False Engagements 4: Aftermath Intervals (TBXRP)

[Kysra]

Just to cover a few plot holes that have already cropped up . . . .

Oh and just to clarify (since my mother said she got this certain . . . impression), Rel and Trowa do NOT sleep together . . . yet.

<center>False Engagements: Aftermath Intervals
by Kysra</center>


For those of you who have missed out on the story so far, here?s what?s been goin? down (not that you really want a recap but . . . ):

Milliardo, in his infinite wisd . . . er . . . stupidity *dodges the various rotten veggies the multitude of Zechs/Milliardo worshippers throw at her*, announces to the world that Relena, who had been previously involved with Heero *hordes of Heero/Relena supporters throw the Heero-patented-death-glare in her direction*, is available. As a result, thousands upon thousands of jerk . . um . . men heh ^_^ vie for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to date the infamous ex-Queen of the World. Of course, Relena is NOT happy about this arrangement and, with the help of a very convenient jar of salsa, beans her meddling older brother in the head *Zechs lovers rush after Kysra w/ torches and various implements of death* (Don?t worry, no extremely sexy, blond bishounen men whose alias? are too numerous to count were ~seriously or permanently~ hurt during the aforementioned semi-violent action).

After weeks of meaningless, torturous blind dates, Relena had had it and threatened the clueless Milli with the terror-inducing possibility of his fan club as guests in the house *grin*, and as if that weren?t enough, his wife, Noin *Z/N fans rejoice*, sets down his penance and tells him, in no uncertain terms, that he will be spending an extended amount of time on the couch for the time being *Z/N lovers glare*.

Meanwhile, Relena?s friends, namely Hilde and Catherine, decide to help their lovelorn friend by finding the PERFECT mate for her, and who do they choose but TROWA!!!!! *collective gasp*. As to how they plan to push those two crazy kids together, well, their first try sure did come out with good results . . . sorta. See, Relena had this date with this Krapper guy *snort* who was a jerk in the extreme. Anyway, they had PLANNED that Heero would go undercover as the chauffeur (No, Relena did NOT sense that it was him), and Duo would follow them in the guise of a *cough* bush. At the appropriate time, Catherine would ask Trowa to go to a convenience store, conveniently -- oi what a horribly lame joke hehe -- located a few miles from the restaurant Krapper had chosen, BUT Trowa called Hilde (actually Catherine but Hilde was the one who answered) and told her he was going to be late coming home which totally threw Hilde into a panic. Thinking quickly, Hilde told him to pick up a pizza on his way home, knowing that, if fate was on their side, Trowa and Relena would meet up near the restaurant or the club which would Krapper and Relena?s destination after dinner.

Was fate on Hilde and Catherine?s side? Of course, it was silly! This IS a Trowa/Relena ficcy after all, and what would be the point if fate wasn?t on their side?? *grin* Ok, on with this, so after dinner, Relena helps the drunk Krapper out of the restaurant, and at his prompting (read: demand), forces Relena to go to the club with him. Now, Relena looked for the limo which was supposed to be there to pick them up, but it mysteriously wasn?t (Heero who is expecting Trowa to come around the corner any minute now was following the plan which specifically said DON?T PICK RELENA UP!!!). So Relena walks with the lush (Krapper) towards the club. (Almost there people! *readers cheer*) So, here she is, in the middle of an empty street with the sod, thinking of how GREAT it would be to get away from him when he slaps her!!!! YES HE SLAPPED RELENA!! THE B@ST@RD!!! *Relena fans (me included) and G-boys growl* Krapper, under the influence of the alcohol and his regular stupidity, molests her . . . almost but just in the nick of time, a BUSH (Duo) jumps on him just as Relena breaks free and runs. And who does she run into (literally) but -- you guessed it -- TROWA!!! *Relena/Trowa fans cheer emphatically*

Now, I bet everyone?s wondering what happened to Krapper, Heero, and Duo, not to mention, where were Heero and Duo when Relena was in trouble. Do you actually think I woulda left you in the dark? Of COURSE, I would!!!! *cackles evilly then suffers a coughing fit* Heh -- ahem -- that is, I would, but it really isn?t necessary for me to keep it a secret, so I?ll put all of you out of your curious misery and tell ya! . . . in intervals heh ^_^ (I?m also doing this cuz it?s buggin? me, and I won?t be able to get to the good mushy stuff till I do this. Damn overactive muses *grumbles*)

Interval #1 -- Where WERE Duo and Heero? (Ok all you yaoi-lovers, this is non-yaoi got it? I don?t do yaoi, besides Duo is MARRIED TO HILDE!)

?This SO sucks!?

?. . .?

?I woulda thought you would say something like that! At least, you?re not a friggin? bush!?

?. . .?

?AAAGGGHHH!!! Sometimes I wish you would just . . . just --?

?Duo. Shut. Up.?

?React! Yay! I got you to speak!?

?Hn.?

Duo grinned evilly and began to sing ?I am Henry VIII I am?. . . loudly, very loudly, so loudly that people were stopping to listen on the streets, trying to see the singing bush which just happened to be seated in the back seat of a very snazzy looking shiny, black limo.

Meanwhile, Heero was giving serious thought to outright cold-blooded murder, never mind that it was his ?friend? that would be the target. In an effort to shut Duo?s unbelievably loud, off-key voice out of his mind, Heero pressed a little red button on the dashboard, smirking as several hidden panels were suddenly revealed.

?Whoa! Noin didn?t forget anything, did she? Damn, there?s even a friggin? thermal scan on her!? Of course, this came from Duo who had gotten bored of being ?Henry VIII? and was now shoving his nose where it didn?t belong -- namely, the front seat along with Heero.

Ignoring his loud (and smelly) companion, Heero batted a stray leaf away from his cheek, and started analyzing the various maps, bleeps, and schematics which basically all showed the same thing: Relena?s approximate location. She wasn?t where she was supposed to be.

?Hey! Isn?t Relena supposed to be --?

?Yes.? With a glare that could melt gundamium, Heero punched a blue button near the steering wheel which would activate the bug Noin had planted in Relena?s necklace.

Static met their ears before Heero found the correct channel and ? . . . me what to do! I?m the man here! Now shut up and tell that driver you?re walking to the club with me.?

?Krapper.? Duo stated, not that Heero didn?t know the voice of the man, after all, he HAD sworn his life to Relena?s protection. Of course, ?that driver? was currently 40 miles away with a bush that just happened to have acquired a sprained ankle from some freak accident or another, though Heero suspected the injury was just a product of Duo?s foolishness.

They listened anxiously. Trowa should be there any minute now. Actually, Trowa should have been there a long time ago. What the hell was keeping him?

?Very well, sir. I accept your invitation.? Relena?s voice reached them, and Duo whistled softly at the barely concealed worry in the soft appeasing murmur. It was obvious to him that Relena was doing her best to harness what little control of the situation she had.

WHERE WAS TROWA!!!???

?I knew this was a bad idea,? Duo said softly. There was a stretch of silence broken only by the sound of Relena?s heels scraping the cement and the occasional rustle of cloth. The two were walking.

?They?re headed toward the club.? Heero shifted gears, heading towards Relena?s location. If that bastard tried anything . . . Duo didn?t want to think about it.

The ride was silent, the two men still listening to the soft sounds of Relena?s walk with the drunken man, the tension thick in the air.

A scuffle, then the distinct sound of skin slapping against skin.

?Bitch!?

Heero?s eyes narrowed dangerous as his foot slammed down on the accelerator while Duo?s face dropped into a scowl. No one called Relena a bitch, let alone hit her. This guy was gonna pay dearly, sprained ankle or no.

?You were thinking about him, weren?t you Princess? You were making eyes at that god damn waiter all night! You are MINE! I?ve watched you since you were Queen, and you will always belong to me, understand??

Absolutely ridiculous. The only person Relena had EVER made eyes at in her entire life was Heero, but she was never flirtatious. In fact, if anything, the girl-woman was as stand-offish with men as she was with everyone, believing if she cared too much, the danger surrounding her would inevitably encompass those she loved. It was a feeling the Gundam pilots could definitely relate too. The fact this guy even remotely believed he had any claim to her made Duo?s temperature rise as blistering anger enveloped his senses. Relena belonged to no one . . .

Although, Hilde would say she belonged to Trowa, he thought wryly.

?Damn it, where is he?? Heero ground out between clenched teeth. Of course, Duo knew exactly who he was talking about. He had been wondering the exact same thing.

?Drop me off here. I want first dibs on the guy?s nose.?

Heero didn?t slow down.

?Fine, fine, I?ll do it the hard way, but you?re gonna have to deal with Hilde.? Duo said mock-seriously as he opened the car door and poised to jump.

?Don?t break the pavement,? Heero muttered before putting even more pressure on the accelerator.

Duo just smirked before jumping from the speeding vehicle. For one second, he felt as if he were floating, but he couldn?t enjoy it. Folding his hands across his chest and squeezing his legs together, he held his breath, waiting for impact.

It wasn?t long in coming.

He rolled across the street, eyes clamped shut, the wind knocked out of him, his ankle a blazing ball of fiery pain, and for a few endless moments, it seemed as if he would never stop rolling. When he finally did, he offered a very brief, abbreviated prayer of thanks to whatever deity had allowed him to survive a drop like that, before springing up to half-hop, half-run towards Relena?s position, trying to ignore his injured ankle.

It didn?t take long to spot them since he took one of the back routes he knew of, and what he saw only made him even more enraged, Krapper had Relena pinned against him, her arm crushed between them at a decidedly painful looking angle, his hand straying too low for his own good.

Duo lunged for the man just as Relena broke free on her own and the screech of the limo?s tires met his ears. Heero was here, and Relena was not, which was probably a good thing since she was a pacifist and would be obliged to stop him and Heero from beating the living shit out of the guy. At least she was headed to a crowded area.

Launching himself onto Krapper?s back, Duo made good on his claim . . . and broke the bastard?s nose while Heero got to work on the rest of him.

~ About 15 minutes later . . . ~

?Ah, what a great workout! Wasn?t that fun? We shoulda been doing this to all of Relena?s dates!?

Heero actually smirked as they half-dragged, half-carried the dead weight of the extensively beaten Krapper towards the dumpster. With their combined strength, the comrades hoisted the offending man into the trash bin. He would live, but it would be a very painful life for the next few months.

?So where is she?? Duo asked once they had distanced themselves somewhat from Krapper?s hiding place, his violet eyes betraying his concern. They had found scraps of material from her dress along with the red shawl she had been wearing, not to mention a few fallen hairpins. He was just glad they had gotten there before anything worse had occurred. An evil grin filled with something akin to pride slid across his face as he remembered how Relena had nailed that guy in the foot good with her spiked heel. They were definitely rubbing off on her.

When they finally caught up with the runaway Princess (which took longer than it should have since Duo had to hold onto Heero for support), they were hard pressed to believe what met their eyes, but damned if Trowa wasn?t with her! And she was leaning against him too!

Smiling a little, Duo turned his head to find Heero smiling as well.

Interval #2 -- What exactly happened between Trowa and Relena after meeting up?

She couldn?t face them.

Of course, it was kind of late to realize that now, but looking at that happily lit trailer, hearing the laughter bubbling from inside where her two friends were enjoying good times with good company, well, Relena just didn?t feel like being faced with that right now.

The truth was, she hadn?t felt much like anything in the past few weeks . . . ok she HAD felt like running away at one point, but behaving like a child had never been Relena?s style.

She wasn?t about to start being childish now.

Then why did she have this sudden urge to throw herself at Trowa?s feet and beg him not to make her go in there? She squelched the urge with a firm mental slap.

?I can?t go in there.? There, she had said it out loud, a smidgen of pride welled up inside her at the controlled steadiness of her voice. Her eyes burned as her vision wavered.

No, she WOULD NOT cry in front of him again! One humiliation per night was enough, thank you very much.

? . . . ? he stared at her silently, his green eyes glowing cat-like in the night, piercing through whatever reserves of strength she had built up over the last month and a half. It was the straw that broke the camel?s back, that intense gaze. Tears streamed down her face as she choked on a sob, her hand covering her eyes as she bowed her head, wanting to shield herself from his calm scrutiny.

For his part, Trowa grimaced as he felt her warm hands detach themselves from his arm, listening to her quiet sobs with a growing apprehension. Did she expect him to comfort her? He wasn?t suited to such things, especially when it was a woman he hardly knew, and yet, her tears, silver paths across pale cheeks, inspired an ache within his heart that he couldn?t understand. He wanted to know what was troubling her, and he felt a wry half-smile curl his lips. Quatre?s influence had indeed changed him for the better.

Sighing and giving his sister?s trailer a look of longing, Trowa turned back to Relena and made a quick decision.

?You?ll stay with me tonight.?

Relena head jerked up as the soft words reached her ears, ?No . . . no. I don?t want to trouble you, I?ll just call Milliardo to pick me up and --?

?You?ll stay with me,? he reiterated as he grabbed the slim hand that wasn?t holding her dress, pulling her towards the trailer next to Catherine?s, his warm skin soothing the nervousness that seemed to have turned her stomach into a mass of knots only moments before.

Trowa ushered her into the small space, and she was amazed to find that his home was spotless, everything meticulously in place. There was no sentimental ornamentation, no unique style to the interior decoration, no trappings that would indicate that ?Trowa lives here.? Nothing. Spartan. Him.

She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth, tears forgotten.

Brushing past her, Trowa left Relena to her own devices, walking down the short hall to his bedroom to find suitable clothes for her to wear as he mentally berated himself for inviting her into his home.

What in the world was he thinking? It just wasn?t like him to invite strange women into his private living space.

And yet, a voice whispered inside him that this was right, this was Relena, and he needed to take care of her.

Sighing again, he quickly chose a white t-shirt and blue boxer shorts, only to return to Relena who was sitting in the only hard wooden chair occupying the small sitting area, her head bowed over her knees, a hand rubbing closed eyes. He silently watched her from the shadows of the hall, the single lamp illuminating the trailer interior making her now-loose hair glow with artificial yellow light while the pale skin of her hunched shoulders held a golden tinge, the smooth lines of her body clearly visible to his keen eyesight. She was beautiful.

Now why hadn?t he noticed that before?

Not wanting to think about it, Trowa stepped into the light and approached her as she looked up at him questioningly.

?Why are you helping me??

It was an honest question and totally relevant since, before tonight, he and Relena had never spent ten minutes in each others? company at any one time let alone an entire night; but he wasn?t going to answer her. He didn?t know the answer himself.

Silently, he held out the clothes to her, and with a small smile, she took them, her eyes questioning yet again.

He pointed her in the right direction and watched as she disappeared into his room to change. Sighing yet again that night, he pondered where they would sleep. They COULD NOT share his bed. It was totally out of the question, and he knew, as he had known from the moment he had told Relena she would be staying with him, that he would be sleeping on the floor. It didn?t matter. He had slept in worse places, like the cold emptiness of space . . .

A shiver ran down his spine as the memory of floating aimlessly, the vacuum of space pulling him farther and farther away from Earth, the colonies, . . . everyone . . . He again felt the freezing cold of nothingness separated from his skin by only the thin space suit that had become, in a matter of moments, his soul means of protection from the killing darkness of the void. He again experienced the loss of memories . . .

?Trowa? Are you ok??

He jerked his head toward her, eyes filled with a suppressed panic that was fighting to break free, and then he felt his heart stop before bursting into speeds previously unrecorded at the sight that greeted him, thoughts of past horrors flying from his head in the instant his fearful eyes met her concerned ones.

She was a goddess. The white shirt - a few sizes too small for him - clung to her curves, outlining the gentle slope of her breasts, molding to her trim waist, only to highlight the flair of her hips. The shorts fit her snugly, her hips and thighs filling in the thin material in just the right way, the hem reaching mid thigh, making her legs seem endlessly long though she was a good foot shorter than him. The shirt and shorts had never looked like THAT on HIM.

And then she was approaching him, that worried expression still marring her sweet face, and he realized with a certain amount of embarrassment that he was blushing! Thankfully, she didn?t seem to notice.

?Trowa?? She stared at his face, half covered by his hair, but didn?t dare touch him. He wasn?t a touchy-feely person, and the fact remained that, in other circumstances, they would never have found themselves having any real sort of conversation, never mind this entire strained situation.

He nodded solemnly, indicating that he was alright before busying himself with other trivialities: making certain there was no laundry to be cleaned, checking the sink for dishes, and inspecting the room for objects that had somehow migrated from their rightful location, clearing his mind and calming his racing heart as he did so.

Meanwhile, Relena just sat back and observed, taking in the unconscious grace of his movements, the subtle ease with which he flowed from one action to another. It was hypnotic, the way the muscles of his back and arms would bunch then stretch, smoothing out effortlessly in the mechanics of locomotion. It was amazing, it was beautiful, it was . . .

Her thoughts were broken by the yawn that involuntarily rose to her lips. She blushed as Trowa?s green eyes met hers as she fought to cover up her weariness.

She hadn?t been sleeping well since the first week of ?Relena?s Dating Game?, plagued by dreams of marrying the wrong man and living out a miserable life as a bitter old woman with no friends, an empty marriage, and no children. Not to mention, she still had to carry her normal workload in the midst of all the dates scheduled at lunch and dinner times. She was just so tired, a shaky weakness settling in her joints, magnified by the unhappiness of her heart.

In his usual non-verbal way, Trowa took Relena?s hand, pulling her up from her seat to lead her towards his bedroom, gesturing to the bed.

?Where will you sleep?? Relena asked quietly, not willing to impose upon him more than she already was.

?The floor.?

Relena shook her head slightly, opening her mouth to say something.

?Get in bed Relena.? Why was it when he used that tone, that commanding but gentle tone, did she have the urge to obey without any questions or doubts?

Staring into his one visible eye, Relena smiled gently before throwing her arms about his neck and whispering a quiet ?Thank you . . . for everything? in his ear, releasing him as quickly as she had embraced him.

Trowa?s eyes widened at the contact and stared after her as she entered his small bedroom and closed the door, a barely visible smile touching his lips.

For the first time in months, Relena slept peacefully with the unconscious knowledge that someone was looking after her.

To be Continued . . .

[athena]

Bravo! You've done it again.

A singing bush! That image will stay with me for a long time.

Hilarious, as usual!

Off to chapter five!

[Litia-sama]

Now I remember this fic! *dies* I read it waaaaaaaay back in the day. I've missed it.

Litia

[Kanya Barton]

Originally posted by Kysra:

She was a goddess. The white shirt - a few sizes too small for him - clung to her curves, outlining the gentle slope of her breasts, molding to her trim waist, only to highlight the flair of her hips. The shorts fit her snugly, her hips and thighs filling in the thin material in just the right way, the hem reaching mid thigh, making her legs seem endlessly long though she was a good foot shorter than him. The shirt and shorts had never looked like THAT on HIM.

Well, I certainly hope that they didn't look anything like that on him!! OMG, nasty pictures are flooding through my brain.
This is a really funny fic! I'm enjoying it very much! I'm going to go and read the next one now! I can't wait to see what happens to Relena and Trowa next!:salute:
Peace out!

[Kysra]

I'm gonna get down to the nitty-gritty . . .

athena: I do try *preens*

Kanya Barton: *sniggers* Trowa will never look at that shirt or those boxers the same again

At the risk of repeating myself, THANK YOU to all the readers!!! Even those who didn't comment.

- Kysra