Work Text:
Here he was again, to rescue her on Christmas Eve, despite the remote location and the once in a century snowstorm currently wreaking havoc. It had turned into a kind of holiday tradition. Some people got Santa Claus sliding down their chimneys. Relena got Heero Yuy sneaking in through the basement to whisk her away from the latest kidnappers intent on using her as leverage for their nefarious purposes.
He’d handed her a parka and a balaclava before pulling her out of the mountain resort turned ransom site and into the raging snowstorm. After strapping her onto the awaiting snowmobile, he’d brought them to a cave he must have scoped out ahead of time. They’d only been out in the blizzard for ten minutes at most, but the wind had thrown so much snow at them that they were covered head to toe by the time they’d reached it.
There was a tarp tied to the mouth of the cave, and it flapped furiously as the winds buffeted against it. Still, it was doing its job and Relena immediately felt the increase in temperature as they entered. An open steel cylinder with a hole on the side was serving as a fire pit, and a sleeping bag was already laid out next to it. If it weren’t for the persistent gusts beating like a drum against the plastic, it might have felt like a cozy camping trip.
“You have to take all that off so you can dry off properly.” Heero, who had already undressed down to his tank top and shorts, yanked down the zipper of her coat and pushed it off her shoulders. “Your collar is wet.” He frowned at her neck, stepping closer before seeming to think better of it and backing away. “Your trousers are soaked, too. Come over to the fire once you’re out of those clothes.” The scant firelight flickered over his features in chiaroscuro, lighting up his sharp cheekbones and leaving shadows over his eyes. Their hair was mostly still dry thanks to the ski masks, if a little mussed, though who could really tell with Heero? His face had filled out some, but he still looked as beautiful and dangerous as ever. It was the kind of fascination and awe others might feel looking upon a glacier floating in the Arctic or a tiger out in the wild. Untouchable.
Relena, left in a soft white camisole and matching underwear, shook herself out of her stare, hurried over to the sleeping bag and crouched by the fire, warming her feet and hands as shivers started to wrack her body. As she rubbed her hands up and down her arms and legs to circulate the heat, Heero surprised her by wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. She tilted her head to try and read his expression; to make some sort of sense of this situation.
“How long have you been here? How did you know I was taken?”
Heero moved closer to the fire and crouched beside her. For anyone else it would be hard to tell given his generally reticent demeanor, but Relena could sense his hesitancy to answer. He seemed deep in thought, as if weighing the words in his mind.
“I was…looking for you.” He finally replied. “Your schedule said you planned to be here for a holiday retreat.” He paused, brows knitting. “It was a coincidence.”
“But the tarp, and the sleeping bag, and the fire pit…?”
“They’re just my camping supplies. Otherwise I would have brought more things you could use.” He glanced down at her and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “You’re still shivering.”
Relena tried to read his face, but it was impassive as always. A coincidence? But she noted the truth that there was really only one of everything. Even the parka was obviously Heero’s size. Hence the slightly open collar when she’d worn it, and the sleeves long enough to keep her hands from freezing.
He pulled out a thermos and poured something out into a cup for her. “It’s warm. You need to hydrate to help regulate your temperature.” The sweet scent of hot cocoa drifted from it, and there was another surprise. “I melted the snow on the rocket stove and used an instant powder, but it’s still got enough sugar and fat to fuel you against the cold.”
After his initial hesitation, it almost felt like he was rambling now. Was he nervous? If anyone should be nervous, it was her. The last time she’d seen Heero was on her birthday, more than six months ago. Her cheeks still burned at the memory of what she’d said to him that day, but right now that heat was welcome. Her face might have been flushed, but the rest of her was still trembling despite the fleece blanket around her shoulders.
“You’re not warming up enough. I’ll close up the sleeping bag. You should get inside it.” Heero leaned behind her to pull the zipper, but she put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“What about you, Heero? You don’t even have a blanket.”
“It’s fine. It’s pretty cold in space. I’m used to it.”
She ran her fingertips from his shoulder down his arm, feeling how ice cold his skin was. His whole body flinched. Had he been holding in his shivers this whole time?
“Heero, even I know that shivering is a natural defense against the cold. The fact that you’re not shaking is actually really concerning. The blanket and the sleeping bag are big enough to share as long as we stay curled up like this.” She grabbed his forearm and pulled him closer, wrapping one side of the blanket around him. The cocoon of heat she had created escaped with the gesture and she couldn’t help but lean against Heero, seeking his warmth to replace it. Another shiver seemed to tremble through him, but he controlled it again, stiffening his muscles. His knuckles tightened around the edge of the blanket. Sitting this close to him, Relena’s eyes were level with his jaw and she saw that it was clenched, the tendons of his neck visibly shifting. “Why are you holding yourself back so much, Heero? It’s okay to be human.” She raised a hand to cradle his face and he shuddered again, shifting his burning gaze to hers. His Adam's apple bobbed next to her open palm as he swallowed and took a slow breath.
“I am human, I know.” He bent down towards her, letting her hand slip from his jaw to his neck. Her fingers clutched at his nape as she felt his breath against her face. His arms came up around her, wrinkling her camisole around her waist as he gripped it. Relena held her breath as his head leaned further still, but he did not bring his face hers. Instead, he rested his forehead against her bare collarbone and released a heavy sigh that blew hotly against her chest. The goosebumps on her skin now weren’t from the freezing chill outside. The cold had vanished into smoke from the embers smoldering between them.
“I didn’t know you’d been taken until I came looking for you. I needed to see you, but the resort was so remote I had to hack into the satellite communications to triangulate your location, and then I overheard a conversation about you. And then it became obvious what it was really about. The storm was a lucky diversion and gave me the cover I needed to get you out unnoticed.” He raised his head and stared into her eyes. “It was a coincidence, Relena. If I hadn’t decided to come find you…” He gathered her closer, pulling her almost into his lap.
“But you did, Heero.” Relena returned his embrace, wrapping both arms over his shoulders. “And I’m safe now thanks to you.” She shifted closer still leaning her forehead against his and catching his eyes with a sincere yet determined gaze. “Will you tell me why you were looking for me? Was it another mission?”
“No, I’ve been trying to find a life beyond that, Relena, like you’ve always encouraged me to. I told myself I didn’t have to fight anymore and I meant it.” His expression was as fierce and passionate as it had been the first time she’d laid eyes on him.
“Tell me, Heero.”
“You’re—“ Uncertainty rippled his brow. “It can wait until we’re out of here,” he hedged. “This isn’t how I wanted this conversation to go.”
“What conversation?” Relena brought her hands to his face and stroked a thumb against his cheekbone. “This storm is meant to go on all night. Please just tell me.”
“For weeks, everywhere I went people were talking about these traditions like Christmas presents and New Year’s resolutions and I,” he paused to brush a lock of hair away from her face and let his hand rest behind her ear. “I got to thinking about what you told me on your birthday.”
Relena let her hands slide off his cheeks and looked to the side. She could feel her ears redden.
“That I was in love with you.”
“No.” She glanced back up at his frustrated tone. “That part I haven’t stopped thinking about. It’s what you said after that, that I was reminded of with all this holiday talk. You told me the best present I could give you, would be to stay. That it was all you wanted.” His hands cupped both sides of her head to hold her gaze on his. “I came here to tell you that I was going to stay. That whatever purpose to life I’ve been looking for is with you.”
Relena’s eyes fluttered, overcome with emotion. Her heart was pounding, and every nerve suddenly felt alive with it.
“Heero.” He kissed her, or maybe she kissed him. It was hard to tell who moved first with how closely they were intertwined. Their lips were chapped from the wind but still tasted sweet from the cocoa. It was everything she had wanted and more.
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m giving you this gift so late,” he said after they’d finally broken apart.
“Oh Heero,” she threw her head back and laughed, tears sparkling like snowflakes on her eyelashes, “It’s Christmas Eve.” She kissed him again, soft and slow. “You’re right on time.”