03-Jun-2004
Author: Natea
Title: Pineapple Rings
Rating: G
Pairing: 1+2, 1+R (friendship)
Challenge: #23 Security
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.
Word Count: 1281
The early summer morning was warm and so they had chosen to sit outside for once on one of the wrought iron tables. The large parasol shade overhead had the name of a beer emblazoned across it and Heero found his eyes drawing back to it time and time again as it juddered in its stand with the soft breeze.
Coors... he didn't think he'd tried that one. He thought about stopping off at the supermarket on the way home to buy a six pack; Duo wouldn't complain, he knew.
With a sigh he tore his eyes away from the fluttering fringe of the shade and looked back down at the drink in his hand.
Pink.
Granted it was the only thing pink in the vicinity, Relena had grown up some since they had first met... but even so it was a distasteful thing to have forced upon him.
Sitting across from him Relena was sipping away at her own drink, holding her glass like it was finest crystal instead of cheap glass... like it was fluted for champagne instead of large and straight and meant for holding soft drinks.
Lemonade.
She smiled at him over the rim of her sunglasses and raised her glass again, pinkie extended. The sun caught the ring on her finger with a split second flash. Heero hid his smile behind his own glass... it didn't taste so bad really.
The ring had first appeared eight days ago, plain white gold band and a square cut diamond that rivalled the ice cubes in the drink for size and ship sinking ability. It was surprisingly sedate for Relena.
Something else that had surprised him had been her reticence in announcing anything. Noin had noticed two days after, Dorothy four. Both times Relena had been more than willing to talk about the lucky man involved; but until someone mentioned it she remained silent.
The 'clink clink' of metal on glass brought his attention back to Relena and his eyes flickered down to where she was absently tapping the ringed finger against the lip of her tumbler.
Just because she wasn't mentioning it didn't mean she wasn't able to bring attention to it, he mused.
She sighed and he looked up once more. "Heero... do you have any plans to settle down?"
"Settle down?" He cocked his head to one side and pretended to think about it. "How do you mean? I've never considered myself to be anything but settled, Relena."
"Not like that." She smiled a little, although it looked more sad than anything else. "When are you going to find someone?"
He didn't answer, looking up at Coors sign once more. The tapping started again and he found himself growing slightly annoyed... did she really think he was that obtuse?
"Have you set a date yet?" he asked suddenly. Might as well bite the bullet and get it over with.
Relena beamed, obviously pleased he had finally noticed. Heero didn't have the heart to tell her he'd noticed the ring the first day she had worn it... he would have been a poor assassin indeed if he had no observation skills after all.
"We were thinking of September fourteenth." Relena said, releasing the glass for a moment to run her hand through her hair and push her bangs back from her forehead. "Gives us some time to plan and prepare for it but it's not too far away so we're not dwelling on it for too long."
Heero nodded and sipped his drink once more. The clinking returned... he wondered if she was even aware she was doing it. Whatever she had called him here to say was obviously worrying her.
"Heero, Look... I... don't you ever want more from your life?"
"I'm happy, Relena" he replied, "isn't that enough?"
"Happy, yes." she murmured, "But what about love? Marriage? Security?"
Heero snorted, "Nine out of ten marriages end in divorce Relena, where's the security in that? Do you really think my signature linked with someone else's on a piece of paper would make me happier than I am now?"
Relena didn't answer but reached across the table with her left hand, wrapping her fingers between his own. The diamond sparkled furiously.
"Not all marriages end in divorce."
"And not all romances end in marriage." Heero countered easily, "There are plenty of people living in sin in this world... they're not any less in love with each other because of it."
"I consider you to be one of my best friends."
"I know."
"All I want is for you to be happy."
Heero sighed, "Relena..."
"I hate to see you alone Heero... you deserve more than that."
"But I'm not alone," he protested, "I live with Duo."
"For how long though?" she asked, "How long until someone comes along, Hilde perhaps, and Duo moves out."
"He won't."
"You can't be sure."
Heero smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out his keys. "I am though. Duo and I have been together for a long time now, in fact..." he slipped his ring finger through the key-ring and tapped it against his own glass idly, "I would say that, in all that matters, we have been married for a few years."
Relena was silent, watching him clink the glass with a vaguely unsure expression on her face. He waited a few moments for her to speak and when she remained silent he continued, "I'm happy for you, Relena... be happy for me?"
"I... "
It was Heero's turn to squeeze hands, and he did so with a faint smile. "Bit of a shock?"
"I... um... yes." Relena admitted sheepishly. "I had no idea."
"We've been discreet."
She snorted, "That's an understatement." Looking at the cheap silver coloured key-ring around Heero's finger she queried, "How long?"
"Long enough....during the war," he clarified.
"And this is your..."
Heero nodded, "We traded rings...after a fashion."
"What is it exactly?"
He laughed, slipped his finger out from it and handed it over, the single key jingling a little. "It's the pull ring from an L2A1 hand grenade."
Relena held it in her hand, studying it carefully. It was huge, much bigger than a conventional ring, probably just over an inch in diameter and made of cheap silvery metal... what kind she wasn't sure. The pin itself was missing.
"Duo wears it on his dog tags." Heero said, as if he could read her mind. "He has a misguided sense of romance... gave me the grenade during a mission and told me I was pulling the pin wrong." He looked down at the ring in fond remembrance, "Idiot told me I had to use the ring finger, not the index finger."
"And you did."
Heero nodded, "He wanted me to leave it there, said it looked good. But it was too big so I use it for the key to my home now."
"Sweet."
Heero looked pleased, "I think so."
"Was it his last grenade?"
"Would it be any less meaningful if I said no?"
Relena thought for a while, looking hard at the dull metal in her hand. With a small smile she shook her head and held it out. Heero raised his hand and she slipped the large circle over his finger and pressed the outside fingers tight together. The action pushed his finger to the bottom of the circle and let the single key slide down to rest across the back of his hand.
The key to his home...
And home is where the heart is.
The End
(:./natea/pinapple)
