this was hard, bodyguard redux
sigh, i'm so not used to writing for a deadline. this took forever.
Title: Bodyguard Redux
Chapter: 2.5 The Party
Pairings: Heero/Duo (centric), Relena/Heero (one-sided), and others
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I also don't own the movie "The Bodyguard" or any of its songs.
Rating: PG-13 (mostly)
Warning: AU, shounen-ai, kissing, mild violence, a little swearing
Word count: 1608
Summary: Going to Treize's party.
It was one of those dull mind-numbing society parties being thrown by the enigmatic but exceedingly popular politician Treize Khushrenada. A distant cousin, it seemed of Dorothy Catalonia.
That day, Dorothy had actually been at the mansion to hand out invitations to the exclusive party. It warmed Heero to her a bit that she hadn’t left Duo out, as he’d heard from Chang that Relena regularly excluded Duo on the basis of his birth. It made him feel even more disgusted with the girl.
His professionalism -- and his friendship with Zechs -- kept him from shooting her, but the knowledge that she’d deliberately misled Duo about their nonexistent relationship had him giving her death glares whenever she was in sight. Unfortunately, she seemed just as immune as Zechs. It must run in the blood.
Zechs had come home the morning of the party, looking distracted. Heero understood: Milliardo could never miss an event like this even if Zechs was still working. In a private talk with Heero, he’d been frustrated with the lack of progress in finding Duo’s stalker. In turn, Heero had filled him in on everything going on but the growing feelings between him and his little brother
“Do you think you ought to tell Duo about the letters?” Heero asked, after explaining Relena’s misinformation.
Zechs just sighed. “I don’t know if it would help at this point, or just make him even more worried. There have been no new developments, so maybe it would be best to keep quiet.”
Heero nodded, but added the proviso that if something else were to happen, Duo should be informed. Zechs had agreed.
Zechs and Duo had dressed in tuxedos. Heero’s heart had skipped a beat when he saw Duo in his. Relena wore a revealing slinky pink dress, and tried, as usual, to press herself on Heero when she’d appeared. Her tenacity was really something to be feared. He neatly sidestepped her, going to stand beside Chang. The Chinese man was dressed the same as he was, in a subdued nondescript black suit, suitable for blending into the background if needed, and also cut to disguise the standard guns they had on their persons. He steadfastly ignored the smirk aimed at him by Zechs.
Trowa had driven the limo taking them to the party. It was being held at an art gallery, with only friends and patrons of Khushrenada’s campaign on the invitation list. Heero had ridden in front to quash the urges to shoot Relena or kiss Duo. He distracted himself by looking for possible threats on the road.
They arrived at the hall, which was filled with red roses in delicate crystal vases. Their impeccably dressed host was greeting all of his guests at the entrance, his brown hair slicked back with a few strands artfully falling forward that he brushed back occasionally while speaking. Next to him stood his private secretary, Miss Une, and Treize’s redheaded daughter Mariemaia, his offspring with his late wife. Dorothy was also there, dressed in a sparkling deep blue dress.
Upon seeing Milliardo, Treize broke into a genuine smile. “You look beautiful as always, Milliardo,” said Treize, his arms extending to gather the blonde man into a friendly embrace.
Zechs chuckled, used to such greetings. There were rumors that Treize and Milliardo had been lovers at some point. Whether there was any truth to them, Zechs had never told Heero. “Hello, Treize.”
“Duo.” He smiled again as he turned his attention to the rest of the party. “You’ve grown so handsome. All that gorgeous hair and those beautiful eyes.” He turned to Relena and bent to kiss her hand. “It is lovely to see you again as well, my dear.”
Heero watched in amusement as Relena’s expression was torn between anger at not being complimented and pleasure at the courtly kiss on her hand. Luckily for her, Dorothy chose that moment to welcome them, but the twinkle in her eyes suggested that she knew the nature of Relena’s dilemma and was greatly amused by it. As Heero noted the same twinkle in Treize’s eyes, he thought that perhaps wicked humors ran in the family.
“And who might these handsome gentlemen be?” Treize raised an aristocratic brow, eyes appraising the two Asian men in their party.
Zechs gestured to each man as he said, “Chang Wufei and Heero Yuy. Friends.”
“And security I’m guessing, Milliardo. I do apologize but there are no weapons allowed past this point. You will have to relinquish your weapons, gentlemen.”
The small twitch at the corner of Chang’s mouth signaled his displeasure, but they both placed their weapons in the individual locker provided. Heero was displeased as well. They were both trained in unarmed combat, but with the unnamed threat hanging over Duo and Zech’s public profile, it made them uneasy.
Miss Une gave them a neat bow as they were introduced to her, not quite able to mask the flash of hurt at her boss’s obvious affection toward Milliardo. Mariemaia sketched a slight curtsy but looked otherwise bored with the introduction.
As they moved into the large room, a soft feminine voice called out, “Heero.”
Heero half-turned at the familiar voice. “Sylvia?”
The openly curious looks from their party caused Heero to quickly excuse himself. “I’ll only be a minute,” he assured Chang, who had simply nodded, shifting slightly to get a better view of all the potential threats to the small group.
Sylvia Noventa was a pretty girl with soft golden curls. She was dressed in an elegant white dress and looked like an angel. It made Heero feel incredibly guilty just to look at her.
She smiled at him as if she knew what he were thinking. In fact, she probably did, since she was one of Heero’s oldest friends for all that they hadn’t seen each other in ages. “You’re looking well.”
Heero just nodded, not sure of what to say, as a wave of guilt crashed through him again.
She gave him a soft smile. “I don’t blame you, Heero.”
He shook his head in a sharp motion. “I wasn’t there, Sylvia. Your father --”
“Would have died, even if you were there. You just would’ve died along with him,” she chided him gently. She laid her hand on his arm and gripped firmly when he would have jerked away. “And if you did, my mother and I would have been even more devastated. Did you forget that we loved you? That we still do?”
Heero swallowed against the tears. “If I just hadn’t taken the day off, I could have pulled him down. I could have saved him.”
She brought both hands up to cup his face and pulled his face toward hers so he couldn’t avoid her gaze. “It was not your fault, Heero Yuy, you idiot.” She let him go, and gave flick on his forehead for good measure. “They found the shooter, but I bet you already knew that.” Actually, Heero did. It was one of the few favors he’d ever asked of Zechs, and he’d been given access to all the police reports and extra information that only Epyon would be able to find. The man who shot Marshall Noventa was a skilled sniper, and had been staking out the area for months. Heero knew all of this, he did, but it was still hard to accept. “There was nothing you could have done, even if you were there that day.” She kissed his forehead like she did when they were five years old and she was holding him after a nightmare, and repeated, “It was not your fault.”
He pulled her in close and squeezed tightly before letting go and straightening up. He gave a her a half-smile. “How do you always know exactly what to say?”
She laughed. “Well, I’m not Quatre, but I still am a politician’s daughter.”
Heero grinned at the mention of their best friend’s name. “Yes, well, he’s Quatre.”
Still smiling, she looped her arm through his. “So, who was your date tonight? Ooh, don’t tell me, it was the cute one with the long braid. You were always a sucker for long hair.”
His smile faded slightly. “That’s Zechs’s little brother, the one I’m guarding now.”
“Hm.” She peeked over at Duo again. “Well, is he gay?”
“I... think so,” mumbled Heero, hating that there was a blush creeping up his neck.
“Ah ha!” cried Sylvia, delightedly, giving him a nudge. “You do like him. So what’s the problem?”
Heero sighed. “Sylvia, the Marshall was like a father to me, and when he was killed, I think some part of me died with him.”
Her blue-green eyes narrowed. “What does that have to do with anything?” She gasped. “Heero Yuy, you are an idiot! He is not going to die.” She paused, her nose crinkled. “Okay, maybe there is the possibility especially if you were hired, but you are a good bodyguard. And besides, isn’t falling in love worth the risk?”
Heero gave her a pained look. “I don’t love him.”
She gave a very unladylike snort. “Please, Heero. You haven’t been able to fool me since before you even reached puberty. You’ve got that look in your eyes.”
He opened his mouth to try to deny it, but closed it as he considered her words. “I don’t know him well enough to love him.”
Sylvia raised a brow at him. “Then get to know him, before someone else does.”
She nodded toward where Duo was standing, and right there, the object of their conversation was flirting with another man. Not just any man, but Colonel Fucking Alex.
back to Part One: "I Have Nothing".
back to Part Two: "Queen of the Night". back to previous chapter.
Title: Bodyguard Redux
Chapter: 2.5 The Party
Pairings: Heero/Duo (centric), Relena/Heero (one-sided), and others
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters. I also don't own the movie "The Bodyguard" or any of its songs.
Rating: PG-13 (mostly)
Warning: AU, shounen-ai, kissing, mild violence, a little swearing
Word count: 1608
Summary: Going to Treize's party.
It was one of those dull mind-numbing society parties being thrown by the enigmatic but exceedingly popular politician Treize Khushrenada. A distant cousin, it seemed of Dorothy Catalonia.
That day, Dorothy had actually been at the mansion to hand out invitations to the exclusive party. It warmed Heero to her a bit that she hadn’t left Duo out, as he’d heard from Chang that Relena regularly excluded Duo on the basis of his birth. It made him feel even more disgusted with the girl.
His professionalism -- and his friendship with Zechs -- kept him from shooting her, but the knowledge that she’d deliberately misled Duo about their nonexistent relationship had him giving her death glares whenever she was in sight. Unfortunately, she seemed just as immune as Zechs. It must run in the blood.
Zechs had come home the morning of the party, looking distracted. Heero understood: Milliardo could never miss an event like this even if Zechs was still working. In a private talk with Heero, he’d been frustrated with the lack of progress in finding Duo’s stalker. In turn, Heero had filled him in on everything going on but the growing feelings between him and his little brother
“Do you think you ought to tell Duo about the letters?” Heero asked, after explaining Relena’s misinformation.
Zechs just sighed. “I don’t know if it would help at this point, or just make him even more worried. There have been no new developments, so maybe it would be best to keep quiet.”
Heero nodded, but added the proviso that if something else were to happen, Duo should be informed. Zechs had agreed.
Zechs and Duo had dressed in tuxedos. Heero’s heart had skipped a beat when he saw Duo in his. Relena wore a revealing slinky pink dress, and tried, as usual, to press herself on Heero when she’d appeared. Her tenacity was really something to be feared. He neatly sidestepped her, going to stand beside Chang. The Chinese man was dressed the same as he was, in a subdued nondescript black suit, suitable for blending into the background if needed, and also cut to disguise the standard guns they had on their persons. He steadfastly ignored the smirk aimed at him by Zechs.
Trowa had driven the limo taking them to the party. It was being held at an art gallery, with only friends and patrons of Khushrenada’s campaign on the invitation list. Heero had ridden in front to quash the urges to shoot Relena or kiss Duo. He distracted himself by looking for possible threats on the road.
They arrived at the hall, which was filled with red roses in delicate crystal vases. Their impeccably dressed host was greeting all of his guests at the entrance, his brown hair slicked back with a few strands artfully falling forward that he brushed back occasionally while speaking. Next to him stood his private secretary, Miss Une, and Treize’s redheaded daughter Mariemaia, his offspring with his late wife. Dorothy was also there, dressed in a sparkling deep blue dress.
Upon seeing Milliardo, Treize broke into a genuine smile. “You look beautiful as always, Milliardo,” said Treize, his arms extending to gather the blonde man into a friendly embrace.
Zechs chuckled, used to such greetings. There were rumors that Treize and Milliardo had been lovers at some point. Whether there was any truth to them, Zechs had never told Heero. “Hello, Treize.”
“Duo.” He smiled again as he turned his attention to the rest of the party. “You’ve grown so handsome. All that gorgeous hair and those beautiful eyes.” He turned to Relena and bent to kiss her hand. “It is lovely to see you again as well, my dear.”
Heero watched in amusement as Relena’s expression was torn between anger at not being complimented and pleasure at the courtly kiss on her hand. Luckily for her, Dorothy chose that moment to welcome them, but the twinkle in her eyes suggested that she knew the nature of Relena’s dilemma and was greatly amused by it. As Heero noted the same twinkle in Treize’s eyes, he thought that perhaps wicked humors ran in the family.
“And who might these handsome gentlemen be?” Treize raised an aristocratic brow, eyes appraising the two Asian men in their party.
Zechs gestured to each man as he said, “Chang Wufei and Heero Yuy. Friends.”
“And security I’m guessing, Milliardo. I do apologize but there are no weapons allowed past this point. You will have to relinquish your weapons, gentlemen.”
The small twitch at the corner of Chang’s mouth signaled his displeasure, but they both placed their weapons in the individual locker provided. Heero was displeased as well. They were both trained in unarmed combat, but with the unnamed threat hanging over Duo and Zech’s public profile, it made them uneasy.
Miss Une gave them a neat bow as they were introduced to her, not quite able to mask the flash of hurt at her boss’s obvious affection toward Milliardo. Mariemaia sketched a slight curtsy but looked otherwise bored with the introduction.
As they moved into the large room, a soft feminine voice called out, “Heero.”
Heero half-turned at the familiar voice. “Sylvia?”
The openly curious looks from their party caused Heero to quickly excuse himself. “I’ll only be a minute,” he assured Chang, who had simply nodded, shifting slightly to get a better view of all the potential threats to the small group.
Sylvia Noventa was a pretty girl with soft golden curls. She was dressed in an elegant white dress and looked like an angel. It made Heero feel incredibly guilty just to look at her.
She smiled at him as if she knew what he were thinking. In fact, she probably did, since she was one of Heero’s oldest friends for all that they hadn’t seen each other in ages. “You’re looking well.”
Heero just nodded, not sure of what to say, as a wave of guilt crashed through him again.
She gave him a soft smile. “I don’t blame you, Heero.”
He shook his head in a sharp motion. “I wasn’t there, Sylvia. Your father --”
“Would have died, even if you were there. You just would’ve died along with him,” she chided him gently. She laid her hand on his arm and gripped firmly when he would have jerked away. “And if you did, my mother and I would have been even more devastated. Did you forget that we loved you? That we still do?”
Heero swallowed against the tears. “If I just hadn’t taken the day off, I could have pulled him down. I could have saved him.”
She brought both hands up to cup his face and pulled his face toward hers so he couldn’t avoid her gaze. “It was not your fault, Heero Yuy, you idiot.” She let him go, and gave flick on his forehead for good measure. “They found the shooter, but I bet you already knew that.” Actually, Heero did. It was one of the few favors he’d ever asked of Zechs, and he’d been given access to all the police reports and extra information that only Epyon would be able to find. The man who shot Marshall Noventa was a skilled sniper, and had been staking out the area for months. Heero knew all of this, he did, but it was still hard to accept. “There was nothing you could have done, even if you were there that day.” She kissed his forehead like she did when they were five years old and she was holding him after a nightmare, and repeated, “It was not your fault.”
He pulled her in close and squeezed tightly before letting go and straightening up. He gave a her a half-smile. “How do you always know exactly what to say?”
She laughed. “Well, I’m not Quatre, but I still am a politician’s daughter.”
Heero grinned at the mention of their best friend’s name. “Yes, well, he’s Quatre.”
Still smiling, she looped her arm through his. “So, who was your date tonight? Ooh, don’t tell me, it was the cute one with the long braid. You were always a sucker for long hair.”
His smile faded slightly. “That’s Zechs’s little brother, the one I’m guarding now.”
“Hm.” She peeked over at Duo again. “Well, is he gay?”
“I... think so,” mumbled Heero, hating that there was a blush creeping up his neck.
“Ah ha!” cried Sylvia, delightedly, giving him a nudge. “You do like him. So what’s the problem?”
Heero sighed. “Sylvia, the Marshall was like a father to me, and when he was killed, I think some part of me died with him.”
Her blue-green eyes narrowed. “What does that have to do with anything?” She gasped. “Heero Yuy, you are an idiot! He is not going to die.” She paused, her nose crinkled. “Okay, maybe there is the possibility especially if you were hired, but you are a good bodyguard. And besides, isn’t falling in love worth the risk?”
Heero gave her a pained look. “I don’t love him.”
She gave a very unladylike snort. “Please, Heero. You haven’t been able to fool me since before you even reached puberty. You’ve got that look in your eyes.”
He opened his mouth to try to deny it, but closed it as he considered her words. “I don’t know him well enough to love him.”
Sylvia raised a brow at him. “Then get to know him, before someone else does.”
She nodded toward where Duo was standing, and right there, the object of their conversation was flirting with another man. Not just any man, but Colonel Fucking Alex.
back to Part One: "I Have Nothing".
back to Part Two: "Queen of the Night". back to previous chapter.