Fire and Ice 2/(maybe four?, we'll see)

[AngelOfDeath]

Well, I?m still having fun with this. This just struck me on the head so hard I had to write it. Bah. I get too scattered. Forgive me if I got the name of the statue wrong, I?m doing it from memory after all and my Greek myths have gotten shakier over time.

Disclaimer: No Gundam Wing do I own, alas.


Chapter 2


?Relena.? As he said her name aloud his breath appeared in the air, a cloud of warm vapor, before being swallowed up by the cold he lived his life in. This was his workshop, what used to be a butcher shop, now turned into his studio. He lived above it in a small apartment, but he hadn?t chosen it for the comfy living situation. What was important was the meat freezer, and this was a large one. He could comfortably work here with no interruptions at any time of the year. He got to do his art, and that?s what mattered. At least now he didn?t have to worry about moving from town to town, or where his next meal would come from anymore. Back in the days after he just got out of art college, that had certainly been a problem. At the age of 19 he had been a vagrant, a wanderer, only stopping long enough to sculpt something in clay or whatever he had money to buy until he couldn?t get any more credit and needed to move on. A few years ago he had actually paid off all his debts, and it had been a good feeling. He had laughed aloud that day. Unlike many other artists, he hadn?t needed to die first to experience success.

Rubbing his hands together for warmth, a distracted gesture on his part to pass the time and keep moving, he studied the piece. It was almost perfect, but somehow he couldn?t bring himself to carve the mouth. Really she was quite perfect down to the hair that he had painstakingly added in strand by strand so that it almost looked like it could fly free from her form. Indeed, some of it was formed to be away from her body as if the wind had blown it just a bit (that had been one of the hardest parts). The bangs, parted slightly messily, drew attention down to the eyes, slightly hooded but still sparkling under the harsh fluorescent lights that he had never bothered to replace in this corner of his workshop. There was a reason he had put her here, and that was because he didn?t want to chance someone seeing her. His Galatea, the perfection that at the same time was incomplete: his statue of Relena. Unlike Pygmalion he did not need to ask the gods to bring her to life, but he feared just like the Galatea of legend Relena would reject him. Maybe that?s why he had not talked to her all those times in the past. Maybe he had subconsciously prevented himself from doing so.

Checking his watch for what felt like the thousandth time that day, Heero waited for noon to pass. Somehow he felt that calling would only be acceptable after noon, but maybe that was just his way to set a deadline so he would in fact call her. It was so tempting to ?lose? her number and just forget everything. His life had just gotten under control and she threatened to shake everything loose. The feelings, any feelings, were so new and hot and fast but most importantly they were unfamiliar. When Heero had lived on his own and wandered the country he had always made sure that things were the same in many respects. The shitty apartments were the same, the dead-end part time jobs, the strange hours of sculpting. . . .he could have been anywhere. Even here, with this job, he had a routine and for all he cared he could pick up and move someplace else. Somehow, she was already changing that by her very presence. She was giving character to this experience. Perhaps she was a good change as every fiber of his being wanted to strain towards her, but his mind bucked wildly at the prospect of being tied down. A chill ran through him, and he checked his watch again. With a shake of his head he made his way towards the entrance of the freezer passing through a path made by many half finished works. With a backwards glance at the unfinished statue in the far corner, he switched off the lights and closed the door.

An oppressive heat greeted him on the other side of the door. Quickly removing his various layers of coats and his hat and gloves he was stripped down into what could probably pass for normal clothing. Black corduroy pants and a forest green buttoned down shirt were not his usual work clothes beneath his coats, but subconsciously he had dressed this morning with an eye to seeing Relena. By the time he noticed, he didn?t care to change merely to prove to himself that he wasn?t that eager. He knew he wanted to see her, there was no use denying his feelings. Approaching the phone that was one of the few things that occupied the front of the store, sitting next to various pieces of paper that no doubt contained order requests or ?reminders? from Duo, Heero saw the message light blink. With one eyebrow raised he pressed the button.

?Call her you idiot, and do it now!? *beep* Duo. That idiot.

?Don?t listen to Duo, he meddles too much. (But seriously if you don?t call that girl I?ll call her myself and don?t think just because you live like a monk I don?t know things about you.)? The threat from Hilde was playful and made him smile internally. ?Good luck, from both of us!? *beep* Even if they were irritating, it was still reassuring to know that they were behind him.

Picking up the phone slowly, he took out the already well worn piece of card from his pocket and ran his thumb across it yet again. The number was there in small and bold black letters, and he felt his heart speed up from stress even now. Looking out the large windows at the street, he saw people pass by. A few looked in, but most had gotten used to ignoring the dingy and empty looking shop in this not well populated outskirt of the city. Heero stared at nothing, and collected his thoughts, because he never did anything without a clear plan. He would say hello, he would ask her to meet him for dinner, and then they would arrange a time and place and hang up. It would be very simple. He dialed the number. As it rang he realized he had been holding his breath for some time and let it out in a nervous whoosh, just as the phone was being picked up on the other end. Already he felt unbalanced. ?Hello? Relena Peacecraft speaking.? Suddenly Heero felt as cold as the inside of his freezer, only a lot sweatier at the same time.

?Relena? This is Heero, Heero Yuy. We spoke at the party.? Please remember me! His mind called out pitifully. How stupid this made him feel.

?Of course, I?m glad you did call. I got the feeling you might not.? Her perception scared him silent a moment. The pause was a little too long though. ?Heero? Hello??

?Yes, yes?. Er? I mean?.? This was not going as smoothly as he wanted it to. Accursed phone. Back to the plan. ?Would you like to have dinner tonight??

?Yes.? There was no hesitation on her part. Heero wiped a sweaty palm on his pants and switched the phone to his other hand so he could treat the other one similarly. ?Where would you like to eat?? Oh no. He hadn?t thought she would ask him that. As he mostly ate microwave dinners he didn?t care what went into his stomach. There was no time to think about what he was eating when he was using most of his time to sketch out the next sculpture idea, or just to mark time until he ran back downstairs to work on a particularly absorbing piece.

?I don?t care. You choose.? It was a cop out, but he hoped she would think of something fast. Already he was looking around the room like a caged animal trying to find a way out.

?Well, I haven?t had thai food in a while. How about. . .? She listed a few places. Heero made no noise of assent or otherwise. Eventually she got the idea that maybe she should just be decisive for them. ?Here,? she had Heero write down an address. ?Meet me there at 6. I eat early, most of the time, and it would be good since it?s a small place anyway and we?d have to wait a long time for a table otherwise.?

?Sounds fine to me.? Heero stifled a sigh of relief. This was almost over. ?See you then.?

?Yes, see you. Oh and Heero. . .?? She sounded so gentle and patient.

?Hm??

?You might think about having someone else handle your calls. You sound terribly frightened of me. I assure you I don?t bite. Bye now.? The dial tone left a very stunned Heero in its wake.

*

He had gotten to the restaurant an hour early. There had been nothing else for him to do. After a while Duo and Hilde called and bugged him about what was said, only to be disappointed and amused in turns. Hilde already loved this girl.

?She?s perfect for you Heero! You need someone to get you off balance once in a while. You?re whole existence is too controlled.? In the background Heero could hear Duo say something snide about his high school days. ?Shush you!? Hilde giggled as Duo most likely began tickling her. After a while he extracted himself from the hated phone and went upstairs to attempt to comb his hair. The emphasis was on attempt, because something about his scalp or type of hair seemed to force it in such strange and gravity defying spikes such that he thought it was hopeless. He shaved the day?s worth of stubble from his face and then found himself with quite a lot of time to kill. That?s when he decided to just wait for her at the place. Just like everything else today, that had also proved to be a bad idea because the waiter certainly didn?t like someone taking up a table without ordering. Something about his snooty demeanor told Heero he also did not believe someone was coming to meet him soon. Heero had to restrain himself from punching the horrid little man in the face. Really it was only Relena?s imminent arrival that stopped him from visiting some violence on this place, his mood was that dark.

When she did come in, exactly on time, it was like the whole place lit up. Part of that could have been because she was wearing all white and it was very reflective, but she had presence as well. She wore a white skirt and tank top, with her hair blowing about her shoulders. Heero caught his breath as for a moment it looked like his statue of her come to life. She saw him and gave a little wave as she joined him, at the last minute he thought to stand to help her into her seat, but the waiter beat him too it. He sat down again, shooting a deathly glare at the interloper. With a frightened glance, the man dropped the menus in front of them and almost ran in the other direction.

?Have you been waiting for me for very long?? her voice was soft and her eyes were kind.

?You have no idea.? He said under his breath as he stared at her intently.

?Pardon??

?Not long at all.?

?Oh good.?

They looked at their menus for a bit and ordered as soon as they were ready because all Heero had to do was look in the direction of their server, and the frightened man was more than willing to immediately wait on them. Relena folded her hands on the table after taking a sip of water and cocked her head to the side. Heero prepared himself for what would no doubt be boring small talk.

?So why did you choose that time to talk to me? I?d seen you many times before, but you always looked so preoccupied, so I never figured you?d want to speak with me.? She?d seen him before? That was something he hadn?t expected.

?I didn?t know what to say.? He paused. ?I?m not that good at conversation. Sometimes I feel like people waste their words.? He couldn?t say that he was too scared to approach her because she was the more desirable and graceful thing he had ever laid eyes on. That would be ridiculous, he was the formidable Heero Yuy.

?You may be right. But I think words can hold a lot of power. An hour of small talk can tell you a lot about a person if you know what to look for.? He wondered why she was a florist and not a diplomat, for this woman could win over nations with her charisma. Yet something about her felt not quite right, and he couldn?t quite put his finger on it.

?Perhaps.? He took a drink of water. ?Why did you become a florist?? Taking the focus off of him was key. Plus he did want to know more about her.

?Do you want the short or the long version??

?Long, please.? That elicited a smile.

?Well, I always enjoyed taking care of a small rose garden on the family estate when I was younger. Then when I was in boarding school I always had plants in my room, no matter where I was. My science was decent enough so I majored in biology in college to know more about the plants I loved. I thought about continuing on, but really the only reason I would have to go to graduate school would be if I were into experimental research or if I wanted to be a professor. I?m lucky that I have enough money to maintain a business that doesn?t really pay very much and still live very well. I try to give back what I can, but really I keep to myself mostly.? She seemed to be far away when she said that. The sadness was there even more clearly now.

?You went to boarding school?? Best to bring her back to earth. Her attention snapped back to Heero and her clear eyes gave him a chill of some indefinable emotion.

?Yes. For all of high school, after. . . after I turned 15.? There was something missing there, but she obviously didn?t want to talk about it. ?What about you??

Heero wondered how much he should tell her. ?I, hn, went to a lot of different high schools. Eventually I got fed up with it all and got my G.E.D. and got into an art school as fast as possible. I still didn?t enjoy it very much, but at least I got to do my art with fewer interruptions.?

?Is that where you met that friendly braided man, Duo right??

?No, Duo and I went to part of middle school and most of high school together. Or we were in the same grade at least. We were foster kids in the same home. Brothers in a sense.? He felt like the words were being torn from him. He didn?t like thinking about those times. Back in those days he got in trouble constantly for skipping classes and getting to fights with people who didn?t know to leave him well enough alone. Just because he looked somewhat small and skinny didn?t mean he couldn?t take care of himself. After being expelled from school after school, he finally got a reputation after breaking on boy?s arm when he tried to bother him while Heero was reading one of his art books. That was shortly before he got his G.E.D. and skipped town, (much to his foster family?s worry.) Only Duo ever sought him out. Duo understood him better than anyone else. They had always both been orphans being bumped around from family to family because they were so much trouble. Honestly, he had hated Duo with a passion when they first met, but he got used to him after a while. It was hard to hate Duo as a general rule.

?Oh, so, your parents. . .? Her words were hesitant. At least there no pity, as that would have been unbearable.

?Don?t know. Don?t care.? His words were gruff, effectively closing off further questioning. An uncomfortable silence fell as they both drank water and averted their eyes from one another. ?I?m sorry,? Heero said after a moment. ?I didn?t mean to be sharp. I don?t talk about the past.?

?That?s probably a good idea. It?s my fault for asking.? She turned her eyes back in his direction. If she always looked at him like this he knew he would continue to seem a blathering idiot in her presence. ?I always loved your ice sculpture. I remember the first piece you ever did, if you believe that.? Heero looked startled. That was years ago. ?I mean,? she said as she seemed for once to stumble over her words. ?All of your pieces are so special but this one really stood out to me, and I asked who did it which is why I remember that it was yours.?

?That was the first angel I ever did,? First of many, he thought to himself. But that first one was special. He had put at least two months of work into it, he was so nervous about it and everything had to be perfect. Once he had finished both he and Duo had rented a truck and hauled it over themselves with the help of some of Duo?s buddies. It had been a hell of a day, but everything had gone perfectly. Demands for his work came quickly after that. ?It was for the Winner-Catalonia marriage. Quatre was a friend of Duo?s from college. Business majors and roommates, or so I understood.?

?I?d known Dorothy, the bride, from boarding school. We?d traveled in the same circles. This was before I started doing my florist work on the side. I remember asking her who did the sculpture, and she said that Quatre had found someone named Yuy who was just starting out. I must have stood in front of that piece of art for twenty minutes, just looking at her.? Heero was very flattered, but he hid his pleasure and simply watched as Relena?s eyes glazed over as she saw back to that day. That was fine with him; it allowed him to stare at her without her noticing. ?I remember she looked so very sad, like an angel fallen from heaven. Alone maybe.? Heero started at this. None of his pieces had ever been crafted to look particularly sad. If anything it seemed to him as if they lacked the sort of emotion and passion that she said she saw. His brow furrowed.

?It was a joyous occasion. I?m sorry you found my work so depressing.?

?Oh no, I?m sure I was the only one who saw it. She was smiling after all. But sometimes I think art has a certain soul to it. Seems to be that the soul you put into your pieces is melancholy.? Her next question blew him away. ?Are you happy with your life Heero?? This was too much. He felt like his brain was overloading trying to process all the conflicting memories and new emotions.

?Excuse me, Relena, I need to go to the bathroom.? She smiled faintly to herself as he beat a hasty retreat.




Ohohohoho. Things continue on for our unlikely yet destined couple. Please tell me what you think so far. I?m also still trying to decide between making this PG or R. Also still fighting OOCness, and I hope I'm succeeding. Hehe. Fun fun. I think a Relena POV is in order for the next one at any rate for at least part if not most of it.

[miyuchan]

*claps, blissfully happy* Ah! Another wonderful part to this story. An angsty Heero is an interesting thing. I do wish it hadn't ended so abruptly...but I eagerly await the next part. Thank you for sharing!

[Eden]

Love the way this is going!! The whole thing is very intreging with Heero's point of view because it leaves us guessing about what is going through Relena' s little head, . . .

Anyways, you've kept the characters very true to form and added a few nice characteristics (Heero's nervousness, tee hee!) that you can't help but love!

Can't wait to see more!!

~Eden