Author: Liewe
Edited by: Gengar
Disclaimer: standard apply.
Relena Peacecraft sat on the sill of the large bay window in her office. She held the curtains back slightly, watching the two men walking in the garden below. She could hear them laughing uproariously about something, probably a joke at some stuffy diplomat’s expense.
She could see them very clearly, all the while trying to hide herself from their view. One was her elder brother, Milliardo. The other was her brother’s best friend and the object of her youthful desire, Treize Khushrenada.
Relena knew she was being ridiculous. He was nine years older than she was, and she doubted he would ever see her as more than a little sister. To sit and pine after him like this, especially when she should be doing paperwork, was childish. But she couldn’t help it. She smiled as she gave into the x-rated daydream that filled her mind. But then she noticed….
*****
“He did WHAT?” Milliardo Peacecraft laughed heartily. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I kid you not,” Treize Khushrenada grinned as he walked through the palatial garden with his friend. “Took a header right into the fountain.”
“Oh that is too funny,” Milliardo shook his head, his long platinum hair swinging behind him. He hadn’t laughed that hard in more years than he could remember. It felt good.
“Serves him right for getting that drunk at a national function,” Treize snorted. “I just feel sorry for his wife.”
“And, of course, I wasn’t at that event to see it,” Milliardo rolled his eyes.
Treize stopped at one of the blooming rose bushes that adorned the huge gardens of the Peacecraft estate. He bent to smell one of the delicate flowers that reminded him so much of the one he was truly infatuated with.
“So what has your sister been up to?” he asked as he picked one of the bright pink roses and deftly started stripping it of its thorns.
Milliardo raised an eyebrow. It had not been lost on him how much Treize inquired about his sister lately. And he had also not been oblivious to the way his sister got shy and bothered around his friend.
“Working as usual,” he replied. “I worry about her sometimes.”
“Hmmm,” Treize said, his glance wandering up to the bay window of Relena’s office. He saw her sitting there for a moment, then she quickly disappeared as if realizing she had been caught. He smiled. Maybe she did like him. He could hope.
“Um, how is Lady Une?” Milliardo’s question rudely interrupted Treize’s thoughts.
Treize frowned. “I have no idea.”
His friend’s terse answer caught Milliardo by surprise. He didn’t quite know how to react.
“The engagement’s off, Milliardo,” Treize said softly.
“Oh,” Milliardo said, stunned by the turn of events. The wedding was to have been in the next month. “Do I dare ask why?”
***
A month later Relena stood glaring at her reflection in the tall mirrors of Dorothy’s closet. She gently fingered the black satin material, which covered her body, she was not happy. The dress, which she had been coerced into wearing, was a departure from her normal attire. The dress fell to the floor in waves of black. The neck was a little lower cut than what she was used to. Hilde Schebeiker stood off to the side admiring the picture Relena made in the dress she and Dorothy had picked out for the fashionably challenged diplomat. The gowns Relena usually chose for such affairs were dated, the styles old, aging her.
“The men will be fawning all over you tonight,” Dorothy said as she mentally congratulated herself in the sudden change in Relena’s appearance. The diplomat no longer looked like a naďve little school girl, the dress added maturity and beauty to Relena, giving her the air of a young woman.
“You are going to knock them dead,” Hilde said excitedly as she rushed to and from the bathroom doing last minute touches to her hair and makeup.
“If it gets Treize to dance with me, then I’ll be happy,” Relena softly whispered to herself, the words reaching only her ears as she twirled in front of the mirror.
In the ballroom time stood still when the Princess and her companions entered. A quite fell over the crowd as they descended the marble staircase, their heels softly clicking against the hard surface. The drool was forming in puddles on the elegant floor as the men took in the sight of the young diplomat. All eyes were on her. When Relena reached the bottom of the staircase she was immediately whisked away by an eager young suitor.
Milliardo and Treize watched the young men fawn over Relena, each one getting more daring, their advances bordering on harassment. Treize continued to glare at the latest man who had claimed Relena as his for a dance. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Milliardo turn an interesting shade of red as Lucrezia attempted to restrain him. Turning his full attention back to Relena and her dance partner he saw why Milliardo had been turning every shade of red under the rainbow. The egotistical little prick was continually placing his hand on Relena’s derriere, with each turn Treize could see Relena gently place the mans hand back at her waist.
“Excuse me, but may I cut in?” Treize asked, giving the young man a look that said, “You had better not argue with me.”
“Uh, yes, sir!” the young man stammered and hurried away.
After the dance finished Treize bowed politely to Relena before pulling her back into his arms for the next dance. He was not going to let another man, manhandle her. He ground his teeth slightly at the thought of that man pawing Relena as if she were a prize to win.
Milliardo and Treize shadowed Relena for the rest of the dance, Treize releasing his monopoly of the talent for the evening when he caught the looks Milliardo was sending his way. They were a mix of gratitude and irritation. The other men who approached Relena for her hand in a dance were met with steely gazes of warning from Milliardo and Treize.
Later that night, the two men sat around the kitchen table preening their feather like two proud peacocks. Treize afforded Relena an appreciative look when she appeared in the kitchen searching for a mug of chamomile tea to ease the tension from her shoulders. She leaned down to remove her high heels moaning about the burdens of being a woman. She had forgotten the low cut of her dress.
“Treize,” Milliardo’s voice warned as a soft yelp was heard from the older man, the sound of a heel connecting with the nearest appendage making it’s ways to Relena’s ears.
“What,” the slightly buzzed Treize Khushrenada asked his friend while leaning down to massage his throbbing shin, his eyes now firmly planted on the face of his best friend the only man he could really trust.
“Just keep your eyes on hers soldier,” Milliardo whispered for Treize’s ears only, a feral smirk on his face as a blood thirsty gleam entered his eyes.
“Yes, sir,” Treize replied while quietly gulping he knew that look; it was the look which had appeared in Zech’s eyes during battle.
Relena saw the look on her brother’s face and her mind was sent to another time another place, almost a year past. Treize had challenged Milliardo, no Zechs, to a duel, which he accepted. They had proceeded to fight both reaching stalemate, neither gaining any headway. The Gundam pilots had finally intervened, Quatre and Duo to be precise, they had pulled the two men apart. Trowa seeing what Quatre was doing had grabbed onto Zechs as well, aiding the small Arabian pilot. Wufei who had always respected Treize had joined Duo in restraining the aristocratic older man. Treize had tried to reason with Zechs and he had not been gaining any headway so Relena had jumped in. Through their combined efforts they had managed to calm Zechs down, with time Zechs had become Milliardo the gentle and kind Peacecraft prince.
“Relena,” Treize had said rising from his seat to walk to the Princess’s side guiding her to his chair as she shook her head to clear the memories. She smiled at Treize as he busied himself gathering another cup of the brew to give to her.
***
A few weeks later, Relena sat at her desk mindlessly going through her papers, scrawling her signature in all the appropriate places. The excitement of a month ago, still followed her through every moment of the day, she saw the smile on his face, the slight tilt of his lips. Her duty to the people was more important than her lust for Treize. Relena was a diplomat first and foremost. Tonight would be a family dinner, her and Milliardo, and Treize. Her brother’s closest friend.
She glanced shyly at Treize her mothers voice scolding her quietly for the childish behavior she was exhibiting. Her eyes quickly flicked over his attire, taking in every aspect of his god like form in what would be called an indecent amount of staring by the general crowd. Treize glanced covertly at Relena, struggling to hide a soft smile from his face as he took in the attire of the young diplomat. She was dressed in a simple traditional Chinese dress, pure black, and very becoming, her hair had been pulled up into a loose bun for a bit of variety. She wasn’t eating much that night, she was pushing her food around on her plate, she was so engrossed in her little game that she didn’t see the playful wink shared by the two friends. She didn’t realize they were up to something until suddenly she was surrounded on both sides. She saw Treize’s hand dart into her field of vision deftly taking the fork from her hand, she felt her brother’s hands gently turning her head to Treize before she could make any sort of protest.
“Eat up now,” Milliardo whispered in her ear as her jaw dropped and Treize was allowed to deposit the fork’s burden in her mouth. She just sat there dumb founded, her body operating on autopilot, her jaw moving up and down chewing her food.
“Yes Princess, you need to finish your food,” Treize, gently chided, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he stared at her expression of stupidity. He glanced at Milliardo over Relena’s head and shared a secret smile, they had shared a conversation earlier in the day mainly about Relena and they had come to an understanding about the young diplomats feelings.
Relena finally gathered her wits about her and tried to rebel against the two men who were joking with her. First she tried to grab onto the fork in Treize’s hand, her hand darting forward to grab onto his and free the fork, but Milliardo stopped her. His hands stopped her from moving any further forward in her seat, his strong arms holding her in place.
“Uh, uh, uh,” Milliardo said teasingly, “you have to sit and eat your food, little sister, we can do this the hard way or the easy way.” Milliardo whispered into her ear. “You can either let us feed you, peacefully, or we can force feed you.” Treize grinned slyly at Milliardo’s ultimatums to the little pixie that was currently pouting in her brother’s arms.
“Can’t I feed myself,” she whined her arms crossing over her chest as her face turned red with rage and mortification. Treize was seeing Milliardo treating her like a baby and he was helping, the hope in her heart sagged slightly as she considered the reasons for this sudden turn of events. He probably only saw her as a sister type, a girl-child to tease and embarrass at every opportunity.
“No you can’t now which one is it,” Milliardo asked his pouting sister, he was enjoying this game. It was fun to push her buttons, even more fun to play the evil older brother role which had been denied him for so long, he was just making up for lost time. He knew that later once Treize had left she would lie into him heavily, he would certainly be feeling some bruises.
“Fine, I’ll let you feed me, but I’m not a baby, I’m 16 years old I can feed myself,” she huffed as she turned her head to face Treize again. A faint blush stained her pale cheeks as she looked at him; she took in the sly curve of his lips as he smiled at her. He was just enjoying this way too much. I’ll never live this down, she thought in anguish.
“Open up for the plane, Princess,” Treize said softly, a certain light in his eyes that didn’t go unnoticed by Milliardo. He knew what Treize thought of Relena, and he knew Relena shared the same sentiments, maybe even deeper, but he was not going to play matchmaker for the two. When the time came, they would get together or it would be too late, he had yet to reveal the breakup between Treize and the German Amazon to Relena. He was going to make her sweat just a little longer.
***
Later that night, after the mortifying dinner Relena was walking through the drafty halls of the mansion, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her hair was down and it flowed around her, covering her body adding extra warmth. Her black dress allowed her to meld into the shadows, her hips swaying with each step. She glanced around her, looking in each shadow when a noise would echo down the hall. Jumping at each little creek, each little squeak, she almost keeled over when two hands grabbed onto her. One silencing her while the other pulled her against a lean form.
“Shh, Princess, it’s only me,” Treize whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling her senses as her hair shifted around them. He tightened his grasp on her, his hands shifting to encircle her waist. He kissed her neck lightly, his nose resting on the revealed flesh at the nape of her neck, he grinned at her intake of breath. He had read the signs right, she felt something for him, he had a chance.
“Treize,” she whispered after regaining her powers of speech, which his kiss had so suddenly robbed from her. She was day dreaming, it was the only possibility, there was no way he could feel for her. Not the Aryan God who could have any woman he chose, he was a Casanova, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was engaged then the woman would be spilling from his bed. Engaged, the word brought Relena back to her senses and she realized that it wasn’t a daydream it was real.
“What’s wrong,” he whispered when he felt her body stiffen, she had been melting in his arms a moment ago. His mind went over the possible reasons for Relena’s sudden reluctance to fall back in his embrace like so many other women had done before her. He mentally scolded himself when he realized that he had been comparing her to all those others, she was nothing like them she was special. She was a diamond in the rough.
“You’re engaged,” she practically spat, her hatred for the German Amazon, Lady Une, as Milliardo had dubbed her, shining through the words. He could feel her body stiffen even more as she tried to step from his embrace. He could almost hear the cogs working in her mind, trying to think of a way to escape him; he spied the secluded window seat hidden by the heavy sweep of a burgundy curtain. Without a word, he scooped her into his arms, relishing in the feel of her small body pressing against his.
“What are you doing,” she whispered, as she struggled to get out of his arms. Her efforts only resulting in Treize’s arms holding her closer, the soft scent of his Cinnamon and Rose cologne overwhelming her senses. She contented herself to glare at him as he sat her in his lap when he reached the window seat. She tried to worm her way out of his grasp once more but his arms tightened like steel bands, keeping her firmly in place.
“I’m not engaged to her anymore Relena, my father broke the engagement off when he discovered some questionable business her family had been involved in.” He said looking directly into her eyes. His eyes asking her to understand, he was asking her a silent question. She looked back at him in shock. Her shock caused him to sigh; he would have to show her what he meant towards her. He leaned in slightly capturing her lips in his, and they shared their first kiss. It wasn’t soul searing or earth shattering it was a simple chaste kiss a promise of more to come.
“You’re not,” Relena asked dazed and confused, the kiss she had just shared with the man of her dreams was confusing. She had enjoyed the feel of his lips on hers, the light touch, the soft feel, she leaned her forehead against hers. “Why are you here, Treize,” she questioned softly, she just couldn’t help the feeling that this was some sick joke thought up by Milliardo, he had lately become more brotherly towards her.
“Milliardo and I had a little talk earlier today, about you and me actually,” Treize said in his soft and sultry voice. He grinned ruefully as he remembered the discussion he had shared with Milliardo earlier; it had been interesting to say the least. The discussion was certainly not something he would soon forget if he ever did.
“What about,” Relena questioned, curious as a kitten, the soft pout on her lips called to Treize. He had to mentally hold himself back as the urge to kiss her began to over ride his senses. Her proximity was frying his circuits. He leaned slightly away from her, his form already missing the warmth from her body.
“He was being a good older brother, he told me not to play with your feelings,” Treize said, thinking back. “Go near my sister, or show anything more than a friendly interest in her and I’ll have your guts for garters,” Milliardo’s voice repeated in his mind. The look in his eyes still caused shivers to run up Treize’s spine, there had been more to the conversation, but those words had basically summed it up.
“Why would he say anything like that,” Relena’s soft voice broke into his senses. Her soft confused smile brought a soft smile to his face and lightheaded feeling to his heart. She was a diamond in the rough, and she was sitting in his lap, her soft body pulled close to his own and she was staring intently at him waiting for answers.
“Well because, I have feelings for you,” Treize replied, frantically telling his heart to stay in his chest and stop jumping up into his throat. “And he thinks you may have a crush on me,” Treize slowly repeated, be cool, be cool, running through his head like a mantra. He grinned slightly on the inside when he saw her pale cheeks flush at the information he had just imparted on her; she hadn’t pushed him away or laughed condescendingly in his face. She was blushing.
“You have feelings for me,” she squeaked out, her voice barely audible over the trilling noises which could be heard emanating from her throat. He leaned forward to lightly peck her on the nose before pulling back once more fighting the temptation to devour her. “You like me,” she repeated softly more to herself than to him, her eyes glazing over as she smiled in pure bliss. Treize chuckled as he put out a hand to steady her as she leaned back, her balance disappearing in the face of the admission.
“Yes I like you, I take it what Milliardo said is true,” Treize questioned, not waiting for her response before capturing her lips in another kiss. He grinned when he pulled away from her, mirth sparkling in his blue eyes. She chuckled at him, her arms coming to rest around his neck. That night began a tradition of sneaking off into dark corners, stealing quick kisses, and secret glances.
***
Almost five years after the secret rendezvous’ began, Relena sat at her vanity brushing her long golden hair, humming softly to herself. Tonight was her 21st birthday party; a ball in all respects, Milliardo’s new wife, Lucrezia had pounced on the opportunity to throw the ball for her sister-in-law. Milliardo had only been too happy to let, he would do anything to keep Lucrezia happy and away from his hair. She was expecting their first born and was currently going through her nesting period. It had given her something that wasn’t strenuous to occupy herself with.
Relena smiled at the thought, and then she remembered what Treize had promised her during their last secret rendezvous. He had been hiding something from her, the secretive grin that had just kept appearing on his face. She smiled at the picture, which appeared, in her mind of his face languishing in the soft silk sheets of his home. She giggled at the picture after tonight their relationship would be perfectly legal, they could announce it to the world. He was her escort for the event.
Relena was twirling around the ballroom on Treize’s arm her navy dress spinning around her legs as the bodice clung to her every curve. Her hair followed their movements; the soft curls bouncing along her shoulders, playing over the curve of his arms. He was dressed in an immaculate black tuxedo, the red vest underneath adding to the portrait he made. His smile warmed her heart, and the look in her brother’s eyes, a look of acceptance, put wind to her winds as she soared on a cloud of happiness and joy. She smiled softly enjoying the moment, relishing in the feels of her beloved holding her tightly.
She smiled when Milliardo announced the cutting of the cake, though she was surprised when Treize too center stage. She looked at the idiotic grin on his face and her heart sank slightly but then it started jumping up into her throat. She smiled at him in puzzlement while standing next to Noin, the way the other way held onto her arm and the excited look on her face caused Relena to become even more nervous than she had been previously.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to make an announcement,” Treize said clearing her throat. “Relena I have a very important question to ask you,” he said while grinning like an idiot. He motioned for her to join him, his hand extended towards her. When she reached him, he moved down on one knee, as tears began to stream down her face. “Relena, will you make me the happiest man in the world, will you be my wife,” he said producing a small velvet box from his coat pocket. Treize opened the box to reveal a perfectly cut diamond ring, which sparkled in the light from the chandeliers.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Relena said frozen to the spot as clapping resounded through the ballroom, next thing she knew Treize was holding her tightly in his arms. The ring already on her finger as he whispered his words of love in her ear. She just leaned her head on his shoulder, relishing the feel of his arms, and his promise to love her forever.
The End
AN: just something I wrote in answer to a suggestion which was given to me, *g* this was fun.