. Relena-dear has told us of the legend of Heero Yuy, and as you often complain you know all of Quatre Reberba Winners dirty little secrets.? She paused as Hilde muttered something beneath her breath, only catching the word understatement. ?However there is a source of information on one Gundam pilot, that has as yet been untapped.?
?Don?t look at me,? Sally said holding up her hand like a shield as the eyes of the other two women rolled to lock on her. ?There are some packages that should never be opened, and Wu Fei is one of them.?
Relena saw the same doubting frown cross her friends? faces that she knew was creasing her own brow as they glanced at each other, then at back to the Chinese woman from the corners of their eyes.
?So you don?t want to see his package then?? Hilde asked, hiding her smirk behind the glass tilted to her curving lips. Relena felt a similar twist to her own mouth as she watched Sally?s cheeks flush a bright dusting of scarlet.
Dorothy cleared her throat again, calling the attention back to her, punctuating the sound with another flick of her long yellow locks. ?I had been talking about Trowa Barton,? her head turned slowly, her pointed gaze like a guiding spotlight that lit onto Sylvia Noventa like a gun sight. The short heiress sat between Noin and Catherine on the plush sofa, laughing softly at some comment that a smiling Quatre made as he lounged with crossed legs on the patterned carpet at Noin?s side, fingers idly flicking at the ring pull of his beer can.
?You don?t mean??? Sally began, Dorothy nodded.
? I don?t think she?s ready,? Relena pleaded.
?It?s now or never,? Dorothy asserted, scooping her wine glass by its stem and rising to her feet, taking a stumbled step to the side as her balance wavered. ?It?s time.?
?Time for what,? Sally inquired as she too pushed herself up, ice bucket and bottle in had.
?The inquisition,? Hilde answered in a slow whisper.
?Oh,? the older woman deadpanned. ?Oh dear.?
?What about Quatre?? Relena gasped, eyes darting from Dorothy to her prey and back. ?We can?t do it with him there.?
?I?ll take care of it,? the tall girl said baring her bright teeth with a frightening grin. Her hips swayed as she approached the four friends chatting comfortably on the cough, her gait was slow and smooth like the prowl of a hunting cat, hair rippling like a golden tale with each sashaying step. As soon as she was close enough she placed her palms against the cushioned arm of the sofa leaning forwards at the waist to address the three women in a whisper that could have been heard clearly ten paces away.
?Have any of you girls got a tampon I can borrow,? she said without a single glance to acknowledge her boyfriends proximity. ?I?ve got a busy day tommorrow and couldn?t bear to get cramps all day.?
The effect was immediate Quatre jerked as if electrified, he body stiffened and his eyes bogged in their sockets. He was on his feet in a flash, scrabbling up with flailing arms, fumbling with the empty can in his grasp.
?Hey look I?m running empty,? he chuckled nervously, hand rubbing at his scalp. ?I?d better go get another,? he swallowed, throat bulging with a gulp. ?Besides, I think Duo needs my help with something.? The can collapsed in a spasmic clench of his fist. ?Um?talk to you later?um bye.?
He almost barged into Sally as he moved away, feet pumping in a stiffened walk that was just short of a mad dash.
?Works every time,? Dorothy murmured as she watched the boy flee, her gaze then swung back to Sylvia, joining the head tilting as she joined the raptor stares of her other three friends.
?Hey girls,? Sylvia said with a small wave, her shoulders hunching as she tried to bury herself in the cushioned leather of the couch. ?Um?what?s up??
She shivered at the three wry grins that answered her.
***
A burst of released air rushed out as Duo pulled the tab on his can of Carlsberg and a thick white froth surged from the opening cut into the shining Aluminium. He brought the can to his pursed lips and hoovered the spilling beer foam with a loud slurp. His tongue snaked out to lick the last remnants from the corners of his lips, before he resumed his conversation.
?I mean why does it bother her so much, its not like I use the paper instead of toilet roll,? he grumbled.
?Unlike when you lived alone,? Heero said earning a sour glare from the braided pilot from across the table they sat at, the shining polished ash surface buried beneath a mound of crushed beer and and shards of broken Pringles.
?Anyway,? Duo said tightly, ?I just don?t think it fair that she complains about a newspaper in the bathroom when all round our house is a library of crappy women?s mags.?
Wu Fei snorted, ?Women read the most insipid garbage in those magazines,? he grunted.
?I know,? the American agreed with an emphatic nod that set his long braid bobbing. ?I mean what the use of all these pages of celebrity photos, when the all have their clothes ON!?
Trowa chuckled at the remark as he reached over to load the curved surface of his tortilla with more spiced salsa. ?What I don?t get about those magazines is why they fill the things with huge articles about how men are cheats, scoundrels and love-rats, but then add a pull out spread on fifty things to make him happy.?
Heero snorted, ?That?s completely ridiculous.?
?I know, a bit of a imbalance don?t you think,? the acrobat said as he popped the snack into his mouth, rubbing the remaining red sauce from his lips as he crunched noisily.
?Not that,? Heero replied lifting his can to his lips and taking a long pull. ?The fifty things. That?s crap. There?s no fifty things, there?s three at most.?
?Yeah,? Duo said with a slightly screwed grin as he lifted his hand, three fingers extended. ?Feed me, fuck me, and wear stockings.? He curled one digit at a time as he counted off his points, until he was just holding up a limp fist that quickly darted out to snatch another handful of peanuts and pour them into his open mouth.
"You forgot: 'Don't talk so much,'" Wu Fei grunted fingers toying with his bottle of Tsing Tao.
?You wouldn?t say that if you ever got the silent treatment,? Duo murmured with a frown, word followed by another swift swig from his beer can.
?Speaking from experience?? Heero asked, quirking an eyebrow as he glanced at the American at his side. Duo glowered darkly, scooping up more nuts and shuffling them into his mouth, jaw working to munch on them noisily. When he swallowed with an audible gulp the braided pilot turned back to the smirking man on his right whose green eye flashed with amusement from beneath his heavy brown bang.
?So come on, Trowa? he said nodding at the acrobat. ?What are these forty-seven ways to happiness that we seem to have missed.?
?Did one of them involve spicing up your love life with none-discrete sex in a public place?? A fifth voiced asked in a sly tone. Heero glanced up to see Quatre standing behind him, a wide grin lighting his face as he watched Trowa, who seemed to be trying to sink deeper into his chair.
?I thought you said you wouldn?t tell anyone,? he hissed at Heero from the corner of his mouth. Heero gave a small shrug but could feel a smirk tug at the corners of his lips.
?He didn?t,? Quatre said, pulling out a chair and taking a seat next to Wu Fei. ?I tapped into the Girl-Net.?
?Girl-Net?? Trowa?s visible eye flickered as he blinked.
?The oldest, fastest and most widespread global communication system ever invented,? Heero explained.
?Yeah and used for nothing but pointless gossip, hairstyle tips and discussion of the different types of pou pourri? Wu Fei snorted, setting his empty bottle aside and folding his arms across his chest.
?Aw be kind Wu Fei,? Duo said with a grin. ?If it wasn?t just used so women can gossip, they?d put all those nice faceless communication executives, like Quatre here out of business.?
?Oh, perish the thought.? Quatre said drily as he popped the cap from a bottle of Stella Artois.
?So how did they get rid of you,? Heero asked, guessing from the chorus of high pitched cackles coming from the women across the room that ?girl talk? was now is session.
?They played the period card,? he said sinking lower into his chair.
The other four men winced.
?It?s not fair,? Duo cried, voice slurring slightly ?That?s just a sneaky advantage.It?s like a secret weapon. They say the words period or hormones, and we flee the field like a poison gas attack. Yet there?s nothing that we guy?s can say to get rid of them.? He sighed, and brought his can up to his lips for another long pull. ?I once tried to get rid of Hilde, by talking to Heero about my jockstrap. She just sat there, and asked questions like it was a damn lecture.? He turned to nudge the Japanese pilot. ?You remember that, Heero??
?Unfortunately I do,? he grumbled, ?and I?m still having nightmares.?
?Anyway,? Quatre said, clearing his throat loudly. ?I think we?re getting away from the issue, that of Trowa?s new habit for public appearances.?
Four pairs of eyes swung to lock on to the cringing acrobat. Trowa flinched under his friends intense glares and his shoulders slumped. He stared at his fingers as they flexed around the cold aluminium of his beer can, hiding his face behind the shroud of his thick hair bang,
?So I take it you and Sylvia, are getting along well??
***
?So how are things going with you and Trowa,? Sally asked Silvia, as Hilde filled the blushing girls glass until the wine sloshed over the rim.
?Um?.well?good?I guess,? Sylvia fumbled.
?You guess?? Relena repeated and then shook her head with a sigh. ?Not good enough, we?re going to need details.?
?Well, what sort of details,? the smaller woman asked, squirming on the couch, the plush leather squeaking with her motions.
?Why is it an I guess?? Sally prompted.
Sylvia?s face glowed with a pale pink flush, ?It?s just I?m nor sure what we have. Is it love or just?? she trailed off, her soft voice disappearing beneath her breath and she dropped her gaze to the rippling fluid in her glass.
?Just what???
Sylvia?s blush blossomed into full scarlet, ?If it?s just great sex.?
Hilde burst into cackles and Relena?s own musical laughter followed close behind. Sally?s face split with a wide grin, shoulders shaking with silent chortles that caused her to pump into a chuckling Catherine. Dorothy patted Sylvia?s hand sympathetically.
?Don?t worry, I know how to find out. There?s a test??
?A test?? Sylvia said with a blink.
?Yes all you have to do it take a note of your situation, like now for instance.?
?What about now??
?Well ask yourself this: Are you and Trowa in the same room at the moment??
Sylvia turned, eyes darting to where her boyfriend sat amongst the other pilots, the tall acrobat trying desperately to become small enough to hide behind his beer can.
?Yes,? she said slowly, brow furrowing as she turned back to the other blonde.
Dorothy?s head bobbed in a slow nod, ?And are the two of you naked and oiled up like a couple of Greco-roman wrestlers.?
?No,? Sylvia snapped, face suffused with red.
?Then it must be love,? Dorothy concluded.
*****
The cap rang faintly as it was pried from the small bottle and clattered to the cold patio tiles. Foam surged up the neck and frothed over the top, running in white rivulets to Noin?s hand. She threw her head back to catch the gassy brew, chugging away at the foul tasting, yet strangely refreshing alcohol. Duo's brand had a bit more bite than the beer she was used to. She glared at the shapes and swathes of pale moonlight that danced across the ruddy brown glass as she withdrew the bottle from her lips.
Another errant gust of ice wind caressed her skin, making goose bumps tingle along the flesh of her arms and her spine as the cold air cut through the thin material of her powder, blue, sleeveless blouse. She, for the fourth time in this hour, cursed herself for not grabbing a coat before she had snuck out of the house. However she could not feel at ease inside; the girls were giggling and chatting away about their men and the guys were swapping crude details, and dirty jokes. Everyone was either talking of romance, or love, or the act of making love in varying degrees of perverse details.
She had nothing to add, and a lot of pain to feel from listening. Her sex life was missing in action and there was no search party; and the love of her life had fallen for her dearest friends and in his own naivety, expected her to be happy about it- and of course she was. During the day she put as much effort into being as pleased as she could that Zechs had found the happiness that had been so missing from his life; and sometimes she almost believed it.
But at night she still had the dreams.
Not tonight she promised herself, taking another pull from her beer bottle and gazing up at the waxing moon. The cold would not bother her once she had finished the beer and the other box at the side of her chair. If she was too drunk, to think, she was to drunk to dream.
"Noin?"
She did not turn around, that flat voice could only belong to one person. She brought the bottle away from her lips and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, but kept her head tilted up towards the silvery disc in the sky, feeling the same fascination she had always felt since she had first seen the moon from the black void of space. Behind her, her guest's feet slid in hushed whispered across paved floor, before hearing a familiar chime and clatter.
"Those are mine," she said, turning to face Heero as he caught the surging foam from his beer.
"I know," he replied as if asked the time, and took another swig.
"Bastard," she muttered feeling a smirk curve her lips and rob the word of its sting.
"Orphan, technically," he muttered, with a small shrug, "But who knows. You might be right."
"I must be drunk,? she declared, lifting an eyebrow as she regarded him from the corners of her eyes. ?That almost sounded like a joke, though not a funny one."
Again he shrugged; "Take it or leave it.? He paced across the patio and pulled up another of the white, wire-frame chairs, the metal scraped across the concrete with a high-pitched wail. The cushion moaned as he slumped down across from her. He leaned back idly, legs outstretched and with crossed ankles beneath the matching, garden table.
She came forward in her own seat, leaning on her elbows and glaring at him with narrowed eyes. ?What are you doing, Heero? Did Relena send you to check up on me? Afraid I would drink myself into a depressed stupor?"
"Party's over," he replied mildly, dismissing her implication with a flick of his waving gesture. "She's showing the others to their rooms." His icy, blue eyes flashed in the night?s shadows as he fixed her with his stare. ?Besides, isn?t that what you?re doing??
"Maybe," she acknowledged in a guarded tone. ?Have you come to warn me not to.?
Heero shook his head. ?You?re old enough to have the right to act stupid if you want.? He hefted his beer towards her, drawing her attention to the small bottle of fizzing beverage; through the brown tinted glass the foam seemed the same dull orange as the ambient lights that tainted the sky above.
?Alcohol is only a temporary solution, when it?s any sort of solution at all,? he remarked, and his cold gaze never left her as he brought the bottle to his lips and took another long pull of the dark brew. ?However in some cases it?s better than no solution at all.? The glass thunked as he placed it back on the table back to the bottle, and his lips curved into a small smile. ?I have heard it is bad luck to indulge, alone though.?
Noin?s mouth had moved to imitate the Gundam pilot?s sly smirk, but instead felt her face split with a wide, and very genuine grin.
?Well we know how important luck is to a soldier,? she said lifting her bottle towards the man opposite her. ?To luck,? she pronounced.
?To luck,? Heero echoed, raising his own beer.
The sound of glass clinking gently together rose into the moonlit sky, as it did many more times that night, as two friends drank away their pain and took pleasure in each other?s company.
*****
Heero?s mind fought it way into the waking world, feeling swamped by thick clinging drowsiness that it had to flail wildly to escape.
It soon wished it had not bothered.
Dull, numbing pain rang through his head like the pealing of some terrible bell. He could feel the blood pump through the throbbing veins in his head like hammer blows to his skill, and the pounding of his heart in his chest seemed deafeningly loud. His senses were on overdrive, overloading his mind with painful stimulus. What was worse; was that his brain rejected the information as nonsense. His body told him that he was floating in free fall while the world spun around him.
With a small groan that seemed like a roar, he forced his eyes to open. The lids widened a crack and then snapped closed again from the painful barrage of light that surrounded him. He tried again but his eyes seemed reluctant to cooperate. He shifted his body and rolled on to his side, the damp silk clung to him as he moved.
Wait a minute, his brain piped up sluggishly. I don?t have silk sheets!!!
This startling deduction slapped his mind into action and his eyes shot up and his jerked out of what he now realised was a plush bed.
The room was unfamiliar; as Spartan as his own yet slightly and the door was out of place though a Preventer uniform jacket hung from a peg nailed to the white-panelled portal as it did in his own. A desk was nestled at one side of the room fixed with a small mirror at the bottom of which was several vials and tubes of what he recognised as make up. A flicker of white caught his attention and he saw a bra hanging like a decoration from the footboard of the bed, folds of blue silk gathered beside it with light shimmering on its surface from the crack in the dark curtains.
So, I?m in a girl?s room, he deduced before his heart leapt into his throat and he threw a wide-eyed look at the limp Preventer coat.
Girl? Preventer? The threads began to weave in his clouded mind, and he did not like the pattern. Detecting movement and hearing a soft-voiced sigh he slowly turned to his side, hands clutching the sheets in white-knuckled fists. He swallowed with a deep gulping noise, making his dry throat sting, and forced himself to look?
At a pair of bloodshot blue eyes, rimmed with red veins and smudged eyes shadow, veiled behind wet, straggled stands of black hair. Those eyes widened and he heard the inhaling of a deep, ragged breath.
Acting quickly he clamped his hand over Noin?s mouth, muffling her scream with his palm.
?Quiet, you idiot,? he hissed. ?Are you trying to wake up the entire house??
Her brows lowered as she glared at him, but her head moved in a small nod and he slowly removed his hand.
?What the hell are you doing in by bed?? she spat quietly.
?I don?t know,? he shot back, before cradling a hand to his pounding skull. ?The way I?m feeling I?m surprised I know my own name.?
Noin gave a low groan that expressed his own sentiments perfectly. ?What on Earth did I drink last night?? she muttered, rubbing at her reddened eyes.
?Too much,? Heero remarked, blinking rapidly in the hope it would clear the blurring motes that danced across his vision. ?The last thing I remember is helping you to your room after you fell over.?
?Hey,? Noin protested, sitting up and frowning at him with her hands on her hips. ?You weren?t exactly stone cold sober yourself.? She folded her arms across her chest and her jaw dropped as she realised that her breasts were pressing uninhibited against her forearms. One look at Heero?s suddenly wide eyes confirmed what she feared.
?Oh my god,? she yelped, grapping a handful of silk and yanking covering herself with the sheets.
?Shh,? Heero said emphasising the request by placing his index finger over pursed lips.
?Don?t ?shh? me, you idiot.? She pried her the sheet from herself and quickly stole a glimpse beneath. A small sound came from her throat and she clamped the swath of silk tighter against her body.
?Heero,? Noin said in a weak, straggled voice. ?Please tell me you are wearing something beneath the sheet.?
?I am.?
Her shoulders slumped as her whole body seemed to relax and she let out a long, refreshing sigh. ?Thank god.?
?Unfortunately, it?s just my watch.?
?Your watch??
Heero nodded.
?And you are otherwise naked??
?Well something seems to be stuck to my back,? he answered, brows lowered as he leaned around and craned his arm back at an awkward angle, feeling for the object. It came off with an audible peeling and he held it out for his inspection.
?Oh shit.?
Noin rolled over and glanced at his hand. Between his middle and index finger was clamped a small rectangle of thick, blue foil. The edges were fringed with triangular cuts and a jagged tear ran from one edge revealing the shining, metallic material inside. The ring shaped impression left in the crinkling package gave her no doubts as to what had once been its contents.
?Oh fuck.?
Heero lips drew into a wry line as he winced, ?It looks like we did.?
To Be Continued.
Yes?we are evil.
