Author: Alana Winters
Warnings: AU, cross-dressing, fluff, humor, OOC, yaoi/yuri
Pairings: 2xH (ack! don't kill me!), 3x4, 2+1, eventually becomes 2x1
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: If I owned Gundam Wing, yaoi would be rampant throughout the anime and it would probably focus alot more on emotions than on war... Anyway, I blame fabulous cross-dressing fics like Akuma's 'Cross My Heart' and 'Confusion of the Heart' for this fic idea that wouldn't leave me alone. Enjoy!!
There Goes the Bride Prologue
Looking back on everything, Heero supposed it could all be blamed on the wedding. After all, it was because of the wedding that Hilde had to have a Maid of Honor and since it was a wedding the Maid of Honor was supposed to wear a dress, right? And the dress was responsible for certain misconceptions everyone had assumed about him, misconceptions he had been too embarrassed to correct at the time. But if you blamed the wedding, then you would also have to blame the bride to be.
So actually, Heero guessed it could all be blamed on the bride and the ridiculous promise she extracted from him that late winter day...
[late winter]
"Aw, please Heero?"
"NO! Absolutely not! No way, no how, N-O, NO!"
Hilde Schbeiker pouted, thrusting her generous ruby lips forward in her classic pose for coaxing cooperation out of her unwilling target. Her eyes became a little shiny, as if she was on the verge of crying.
The unfortunate recipient of her wiles gulped nervously, but attempted to ignore the manipulative woman as he tried to attractively trim the rose bush before him. His hands encased in garden gloves to help protect against the plant's thorns, he expertly moved the clippers amongst the foliage, trying to train and shape the bush to be more aesthetically pleasing.
Not daring to face the full force of beseeching eyes being focused entirely on him, Heero kept his face averted as he murmured, "Don't even try that Hilde. It's not going to work this time. There is no way even you could convince me to do that for you."
"But Heero," she wheedled, "I need a Maid of Honor and you're my best friend! What's more natural than having my best friend as my MOH?"
"I don't see anything wrong with that," Heero began to reply, still pruning away.
"Good, then you'll do it?"
"Except," he continued, ignoring her interruption, "for the fact that one, I am not female and two, there is no way you can convince me to wear a dress!"
"Aw Heero, c'mon! It's not like you're going to be seen by anyone that you know! I don't think you've met anyone else at the wedding, heck I know you haven't even met my fiancé yet, so no one will know that you're really a guy!" Hilde thought for a moment before adding, "Well, no one except for me and Wufei that is."
Heero shuddered at the lawyer's name and said, "That's reason enough right there. He'd never let me live it down."
"Heero..."
Hilde's voice suddenly changed from wheedling to a sad tone. At the abrupt change Heero unconsciously raised his head up to glance at his best friend's slightly dejected face. Hilde's face was angled down at the counter top, her eyes diverted away from the boy standing across from her. "I just wanted my friends to support me on this day and you and Wufei are all I have. Since Wufei can't come I was hoping at least I'd have someone by my side to share in this day. My side of the church is going to be embarrassingly empty anyway. Almost all of the guests are friends of Duo's."
"Hilde..." Heero's voice trailed off, torn between comforting his friend by giving in to her demands and maintaining his male pride.
Smiling brightly, Hilde raised her head and offered cajolingly, "Tell you what, if you do this for me I'll let you run the shop all by yourself for a full week!"
Heero snorted and resumed his pruning. "I'm going to be doing that anyway while you're gone on your honeymoon since you ran off the last of the help you hired."
Hilde made a face and replied, "Can I help it if the ditz didn't know the difference between a carnation and a chrysanthemum? It's not my fault she never bothered to study the picture guide I gave her."
"Hn," was Heero's only reply.
"Look Heero, you do this favor for me, this itty bitty teensy weensy favor, and I'll... I'll... let you have three weeks of paid vacation."
At this offer, Heero's interest was genuinely piqued and he looked at Hilde's sincere face as he considered the offer. "Anytime I want it?" he asked.
"Well, anytime except during May and June," she hastily added.
Heero nodded to himself, after all, May and June were the busiest times of the year for the flower shop. Dance season and graduation month. Heero weighed his options carefully. On one hand, he would have to sacrifice his male pride and pretend to be a woman for the ceremony and the reception, an act that really didn't bother him too much solely due to the fact that he wouldn't really know anyone at either function. But on the other hand it was still cross-dressing.
However, he had been wanting to take an extended vacation for a long time, but hadn't been able to afford to take off a lot of time what with his rent due every month, tuition from the university due every semester (an astronomical amount even with his substantial grants), everyday bills, and the fact that Hilde could never manage to keep help hired longer than two weeks, he had never been able to seriously consider it. Three weeks of paid vacation would be more than enough for him to visit Earth for a good long trip, especially his home country of Japan. Also, it was a favor for Hilde and she was his best friend... his only friend.
The twenty one year old man didn't really have time for much of a social life. Between working a full time job at Hilde's Flowers and his full time schedule at the University, Heero usually had no spare time to spend meeting new people and making friends. Hilde was different because they had grown up together at the same orphanage, had known each other their entire lives. She knew all of his faults just as he was privy to all of hers. And it wasn't like she was asking him to do something dangerous or illegal... just...
Heero sighed to himself as he realized he had just talked himself into doing Hilde the favor. Setting his pruning shears down, he faced the hopeful German girl and said with a serious expression, "No ruffles, no lace, and no PINK!"
Hilde's face burst into a beaming smile and she hastily nodded her head in agreement. "Sure, no problem Heero. The dress I picked out was already an apple green anyway and it doesn't have any ruffles or lace on it. Oh, thank you so much! I knew I could count on you!"
Hilde flew around the counter to give her friend a strong hug. Then bounding away she flew into a frenzy, cleaning up the mess in the workroom. Heero blinked after her for a brief moment before speaking, "Eh, what are you doing, Hilde? I'm not done for the day."
"Oh yes you are, Heero! We're closing up early and I'm taking you shopping!"
"Shopping? For what?" he asked, perplexed.
"For clothes silly! You need a lot of things if you're going to be a Maid of Honor. You can't just wear the dress over your favorite pair of spandex!"
Heero gave her an adorably confused look and said, "I can't?"
"Nope! We're going to have to go shopping for undergarments, makeup, jewelry, accessories, other outfits, cocktail dresses, day dresses, and shoes..."
As Hilde continued to rattle on, her list growing longer by the second, Heero's eyes also grew larger with each mentioned item. Interrupting her diatribe, he hissed, "What do you mean my other outfits?"
Hilde gave him an impish look and said, "Oh, didn't I mention it before? As Maid of Honor you have to attend all of the pre-wedding functions too, like the rehearsal dinner, and rehearsal, the wedding planning sessions, you know, the works! After all, you can't show up to all of them as a guy and then show up at the wedding as a girl!"
Heero's face had drained of all color by this point and his mind was going into shock as he realized just how many times he was going to have to dress up as a girl. A little voice in his head started to whimper, "Why me?"
Noticing the glazed look coming over his eyes, Hilde scowled and said, "You gave me your word, Heero. No backing down now!"
Heero shook of his shock with a major concentration of effort and just glared at her. "Fine," he replied. "But you better not ask me for any more favors for a long time!"
"Well," she asked cheekily, "only one more."
"Nani?!" he sputtered, accidentally slipping into his native dialect of Japanese.
Hilde smirked and answered, "You're either going to have to wear a wig or grow out your hair. You have enough time to grow it out to your shoulders since the wedding is actually five months away, but a wig will do too. After all, I think your hair is cute the way it is now, but no one's going to believe a girl has hair that short and unruly!"
Heero merely raised his eyebrow as his own gaze fell upon Hilde's short crop of hair. Hilde noticed where his eyes were resting and she chuckled nervously while raising her hands to hide her dark locks. "Um, just trust me on this okay?"
Heero snorted again as he mumbled under his breath, "The things I do for friendship. At least Wufei won't see me dressed as a girl since you said he wasn't going to the wedding."
"Well, actually he has to know so he doesn't blow your cover. After all, he's going to be attending the pre-wedding planning sessions as my lawyer and legal advisor."
Heero shook his head in resignation as he said, "This just keeps getting worse and worse. At least only you and Wufei will be privy to my embarrassment."
Hilde started edging for the door, stopping to grab her purse as she continued to walk out. Her nervous laughter was Heero's first tip off and he directed the full force of his glare at his best friend. "Hilde?" he asked warningly, "Is there something ELSE you haven't told me?"
"Um, only that Milliardo and Treize will be there too so they have to know but finish up your work in here and I'll be waiting for you outside so we can go shopping!" Hilde said in one breath, bolting out of the workroom door on her last word.
It took a moment for Hilde's rushed words to seep into Heero's mind, but he eventually understood what she had just said perfectly. Slipping into his native Japanese, something he only did when he was upset or surprised, Heero chased after his best friend. "Hilde, OMAE O KOROSU!"
[back to present]
So yes, now that he thought about it, Heero agreed that all of the blame for the mishaps and adventures that had ensued five months later could be laid at the bride's feet. If not for her, he probably would have never gotten involved with the wedding or the trouble that occurred after the doomed ceremony. And he certainly would have never pretended to be a girl for over five months or have met Hilde's intended and the group of friends that came with him.
But then again, he also would have never met his fiancé or become this happy and in love either.
With that thought, Heero curled against the warm form next to him, seeking warmth and reassurance. One large hand, containing such iron strength but capable of such endearing gentleness, slowly lifted to stroke softly down Heero's back. A strong arm slithered around Heero's waist, pulling him closer to the warm form sharing the bed, a movement that Heero happily complied with.
Laying his head down on the bare chest of his lover, his fingers idly played with a loose strand of his lover's hair, twirling it this way and that in his hand. A simple white gold band dotted with tiny amethysts and sapphires caught the candlelight, winking back at its bearer from its place of honor.
From his reclining position, Heero could feel as well as hear his companion as he asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh," he answered, "just about tomorrow and the last wedding I attended. I hope in this one the 'bride and groom' actually get hitched."
The hand around his waist tightened almost imperceptively as his lover replied, "They'd better. I would hate to see a repeat of that doomed ceremony, especially at tomorrow's wedding."
Heero softly uttered his agreement as his lover's hand lifted his head to kissable access, his eyes closing as they shared a loving and reaffirming kiss.
TBC...
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