Wake-Up Call
by KM
I was having a nice dream. Something involving sunshine and rainbows, or
whipped cream and handcuffs, I can't remember which. Anyway, I was having a
nice sleep, just like always, when I heard the strangest sound.
_Buzz_.
At first I ignored it. Maybe it was just part of the dream. I hoped it was.
So I rolled over, shifted the pillow a bit, and had just started drifting off
when I heard the intrusive noise a second time.
_Buzzzzzzzzz_.
'I know I didn't set my alarm for...' I cracked one eye open. '4:30 a.m.
Maybe it's the neighbors. Please, God, let it be the-'
_Bam! Bam! Buzzzzzzz_.
Shit. Some bastard was banging on my door in the middle of the night, and I
was going to have to get up from my nice, warm, completely comfortable hole
I'd burrowed in the covers to answer him.
"It better be a real fucking emergency..."
I carefully made the jump from my bed to the rug a few feet away, to avoid
the cold hardwood floor, of course. Can't rouse myself from a sleep-induced
stupor too quickly or it puts me into a state of shock. I swear.
After putting on my slippers, some shorts, and yesterday's tee shirt, I
slowly shuffled to the door, a chorus of buzzes and bangs accompanying me the
whole way.
"Hey! Give it a rest, I'm almost there..." Why do these things always happen
to me?
I had a string of curses ready to assault the unlucky asshole that dared wake
me, but as soon as I had flung the door open, the colorful litany died on my
lips.
"Heero? What the hell are you doing here?"
He waited until he had stepped past me to speak, but in typical fashion, he
didn't answer my question.
"Do you always answer the door without checking to see who's on the other
side?"
I raised an eyebrow. "I was hoping for Publisher's Clearing House. My
number's bound to come up sometime."
He didn't laugh at my joke; then again, he never laughed at my jokes, so I
wasn't too disheartened.
By the time I had come to my senses and shut the door, Heero had already
settled down on the couch and turned on the television. I ambled over to my
tiny excuse for a kitchen to fix some coffee, casually observing the occupant
of my sofa all the while. He looked windblown, like he'd been outside for a
long time, but he wasn't dressed for outdoor activity. He was wearing dress
slacks and a nice button-down, the top three buttons undone. I wondered what
had happened to his tie until I saw him twisting it around his fingers. His
socked feet rested on my coffee table; he always takes his shoes off at the
door. It's the one aspect of his culture that he adheres to.
I walked the six feet into the living room, coffee cups in hand, and sat in
the chair beside the couch, careful to not spill the drinks. I passed a mug
over to Heero, and he took it readily, almost eagerly, which threw me,
considering his usual reluctance to accept anything freely offered. I was
sipping my still-hot coffee when Heero's soft voice broke the silence.
"What do you think about me and Relena? Us dating, I mean?"
I tried to control the widening of my eyes, but it couldn't be helped; my
surprise at the question was obvious. Heero never cared what anybody thought
of him or of his actions. At least it never seemed so. And he certainly
never asked my opinion on anything, especially not on his personal life or on
Relena. Not that I dislike her or anything, but I just can't see them
together. But I wasn't about to tell Heero that.
"What do you mean?"
He leaned back and let his head fall back against the couch. "I don't know.
Do you think we're a good match?"
Shit. I couldn't avoid the question now; he'd asked me directly. Since I've
never been one to lie, I told him the truth.
"Well, I... you two don't really fit."
Heero raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
'Dammit, Heero...' I put down my coffee and slowly exhaled. "You want
honesty, right?" He nodded his head, so I continued. "I think that
Relena's... using you."
He reacted better than expected to this rather shocking revelation. Instead
of getting in my face and yelling, he just sat up. Probably because he had a
hot cup of coffee in his hand.
"Explain."
I steadied myself, hoping that I would be able to explain to his
satisfaction. "I mean, I don't think she's seeing somebody behind your back
or anything like that. I just think that dating you is more a political
thing than a 'wanting to be with you' thing." I cleared my throat, a little
more nervous than I'd hoped. "I think it may have started out that way; I
know she was crazy about you when we came to Earth. But now I think that
you're just 'Heero Yuy, Gundam Pilot and Two-Time Savior of the World' to her
than the guy she fell for. You're good for a state dinner and a photo op,
and that's about all she wants you for. Besides, everybody wants to see the
ex-Queen of the World and her White Knight as a couple. It's good PR."
By this time, he'd set down his coffee mug and was resting his elbows on his
knees, his long fingers steepled under his chin. He sat silently for a long
time after I had finished my little rant, his eyes slightly downcast, and I
hoped I hadn't upset him or worse, pissed him off. I really didn't need a
beating that early in the morning, especially not one from Heero. Amazingly
enough, he didn't even look angry when he lifted his eyes to mine.
"You really think so?"
"Yeah."
Heero nodded. "We had dinner tonight. It was interesting. We went to..."
I tried to look interested, but I really didn't want to hear about his date
with Relena. I'm obviously more than a little touchy about his relationship
with her, so- Well, I'll be honest; I'm not fond of Heero having a
relationship with anyone other than myself. There. I said it. It's out.
Apparently, I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to realize that Heero had
stopped talking, so I was a bit startled when he waved his hand in front of
my face.
"Huh?" I knew I sounded stupid, but that's what happens when I'm caught off
guard.
A slight smirk turned up the corners of his mouth. "You weren't paying
attention."
I had the decency to look a bit sheepish when I apologized for my lack of
attentiveness, but I didn't really mean it. "Sorry, I just-"
Heero shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He turned his eyes to the
television just in time to catch yet another image of himself and Relena on
the early-morning news. He sighed heavily, something very unlike himself,
and he looked back to me, his striking blue eyes more intense than usual.
"You don't see me that way, do you?"
This had to be one of the weirdest moments of my life. First of all, Heero
Yuy comes to my door at 4:30 a.m. acting all weird, and then he asks me what
I think about his girlfriend. On top of that, he wants to know how I see
him. And he looked so...vulnerable. It was all I could do not to just lean
over and kiss him, but I didn't dare.
"Of course I don't see you like that. I mean, you're not some trophy or
whatever, and you shouldn't be treated like one. To me, you're my best
friend... you're Heero."
Unexpectedly, he stood up and headed for the door. But I knew something was
bothering Heero, and I wasn't about to let him leave just yet.
"Where the hell are you going?"
He was about to put his shoes back on when my voice stopped him. His back
was to me, and I could see the tension in his shoulders. It was obvious that
he wanted to go, most likely to avoid further conversation, but he wouldn't
go if I didn't want him to, so I pressed on.
"You come here at 4:30 in the morning, get me out of a damn good sleep, drink
my coffee, and now you're leaving? No. You're staying until you tell me why
you came here, and I'm not letting you go until I'm satisfied with your
answer."
Turning around to face me, he replied, "How are you so sure I'll stay?
What's keeping me from just walking out the door right now?"
"I don't know, what is keeping you?" I tilted my head, almost as a
challenge.
We stood staring at each other for a few long moments, though what felt like
eternity probably only lasted a few seconds. Heero finally looked away and
took a step away from the door. 'I win.'
My victory was short-lived, mostly due to the shock at Heero's next
statement.
"Relena asked me to marry her."
I think my heart stopped for a second. "What?!"
"You heard me."
This was definitely unexpected news, but it did explain some of Heero's
earlier questions. Suddenly, I felt a rush of anger. "Well, that's just
great. Now you'll be Relena's political tool of a husband instead of just a
boyfriend. You should have asked me earlier, you know; maybe then you
wouldn't be making such a big-"
"I said no."
"-I mean, really Heero... You said no?"
He put his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor, but nodded in
agreement. "I also told her that I think we should take a break for a while.
A long while."
Once this registered, there was only one word that I felt would adequately
sum up my feelings: "Good."
Heero's mouth curved into a slight smile. "I'm glad you think so. Everybody
else would probably think I'm crazy for not wanting to be 'Mr. Relena
Dorlian.' But I think I'm making the right decision." He lifted his gaze to
mine, nervousness and uncertainty evident in his eyes. "At least I hope so."
I barely had time to register how unlike himself Heero was acting before he
closed the distance between us in two long strides and pressed me against the
back of the couch. He wrapped one arm around my waist, possessive, and then
he brushed his lips against mine, the tentative motion contrasting with his
previously bold movements, like he had lost some of his nerve. But when he
saw that I wasn't refusing his advances, he claimed my mouth fully, his eager
tongue slipping inside to battle with mine. Our kissing was almost violent,
so intense was our mutual longing.
When we finally parted for air, smiles graced both our faces, and there was
an indescribable feeling of "rightness" that permeated the atmosphere. I
leaned forward, pressing my face into his broad chest, and heard his heart
beating as wildly as I knew mine was pounding inside my own chest. My smile
grew into a silly grin as I felt his strong arms wrap around me in a warm
embrace. I pressed a kiss against a patch of exposed skin and asked, "Is
this what you came here for? To make out with me?"
He rubbed his cheek against my hair. "Kind of. Not really. But I'm glad
it's going in that direction."
We held each other, happy in our closeness, but suddenly Heero pulled away, a
wicked gleam in his eyes.
"I believe you said that you wouldn't let me leave until you were satisfied,
with what I don't recall, but I can think of a few ways to satisfy you, so if
you don't mind-"
I didn't hear the rest of his sentence, if he said anything more, because I
was lifted/pushed over the back of the couch and onto the cushions, so
quickly that I don't really recall how I got there. But my sense of
disorientation didn't last for long, as a soon-to-be very familiar weight
settled over me in the form of one Heero Yuy.
"Now, where were we..."
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