Gundam Wing | Duo/Relena | Not Nervous
Title: Not Nervous
Author/Artist: kerrie13
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairing: Duo Maxwell/Relena Peacecraft (2xR)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,815
Warnings: Cheesiness
Author’s Note: I haven’t written GW in a long time and I haven’t watched it in a long time, but I think I did pretty well with it. Just like riding a bike ;)
Prompt: “Relena/Duo - Preventer Uniform Duo giving Relena a birthday present(humorous)”
He told himself that everything was cool, that he wasn’t nervous and that this day was just like every other day. It wasn’t important, it wasn’t special, it was just another day.
So what if it marked the twenty-third anniversary of an angel descending from heaven?
That was cheesy, really cheesy, and he was certainly above cheesy. Debonair, charismatic and charming definitely, but not cheesy. He couldn’t remember a day, even when he was young and silly, that he could have been considered even remotely in the cheese zone. He was way too cool for that. And yet, that thought had unquestionably been cheesy.
So then, what was wrong?
He had heard that women made men do and think ridiculous things. He had even heard that women had character altering effects on men. He had just never seen it happen, the latter anyway. There was that one time when Quatre…
Everything is cool… I’m not nervous. This day is just like every other day. It’s not important, it’s not special, it’s just another day.
Repeating it in his head didn’t seem to help. He still felt jumpy. His uniform was more stifling than usual and it was scratching at his neck and wrists. It was abnormally warm for April, even for an Earth April. Maybe he was getting sick? Reaching up, Duo placed his hand against his forehead. Yup, definitely getting sick - not a good sign. I must have one of those spring fever things Sally is always warning people about…talk about bad timing!
He wasn’t about to let a little fever stop him, however. He was a man on a mission. A very important mission, one that would ensure the happiness of the world.
Well, he hoped it would anyway. If all worked out then at least a few souls would be spared the distemper of a grumpy and disappointed Foreign Minister.
He had heard, through the grapevine of course, that Foreign Minister Darlian had woken up cranky that morning. By rights she should have been pleased - it was her birthday and she had a clear day ahead. Instead she had snapped at Pagan, scowled through breakfast and had even threatened Heero (not really surprising, or overly irregular since they seemed to clash on almost everything). It was unlike her and it worried him slightly.
Her apparent bad mood would likely make his “job” even harder. How did you attempt to celebrate with someone who didn’t want to celebrate?
Maybe she was feeling old. Didn’t women get touchy about their birthdays as they got older? But that too was silly, since he had never known her to get sensitive about her age. Quite the contrary really, since age in her business meant less explaining and more respect.
He hoped she wasn’t too cranky. His gift, which had double meaning, was aimed at making her happy (and him as well, coincidently). But if she was over the line of too cantankerous then his gift probably wouldn’t go over too well. Duo sighed, pulling at the collar of his shirt. It’s probably Heero’s fault.
“Stop standing there.”
Speaking of Heero. The man himself appeared in front of Duo, escaping from the wide set of ornamental wooden doors guarding Relena Darlian’s personal room. He eyed Duo, and the thin, narrow package he had clutched in his left hand with a sort of mocking suspicion. Duo really hated it when Heero turned his creepy assessing eye on him. Somehow the man always made him feel like dirt.
“Get on with it.”
Sometimes, Duo didn’t know why he considered Heero his best friend.
Waving his hand dismissingly, Duo turned away from his friend to face the imposing door. “You have your speed and I have mine. Personally I like to add a little finesse to the whole thing.”
Heero just snorted and began walking away. “Coward.”
This caused Duo to sputter, but he couldn’t think of an appropriate response before the former Gundam pilot 01 disappeared around a corner. Damn it, he always does that to me! It was really annoying.
Duo sighed again and raked a hand through his bangs in a gesture that was definitely not nervous. Nope, he wasn’t nervous, just leery. After all, she had just finished talking to Heero, and that was never a good sign. Heero could cause a saint to commit murder.
Steeling himself, Duo knocked on the heavy doors. He could take her distemper, and he bet could break it too. Heero-induced irritation never lasted too long when he was in the room.
“Yes?” Came the muffled response.
She didn’t sound mad or cranky, that was a good sign. “Jou-san?”
“Duo? Come in please.”
Relieved (and yet even more not nervous), Duo opened the door and slipped inside. The lights were on, less romantic, but less cliché, and she wasn’t working and that was promising. Instead, she was rifling through her closet, which appeared to have thrown up sometime during the day. Duo’s lips quirked as came to a stop some feet behind her. He just couldn’t help admiring her posterior - it was an especially nice one.
“Stop staring at my behind Duo, what do you want?”
Eep, she was cranky. Unlucky setback, nothing he couldn’t handle. He was, after all, Duo Maxwell. He specialized in de-crankifying people. Or making them cranky… depending on the person. “I can’t just stop by to say hi?” He said.
She huffed, pulling her head out of the closet so that she could glare at him properly. “Not today,” she replied tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I’m really not in the mood to entertain.”
“So Heero learned the hard way,” Duo quipped, grinning in a mischievous manner. Roguishly, he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I’ve never seen him out of a room and gone so fast.”
The comment combined with the facial expression and the tone teased a smile out of the honey haired young woman. She shook her head to try to be rid of it, muttering “I’m trying to be crabby Duo,” but for some reason, her lips didn’t want to cooperate.
“I know,” he returned, leaning forward with an even bigger grin. “Unfortunately for you, when Duo Maxwell is in the room, people find it difficult to remain sour - some exclusions apply.”
Relena shook her head again and leveled him with a patiently amused look that would have looked strange on any other face. Stepping forward, she came up to him, her hands brushing at his shoulders and arms. “It suits you,” she said, her hands lingering on his sleeves.
“It’s hot and itchy and boring… but it’s okay I guess.”
She made a humming sound and arched an eyebrow before taking a step back to assess his over all appearance. “It’s sharp. I like it. Is that non-professionally wrapped package for me?”
“Hey!” Duo shot back instantly, bringing the slim package up to his chest. “I wrapped it myself!”
Her smile was more pronounced, especially when she reached forward and plucked the gift from his non-nervous hands. “It’s refreshing, thank you.” She turned away with it and began pulling at the copious amounts of multi-colored ribbons. Duo shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to look casual.
Okay, so he was nervous. It wasn’t just any other day, it was the day. The day everything would be come clear, and hopefully the pretty Relena Darlian would figure out that he was crazy about her.
Normally, giving her a gift would not be such a big deal, even on her birthday. He gave her gifts all the time, random presents sometimes, others for special occasions. But all of those were bought, selected thoughtfully to suit her, but still bought. This one he had made himself.
It was the second (well actually the first really) cheesy thing he had done. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last.
“Relena’s Coupons…. Redeemable only at participating Duo Maxwell outlets! Duo, what’s this?”
Stamping down on the squiggly feeling in his gut, Duo returned Relena’s confused expression with a grin. “Open it up and read it.”
Narrowing her eyes and frowning a bit, Relena glanced at Duo but did as she was told. “Good for one life-saving bullet interference.”
Duo nodded self-importantly but didn’t speak. Would she understand? Or would it take a bit more?
The smile came back, though this time it was a bit more saucy. “That’s sweet Duo, but that’s what Heero is for.”
Undaunted, Duo rocked back on his heels. “I’m better at it than he is.”
Her answering laugh filtered through the room as she flipped to the next coupon. “Good for one movie night (chick-flicks included).”
It was a testament to how much he loved her that he was willing to sit through boring ass romance movies just because she wanted to. There were two of those coupons in the little book and Duo was sure he was going to regret putting them there.
“I’ll definitely have to make use of these, there are a couple of movies you have to see.” She was teasing him with a sort of gleeful evil that not many knew she was capable of. “Hm… Good for infinite number of romantic dinners (courtesy of redeemer) at a place of your choosing.”
He flushed and struggled to sit still. It was difficult. The level of cheese involved in this particular gift was astonishingly and embarrassingly high. It was hard to listen to her continually read the little coupons in that unaffected, politician’s voice she was so good at. Why can’t she just get the point so we can move on?
“Good for one kiss (maybe extended indefinitely on redeemee’s wishes).”
Now Duo flinched. He hadn’t actually planned on listening this far… at least not until after. Then they would laugh about it. Instead she didn’t seem to be getting it. She wasn’t that silly was she?
“Duo?”
Sighing internally Duo replied, “Relena?”
She was staring at him with eyes he had never seen before. Her smile was gentle, an almost half-smile, and she was moving towards him. He shifted, her smile grew. “Can I use one of them now?”
“Um, yeah, sure, of course. That’s what they’re there-”
His stumbling words were cut off as she kissed him, her hands, and the coupon book, coming to rest on his chest. Elated and relieved, he kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her back so that he could better slant his mouth against hers. I always knew she was pretty smart.
When her mouth left his it was at her will, though she didn’t go far. A tearing sound filled the air between them and Duo looked down to see the gently waving piece of tucked firmly between two of her fingers. “I’m extending it indefinitely,” she said, placing a chaste kiss against his half-open mouth.
He grinned. “Indefinitely sounds good to me.”