Mistaken Words chapter 76
Title: Mistaken Words
Chapter Title: Mission Complete
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Parings: Standard parings [except for Sally and Wufei]
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Gundam Wing
Summary: "Heero pulled the trigger just as Relena had spoken the last word of her speech “…Peace…”
“Heero!” Quatre shouted after him, “If you leave now, you’ll be branded a traitor, you’ll be hunted for the rest of your life!” 01xR"
Heero walked into his bedroom Relena following not even a step behind, their hands clasped together tightly. He almost thought he heard her breathe a sigh of relief when he stepped inside. She had been oddly silent on the journey up, never one to be overly talkative himself Heero hadn’t pressed the matter. He simply chose to enjoy the silence and the nearness of her body to his, the ache he had felt in his chest since leaving had completely passed into memory. It was something Heero still found difficult to accept, that he needed Relena in his life, he’d never needed anything before, but somehow she had changed all that.
Relena immediately made her way towards the bed, seeming to believe that was where Heero was headed, she jerked to a halt when Heero continued on deeper into the room. “Heero?” she released his hand watching him.
“Shower first,” he told her softly, and caught a smile blossom on her face before he disappeared inside the bathroom. His shower was quick, he just wanted to wash the feel of the mission off, in the hopes that it would bring home the truth. He was done. The mission was complete.
Still it seemed hard to believe, after so long of working toward this goal, so many times where it had seemed to be impossible to reach. To now stand beneath the pounding shower, and know the Inner Circle was finished, all his sacrifices hadn’t been wasted, was just too much to take in. He knew for sure that with more time the truth would sink in, and not be so hard to believe.
He stepped out of the shower a moment later and began to dry himself, his eyes catching sight of a comfortable change of clothes Relena had slipped into the room shortly after he had got in the shower. Dressing Heero walked out into the main room pulling a hand through his wet hair as he did. Relena got up from her seat on the bed and came the few steps it took to be at his side, slipping her hands up the back of his shirt Relena leaned close, her lips just begging to be kissed. Heero was more than happy to comply, his right hand pulling her body even closer so that she molded against him.
It was Relena who pulled back first, a smile on her face that for some reason looked a little forced, “Come over here.” With one hand she led him back over to his bed, “I promised you a massage,” the smile she gave him now looked genuine as she climbed onto the bed ahead of him. Heero sat himself down on the edge with his back to Relena her hands quickly settling on his neck. She worked carefully, removing each knot before moving on, at the same time it didn’t take her long to finish. The ache behind his eye melting away, as his body began to relax, before long he was laying back on the bed with Relena at his side her head resting on his shoulder.
Heero let his eyes fall closed as his hand played with Relena’s hair, the silky strands slipping through his fingers before being gathered up again. Relena was snuggled close, her left arm draped across his chest, hand absently stroking his side. Heero would have been content to remain like that for the rest of the night, but he felt Relena shift beside him and his eyes opened, only to find her watching him, a glassy look to her eyes.
“I missed you so much…” she whispered, her arm tightening around him.
He studied her face, his hand coming up from behind her to stroke the side of her face, “I wasn’t gone for that long,” he responded without thought. But almost immediately after realized that wasn’t what Relena was referring too. He pulled her to him, drawing her body onto his so there was no distance between them, and gently brought her lips down to his. He kissed her deeply, his hand tangling in her loose hair. Parting a moment later he looked directly into her eyes, “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Relena shook her head, the tears finally forming as she reclaimed his lips in a kiss that held more need than Heero’s had ever attempted. He was more than willing to respond, his hands roving over her body, slipping up under her clothes to touch her soft skin. At first Relena’s hands held either side of his face fingers caressing his temples, but soon they too began to move, one sliding down his side to rest on his hip gripping him tightly as the moment deepened between them. Heero could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and still he wanted more.
As quickly as the moment had started Relena broke it off, gasping for breath her face flushed, “This isn’t exactly restful…” she admitted with a slight laugh looking down at him her hair forming a curtain around their faces.
“I’ve already been sleeping for damn near twelve hours,” he told her hand still on the small of her back.
“No offence, but you look like you could use twelve more,” she kissed him again, but pulled back a second later despite his attempt to draw her back in. “Besides that, if Sally ever suspected…” she didn’t have to finish that sentence for Heero to understand how she felt. He might not react to Sally’s comments, but he wasn’t exactly a fan of them either. He felt like despite the fact that their relationship was still very much private everyone knew what they were doing and when. It wasn’t a very settling thought, no matter that it couldn’t possibly be true.
Heero allowed Relena to settle back beside him as they had been before her head resting on his should arm draped across his chest as he played with her hair, eyes falling closed. That short exertion had been just enough to remind his body of how tired he still was, and despite his best efforts he could feel the darkness of sleep rising up around him. The soft sound of Relena’s breath against his chest sounded distant, odd, but at the same time comforting.
***
Relena’s lips curved up in a tiny smile as she heard Heero’s breaths even out deeply as he slipped into a restful sleep, his arm relaxing under her as he released her hair. She snuggled closer without fear of waking him, listening to the sound of his heart beating in her ear, focusing on that steady sound to assure herself that, like her brother, Heero would be fine after the heart attack.
A light knock on the door, broke the peaceful moment, but was not at all unexpected. Relena would have been shocked if John hadn’t stopped in to check on Heero, since he hadn’t been the one to tend to him when he got back. As expected John stepped through the door a moment later, his steps slow, light movements as though he were afraid of waking Heero. Not an unreasonable concern with how lightly the pilots tended to sleep, but Relena felt fairly sure that Heero wasn’t going to be waking any time soon. As much as he might want to deny it his body was still tired and he needed to let it rest.
“How long?” the old doctor asked with a fatherly smile on his face.
Relena glanced at the clock, “Maybe ten minutes,” she responded back carefully sitting up and shifting off the bed.
John came over immediately and began drawing the blankets up over Heero’s body. Relena watching him, her lips curving up into a smile at the expression on John’s face. He truly looked like a father tending to his son, no doubt he was as much like this when Heero was awake. She wondered what the former soldier thought of that, having never really had a father before, what must it have been like? He certainly didn’t seem to mind, since he always seemed just as comfortable around John as any of the other pilots or herself. John had even managed to get Heero to agree to certain things that had astounded her.
Relena didn’t feel as though she wanted to leave the room just yet. She would have liked to spend more time with Heero, but never would have wanted him to remain awake, he needed rest. But she felt fairly sure that Heero wouldn’t be disturbed by her presence in the room. Moving to take a seat on the couch Relena watched to see if John would follow, once he was finished with Heero. As expected the old doctor stepped quietly over to her, moving to take a seat on the far side of her he leaned his side against the back of the couch so he was facing both Relena and Heero.
John shifted draping his arm across the back of the couch, “Has he said anything to you about what he plans to do now that it’s all over?”
It didn’t sound to Relena as though this was the first time he had asked that question, and it got her thinking. She had asked Heero something along those lines a while back, but hadn’t received much of an answer. “No he hasn’t, but I’m not sure if he’s even accepted that it’s all over…” she replied softly eyes flickering over to Heero’s sleeping form.
“It’ll sink in with time,” John assured gently.
“What do you plan to do?” the question had just occurred to Relena, now that Heero had fully recovered. would John step back, return to the life he had once known? Where Relena hadn’t even been aware of his existence? She seriously hoped not mostly for Heero’s sake, she knew John was a good influence on him, and whether Heero would admit to it or not, he liked having the old doctor around, of that Relena was positive.
“Well I certainly don’t want to loose touch with him,” John’s gaze drifted to Heero’s sleeping form. “I don’t think he’s ever had much of a father figure in his life, not that a twenty year-old boy really needs a father any longer. But somehow I just get the feeling he wants this,” John smiled.
Relena couldn’t help but reciprocate the expression, “You’ve managed to get him to agree to things no one else could ever do.”
“Heh,” John chuckled softly, “If ever a mentioned that I had taken on a parental role with him, it just left him stumped, and silence is acquiescence.” The old doctor’s expression grew more serious and his gaze distant, “I know he’s not accustom to human contact, although he seems to do alright with you.” The smile he cast her way brought a blush to Relena’s cheeks, and John reached out a hand, “He needs human contact, whether he knows it or not.”
It was Relena’s turn to look off towards Heero, as she thought about the need buried deep within his kisses. It was a strong need, it had felt impossibly deep to her on more than one occasion, and every time she was more than willing to take the time to fill it for him. “I think he does…” she mused aloud, “At least at times.”
John leaned back, “I’ve been doing this for a long time,” he began eyes falling closed, “And I’ve never cared for a patient as much as I have for Heero. I’ve come to care for him as much as any of my children.”
“Nice for him to finally have a family even if he doesn’t realize it yet,” Relena chuckled trying to imagine a family setting with Heero in the middle, perhaps the youngest. It was a cute imagine, although she had to admit to herself, unrealistic. Even if John saw Heero as an adoptive son, she doubted he’d have much interaction with John’s biological children, but really who knew?
***
Heero’s eyes opened slowly taking in the brightness of the room around him, the first thing he noticed was the still missing ache behind his eye. It was a welcomed change, but he was far to used to the pain to believe it wasn’t coming back. Pushing himself up Heero’s cobalt eyes sought out the clock on the far wall noting the time, it read 1:00 and judging from the light pouring into the room that was pm. That surprised him a little, he hadn’t expected to sleep so long after he had come back to his room with Relena. He had spent most of the trip back sleeping.
Shifting on the bed Heero felt the sting of an IV inserted into the back of his left hand, and he looked down at it considering. Vaguely he could remember hearing John speaking to him, as though through a fog, telling him he was just putting the IV in to keep him hydrated. Now that did surprise him, when had he come to trust this man so much, that he wouldn’t even fully wake when John was standing over him? The old doctor had become such a trusting figure to Heero, like another pilot, Heero’s senses just accepted him.
He pulled the needle from his hand without a second though and moved to the edge of his bed, right hand reaching up to the back of his neck rubbing it a little as he lifted his head. It shocked him a little that he wasn’t immediately met with stabbing pain, though he wasn’t fool enough to think it wouldn’t be coming back. It was only ever a matter of time before the pain would return again. Still he wasn’t in much of a rush to put himself under the knife to repair it.
Getting up from the bed, Heero stretched both arms above his head feeling the muscles down his back release as he walked across the room towards the window. He took a moment to look out over the view enjoying the absences of pain. The door opened behind him unexpectedly and Heero turned to see Ash walk into the room.
“Damn, about time,” Ash greeted a broad smile on his face, “I’ve checked your room four times today, and each time you’ve been dead to the world.”
Heero shrugged stepping away from the window to drop down into one of the arm chairs, Ash crossed the room to taking a seat on the couch. He cradled his arm on his lap still wearing the sling, “What do you think of Sally?” Heero asked curiously knowing this would have been Ash’s first encounter with the doctor as they knew her best.
Ash shook his head, “I can understand why she is the way she is,” he said rather pointedly, “Hell maybe if I acted half the way she did, you might behave a little more.”
“No, I’d just be more likely to avoid you,” Heero returned dryly.
“Aww, does this mean you’ve been putting up with me all this time?” he smiled looking very hopeful.
Heero’s expression was deadpan, “The only alternative was to kill you…”
“I’m a little too prominent on the colony for that,” Ash finished for him, gesturing with his good hand.
“Exactly, although some days that almost wasn’t enough.”
Ash sat a little straighter at that, “Really?” he chuckled softly, “I didn’t think I was half as bad as Sally…”
Heero shrugged, “Different approach.”
“Huh, well you might be interested to know she thanked me for all my work yesterday,” Ash informed with a cheeky smile. Heero raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t actually voice a question. “For keeping you alive while you were gone, not an easy job you know,” he leaned back on the couch, his hazel eyes looking towards the ceiling. “You know, come to think of it I never got paid…”
“Hn,” Heero grunted folding his arms across his chest, “You were never hired.”
“Ouch, that’s harsh, you could at least act a little appreciative of my efforts,” he leaned forward suddenly despite his gunshot wound, and Heero assumed he had been given some sort of painkiller. “Just think, if I hadn’t put out the effort, you wouldn’t be here for Relena, imagine that!”
Was it even worth wondering over? Since it hadn’t even happened, Heero had never really spent much time pondering the what ifs in life, it distracted him from the ‘now’. Which during the war could easily have cost him his life. “Didn’t happen,” he responded finally in an off hand way.
“Exactly! Which is why you should thank me!” he laughed.
“I didn’t think--” Heero cut himself off before he could finish, they both knew Heero considered Ash a friend. But he had never voiced the word, and wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to start now. No doubt it would only encourage the already impossible man, and that was the last thing Heero needed right now.
Ash’s eyebrow raised at Heero’s sudden stop, perhaps he could even guess where Heero’s line of thought had been going. “You didn’t think what?” he asked curiously, eyes sparkling.
Heero was rescued from having to think up an answer by the phone ringing. Getting up from his seat, he crossed the room to the phone, all the while Ash continuing to prod for information. “Yeah?” he asked into the receiver turning his back on Ash, he wasn’t going to finish that line of thought even after getting off the phone.
“Heero, Une wants everyone in her office, in a half hour,” Wufei informed simply.
The former pilot glanced towards the clock, “Two?”
“A debrief on the mission,” the Chinese man added, “If Ash is there with you bring him along, Une would like to speak to him as well.”
“We’ll be there,” was the last thing Heero said into the phone before hanging it up.
“What’s this?” Ash asked sitting on the edge of the couch.
“Meeting in Une’s office at two,” Heero stepped away from the table and moved to his dresser, removing clean clothes so he could get changed. He briefly considered going into the bathroom, but knew that action would jump out to Ash, as he had never bothered with such things back on the colony. Heero still wasn’t comfortable with the brand, but if he kept his back away from Ash nothing would be said.
***
Heero made his way through the agency with Ash walking along side him, he still attempted to take as many less traveled routs as he could to get to Une’s office. The fact that he was alive was known to some agents, and he truly hoped it would remain among the few, he wasn’t at all fussy on being the center of attention at any time in the near future. It took them a little longer to reach Une’s office with the path Heero chose but as it was they still arrived a few minutes early. Not bothering to knock Heero strode right in, not at all surprised to see the others already waiting, the only face missing was Trowa’s, though that wasn’t unexpected.
A number of chairs had been drawn up in front of Une’s desk to accommodate all those present at the moment. Heero glanced over those present in the room, a little surprised to see Quatre sitting among the others. Although he had a vague memory of hearing that Quatre would be coming down after their mission. Heero couldn’t place his finger on it exactly but he felt on edge, his senses warning him that something was up. If this had just been a debrief Sally, John and Relena wouldn’t have been present, just the pilots. But there they sat watching him as he walked into the room.
Une rose up from her seat behind the large desk, “Welcome back,” she greeted, to which Heero nodded mutely in response.
So far Relena had remained where she sat close to John and Sally, but he could tell she would have much preferred to be near to him. That too was something he would like but not here, they would too easily become the center of attention.
“Are you feeling alright?” Sally asked rising from her seat so she could come to him and get a better look.
“Just fine,” he returned, cobalt eyes flickering over the faces watching him.
“Have a seat,” Une motioned towards the two empty chairs. After he and Ash had both sat Une returned to her seat folding her hands calmly on the desk. Heero didn’t like any of this, but he still wasn’t sure why. “I’ve scheduled a press conference for two hours from now,” she began eyes looking directly into Heero’s, had this entire thing been set up for his benefit?
“And you called me here for this why?” he asked bluntly, not liking feeling irritated for no reason but at the same time pretty sure his feelings weren’t misplaced.
“We’re going to announce that you’re alive, and at the very focal point of the mission we’ve just completed.”
Heero kept his expression blank as he stared down the commander of the agency, “I’d rather you didn’t.” There he’d said it, it was how he had been feeling about it whenever he even considered it. He didn’t care what the world thought about him, as far as he was concerned they had forgotten him, and he was more than content to leave it at that.
“Heero…” her tone indicated she was going to attempt to reason with him. If there was one thing Heero didn’t want to deal with besides the prospect of being the center of a media circus it was this.
“There’s no reason they need to know I’m alive,” Heero found himself saying which surprised him.
“So they’ll know you weren’t a traitor?” John asked clearly trying to find a good reason.
“I don’t care about that.” He responded calmly. The only people he had ever found himself caring about knew the truth, that was enough for him.
“Heero none of us want the world continuing to believe that you tried to kill Relena, you deserve to have your name cleared.” Une attempted to rationalize.
Rational wasn’t what Heero was looking for, he could never really understand why he didn’t want this, why he had hoped they wouldn’t need to bring him back into this. “There’s no reason you need to tell any of them, I died.”
“Without you we lack the justification we needed to attack Freedom’s Point and take down the Inner Circle,” Wufei calmly pointed out.
“I told you everything you needed to know back before I died,” Heero sighed, “Therefore there’s no reason to tell the world otherwise.”
“What about Relena?” John asked softly, which caused her head to whip about looking quickly from the doctor than to Heero. He felt like demanding ‘what about her?’ whether he was alive or dead made no difference to his being able to see Relena. “She can’t have a long term relationship with someone legally declared dead. I know you’ve kept it private for a very long time, but sooner or later questions will be asked, someone might see…”
“Heero…” Relena spoke his name softly reaching out a hand towards him, brushing her fingers lightly against his until he finally took her hand into his own. He felt their eyes upon him and his brow drew together. “You don’t have to be present for the conference, Une never expected you to be there.”
His free hand clenched, not at all happy about any of this, that he had been misled in coming here, and that what he wanted wasn’t being done. “Doesn’t matter,” he growled, tightening his grip on Relena’s hand, to signal he wasn’t mad at her.
“I’ve suspected for a while that this is what you’d want,” Une began again leaning back in her chair and watching him as though there was no one else in the room. “And it’s irrational. Even if we didn’t mention anything about your being alive at the press conference we most certainly would at the trial. And I’m not about to sit by and watching these people slip off because the linchpin to our case refuses to come forward.”
“Damnit that’s not what I said!” Heero had released Relena’s hand coming to his feet, unable to comprehend why he was so angry. What Une said made sense, but he didn’t want to accept it, he didn’t want to have to face the world. Why couldn’t he just live out the rest of his life in peace? Finally? His cobalt eyes flickered to Relena noting the concern in her expression as she quietly watching him.
“Well this is all beside the point,” Une drew in a calming breath coming to her feet also, though her hands remained planted firmly on her desk. “Whether you like it or not the conference is going forward, and your name will be cleared. This was merely a courtesy to inform you of it, I didn’t seriously foresee problems.”
The silence in the room was deafening, all eyes watching him intently but no one said anything. Heero felt ridiculous, he couldn’t put it into words, not even within his own mind to help him understand why this bothered him so much. Drawing in a breath Heero turned and left the room without another word, feeling a surprising heat rise to his face as he bit back his anger.
I hope you enjoyed!
Previous Chapters
One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-one, Twenty-two, Twenty-three, Twenty-four, Twenty-five, Twenty-six, Twenty-seven, Twenty-eight, Twenty-nine, Thirty, Thirty-one, Thirty-two, Thirty-three, Thirty-four, Thirty-five, Thirty-six, Thirty-seven, Thirty-eight, Thirty-nine, Forty, Forty-one, Forty-two, Forty-three, Forty-four, Forty-five, Forty-six, Forty-seven, Forty-eight, Forty-nine, Fifty, Fifty-one, Fifty-two, Fifty-three, Fifty-four, Fifty-five, Fifty-six, Fifty-seven, Fifty-eight, Fifty-nine, Sixty, Sixty-one, Sixty-two, Sixty-three, Sixty-Four, Sixty-five, Sixty-six, Sixty-seven, Sixty-eight, Sixty-nine, Seventy, Seventy-one, Seventy-two, Seventy-three, Seventy-four, Seventy-five
Chapter Title: Mission Complete
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Parings: Standard parings [except for Sally and Wufei]
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Gundam Wing
Summary: "Heero pulled the trigger just as Relena had spoken the last word of her speech “…Peace…”
“Heero!” Quatre shouted after him, “If you leave now, you’ll be branded a traitor, you’ll be hunted for the rest of your life!” 01xR"
Heero walked into his bedroom Relena following not even a step behind, their hands clasped together tightly. He almost thought he heard her breathe a sigh of relief when he stepped inside. She had been oddly silent on the journey up, never one to be overly talkative himself Heero hadn’t pressed the matter. He simply chose to enjoy the silence and the nearness of her body to his, the ache he had felt in his chest since leaving had completely passed into memory. It was something Heero still found difficult to accept, that he needed Relena in his life, he’d never needed anything before, but somehow she had changed all that.
Relena immediately made her way towards the bed, seeming to believe that was where Heero was headed, she jerked to a halt when Heero continued on deeper into the room. “Heero?” she released his hand watching him.
“Shower first,” he told her softly, and caught a smile blossom on her face before he disappeared inside the bathroom. His shower was quick, he just wanted to wash the feel of the mission off, in the hopes that it would bring home the truth. He was done. The mission was complete.
Still it seemed hard to believe, after so long of working toward this goal, so many times where it had seemed to be impossible to reach. To now stand beneath the pounding shower, and know the Inner Circle was finished, all his sacrifices hadn’t been wasted, was just too much to take in. He knew for sure that with more time the truth would sink in, and not be so hard to believe.
He stepped out of the shower a moment later and began to dry himself, his eyes catching sight of a comfortable change of clothes Relena had slipped into the room shortly after he had got in the shower. Dressing Heero walked out into the main room pulling a hand through his wet hair as he did. Relena got up from her seat on the bed and came the few steps it took to be at his side, slipping her hands up the back of his shirt Relena leaned close, her lips just begging to be kissed. Heero was more than happy to comply, his right hand pulling her body even closer so that she molded against him.
It was Relena who pulled back first, a smile on her face that for some reason looked a little forced, “Come over here.” With one hand she led him back over to his bed, “I promised you a massage,” the smile she gave him now looked genuine as she climbed onto the bed ahead of him. Heero sat himself down on the edge with his back to Relena her hands quickly settling on his neck. She worked carefully, removing each knot before moving on, at the same time it didn’t take her long to finish. The ache behind his eye melting away, as his body began to relax, before long he was laying back on the bed with Relena at his side her head resting on his shoulder.
Heero let his eyes fall closed as his hand played with Relena’s hair, the silky strands slipping through his fingers before being gathered up again. Relena was snuggled close, her left arm draped across his chest, hand absently stroking his side. Heero would have been content to remain like that for the rest of the night, but he felt Relena shift beside him and his eyes opened, only to find her watching him, a glassy look to her eyes.
“I missed you so much…” she whispered, her arm tightening around him.
He studied her face, his hand coming up from behind her to stroke the side of her face, “I wasn’t gone for that long,” he responded without thought. But almost immediately after realized that wasn’t what Relena was referring too. He pulled her to him, drawing her body onto his so there was no distance between them, and gently brought her lips down to his. He kissed her deeply, his hand tangling in her loose hair. Parting a moment later he looked directly into her eyes, “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Relena shook her head, the tears finally forming as she reclaimed his lips in a kiss that held more need than Heero’s had ever attempted. He was more than willing to respond, his hands roving over her body, slipping up under her clothes to touch her soft skin. At first Relena’s hands held either side of his face fingers caressing his temples, but soon they too began to move, one sliding down his side to rest on his hip gripping him tightly as the moment deepened between them. Heero could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and still he wanted more.
As quickly as the moment had started Relena broke it off, gasping for breath her face flushed, “This isn’t exactly restful…” she admitted with a slight laugh looking down at him her hair forming a curtain around their faces.
“I’ve already been sleeping for damn near twelve hours,” he told her hand still on the small of her back.
“No offence, but you look like you could use twelve more,” she kissed him again, but pulled back a second later despite his attempt to draw her back in. “Besides that, if Sally ever suspected…” she didn’t have to finish that sentence for Heero to understand how she felt. He might not react to Sally’s comments, but he wasn’t exactly a fan of them either. He felt like despite the fact that their relationship was still very much private everyone knew what they were doing and when. It wasn’t a very settling thought, no matter that it couldn’t possibly be true.
Heero allowed Relena to settle back beside him as they had been before her head resting on his should arm draped across his chest as he played with her hair, eyes falling closed. That short exertion had been just enough to remind his body of how tired he still was, and despite his best efforts he could feel the darkness of sleep rising up around him. The soft sound of Relena’s breath against his chest sounded distant, odd, but at the same time comforting.
***
Relena’s lips curved up in a tiny smile as she heard Heero’s breaths even out deeply as he slipped into a restful sleep, his arm relaxing under her as he released her hair. She snuggled closer without fear of waking him, listening to the sound of his heart beating in her ear, focusing on that steady sound to assure herself that, like her brother, Heero would be fine after the heart attack.
A light knock on the door, broke the peaceful moment, but was not at all unexpected. Relena would have been shocked if John hadn’t stopped in to check on Heero, since he hadn’t been the one to tend to him when he got back. As expected John stepped through the door a moment later, his steps slow, light movements as though he were afraid of waking Heero. Not an unreasonable concern with how lightly the pilots tended to sleep, but Relena felt fairly sure that Heero wasn’t going to be waking any time soon. As much as he might want to deny it his body was still tired and he needed to let it rest.
“How long?” the old doctor asked with a fatherly smile on his face.
Relena glanced at the clock, “Maybe ten minutes,” she responded back carefully sitting up and shifting off the bed.
John came over immediately and began drawing the blankets up over Heero’s body. Relena watching him, her lips curving up into a smile at the expression on John’s face. He truly looked like a father tending to his son, no doubt he was as much like this when Heero was awake. She wondered what the former soldier thought of that, having never really had a father before, what must it have been like? He certainly didn’t seem to mind, since he always seemed just as comfortable around John as any of the other pilots or herself. John had even managed to get Heero to agree to certain things that had astounded her.
Relena didn’t feel as though she wanted to leave the room just yet. She would have liked to spend more time with Heero, but never would have wanted him to remain awake, he needed rest. But she felt fairly sure that Heero wouldn’t be disturbed by her presence in the room. Moving to take a seat on the couch Relena watched to see if John would follow, once he was finished with Heero. As expected the old doctor stepped quietly over to her, moving to take a seat on the far side of her he leaned his side against the back of the couch so he was facing both Relena and Heero.
John shifted draping his arm across the back of the couch, “Has he said anything to you about what he plans to do now that it’s all over?”
It didn’t sound to Relena as though this was the first time he had asked that question, and it got her thinking. She had asked Heero something along those lines a while back, but hadn’t received much of an answer. “No he hasn’t, but I’m not sure if he’s even accepted that it’s all over…” she replied softly eyes flickering over to Heero’s sleeping form.
“It’ll sink in with time,” John assured gently.
“What do you plan to do?” the question had just occurred to Relena, now that Heero had fully recovered. would John step back, return to the life he had once known? Where Relena hadn’t even been aware of his existence? She seriously hoped not mostly for Heero’s sake, she knew John was a good influence on him, and whether Heero would admit to it or not, he liked having the old doctor around, of that Relena was positive.
“Well I certainly don’t want to loose touch with him,” John’s gaze drifted to Heero’s sleeping form. “I don’t think he’s ever had much of a father figure in his life, not that a twenty year-old boy really needs a father any longer. But somehow I just get the feeling he wants this,” John smiled.
Relena couldn’t help but reciprocate the expression, “You’ve managed to get him to agree to things no one else could ever do.”
“Heh,” John chuckled softly, “If ever a mentioned that I had taken on a parental role with him, it just left him stumped, and silence is acquiescence.” The old doctor’s expression grew more serious and his gaze distant, “I know he’s not accustom to human contact, although he seems to do alright with you.” The smile he cast her way brought a blush to Relena’s cheeks, and John reached out a hand, “He needs human contact, whether he knows it or not.”
It was Relena’s turn to look off towards Heero, as she thought about the need buried deep within his kisses. It was a strong need, it had felt impossibly deep to her on more than one occasion, and every time she was more than willing to take the time to fill it for him. “I think he does…” she mused aloud, “At least at times.”
John leaned back, “I’ve been doing this for a long time,” he began eyes falling closed, “And I’ve never cared for a patient as much as I have for Heero. I’ve come to care for him as much as any of my children.”
“Nice for him to finally have a family even if he doesn’t realize it yet,” Relena chuckled trying to imagine a family setting with Heero in the middle, perhaps the youngest. It was a cute imagine, although she had to admit to herself, unrealistic. Even if John saw Heero as an adoptive son, she doubted he’d have much interaction with John’s biological children, but really who knew?
***
Heero’s eyes opened slowly taking in the brightness of the room around him, the first thing he noticed was the still missing ache behind his eye. It was a welcomed change, but he was far to used to the pain to believe it wasn’t coming back. Pushing himself up Heero’s cobalt eyes sought out the clock on the far wall noting the time, it read 1:00 and judging from the light pouring into the room that was pm. That surprised him a little, he hadn’t expected to sleep so long after he had come back to his room with Relena. He had spent most of the trip back sleeping.
Shifting on the bed Heero felt the sting of an IV inserted into the back of his left hand, and he looked down at it considering. Vaguely he could remember hearing John speaking to him, as though through a fog, telling him he was just putting the IV in to keep him hydrated. Now that did surprise him, when had he come to trust this man so much, that he wouldn’t even fully wake when John was standing over him? The old doctor had become such a trusting figure to Heero, like another pilot, Heero’s senses just accepted him.
He pulled the needle from his hand without a second though and moved to the edge of his bed, right hand reaching up to the back of his neck rubbing it a little as he lifted his head. It shocked him a little that he wasn’t immediately met with stabbing pain, though he wasn’t fool enough to think it wouldn’t be coming back. It was only ever a matter of time before the pain would return again. Still he wasn’t in much of a rush to put himself under the knife to repair it.
Getting up from the bed, Heero stretched both arms above his head feeling the muscles down his back release as he walked across the room towards the window. He took a moment to look out over the view enjoying the absences of pain. The door opened behind him unexpectedly and Heero turned to see Ash walk into the room.
“Damn, about time,” Ash greeted a broad smile on his face, “I’ve checked your room four times today, and each time you’ve been dead to the world.”
Heero shrugged stepping away from the window to drop down into one of the arm chairs, Ash crossed the room to taking a seat on the couch. He cradled his arm on his lap still wearing the sling, “What do you think of Sally?” Heero asked curiously knowing this would have been Ash’s first encounter with the doctor as they knew her best.
Ash shook his head, “I can understand why she is the way she is,” he said rather pointedly, “Hell maybe if I acted half the way she did, you might behave a little more.”
“No, I’d just be more likely to avoid you,” Heero returned dryly.
“Aww, does this mean you’ve been putting up with me all this time?” he smiled looking very hopeful.
Heero’s expression was deadpan, “The only alternative was to kill you…”
“I’m a little too prominent on the colony for that,” Ash finished for him, gesturing with his good hand.
“Exactly, although some days that almost wasn’t enough.”
Ash sat a little straighter at that, “Really?” he chuckled softly, “I didn’t think I was half as bad as Sally…”
Heero shrugged, “Different approach.”
“Huh, well you might be interested to know she thanked me for all my work yesterday,” Ash informed with a cheeky smile. Heero raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t actually voice a question. “For keeping you alive while you were gone, not an easy job you know,” he leaned back on the couch, his hazel eyes looking towards the ceiling. “You know, come to think of it I never got paid…”
“Hn,” Heero grunted folding his arms across his chest, “You were never hired.”
“Ouch, that’s harsh, you could at least act a little appreciative of my efforts,” he leaned forward suddenly despite his gunshot wound, and Heero assumed he had been given some sort of painkiller. “Just think, if I hadn’t put out the effort, you wouldn’t be here for Relena, imagine that!”
Was it even worth wondering over? Since it hadn’t even happened, Heero had never really spent much time pondering the what ifs in life, it distracted him from the ‘now’. Which during the war could easily have cost him his life. “Didn’t happen,” he responded finally in an off hand way.
“Exactly! Which is why you should thank me!” he laughed.
“I didn’t think--” Heero cut himself off before he could finish, they both knew Heero considered Ash a friend. But he had never voiced the word, and wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to start now. No doubt it would only encourage the already impossible man, and that was the last thing Heero needed right now.
Ash’s eyebrow raised at Heero’s sudden stop, perhaps he could even guess where Heero’s line of thought had been going. “You didn’t think what?” he asked curiously, eyes sparkling.
Heero was rescued from having to think up an answer by the phone ringing. Getting up from his seat, he crossed the room to the phone, all the while Ash continuing to prod for information. “Yeah?” he asked into the receiver turning his back on Ash, he wasn’t going to finish that line of thought even after getting off the phone.
“Heero, Une wants everyone in her office, in a half hour,” Wufei informed simply.
The former pilot glanced towards the clock, “Two?”
“A debrief on the mission,” the Chinese man added, “If Ash is there with you bring him along, Une would like to speak to him as well.”
“We’ll be there,” was the last thing Heero said into the phone before hanging it up.
“What’s this?” Ash asked sitting on the edge of the couch.
“Meeting in Une’s office at two,” Heero stepped away from the table and moved to his dresser, removing clean clothes so he could get changed. He briefly considered going into the bathroom, but knew that action would jump out to Ash, as he had never bothered with such things back on the colony. Heero still wasn’t comfortable with the brand, but if he kept his back away from Ash nothing would be said.
***
Heero made his way through the agency with Ash walking along side him, he still attempted to take as many less traveled routs as he could to get to Une’s office. The fact that he was alive was known to some agents, and he truly hoped it would remain among the few, he wasn’t at all fussy on being the center of attention at any time in the near future. It took them a little longer to reach Une’s office with the path Heero chose but as it was they still arrived a few minutes early. Not bothering to knock Heero strode right in, not at all surprised to see the others already waiting, the only face missing was Trowa’s, though that wasn’t unexpected.
A number of chairs had been drawn up in front of Une’s desk to accommodate all those present at the moment. Heero glanced over those present in the room, a little surprised to see Quatre sitting among the others. Although he had a vague memory of hearing that Quatre would be coming down after their mission. Heero couldn’t place his finger on it exactly but he felt on edge, his senses warning him that something was up. If this had just been a debrief Sally, John and Relena wouldn’t have been present, just the pilots. But there they sat watching him as he walked into the room.
Une rose up from her seat behind the large desk, “Welcome back,” she greeted, to which Heero nodded mutely in response.
So far Relena had remained where she sat close to John and Sally, but he could tell she would have much preferred to be near to him. That too was something he would like but not here, they would too easily become the center of attention.
“Are you feeling alright?” Sally asked rising from her seat so she could come to him and get a better look.
“Just fine,” he returned, cobalt eyes flickering over the faces watching him.
“Have a seat,” Une motioned towards the two empty chairs. After he and Ash had both sat Une returned to her seat folding her hands calmly on the desk. Heero didn’t like any of this, but he still wasn’t sure why. “I’ve scheduled a press conference for two hours from now,” she began eyes looking directly into Heero’s, had this entire thing been set up for his benefit?
“And you called me here for this why?” he asked bluntly, not liking feeling irritated for no reason but at the same time pretty sure his feelings weren’t misplaced.
“We’re going to announce that you’re alive, and at the very focal point of the mission we’ve just completed.”
Heero kept his expression blank as he stared down the commander of the agency, “I’d rather you didn’t.” There he’d said it, it was how he had been feeling about it whenever he even considered it. He didn’t care what the world thought about him, as far as he was concerned they had forgotten him, and he was more than content to leave it at that.
“Heero…” her tone indicated she was going to attempt to reason with him. If there was one thing Heero didn’t want to deal with besides the prospect of being the center of a media circus it was this.
“There’s no reason they need to know I’m alive,” Heero found himself saying which surprised him.
“So they’ll know you weren’t a traitor?” John asked clearly trying to find a good reason.
“I don’t care about that.” He responded calmly. The only people he had ever found himself caring about knew the truth, that was enough for him.
“Heero none of us want the world continuing to believe that you tried to kill Relena, you deserve to have your name cleared.” Une attempted to rationalize.
Rational wasn’t what Heero was looking for, he could never really understand why he didn’t want this, why he had hoped they wouldn’t need to bring him back into this. “There’s no reason you need to tell any of them, I died.”
“Without you we lack the justification we needed to attack Freedom’s Point and take down the Inner Circle,” Wufei calmly pointed out.
“I told you everything you needed to know back before I died,” Heero sighed, “Therefore there’s no reason to tell the world otherwise.”
“What about Relena?” John asked softly, which caused her head to whip about looking quickly from the doctor than to Heero. He felt like demanding ‘what about her?’ whether he was alive or dead made no difference to his being able to see Relena. “She can’t have a long term relationship with someone legally declared dead. I know you’ve kept it private for a very long time, but sooner or later questions will be asked, someone might see…”
“Heero…” Relena spoke his name softly reaching out a hand towards him, brushing her fingers lightly against his until he finally took her hand into his own. He felt their eyes upon him and his brow drew together. “You don’t have to be present for the conference, Une never expected you to be there.”
His free hand clenched, not at all happy about any of this, that he had been misled in coming here, and that what he wanted wasn’t being done. “Doesn’t matter,” he growled, tightening his grip on Relena’s hand, to signal he wasn’t mad at her.
“I’ve suspected for a while that this is what you’d want,” Une began again leaning back in her chair and watching him as though there was no one else in the room. “And it’s irrational. Even if we didn’t mention anything about your being alive at the press conference we most certainly would at the trial. And I’m not about to sit by and watching these people slip off because the linchpin to our case refuses to come forward.”
“Damnit that’s not what I said!” Heero had released Relena’s hand coming to his feet, unable to comprehend why he was so angry. What Une said made sense, but he didn’t want to accept it, he didn’t want to have to face the world. Why couldn’t he just live out the rest of his life in peace? Finally? His cobalt eyes flickered to Relena noting the concern in her expression as she quietly watching him.
“Well this is all beside the point,” Une drew in a calming breath coming to her feet also, though her hands remained planted firmly on her desk. “Whether you like it or not the conference is going forward, and your name will be cleared. This was merely a courtesy to inform you of it, I didn’t seriously foresee problems.”
The silence in the room was deafening, all eyes watching him intently but no one said anything. Heero felt ridiculous, he couldn’t put it into words, not even within his own mind to help him understand why this bothered him so much. Drawing in a breath Heero turned and left the room without another word, feeling a surprising heat rise to his face as he bit back his anger.
I hope you enjoyed!
Previous Chapters
One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-one, Twenty-two, Twenty-three, Twenty-four, Twenty-five, Twenty-six, Twenty-seven, Twenty-eight, Twenty-nine, Thirty, Thirty-one, Thirty-two, Thirty-three, Thirty-four, Thirty-five, Thirty-six, Thirty-seven, Thirty-eight, Thirty-nine, Forty, Forty-one, Forty-two, Forty-three, Forty-four, Forty-five, Forty-six, Forty-seven, Forty-eight, Forty-nine, Fifty, Fifty-one, Fifty-two, Fifty-three, Fifty-four, Fifty-five, Fifty-six, Fifty-seven, Fifty-eight, Fifty-nine, Sixty, Sixty-one, Sixty-two, Sixty-three, Sixty-Four, Sixty-five, Sixty-six, Sixty-seven, Sixty-eight, Sixty-nine, Seventy, Seventy-one, Seventy-two, Seventy-three, Seventy-four, Seventy-five