[Songfic, Rated R] I Need Some Fine Wine, and You, You Need
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:52 am
I Need Some Fine Wine, and You, You Need to Be Nicer
Song by the Cardigans
Fic by AliLamba
***
JACKIE! YOU CAN READ THIS, I PROMISE!
***
Note: Please read the lyrics. I wouldn?t have included them the way I did if I didn?t think it was important : )
***
Sit, good dog, stay, bad dog, down, roll over
Well here's a good man and a pretty young girl
Trying to play together somehow,
Heero stood outside her door, resting the back of his head coolly against the wall, eyes closed. Sounds of her attending to her evening needs filtered through the barrier, and he could hear her footfalls as they littered the carpet in now bare feet. It wouldn?t be long now?
?Heero?? he heard her whisper as the door creaked open, and he raised the eyebrow closest to her. He felt her hand on his arm, but did not stir. He could just imagine her chewing on her pretty bottom lip, a mental war raging in her head. ?Will you?come in??
Heero rolled his head to the side, opening his eyes to get a view of her gently pleading face. Her hair was down, the tips brushing where her ribcage was hidden beneath the pale pink camisole she donned. She always looked thinner than she had the night prior. What would he say to her, this evening out of so many she had asked before? He always said yes, to whatever meaning.
His chin bobbed almost imperceptibly, eliciting the corners of her mouths to quirk up. She clenched the fabric she was touching, gently pulling him inside.
Tonight it was Pinot Noir.
***
It was seconds before her alarm was set to go off, when Heero woke first. Training had taught him to never be comfortable, his eyes opening immediately and without grogginess, his hand shooting out to the alarm always set ?just in case?. He couldn?t understand why she always smiled to herself as she set it before they fell asleep.
He efficiently moved her nude body back and forth with the hand he had rested on her side through the night. Her skin was warm through the sheet.
?Wake up, Relena.?
She stirred blearily, letting out several sleepy, noncommittal noises before her eyes opened. Her eyes blinked sparingly in the weak sunlight managing through the curtains, before deciding it was indeed time to get up. Eyelids squeezing shut, she stretched languidly between the sheets. The smile couldn?t keep itself from her face as she reached out to him, but fell when she caught nothing but air.
?Heero?? she sat up quickly, scanning the room, suddenly afraid it was all a dream. The bathroom door was open, the lights inside on. She heard the shower turn on, and the smile returned. Pushing the sheets off her form, she headed determinately for her bodyguard.
He already had the soap in his hand when he felt the cool air of Relena pushing the shower curtain back. He saw her pleased face.
?Relena, I?m showering.? He said, his voice harsh with unuse.
?Let me join you?? She moved to get in with him, but his hand shot out to her shoulder.
?Call for coffee. I?ll be out in a minute.?
The smile left her face immediately. She gazed at him sadly, as he brought the soap to his hair, lathering with quick gestures. Her slow steps took her back onto carpeted ground, but her eyes were clouded.
I'm wasting my life, you're changing the world,
I get drunk and watch your head grow
Heero stared listlessly at the television screen, eyes paled from the light emanating from the box. Sounds of Relena?s speech filtered through the room but fell on deaf ears.
The small apartment was a half hour drive from Relena?s manor, just far enough to be a drive but not close enough for the drive to have no purpose. He couldn?t remember if this was done with that intention.
Her mouth spouted more words of peace, and by now he was accustomed to hearing them. Before the crowds she addressed in the mid-afternoon, her hair was up in a French roll, and she wore a pale yellow dress with all the power and grace she wielded.
Her campaign had been on soldiers of war lately. In the years that followed the complete disarmament there had been?problems with them. With nothing to return to after their roles in the war was over, it seemed that most fighters came up with their own ideas. Cases of rape, murder and suicide had spiraled out of control, and people were starting to get it into their heads that the people to blame were the ones who taught them.
Heero let his gaze drop to his own hands, lying haphazardly on his thighs. He didn?t know what to do with them anymore.
He?guarded Relena. He knew that was something that should be done.
The applause after her speech was deafening for a brief moment, before television producers adjusted the sound. He barely registered her exiting the screen as he stood from his small couch, heading for the cupboard above the refrigerator. He had three hours until he was officially on duty, so he might as well start on the bourbon now.
It's the good times that we share
and the bad times that we'll have
It's the good times
and the bad times that we had
Relena peeked her head out the door, finding him exactly where she expected him.
?Heero?? she whispered, an idea of excitement in her voice. Only mildly interested, as it showed so easily, Heero turned his torso towards her. Her hair was down again, but she was fully dressed, this time in a tight white dress. Heero?s eyes narrowed.
?What are you doing??
?Taking you out,? her smile was slightly mischievous, but it was too obvious she was new to the emotion, ?I want to go to a bar.?
Heero regarded her carefully. ?Relena, you should get some rest.?
?It?s Saturday night Heero,? she tried to be playful as she laid a hand on his arm, but her eyes looked sadder, almost desperate despite the shape of her mouth.
He couldn?t help the way his eyes raked down her figure, down to her red high heels and cherry-painted toes. It was obvious she had done them herself, from the way the paint was smudged on her left big toe. The thought brought a rare smirk to his lips.
Heero turned on his heel without meeting her face. ?All right, but you?re not blaming me when someone learns you snuck out.? He missed the way she beamed as she trotted to keep up, nearly tripping on the carpet on her way.
***
They found a small place, out of the way, where they both hoped no one cared about the news. Relena applied her red lipstick in the car, pulling down the passenger-side visor. Heero noticed with sidelong glances but said nothing. Neither spoke much until they had parked and they were walking up to the club, the music from inside already reaching their ears. Relena awkwardly held her small clutch behind her back, not having brought a shawl in the July heat. She was secretly trying to hold her dress below her butt.
?Do you come hear often?? she questioned idly.
?No,? was his quick reply.
Relena nodded to herself, withdrawing a small wad of bills from her purse. She discretely pushed the cash into her bra. Heero noticed.
***
Two hours later Relena was dancing in the middle of the floor as if no one was watching. People were watching of course, as the attractive blonde moved. One person in particular watched with dark blue eyes from the bar, a line of empty shot glasses beside him. He supposed he shouldn?t have been surprised by her tolerance with the bottle of wine they consumed every couple of nights, but after her seventh shot it had been Heero to suggest taking a break. The thought of every couple of nights weren?t on his mind then, however. Certain males were eying Relena too obviously, and were getting too close, completely to her oblivion. This was a mistake. She wasn?t safe.
***
She felt a body push up against her back, and was numbly aware that it wasn?t Heero. This man?s abs were much more bulgy, and his scent was off. She turned her head around for a moment after securing a slanty smile in place, taking in the predatory expression on his chiseled, bland face. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the man at the bar, watching her, his body unmoving. Relena contemplated in a brief, tipsy second. She was always the one to make the first, the only, move. If he didn?t want to let her own him, then he certainly didn?t own her.
Relena pushed her back against the overly muscled man?s front, moving her thighs just enough to get her butt moving the right away. His too-giant hands placed themselves on her hips, and Relena wrapped her hands loosely around his neck from behind. Perhaps that last tequila shot had really mattered after all?
***
Heero saw Relena passed to another male, this one just as muscled as the last two, with an even more vapid and obvious expression. He tried to scoff and ordered another shot. It was downed without a grimace, but his eyes were immediately glued to the woman again.
Heero?s eyes bulged.
The newest one seemed to notice Relena was liquored beyond recognition, and was taking advantage of that fact with his hand on her bare thigh. It only had to move an inch closer to the hem of her short dress before Heero pushed himself off the bar and stalked angrily towards the couple.
Her panties where a white lacy concoction, barely covering the tight curls that lay beneath. His jaw clenched when he saw them, and he needed no further incentive to pull his fist back and smash it into the guy?s jaw.
Someone screamed, barely matching the DJ?s bass.
Relena was conveniently a step away from him at that moment her eyes closed to the music as she moved. When her blurry vision moved back to her dancing partner, she stopped dead in her tracks.
?He-Heero!? she cried, gaping between the man on the floor and the man standing murderously above him. Heero controlled his breathing in a second, and his eyes snapped to Relena. The man on the floor was unconscious.
?It?s time to go home now.?
Relena?s gape subsided, stretching her painted lips into a straight line.
?I?I?m not going anywhere, Heero. Not until you apologize.? She tried to cross her arms over her chest in what she hoped was an authoritative manner.
Heero caught the figure of a bouncer at the edge of the dance crowd heading towards them, though most of those still dancing seemed not to notice the arguing pair and the man unmoving on the ground. He grabbed her arm, ?I?m not going to argue with you Relena.?
Relena wrenched against his grip, staggering backwards when she had unexpectedly freed herself.
?I?m not going anywhere!? she cried louder, regaining her balance. Heero?s feet cemented to the floor and he fixed her with a glare.
Apparently, inebriated people didn?t care, and Relena quickly scanned her immediate surroundings. She found a male and latched herself onto his arm.
?Want to dance?? she nearly purred, her mouth millimeters from his ear. The hairs on the back of Heero?s neck stood on pointed end, and he advanced on her again.
Relena felt arms grab her around the waist, but couldn?t register what was happening until she was staring at Heero?s back, slung cheaply over his shoulder. The realization made her scream furiously to herself.
?Heero!? she cried, pummeling his back with pissed-off fists, ?Put me down Heero, I swear to God!? The alcohol was working tremendously, and it didn?t take enough inhibition to begin scratching at the flesh under his tight shirt. She didn?t see the way he winced, but when she was lowered sideways off his shoulder, she relented with a livid expression.
?I can?t believe you,? she muttered, venom dripping from her lips. Without a backwards glance, Relena stomped off towards the coat check, leaving Heero to wander numbly in her wake.
Well it's been a long slow collision,
I'm a pitbull, you're a dog,
At twenty-two, Relena had finally matured. Her breasts perked in the way they never would again, and her skin glowed with the youth she was slowly starting to lose possession of. She finally didn?t look juvenile in lipstick, and could walk well enough in three-inch heels.
She knew she was still acting slightly childish, but at the moment she refused to care.
The car ride was deadly silent on the highway, nearly empty at two thirty in the morning. With all that she had worked up towards; the wining, the dining, the coercing Heero into her bed, this is what it had come down to tonight. She wouldn?t let herself spare him an angry glance.
Baby you're foul in clear conditions
But you're handsome in the fog
Relena didn?t remember when she fell asleep, but she noticed through heavy eyelids when Heero lifted her from the passenger side door. She tensed halfway, knowing she really wanted to push herself from his arms and spit in his face, but lacking the energy to do so. With the little effort she possessed, she tried to lie as limply as possible in his loose hold all the way to her bedroom.
Her eyes couldn?t help but flutter open when he laid her on her bed, already neat and ready for her sleepless night. Just as he moved to pull the blankets down beneath her, intent on covering her still-clothed form, her hand shot out with its own accord.
Relena didn?t have enough sense to take it back, and she gazed at his face, turned away from her.
?Heero?? she whispered his name on her dry lips, and brought her tongue out to lick them moist again. She saw his eyes flicker to her mouth, all the incentive she needed.
?Stay with me??
His faced turned just enough towards her for her to see his eyes, glinting in the moonlight. She couldn?t read his expression, but perhaps she wasn?t trying. Without proper reasoning she wrapped her hand around his neck, dragging his lips down to hers.
They met in a moment, and his giving mouth didn?t protest the acidity of the alcohol, tainting her tongue.
So I need some fine wine, and you, you need to be nicer
For the good times and the bad times
That we'll have
It was the first night of many Heero couldn?t sleep.
Sometimes we talk over dinner like old friends
Till I go and kill the bottle,
For unfathomable reasons, Relena had taken the night as a date. The next Saturday when Relena opened her bedroom door, fully clothed, Heero was immediately steeled.
?No, Relena,? he said automatically.
Relena managed a weak smile in return, dressed in a knee-length pale blue skirt and floral blouse. Modest pearls adorned her throat and earlobes, her hair pulled back in a loose French twist.
?I?m not dressed for dancing, Heero,? she murmured almost in a whisper, her lips still fixed in the attempted smile, ?I was wondering if you wanted to go for dinner? I haven?t eaten since breakfast.? Her lips stretched into a slightly more convincing smile of self-reticence.
?I have,? Heero replied curtly, turning away from her and closing his eyes again. They shot open again as her lips brushed against his throat, his whole body tensing. She had never expressed ?affection? outside of her bedroom, and Heero was sure he didn?t like the feelings of uncomfort.
?Just come watch me eat, then,? she murmured against his skin, and Heero withdrew self-consciously.
?Get the staff to make you something.?
Relena shook her head slowly and knowingly, walking backwards from Heero and down the carpeted hall towards the front door.
***
Relena leaned her head miserably against the glass of the car window, but couldn?t manage to feel the cold.
Dinner had been a slow, painful experience, with Relena trying every trick she had to draw him out, but with Heero more shut up than ever. She didn?t know what she had expected, but she couldn?t ignore the tear that rolled down her cheek against the windowpane.
Tonight would be Barolo.
I go off over any old thing,
Break your heart
and raise a glass or ten
Thursday Relena accepted Ambassador Riley?s proposal. After the press meeting that afternoon, Relena had met the Ambassador for dinner at a place she liked. The engagement ring weighed painfully on her finger, but she had tried to ignore it when he clasped her hands and kissed her on the cheek. Her smile was as real as she knew anymore.
***
Drained feet dragged Relena across the carpeted hallway, and it wasn?t until she was three feet from her door that she noticed Heero wasn?t standing dutifully against the wall. Her eyebrows furrowed as cautious fingers wrapped around the doorknob, twisting as silently as she could. Footsteps tumbled across the carpets, and it was the thought that the person inside was harmless that made her push the door open.
Relena froze.
Stumbling around her bedroom without a shirt or shoes, Heero clutched a glass of Merlot in his hand. He was staring at the framed photographs on her armoire, and Relena noticed the two empty bottles of wine on the floor near the window. Taking another swig from the bottle directly, Heero dragged his finger across glass covering a photo of Relena with Ambassador Riley. She gasped when he threw the frame down to the wood, hearing the telltale smash of splintering glass.
Heero whipped around at her noise, and she involuntarily screwed her face up tight in the open doorway.
?Rele?Relena?? he murmured, and she heard his steps towards her. She couldn?t open her eyes, even when he wrapped the hand holding the wine around her waist, dragging her to his body as he closed the door with his free hand. Roughly, Heero pushed her against the wood, finally forcing Relena?s eyes open. The smell of the wine on his breath disgusted her.
Wet, sloppy kisses went for her lips, but Relena turned her head away. Heero didn?t seem to mind the flesh of her neck, and he kissed his way to her collarbone, fumbling fingers working on the buttons of her blouse.
?He?Heero,? his name caught in her throat, but she tried to work around the lump that formed there, ?Heero?stop??
He either didn?t hear her or didn?t care, much more concerned with how hard it was to dislodge the buttons with the wine bottle still in his hand. It dropped from his grip without a second thought, landing a mere inch from Relena?s foot. The liquid splashed over her calves and the carpet, allowing Relena a sharp intake of breath. She?she didn?t want this.
?Heero?? she pleaded again when he ripped her shirt open, finding the pale pink bra underneath. His mouth immediately went to her breast, peeling down the lace to find what he sought.
Her fists clenched at her sides, her head fell against the wood with a wounded expression. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, but went unnoticed by the man assaulting her body.
To the good times that we shared and the bad times that we'll have
To the good times
and the bad time that we've had
Relena woke for the first and only time before him, having tossed and turned outside of his arms. With the first lights of day she allowed herself to sit upright, pulling the sheet to cover her bare torso despite no one being there to see her. Her eyes were dry and red, and she didn?t need to remind herself that she had cried silently nearly the entire night.
Well it's been a long slow collision,
I'm a pitbull, you're a dog,
Baby you're foul in clear conditions
But you're handsome in the fog
Relena rested her face in her hands, seeking shelter behind her office desk. Tears spilled between her fingers, the ring on her fourth doing nothing to stop the liquid from spattering her skirt.
The thought crossed her mind without being forced, and Relena was numb to stop it. Her head rose from her hands, wetness still staining her cheeks raw with red. Her hands trembled to push dark sunglasses over her eyes, and shaky knees dragged her to the limo always waiting for her at the street curb. She hadn?t needed a good enough reason to cancel the rest of her appointments that day.
Inside the confines of the black limousine, Relena found the cooler easily, wrenching open the bottle of brandy and gripping it as her life force. She skipped the glass and ice cubes, taking a wobbly swig from the bottle. The road led her to Heero.
So I need some fine wine and you, you need to be nicer
For the good times
and the bad times we know will come
Yeah
I need some fine wine
and you, you need to be nicer
you need to be nicer
you need
Heero had a casual arm draped over her naked form, the dark sheets of his bed tangled around their waists. Neither moved, though both knew the other was awake. The room was quiet save for Relena?s wet sniffs. It wasn?t long before even those subsided, but Heero couldn?t allow himself to move. He remembered everything, and was too ashamed to do anything out of the ?ordinary?. He felt Relena move, and suddenly his active mind hitched.
Relena?s fingers only had to apply a little effort to wiggle the piece of metal from her finger, decisive hands lifting the ring to Heero?s bedside table with a clink. She felt him stiffen, and turned to face him. His arm fell from her waist.
?I love you,? she whispered, her eyes red and raw without moisture. Heero couldn?t move. He?couldn?t move. Neither of them had had enough to drink for this to be ignored, and he knew she was deadly serious.
His eyes closed tightly, but he didn?t turn away.
?I know.?
For the good times
and the bad time that we had
Sit
They tried making love. She whispered sweet things into his ear with her arms and thighs tangled around his body. Heero was taught not to succumb, and didn?t know how to start. She met him at his apartment when she could, and he began to remember her scent. They slowly put the wine away and began to share a bed every night. She told him she loved him, and he believed her.
Good times, bad times
Sweet wine, bad wine
Good cop, bad cop,
Lapdog, bad dog
Sit.
***
***
Now go download the song! *pokes* It's sooo, so good. Oh, I'm so lame.
Thank you for reading -Ali
Song by the Cardigans
Fic by AliLamba
***
JACKIE! YOU CAN READ THIS, I PROMISE!
***
Note: Please read the lyrics. I wouldn?t have included them the way I did if I didn?t think it was important : )
***
Sit, good dog, stay, bad dog, down, roll over
Well here's a good man and a pretty young girl
Trying to play together somehow,
Heero stood outside her door, resting the back of his head coolly against the wall, eyes closed. Sounds of her attending to her evening needs filtered through the barrier, and he could hear her footfalls as they littered the carpet in now bare feet. It wouldn?t be long now?
?Heero?? he heard her whisper as the door creaked open, and he raised the eyebrow closest to her. He felt her hand on his arm, but did not stir. He could just imagine her chewing on her pretty bottom lip, a mental war raging in her head. ?Will you?come in??
Heero rolled his head to the side, opening his eyes to get a view of her gently pleading face. Her hair was down, the tips brushing where her ribcage was hidden beneath the pale pink camisole she donned. She always looked thinner than she had the night prior. What would he say to her, this evening out of so many she had asked before? He always said yes, to whatever meaning.
His chin bobbed almost imperceptibly, eliciting the corners of her mouths to quirk up. She clenched the fabric she was touching, gently pulling him inside.
Tonight it was Pinot Noir.
***
It was seconds before her alarm was set to go off, when Heero woke first. Training had taught him to never be comfortable, his eyes opening immediately and without grogginess, his hand shooting out to the alarm always set ?just in case?. He couldn?t understand why she always smiled to herself as she set it before they fell asleep.
He efficiently moved her nude body back and forth with the hand he had rested on her side through the night. Her skin was warm through the sheet.
?Wake up, Relena.?
She stirred blearily, letting out several sleepy, noncommittal noises before her eyes opened. Her eyes blinked sparingly in the weak sunlight managing through the curtains, before deciding it was indeed time to get up. Eyelids squeezing shut, she stretched languidly between the sheets. The smile couldn?t keep itself from her face as she reached out to him, but fell when she caught nothing but air.
?Heero?? she sat up quickly, scanning the room, suddenly afraid it was all a dream. The bathroom door was open, the lights inside on. She heard the shower turn on, and the smile returned. Pushing the sheets off her form, she headed determinately for her bodyguard.
He already had the soap in his hand when he felt the cool air of Relena pushing the shower curtain back. He saw her pleased face.
?Relena, I?m showering.? He said, his voice harsh with unuse.
?Let me join you?? She moved to get in with him, but his hand shot out to her shoulder.
?Call for coffee. I?ll be out in a minute.?
The smile left her face immediately. She gazed at him sadly, as he brought the soap to his hair, lathering with quick gestures. Her slow steps took her back onto carpeted ground, but her eyes were clouded.
I'm wasting my life, you're changing the world,
I get drunk and watch your head grow
Heero stared listlessly at the television screen, eyes paled from the light emanating from the box. Sounds of Relena?s speech filtered through the room but fell on deaf ears.
The small apartment was a half hour drive from Relena?s manor, just far enough to be a drive but not close enough for the drive to have no purpose. He couldn?t remember if this was done with that intention.
Her mouth spouted more words of peace, and by now he was accustomed to hearing them. Before the crowds she addressed in the mid-afternoon, her hair was up in a French roll, and she wore a pale yellow dress with all the power and grace she wielded.
Her campaign had been on soldiers of war lately. In the years that followed the complete disarmament there had been?problems with them. With nothing to return to after their roles in the war was over, it seemed that most fighters came up with their own ideas. Cases of rape, murder and suicide had spiraled out of control, and people were starting to get it into their heads that the people to blame were the ones who taught them.
Heero let his gaze drop to his own hands, lying haphazardly on his thighs. He didn?t know what to do with them anymore.
He?guarded Relena. He knew that was something that should be done.
The applause after her speech was deafening for a brief moment, before television producers adjusted the sound. He barely registered her exiting the screen as he stood from his small couch, heading for the cupboard above the refrigerator. He had three hours until he was officially on duty, so he might as well start on the bourbon now.
It's the good times that we share
and the bad times that we'll have
It's the good times
and the bad times that we had
Relena peeked her head out the door, finding him exactly where she expected him.
?Heero?? she whispered, an idea of excitement in her voice. Only mildly interested, as it showed so easily, Heero turned his torso towards her. Her hair was down again, but she was fully dressed, this time in a tight white dress. Heero?s eyes narrowed.
?What are you doing??
?Taking you out,? her smile was slightly mischievous, but it was too obvious she was new to the emotion, ?I want to go to a bar.?
Heero regarded her carefully. ?Relena, you should get some rest.?
?It?s Saturday night Heero,? she tried to be playful as she laid a hand on his arm, but her eyes looked sadder, almost desperate despite the shape of her mouth.
He couldn?t help the way his eyes raked down her figure, down to her red high heels and cherry-painted toes. It was obvious she had done them herself, from the way the paint was smudged on her left big toe. The thought brought a rare smirk to his lips.
Heero turned on his heel without meeting her face. ?All right, but you?re not blaming me when someone learns you snuck out.? He missed the way she beamed as she trotted to keep up, nearly tripping on the carpet on her way.
***
They found a small place, out of the way, where they both hoped no one cared about the news. Relena applied her red lipstick in the car, pulling down the passenger-side visor. Heero noticed with sidelong glances but said nothing. Neither spoke much until they had parked and they were walking up to the club, the music from inside already reaching their ears. Relena awkwardly held her small clutch behind her back, not having brought a shawl in the July heat. She was secretly trying to hold her dress below her butt.
?Do you come hear often?? she questioned idly.
?No,? was his quick reply.
Relena nodded to herself, withdrawing a small wad of bills from her purse. She discretely pushed the cash into her bra. Heero noticed.
***
Two hours later Relena was dancing in the middle of the floor as if no one was watching. People were watching of course, as the attractive blonde moved. One person in particular watched with dark blue eyes from the bar, a line of empty shot glasses beside him. He supposed he shouldn?t have been surprised by her tolerance with the bottle of wine they consumed every couple of nights, but after her seventh shot it had been Heero to suggest taking a break. The thought of every couple of nights weren?t on his mind then, however. Certain males were eying Relena too obviously, and were getting too close, completely to her oblivion. This was a mistake. She wasn?t safe.
***
She felt a body push up against her back, and was numbly aware that it wasn?t Heero. This man?s abs were much more bulgy, and his scent was off. She turned her head around for a moment after securing a slanty smile in place, taking in the predatory expression on his chiseled, bland face. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the man at the bar, watching her, his body unmoving. Relena contemplated in a brief, tipsy second. She was always the one to make the first, the only, move. If he didn?t want to let her own him, then he certainly didn?t own her.
Relena pushed her back against the overly muscled man?s front, moving her thighs just enough to get her butt moving the right away. His too-giant hands placed themselves on her hips, and Relena wrapped her hands loosely around his neck from behind. Perhaps that last tequila shot had really mattered after all?
***
Heero saw Relena passed to another male, this one just as muscled as the last two, with an even more vapid and obvious expression. He tried to scoff and ordered another shot. It was downed without a grimace, but his eyes were immediately glued to the woman again.
Heero?s eyes bulged.
The newest one seemed to notice Relena was liquored beyond recognition, and was taking advantage of that fact with his hand on her bare thigh. It only had to move an inch closer to the hem of her short dress before Heero pushed himself off the bar and stalked angrily towards the couple.
Her panties where a white lacy concoction, barely covering the tight curls that lay beneath. His jaw clenched when he saw them, and he needed no further incentive to pull his fist back and smash it into the guy?s jaw.
Someone screamed, barely matching the DJ?s bass.
Relena was conveniently a step away from him at that moment her eyes closed to the music as she moved. When her blurry vision moved back to her dancing partner, she stopped dead in her tracks.
?He-Heero!? she cried, gaping between the man on the floor and the man standing murderously above him. Heero controlled his breathing in a second, and his eyes snapped to Relena. The man on the floor was unconscious.
?It?s time to go home now.?
Relena?s gape subsided, stretching her painted lips into a straight line.
?I?I?m not going anywhere, Heero. Not until you apologize.? She tried to cross her arms over her chest in what she hoped was an authoritative manner.
Heero caught the figure of a bouncer at the edge of the dance crowd heading towards them, though most of those still dancing seemed not to notice the arguing pair and the man unmoving on the ground. He grabbed her arm, ?I?m not going to argue with you Relena.?
Relena wrenched against his grip, staggering backwards when she had unexpectedly freed herself.
?I?m not going anywhere!? she cried louder, regaining her balance. Heero?s feet cemented to the floor and he fixed her with a glare.
Apparently, inebriated people didn?t care, and Relena quickly scanned her immediate surroundings. She found a male and latched herself onto his arm.
?Want to dance?? she nearly purred, her mouth millimeters from his ear. The hairs on the back of Heero?s neck stood on pointed end, and he advanced on her again.
Relena felt arms grab her around the waist, but couldn?t register what was happening until she was staring at Heero?s back, slung cheaply over his shoulder. The realization made her scream furiously to herself.
?Heero!? she cried, pummeling his back with pissed-off fists, ?Put me down Heero, I swear to God!? The alcohol was working tremendously, and it didn?t take enough inhibition to begin scratching at the flesh under his tight shirt. She didn?t see the way he winced, but when she was lowered sideways off his shoulder, she relented with a livid expression.
?I can?t believe you,? she muttered, venom dripping from her lips. Without a backwards glance, Relena stomped off towards the coat check, leaving Heero to wander numbly in her wake.
Well it's been a long slow collision,
I'm a pitbull, you're a dog,
At twenty-two, Relena had finally matured. Her breasts perked in the way they never would again, and her skin glowed with the youth she was slowly starting to lose possession of. She finally didn?t look juvenile in lipstick, and could walk well enough in three-inch heels.
She knew she was still acting slightly childish, but at the moment she refused to care.
The car ride was deadly silent on the highway, nearly empty at two thirty in the morning. With all that she had worked up towards; the wining, the dining, the coercing Heero into her bed, this is what it had come down to tonight. She wouldn?t let herself spare him an angry glance.
Baby you're foul in clear conditions
But you're handsome in the fog
Relena didn?t remember when she fell asleep, but she noticed through heavy eyelids when Heero lifted her from the passenger side door. She tensed halfway, knowing she really wanted to push herself from his arms and spit in his face, but lacking the energy to do so. With the little effort she possessed, she tried to lie as limply as possible in his loose hold all the way to her bedroom.
Her eyes couldn?t help but flutter open when he laid her on her bed, already neat and ready for her sleepless night. Just as he moved to pull the blankets down beneath her, intent on covering her still-clothed form, her hand shot out with its own accord.
Relena didn?t have enough sense to take it back, and she gazed at his face, turned away from her.
?Heero?? she whispered his name on her dry lips, and brought her tongue out to lick them moist again. She saw his eyes flicker to her mouth, all the incentive she needed.
?Stay with me??
His faced turned just enough towards her for her to see his eyes, glinting in the moonlight. She couldn?t read his expression, but perhaps she wasn?t trying. Without proper reasoning she wrapped her hand around his neck, dragging his lips down to hers.
They met in a moment, and his giving mouth didn?t protest the acidity of the alcohol, tainting her tongue.
So I need some fine wine, and you, you need to be nicer
For the good times and the bad times
That we'll have
It was the first night of many Heero couldn?t sleep.
Sometimes we talk over dinner like old friends
Till I go and kill the bottle,
For unfathomable reasons, Relena had taken the night as a date. The next Saturday when Relena opened her bedroom door, fully clothed, Heero was immediately steeled.
?No, Relena,? he said automatically.
Relena managed a weak smile in return, dressed in a knee-length pale blue skirt and floral blouse. Modest pearls adorned her throat and earlobes, her hair pulled back in a loose French twist.
?I?m not dressed for dancing, Heero,? she murmured almost in a whisper, her lips still fixed in the attempted smile, ?I was wondering if you wanted to go for dinner? I haven?t eaten since breakfast.? Her lips stretched into a slightly more convincing smile of self-reticence.
?I have,? Heero replied curtly, turning away from her and closing his eyes again. They shot open again as her lips brushed against his throat, his whole body tensing. She had never expressed ?affection? outside of her bedroom, and Heero was sure he didn?t like the feelings of uncomfort.
?Just come watch me eat, then,? she murmured against his skin, and Heero withdrew self-consciously.
?Get the staff to make you something.?
Relena shook her head slowly and knowingly, walking backwards from Heero and down the carpeted hall towards the front door.
***
Relena leaned her head miserably against the glass of the car window, but couldn?t manage to feel the cold.
Dinner had been a slow, painful experience, with Relena trying every trick she had to draw him out, but with Heero more shut up than ever. She didn?t know what she had expected, but she couldn?t ignore the tear that rolled down her cheek against the windowpane.
Tonight would be Barolo.
I go off over any old thing,
Break your heart
and raise a glass or ten
Thursday Relena accepted Ambassador Riley?s proposal. After the press meeting that afternoon, Relena had met the Ambassador for dinner at a place she liked. The engagement ring weighed painfully on her finger, but she had tried to ignore it when he clasped her hands and kissed her on the cheek. Her smile was as real as she knew anymore.
***
Drained feet dragged Relena across the carpeted hallway, and it wasn?t until she was three feet from her door that she noticed Heero wasn?t standing dutifully against the wall. Her eyebrows furrowed as cautious fingers wrapped around the doorknob, twisting as silently as she could. Footsteps tumbled across the carpets, and it was the thought that the person inside was harmless that made her push the door open.
Relena froze.
Stumbling around her bedroom without a shirt or shoes, Heero clutched a glass of Merlot in his hand. He was staring at the framed photographs on her armoire, and Relena noticed the two empty bottles of wine on the floor near the window. Taking another swig from the bottle directly, Heero dragged his finger across glass covering a photo of Relena with Ambassador Riley. She gasped when he threw the frame down to the wood, hearing the telltale smash of splintering glass.
Heero whipped around at her noise, and she involuntarily screwed her face up tight in the open doorway.
?Rele?Relena?? he murmured, and she heard his steps towards her. She couldn?t open her eyes, even when he wrapped the hand holding the wine around her waist, dragging her to his body as he closed the door with his free hand. Roughly, Heero pushed her against the wood, finally forcing Relena?s eyes open. The smell of the wine on his breath disgusted her.
Wet, sloppy kisses went for her lips, but Relena turned her head away. Heero didn?t seem to mind the flesh of her neck, and he kissed his way to her collarbone, fumbling fingers working on the buttons of her blouse.
?He?Heero,? his name caught in her throat, but she tried to work around the lump that formed there, ?Heero?stop??
He either didn?t hear her or didn?t care, much more concerned with how hard it was to dislodge the buttons with the wine bottle still in his hand. It dropped from his grip without a second thought, landing a mere inch from Relena?s foot. The liquid splashed over her calves and the carpet, allowing Relena a sharp intake of breath. She?she didn?t want this.
?Heero?? she pleaded again when he ripped her shirt open, finding the pale pink bra underneath. His mouth immediately went to her breast, peeling down the lace to find what he sought.
Her fists clenched at her sides, her head fell against the wood with a wounded expression. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, but went unnoticed by the man assaulting her body.
To the good times that we shared and the bad times that we'll have
To the good times
and the bad time that we've had
Relena woke for the first and only time before him, having tossed and turned outside of his arms. With the first lights of day she allowed herself to sit upright, pulling the sheet to cover her bare torso despite no one being there to see her. Her eyes were dry and red, and she didn?t need to remind herself that she had cried silently nearly the entire night.
Well it's been a long slow collision,
I'm a pitbull, you're a dog,
Baby you're foul in clear conditions
But you're handsome in the fog
Relena rested her face in her hands, seeking shelter behind her office desk. Tears spilled between her fingers, the ring on her fourth doing nothing to stop the liquid from spattering her skirt.
The thought crossed her mind without being forced, and Relena was numb to stop it. Her head rose from her hands, wetness still staining her cheeks raw with red. Her hands trembled to push dark sunglasses over her eyes, and shaky knees dragged her to the limo always waiting for her at the street curb. She hadn?t needed a good enough reason to cancel the rest of her appointments that day.
Inside the confines of the black limousine, Relena found the cooler easily, wrenching open the bottle of brandy and gripping it as her life force. She skipped the glass and ice cubes, taking a wobbly swig from the bottle. The road led her to Heero.
So I need some fine wine and you, you need to be nicer
For the good times
and the bad times we know will come
Yeah
I need some fine wine
and you, you need to be nicer
you need to be nicer
you need
Heero had a casual arm draped over her naked form, the dark sheets of his bed tangled around their waists. Neither moved, though both knew the other was awake. The room was quiet save for Relena?s wet sniffs. It wasn?t long before even those subsided, but Heero couldn?t allow himself to move. He remembered everything, and was too ashamed to do anything out of the ?ordinary?. He felt Relena move, and suddenly his active mind hitched.
Relena?s fingers only had to apply a little effort to wiggle the piece of metal from her finger, decisive hands lifting the ring to Heero?s bedside table with a clink. She felt him stiffen, and turned to face him. His arm fell from her waist.
?I love you,? she whispered, her eyes red and raw without moisture. Heero couldn?t move. He?couldn?t move. Neither of them had had enough to drink for this to be ignored, and he knew she was deadly serious.
His eyes closed tightly, but he didn?t turn away.
?I know.?
For the good times
and the bad time that we had
Sit
They tried making love. She whispered sweet things into his ear with her arms and thighs tangled around his body. Heero was taught not to succumb, and didn?t know how to start. She met him at his apartment when she could, and he began to remember her scent. They slowly put the wine away and began to share a bed every night. She told him she loved him, and he believed her.
Good times, bad times
Sweet wine, bad wine
Good cop, bad cop,
Lapdog, bad dog
Sit.
***
***
Now go download the song! *pokes* It's sooo, so good. Oh, I'm so lame.
Thank you for reading -Ali
It's good cheating. As in...poor Quatre.
