Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2002 6:43 am
If I Were You
Okay, in case you haven?t reached this conclusion already, I don?t own Gundam Wing. But, by gosh, they?re just so much fun to torture!
A/N ? Here there be sap? RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!
Chapter Twelve
She stepped softly towards us, taking in our stunned appearances. Reaching me first, she tilted my head towards the light, taking in my split lip and ripening bruise. She rolled her eyes and gave me a look of complete disgust, muttering something under her breath that appeared to refer to ?stupid boys?.
Moving towards Heero, she paused, as he hung his head in an attempt to avoid her gaze. Taking his hand, she ran her fingers gently over his red and swollen knuckles. Heero flinched slightly, and I knew that the reaction had nothing to do with his damaged hand. Realising that Relena was avoiding looking up at him, I saw the distinct expression of longing wash over his face. Lifting his other hand, he stroked it softly against her hair.
?Don?t.? Relena said calmly, as she recoiled from his touch. Pointing to his light cotton shirt, she directed,
?Unbutton it.?
Heero blinked at her, before doing as he was told. The look Relena was giving him left little room for argument. Inspecting the darkening skin across his stomach, she brusquely ran her fingers across the bruises, receiving a sharp inhalation of air from Heero.
?Stop being a baby.? She objected sharply.
Heero looked at her in astonishment, and I fought an overpowering urge to laugh. Sensing my mirth, Heero shot me a dark look. I just shrugged at him, returning his stare with a smirk. God I was enjoying this.
?Well, come on, I suppose I should at least clean you two idiots up.? Grumbled Relena, heading back towards the house.
Walking behind, I grinned at the sight Heero made. He stomped along, slightly hunched, his shirt still hanging open. There were grass clippings in his hair, and green stains marked the back of his jeans and white shirt. I doubted that I looked much better.
Standing in the bright, artificial light of the kitchen, I knew we looked even worse. Hey, it may have been a relatively short scuffle, but it?s not like either of us didn?t know how to make each punch count. Heero?s jaw and cheek were progressing to a satisfying purple, and I didn?t expect his abdomen to look much different. I congratulated myself inwardly. It?s not everyone that gets to beat the shit out of Heero Yuy, and I do like to take pride in my work.
Marching over to the freezer, Relena snatched an icepack and thrust it into my hands.
?Thug!? she snapped, then, seeing that her back was to Heero, she winked at me. My need to laugh was seriously getting out of control.
?Go and sit over there,?
Sitting down on the indicated stool, I reached towards the small radio that sat on the bench top, and switched it on.
?Oh god no!? exclaimed Relena ?Anything but Barry White! Turn it off!?
Returning the room to silence, I turned to Relena, who was waiting to apply ointment to my maturing bruise. I snickered inwardly. I suspected that Relena would call it anything but mature.
Completing her ministrations, she stood in front of me, hand extended and eyebrow raised. Sighing, I removed my folded knife from my back pocket and pressed it into her palm. I was really beginning to think she had missed her calling as a schoolmistress. Was it any wonder she had those old politicians tripping all over themselves? Satisfied, Relena turned her attentions to Heero.
Indicating for him to remove his shirt, she began to check his arms, chest and stomach for damage. He really was bruising up quite nicely. She poked and prodded at him, completely lacking of sympathy. Heero remained motionless, simply watching her with the same hopeless yearning. It was almost imperceptible, and I doubted that Relena was aware of it. But I could see it, and I hoped he would finally give in to his internal struggle. His hands were clenched at his side, and I knew he was resisting the desire to touch her.
?So,? Relena began, returning the lid to the ointment bottle, ?I hear you?ve taken up writing.?
Heero nodded dumbly.
?Do you think you could give us a moment, Trowa? Heero and I need to have a talk.?
I nodded, rising from my seat, and moved towards the door. Something was preying on my mind however. I could only assume that Relena had heard me declare my feelings. Where did this leave our friendship? It left me feeling awkward. She must have sensed this, however, as her hand on my arm brought me to a standstill.
?Trowa, I don?t know how I could have got through the last few months without you.?
She took my hand and smiled at me. I smiled softly, wistfully back at her.
?You know I?ll always be there for you, Relena. Just think of me as a? as a brother.?
Relena?s smile was gentle as she shook her head at me.
?No, not a brother. I already have one of those, and he?s more than enough. No, Trowa, you?re my best friend.?
I felt a lump form in my throat, as the most gracious individual I had ever met, put her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. Suddenly I realised, that that would be enough.
******
Okay, so maybe I should have left them in peace. But part of me was loath to leave her alone with him, lest he trample her again. And another part of me simply wanted to know how the story would end. So I crouched in the shadows just beyond the kitchen door, silently hoping not to betray my presence. In hind site, I suspect that Relena knew all along that I would not abandon her, but she knew that Heero would not have wanted me there.
They stood watching each other, like opponents waiting for the other to betray their first move. The clock?s monotonous ticking was the only sound in the room. Surprisingly, it was Heero who made the first step.
?I?m sorry.?
?Why??
?I hurt you.?
?When??
?Tonight.?
?How??
I smiled softly in the darkness. Relena had no intention of letting him off lightly. She was not going to let Heero make her do all the talking. She wanted answers. It appeared she was going to get them.
?I should never have over reacted to the newspapers. I shouldn?t have said what I did. I was?. Jealous.?
?Yes, well, I hear you?ve been doing a lot of over reacting of late. Seems to be habit forming.?
Heero reddened, and he hung his head. Relena shook her head.
?So who have you chosen to believe, Heero? The gossipmongers? Or your friend? Are you willing to accept that Trowa would never betray you, or would you rather believe the worst??
She waited for some form of response, and on receiving none, continued.
?You know the worst thing about this Heero? It?s been five years. Five years since you used me, and left me. You told me to move on? but as soon as it looks like I have, you come charging back, trying to tell me who I can and cannot associate myself with. I?m surrounded by a very good group of friends. And they?re your friends too. I?m not the only one who wants you back in my life. We?ve missed you.?
Something flickered across Heero?s face. Was it hurt?
?I didn?t? I didn?t use you.?
Relena raised her eyebrows in doubt.
?Really Heero? What do you call it then? Tell me?? she looked at him, imploring,
?Tell me, Heero, what do you want from me??
?Didn?t it matter to you what the world would think??
Relena blinked at him.
?Surely you must have realised; the scorn you would have received from the public. Involving yourself with some unknown element, even worse if it ever got out who I was. My past. The sins I had committed. Didn?t it matter to you at all??
?No. It didn?t matter. Not in the slightest. I would have endured anything to be with you. I would have been proud to be with you. You?re not unknown to me, or to those people in my life that matter. And your sins are no more than any other soldier that did what they had to do, in order to survive. Duo, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, they?ve allowed themselves to move on. You saved the Earth, Heero. Why can?t you stop fighting, and let her repay you??
Heero swallowed deeply, struggling to steady his breathing. Struggling to find the words, he murmured softly,
?I want? I need to be near you.?
Relena sobbed, blinking against unshed tears. Reaching up with a shaking hand, she brushed an errant lock of hair out of Heero?s eyes. His eyes flickered shut briefly, as he savoured the touch of her fingers against his forehead.
?Thank you,? she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, ?Thank you for the pendant. It was? beautiful.?
Locking her in an intense gaze, Heero cupped her face in his hands.
?Not nearly as beautiful as you.? He replied softly. His thumb traced her bottom lip, almost reverently and dropping his other hand to her waist, he pulled her up against him.
She shivered in his arms, her breath hitching in her throat, as she waited impatiently for the desired kiss. Unable to torment himself any longer, he lowered his lips to hers, bestowing upon her a kiss that began tenderly but soon deepened passionately. Breaking away, both short of breath, Heero looked intensely into the eyes of his love.
?I love you Relena.?
?I love you too Heero. Please? please don?t leave me again.?
?Never. I promise.?
I sighed deeply, relief abound. Finally things were how they should be.
?My goodness, Master Trowa, what are you doing sitting there in the dark??
******
Okay, in case you haven?t reached this conclusion already, I don?t own Gundam Wing. But, by gosh, they?re just so much fun to torture!
A/N ? Here there be sap? RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!
Chapter Twelve
She stepped softly towards us, taking in our stunned appearances. Reaching me first, she tilted my head towards the light, taking in my split lip and ripening bruise. She rolled her eyes and gave me a look of complete disgust, muttering something under her breath that appeared to refer to ?stupid boys?.
Moving towards Heero, she paused, as he hung his head in an attempt to avoid her gaze. Taking his hand, she ran her fingers gently over his red and swollen knuckles. Heero flinched slightly, and I knew that the reaction had nothing to do with his damaged hand. Realising that Relena was avoiding looking up at him, I saw the distinct expression of longing wash over his face. Lifting his other hand, he stroked it softly against her hair.
?Don?t.? Relena said calmly, as she recoiled from his touch. Pointing to his light cotton shirt, she directed,
?Unbutton it.?
Heero blinked at her, before doing as he was told. The look Relena was giving him left little room for argument. Inspecting the darkening skin across his stomach, she brusquely ran her fingers across the bruises, receiving a sharp inhalation of air from Heero.
?Stop being a baby.? She objected sharply.
Heero looked at her in astonishment, and I fought an overpowering urge to laugh. Sensing my mirth, Heero shot me a dark look. I just shrugged at him, returning his stare with a smirk. God I was enjoying this.
?Well, come on, I suppose I should at least clean you two idiots up.? Grumbled Relena, heading back towards the house.
Walking behind, I grinned at the sight Heero made. He stomped along, slightly hunched, his shirt still hanging open. There were grass clippings in his hair, and green stains marked the back of his jeans and white shirt. I doubted that I looked much better.
Standing in the bright, artificial light of the kitchen, I knew we looked even worse. Hey, it may have been a relatively short scuffle, but it?s not like either of us didn?t know how to make each punch count. Heero?s jaw and cheek were progressing to a satisfying purple, and I didn?t expect his abdomen to look much different. I congratulated myself inwardly. It?s not everyone that gets to beat the shit out of Heero Yuy, and I do like to take pride in my work.
Marching over to the freezer, Relena snatched an icepack and thrust it into my hands.
?Thug!? she snapped, then, seeing that her back was to Heero, she winked at me. My need to laugh was seriously getting out of control.
?Go and sit over there,?
Sitting down on the indicated stool, I reached towards the small radio that sat on the bench top, and switched it on.
?Oh god no!? exclaimed Relena ?Anything but Barry White! Turn it off!?
Returning the room to silence, I turned to Relena, who was waiting to apply ointment to my maturing bruise. I snickered inwardly. I suspected that Relena would call it anything but mature.
Completing her ministrations, she stood in front of me, hand extended and eyebrow raised. Sighing, I removed my folded knife from my back pocket and pressed it into her palm. I was really beginning to think she had missed her calling as a schoolmistress. Was it any wonder she had those old politicians tripping all over themselves? Satisfied, Relena turned her attentions to Heero.
Indicating for him to remove his shirt, she began to check his arms, chest and stomach for damage. He really was bruising up quite nicely. She poked and prodded at him, completely lacking of sympathy. Heero remained motionless, simply watching her with the same hopeless yearning. It was almost imperceptible, and I doubted that Relena was aware of it. But I could see it, and I hoped he would finally give in to his internal struggle. His hands were clenched at his side, and I knew he was resisting the desire to touch her.
?So,? Relena began, returning the lid to the ointment bottle, ?I hear you?ve taken up writing.?
Heero nodded dumbly.
?Do you think you could give us a moment, Trowa? Heero and I need to have a talk.?
I nodded, rising from my seat, and moved towards the door. Something was preying on my mind however. I could only assume that Relena had heard me declare my feelings. Where did this leave our friendship? It left me feeling awkward. She must have sensed this, however, as her hand on my arm brought me to a standstill.
?Trowa, I don?t know how I could have got through the last few months without you.?
She took my hand and smiled at me. I smiled softly, wistfully back at her.
?You know I?ll always be there for you, Relena. Just think of me as a? as a brother.?
Relena?s smile was gentle as she shook her head at me.
?No, not a brother. I already have one of those, and he?s more than enough. No, Trowa, you?re my best friend.?
I felt a lump form in my throat, as the most gracious individual I had ever met, put her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. Suddenly I realised, that that would be enough.
******
Okay, so maybe I should have left them in peace. But part of me was loath to leave her alone with him, lest he trample her again. And another part of me simply wanted to know how the story would end. So I crouched in the shadows just beyond the kitchen door, silently hoping not to betray my presence. In hind site, I suspect that Relena knew all along that I would not abandon her, but she knew that Heero would not have wanted me there.
They stood watching each other, like opponents waiting for the other to betray their first move. The clock?s monotonous ticking was the only sound in the room. Surprisingly, it was Heero who made the first step.
?I?m sorry.?
?Why??
?I hurt you.?
?When??
?Tonight.?
?How??
I smiled softly in the darkness. Relena had no intention of letting him off lightly. She was not going to let Heero make her do all the talking. She wanted answers. It appeared she was going to get them.
?I should never have over reacted to the newspapers. I shouldn?t have said what I did. I was?. Jealous.?
?Yes, well, I hear you?ve been doing a lot of over reacting of late. Seems to be habit forming.?
Heero reddened, and he hung his head. Relena shook her head.
?So who have you chosen to believe, Heero? The gossipmongers? Or your friend? Are you willing to accept that Trowa would never betray you, or would you rather believe the worst??
She waited for some form of response, and on receiving none, continued.
?You know the worst thing about this Heero? It?s been five years. Five years since you used me, and left me. You told me to move on? but as soon as it looks like I have, you come charging back, trying to tell me who I can and cannot associate myself with. I?m surrounded by a very good group of friends. And they?re your friends too. I?m not the only one who wants you back in my life. We?ve missed you.?
Something flickered across Heero?s face. Was it hurt?
?I didn?t? I didn?t use you.?
Relena raised her eyebrows in doubt.
?Really Heero? What do you call it then? Tell me?? she looked at him, imploring,
?Tell me, Heero, what do you want from me??
?Didn?t it matter to you what the world would think??
Relena blinked at him.
?Surely you must have realised; the scorn you would have received from the public. Involving yourself with some unknown element, even worse if it ever got out who I was. My past. The sins I had committed. Didn?t it matter to you at all??
?No. It didn?t matter. Not in the slightest. I would have endured anything to be with you. I would have been proud to be with you. You?re not unknown to me, or to those people in my life that matter. And your sins are no more than any other soldier that did what they had to do, in order to survive. Duo, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, they?ve allowed themselves to move on. You saved the Earth, Heero. Why can?t you stop fighting, and let her repay you??
Heero swallowed deeply, struggling to steady his breathing. Struggling to find the words, he murmured softly,
?I want? I need to be near you.?
Relena sobbed, blinking against unshed tears. Reaching up with a shaking hand, she brushed an errant lock of hair out of Heero?s eyes. His eyes flickered shut briefly, as he savoured the touch of her fingers against his forehead.
?Thank you,? she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, ?Thank you for the pendant. It was? beautiful.?
Locking her in an intense gaze, Heero cupped her face in his hands.
?Not nearly as beautiful as you.? He replied softly. His thumb traced her bottom lip, almost reverently and dropping his other hand to her waist, he pulled her up against him.
She shivered in his arms, her breath hitching in her throat, as she waited impatiently for the desired kiss. Unable to torment himself any longer, he lowered his lips to hers, bestowing upon her a kiss that began tenderly but soon deepened passionately. Breaking away, both short of breath, Heero looked intensely into the eyes of his love.
?I love you Relena.?
?I love you too Heero. Please? please don?t leave me again.?
?Never. I promise.?
I sighed deeply, relief abound. Finally things were how they should be.
?My goodness, Master Trowa, what are you doing sitting there in the dark??
******