hope you all enjoy the continuing saga of Heero and Relena!Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing and Co. They belong to Bandai and Sunrise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I am not making a profit from it.
Afraid to Love
Written by: Ra|nMan
Chapter Fourteen
As Heero and Relena followed Noin to the kitchen, Heero couldn?t help but look around in wonder. In all the time he had spent protecting Relena he had never seen the inside of the mansion. Glancing down a hallway as they passed by, Heero saw a worried looking Zechs leaving a room and turning down the hall.
?I wonder what?s going on? I?ve never seen Zechs look so worried. In fact I?ve never seen him worried period.? The thought was quickly put out of Heero?s mind as he smacked into the wall.
?Ow! What the!??
?Heero, what are you doing?? called Relena.
?Did you fall asleep while we were walking down the hall? We turned way back there.?
?I was just thinking.?
?About what??
?About how beautiful you are,? he said with a smile.
Relena blushed. ?Stop it Heero.?
?Why?? he asked. ?You really are beautiful and it?s hard to believe that I?m just now noticing it.?
The hint of red that was evident in Relena?s cheeks before deepened intensely.
?Hey you two. Are you going to come and eat or are you just going to stand there and stare at each other all morning?? Noin was back at the corner watching her sister-in-law intently. ?Those two remind me of what I had to go through with Zechs at first. I?m just glad Relena was able to out last Heero?s stubbornness.?
?Well since you sound like you?re giving us an option I suppose I could stand here all morning,? Heero said with a sheepish grin.
?Heero,? Relena said with a playful slap to his shoulder.
?Well, we really shouldn?t keep Noin waiting on us,? Heero said finally.
?Yes, and I don?t know about you but I?m starving.? Heero merely nodded as they turned back down the hall to rejoin Noin on the way to the kitchen. The three then made their way in silence. Once there, Noin was the first to break the silence.
?It?s nice to see you back on your feet Heero.?
?Thank you Noin. It?s nice to be up and about and not cooped up in a hospital room anymore.?
?That must have been hard on you.?
?It was very hard,? Heero said solemnly.
?And I never would have made it through without my friends by my side.? Heero smiled at Relena and she blushed again. Noin just stared at what she was seeing in amazement.
?What is going on with you two? You?ve been acting like a couple of high school kids all morning.?
Heero started to laugh at this while Relena?s face turned a deep crimson. ?Have we really been acting that different?? Heero asked.
?For one, Heero, you were in Relena?s room at 8am this morning. Even when you were guarding her during the war you were never there past 6, and even then you never came inside. Secondly, I?ve never known you to act like this towards anyone, including Relena. And now it?s like you two are engaged or something,? stated Noin.
And then as the smile on Heero?s face grew and Relena turned bright red, Noin finally realized what was going on.
?OH MY GOD! You two are engaged aren?t you!?? she asked with a shocked look on her face.
?Yes, we are,? Heero replied happily.
?Oh my God! Relena when did this happen!? Why didn?t you tell me!??
?It only just happened last night which is why I didn?t tell you,? Relena said softly.
?Does Milliardo know yet?? Noin asked worriedly. Relena just shook her head.
?I had meant to talk to Zechs at Christmas, but we all know what happened there. Since then I haven?t really had the opportunity to talk with him,? Heero stated.
?I would imagine that he suspects something after barging in this morning,? Relena added.
?You?re right. He would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to not suspect something,? replied Noin.
Heero opened his mouth to say it might have been pushed from his mind by whatever has him so worried, but never got the chance as their breakfast was brought in. As they ate, Heero began thinking about what could have Zechs so worried.
?Whatever?s bothering him can?t be good. It?s not like Zechs to be this unsettled. I don?t know what?s going on down at Preventers HQ, but I don?t like the way all this feels. It?s too close to how it felt before the Marima incident.? Heero gave a visible shudder as he thought about how catastrophic the outcome almost was.
?Did Heero just?? No I?m just imagining things,? Relena thought to herself as she watched her future husband and though about what lay ahead of them. Once again it was Noin who broke the silence.
?So, Heero, what are your plans now that you?re back on your feet?? Heero looked at her with a slightly confused look on his face.
?What do you mean?? he asked.
?I mean do you have any plans for your life? Aside from getting married.? She winked at Relena who smiled back. ?I guess what I?m really trying to ask is what kind of job do you plan on getting, if you get one at all. After all a man with your extensive training has a lot of options open to them.?
?I?ve been thinking about that a lot myself, and I was planning on asking Zechs about getting a position at Preventers.?
?What?!? exclaimed Relena and Noin together.
?I thought you had given up fighting?? Relena said sounding extremely worried.
?I never said that I was going to be fighting again. There are many other ways that I can help the force,? he replied as he moved over to Relena and gently brushed the hair away from her face. ?I have no intention on putting you or myself in any danger, but this is all that I know how to do.? He rubber a hand through her hair and she put her hand up on his, pulled them to her face and held them there.
?I know,? she said softly. ?I?m sure Zechs will be grateful that for once you will both be on the same side.?
Heero gave a small laugh as he wrapped his arms around Relena and pulled her in closer to him. ?That makes two of us,? he said. Relena sighed and leaned her head up against his chest.
?Heh-hem.?
Noin cleared her throat and abruptly Heero and Relena broke away from each other, both of them turning bright red in the face.
?There?s no need to get embarrassed. You?re in love and there?s nothing wrong with showing affection for each other. I only wanted to tell Heero that I am heading to the Preventers main office to meet with Zechs for lunch, and that if he wanted to come he is more than welcome.?
?Thank you Noin,? he replied. ?What time were you planning on leaving??
?Sometime around noon, depending on how busy Zechs is when I call him here in a bit.?
?I?ll be ready whenever you are.?
?I?ll have Pegan come and get you when I?m ready to leave.? Noin then gave Relena a hug, and whispered in her ear, ?I hope he doesn?t give you as much trouble as Zechs gave me at first.?
?I think I?ll be able to manage quite well,? Relena said with a smile.
?I?m happy for the both of you. I?m sure you?ll have a long and happy life together.? Having said that Noin turned and headed out of the kitchen to call Zechs.
?I should probably go start getting ready so I?ll be ready when Noin is,? Heero said almost reluctantly.
Relena turned to face him, took one of his hands and entwined it with hers. ?We both need to freshen up a bit,? she replied with a devious grin on her face.
?There will be time for that later,? Heero said and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. ?Does Zechs have any old clothes that he wouldn?t miss if I borrowed them??
?I?m sure we can find you some. Why do you ask? Are you growing tired of that old green tank top and black shorts finally??
?No. I just wanted to look more presentable when I go talk to your brother about us,? answered Heero solemnly.
?Don?t tell me you?re trying to make a good impression on him, because you did that years ago by your skills as a pilot,? Relena said with a small laugh.
?It never crossed my mind. I know that if Zechs doesn?t except someone the way they are no amount of dressing up will change his mind. But we will have time to discuss all this later. I need to get ready.?
Relena nodded in agreement and slipped her arm through his as the exited the kitchen and headed off to find some of Zechs? old clothes.
Meanwhile, in another part of the mansion, a very visibly worried Noin sat with a death-grip on the phone as she listened to Zechs explain the situation that was unfolding.
