To Woo A Princess, part 5

[Crazygurl]

This was suggested a few times. A Christmas part. So here! Be happy, be healthy!!


To Woo A Princess

Part 5: Party Boycott

By: CrazygurlMadness (based on an idea of well? some people? ??)

Hilde shook her head sadly above the rim of her steaming cup. Across the table, wiping her fingers on a napkin cleanly, Relena was biting her lip.

?I honestly didn?t know,? Hilde said, her dark eyes gazing gently at her friend. ?If I had??

?I understand, Hilde. I know you didn?t do it on purpose,? Relena smiled a bit. ?It?s okay. The year isn?t over yet.?

Hilde pursed her lips and put her cup down.

?I would think that? I really thought? But when you saw no one was coming, what did you do??

Relena averted her eyes and mumbled a bit. Hilde grinned a bit, but hid it.

?What was that??

Relena raised her eyes and muttered quietly, ?Heero came.?

Hilde raised an eyebrow.

?Did he? But I thought no one got the invitations?? She smiled. ?So he did? Are you sure you didn?t only send HIS??

Relena managed to raise her eyes long enough from the tablecloth to glare at her.

?I?m not stupid, Hilde. Stop grinning like that.? Then, deliberately, ?I wanted everyone to be there. Not just Heero.?

?I imagine. Leaving you two together for more than an hour an result in interesting situations. Did you tell him to go back home??

?We both know the answer to that, Hilde,? Relena said, a warning in her eyes. ?Heero was freezing cold. I could see it. He didn?t admit it, but??

Hilde nodded and took another sip from her coffee, wiping a droplet with her Preventer jacket?s sleeve. Relena raised an eyebrow. Hilde smiled.

?Keep that a secret, and I?ll keep yours with Heero.?

?We didn?t do anything, HILDE,? Relena warned.

?But he did kiss you under the mistletoe, didn?t he? And he brought you a present??

Relena reddened faintly, but nursed her face back into a polite frown.

?How did you know I had put up mistletoe??

Hilde sputtered, her eyes widening slightly.

?I-I just? Well,? she stopped, breathed, then grinned. ?Everyone puts up mistletoe on Christmas, Relena. Duo put some atop my chair in the kitchen.?

Relena?s eyebrows shot up.

?Hilde, that?s, in a way, more than I needed to know.?

The dark-haired woman shrugged.

?I didn?t imply anything, Relena. I may just be saying that Duo has a decoration sense.?

?Sure,? Relena sighed, but her tone implied she didn?t exactly mean that.

?So what did you two end up doing, all alone in that huge mansion of yours on Christmas night, when you realized no one was coming?? Hilde asked innocently, taking careful sips of her warm coffee.

Relena?s cheeks flamed for a brief moment. When she spoke, her words were soft, steady, and well chosen, but her face was still pink.

?Well??


::*::*:: Christmas Eve, Peacecraft Mansion ::*::*::


Relena and Heero sat, silently facing each other. A few minutes passed in total silence, until finally Relena spoke up.

?Heero, this is ridiculous. They?re not coming.?

Heero seemed to be considering this statement for a brief moment. Eventually, he emerged from his thoughts and responded.

?Are they late??

Relena checked her watch, then the clock atop the beautifully decorated mantel of the chimney, and nodded.

?They should have been here an hour ago. Gundam pilots are never late. You?re the prime example of that.?

?Maxwell.?

Relena giggled a moment.

?You?re right, but he?s usually there an hour later anyway, isn?t he??

Heero grunted, and set his eyes on the tall coniferous tree people enjoyed decorating on Christmas day. It was alight with many colors, but the top part of the tree wasn?t very well garnished.

?I couldn?t reach that high,? Relena said from across him, shifting nervously. ?I could?ve managed setting it up perfectly if SOMEONE hadn?t insisted that ladders were a threat.?

Heero?s eyes darted back to her, and he calmly glared.

?You could topple over.?

Relena rolled her eyes.

?Heero, I?m not that bad with gravity, you know! I?m not a klutz.? She sighed. ?I still don?t get you. It?s only a tree, how can it hurt me this time??

Heero didn?t answer.

?Ah, Heero. You?re impossible.?

Relena stood, and made her way to the dining room. She barely used it, but it was still well decorated, like the rest of the house.

She outstretched her arms and yawned, surveying the room. She didn?t hear Heero follow her until he was speaking in her ear, in a gruff voice.

?I only watch for your safety,? he said.

Relena nodded slowly, and turned.

?I know, but sometimes??

?Hn??

Relena pushed a strand behind her ear, and huffed. Heero watched the movement attentively, then tuned back on her.

?Heero, it?s not like I?m gonna stumble, fall, and break my neck! I learned to walk in heels! Anyone who can do that can face any gravitational impairment!?

Heero raised an eyebrow. Relena rolled her eyes.

?Okay, so it?s a bit more amateur than your professional training but?? The sudden image of Heero walking in heels made her giggle.

Heero waited for her to explain, but she simply shook her head.

?It?s okay, Heero. I?m not bitter. It?s not something for which I?m going to wake up from my peaceful sleep at seventy years old to notice ?Oh, no! I couldn?t reach the top of that tree!? ? She said in one breath. ?I?m not angry at you.?

She entered the kitchen and searched the cupboards for a glass. Then, turning to the fridge, she opened it to reveal a small, white, cardboard box, tied together with a ribbon. Bypassing it, she grabbed the milk carton.

Pouring herself a glass, she smiled at Heero and asked, ?Want some??

Heero shook his head, simply observing her as she brought the glass to her pink lips and drank the white liquid.

His own lips felt parched, suddenly.

Turning to him again, she raised her now empty glass and repeated her offer, ?Are you sure you don?t??

She didn?t finish her sentence, as Heero?s thumb darted out and wiped the white mustache she had on her upper lip. She was surprised, but hid it. Heero tended to act like that, on impulse.

The corner of Heero?s lips pulled up slightly.

?I think I will.?

She was in a bit of a daze, and the only smart thing she could say was, ?Uh??

Heero took the glass gently from her fingers and pressed the rim to his lips, drinking the drops that were left in her glass. Relena watched, hypnotized, as he then put it on the counter and shot her a look, keeping silent.

That snapped her out of it.

Now was not the time to think of her bodyguard this way.

?Well, wanna do something in particular?? She asked nervously.

Heero remained quiet. Relena bit her lip.

?I was thinking of putting on some music, getting the people to talk, dance, and then we?d eat, and finally, we?d exchange presents? But since there?s not that much of a crowd at the moment??

Heero nodded, as if he was telling himself some kind of ?Mission Accepted?. Relena shook her head.

?No, Heero! You have to enjoy your time! That?s the whole purpose of a party!?

Heero took her by the elbow gently and steered her towards the living room again, pressing ?Play? on the stereo as he went by. Placing her arms around his neck and her forehead to his shoulder, he whispered calmly, in that typical Heero way, ?What makes you think I?m not enjoying my time??

Relena was too shocked to do or say anything, just reveling in the concept of Heero actually asking her to dance.

Okay, so he didn?t actually ask, but who was she to complain?

The evening went by slowly, peacefully, and by the time it was dark outside, they were done eating supper. Relena stood, picking their plates up and smiling.

?I?ll be right back.?

Heero said nothing, simply waiting, finding himself with the awkward thought that Relena was actually playing waitress with him.

He didn?t move until she re-emerged from the kitchen with the white box and two plates, and that gentle smile on her lips, that hadn?t come off since they?d danced.

She was simply beautiful, and so Heero stared silently. Relena didn?t seem fazed in the least, busy was she with opening the box, revealing a small, dark, chocolate cake.

Damn, the girl knew his weaknesses.

Since he had been introduced to the simple pleasures of life, chocolate cake had taken a soft spot in his heart. Of course, no one knew.

Except her, it seemed.

?Duo told me you liked chocolate,? Relena said, in a conversational tone.

And Duo. How did he know?

Heero nodded, but said nothing.

?Is this size okay?? Relena asked, pushing towards him a plate with a piece of heaven.

He took the plate and grunted.

?Hn? Thank you.?

She smiled and took a tiny piece herself, which was barely half of his.

?You should eat more,? Heero declared, glaring at her too small square of cocoa delicacy. ?Eating is good for your health.?

?But I?m not an athlete,? Relena said back, resting her elbow on the table and gently poking at her cake. ?I don?t have to protect anyone, you know.?

?The entire world.?

Relena shook her head and placed a bite in her mouth.

?I only talk to it, Heero, the way a psychologist would. I simply keep it from wanting to kill itself. You?re the one who actually stops it from placing the wrong moves. And so, you get a bigger piece of cake.?

Heero swore he didn?t understand her logic at times.

They finished their dessert quickly, and finally, Relena stretched, and turned to him, a glint in her sky blue eyes.

?Can we open the pwesents, now, Uncle Heewo?? She asked with a childish tone.

Heero smirked slightly.

?Hn.?

She stood and walked out, not picking their plates up. She would later. Now, there were more important things to tend to.

Returning in the living room, Relena giggled at the armchair they had toppled over when they were dancing a quick paced song.

Heero put it back up straight, and indicated for Relena to sit in it. She did, giddy as she saw the few presents under the tree. It had always been a magical moment to her, and now she was?

Sharing it with Heero.

Her bodyguard put some soft music on and came back, grabbing a present in his wake, giving it to Relena in one swift movement, then sitting across from her again.

?This is from?? Relena muttered, intently reading the card. ?Milliardo. ?Merry Christmas to my little dove of a sister, Love from Zechs, Noin and Christian.? She giggled at the scribbled writing of her nephew and put the card down, gently opening the small box.

The was a small wooden case, with gold hinges. Inside, a beautiful pen set and a letter opener were placed. A small note with Noin?s handwriting caught her attention.

?Zechs? idea. I wanted to give you a dress (it?s much better fitting on you) but he insisted. I suppose that this is more useful, isn?t it, dear? ?- Hug, Noin.?

She smiled and looked up at Heero.

?Your turn. I saw you brought your own presents, as I asked? Well? Open ?em up!?

Heero nodded, and extended an arm, grabbing a small decorated bag from under the tree. It bore his name, and he took the card.

?From Trowa.?

Heero smirked. Neither of them was very loud or talkative. He reached inside the bag and pulled out a set of keys, surprise faintly written on his face. The was a small tag on them, and he read it.

?Be there on the 26th, my apartment. Black, entirely new. Reflective windows. Hidden area I installed under the glove compartment to hide your gun, in case you drive Relena somewhere. Merry Christmas ?- Trowa.?

Heero smirked again. Relena smiled.

?He knows you well. Nice idea.?

Heero nodded, and pocketed the keys.

More time passed. In the end, they had both received frames of each other, courtesy of Duo and Hilde, Heero got a pair of socks from Wufei (who insisted having holes in a pair of socks was dishonorable??) Relena got a brooch from Quatre of a small angel, and other more insignificant things that made them smile somehow.

There were now only two presents left. Theirs to each other.

Relena took hers from under the tree and handed it to Heero.

?Here, you start.?

Heero gently took the box and stayed quiet, surprised that she had thought about him enough in her busy schedule to remember to buy him a present. He was just her bodyguard, after all.

But he still opened it, since there was no card.

He found a comb. He blinked. A small note rested beside it.

?Just kidding, idiot! Look deeper!?

Heero complied and found something rather unexpected.

?Do you like it?? Relena asked, nervous.

Heero was left speechless. In his hand, a small sculpture of a dove holding in its beak? A gun.

He looked up at Relena. It was a beautiful little thing. The details were incredible, but the symbolism behind it certainly was? out of the ordinary.

Relena seemed to notice his inquisitive glance and coughed daintily.

?It?s just that? I was shopping, and found? Well? I found it. The first thing it made me think of was us.? She laughed nervously. ?You see, I wanted you to know that I would always be there for you? Since we?re friends and all? And I?m often referred to as the dove of Peace and whatnot, and since you fight all the time? I just? It seemed to fit. If you don?t like it? I can??

?I understand,? Heero interrupted her. ?It makes sense.?

And smiled gently at her, making her heart thump in her chest, her face redden and her eyes shine.

?You?re sure??

?Hn,? Heero smiled, letting his eyes fall back to the little thing.

She smiled, relieved.

?Want yours?? Heero asked, reaching down to catch the last box.

Relena took it and put it in her lap, trembling a bit.

?Relena?? Heero asked at her hesitation.

?I just? Well? Thank you for thinking of me,? she stuttered, her cheeks flushing slightly. ?I know we spend a lot of time together, but I never saw you as the shopper type??

Heero kept silent. Relena cleared her throat.

?Scared?? Heero asked her as she hesitated in opening his present.

She laughed a bit, and shook her head.

?No, that?s not it.? Fiddling with a ribbon, she spoke. ?It?s just that?? She sighed, and decided to explain. ?When I was a child, my father, Mr. Darlian, and my mother, on Christmas day, when we opened the presents, would wait until there was only one present left, and then they would sit on each side of me and kiss my forehead.? She blushed. ?The other years, Pagan was with me, but now that he spends more time with his grandsons, he can?t stay with me on Christmas? This is the first year I?m alone?? She looked up suddenly. ?I mean? Not alone! But? Well, without a family figure around?? She sighed. ?I mean? I really enjoyed this year too, putting aside the fact that no one came? I?m blabbering, right??

Heero smirked faintly and nodded.

?Well? I suppose it?s time for me to let go, but it?s still a bit hard?? She muttered. ?Alright, I?ll quit stalling. Let?s see this.?

Heero suddenly stood and sat on the other end of the couch, so that there was still a wide space between them. He looked at the clock, the tree, everything, simply waiting for her to finish ripping up the wrapping paper.

??!?

He let his eyes glance towards her, and waited for her to say something. She had the box in her lap and her hands were resting limply on the edges of it. Her eyes were wide.

Finally, she looked up.

?Heero??

He simply met her eyes, and asked, ?Do you like it??

She was speechless. Turning her eyes back to her present, she couldn?t help her stare.

She had been expecting something like a hair clip, a pen, something useful, as she always imagined his presents. Something that came from what he expected her to like, nothing personal.

But as Heero came closer to pick the golden chain up, she was speechless.

The small heart-shaped pendant shone in the colored lights of the tree, a little engraving on the back, saying one simple phrase:

?Not a law. Only a wish.?

She was entranced with the little light games the small thing played with her. Heero?s fingers expertly undid the clasp of the chain, and motioned for her to turn around, obviously for him to attach it to her neck. She complied, pushing her hair to the side, and he passed it around her neck, securing it there.

When the brush of his fingers disappeared, Relena allowed herself to turn back to him, a gentle, peaceful smile on her lips. He simply stared back, and their eyes lost themselves.

?? Thank you?? Relena whispered.

Heero said nothing, but he leaned forward and pressed his lips fleetingly to her forehead.

As he was about to pull away and stand, Relena caught his hand, keeping him on the couch.

?Only a wish??? She asked.

He nodded slowly. She grinned and placed her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly.

?Thank you for coming tonight, Heero,? she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. ?I don?t know how I would have survived this night alone.?

Heero passed his arms around her waist, and let his chin fall on the top of her head, allowing himself a brief moment of abandon. He closed his eyes, and remained quiet.

They stayed like this for an eternity, or a few seconds, neither knew. Eventually, Relena pulled away and smiled, then checked the clock, before gasping loudly.

?Heero! It?s eleven already!?

Heero stole a glance, but didn?t budge.

?Do you want me to leave?? He finally asked.

Relena turned back to him, and placed her hands on her hips.

?No. I don?t. Don?t even try to. The fun is just beginning!?

Heero raised an eyebrow. Relena sighed, and her posture slumped slightly.

?Okay, so it isn?t. It?s just sad that it?s over.?

The two kept quiet.

?Heero??

?? Hn??

?There?s something else.?

Heero raised his eyes. Relena looked mischievous.

?A fight.?

Heero could only blink, before he put on his usual mask.

?For a pacifist?? He asked, skeptically.

Relena laughed lightly.

?Not a fight with guns, Heero! I?m talking about a snow fight! I have more chances of winning!?

Heero smirked amusedly, and raised an eyebrow.

?Hn??

Relena grabbed his hand and tugged him to the entrance.

But as they passed a doorway, Relena couldn?t move him anymore. She turned back to him, and found him gazing at her intently.

?Heero, we have to??

He cut her short by indicating the top of the doorway. She raised her eyes, and frowned.

?Mistletoe? ? Oh, that?s right! I remember now??

Her sentence was interrupted by Heero?s lips abruptly crashing onto hers. She grinned against his onslaught.

When he finally took a small step back, she shook her head.

?I swear, sometimes I feel like you plan those.?

Heero shrugged, and simply dove in for more.


::*::*:: Starbuck?s coffee shop, 28th of December ::*::*::


?And then??

?We didn?t fight,? Relena muttered as she kept her eyes carefully averted to the table, her cheeks painfully red. ?He just kept on.?

Hilde giggled, drawing some attention to her. By now, however, the people around her were used to the laughing Preventer, and so they didn?t bother wondering.

?Ah, I see. So 01 isn?t that stupidly uninterested,? she noted amusedly.

Relena blushed some more, her mind dancing with memories.

The door to the coffee shop burst open, and a flurry of snow came in. In the midst of it all, a young man with a braid came crashing towards them. He grabbed Hilde by the arm, and pulled her upwards.

?He found out, let?s go!!? He whispered loudly into her ear, throwing Relena a small, harried grin in salute.

Hilde?s eyes widened to inhuman proportions, and she grabbed her coat.

Turning back to Relena as her boyfriend pulled on her sleeve, she threw a quick good bye.

Relena was left alone, wondering what in heck all of that was about.

The Starbuck?s door opened wide again, letting in another young man, with spiked brown hair falling over one eye.

He was calmly smirking, as he sat in front of her and ordered a latte.

?Trowa? What?s going on??

?The idiots are getting their punishment. No need to fret. Heero will let them live.?

?Heero?? What did he do??

Trowa laughed a bit, his grin widening slightly.

?It?s not what Heero did. It?s what they asked us not to do.?

Relena?s attempts to understand anything else were in vain, as her current bodyguard kept stubbornly silent.

Finally she sighed, and they remained in comfortable silence for a long moment.

The glass doors blasted open again, revealing a third young man, who seemed to be seething. People moved out of his way as Heero sat beside Relena and gestured for Trowa that he was taking up the guard job.

Trowa shrugged, stood, took his coat, and exited after paying his cup.

Relena was confused.

?What?s going on, Heero??

Heero?s only answer was a muttered sentence, in which there were the words ?party?, ?Maxwell?s?, ?idiots?, and ?kill?.

She decided wisely to let him calm down.

?It?s okay, Heero. I don?t know how they got you so angry, but relax.?

Heero sighed, and ordered a black coffee.


::*::*:: Somewhere in a dark alley, 28th of December ::*::*::


Trowa shoved his hands into his pockets as he lightly walked between the close-up walls.

?It?s safe, come out,? he called to the seemingly empty alley.

Hilde and Duo moved out from behind a trash can. Hilde slapped Duo?s arm suddenly.

?Hey! Babe, what was that for???

?HOW DID HE FIND OUT???

Duo grinned and scratched the back of his head.

?I? uh? Slipped??

?Slipped?? He wants to make a carpet out of us!!?

Duo laughed. He took her arm and steered them all out of the alley.

?Maybe, but at least he?ll be happy.?

?Your logic escapes me, Maxwell,? she mumbled angrily.

?Don?t call me that, babe, ?cause you?re a soon-to-be Maxwell.?

?I am??? She asked, reddening faintly.

?Yup. So don?t be mad at me.?

They reached the bottom of a building on which a large logo was lit up. The Preventer?s office, tall and impressive, where they separated. Hilde went down the street, and Duo watched her go wistfully.

?Man, I?m too sentimental.?

Trowa shrugged, his neutral mask plastered on.

?No need to argue with that.?

?No regrets? About ?boycotting? Relena?s party??

Trowa shrugged again.

?Her cookies were good, I heard. Besides that, no.?

Duo laughed and slapped Trowa?s shoulder.

?Let?s go in, I?m freezing. Man, Heero sure lost it when he heard what we did.?

?You would too if it were Hilde.?

Duo shook his head.

?No one can resist Hilde?s Christmas cookies. Not even you.?

?Implying we couldn?t boycott you next year, Maxwell?? Wufei?s voice rose from behind them.

Duo laughed again.

?Man, you wouldn?t,? he declared. ?Would you?? He suddenly asked worriedly.

Trowa and Wufei shot each other glances and remained quiet.

?Crap.?

::*::*::

Well, that?s it for this part. ^_^ It wasn?t my best, but I?ll make the next one better. Really, the purpose of the whole thing is to improve my style, not my plotlines. Hehe? I shouldn?t have said that, should I? Ahem.

THE SUGGESTION BRAINSTORMING THINGY IS STILL ON!!! (For those of you who have no darn clue what I?m talking about, check out the Author?s Notes at the end of the previous part.)

In the meantime, the updating for this will be slowed, as I have a request from my friends, which I can?t halt any longer (lest I want my head cut off in the bloodiest ways?) and so all my fics on BI will come to a halt for a week and some days, approx.

BUT I WILL COME BACK, NO FEAR!!!

[Raspberry]

[Crazygurl]

[Morrighan]

Awww.......!!!!!!!!!! So cute!!!!

Personally, I don't see why Heero would be complaining....

Great job!

[Crazygurl]

Thank you...