I don?t own Gundam Wing :x
Relena?s mouth went dry. His shoes came off now and he stripped off his socks and wiggled his feet appreciatively, leaning back against the couch with a sigh. His fingers went to work on his tie, and after a moment, he pulled it off and dropped it on the floor. Then he stood. Relena?s eyes traveled over him, from his muscled arms and shoulders to his narrow waist. She couldn?t control her curiosity enough to look away.
Heero turned away and walked over to the fireplace and Relena studied his back. The muscles were thick along his shoulders and back, curving to the bony outline of his spine. Relena was aware of a curious desire to touch his back, to feel the contrast of hard bone and smooth muscle beneath the skin. When he had adjusted the fire to his liking, Heero turned, starting toward Relena?s bed. Relena barely suppressed a gasp and she squeezed her eyes shut. She lay tensely, listening to the approach of his soft footsteps. He was almost there, she could sense his presence, but she didn?t dare open her eyes. He stood beside the bed for a long moment. Her heart raced. What was he doing? He leaned forward, and Relena could barely keep herself still from shrinking away from him.
He stretched over her. She could feel the heat of his body. Her throat tightened; she could scarcely breathe.
He picked up the pillow on the other side of her and straightened up. Tucking it under one arm, he pulled a blanket from the bed as well, and started toward the couch. Relena?s taut muscles went limp.
He turned back to look at her and, in a mocking whisper, asked, ?Well, Relena? Did you see enough to satisfy you??
He had known she was awake and watching him!
Her eyes flew open. He was standing two feet from her bed, his eyes alight with amusement.
Heat flooded her face, and she was glad for the concealing dimness of the room. In that moment, she hated him. She picked up the closest thing at hand, a pillow, and with an unintelligible shriek, she threw it at him. He laughed, ducking and lifting an arm to deflect the soft missile. He went and turned off the lamp and most of the room was covered in darkness. Relena lay in the darkness, still flooded with humiliation, and thought furious thoughts about him. It was even worse when, in a few minutes, she heard the slow and steady sound of his breathing and knew that he had fallen asleep, while she lay wide awake and thoroughly humiliated.
She tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, but it seemed hopeless. She was still awake sometime later when the door to her room opened stealthily, and a man crept into the room?
For an instant, fear paralyzed Relena. Then the man turned toward her bed, a tiny flashlight in his hand and she recognized him. She started to speak, but at the same time, Heero came off the sofa in one smooth motion, a gun in his hand.
?Stop right there,? he ordered.
The other man turned, startled, and bumped his head on a dresser. ?Ow! Damn it!? he let out a string of curses. ?You scared the hell outta me. Hurt my head.? He rubbed his head and looked across the room at Heero. ?Who the hell are you, anyway, and what are you doing here??
?I might ask you the same,? Heero retorted. ?Who are you, what are you doing in my wife?s bedroom??
?Your wife?!? the other man exclaimed, staring.
?Shhh.? Relena said to the room in general, scrambling out of bed and running across the room to the other man. ?Duo!?
?Lena!? He grinned and opened his arms, catching her as she flung herself at him. He lifted her up and hugged her tightly, swinging her around at the same time.
Then he set Relena down with a final squeeze saying, ?God help us, what are you up to now Lena??
Relena grinned. ?Close the door and I?ll tell you.? She turned as he went to the door to do as she said. ?Heero put that gun away. It?s not a thief, just Duo. My best friend.?
Heero put the gun down but continued to look at Duo with disapproval. ?What?s he doing creeping into your bedroom, Relena??
?Who is this guy?? Duo countered indignantly. ?And why?s he in your room, Lena??
?Well?? Relena grinned, a look of mischief coming over her face. ?Actually, he is my husband.?
?What??
Relena laughed at his baffled expression. ?I?ll tell you all about it. I promise you. But first let me have a look at you. I swear your braid?s gotten longer since the last time I saw you.?
She turned on the lamp, and pulled Duo into the light. Its glow revealed a handsome man already grown into a man?s height, but a body with the narrow leanness of youth. Big violet eyes that held a certain spark of mischief and long brown hair styled into a braid.
?I had wondered why you hadn?t been in the formal living room with Noin earlier.? Relena told him, smiling.
Duo groaned. ?I can?t stand being around Lady Une, and her son Quatre isn?t any better. Always talking about how beautiful the Earth is and all that poetry crap. He?s not only dull but?stupid. And Dorothy is always talking about woman?s rights and how a woman can beat a man at everything. Slyvia?s another story. That girl too perfect.? He said this in an exasperated tone. ?Forgives everyone. It?s enough to drive me crazy.? He looked aggrieved, thinking of the many inconveniences he had endured. ?But, wait; don?t get me off the subject. We were talking about him.? He scowled in Heero?s direction.
?She told you,? Heero said mildly. ?I?m her husband.?
?You can?t be.?
?Why not??
?She?s never said anything about you to me.?
?Haven?t you heard the rumors around here??
?Yeah but that?s just gossip. It?s not true.?
?Stop teasing him,? Relena told Heero, then turned to Duo. ?Of course it isn?t true. Heero is only pretending to be my husband.?
Duo stared at her, dumbfounded. Heero let out a snicker. ?Relena, I thought we agreed??
?But that was not to tell Noin. Duo is different. I promise you, he can be trusted with a secret. He?s kept several of mine over the last six months that we?ve meet. And he?s a gifted liar.?
?What a recommendation,? Heero said dryly.
?Well, it is. He always fools the guards.?
?Yeah,? Duo agreed. ?It was always you who got us caught.?
?That?s not true!? Relena protested.
Duo crossed his arms. ?It?s not? What about that time you tried changing your appearance to fool your brother??
?Oh!? Relena?s eyes flashed. ?You?re blaming me? It was you who insisted on tricking him so I could go out for Mardi Gras!?
?How could you expect to trick him if you told Noin and Pegan??
Heero interrupted them. ?Relena??
?Oh, I?m sorry. Duo, this is Mr. Lowe. Heero, this is Duo; my best friend.?
?I see.? Heero nodded.
Duo nodded back, his face still pressed with suspicion. ?Yeah, what?s your real name? I know Lowe is just someone Lena made up.?
?That?s me. A figment of Relena?s imagination.?
?He?s pretending to be my husband.? Relena explained.
?And he?s staying here?? Duo voice rose slightly. ?Lena, are you crazy??
?I told you,? Heero said, shooting Relena an irritated look. ?This isn?t going to work if you keep telling everyone the truth.?
Relena was a little surprised at Duo?s concern. He was usually the one thriving for excitement. ?You of all people Duo would try to ruin my plan after the things you?ve done??
?This is different.?
?Yes, it?s me having an adventure instead of you.? She crossed her arms over her chest.
?That?s not it Lena. You know this is serious. Besides, your brother might think I was the one to make this up.?
?No one will know the truth unless you tell them.?
?I won?t rat you out. I know you don?t want to be forced into marriage but what will everyone think if they do find out??
?Speaking of Relena?s reputation,? Heero put in. ?Is it a habit of yours to sneak into her room in the middle of the night??
Duo frowned at him. ?Hey Man that means nothing. No one would ever think that Lena and me were?her brother would kill me.?
?Many men wouldn?t care if it meant a chance for the throne.?
Duo?s face turned red with anger, and he took a step toward Heero, doubling his fists. Relena caught his arm, flashing a speaking look at Heero.
?Really Heero, must you be so unpleasant with everyone??
She turned toward the door, tugging at Duo?s arm. ?Come on, Duo. Let?s go somewhere else.?
?You?re going to gossip in the hall? That should satisfy the servants.?
?We won?t talk in the hall. We?ll go to the library instead. That?s where we always come up with our schemes, isn?t it, Duo??
Duo didn?t reply, but he went with her without protest, though he did pause at the door to cast a threatening look back at Heero. Unfortunately, Heero turned away, calmly remaking his bed on the couch, and didn?t see it.
The library was on the third floor and once they reached the room, Relena closed the door behind them while door turned on a nearby table lamp.
?How is Milliardo?? Relena asked, knowing that she would get the absolute truth from Duo.
He shrugged. ?Better, I guess. He was comfortable all day, waiting for you to get here.?
?I?m sorry I was late. I lost my way.?
?He was sure you?d be bringing a husband with you. How?d he know??
Relena looked down. ?Hope, I assume. I didn?t tell anyone I was bringing Heero. God knows I didn?t even know until tonight. I came here to confess my whole stupid lie. I didn?t even know that Noin had turned my fianc? into a husband.?
Duo grimaced at her words. ?I told her she shouldn?t have said that. But it was already too late.? He frowned. ?I never liked the idea that you?re forced into marriage but this is gonna be really hard to pull off.?
Relena just stared at the floor.
Duo scowled even more darkly. ?You?re in big trouble Lena. How did you find that guy? Who is he?and don?t tell me he?s Mr. Lowe, cause I know that?s a lie.?
?No. Of course he?s not Mr. Lowe. His name is Heero.? She couldn?t bring herself to admit that she didn?t even know his last name. ?I met him tonight.?
?Tonight!?
She nodded. ?When I got lost.?
Duo gave her a stern face. ?Relena! And you talk about me being impulsive! Why the hell did you pretend he was your husband??
?I only hired him to be my fianc?. It wasn?t until I got here that I found out Noin had promoted him to husband. If I?d known that, I wouldn?t have done it. But once I got here with him and Noin called him my husband, what could I say? I couldn?t embarrass her in front of Lady Une and the rest of the guests. Everyone would know the truth.?
?I know.? Duo understood Relena?s reasoning very well. ?But how did you meet him? Why did you decide to hire him as a fianc???
?Frankly, I didn?t think of it. That was Mr. Barton?s idea.?
?Who??
?The other man at the Inn.? She began to relate the whole story of meeting Heero and Trowa, beginning with their original confrontation of that foggy night and proceeding through to their agreement in the private room of the Inn. She was careful to leave out some details, which she rather keep to herself.
When she reached the end of her tale, Duo let out a long whistle and laid his head back while crossing his arms.
?Lena, you know I?ll do anything I can to help you but you don?t know a fuc?excuse me?a damn thing about the man. Where he?s from, what he does for a living. Nothing. It sounds strange to me.?
?What does??
?The whole thing. Those men trying to shot him, his pal waiting for him at the Inn. Why were they there? And why in hell would he want to help you? How does it benefit him?
?He did it for money.?
?Maybe, but I?d still like to know why people were shooting at him.?
?Yes, I suppose you?re right.?
?I mean, if I?d heard of a story like yours, I might have felt sorry for her. But I wouldn?t agree to pretend to be her fianc?. Especially a princess.? He sighed, staring thoughtfully at the opposite wall. ?You must have been drunk. They gave you that rum punch for a reason, Lena.?
?I wasn?t drunk.? Relena snapped, ignoring her own doubts. ?Oh, Duo. If you had meet Barton yourself, you would have realized he was genuine.?
Duo snorted. ?He was able to fool you into thinking he was, but he?s never meet me.?
?Are you calling me stupid?? there was an offended tone to her voice.
?No. But Lena listen, a man who sneaks around in the dark with others trying to kill him is up to no good. Someone like him wouldn?t stop until they get what they want. Can?t you tell by looking at him? He looks?creepy. I don?t trust him and you shouldn?t either.?
?You do have a point.? She looked thoughtful.
?And he sure as hell doesn?t know how to take orders. He?s suppose to be your employee and It was damn weird how he pulled that gun on me so fast. I didn?t make a sound.?
Relena nodded. ?If I hadn?t had my eyes open I wouldn?t have seen you come in.? She, too, had been taken aback by Heero?s even having a gun with him while he?s ?asleep? much lees his too quick response with it. ?Yes. Heero is obviously anything but ordinary.?
Duo grimaced. ?And what?s gonna stop him if he decides to take advantage of you? You can?t fight back if he?s your ?husband.??
?We?ve already discussed that. He assured me that I wasn?t his type anyway.?
?What? He has a lot of balls to say that.?
Looking at Duo?s unusually serious and furious expression, Relena realized she was witnessing a different side to her best friend that she?d never seen before. A more intimidating, almost as indomitable at Heero?s persona.
Duo nodded once as if coming to a decision. ?I?ll keep an eye on him, Lena. He can?t fool me.?
And so Duo made no further protest about Relena?s ?husband?. And finally after she had given up worming any information she could about the details since she?d been gone, she gave Duo a good-night and headed back to her room. Bringing with her all the afterthoughts of Duo?s theories with her. She found Heero asleep, and this time he didn?t leap to his feet, gun in hand. Relena crawled into bed, expecting another bout with insomnia, but, to her surprise, she fell deeply and almost instantly asleep.
She didn?t awaken until the next morning?when Heero jumped into bed beside her.
