AN: This is the response to a challenge my friend Ali presented me with ... she bet me I couldn't write shounen-ai, and *then* she suggested I use a list of obscure, random words in the fic ... Never one to back away from a challenge, I accepted, and the result is this ...
BECAUSE I LIKE YOU (1x4)
"You don't think so?" I asked.
"I'm sure of it," Heero said decisively. "The candles must be in memory of his wife."
"I don't know," I replied skeptically as I leaned out of Sandrock's cockpit. "Erm, wrench?"
He handed me the wrench in the toolbox at his feet, then lazily stretched out on the steps on the rolling platform we'd set up by the cockpit. "There's a small plastic Nataku right by the candles," Heero observed pointedly. "There's no way it could be a shrine to Sailor Moon."
I shrugged, and pulled my goggles over my eyes as I unhinged one of the panels from above me. Had to be careful for falling debris. "If you say so. But I really think he's got it bad for Usagi."
"Either that or 'Tro-Tro'," Heero muttered.
I doubted that, but didn't say anything. Instead, I just returned the wrench, and quietly asked for the pliers.
"Needlenose?"
".... no, um, wirecutter," I replied. I thought my voice was even softer than usual, but I couldn't tell because it echoed all around the tiny space of the cockpit. A firm hand, grasping a set of pliers, appeared in the doorway, and I absently took the tool into my own slim fingers. I set about the task of tearing out the faulty wiring.
I knew I didn't have to do this. I knew there were people who would bend over backwards and kiss my feet and do this for me. I also knew there were plenty of other ways I could waste my time, but I liked to come out here. It made me feel like I was just like any of the rest of the pilots, working on my own mobile suit, spending some time bonding with it instead of just piloting it. And ... and Heero helped me.
Oddly enough I think I enjoyed that the most, the fact that Heero would come out here with me and show me what I was doing wrong, or hand me tools, or just sit and do nothing. He didn't talk very much, but that wasn't too terribly important. Just that he'd spend the time with me was reward enough.
"Hey," he grunted, "you doin' okay up there?"
"Um," was all I could say, "I don't know. I think ... I don't think so."
And the next thing I knew, he was crawling through the portal to meet me in that tiny, dark space. My heart must have jumped about a mile. His toned form blocked most of the light from outside, causing the few tiny display lights to cast an eerie blue glow on the side of his face. I could feel the warmth that his body radiated, he was so close to me; I could almost feel his breath on my neck. "What seems to be the problem?"
I fumbled for words. "Um," I replied oh-so-coherently. "That ... that thing." I indicated an orange light that had begun blinking erratically. "That never came up before, I swear I don't remember it being there."
Heero peered at it in the half-light, his body brushing against mine so that he could get a closer look. "A Geiger counter?"
I could only shrug. "I swear it wasn't there before," I insisted.
"Got me," he answered. "Nothing like it on Wing. But ... no, I don't think it's a Geiger counter. I have no idea." He made no move to leave; instead, he began inspecting the other display lights.
I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't trust that I could do the job right, or if there were ... other reasons ... he might not leave. I silently hoped he wanted to stay with me in that small dark space, as though such a thing were even possible for the stoic Heero Yuy. That hope only magnified with each moment that he stayed in such close proximity to me, and my breath grew shorter as the blood left my face and traveled ... elsewhere.
"Hey, you got a marker up here?" he asked casually, his face directed at one of the lights above his head.
Of course not, I wanted to tell him, but then I knew he would leave and go get a stupid marker and probably not come back.
"Um. Quatre?" he asked, more out of impatience than concern. "Marker?"
"N-not up here," I answered feebly. I could not tell him what was on my mind, and I wished for the courage to do so.
For a moment it seemed he could only stare at me, his hard blue eyes holding nothing but confusion as the reflected light played across his stern features. Even with his brow furrowed impatiently, he looked so beautiful, so determined, where I was only helpless and caught in his gaze like a deer in the headlights. "What?" he asked.
What, indeed, Heero, as if I could've really told you that I wanted you to hold me in your strong arms and never let me go. As if you would've believed me if I told you that I wanted nothing more at that moment than the courage to kiss you.
"It's nothing," I murmured. And he shrugged, and stepped out of the doorway, and I amazed myself by calling to him. "Heero -"
Halfway out of the cockpit, he stopped, and glanced expectantly at me, blue light reflecting off his eyes so I didn't have to look at his pupils and see him staring at me. I swallowed and licked my dry lips and felt my heart go into orbit just before I spoke, and I wasn't even sure if the words were mine. "Heero, no, it's ... it's not nothing. I ... I just wanted to, I guess, thank you for coming out here with me and helping me because I know you don't have to do it but it's a good thing that you do here, and ..."
"And?" he prompted.
Did he really want me to say it out loud?
I bit my lip and felt my own brow furrow as I tried desperately to gather my thoughts. "And well, I was just wondering why you kept, er, spending this time with me."
"Well," he began, "it's not for my health, that's for sure."
I couldn't place what he meant by that.
"I do this 'cuz I like you," he said simply, and his tousled brown head disappeared from sight as he ducked out of the cockpit.
He liked me? I pulled off my goggles and work gloves, and with a head full of reasons, tumbled out of the tiny space to where he sat on the platform just outside. "You like me?" was all I could ask, incredulously.
"Yeah." He shrugged. "Don't make a big thing of it. You thought there was some other reason?"
I could only blink several times, trying to put truth to his odd logic. "I didn't know," was all I said, softly, still finding it hard to believe. "I ... thought you liked Relena."
His mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide. "Her? She's ... nuts."
"Nuts?"
"Couldn't you tell? She's like a platypus on crack, half the time, and the worst part about it is that she actually believes she's sane." He actually chuckled softly. "No, I'm not interested in Relena."
Maybe not interested in Relena, but I could not fathom the possibility that Heero Yuy could actually be interested in *me*. Wow.
And as if he could hear my thoughts, to confirm his statement, he wrapped one strong arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side. I couldn't even think about quieting my heartbeat, I thought the muscle fluttering rapidly in my ribcage would just about explode at that point.
But Heero's spare hand flew to my head, and held me against his shoulder in an effort to calm me. "You're shaking," he said matter-of-factly. "Don't."
"I can't help it," I heard myself mumbling, "it's just you're so ..."
"Don't worry about it," he told me, so softly I could barely believe it was Heero's voice. And yet it *was* Heero's voice, and it was Heero's arms around me, and Heero's hand on my face, and soon enough it was Heero's lips quieting me with their tender touch on mine.
As he pulled away I felt my eyes widen.
"There," he said solemnly. "Now you know, and you don't need to be so nervous."
"I'm not nervous," I replied, the tremble in my voice contradicting my words.
"Then-"
"HEY!"
I looked down to the voice that had interrupted my - my Heero; his head turned also and I felt his arms fall from me. He looked at the source of the voice to find Duo standing at the base of the platform, several yards beneath us.
"What?" Heero asked gruffly, slipping on his usual demeanor.
"Well, not that I meant to interrupt anything," - Duo cleared his throat -"but I just wanted to tell you two that we're all gettin' some pizza and I wanted to find out how much we needed to get. So like if you guys wanted any or anything we could get you some, but I can see that you're just about to eat, so maybe I should come back later or something, if then it wouldn't be too terribly inconvenient for you."
I wasn't sure about Heero, but I wasn't just about to eat anything....
"What're you getting?" Heero asked brusquely.
"Pineapple," Duo shouted up.
Pineapple?
"Uh, no thanks," Heero replied.
"Well all we's gots left is peanut butter, but ya know maybe you two would find that way more fun than any of our oh-so-gross pineapple pizza. After all, we're out of bread, and I'm sure you both could think of some pret-ty interesting ways to make yourselves some peanut butter sandwiches even when we're out of bread. So if *that* seems like an option you'd both like then I could definitely send 'Fei in with a couplea jars a' peanut butter for ya!"
"Heero," I whispered, "what's he talking about?"
"Ignore him. He's an idiot," Heero told me, then turned his attention back to Duo. "Go away!"
"Ah-hah, I see how it's gonna be," Duo continued rambling. "Y'all are just gonna ignore the *straight* guy at the bottom of the stairs, 'cuz ya know *he* couldn't *possibly* understand any of this that's goin' on up *there*, up in that COCK-pit -"
"Omae o korosu!" Heero shouted.
"Right, right, I'm already gone. I'm gone five minutes ago. I'm even gone yesterday. I didn't see a single thing that happened here. In fact, what happened here? I don't even know. There's nothing to see here. Nothing to see and nothing to do. So I'm a just leave this ... empty hangar ... hangar which is empty ... except for the Gundams ... "
Thankfully Duo closed the door behind him.