Title: First Date

Author: Shawny Wong

Disclaimers: The following is my poor attempt at fan fiction. The characters of Gundam Wing do not belong to me. They are the property of Sunrise and other companies. This story is written without their permission, for fan purposes only. This story is mine. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Author's Notes:

This takes place approximately 7 months after Endless Waltz (which would make Relena and the pilots somewhere between 16 and 17 years old). Relena has taken up the task of keeping world peace and restoring the Sank Kingdom. Zechs and Noin are back. Duo and Heero have joined the Preventors. That's all for now. Enjoy!

FIRST DATE: A GUNDAM WING FAN FIC

"Damn it, Heero! Why don't you just ASK her!"

Heero resolutely ignored his partner.

"I give up," Duo grumbled in exasperation. "She LIKES you. If you'd just ask her, I'm sure she'd help."

Heero moved his attention away from his hacking for a moment to glare at Duo, again. "Then YOU ask her," he said emotionlessly.

"I'm not the one that wants to conduct this investigation so badly."

More clicking sounds could be heard from Heero's keyboard.

"You know, it'd be a lot faster just to ASK for the access codes to the Zuess mainframe. You're a good hacker, but even you'll find it difficult to access the files you're looking for. At this rate, it'll be a week before you break in. Even then you'd still have to sneak in to the Central to install another router. Frankly, it's gotta be more trouble than it's worth."

An almost inaudible sound stopped Duo's ranting abruptly. "What did you say?"

"Fine."

"You're... you're actually AGREEING with me?!" Duo's eyes bugged out and his mouth opened and closed like a landed fish. Heero would have laughed at his expression, but he was afraid he'd give Duo a heart attack. 'Maybe it'll be worth it to see her again...' his heart whispered. He ruthlessly cut off that particular line of thought.

"Wow, there's hope for you yet," Duo managed to say, finally regaining some control over his vocal chords. "Or maybe you just want to go see her again, eh? Is that why you were so easy to convince? This is the perfect excuse."

Duo gave him a wink.

Heero repressed yet another urge to gag his loud-mouthed partner with his fist.

"That is not amusing. I have no interest in seeing Relena in any capacity whatsoever." But Heero had to wonder at his own motivations.

Relena sighed, frustrated. "I really hate paperwork," she muttered. Looking at her once neat desk cluttered with all types of forms and documents, she repressed the urge to bang her head against the desk. For the millionth time she wished her brother would take her place as leader, so that she could go back to being just a normal schoolgirl.

'But that's not being fair to him either,' she thought. He and Lucrieza had come back just months after the Marymaya incident. That was all that mattered. In fact, in the last few months, Relena had come to know her brother very well. She had also come to depend on his help and his strength.

'Big brother has done more for me than I ever expected,' she smiled at the thought. She knew that the famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) Milardo Peacecraft, a.k.a. Zechs Marquise, was a big softie at heart. And he loved his sister.

'Well, at least SOMEONE genuinely loves me,' She thought of one dark-eyed, Gundam pilot and sighed again. Shaking her head to clear away the daydreams, she reached reluctantly for the next stack of proposals.

A beep from the intercom on her desk called her attention away from reviewing a bill that the Senate would debate that afternoon. Glaring at the offending object, Relena gave in to the inevitable.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Miss. But you have a visitor."

"Senator Burton? Marian, I thought I told you..."

"No, Miss. It's one of the Gundam Pilots."

Relena paused. This was different. Who would want to see her now of all times? And going through her secretary, too? Wu Fei made his dislike of Marian very clear. If he had wanted to see her, he would have barged in, barely knocking on the door. Duo often spoke to her through vidphone. Besides, they had just spoken that morning. Trowa was away on a mission. Quatre maybe? Or... her heart skipped a beat... could it be Heero?

"Very well send him in." She waited in anticipation.

"I take it this is not a social visit?" she inquired after a moment of awkward silence.

Heero looked at her strangely.

"I have a ... a favor to ask of you." He said slowly. Asking for help was not something he was used to.

Relena blinked, not sure if she heard correctly. "A favor?"

"Can I have access to the Zeuss Mainframe?"

"Why do you ... Never mind, you don't need to tell me," she looked at him thoughtfully. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because you have the authority to grant me access, legally."

"I know that. Why haven't you hacked into the system yourself? I know you, Heero."

"Zechs and Noin designed the security system for the mainframe. They're good." He admitted grudgingly.

Relena resisted the urge to giggle at his disgruntled expression.

"Will you give me access?"

Relena sighed with frustration. 'Geez. The only time he's ever come to see me is because he wants something from me.'

She had stopped pursuing Heero so actively in the last year, hoping against hope that he would come around on his own. But he hadn't even noticed and she had only succeeded in missing him even more. Waiting for Heero to come around was like waiting for hell to freeze over.

She stood and walked over to the window behind her desk. She could see a Ferris wheel spinning in the distance. Spots of color in the vast blue sky marked the balloons small children let drift away. Today was the second to last day of the Sank Kingdom's Spring Fair. She and her advisors were hoping to make this an annual affair, something everyone could celebrate in. After all the wars, the people deserved a little celebration. There was even a carnival!

She wished that she could go. But carnivals were no fun by yourself. And she didn't want to be the third wheel even if she did manage to convince her stubborn brother and Noin to go. Unless ... a mischievous thought came to her.

'Why not?' she thought gleefully.

She turned back to face Heero.

"You know, Heero," she began conversationally. "I COULD give you the access codes and free rein over the Sank Kingdom's main computer system, BUT what would I get out of it? Hmmm?"

Heero looked at her warily. So, she was like all the rest. Strangely, he was disappointed.

"What do you want? Need someone assassinated?"

That earned him a glare that rivaled his own.

"No," she snapped irritably. "I want you to do me a favor in return. A favor for a favor."

"A favor?"

"Yes. Besides if I'm not mistaken, you'd probably feel better if we exchanged favors. I know you don't like owing anyone."

Heero looked at her surprised. It was true of course. How had she come to know him so well?

"What do you want?"

"I want you to take me on a date," she said in a rush.

"A date!?"

For an instant, his ever-present, impassive mask slipped. A touch of panic appeared in his eyes but was immediately crushed.
"Yes, a date. A social situation in which two people go out and have fun," Relena explained patiently.

"I know what those are," he interrupted. At Relena's raised eyebrow, he added defensively, "Duo certainly goes out on enough of them."

"Great! Do we have a deal?"

"Oh, hello Noin," called Relena happily.

Noin blinked. She had come to deliver the schedule for the construction of the new city hall to Marian. She blinked again. Had Relena just DANCED out of her office? And why was she so ... happy?

"Marian, could you please cancel all my appointments for tomorrow?"

"Of course," stuttered Marian. "But WHY?"

'That's what I want to know,' Noin thought in shock. Relena was always so darned SERIOUS about her responsibilities.

"I'm going to play hooky tomorrow," she smiled mischievously at her friends. "You want to know why?"

Two heads nodded vigorously.

"I have a date!"

Noin's face softened at the glow in Relena. It was good to see her truly happy again.

"So how'd it go?" asked Duo curiously as he watched Heero finish running through the obstacle course. Perfectly. Again.

Heero ignored the question and reached for the towel on the seat next to Duo.

"Fine, don't tell me," grumbled Duo. He paused. "Come on, Heero. You can tell me. I'm your partner. You know I'll just find out anyway."

Heero, looked thoughtful. "No."

"That's it!? NO? Don't be cruel, Heero. If there's anything going on. I want to know."

Heero automatically tuned out Duo's ranting. In the dim light, a small smile went unnoticed. Withholding information from Duo was very amusing. Almost like shooting Mobile Dolls in a barrel.

The next day came around much too soon for Heero. As he stood in the foyer waiting for her, he wondered absently why he had agreed so easily to this "date" with Relena. It wasn't as if she had coerced him into it. He could have just... His last thought trailed away as Relena rounded the corner.

'Beautiful.' His composure rattled, he could only stare mutely as Relena spun around for his inspection.

"What do you think?"

She was wearing a pale blue sleeveless sundress with silver embroidery lining the skirt which came just above the knees. Her honey colored hair was tied back in a long ponytail by a matching blue scarf tied in a simple bow that brought out the color of her eyes.

"Come on! Let's go!" Relena pulled Heero out the door.

From behind a closed window, Zechs stood just out of sight of his little sister and her so called "date." He scowled a bit, as he watched Relena cheerfully take Heero's arm.

"I can't believe this!"

"Jealous, Zechs?" asked Noin, who had come to stand beside him.

"Yeah," he said a little sheepish. "I can't believe that the only pilot who's been able to give me any challenge at all is sixteen years old and in love with my sister!"

"True. He just doesn't know it yet."

They both smiled, although Zech's smile was much more sinister. 'Heero won't know what hit him.'

The entrance of the Spring Fair and carnival loomed before them. A large blue banner that read "WELCOME TO THE 1st ANNUAL SPRING FAIRE" in large gold letters swayed gently in the breeze.

"Come on, Heero! Don't be such a slow poke," Relena laughed as she skipped ahead.

Heero looked a little dubiously at his surroundings. There were so many people! Little children ran about underfoot eating cotton candy and playing tag. Teenagers crowded the midway, trying to win the many prizes displayed, or screamed while they rode on all the rides. Their shrieks of laughter (and in some cases shrieks of fear) nearly drowning out the other sounds of the fair: employees tempting people to play at games, the upbeat music that accompanied each ride, and the low, steady hum of conversation. Adults marveled at the display of hand crafts provided by the newly founded Society of Arts and Crafts. The scent of fresh popcorn and cotton candy permeated the air, making more than one mouth water. And everyone was smiling.

Except him. For some reason, he felt more nervous than fighting an platoon of Mobile Suits unarmed. Uneasily, he tried to draw back. He didn't belong here, where there was so much LIFE. He'd only end up disappointing Relena.

"..."

"You want to go on all the rides don't you?" Relena pouted prettily. "There's so much to do today! If we don't hurry we won't get to do ANYTHING!"

She took his hand and proceeded to drag an unwilling Heero in behind her.

'You and I are going to have FUN, if it kills me!' she silently vowed.

Five roller coaster rides later...

Heero found himself beginning to relax, Relena's hand in his. It felt ... natural. Of course the g-forces, velocity, and acceleration on the roller coasters was but a fraction of what he experienced while piloting a Gundam. He didn't understand why his fellow passengers insisted on screaming (and very LOUDLY, too). He barely grunted as they took the loops. But Relena seemed to enjoy it. She ended up clinging to him after every ride. He found that he didn't mind ... that is, it wasn't an unpleasant sensation.

Two water rides later...

Heero was almost completely soaked. Luckily, it was a warm day and his clothes would dry soon. He hadn't thought too much of the ride just by looking at it. Small canoes shaped like logs wound up along tracks to the top of a precipice and plunged down into a shallow body of water. Which of course ended up splashing all the passengers liberally with water. Hence, his current condition.

He wasn't quite as wet as Relena, though. If he had thought she was beautiful before, she was stunning now. Currently, she was trying to wring the water out of her dress without success. Her dress clung to her curves seductively, especially ... He looked away, uncomfortably warm, only to notice more that half the male population doing the same thing he had just been doing, OGLING Relena.

He grabbed her hand possessively, and gave his patented death glare to all of them. To his satisfaction, they all quickly looked away.

"What's the matter, Heero?" asked Relena. 'He looks ready to kill!' She was puzzled but nonetheless pleased to be holding his hand again.

"Nothing," his glare disappeared. "Let's go get something to eat."

Two hotdogs and twenty-three games at the midway later...

Relena was happily carrying a large bag of assorted plush goodies and prizes. (A carnival attendant at the last stand had very kindly provided the bag, just for that purpose.) And Heero was actually smiling.

Well, it wasn't exactly a smile. The corners of his mouth had only turned up an almost imperceptible amount. 'But for Heero, it definitely counts as a smile,' Relena thought resolutely.

He'd won all the prizes, of course.

A little while later...

Relena looked wistfully at the Lover's Tunnel as they walked by. It was just a cheesy boat ride for two, through a tunnel decorated with flowers. It was also the only ride they hadn't gone on. She giggled and decided to put Heero out of his misery. He had been a wonderful date so far. But she didn't want to push her luck.

'There's always next year,' she thought, brightening up.

As the day progressed, Heero began truly enjoy himself for the first time in years. Was this why he hadn't objected more to taking Relena on a date?

He carefully looked back on the last several months.

'I'm at ease whenever I'm with her. And I'm restless, when I'm not,' he finally realized in wonder. He resolved to file away the revelation for future study later.

For now, he was content to watch the girl on the bench beside him sip the last of her lemonade, the pile of prizes at her feet.
He stood up slowly and held out his hand.

"Shall we go?"

Relena looked from his hand to his face and smiled.

"Hey, mister! Come win another prize for your sweetheart!" called man from a nearby booth as they walked by.

Relena blushed at his comment, a little pleased at the endearment, and a little sad she wasn't really Heero's "sweetheart."

"Oh, but I'm not...," she started to correct him.

"Mission acknowledged."

Relena's eyes went wide. "Heero?"

The game was a simple one. The objective was to knock down all three milk bottles from the stand, using just the three softballs provided. Heero lifted one of the balls and tested it's weight.

"These are very light-weight," he frowned.

"That's the challenge," shrugged the man with a wink.

"Acknowledged," Heero gave a slight smirk proceeded to win. AGAIN.

The man's jaw dropped at the speed and power behind, Heero's tosses. He whistled.

"Go ahead and pick a prize."

'I have so many prizes already!' Relena was about to protest, when she suddenly spotted a small teddy bear with a red bow hidden behind a lion. It was virtually identical to the one she had received from Heero almost two years before.

"I want that one."

"Hey, where's Heero?" asked Duo. "I haven't seen him all day."

"Didn't you know?" asked Noin, innocently.

"Know what?"

Duo looked around suspiciously. Noin was looking far too innocent for comfort. He just KNEW something was up. Had Heero been sent on a mission without him?

"I believe Heero had a date."

Complete utter silence consumed the Preventor's control room.

One minute later...

"Duo, it's not healthy to just stop breathing like that."

"I think you should listen to Zechs, Duo."

Two seconds later...

"AARRGHHHHHHHHHHH! How dare that bastard not tell me he was going on a date! I'm his PARTNER!"

"Don't be such a baby, Duo!" said Hilde who had walked in just in time to catch Duo's last scream. "You're just upset because you lost the bet."

"But, Hilde..."

"That ought to teach you not to bet on Heero's personal life," she said with satisfaction. She handed Noin the latest satellite surveillance photos.

"I thought for sure Soldier-Boy wouldn't ever loosen up enough to get a life, let alone a date!" wailed Duo.

"Duo, if Heero ever finds out you started a pool on when he'd go out on a date, YOU won't have a life."

Duo gulped.

The stars were shining overhead as they sat on the beach. After the carnival, they ate dinner at a small concession stand and took a stroll on the beach. Then they talked as they watched the tide come in.

'Or rather, I talked and he listened,' Relena smiled ruefully. 'I wonder why it's so easy for me to bare my heart to him.'

"This day has been perfect. Thank you, Heero, for making my first date, special," she said with uncharacteristic shyness.

'It's my first date, too,' he wanted to say. But being Heero, he didn't.

In the distance, they could hear the clock of a nearby church.

"And the clock strikes 12," quoted Relena. She stood and brushed the sand off her dress. "You're free to go now Heero. Stop by the main office tomorrow to pick up your new access badge. It should be ready for you by then."

Heero hesitated, not sure what to say.

"Thank you, Relena."

Two days later...

"Hey, Heero. You don't have to do that today," said Quatre, as he stopped Heero from reaching for the tool box.

Heero frowned. Wing Zero was due for maintenance and a tune up.

"Why not?"

"Duo has very kindly volunteered to service all our Gundams today," said Trowa with an egnimatic smile.

"He's even going to wash AND wax all FIVE of them for us. Aren't you, Duo?" Wufei smirked.

Duo stared hard at the 100 pound barrel of mobile suit wax labeled:

CURIOUS GEORGE'S MOBILE SUIT WAX
Guaranteed to prevent scratches due to stray bullets and shrapnel!
(Even the Gundam Pilots use it!)

For Best Results: Apply more than one coat.

Then he looked up at the FIVE 17 meter tall Gundams towering above him. 'When did Deathscythe get so LARGE and INTIMIDATING?' he wondered frantically.

"Oh, and Duo?"

Duo looked up hopefully.

"In case you run out of wax, there are four more barrels under the tarp behind my Nataku."

"You'll remember to be gentle when you buff Sandrock, won't you?"

Duo burst into tears.

Passerby winced and intelligently avoided the Gundam's main hangar on that fateful day. It was even said that the wail of a banshee could be heard from a fair distance away.

"WHY ME!"

THE END

MILD SPOILER ALERT!

More Author's notes:

I know that the Gundams were destroyed at the end of Endless Waltz. But for the purposes of this fan fic, lets just say that they weren't. (Evil grin) I couldn't resist making Duo wax all five Gundams. Well, I hope you enjoyed my fic.

EDIT 4/18/08: Fixed typos and formating. (The recent changes to this site made all the scene breaks disappear.) The story remains unchanged.