Heero couldn’t help but notice how calmly Relena walked out from the control room of the colony—especially given the fact that he had just announced his decision to destroy it.
He had stayed behind on purpose while the other pilots returned to the shuttle, thinking he would retrieve her from the room; however, he hadn’t expected her to exit on her own.
“Hurry up and leave,” he ordered her sternly. “There’s no time to spare.”
She nodded, but then came to a stop just a few paces from him, her eyes gentle.
“I know. Please take care, Heero,” she replied softly. “There’s no need to worry about me.” She stepped a bit closer to him, and her pretty face was full of belief in him. “You have other things to concentrate on—do them instead.”
He felt confused by her words, and by her trusting tone. He didn’t know what he had done to gain such confidence from her; the memories of the days when he had been threatening to kill her were still too fresh in his mind, and even then, he still had trouble understanding why she had treated him so kindly.
She continued after a pause. “You’re a strong person, Heero, but please—let me worry for you, at least.” A small smile crept onto her face. “I wish to do so.”
Heero looked down, not knowing what to say.
“Relena . . .”
The young diplomat was quick to perceive his uneasiness at her comments, and she closed her eyes, holding back a sigh.
“I’ll go now,” she said, brushing his shoulder as she walked past him.
Heero caught her wrist suddenly, and Relena looked at his hand in surprise. As her eyes travelled up to meet his, they widened even more—his expression was intense, even passionate, as he drew her closer to him, pressing her hand in his all the while.
“Relena, I . . .”
She watched, dumbfounded, as he bent down his face towards hers, his lips inching ever closer. Her heart raced as if it would burst out of her chest, and she wondered, somewhat frantically, at what she was supposed to do.
But just as Relena had realised that she should shut her eyes—and did so—Heero stopped, his mouth hovering just above hers. She could feel his breath intermingling with hers, and his hand tensely locked around her fingers; and yet, he did not close that tiny distance.
He suddenly drew back from her, and his hand left hers. Her eyes opened as she felt the brief warmth irradiating from him depart, and she tried her best to keep from looking too disappointed.
“You should go,” he said quickly. “I’ll meet you back on the ship.”
And with that prompt command the Gundam pilot left her side, walking stiffly back to the shadows of the control room.
Relena watched him leave, but only for a moment. She quickly made her own way back to the shuttle, and when she arrived, she was immediately met by a concerned Duo, who was baffled by what had taken her so long.
As she took her seat and buckled herself in, she found herself unconsciously fixated on the back of the seat in front of her.
But as she stared—and thought on what had just passed between her and Heero—her eyes widened a little, and she pressed her hand to her lips thoughtfully, a smile spreading across them.
He blushed just then, didn’t he?
YOU ARE READING
Slow Burn
Fanfiction[Gundam Wing A/C; a 1xR series of vignettes post-Endless Waltz.] He had always been conscious of the fact that she—Relena Darlian Peacecraft, Queen of the World—loved him, and him alone. And yet that was the problem, since he could never give her wh...
