Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Does It Ever Last? ❯ Part 1 ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Maxine 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Angst | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 06.23.2002 | Updated On: 07.21.2002 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 362 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Angst | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 06.23.2002 | Updated On: 07.21.2002 | Pages: 5 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 362 | Status: Completed
Does It Ever Last?
*Disclaimer* I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM WING OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!!
*Warning* Profanity...This IS a death fic, eventually, so anxiety, sad stuff, you know. There is no yaoi (I have nothing against it, it just isn't part of the story)! Even if it seems that way, it was not intended. They are just roommates. I can just see some of you going, "Pfft, yeah right." Oh well, if you want to think they are together, go ahead. It doesn't affect the story any.
One note before the fic: Just so you know, this does not follow a smooth story line. It basically has clips from different events over a number of years. I can't explain it very well, but you'll see what I mean when you read it. This is the first semi-serious story I've written, so tell me what you think!
Heero's Prussian blue eyes widened uncharacteristically. "Wh-what? You think we should what?" he asked, his voice shaking a little.
"I think we should break up, you know, stop going out."
"B-but...why? I thought we were happy together? What did I do wrong Relena?" She sighed.
"Heero, you didn't do anything wrong," Relena said, running a hand through her honey blonde hair. "It's just that...that, well, I mean look at us! Heero, everything that happens between us is something that could happen between two good friends." He didn't seem to understand. "Look, Heero, we're nineteen. We've been going out for over a year, and we're getting nowhere. I'm not saying I'm ready to go and get married, but...can you even remember the last time we kissed? I know I can't." Heero looked thoughtful for a minute.
"If you want more kissing, I can give you that." Relena's eyes teared up a little, and she laughed lightly.
"No Heero, that's not the point. If we break up, I seriously think that nothing between us will change. You might be mad at me for a while, but we can still talk and have coffee together if you want. At least we'll be able to see other people though." Heero's eyes narrowed.
"See other people? Is that what this is about? Are you with someone else?"
"No!" Relena shouted, her eyes widening. "How can you even ask that?"
"Then...do you WANT to be with someone else?" She didn't answer right away, and that told Heero what he needed to know. "I see."
"Heero, don't get the wrong idea. Yes, I admit, there is someone else I've been...noticing more, lately. He doesn't know it though." Heero looked away and crossed his arms. "Heero, I don't want the relationship to change between us too much. Except for the fact that we'll be dating other people, I still want to be able to talk about things with you. I'll still consider you one of my best friends, regardless of what you think of me. You've given me so much," Relena finished quietly. Heero closed his eyes for a minute, before turning to face her.
"Relena...you have given me more than I could ever even think to give you. You helped me get on with life after the war, you helped me to live. You finally gave me happiness. I," he paused. "I don't want to lose you. But if breaking up is what you want, then I will gladly remain friends with you." Relena smiled through watery eyes, and engulfed Heero in a hug. He stiffened for a moment before returning it.
"Thank you," Relena whispered. She broke away from him and started backing up. "I'll see you around then, at work and stuff. If you ever want to talk or something, you know my number." Heero nodded. "Bye Heero," Relena called, walking down the hill and out of the park. Heero watched her leave, a pain he couldn't describe rising in his chest. He turned to watch the sun set slowly behind the mountains in the distance.
"What now?" he asked the air. He got no reply.
* * *
Three days later, Heero sat in his office at the Preventor Headquarters staring out the window. His work was piling up in stacks on the desk, waiting to be finished. Heero sighed. He hadn't seen Relena since the day in the park, but that was mainly because he had been avoiding her, which was difficult seeing as he had been living in the palace with her up until now. It was obvious to him that he should find his own apartment now, but he had never quite gotten around to it. Sighing, Heero looked up abruptly when he heard knocking on his door. Not really caring who it was at the moment, he called out, "Come in." He looked up and gasped slightly. "Relena."
"Heero," Relena said, walking into the room. "I was worried, I haven't seen you since...well you know."
"Yeah, I know."
"I think you've been avoiding me." Heero looked up at her.
"Nothing ever gets by you, does it?" Relena gave him a small smile.
"Why?" Heero shrugged.
"So what did you need?" he asked. Relena sighed, and sat down in the chair opposite his desk.
"Nothing, I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"Well I'm fine," Heero replied, a little testily. Relena looked taken aback, so he quickly asked, "How's your mystery man?" Relena looked confused for a second before realization dawned on her.
"Oh, he's fine," she replied.
"Do I know him?"
"Yeah...you do."
"You're not going to tell me who it is, are you?" Relena smiled.
"Nope."
"If I guess, will you?"
"Probably not."
"Never mind then." It was quiet for a while before Relena spoke up again.
"I heard from Hilde." Heero looked up at her.
"Hilde? How are they?"
"Well, 'they' broke up two weeks ago." Heero looked up, shock slightly evident on his face.
"Duo didn't tell me."
"No, apparently they're both really upset about it. Duo's decided to move to the earth though."
"Where?" Relena smiled again.
"Well, since he got a full time job with Preventors, I would imagine somewhere around here."
"He got a job with Preventors? Does Wufei know?"
"No, Duo hasn't told anyone." Heero smirked.
"Wufei is not going to be happy," he said. "So Trowa doesn't know either?" Relena shook her head.
"Quatre called me too. He asked how you were. I told him we broke up." Heero grunted. "I guess that's everything I had to say. I just thought I'd give you the updates. Oh! Apparently Hilde is thinking of selling the house and business on L2 and following Duo to earth. That way she'll be closer to all of us." Heero nodded and looked out the window again.
"When is Duo getting here?"
"He starts work in two days." Heero nodded again as Relena got up and started to walk out of the room.
"Relena," he called suddenly. She paused in the doorway.
"Yes Heero?"
"I'm thinking of moving into my own apartment." Relena looked sad, but nodded.
"If that's what you want, I won't stop you." When Heero said nothing else, she continued out of the room. "See you later, Heero."
* * *
Two days later, there was knocking on Heero's door again. Before he could say anything though, the door flew open and a black blur flew across the room. Again, before Heero had the chance to figure out who it was, the black blur wrapped it arms around him tightly, to the point where he could barely breathe.
"Aack! Stop it! What the hell?!" The black blur released him, and Heero was able to make out two violet eyes on a grinning face, and a long brown braid draped over one shoulder. "Duo?"
"Who else would it be?" Duo asked excitedly. He continued before Heero could answer. "Man Heero, is it good to see you! So how have you been? It's been way too long since I last saw you. It's been like what, a year almost? Dang, too, too long. Sorry about Relena, man. I heard she dumped you. I know how you feel; Hilde and I just broke up also. I think she's starting to regret it though, I heard she's coming to Earth too. Oh! Guess what! I got a job with Preventors! That's actually why I'm here. My apartment is like two blocks away. It's huge, and I got it for a cheap price. Preventor discount, heh, it's great. So, you didn't answer my question, how are you?" Duo asked, ending his rambling. Heero stared at him blankly.
"You're apartment is huge? How huge?" he asked. Duo's eyes widened slightly.
"Well! No 'Hi Duo!' or 'It's great to see ya, Duo!' Nooooo! You never were the conversational type though. So how big is my apartment? Uhhhh, it's pretty big. It has a kitchen and separate dining area. A living room. There are two bedrooms; I was going to turn one into an office or something. I'm not sure though, 'cause there's a bed in there. I might just make it a guest room or something. Or I might find someone to room with. I've been living with Hilde so long I don't think I'll be able to live alone now. I can't cook, you know," he finished sheepishly. Heero ran all that over in his head.
"You said you might find a roommate?" he asked. Duo blinked.
"Yeah, why? You still haven't said 'Hi' you know."
"I'd room with you. I'm actually looking for a place to live. Since I'm not going out with Relena, I don't want to live at her house anymore."
"House? Pfft, you mean Mansion. Yeah, I heard she dumped you," Duo repeated. Heero glared at him.
"It was a mutual thing." Duo looked at him doubtfully. "Well, semi-mutual."
"Yeah right, you got dumped and you know it. So, you wanna room with me? That's cool. Of course, you'd half to pay half the rent."
"Of course."
"Alright then. I can get you a key and I'll give you the room number. And you still have yet to say 'Hi.'" Heero sighed.
"Hi Duo. There, you happy?" Duo smiled.
"Very."
"So, has Lady Une given you an office yet?"
"Yeah, it's down the hall, next to Wufei and Sally's. But Wufei doesn't know I'm here yet. Sally said she wouldn't tell him until he sees me." Heero chuckled.
"He's going to flip. So, how'd you know where my office was?"
"Relena directed me here."
"Relena? Where did you see her?"
"She was outside, talking to Trowa. Why?" Heero glanced up at him.
"Trowa? Trowa is talking to her?"
"Yeah, weird right? Trowa talks even less than you do." (A/N: You know, sometimes I wonder how he came to be the silent one, because he really does talk a lot during the series. Oh well.)
"Not funny," Heero said glaring at Duo. Duo was about to reply, when a certain Chinese teen entered through Heero's open door.
"Heero, Lady Une wanted to know if you finished that report on...the...uh," he trailed off looking at the other occupant in the room. "Duo?" he asked faintly. Duo grinned, and Wufei was soon engulfed in a hug much like Heero had been.
"Hey Wu-man!! Great to see you!! How's Sally?" Wufei pushed the braided teen off him and brushed invisible dirt off his shirt before answering.
"Damn it Maxwell, you're always too hyper. Sally's fine, why do ask?" Wufei said, eyeing Duo suspiciously.
"Oh, no reason," Duo replied, looking away innocently. Wufei looked at him as if he didn't believe him, which he didn't.
"So why are you here. Sorry about Hilde, by the way."
"Oh, no problem. And I'm here because I got a job with Preventors!" Wufei's eyes widened.
"No! You didn't! Tell me he's joking," Wufei said, looking at Heero who shook his head.
"Yeah, I did. Actually, my office is right next to yours! Isn't that great?" Wufei looked at him disbelievingly.
"I think I'm going to go hang myself now," he said, slowly walking out of the room. "Oh, and Heero, Lady Une wants that report by tomorrow," Wufei added as he shut the door behind him. Heero watched him leave.
"Well I think he took that well, don't you?" Duo asked, sitting down on the edge of the desk.
"You're going to make his life a living hell," Heero stated matter-of-factly. Duo smiled evilly.
"You know it. I've already got some nice tricks ready for him. And I just found out I can tease him about Sally and it'll annoy him. He's so easy to read sometimes," Duo said, rubbing his hands together. Heero stared at him before straightening a random pile of paper on the desk. "So," Duo said, hopping off the desk and plopping down into the chair near Heero's desk. He propped his feet up to where he had just been sitting and put his hands behind his head. "You miss Relena?" he asked casually. Heero froze for a fraction of a second.
"Why would I miss her?" he asked, not looking at Duo. "I see her almost everyday. She likes to talk to me and keep me updated on her life." Duo dropped his hands into his lap.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. She only dumped you," Heero glared at him, "ah, sorry, I meant you two only broke up a week ago. Not even, right?" Heero nodded.
"It was five days ago."
"Do you wish you were still with her?" Heero stared at Duo for a while before leaning back in his chair and sighing.
"I don't know. The more I think about it, the more I realize that she was right about what she said."
"Which was?" Duo looked excited that he had actually gotten Heero to talk to him.
"She said...well, basically what she was getting at was...well the point is that our relationship hasn't changed any except for the fact we aren't 'boyfriend/girlfriend' anymore." Duo looked slightly confused.
"What do you mean?"
"We see each other just as much basically, we talk about the same things, we're still...friends."
"What about action wise?" Heero reddened, it was just barely visible, and looked away.
"Uh, well, there wasn't much of that anyway." Duo raised an eyebrow. "Actually, when she told me she wanted to break up, one of the things she asked me was if I could remember the last time we'd kissed." Heero looked Duo in the eye. "I couldn't. Even now I can't, and I literally sat down and tried to remember."
"Ah, I can see where she's coming from then," Duo said thoughtfully. "Well she's nineteen now. The next couple of guys she dates could me candidates for marriage." Chuckling, Duo added, "Actually, one of the problems I had with Hilde was too much action. When she almost got pregnant one time, I freaked. That was the key event that started all the little fights that eventually led to our break-up. I miss her," Duo sighed, "but I'm not going to go back to her. These last couple of months, that spark just hasn't been there." He looked over to Heero who was still watching him. "Well!" he said, smiling now. "Enough reminiscing about the past. You wanna grab a bite to eat? I'm starved. I'll show you your new apartment too. Come on!" Not waiting for Heero to reply, Duo jumped up and sped out the door. Heero sighed, and slowly got up to follow him out.
* * *
Three months. That's how long he'd been living with Duo, three months. It seemed like so much longer. Heero sighed, once again sitting at his desk. Duo hadn't been joking when he said he couldn't cook. The guy could barely boil water. Literally. He'd tried once, to make macaroni, and a rag that had been to close to the stove caught fire, effectively ruining some of the cabinets and almost burning down the entire kitchen. All from boiling water. Since then, Heero had banished the braided teen from any electrical or gas devices in the kitchen. Other than his disastrous cooking though, Duo had proved to be a compatible roommate for Heero. He was a little unorganized...ok scratch that. He probably would have been just as happy calling himself a pig and joining a farm in the country. The boy was a mess. Heero could deal with that though, so long as he eventually cleaned up after himself, which he did (usually). But Heero was content for the time being. Relena still came by to visit often, and Hilde had moved into an apartment a few blocks away from his and Duo's.
Duo currently had a new girlfriend, one of the Preventor girls who often worked with them on missions. Heero had met her before, and thought she was a good match for the jovial teen. They both had the same sense of humor, and Wufei happened to be their favorite target for the pranks they often pulled. Heero remained single, and he was pretty sure he would stay that way for a while. Sometimes he would long for Relena, to be able to hold her in his arms again, but he knew that would never happen again. Not in the way he wanted. Heero looked up at the clock. If he was correct, she would probably be stopping by again soon. Abruptly, Heero looked up as the door to his room flew open and the said woman rushed in.
'She's early,' Heero thought briefly, as he took in her disheveled appearance. His eyes crossed as he attempted to look at the thing she had thrust into his face. Whatever it was, she seemed very happy about it.
"Look," Relena panted, smiling brightly. Taking it from her, Heero eyed the item in question, and raised an eyebrow.
"A ticket to the circus?" Relena nodded vigorously.
"Trowa gave it to me."
"Trowa?" Heero asked, his voice betraying his shock. Relena nodded again.
"He asked me to go."
"He...asked you to go? Trowa did?" More nodding.
"We-we're going out to dinner afterwards." Heero finally looked up, snapping his head to face hers.
"You're going out to dinner afterwards," he repeated faintly. Relena nodded yet again, this time biting her lower lip, her wide eyes searching his. "As in...as in a...date?"
"Yes," Relena whispered. There was silence between for a minute, before Relena asked, "Well?"
"Well what?" was the reply.
"Well what do you think?" she asked exasperatedly. Heero gazed into her eyes, which were still searching his for something.
"Does it matter what I think?" There was a pause.
"Well...I don't want to be blunt and say, 'No it doesn't matter at all because no matter what you say I'm still going to go,' but, well...yes and no. I mean, I WILL still go on the date, but I'm still curious about what you think," Relena replied, startling Heero with the sudden forwardness.
"Well, like you said, it doesn't matter what I think, YOU want to go." Relena threw her hands up in the air.
"Geez Heero! You're so...so...difficult sometimes! Just tell me what you think!"
"Well what do you want? My approval? Yes, you have my permission to go out with Trowa Barton," he said, his voice slightly sarcastic.
"I just want to know if you're...ok with it," Relena said, leaning forward in her seat.
"I'm fine with it," Heero said, lowering his voice for no apparent reason.
"Are you?" Relena asked, her voice quiet too.
"Yes!" Heero whispered. Relena didn't looked convinced, but she let the subject drop, her face breaking out into a huge smile. Jumping up out of the chair, she twirled around the room laughing to herself.
"You have NO idea have excited I am!" she said turning to Heero and bending down so her face was level with his. Her voice was as giddy as a high school girl going on her first date. He allowed a small smile to grace his features.
"I'm happy for you, really."
"Thank you," Relena replied seriously. She sat down again, enjoying the quietness that had fallen in the room.
"So," Heero said after a while, "Trowa was your mystery man. Of all the guys here, I really hadn't even thought of him." Relena smiled.
"I'm like that. I go after the most mysterious people."
"Like me," Heero said, smiling slightly and looking out the window.
"Like you," Relena replied, smiling too.
"You'll have fun," Heero stated, and Relena's smile grew.
"I know. Believe me, I know."
* * *
Relena DID have fun. Enough fun to go on another date with Trowa. And another, and another, and so it continued...for nine months. Relena still would come barging in every time something pretty major happened. Be it their first kiss, or even if he smiled at her, anything Relena found worthy enough she told Heero. And he found he didn't mind. He was glad that Relena was happy. None of the news really surprised him too much, he would just sit there and smile, allowing Relena to spill her heart and dance around the room like child who got what she wanted for Christmas. Where most girls would gossip with their other girlfriends, Relena confided in Heero, and he was thankful for that. It wasn't until nine months after Trowa and Relena had been going steady together that the newest update in her life seriously surprised him.
She had run into the room like she usually did, so that wasn't what Heero noticed. Usually when she came in, her face would be radiating joy. It was like she would burst if she didn't get the words out of her mouth. But today...today was different. Relena didn't look as happy as she usually did. She looked more worried, maybe even sad. Currently she was pacing back and forth in front of Heero's desk, his eyes following her each time she passed him. Finally, not being able to stand the silence anymore, Heero spoke up.
"Relena," Heero called gently. She looked up startled, and then her face relaxed and she slumped down in the usual chair that was in front of the desk. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" She sighed, and started wringing her hands together. Ok, it looked like he'd have to be the one to initiate the conversation. "Did something happen between you and Trowa?" Well that was a dumb question. That was always why she came. However, Relena frowned and nodded slowly.
"Yeah you could say that," she finally said. Heero raised an eyebrow.
"Was it bad?" he asked warily. Relena sort of dazed out for a second while answering.
"No, it was...wonderful."
"So then...what's wrong?" Heero asked, sort of confused.
"It's the result of what happened."
"Are you going to tell me WHAT happened, or do I have to guess?"
"You won't guess," Relena stated, jumping up and pacing again. She paused and looked Heero in the eye. "Heero, I...I...I slept with Trowa." Heero's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting THAT answer.
"Wh-what?"
"Three weeks ago actually. I just never told you."
"So why are you telling me now?" Relena fell back into the chair again and buried her face in her hands.
"I had to tell someone. Trowa doesn't know yet." Now Heero was really confused.
"Trowa doesn't know that you slept with him?" Relena looked up sharply and laughed.
"No! No, that's not what I meant. He doesn't know about the result." Heero ran that through his head. The result? The result of sleeping with Trowa...she didn't mean she was...no that couldn't be it! Heero's eyes widened and he jerked his head to Relena.
"Relena," he said, his voice full of shock. "You're not..." he trailed off, not able to ask the question, but Relena understood.
"I am," she said, her eyes filling up with tears. Heero leaned back in his seat his eyes still side.
"Shit," he murmured. "And Trowa doesn't know?" he repeated. Relena shook her head.
"I found out yesterday. Sally's the only one that knows. She's going to be our doctor, and she said she wouldn't tell anyone." Heero nodded in understanding.
"Did you and Trowa have any...plans for the future?"
"We talked about it a little. Last night actually." Heero nodded again, and was about to reply when there was a soft knocking on his door. Heero only knew one person who knocked like that, and his eyes darted to Relena, who had noticed it too. She looked at him and silently mouthed, "Don't tell him." Heero nodded and walked to the door. Opening it, he came face to face with the green-eyed Preventor.
"Heero," Trowa said in acknowledgement. "Have you seen Relena? I need to ask her something." Was it just him, or did Trowa look...nervous? Relena's face popped up behind Heero in the doorway.
"Trowa!" she exclaimed excitedly, throwing her arms around his neck.
"Relena," he returned, slightly startled she was there. He was soon returning the hug, and he leaned in for a kiss.
"What did you need?" Relena asked, still smiling. Trowa flicked his eyes to Heero briefly before bringing them back to Relena. Heero caught this, and started moving out of the room.
"I'll leave you two alone," he started to say, and Trowa nodded.
"We'll only be a second," Trowa mumbled, not really paying attention to him. Heero looked back and forth between them once before leaving the room. He returned fifteen minutes later to find an extremely excited Relena saying goodbye to a smiling Trowa. Trowa brushed past Heero in the hallway, a slight blush gracing his cheeks. Heero paused to watch him leave.
"He was smiling," Heero stated, looking back to Relena.
"He has a reason to," Relena replied, shoving her hand into Heero's face. He jerked backwards for a second before something caught his eye. Grabbing her hand, he brought it closer to his face, and his eyes widened for the second time that day.
"Are you...?" he let the sentence hang.
"Engaged to be engaged," Relena said, smiling proudly. She looked at the ring on her finger that Trowa had just given her. It was simple, just a gold band with her birthstone on it, but she loved it anyway. Heero's jaw dropped slightly, before his mouth slowly turned into a smile.
"Congratulations," he said sincerely. Relena laughed and threw her arms around his neck. Heero returned the hug briefly before pulling away from her slightly and glancing down at her stomach. "Did you tell him?" Relena's smile fell a little.
"No," she replied. "But I will, when he actually proposes."
"Which will be when?"
"Soon, he said he has to buy a real ring. He wants to surprise me somehow, so he'll probably do it at some random time when I'm brushing my teeth or something," Relena said, laughing lightly. Heero chuckled with her.
"I'm happy for you," he said. Relena looked at him.
"You're always happy for me," she whispered.
* * *
(Sorry, couldn't post the whole thing as one big chapter, so go straight to the next part. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200. Feel free to leave a short review about what you think so far though! ^_^ )
*Disclaimer* I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM WING OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!!
*Warning* Profanity...This IS a death fic, eventually, so anxiety, sad stuff, you know. There is no yaoi (I have nothing against it, it just isn't part of the story)! Even if it seems that way, it was not intended. They are just roommates. I can just see some of you going, "Pfft, yeah right." Oh well, if you want to think they are together, go ahead. It doesn't affect the story any.
One note before the fic: Just so you know, this does not follow a smooth story line. It basically has clips from different events over a number of years. I can't explain it very well, but you'll see what I mean when you read it. This is the first semi-serious story I've written, so tell me what you think!
Heero's Prussian blue eyes widened uncharacteristically. "Wh-what? You think we should what?" he asked, his voice shaking a little.
"I think we should break up, you know, stop going out."
"B-but...why? I thought we were happy together? What did I do wrong Relena?" She sighed.
"Heero, you didn't do anything wrong," Relena said, running a hand through her honey blonde hair. "It's just that...that, well, I mean look at us! Heero, everything that happens between us is something that could happen between two good friends." He didn't seem to understand. "Look, Heero, we're nineteen. We've been going out for over a year, and we're getting nowhere. I'm not saying I'm ready to go and get married, but...can you even remember the last time we kissed? I know I can't." Heero looked thoughtful for a minute.
"If you want more kissing, I can give you that." Relena's eyes teared up a little, and she laughed lightly.
"No Heero, that's not the point. If we break up, I seriously think that nothing between us will change. You might be mad at me for a while, but we can still talk and have coffee together if you want. At least we'll be able to see other people though." Heero's eyes narrowed.
"See other people? Is that what this is about? Are you with someone else?"
"No!" Relena shouted, her eyes widening. "How can you even ask that?"
"Then...do you WANT to be with someone else?" She didn't answer right away, and that told Heero what he needed to know. "I see."
"Heero, don't get the wrong idea. Yes, I admit, there is someone else I've been...noticing more, lately. He doesn't know it though." Heero looked away and crossed his arms. "Heero, I don't want the relationship to change between us too much. Except for the fact that we'll be dating other people, I still want to be able to talk about things with you. I'll still consider you one of my best friends, regardless of what you think of me. You've given me so much," Relena finished quietly. Heero closed his eyes for a minute, before turning to face her.
"Relena...you have given me more than I could ever even think to give you. You helped me get on with life after the war, you helped me to live. You finally gave me happiness. I," he paused. "I don't want to lose you. But if breaking up is what you want, then I will gladly remain friends with you." Relena smiled through watery eyes, and engulfed Heero in a hug. He stiffened for a moment before returning it.
"Thank you," Relena whispered. She broke away from him and started backing up. "I'll see you around then, at work and stuff. If you ever want to talk or something, you know my number." Heero nodded. "Bye Heero," Relena called, walking down the hill and out of the park. Heero watched her leave, a pain he couldn't describe rising in his chest. He turned to watch the sun set slowly behind the mountains in the distance.
"What now?" he asked the air. He got no reply.
* * *
Three days later, Heero sat in his office at the Preventor Headquarters staring out the window. His work was piling up in stacks on the desk, waiting to be finished. Heero sighed. He hadn't seen Relena since the day in the park, but that was mainly because he had been avoiding her, which was difficult seeing as he had been living in the palace with her up until now. It was obvious to him that he should find his own apartment now, but he had never quite gotten around to it. Sighing, Heero looked up abruptly when he heard knocking on his door. Not really caring who it was at the moment, he called out, "Come in." He looked up and gasped slightly. "Relena."
"Heero," Relena said, walking into the room. "I was worried, I haven't seen you since...well you know."
"Yeah, I know."
"I think you've been avoiding me." Heero looked up at her.
"Nothing ever gets by you, does it?" Relena gave him a small smile.
"Why?" Heero shrugged.
"So what did you need?" he asked. Relena sighed, and sat down in the chair opposite his desk.
"Nothing, I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"Well I'm fine," Heero replied, a little testily. Relena looked taken aback, so he quickly asked, "How's your mystery man?" Relena looked confused for a second before realization dawned on her.
"Oh, he's fine," she replied.
"Do I know him?"
"Yeah...you do."
"You're not going to tell me who it is, are you?" Relena smiled.
"Nope."
"If I guess, will you?"
"Probably not."
"Never mind then." It was quiet for a while before Relena spoke up again.
"I heard from Hilde." Heero looked up at her.
"Hilde? How are they?"
"Well, 'they' broke up two weeks ago." Heero looked up, shock slightly evident on his face.
"Duo didn't tell me."
"No, apparently they're both really upset about it. Duo's decided to move to the earth though."
"Where?" Relena smiled again.
"Well, since he got a full time job with Preventors, I would imagine somewhere around here."
"He got a job with Preventors? Does Wufei know?"
"No, Duo hasn't told anyone." Heero smirked.
"Wufei is not going to be happy," he said. "So Trowa doesn't know either?" Relena shook her head.
"Quatre called me too. He asked how you were. I told him we broke up." Heero grunted. "I guess that's everything I had to say. I just thought I'd give you the updates. Oh! Apparently Hilde is thinking of selling the house and business on L2 and following Duo to earth. That way she'll be closer to all of us." Heero nodded and looked out the window again.
"When is Duo getting here?"
"He starts work in two days." Heero nodded again as Relena got up and started to walk out of the room.
"Relena," he called suddenly. She paused in the doorway.
"Yes Heero?"
"I'm thinking of moving into my own apartment." Relena looked sad, but nodded.
"If that's what you want, I won't stop you." When Heero said nothing else, she continued out of the room. "See you later, Heero."
* * *
Two days later, there was knocking on Heero's door again. Before he could say anything though, the door flew open and a black blur flew across the room. Again, before Heero had the chance to figure out who it was, the black blur wrapped it arms around him tightly, to the point where he could barely breathe.
"Aack! Stop it! What the hell?!" The black blur released him, and Heero was able to make out two violet eyes on a grinning face, and a long brown braid draped over one shoulder. "Duo?"
"Who else would it be?" Duo asked excitedly. He continued before Heero could answer. "Man Heero, is it good to see you! So how have you been? It's been way too long since I last saw you. It's been like what, a year almost? Dang, too, too long. Sorry about Relena, man. I heard she dumped you. I know how you feel; Hilde and I just broke up also. I think she's starting to regret it though, I heard she's coming to Earth too. Oh! Guess what! I got a job with Preventors! That's actually why I'm here. My apartment is like two blocks away. It's huge, and I got it for a cheap price. Preventor discount, heh, it's great. So, you didn't answer my question, how are you?" Duo asked, ending his rambling. Heero stared at him blankly.
"You're apartment is huge? How huge?" he asked. Duo's eyes widened slightly.
"Well! No 'Hi Duo!' or 'It's great to see ya, Duo!' Nooooo! You never were the conversational type though. So how big is my apartment? Uhhhh, it's pretty big. It has a kitchen and separate dining area. A living room. There are two bedrooms; I was going to turn one into an office or something. I'm not sure though, 'cause there's a bed in there. I might just make it a guest room or something. Or I might find someone to room with. I've been living with Hilde so long I don't think I'll be able to live alone now. I can't cook, you know," he finished sheepishly. Heero ran all that over in his head.
"You said you might find a roommate?" he asked. Duo blinked.
"Yeah, why? You still haven't said 'Hi' you know."
"I'd room with you. I'm actually looking for a place to live. Since I'm not going out with Relena, I don't want to live at her house anymore."
"House? Pfft, you mean Mansion. Yeah, I heard she dumped you," Duo repeated. Heero glared at him.
"It was a mutual thing." Duo looked at him doubtfully. "Well, semi-mutual."
"Yeah right, you got dumped and you know it. So, you wanna room with me? That's cool. Of course, you'd half to pay half the rent."
"Of course."
"Alright then. I can get you a key and I'll give you the room number. And you still have yet to say 'Hi.'" Heero sighed.
"Hi Duo. There, you happy?" Duo smiled.
"Very."
"So, has Lady Une given you an office yet?"
"Yeah, it's down the hall, next to Wufei and Sally's. But Wufei doesn't know I'm here yet. Sally said she wouldn't tell him until he sees me." Heero chuckled.
"He's going to flip. So, how'd you know where my office was?"
"Relena directed me here."
"Relena? Where did you see her?"
"She was outside, talking to Trowa. Why?" Heero glanced up at him.
"Trowa? Trowa is talking to her?"
"Yeah, weird right? Trowa talks even less than you do." (A/N: You know, sometimes I wonder how he came to be the silent one, because he really does talk a lot during the series. Oh well.)
"Not funny," Heero said glaring at Duo. Duo was about to reply, when a certain Chinese teen entered through Heero's open door.
"Heero, Lady Une wanted to know if you finished that report on...the...uh," he trailed off looking at the other occupant in the room. "Duo?" he asked faintly. Duo grinned, and Wufei was soon engulfed in a hug much like Heero had been.
"Hey Wu-man!! Great to see you!! How's Sally?" Wufei pushed the braided teen off him and brushed invisible dirt off his shirt before answering.
"Damn it Maxwell, you're always too hyper. Sally's fine, why do ask?" Wufei said, eyeing Duo suspiciously.
"Oh, no reason," Duo replied, looking away innocently. Wufei looked at him as if he didn't believe him, which he didn't.
"So why are you here. Sorry about Hilde, by the way."
"Oh, no problem. And I'm here because I got a job with Preventors!" Wufei's eyes widened.
"No! You didn't! Tell me he's joking," Wufei said, looking at Heero who shook his head.
"Yeah, I did. Actually, my office is right next to yours! Isn't that great?" Wufei looked at him disbelievingly.
"I think I'm going to go hang myself now," he said, slowly walking out of the room. "Oh, and Heero, Lady Une wants that report by tomorrow," Wufei added as he shut the door behind him. Heero watched him leave.
"Well I think he took that well, don't you?" Duo asked, sitting down on the edge of the desk.
"You're going to make his life a living hell," Heero stated matter-of-factly. Duo smiled evilly.
"You know it. I've already got some nice tricks ready for him. And I just found out I can tease him about Sally and it'll annoy him. He's so easy to read sometimes," Duo said, rubbing his hands together. Heero stared at him before straightening a random pile of paper on the desk. "So," Duo said, hopping off the desk and plopping down into the chair near Heero's desk. He propped his feet up to where he had just been sitting and put his hands behind his head. "You miss Relena?" he asked casually. Heero froze for a fraction of a second.
"Why would I miss her?" he asked, not looking at Duo. "I see her almost everyday. She likes to talk to me and keep me updated on her life." Duo dropped his hands into his lap.
"That's not what I meant and you know it. She only dumped you," Heero glared at him, "ah, sorry, I meant you two only broke up a week ago. Not even, right?" Heero nodded.
"It was five days ago."
"Do you wish you were still with her?" Heero stared at Duo for a while before leaning back in his chair and sighing.
"I don't know. The more I think about it, the more I realize that she was right about what she said."
"Which was?" Duo looked excited that he had actually gotten Heero to talk to him.
"She said...well, basically what she was getting at was...well the point is that our relationship hasn't changed any except for the fact we aren't 'boyfriend/girlfriend' anymore." Duo looked slightly confused.
"What do you mean?"
"We see each other just as much basically, we talk about the same things, we're still...friends."
"What about action wise?" Heero reddened, it was just barely visible, and looked away.
"Uh, well, there wasn't much of that anyway." Duo raised an eyebrow. "Actually, when she told me she wanted to break up, one of the things she asked me was if I could remember the last time we'd kissed." Heero looked Duo in the eye. "I couldn't. Even now I can't, and I literally sat down and tried to remember."
"Ah, I can see where she's coming from then," Duo said thoughtfully. "Well she's nineteen now. The next couple of guys she dates could me candidates for marriage." Chuckling, Duo added, "Actually, one of the problems I had with Hilde was too much action. When she almost got pregnant one time, I freaked. That was the key event that started all the little fights that eventually led to our break-up. I miss her," Duo sighed, "but I'm not going to go back to her. These last couple of months, that spark just hasn't been there." He looked over to Heero who was still watching him. "Well!" he said, smiling now. "Enough reminiscing about the past. You wanna grab a bite to eat? I'm starved. I'll show you your new apartment too. Come on!" Not waiting for Heero to reply, Duo jumped up and sped out the door. Heero sighed, and slowly got up to follow him out.
* * *
Three months. That's how long he'd been living with Duo, three months. It seemed like so much longer. Heero sighed, once again sitting at his desk. Duo hadn't been joking when he said he couldn't cook. The guy could barely boil water. Literally. He'd tried once, to make macaroni, and a rag that had been to close to the stove caught fire, effectively ruining some of the cabinets and almost burning down the entire kitchen. All from boiling water. Since then, Heero had banished the braided teen from any electrical or gas devices in the kitchen. Other than his disastrous cooking though, Duo had proved to be a compatible roommate for Heero. He was a little unorganized...ok scratch that. He probably would have been just as happy calling himself a pig and joining a farm in the country. The boy was a mess. Heero could deal with that though, so long as he eventually cleaned up after himself, which he did (usually). But Heero was content for the time being. Relena still came by to visit often, and Hilde had moved into an apartment a few blocks away from his and Duo's.
Duo currently had a new girlfriend, one of the Preventor girls who often worked with them on missions. Heero had met her before, and thought she was a good match for the jovial teen. They both had the same sense of humor, and Wufei happened to be their favorite target for the pranks they often pulled. Heero remained single, and he was pretty sure he would stay that way for a while. Sometimes he would long for Relena, to be able to hold her in his arms again, but he knew that would never happen again. Not in the way he wanted. Heero looked up at the clock. If he was correct, she would probably be stopping by again soon. Abruptly, Heero looked up as the door to his room flew open and the said woman rushed in.
'She's early,' Heero thought briefly, as he took in her disheveled appearance. His eyes crossed as he attempted to look at the thing she had thrust into his face. Whatever it was, she seemed very happy about it.
"Look," Relena panted, smiling brightly. Taking it from her, Heero eyed the item in question, and raised an eyebrow.
"A ticket to the circus?" Relena nodded vigorously.
"Trowa gave it to me."
"Trowa?" Heero asked, his voice betraying his shock. Relena nodded again.
"He asked me to go."
"He...asked you to go? Trowa did?" More nodding.
"We-we're going out to dinner afterwards." Heero finally looked up, snapping his head to face hers.
"You're going out to dinner afterwards," he repeated faintly. Relena nodded yet again, this time biting her lower lip, her wide eyes searching his. "As in...as in a...date?"
"Yes," Relena whispered. There was silence between for a minute, before Relena asked, "Well?"
"Well what?" was the reply.
"Well what do you think?" she asked exasperatedly. Heero gazed into her eyes, which were still searching his for something.
"Does it matter what I think?" There was a pause.
"Well...I don't want to be blunt and say, 'No it doesn't matter at all because no matter what you say I'm still going to go,' but, well...yes and no. I mean, I WILL still go on the date, but I'm still curious about what you think," Relena replied, startling Heero with the sudden forwardness.
"Well, like you said, it doesn't matter what I think, YOU want to go." Relena threw her hands up in the air.
"Geez Heero! You're so...so...difficult sometimes! Just tell me what you think!"
"Well what do you want? My approval? Yes, you have my permission to go out with Trowa Barton," he said, his voice slightly sarcastic.
"I just want to know if you're...ok with it," Relena said, leaning forward in her seat.
"I'm fine with it," Heero said, lowering his voice for no apparent reason.
"Are you?" Relena asked, her voice quiet too.
"Yes!" Heero whispered. Relena didn't looked convinced, but she let the subject drop, her face breaking out into a huge smile. Jumping up out of the chair, she twirled around the room laughing to herself.
"You have NO idea have excited I am!" she said turning to Heero and bending down so her face was level with his. Her voice was as giddy as a high school girl going on her first date. He allowed a small smile to grace his features.
"I'm happy for you, really."
"Thank you," Relena replied seriously. She sat down again, enjoying the quietness that had fallen in the room.
"So," Heero said after a while, "Trowa was your mystery man. Of all the guys here, I really hadn't even thought of him." Relena smiled.
"I'm like that. I go after the most mysterious people."
"Like me," Heero said, smiling slightly and looking out the window.
"Like you," Relena replied, smiling too.
"You'll have fun," Heero stated, and Relena's smile grew.
"I know. Believe me, I know."
* * *
Relena DID have fun. Enough fun to go on another date with Trowa. And another, and another, and so it continued...for nine months. Relena still would come barging in every time something pretty major happened. Be it their first kiss, or even if he smiled at her, anything Relena found worthy enough she told Heero. And he found he didn't mind. He was glad that Relena was happy. None of the news really surprised him too much, he would just sit there and smile, allowing Relena to spill her heart and dance around the room like child who got what she wanted for Christmas. Where most girls would gossip with their other girlfriends, Relena confided in Heero, and he was thankful for that. It wasn't until nine months after Trowa and Relena had been going steady together that the newest update in her life seriously surprised him.
She had run into the room like she usually did, so that wasn't what Heero noticed. Usually when she came in, her face would be radiating joy. It was like she would burst if she didn't get the words out of her mouth. But today...today was different. Relena didn't look as happy as she usually did. She looked more worried, maybe even sad. Currently she was pacing back and forth in front of Heero's desk, his eyes following her each time she passed him. Finally, not being able to stand the silence anymore, Heero spoke up.
"Relena," Heero called gently. She looked up startled, and then her face relaxed and she slumped down in the usual chair that was in front of the desk. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" She sighed, and started wringing her hands together. Ok, it looked like he'd have to be the one to initiate the conversation. "Did something happen between you and Trowa?" Well that was a dumb question. That was always why she came. However, Relena frowned and nodded slowly.
"Yeah you could say that," she finally said. Heero raised an eyebrow.
"Was it bad?" he asked warily. Relena sort of dazed out for a second while answering.
"No, it was...wonderful."
"So then...what's wrong?" Heero asked, sort of confused.
"It's the result of what happened."
"Are you going to tell me WHAT happened, or do I have to guess?"
"You won't guess," Relena stated, jumping up and pacing again. She paused and looked Heero in the eye. "Heero, I...I...I slept with Trowa." Heero's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting THAT answer.
"Wh-what?"
"Three weeks ago actually. I just never told you."
"So why are you telling me now?" Relena fell back into the chair again and buried her face in her hands.
"I had to tell someone. Trowa doesn't know yet." Now Heero was really confused.
"Trowa doesn't know that you slept with him?" Relena looked up sharply and laughed.
"No! No, that's not what I meant. He doesn't know about the result." Heero ran that through his head. The result? The result of sleeping with Trowa...she didn't mean she was...no that couldn't be it! Heero's eyes widened and he jerked his head to Relena.
"Relena," he said, his voice full of shock. "You're not..." he trailed off, not able to ask the question, but Relena understood.
"I am," she said, her eyes filling up with tears. Heero leaned back in his seat his eyes still side.
"Shit," he murmured. "And Trowa doesn't know?" he repeated. Relena shook her head.
"I found out yesterday. Sally's the only one that knows. She's going to be our doctor, and she said she wouldn't tell anyone." Heero nodded in understanding.
"Did you and Trowa have any...plans for the future?"
"We talked about it a little. Last night actually." Heero nodded again, and was about to reply when there was a soft knocking on his door. Heero only knew one person who knocked like that, and his eyes darted to Relena, who had noticed it too. She looked at him and silently mouthed, "Don't tell him." Heero nodded and walked to the door. Opening it, he came face to face with the green-eyed Preventor.
"Heero," Trowa said in acknowledgement. "Have you seen Relena? I need to ask her something." Was it just him, or did Trowa look...nervous? Relena's face popped up behind Heero in the doorway.
"Trowa!" she exclaimed excitedly, throwing her arms around his neck.
"Relena," he returned, slightly startled she was there. He was soon returning the hug, and he leaned in for a kiss.
"What did you need?" Relena asked, still smiling. Trowa flicked his eyes to Heero briefly before bringing them back to Relena. Heero caught this, and started moving out of the room.
"I'll leave you two alone," he started to say, and Trowa nodded.
"We'll only be a second," Trowa mumbled, not really paying attention to him. Heero looked back and forth between them once before leaving the room. He returned fifteen minutes later to find an extremely excited Relena saying goodbye to a smiling Trowa. Trowa brushed past Heero in the hallway, a slight blush gracing his cheeks. Heero paused to watch him leave.
"He was smiling," Heero stated, looking back to Relena.
"He has a reason to," Relena replied, shoving her hand into Heero's face. He jerked backwards for a second before something caught his eye. Grabbing her hand, he brought it closer to his face, and his eyes widened for the second time that day.
"Are you...?" he let the sentence hang.
"Engaged to be engaged," Relena said, smiling proudly. She looked at the ring on her finger that Trowa had just given her. It was simple, just a gold band with her birthstone on it, but she loved it anyway. Heero's jaw dropped slightly, before his mouth slowly turned into a smile.
"Congratulations," he said sincerely. Relena laughed and threw her arms around his neck. Heero returned the hug briefly before pulling away from her slightly and glancing down at her stomach. "Did you tell him?" Relena's smile fell a little.
"No," she replied. "But I will, when he actually proposes."
"Which will be when?"
"Soon, he said he has to buy a real ring. He wants to surprise me somehow, so he'll probably do it at some random time when I'm brushing my teeth or something," Relena said, laughing lightly. Heero chuckled with her.
"I'm happy for you," he said. Relena looked at him.
"You're always happy for me," she whispered.
* * *
(Sorry, couldn't post the whole thing as one big chapter, so go straight to the next part. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200. Feel free to leave a short review about what you think so far though! ^_^ )