Challenge 227 terminal
Title: The End is the Beginning
Author: ingvild
Characters/Pairing: Relena/Heero (sort of)
Rating/Word Count: PG, 759 words
Notes: Because I can write in my comfort zone as well, durnit.
Somehow, it wasn’t surprising that he managed to get to the terminal without showing a ticket.
Relena and her staff were there long before any of the other passengers arrived. She was going over her schedule for next week when she spotted Heero. Reassuring her security that he posed no risk, she got up from her seat and walked over to him.
“You’re headed for Earth?” he murmured.
She nodded. “I actually have my birthday off this year. I promised Mother I would come to her house and have cake and presents. It’ll be nice with just a quiet celebration.”
Heero nodded. He was avoiding her eyes. Suddenly, he took his hand out of his jacket pocket and thrust a small package at her. “Here. I know it’s not the right day, but I’ll be leaving soon, and it was either early in person or on the day in the mail.”
Relena accepted the present with an amused smile. “Well, thank you. Where are you going?”
Heero shrugged. “L3 cluster. I’ve got a job there for a while. I...there was something I needed to talk to you about.”
Relena motioned for him to continue. Heero took a deep breath. He seemed nervous, which wasn’t really like him.
“You know you mean more to me than anyone else, right?”
Relena blinked. She tried to find some reply, but Heero continued: “Because you do. Really. It’s just that I don’t know if I love you because I’ve never loved anyone, and if I do, I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Okay...”
“And I care, really, but I don’t know how to express it, or if I can even function in your world, and I haven’t figured out what my place in my new life is yet, and...” He trailed off.
Relena tried to find something to say. Finally, she enquired softly, “Are you breaking up with me before we ever got together?”
Heero looked away. “You deserve a partner, not someone who needs you like a crutch.”
Relena reached out and grabbed his chin, gently forcing him to look at her. “I don’t think I would be a crutch, but I think it would be better if you were aware of your other options before you came to me.” She shrugged. “Who knows, maybe we can’t even relate to each other when not in wartime.”
Heero looked relieved. “You understand. You always understand me.”
Relena smiled gently. “If you need to be away from me to figure yourself out, then that’s what you should do. I’m not sure why you felt the need to tell me this, though. Do you want me to promise to wait?”
“Well...” Heero dragged the word out before barrelling ahead. “I’d appreciate it, but since I don’t know how long it’ll take or what the results will be, I don’t think I have the right to ask.”
Realisation hit her. “You came to tell me I have no obligations to you.”
“I...pretty much, yeah.”
“It’s not like I’ll have much time to meet anyone, what with the rebuilding of the political structure and everything,” Relena muttered. She thought for a moment before coming to a decision. She straightened. “You have three years.”
“Huh?”
“If you haven’t come up with something by my twentieth birthday, or if you find you can’t commit to me, we’ll call it quits. All right? And I hope you’ll call once in a while. Let me know you’re well.”
Heero was smiling, a tiny uplift of the corners of his mouth that nevertheless made his entire face light up. “Terms acknowledged.”
“Do you need my number?”
“Get me to a computer terminal and I’ll find it.”
Relena grinned. “Of course.”
The speakers announced the beginning of the boarding of the shuttle to L3. Heero nodded. “I have to go.”
“Wait.”
He paused. Relena stepped up to him, silently thanking God or fate or a random assignment of genetics that he wasn’t tall enough to make this much of a trek, and pressed her lips to his. Anyone else and he would have punched them in the gut, but this was Relena, and he stood frozen for maybe five seconds before he gently kissed back.
Relena broke away and gave him an impish smile. “Remember to take that into consideration as well.”
“Um.” Heero stared at her until another announcement over the speakers spurred him into action again. With a quick nod goodbye, he left.
Relena waited until she couldn’t see him anymore before she turned to face her gaping staff.
Author: ingvild
Characters/Pairing: Relena/Heero (sort of)
Rating/Word Count: PG, 759 words
Notes: Because I can write in my comfort zone as well, durnit.
Somehow, it wasn’t surprising that he managed to get to the terminal without showing a ticket.
Relena and her staff were there long before any of the other passengers arrived. She was going over her schedule for next week when she spotted Heero. Reassuring her security that he posed no risk, she got up from her seat and walked over to him.
“You’re headed for Earth?” he murmured.
She nodded. “I actually have my birthday off this year. I promised Mother I would come to her house and have cake and presents. It’ll be nice with just a quiet celebration.”
Heero nodded. He was avoiding her eyes. Suddenly, he took his hand out of his jacket pocket and thrust a small package at her. “Here. I know it’s not the right day, but I’ll be leaving soon, and it was either early in person or on the day in the mail.”
Relena accepted the present with an amused smile. “Well, thank you. Where are you going?”
Heero shrugged. “L3 cluster. I’ve got a job there for a while. I...there was something I needed to talk to you about.”
Relena motioned for him to continue. Heero took a deep breath. He seemed nervous, which wasn’t really like him.
“You know you mean more to me than anyone else, right?”
Relena blinked. She tried to find some reply, but Heero continued: “Because you do. Really. It’s just that I don’t know if I love you because I’ve never loved anyone, and if I do, I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Okay...”
“And I care, really, but I don’t know how to express it, or if I can even function in your world, and I haven’t figured out what my place in my new life is yet, and...” He trailed off.
Relena tried to find something to say. Finally, she enquired softly, “Are you breaking up with me before we ever got together?”
Heero looked away. “You deserve a partner, not someone who needs you like a crutch.”
Relena reached out and grabbed his chin, gently forcing him to look at her. “I don’t think I would be a crutch, but I think it would be better if you were aware of your other options before you came to me.” She shrugged. “Who knows, maybe we can’t even relate to each other when not in wartime.”
Heero looked relieved. “You understand. You always understand me.”
Relena smiled gently. “If you need to be away from me to figure yourself out, then that’s what you should do. I’m not sure why you felt the need to tell me this, though. Do you want me to promise to wait?”
“Well...” Heero dragged the word out before barrelling ahead. “I’d appreciate it, but since I don’t know how long it’ll take or what the results will be, I don’t think I have the right to ask.”
Realisation hit her. “You came to tell me I have no obligations to you.”
“I...pretty much, yeah.”
“It’s not like I’ll have much time to meet anyone, what with the rebuilding of the political structure and everything,” Relena muttered. She thought for a moment before coming to a decision. She straightened. “You have three years.”
“Huh?”
“If you haven’t come up with something by my twentieth birthday, or if you find you can’t commit to me, we’ll call it quits. All right? And I hope you’ll call once in a while. Let me know you’re well.”
Heero was smiling, a tiny uplift of the corners of his mouth that nevertheless made his entire face light up. “Terms acknowledged.”
“Do you need my number?”
“Get me to a computer terminal and I’ll find it.”
Relena grinned. “Of course.”
The speakers announced the beginning of the boarding of the shuttle to L3. Heero nodded. “I have to go.”
“Wait.”
He paused. Relena stepped up to him, silently thanking God or fate or a random assignment of genetics that he wasn’t tall enough to make this much of a trek, and pressed her lips to his. Anyone else and he would have punched them in the gut, but this was Relena, and he stood frozen for maybe five seconds before he gently kissed back.
Relena broke away and gave him an impish smile. “Remember to take that into consideration as well.”
“Um.” Heero stared at her until another announcement over the speakers spurred him into action again. With a quick nod goodbye, he left.
Relena waited until she couldn’t see him anymore before she turned to face her gaping staff.