You're Only Human
Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2003 11:44 am
I wrote this for the Billy Joel Fanzine but thought I might as well post it here too. *shrugs* I hope you guys like it!
Disclaimer: I don?t own Gundam Wing, or any of these characters. They belong to Bandai and Sunrise, respectively. I also don?t own the lyrics to the Billy Joel song "You?re only human", but they show up in the dialogue occasionally.
This little one shot is dedicated to my cousin Dulcie, her boyfriend Adam and their new baby Annabelle. Many of the events in this fic are inspired by moments with them.
****
"Heero."
He felt himself being shaken gently awake. His eyes felt heavy, and he let out a groan.
"Heero, honey. Wake up."
Her voice was soft and he reluctantly opened his eyes. He was greeted with a beautiful face and sapphire eyes. "Relena?"
She smiled wearily and giggled. "Do you have to say it so dramatically? Get up, it?s your turn to feed the baby."
He shot her a glare, and pushed back the covers. Noticing the heavy bags under her eyes, he nodded. She needed the sleep more than he did. He lightly kissed her forehead, and swung himself out of bed.
"Be careful, Yuy. Don?t break anything," she mumbled, rolling over onto her stomach to hide her laughter.
"Mission accepted," he replied in monotone, smiling at the muffled giggles.
**
He smiled slowly as he entered the room. Sounds of light breathing reached his ears.
"You awake yet, Ryan?" he whispered. No answer.
Taking careful steps towards the crib, he peered down at the sleeping baby. But his Prussian eyes met identical ones staring back at him. Blinking a few times, Heero grinned slowly.
"Should?ve guessed," he said quietly. He reached down gently to pick up the four month old. "You?ve worried your mother, you know."
The soft blue eyes stared at him blankly, but he could see a gleam of mischief in them. "Hungry?" He paused a few moments before fumbling with the bottle. "Can?t see how you like this stuff."
The smile on Heero?s face had faded, but it still pleased him to see little Ryan. If someone had told him a year ago he would be a father, he probably would have shot him. The perfect soldier, a father?
He shook his head slightly. Perfect. He certainly wasn?t perfect, and he was glad of that. If Doctor J had perfected him as he claimed he had, he wouldn?t have felt emotions. He would probably be dead.
He wouldn?t have fell in love.
His smile returned. Ryan did look exactly like him. Relena had been ecstatic, but had asked the doctors to check for genetic problems anyway.
Heero grinned. When Ryan looked up at him with innocence on his face, he laughed. He didn?t blame Relena at all. He was pleased that Ryan seemed to act more like her than he did his father.
Tightening his grip around the baby, Heero let a tear slide down his cheeks. This was definitely much more than he deserved. He should be paying for his sins, keeping his bloody past away from those he loved.
But, he though while smiling down at Ryan, fate had given him this.
Frowning, Heero looked down as he felt something warm and wet on his shoulder. Glaring daggers at his son, he groaned and pried off the smiling, messy kid attached to him.
Fate had given it to him, but he wasn?t so sure he was ready for it.
**
"Heero, come on."
He groaned and grabbed his backpack. Relena stood at the door with an impatient look on her face, holding the stroller with one hand and the baby in the other. "We?re going to be late."
Heero blinked a few times. "Late for what?" He hadn?t realized he was supposed to actually be awake today. Running his hands through his long hair, he tossed the backpack over the stroller?s handles.
Relena gently lowered Ryan into the stroller and gave Heero a weak smile. "Nothing really, just thought you?d hurry up if we were." She gave him a wink and received a scowl in return. Giggling, she pulled the door of their apartment open and stepped outside.
Her face fell. Rain fell in sheets, and the cars driving by passed through large puddles, which splashed onto the curbs. The dark rain clouds made it seem hours later than it actually was. As a few raindrops dropped on her head from the trees by the porch, she turned with a frown to look at Heero.
"Honey, would you go get the umbrella?"
**
Rain dripped persistently down his face, no matter how many times he brushed his hair out of the way. Heero sighed, and leaned foreword on the stroller a little, willing it to go faster. Carefully maneuvering the wheels over cracks in the streets, he attempting in vain to keep underneath the umbrella Relena held out above his head.
The city, small as it is, was unusually crowded for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Large groups of people trudged past the couple, and Heero barely avoided running into a few. As they passed underneath small oak trees, large drops of rain missed the plastic umbrella and landed on his head.
Relena?s eyes widened as they passed another quaint bookshop. She turned her head to face Heero?s and gave him an innocent grin. She poked her finger at it with a hopeful look, and almost squealed with delight when he rolled his eyes and turned the stroller around.
Heero couldn?t help but give a small smile himself. He knew how much she enjoyed reading. He lowered his head (now completely uncovered against the onslaught of rain) and winked at Ryan.
The door chimed as Relena stepped inside and Heero struggled with the stroller up the steps. He had never been very particular towards books, but Relena loved them. He often thought that they were her only connection with the world she once was part of.
His face fell a little. Why did he deserve someone like her? It still baffled him. He felt so selfish. She had given up position as Vice Foreign Minister to live her life with him. A normal life.
She could have had the world, but she picked him, with his blood stained past. His mistakes. But she chose him still. Whenever he mention this to her, she brought her fingers to his lips and said, "You're not the only one who's made mistakes
But they're the only things that you can truly call your own."
Heero sighed, and pushed the stroller down the carpeted hallways. And so here he was. Whether it was wrong or not, he was happy.
**
Relena peered over her book to look at him. Heero noticed this, and gave her a sheepish grin. Her eyebrow shot to her forehead, and she glanced at the item in his hands.
Setting her book ("The Eve Wars Seen Through The Eyes of a Gundam Pilot" by Quatre Raberba Winner") down, she let out a deep breath and said in a stern tone. "Heero."
He smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah?"
"Are you feeding the baby pizza?"
Heero looked shocked, and pulled the soggy crust out of Ryan?s mouth. He gave the boy a wink, and turned back to Relena. "I resent this accusation!" Relena raised her eyebrow again.
"It?s only the crust, anyway. I think he likes it."
Relena was silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. Heero could not get over how beautiful she looked, and how happy she had been these past months. "Oh, honestly Heero. You?re going to poison the poor thing." She reached over the little table and took the mushy piece of food away from him.
Heero put on a hurt face, but he couldn?t help smiling either. He picked up Ryan, and settled him in his lap. Looking carefully, the boy did look a bit put out. That is, if you could see through the pieces of food around his mouth. He ruffled the boy?s hair a little, and looked over at Relena.
She had pushed the book aside and gazed with a contented smile at him and Ryan. Her head rested on her hand, and her blue eyes sparkled. Heero couldn?t help noticing the absence of a ring on her finger and felt a familiar stab of guilt.
"Relena," he asked, his voice soft. She looked up to meet his eyes, and frowned a little.
"What is it?"
Heero knew how much Relena hated having to explain this to him, but he couldn?t help it. Not taking his eyes away from her, he asked, " Am I?good to you?"
The question didn?t seem to surprise Relena. She gave him a knowing look, and replied in the same quiet tone, "In other words, are you sure you don?t want to get married."
He blushed, and then immediately wondered why he did. Of course she knew what he meant. She knew him better than anyone else. He nodded slowly.
She sighed. "Heero, you know the answer. I?m happy now, happier than I?d ever be if everything was public." She shook her head a little, her long blonde hair swaying a little. " Don?t worry about it. I?m just glad to be with you."
He nodded, and felt a little ashamed. Bouncing Ryan on his knee, Heero looked away and added, "I know. Sorry."
He glanced up when he felt Relena?s hand on his arm. She was smiling at him, and it made him feel foolish. "Don?t be. Unless you forgot, you?re only human. You?re allowed to make mistakes."
Human. It felt strange to think that he really was human, that he had overcome his past. He could feel alive, and he could feel his emotions. Thinking back on it, things had not made any more sense when he had been a soldier than they did now.
And it vaguely surprised him that he didn?t mind.
Looking into those blue eyes, he felt himself. He smiled back.
Relena removed her hand, and picked her book back up. Heero nibbled on his pizza with his free hand, and gazed thoughtfully around the restraunt. His lips curved into a wicked smile. "You know, its almost Halloween."
Relena didn?t look up. Absently, she replied, "Oh, really?"
Heero grinned and glanced down at Ryan. "Yeah, I was thinking of buying him some spandex and a green tank top?"
She dropped her book and shot him a glare. "You wouldn?t, Heero."
He gave a quiet laugh, and just winked. Relena sighed deeply and sank into her chair.
He certainly didn?t have all the answers. But, he thought with a smile, he was learning.
And that was enough.
Disclaimer: I don?t own Gundam Wing, or any of these characters. They belong to Bandai and Sunrise, respectively. I also don?t own the lyrics to the Billy Joel song "You?re only human", but they show up in the dialogue occasionally.
This little one shot is dedicated to my cousin Dulcie, her boyfriend Adam and their new baby Annabelle. Many of the events in this fic are inspired by moments with them.
****
"Heero."
He felt himself being shaken gently awake. His eyes felt heavy, and he let out a groan.
"Heero, honey. Wake up."
Her voice was soft and he reluctantly opened his eyes. He was greeted with a beautiful face and sapphire eyes. "Relena?"
She smiled wearily and giggled. "Do you have to say it so dramatically? Get up, it?s your turn to feed the baby."
He shot her a glare, and pushed back the covers. Noticing the heavy bags under her eyes, he nodded. She needed the sleep more than he did. He lightly kissed her forehead, and swung himself out of bed.
"Be careful, Yuy. Don?t break anything," she mumbled, rolling over onto her stomach to hide her laughter.
"Mission accepted," he replied in monotone, smiling at the muffled giggles.
**
He smiled slowly as he entered the room. Sounds of light breathing reached his ears.
"You awake yet, Ryan?" he whispered. No answer.
Taking careful steps towards the crib, he peered down at the sleeping baby. But his Prussian eyes met identical ones staring back at him. Blinking a few times, Heero grinned slowly.
"Should?ve guessed," he said quietly. He reached down gently to pick up the four month old. "You?ve worried your mother, you know."
The soft blue eyes stared at him blankly, but he could see a gleam of mischief in them. "Hungry?" He paused a few moments before fumbling with the bottle. "Can?t see how you like this stuff."
The smile on Heero?s face had faded, but it still pleased him to see little Ryan. If someone had told him a year ago he would be a father, he probably would have shot him. The perfect soldier, a father?
He shook his head slightly. Perfect. He certainly wasn?t perfect, and he was glad of that. If Doctor J had perfected him as he claimed he had, he wouldn?t have felt emotions. He would probably be dead.
He wouldn?t have fell in love.
His smile returned. Ryan did look exactly like him. Relena had been ecstatic, but had asked the doctors to check for genetic problems anyway.
Heero grinned. When Ryan looked up at him with innocence on his face, he laughed. He didn?t blame Relena at all. He was pleased that Ryan seemed to act more like her than he did his father.
Tightening his grip around the baby, Heero let a tear slide down his cheeks. This was definitely much more than he deserved. He should be paying for his sins, keeping his bloody past away from those he loved.
But, he though while smiling down at Ryan, fate had given him this.
Frowning, Heero looked down as he felt something warm and wet on his shoulder. Glaring daggers at his son, he groaned and pried off the smiling, messy kid attached to him.
Fate had given it to him, but he wasn?t so sure he was ready for it.
**
"Heero, come on."
He groaned and grabbed his backpack. Relena stood at the door with an impatient look on her face, holding the stroller with one hand and the baby in the other. "We?re going to be late."
Heero blinked a few times. "Late for what?" He hadn?t realized he was supposed to actually be awake today. Running his hands through his long hair, he tossed the backpack over the stroller?s handles.
Relena gently lowered Ryan into the stroller and gave Heero a weak smile. "Nothing really, just thought you?d hurry up if we were." She gave him a wink and received a scowl in return. Giggling, she pulled the door of their apartment open and stepped outside.
Her face fell. Rain fell in sheets, and the cars driving by passed through large puddles, which splashed onto the curbs. The dark rain clouds made it seem hours later than it actually was. As a few raindrops dropped on her head from the trees by the porch, she turned with a frown to look at Heero.
"Honey, would you go get the umbrella?"
**
Rain dripped persistently down his face, no matter how many times he brushed his hair out of the way. Heero sighed, and leaned foreword on the stroller a little, willing it to go faster. Carefully maneuvering the wheels over cracks in the streets, he attempting in vain to keep underneath the umbrella Relena held out above his head.
The city, small as it is, was unusually crowded for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Large groups of people trudged past the couple, and Heero barely avoided running into a few. As they passed underneath small oak trees, large drops of rain missed the plastic umbrella and landed on his head.
Relena?s eyes widened as they passed another quaint bookshop. She turned her head to face Heero?s and gave him an innocent grin. She poked her finger at it with a hopeful look, and almost squealed with delight when he rolled his eyes and turned the stroller around.
Heero couldn?t help but give a small smile himself. He knew how much she enjoyed reading. He lowered his head (now completely uncovered against the onslaught of rain) and winked at Ryan.
The door chimed as Relena stepped inside and Heero struggled with the stroller up the steps. He had never been very particular towards books, but Relena loved them. He often thought that they were her only connection with the world she once was part of.
His face fell a little. Why did he deserve someone like her? It still baffled him. He felt so selfish. She had given up position as Vice Foreign Minister to live her life with him. A normal life.
She could have had the world, but she picked him, with his blood stained past. His mistakes. But she chose him still. Whenever he mention this to her, she brought her fingers to his lips and said, "You're not the only one who's made mistakes
But they're the only things that you can truly call your own."
Heero sighed, and pushed the stroller down the carpeted hallways. And so here he was. Whether it was wrong or not, he was happy.
**
Relena peered over her book to look at him. Heero noticed this, and gave her a sheepish grin. Her eyebrow shot to her forehead, and she glanced at the item in his hands.
Setting her book ("The Eve Wars Seen Through The Eyes of a Gundam Pilot" by Quatre Raberba Winner") down, she let out a deep breath and said in a stern tone. "Heero."
He smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah?"
"Are you feeding the baby pizza?"
Heero looked shocked, and pulled the soggy crust out of Ryan?s mouth. He gave the boy a wink, and turned back to Relena. "I resent this accusation!" Relena raised her eyebrow again.
"It?s only the crust, anyway. I think he likes it."
Relena was silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. Heero could not get over how beautiful she looked, and how happy she had been these past months. "Oh, honestly Heero. You?re going to poison the poor thing." She reached over the little table and took the mushy piece of food away from him.
Heero put on a hurt face, but he couldn?t help smiling either. He picked up Ryan, and settled him in his lap. Looking carefully, the boy did look a bit put out. That is, if you could see through the pieces of food around his mouth. He ruffled the boy?s hair a little, and looked over at Relena.
She had pushed the book aside and gazed with a contented smile at him and Ryan. Her head rested on her hand, and her blue eyes sparkled. Heero couldn?t help noticing the absence of a ring on her finger and felt a familiar stab of guilt.
"Relena," he asked, his voice soft. She looked up to meet his eyes, and frowned a little.
"What is it?"
Heero knew how much Relena hated having to explain this to him, but he couldn?t help it. Not taking his eyes away from her, he asked, " Am I?good to you?"
The question didn?t seem to surprise Relena. She gave him a knowing look, and replied in the same quiet tone, "In other words, are you sure you don?t want to get married."
He blushed, and then immediately wondered why he did. Of course she knew what he meant. She knew him better than anyone else. He nodded slowly.
She sighed. "Heero, you know the answer. I?m happy now, happier than I?d ever be if everything was public." She shook her head a little, her long blonde hair swaying a little. " Don?t worry about it. I?m just glad to be with you."
He nodded, and felt a little ashamed. Bouncing Ryan on his knee, Heero looked away and added, "I know. Sorry."
He glanced up when he felt Relena?s hand on his arm. She was smiling at him, and it made him feel foolish. "Don?t be. Unless you forgot, you?re only human. You?re allowed to make mistakes."
Human. It felt strange to think that he really was human, that he had overcome his past. He could feel alive, and he could feel his emotions. Thinking back on it, things had not made any more sense when he had been a soldier than they did now.
And it vaguely surprised him that he didn?t mind.
Looking into those blue eyes, he felt himself. He smiled back.
Relena removed her hand, and picked her book back up. Heero nibbled on his pizza with his free hand, and gazed thoughtfully around the restraunt. His lips curved into a wicked smile. "You know, its almost Halloween."
Relena didn?t look up. Absently, she replied, "Oh, really?"
Heero grinned and glanced down at Ryan. "Yeah, I was thinking of buying him some spandex and a green tank top?"
She dropped her book and shot him a glare. "You wouldn?t, Heero."
He gave a quiet laugh, and just winked. Relena sighed deeply and sank into her chair.
He certainly didn?t have all the answers. But, he thought with a smile, he was learning.
And that was enough.
How did you know about my halloween getup???
Baby Ryan must be so cute!!! 
Thanks so much for contributing it to the fanzine, too!!!