He watched her movements with more than an idle interest. She was quick,
brisk, and rapid with her movements, but was not clumsy in her haste. Why was
he thinking about how quickly she moved, how her hands were strong yet gentle
as she worked? She looked up and snapped, "Stop staring and hand me more
bandages! He's still bleeding heavily!"
Silently he handed her another roll of cotton gauze bandages and watched as
she wrapped them around his friend's arm neatly. "The bleedings slowing;
the blood is clotting now. You'll be all right." Turning away form her
patient, she started to clean her area; washing her tools and throwing away
bloodied bandages and dirty water. "Someone needs to take Heero's gun
away," she raged as quietly to him, as he helped her clean up. "He
almost killed Duo that time. They were drunk, weren't they? Thank God you
weren't and had the sense to get him here. They're soldiers, I should be
treating them for battle wounds, not wounds given in drunken brawls!" She
slammed her bag shut and her blue eyes softened as she looked up at him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be yelling at you. I'm glad you brought Duo here,
he would've been a lot wore off if you hadn't." He could've taken Duo to
the hospital ten minutes closer to the bar where he had been hurt, but for some
reason he had come here. He accepted her praise and apology with a brusque
movement. "Duo, just rest and let the drugs start working. You'll be able
to go home tomorrow." The braided youth nodded dizzily and closed his eyes
with a soft sigh, partly from pain and partly from the hangover that was
kicking in.
As they walked out of the hospital, she said with a wry smile, "Figures
Duo would be the one to get shot. What were they fighting about?"
"Gundams," he answered shortly. Why the hell was just watching her
smile making his blood rush fire through his veins and his head dizzy? Only
weaklings felt such emotions!
"You didn't join in about Nataku?" she asked, laughing at him from
behind those blue eyes that always seemed to be laughing at him.
"No. I was helping Winner. He can't hold his liquor," he informed
her. He couldn't tell her he hadn't been paying attention to the fight that he
had been thinking of her for reasons he couldn't fathom.
"Quatre will have a hangover in the worst way tomorrow. How much did he
drink?"
"One and a half cans of beer." Shit, just focusing on her lips as
she spoke was making him half-mad with-desire? No, he did not desire this
woman; he was too strong for this!
"That's it? Usually he makes it to two before he passes out."
"I think he had a glass of wine at dinner."
"Speaking of dinner, did you eat? I didn't-I didn't eat last night
either, come to think of it." She laughed at herself.
"Stupid Woman, you'll make yourself sick if you don't eat properly,"
he chided her. Why did he care if she got sick? She wasn't important to him in
the least.
"If you didn't eat do you want to join me? Or you can just come and
watch me eat," she offered. Was she laughing at him? It was always so hard
to tell.
"I'll join you," he answered shortly.
"Good, I've been dying to try out this new Chinese restaurant, but I
feel stupid going by myself," she stopped at her car and threw her bag in,
then asked curiously, "How did you get here? You walk everywhere, but
you're not quite so fond of Duo as to carry him here." She laughed dryly
at the thought of him carrying Duo across town.
"Rode the bus. I think I gave the busdriver a heart attack when I
pulled out my katana and told him to drive faster." Why was he going with
her? He could just go back to his apartment and read or mediate. Suddenly
dinner seemed more appealing.
She laughed again, "You used your katana in the defense of Duo?"
"He was bleeding on my shirt," he defended himself, but he
couldn't stop his lips from curving into a smile as he thought back on the
scene.
She glanced at him; "I didn't notice the bloodstain. Do you want to
grab a shirt from one of the nurses' uniforms? Or do you just want to forget
the whole dinner thing?"
He thought of the nurses' uniforms-ghastly bottle-green one-size-fit-all
things. "Um, I think I'll just get my own shirt."
Her face fell, "Oh, well you need a ride and I have a car." she
gestured to the car. "I can give you a lift."
"Thanks," he accepted and climbed into the car with her. He was
insane, she had just offered him a way out and he had ignored it. It was not a
good idea to be in the car with her, not with all these odd feelings he was
having towards her. Especially not when just listening to her careless chatter
and easy laughter was making his blood pound.
As they neared his apartment building he said, "I suppose I should
repay you for the ride and for making you go out of your way. If you'll come up
to my apartment, we can order Chinese."
Her surprise showed on her face. He had never invited her anywhere,
certainly not his apartment. "Listen Woman, I'm offering you a free
dinner. If you're smart you'll accept."
"Fine." she accepted with as little grace as he had offered the
invitation, not that he expected any more. They had always had an odd
friendship, now it was being strained by the fact that he had all sorts of
weird feelings tumbling about in his mind and she-well she had always been more
friendly and open to him then he had ever been to her.
"Damn it." he cursed bitterly as they entered the building. It was
dark and the elevator buttons didn't light up when he pushed them. "The
building didn't pay the electric bill again. We have to walk. Fortunately, I
live on the second floor."
"Still moving in?" she inquired dryly as they entered his
apartment. Boxes were scattered around the living room and a box sat on the
kitchen table.
"Yes. Unlike you, I did not have three months to find an apartment and
move in. I had three days. Which is why I'm in this God-damned building with
couples that fight and 'make-up' every night, parties where people pass out in
the elevator and druggies and old women who think you're going to rape them and
scream for help when you walk by." he ground his teeth in irritation,
remembering the slap that the 'nice, sweet old lady' next door had given him
that morning.
"Well, if you hadn't been so loud about saying how women needed more
time to relocate because they were so much more emotional about moving, then
they would've given you your relocation orders the same time as me," she
retorted.
He stared at her. She always managed to beat him in these verbal battles.
That was one thing that intrigued him about her-what was he thinking, this
woman didn't intrigue him. She was an annoying, pesky nuisance and he had been
insane to invite her to his home. But if she was so annoying, then why was the
way she was flipping her hair over one shoulder fascinating him. "I'll
order the food if you want to go change your shirt and try to get that blood
out of it."
"What? Oh yeah." He wandered back to his room, cursing vilely as
he tripped over yet, another box.
"No, you idiot, I said four eggrolls, not four tacos! Are you a Chinese
place or a Mexican place? Yeah, I thought so. What! You asshole!" he
watched her conversation with interest then smiled as she slammed the phone
down. Turning to him, she said furiously, "That asshole asked me out! Said
he liked women who picked fights!"
"He wouldn't like the fights this women picks," he smirked at her.
Strange, he did not like the thought of her dating anyone. Not at all. And he
should be glad to get rid of her, seeing as she was a nuisance and all.
"Don't be a smart-ass. Why don't YOU call and see how much success you
get with the jerk of the century?" she handed the phone to him.
"Hello? Do you remember the irritated woman you spoke to before?"
he turned away from her outraged face. "You do? Good! Now I'd like the
same thing she ordered-what? No, I'm not her boyfriend, actually I'm her
father. And she told me exactly what you said to her. So I'd like this meal
free of charge to repay what you said about my daughter. Yes, she even told me
about you asking if she had a hot ass. Thanks!" he hung up and smirked at
her.
"You just called yourself my father?" she snorted with laughter.
"Who knew you had such a sense of humor? Did you get the meal free?"
"Yes. And I have a lot of talents you don't know about," he
informed her.
"Such as?"
"I don't know. I have the feeling you know a lot more about me then you
let on."
"I do."
"What do you know?"
"That you read romance novels," she grinned evilly as she held up
a paperback dimestore romance novel.
"HEY! THAT ISN'T MINE! GIVE IT TO ME!" he yelled and reached for
it.
"You'll have to catch me first," she taunted and raced out of the
kitchen.
"ONNA!" he yelled, running after her. There wasn't far she could
run in his small apartment and eventually he caught her in the family room.
"Ha, now give me that book!"
"No way! I'm going to show it to Duo tomorrow! I'm sure he'll need a
good laugh once he remembers what Heero's done!" she laughed.
"If you even dare-,"
"So it IS yours then!"
"WHAT? ONNA!" he yelled and tried to yank the book out of her
hands.
"Hey, now you have to pay for that," she said and started to
tickle him.
"Hey! No fair! INJUSTICE! Stop!" he gasped out between fits of
laughter.
"Un-uh," she laughed. God, even the way her eyes crinkled up when
she laughed made him think about-what was wrong with him? He couldn't be
falling for her!
"Got you!" he cried, and grabbed her arms. She struggled and they
tripped over a box and fell crashing to the ground.
She shook with laughter underneath him. "Who knew that you could loosen
up like this?" she gasped. "Everyone thinks you're an arrogant sexist
and you read paperback romances!"
He wasn't interested in getting the book back anymore. What he was
interested in was the way her eyes were laughing at him and the fact that he
desperately wanted to kiss her. She stopped laughing as his eyes met hers.
"Do you think you could get off me?" she murmured.
"What?" he was lost in the thoughts of what it would be like
kissing her.
"I said, do you think you could get off me?"
"Yeah, sure." His eyes glittered, "But first I'm taking that
book and burning it."
She held it out of reach and smiled, chanting the children's rhyme,
"Missed me, missed me, now you have to kiss me!"
"Very well." And he did.
The doorbell rang suddenly and he lifted his head from hers. She laughed
shakily, "That must be the food."
"I'm not very hungry anymore," he whispered.
Her eyes met his, "Me either."
"Want to forget the food?"
"Mmm-hmm," she murmured, drawing him closer for another kiss.
Maybe he was falling for her after all…
~Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Gundam Wing, so don't bother suing me!~
~Note: I wrote this when I was really hyper, so forgive me if it's not very
good. Send me your comments!~