Mission Accepted: Good Morning?
Relative disclaimers apply.

Present day...

Heero slid a hand under his pillow, keeping his eyes on the still-sleeping young woman who had made him want to live.

"Relena..." he whispered.

His hand came back out with his denim jacket.

Relena...

He placed the jacket over her and slid out of the bed, revealing that he'd slept with his jeans on.

He stood in place for a few seconds, still looking at her and trying to ignore that the sight of her like this was making his heart do the craziest flip-flops.

"Dammit."

He walked away before he rejoined her.

"Well, well, well. You look well rested this morning, sunshine."

Heero glared at the perky Duo as The Braided One joined him in the canned-food section of a nearby supermarket.

"Shutup," Heero muttered darkly, "and get me a couple of Pyrox-cans."

Duo ignored the tone of voice but trotted off to comply.

"Cooking this morning?" he asked from a few aisles over.

Heero rolled his eyes.

"There's no hot water. You forgot? Or do you want us to freeze our butts off?"

Duo ignored the questions.

"How is she this morning?"

Heero's eyes blazed for a few seconds.

Do you want to live, Duo?

"Sleeping," he replied in a tone that warned Duo to end this particular line of questioning.

Duo shrugged, grabbed a handful of the requested cans, and walked back over.

I hear a twinkle in your voice, Sunshine!

"I'll get some gallons. They're in the case back there."

Heero waved a hand at him as though he were swatting a fly.

"Yeah, go do that."

Duo ignored the gesture, tossed him the cans and walked over to the glass-panelled refridgerator, humming a popular rock melody.

You told her. Hallejuyah! But now you two got a whole new set of problems.

Sensing that she was alone, Relena reluctantly woke up from the best dreams she'd had in years.

"Are you in here?"

She held her breath, waiting for the answer she already knew that she wasn't going to get.

Last night...you told me that you love me.

She sat up, revealing the T-shirt, and his jacket fell to one side of the bed.

She smiled.

You'll be back.

She put the jacket on slowly, smiling as her primal senses detected his special scent and a faint tang of his perspiration.

For so long I just wondered. I'm sure you did too. All the confusion...settled in those three little words.

"I never gave up on you. I never stopped having faith in you despite how you treated me. And now..."

She closed her eyes and remembered.

The way he looked at me...afterwards...so pure. So pure and true.

He'd rolled over on top of her and simply stared into her eyes.

Heero...

Yes.

You're not going to break your promise, are you?

No. You will be my last victim. And then I'll join you.

Heero! Don't say such a thing!

I told you already, you're my life.

Hmph. You're no less methodical than you've always been.

What am I without you?

Don't be so dependent on me!

I'm no more dependent on you than you are on me.

Oh Heero...I hate you. Why do I love you so much?

Relena—

I didn't get to say it. Now please. Don't say anything more. Just hold me, Heero. Hold me.

He had, and had snuggled against her, unknowingly fulfilling another of her daydreams.

But who was protecting whom at that moment?

Heero...you do know that I've always believed in you.

Mm-hmm...gave me strength...to...fight and believe...I believe...in you.

And then he had fallen asleep, with a small smile on his face, looking remarkably like a little boy.

Relena opened her eyes.

When he looks at me he sees peace. I represent peace to him, a place for him to rest his weary soul.

She slid out of the bed and bent to make it look presentable.

"That's why you couldn't kill me, Heero. But this...this isn't quite fair. Do you really love me?"

She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Heero come in, uncomfortably balancing several plastic shopping bags with the task of keeping a hand on the doorknob as he closed the door behind himself.

She looks good in my jacket.

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to strangle her. Did she have to look so innocent, casual, beautiful and sexy all at the same time?

Meanwhile, she continued talking to herself as she finished her self-appointed task.

"I don't ever want to be in this situation again!"

She winced.

Heero winced.

She's going to cry.

Indeed, Relena tensed up and then scowled as tears filled her eyes.

"After this is over, then what? We each go our separate ways again, never to see each other again until another crisis occurs? What about us, Heero? Is there even going to be an us? No. There can't be. Then what was the point of last night? Hmph!"

She finished the task with a flourish and a grim expression.

"Whoever said that it's better to have loved and lost might never have been in love at all. But that doesn't matter now. What does is that we complete this mission now, before I completely break down."

She paused.

"How long have you been standing there?"

Heero exhaled and put the bags down.

"Long enough..."

She stiffened.

"Well. What now?"

He feigned ignorance.

"Well, now we wash up. I bought..."

He blushed, to his annoyance.

"...the appropriate...things."

She raised her hands to wipe her eyes.

He doesn't want to talk about it. But guess what? I do.

"I don't know your sizes...I just...guessed. The jeans might be a little big, but the rest...should fit."

Despite her own annoyance, she was touched that he had actually bought undergarments for her.

What did you have to go through when you picked those up?

She didn't want to envision it. He might misinterpret the resulting laughter.

But the idea of Heero sorting through feminine undergarments, with his infamous scowl of concentration in place, made her lips twitch.

He quirked an eyebrow.

"Something funny, Relena?"

She controlled herself and turned to face him.

Their gazes locked.

His face softened.

Her eyes hardened.

He fought the urge to bring her close to him.

"Relena...." he whispered.

"Yes?"

You feel like talking now?

He winced, kneeled and attended to the bags.

"Wash up in the bathroom next door. I opened both doors for you last night. Once you close the door you'll be safe. Yell if you need me."

You wanna know how hard it was for me to leave you alone, Relena? Even for just that?

She scowled.

He picked locks for me. How sweet.

He rummaged in the bags, placed an empty bag on the floor and created a small, neat pile on top of the bag: A large towel, a washrag, the pair of jeans and an oversized T-shirt, hastily wadded undergarments, a pair of pure cotton socks, a pair of sneakers, a small bottle of bath-shower gel and a large plastic shower cap.

"When you're finished, put everything you don't put on in the bags and bring 'em back here. We need to throw it all away."

"What! Oh, wait. Okay. I understand."

He briefly looked up at her, blushed again, then placed a small plastic bag on top of the pile.

She hurried to grab the pile.

"Thanks," she said.

He silently insisted on briefly slipping his hands under hers as both of them stood up.

"Thanks," she said again, trying not to look into his eyes, which revealed a mixture of confusion and annoyance at that confusion.

This doesn't change a thing, Heero.

"You're welcome," he said, then cleared his throat and stepped back.

"You sure you'll be okay?"

What came over me last night? But I don't regret it. Now she knows that it's not going to be easy.

"I'll be okay," she replied, restraining the urge to reach up and smooth down his hair.

He looked away.

"It's not as though I'm worried," he said, not sounding as though he meant it.

"Of course not."

"We...better get ready," he said.

I need to be alone so that my thoughts will be clear.

She nodded and showed him her back.

I do too...

"I'll be back soon."

He swallowed and nodded.

"Do that."

She exhaled.

"Heero—"

"Hurry. They must be waiting for us."

"—about last night—"

He attended to the bags again.

"I've never liked weak women," he said with a touch of finality.

She got the point. If she didn't leave now he would find a way to make her leave.

And had he tried to answer all of her questions about the previous night with that unnecessary comment?

She exhaled again, then walked towards the bathroom.

Maybe so, maybe not. But this conversation isn't over, Heero Yuy.

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