Sitting in a Tree [5/7] (R)

[RelenaFanel]

Sitting in a Tree K-I-S-S-I
Chapter 1: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5759
Chapter 2: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5869
Chapter 3: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6069
Chapter 4: http://blissfulignorance.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6385

Relena braced her slim arm on the mock wood of her office desk, delicately covering her mouth to hide a yawn. She shook a biodegradable coffee mug, wondering if the cold lumpy dregs glued to the bottom were safe for consumption. She had missed dinner, and going by the time on her clock, she was also going to miss supper. Tossing the coffee in the trash, she grabbed her cream-colored suit jacket and purse, intent on making it to the Preventor?s cafeteria before the hot meal section closed. She was sick of living off caffeine and muffins.

?Foreign Minister Dorlian!?

Relena paused mid-stride to the elevator. She turned quickly, feeling the severe bun coiled on her head shift a bit. Her young assistant gathered papers spewing from the ?link and tried to keep them in order while getting her attention. ?The Vice Foreign Minister just sent over the union contract for you to sign.?

She gave a rueful grin. When she was the Vice Foreign Minister she didn?t think she could be any more overworked, and her superior had the easy job. She was wrong. Relena had a sneaky suspicion she?d be overworked no matter what job she engaged in. She was an overachiever. Her assistant probably expected her to rush back into her office and wait for the contract, pour over the syntax of it for a few hours and either send it back for rewriting, or sign it.

?I?ll look over it later. Just leave it on my desk.? She jabbed at the elevator button, catching a glimpse of her assistant and secretary exchanging bemused glances. Part of her wanted to grin at the fact she did something unexpected, but an other part of her berated herself for how predictable her life had become.

The phone rang just as the elevator doors dinged open. She practically dived through the door before she got caught taking another technical call. ?The caller ID says ?D Maxwell.?? Her secretary managed to call out as the elevator doors whooshed shut. Relena?s head fell against the elevator paneling in defeat and she pressed the open button.

?I?ll take the call in my office.? Relena stated, seeking eye contact with her employees as she stepped off the elevator. Her secretary nodded enthusiastically and started punching buttons to direct the call. Relena gritted her teeth, reminding herself it wasn?t prudent to fire someone just because they were cheerful. The personal assistant had his back to her, stapling papers neatly together as if nothing happened.

She was definitely nothing if not predicable. She shut the door to her office quietly, despite the fact she wanted to slam it. The last time she had given into the urge to take her anger out on the door, the media had been spouting about her tantrum for weeks. Crossing the carpet padding, she pressed the on button to her vid-link and efficiently removed her arms from the jacket. ?Relena here.?

?Rel! I was worried you would be eating. How?s life??

Relena kicked off her shoes, getting ready to be comfortable for whatever Hilde was going to spring on her after the niceties were through. ?Good. How are you and Duo??

?We?re fine. How?s Heero?? Hilde looked smug. Relena wondered if she knew about Heero?s visit last week.

?Alive, as far as I know.?

?Good.? Hilde paused for a second, listening to something being broadcast on a PA system behind her. ?Listen. Duo and I are about five minutes away from L1. Are you free for supper?? Hilde giggled as Duo leaned in and whispered something in her ear, keeping his nose pressed in her hair a few more moments than necessary. Relena felt a pang of jealousy at how natural the two of them were together. Duo didn?t and would never think twice before showing affection to someone he loved.

?Yes.? Relena grabbed her hand-link, scanning through the restaurants available on this colony. ?Where did you want to eat? There?s a nice Chinese restaurant a few blocks from the shuttle landing.?

Hilde?s smiling countenance froze for a moment. Relena would have written it off as a blip in the technology if Duo?s whispering voice hadn?t echoed through the machine. ?She doesn?t know yet??

Relena frowned at the couple. Hilde lightly smacked Duo?s arm as he looked sheepish. ?What don?t I know?? The couple looked at each other, deliberating who would tell her. By the time Hilde opened her mouth Relena had already accessed the appropriate files on her computer. ?When do you leave??

There was a brief scrapple on the other side of the ?link as Duo grabbed it from Hilde?s hand. His voice transferred through moments before his head popped into her line of sight. ?I don?t know yet. Heero and I will find out at the meeting in two hours.? Duo eyed her wearily, wondering if she already knew the particulars of this newest mission.

Relena simply smiled at him, knowing it didn?t reach her eyes.

?The shuttle?s about to land, Rel. We?ll take care of getting supper, you get the seats.? Duo blinked off the screen. Relena bit into her lip to fight off all impending emotional reactions as she turned off the videolink. She almost had herself convinced the tears in her eyes were from the pain of teeth on fragile flesh and not the fact Heero was going on another undercover mission.

She hated undercover missions. Defiantly she stared at the mission specifications on her computer before jamming the off button. She knew that come tomorrow she?d read it so often it would be memorized within the week. Just as she knew the words ?Estimated Mission Length: 12 Months? would be branded on her mind for the rest of the evening. Who was she kidding? For the rest of the year.

She took a moment to let the grief wash over her. As were all of Heero?s missions, this one was classified suicidal, and despite his obvious aptitude for staying alive, everyone knew death would one day catch up with the perfect soldier. She didn?t let herself cry, knowing Duo and Hilde would recognize the symptoms immediately. Compared to their close bond, she had no right to shed a tear. Whimpering in self-pity, she slid her fingers into her hair, unmindful of the pins holding it up. When half of the locks tumbled down she simply took the pins out instead of painstakingly putting it back up.

She loudly exhaled, letting the air brush her hair back from her face before sliding to her feet. Once again she grabbed her purse and stepped from her private office.

?Ambassador Shirreff is on line one.? Her secretary called out as Relena strode by, deliberately ignoring her.

?The contract is ready for you to sign now.? The assistant stumbled out of her way in the hall and tripped over his shoelace. Official papers scattered everywhere, ripping and crumpling from the force of the fall. Relena stopped for a moment, her innate caring personality not allowing her to ignore someone falling at her feet. He absentmindedly waved her on, grasping at the papers as if they were a precious commodity. ?The contract will be ready to sign when you come back.?

The elevator doors zipped open, and Relena paused for a second before stepping in. ?I won?t be coming back tonight,? a mischievous smile played on her lips as she watched her employees gawk before the door closed.

Within seconds the elevator stopped its descent and she stepped out on the first floor. With purposeful strides she turned right in the airy lobby and skirted a few potted trees on her way to the cafeteria. Despite the fact supper was over, the room was packed with stragglers. She picked the closest poor unsuspecting fool and towered over him.

?I?m procuring this table. Business. You understand.? Relena smiled tightly, pulling off the whole effect of a harried businesswoman. The lowly technician goggled at her, either star-struck or in shock at her command.

?You?re kidding, right?? He laughed nervously, shielding the papers on his table from her sight.

Relena stared at him, hard. Within seconds he had packed up and was scurrying out of the room. The men at the next table saluted her as she gingerly wiped off a seat and sat down. She sloppily saluted them back and smiled sassily. They all grinned back foolishly, one of them breaking out in chuckles.

?Wait until you catch a whiff of this Chinese food!? Duo exclaimed as he dropped the boxes on the table, jamming himself bodily into the space between her and the next table. ?I?ve been drooling like an idiot for the past five minutes.?

?You?re always drooling like an idiot.? Hilde shot back, unable to resist that easy dig as she grabbed the seat next to Relena and leaned over so Duo couldn?t hear the rest of the conversation. ?Bad Relena. You were flirting with those space-men.?

Relena raised an eyebrow. ?So??

Hilde frowned, not expecting her to agree. ?So?! What about Heer? Yeah, they are pretty cute, aren?t they??

?What are you whispering about?? Duo gasped and pointed at Hilde. ?You promised you wouldn?t tell about the time I went to the dentist and came back with a drool stain on my shirt!?

Relena stared at him for a second then started chuckling. Duo handed her a box of beef-fried rice.

?Right. I forgot about that!? Hilde snorted. ?You wet the pillow so often I?m almost used to it.? At that moment Duo dripped plum sauce down his shirt. He picked up the hem and started sucking at the offending stain.

?I do not! Maybe the drool is yours.? Duo snatched one of Hilde?s eggrolls and bit into it. ?Ever think of that??

Relena?s chuckle turned into cackling. She threw back her head in merriment, the amusement borderlining on being faked. This impending mission could be it for Duo and Hilde. It was a realization anyone close to a Preventor went through on the eve of an impending mission. They were all fighting to maintain peace for the people, but she couldn?t help but feel it was ultimately for her. Every time she sat at this table and sent her friends off a piece of her wondered: Would she loose everything she worked so hard to attain? Would she loose her friends? Her family? Peace?

?Don?t strain yourself.? A voice stated into her ear at the exact moment cool fingers pressed lightly on the base of her neck. Relena?s shocked gasp came out as a loud snort as she cut her laughter short and tried to inhale through her mouth. Embarrassed, she slammed her hand over her mouth to try to stifle any other wayward noises.

?Hey Heero!? Duo gestured emphatically with his chopsticks, grains of rice skittered over the surface of the table, and clung to every textured surface. Hilde flicked her napkin, causing a few grains to fly into the crowd gathered at the next table over. Relena gave her head a sharp shake, hoping to dislodge any that may have adhered to her hair as Duo continued on with his enthusiastic greeting, completely oblivious to the mess he caused. ?Grab some GunPao? der Chicken? uh, KungFu Chicken.? He paused his massacre of Americanized Chinese names, wondering if it actually was chicken in the small box. ?Have some Chinese food!?

Heero grabbed the box and sniffed it distastefully. With a flick of his wrist chopsticks magically appeared in his hand and he violently speared one of the strips of meat. It dangled precariously on the tip of the chopsticks much like a body would on the point of Wing?s shield. That was nearly her fate, Relena realized, no longer hungry. Heero could have looked at her impaled body with the same closed-feature distain he was projecting towards the chicken.

?Is that all I am to you?? She burst out dramatically, not quite thinking rationally once her brain connected the two unrelated pieces of information together. ?A piece of chicken??

For his part Heero only slightly frowned his impassive blue eyes.

Relena moved to stab him with her chopsticks, thinking at least he?d know what it felt like to be the chicken for once. On the second stab she realized her hands were depressingly empty of all things sharp and pointy. Nonplussed, Heero shoved the chicken in his mouth. Relena glared at the chopsticks, then at his mouth. Of course he hadn?t conjured the utensil up magically, he had surreptitiously stolen hers.

?I?d say she?s more of a quack.? Duo hadn?t even managed to finish his sentence. Hilde?s elbow rammed harshly into his ribs. More rice rained than on a wedding day.

?You are being illogical.? Heero crammed another piece of chicken into his mouth, turning his full attention back on Relena. ?I?d never eat you.? He continued frankly.

?Unless you wanted him to.? Duo piped up from across the table, grinning in the hope that he had made Heero or Relena uncomfortable. Hilde swatted his arm lightly, not wanting it to rain rice again.

?Yeah.? Heero continued, shocking them all into silence at the mischievous gleam that suddenly appeared in his eyes. ?Unless you want me to.?

Relena, realizing the chicken analogy had to be one of the stupidest things she had ever thought up, grappled for an explanation for the whole ordeal or a competent change of subject. Her desperately roaming eye made contact with one of the spaceboys from the next table over and he was out of his seat and striding towards her before she could discourage him.

?Miss Relena??

She looked up, unsuccessfully feigning a pleased smile. The first thing she noticed was he had a piece of Duo?s projectile rice dangling from his eyebrow. ?Why?? She glanced quickly at the rank insignia on his uniform, ?? Captain. How may I be of service??

?I can think of a few ways!? One of his buddies called out from the neighboring table. They all giggled macholy.

The Captain had the good grace too appear embarrassed. He fiddled with a button on his uniform before blurting out, ?Its Captain Feeney ma?am. Would you like to come sit with us? Despite what you think, my friends are harmless. They meant no offence.?

?I?m sure they are. I never thought anything of it.? Relena replied placating the poor nervous fool and eyeing Duo and Heero. ?I hear jokes like that all the time.? He looked at her hopefully, like a starving puppy begging for a table scrap. Relena hated turning away little puppies. ?Sorry, but my friends and I are having a last supper before they leave on a mission tomorrow.?

?You.? The Captain pointed at Heero. The whole table blinked in unison. ?Civilian consultant. Move over a seat so I can sit by Miss Relena. I have something important to tell her.?

Heero shocked his friends by gazing mildly at the fool, then edging his chair over. Before anyone could think he acquiesced to an order by a lowly captain, he hooked his foot under Relena?s chair and hauled her beside him. With a squeal, Relena toppled sideways, falling on a suspiciously smug Heero. She let herself drop, just as he left his arm around her waist after helping her sit up.

?Civilian consultant?? Hilde questioned, eyeing Heero?s white dress shirt and jeans. She could see how it looked like an outfit a civilian consultant would wear. She was still holding her breath for Heero to pounce though.

?You had something to tell me?? Relena inquired politely, hoping no one noticed Heero?s talented long fingers had inched between her no-nonsense skirt and the cream silk blouse tucked into it. He was appeased for the moment, but Relena was aware that if she didn?t get rid of the Captain soon, Heero?s strike would be swift and deadly.

Feeney squatted beside her, gently lifting her hand to his lips. ?You have the most enchanting eyes. Would you do me the honor of eating supper with me tonight??

Relena?s eyes widened as Heero tensed beside her, his hand painfully digging into her hip. She had tried to wean herself out of a bad situation and managed to land in a worse one.

?You will not proposition her.? Heero?s voice was void of emotions. The cold impersonality of it was far more threatening than fury to anyone with half a brain.

The halfwit still holding Relena?s hand must have had the wrong half of a brain, for he gazed at Heero with emotion akin to distain. ?Do not presume to tell your commanding officer what he can or cannot do. Just because you?re a friend of Relena?s, doesn?t mean I?ll go easy on you during this mission.?

Everyone at the table held their breath. Duo turned a nice shade of puce. Hilde mouthed ?oh boy.? Heero was probably reciting every line in the rule book telling him not to hit a fellow officer looking for loopholes. Relena tried not to focus on the grain of rice dangling from Feeney?s eyebrow, but it was getting more distracting by the second. She just smiled politely, feigning ignorance about the whole mission as she swiveled her hip a bit to comfort Heero. ?Are you the commanding officer of this mission Captain? That?s quite an accomplishment for someone as young as you.?

Ok, she was baiting him. But only a little.

The Captain snorted. ?No. The ?great? Colonel Yuy is our leader.?

?You don?t think he?s great?? Hilde asked innocently. She turned her limpid blue eyes on her unsuspecting victim. ?I hear he?s a real slave driver.?

The Captain snorted again. ?I here he?s some doddering old relic left over from the war.? So puffed up on his own importance, the Captain failed to realize how tense everyone at the table became, nor the looks exchanged between them.

?Oh. You?ve never met him then? I think the Colonel would definitely like to kick your ass if he heard he was a relic.? Duo put in his two cents worth, fully enjoying provoking both the Captain and Heero.

?That?s not all he?d like to do to it.? The Captain leaned over to conspire with them. ?He?s gay!? The Captain giggled. ?He?d probably make us drop trousers for target practice. If ya know what I mean??

?I?m afraid I don?t, Mr. Feeney.? Relena replied coolly, nestling closer to Heero.

?AHha!? Duo pointed at Heero. ?I forgot about that time in the bordello?? He trailed off as an ensign stopped beside Heero and saluted.

?I?m sorry for interrupting your supper sir. Madam Foreign Minister.? She nodded respectfully to Relena.

?At ease ensign.? Captain Feeney wove the young lady in uniform off, seeing himself as the only man of importance at the table. ?You remind me of all the posturing I had to do before rising in the ranks.?

?I?m sorry sir.? A frown marred her brow as she tried to remain obeisant. ?I cannot answer to??

?That?s fine LeBlanc. At ease.? Heero continued, effortlessly making the command personal by remembering her name.

?Lady Une requests your presence in her office, sir.?

?No. Dismissed ensign.? Heero?s commands never booked any room for arguments, but the girl held her ground despite the order. Heero eyed her impassively.

?But Colonel Yuy, sir.? Still hovering beside Relena, the Captain goggled as this new piece of information processed in his dull brain. The ensign continued on bravely, probably endearing herself to Heero for standing her ground. ?It?s an order.?

?Very well then. Note that I want Captain Feeney transferred to my quadrant.? His smile was feral, enjoying his revenge. ?I believe he needs experience in the field.? Heero very obviously removed his hand from within her skirt, lightly trailing his fingers up the smooth material on her arm as he drew her closer to him. Relena stared up at him, watching with bemusement as he focused on her mouth mere seconds before kissing her. So soon after he was accused of being gay, Relena expecting his kiss to be domineering and sexual, instead it was light and sweet, with just a hint of promise. There was no manly posturing in his kiss, but he still managed to get his claim over her across to the many people witnessing it.

She was his, and always his.

?Wait up for me?? He whispered against her mouth, just loud enough so the neared voyeurs could catch the sound of his voice. This was Heero defending his masculinity. She nodded anyway. This moment, this night, this mission could be it.

He snapped to his feet, looking every inch the ruthless soldier. He only moved a few meters before pivoting back to the table and grabbing his unfinished supper. He stared down at Relena meaningfully for a moment before popping a cold piece in his mouth and holding it between his teeth as he murmured, ?I have a fondness for chicken.?


?RelenaFanel2005

[Morrighan]

*cackling madly* Mwahahahahaha..... Suffer, you stupid Captain!!!!

That last line totally has me in stitches... "Fondness for chicken".... *giggles* Sure, Heero, sure....

Great job, I can't wait to see the last couple of chapters!!

[Lady Casper]

^_^ i'll never look at chicken the same way again...^^;

Nicely written there RelFanel.


p.s. nice to see your back

[Rose of Betrayal]

The humor, oh the humor!! *falls down* And the chicken! The way more rice rained than on wedding day! The way you described everything was absolutely perfect. ^__^

[Raspberry]

Man, now THIS was great! The kiss was soo... SWEET! *squels*

It was excellent to make me feel better

Wonderful job and PLEASE CONTINUE!

[Mellie]

eep! I totally and completely love this series! You rock Rel! I absolutely loved the humor in it! It all seemed very in character. I loved the serious beginning and the way it just submitted to the humor! Can't wait for the next installment!

[Tomorrow]

Oh. My. Gosh.

THIS WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOO GREAT!!!!!

You know that I'm a big fan of yours, don't you? Your mixture of description and a subtly sarcastic tone is so rare, so refreshing. This one was, by far, my favorite of the "series" so far - not that the others weren't good, because they were.

The last line, about his fondness for chicken, was absolute genuis. What a clever way to tie the story together.

Many, many applause to you.



~Tomorrow

[kawaiiemogirl]

Excellent job RelenaFanel. Go Heero! Woot! chicken anyone? lol

[krzkid]

wow...this is hilarious...you totally made my day...

[medicatedpeacefulmoments]

It's all so cute cute cute. The chicken thing was too funny. Post the next chapter soon please!