I give him an intense look as I watch him with a small smile on my mouth. I feel his surprise as he gazes back at me with questions in his eyes. "What?" His slightly curious, yet annoyed question makes me want to laugh. Brusque, and yet somehow seductive- just like my lover...

"You know..." I don't go on, making him wait, anticipate my thoughts. The quiet stretches on as he sits, waiting for me to continue. I sigh, and can't help but to laugh. He is still silent as he stands without speaking, his arms folded across his chest. "You know, any normal person would have asked me 'What?' by now..." He quirks an eyebrow at me, giving me that half-smile that I have grown to love...

"Well, anyway..." I give him a glare that doesn't last very long. His innocent... no, not innocent- seemingly uncaring, I suppose- expression makes it so that he just doesn't seem to think me important at all. But I know how false that impression is. "I was wondering..."

I stop again as I rise from the chair I had been sitting in to circle around him. This time, he deigns to ask me, "What's your problem?" A whole question, not a one word inquiry... he's interested now, I guess. I smile, and stop when I am in front of him. Face to face, I look at him for a moment longer, and then make that gaze into an evaluation of his whole body.

Finally, I look into his eyes again, and then give him a kiss on the nose. He doesn't seem to care- well, I'm used to that. "Hmm... yes, I think that you definitely need..." I go over to the closet. I look inside, and then I shake my head as I close the door behind me.

"I think that this should be top priority on our agenda today." No question from him- he waits for me to go on, as he knows I will. I stretch out the moment to milk as much drama out of it as I can- after all, he's not being particularly communicative himself... "A little shopping is really in order."

He looks at me for a moment, disbelief showing in his face. Finally, he lets down that mask he has over himself, and laughs. "Sh-shopping?" I can't help but to smile as I watch him sit down on the bed... He has a genuine expression on his face. It is an event that is rare, even when we are alone. Each glimpse is a treasure to hold in my memory...

"What? Did you expect me to announce that we were about to go blow up a mobile suit plant or something?" He looks at me with a smile on his face- real this time, not the hesitant one he usually has. "Still, shopping?" I give his body a searching stare, until I see a faint reddening of his cheeks.

"Yes, shopping. How many outfits do you have? I know that I don't have that many- just a few things I've managed to pick up here and there." I walk over to the bed, sitting next to him. I pull at his ever-present green tank top, and then give him a grin. "How many times have I seen you wear this?"

He looks almost- defensive? "Do you really expect me to have time for shopping expeditions?" I smile and give him the answer that I know he dreads. "Well, now you do! Heero, how suspicious can we be? We only have one or two real outfits, not counting things for schools and things like that... we definitely need some more stuff!"

He doesn't protest as I drag him off the bed, and out the door. Still, I can tell that he's not going to be a very cooperative shopping partner. I grin- after all, that's part of the challenge, right?

I stop at the mall entrance, and take a look at the map. "Hmm... Heero, do you think that you're going to need formal clothes?" He gives me a look. "Ah- Ok, maybe not... Hmm- still, jeans and T-shirts are good, right? Comfortable, and easy to do physical things in-" I consult the map for a bit before deciding on a store on the third floor.

"Now, where are those escalators?" I can't help but feel almost giddy as I take Heero's hand. Here we were, together without a mission or any worries. We didn't have to think about killing or death right now... only about what size to get.

Freedom- so this is what it feels like... we aren't the Gundam pilots now- if anyone looked at us, all they would see is one person dragging another through a crowd of people, heading for an elevator... I can't help but smile at Heero as I maneuver us between a baby carriage and an elderly woman.

"Having fun?" He glares at me as an answer, but I just grin back at him in a manic sort of way. I'm having too much fun now, just being a normal civilian... Well, maybe not normal. How many normal guys do you see holding hands and shopping? Well, if not normal, at least harmless... As I walk past a few girls, I can't help but to overhear their conversation.

I glance at Heero, snickering a little. Being Heero, he ignores me and the girls and suffers silently. I tease him a little, smiling and asking, "Jealous?" He looks at me for a moment before he stops. I stop also, looking back at him as he stands, ignoring the crowd. Finally, he steps up to me and touches my cheek for just a second. "Why should I be?"

Then he smiles gently at me, and I can't help but blush under his gaze. I somehow feel he's said so much to me with that one question-answer... We both know exactly how much the other is to us. I smile, feeling even more jubilant. After all, Heero may not be demonstrative, but he can be rather romantic at times...

Still, that doesn't mean that our shopping is going to stop! I finally get us on the escalator and I see the store that I've been looking for. As we enter, the sales clerk looks at both of us for a moment before she comes up to us. "Ah- do you two need help with anything?" I smile at her, and give her a conspiratorial wink. "You see this guy here? He hates shopping with a passion- but he needs new clothes desperately..."

She looks Heero over and gives me a smile, nodding. "I see what you mean- do you need my help, or-" I shake my head. "Don't worry, miss. I'll call you over if I need anything." She nods, and turns away as I look at the store with a bit of glee. "Heero, that shirt would look really nice on you-" Soon, I have over 10 things that I want him to try on...

"Come on! It's only a dressing room, you know..." He gives me a long-suffering sigh, and follows me into the cubicle. I can't help but think of how much he must love me, to do this for me, and that makes me smile even more. "Now, why don't you try this one on?"

I watch as he strips quickly and tries one of the jeans on. "Black is usually my color, but those look nice on you-" He doesn't seem to care, and just waits as I go around him, seeing how it fits. "Yeah, those are just your style... Hmm- try on this shirt with it."

Heero puts on the tight white T-shirt that I've handed to him, and I smile. "Very nice..." He stands and models the other clothes as well, until I'm satisfied. "Keep those pants, and that T-shirt." He nods and asks me as he dresses, "So, we're done?" I laugh.

"Done? We've only gone to one store! How could you expect us to be done? You need new shoes, and another kind of clothes-" He looks at me, exasperated. "Fine! But first, I'm going to do to you what you did to me-" Taking my hand in a strong, but somehow gentle grasp, he pulls me out of the dressing room.

"You wear too much black... How about another color?" Somehow, Heero is smiling... somehow, he's happy with this, and he's actually letting it show. I laugh, and then let him tyrannize me just like I had done...

"Ooh... why didn't you tell me shopping was such hard work?" Heero's moan comes up from our bed as he sprawls on it. He is wearing the new outfit we had bought at the first store- tight black jeans with a white T-shirt that makes him look both older and yet, more vulnerable. I like the way he looks in those...

I glance at him, crumpled onto the bed. "You can't be telling me that you're tired from a few hours of walking, right? The great, indestructible Heero Yuy, tired from that?" I lie down next to him, and I tap his nose with my index finger. Looking into his eyes, I whisper, "I seem to have found your weak spot..."

Suddenly, he's on top of me. "Really? Then I have yours, too..." He undresses very quickly, tossing the brand-new clothes to the floor. I protest a little. "Heero! We just spent so mu-" Cut off with a kiss... I wish all of my arguments were answered that way. "Forget the clothes already!" I listen for once.

---Finis---