Disclaimers:
I don't own the rights to Gundam Wing. I *wish* I did, but when has ever it mattered what I want?
This fic used lyrics from the song "Chained to You," which is property of Savage Garden and their affiliated labels. It's from their Affirmation CD, which is really sweet. If you ever have the chance, get it! You won't be sorry!
Oh yeah, and any characters that are not property of Gundam Wing and its associated companies are property of Saka-chan, Inc. (i.e., ME!!)
Before we start, I just want to remind you that this fic does not follow the original Gundam Wing plot, it is in an Alternate Universe. The boys are just normal teenagers, in a normal high school, dealing with normal teenage stuff. They've never been soldiers, or killed anyone, etc. Bear with me, folks, as I try to put the boys into a setting that many of us have had to face before. Or if you haven't faced similar problems, the gods have obviously smiled upon you!
Season of Change
The Winter Social dance. Somehow my then-girlfriend, Relena, convinced me to take her. Despite the fact that she knows that I despise dances. Always have, and probably always will. The reason? I can't dance. I was born with two proverbial left feet.
Even so, after begging me to go with her for three weeks, I finally caved in and agreed to go. I mean, it *is* our senior year of high school. And I couldn't take her to Homecoming because she came down with the flu. She missed a week of school, and bitched for about a month afterwards.
The social dances are casual; nevertheless, Relena dressed me up more than I was used to. The week before the dance, I was her weekly project, her Ken doll, so to speak. Everyday after school, we would find a different store to raid, to find for me the Perfect Outfit. The Perfect Outfit for the Perfect Boyfriend, she would say.
Finally, the day before the dance, we had everything ready. She came over two hours early, just so she could "enhance my perfection." She sculptured my thick, nearly black hair to a mess of impeccably patterned spikes. Normally, I just get up and go to school. But no, for a night out, I have to look Perfect!
Dark blue silk shirt, white undershirt, black Dockers, and black dress shoes. Much the divergent from my normal outfit of blue jean shorts, black Vans, and any clean or clean-looking shirt I could find in my stank pit of a room.
We entered the school cafeteria, filing through the mass of mainly freshman and sophomores, heading toward the dance floor. The first song was a fast one, something by one of those cookie-cutter boy bands. As they always played at school dances. Again, something Relena knows I hate with a passion. I'm more into punk and metal, like Green Day and Sevendust.
Still, I danced with her, her expertly shaped blonde curls bouncing off her shoulders as she moved to the wild beat. Her finely applied make-up sparkled in the twinkling light of the mirrored ball hanging in the middle of the cafeteria ceiling. I remember she looked amazingly beautiful, like some angel plucked from the heavenly sky and given to me by some divine provenance.
Yeah, I know, sounds queer, doesn't it? Too fruity, nothing like me. Anyway, at the end of the song, one of Relena's friends, Dorothy, pulled her away for "a moment," sweeping her off to their group of rumormongers with nothing better to do than put down others. Probably to bitch to Relena that I wasn't good enough for her.
I know they didn't like me, or my friends. The fact that I was the lead singer in a punk band made it even worse. But, as long as Relena was happy, I put up with their shit.
I walked toward the soda table, picking up a Dr. Pepper, then moving toward the opposite end of the cafeteria. Noticing the doors leading to the courtyard were unlocked, I slid outside, stepping into the chilled night air. It doesn't snow in Southern California, allowing the dull grey pavement to suck up all the beauty of the full late-November moon.
I sighed, leaning against a wall across and to the left of the doors, closer to the center of the courtyard. I glanced around, suddenly noticing someone else in the courtyard with me. In the darkness, I could barely make out the figure of a teenage boy, with chin-length hair. He took a puff from his cigarette, his face glowing red from the embers. It was a very pretty face, almost androgynous in manner, but still had that certain unspoken masculinity. He turned his head, looking at me with shadowed eyes. A smile played on his lips, and he turned his eyes back to his cigarette.
I don't know why, but I walked over to him, leaving about five feet between us. The music from the dance was a distant echo out here in the cool night air; another teeny-bopper song was playing, this one with a slow, romantic beat to it. From where I stood, the lights from the cafeteria's open windows cast long shadows. The boy looked at me again, his face more recognizable now. His chin-length hair was a soft brown, his eyes a deep violet, with hints of dark blue. He wore a crimson red silk tee-shirt with black dragons sweeping up the sides, and black dress pants that followed his form perfectly.
His full, shapely lips pulled into a grin, and he held out his box of cigarettes to me. "Want a hit?" he asked in a smooth, sensual tone.
I smiled, nodding my head. I usually didn't smoke, since Relena thought it was a disgusting habit. But I would occasionally steal a puff or two from one of the guys in my band. Trowa was the biggest smoker of our group, and could always be found with a pack of Camels hidden somewhere on him, along with his favorite black Zippo lighter that had his and his girlfriend's Chinese zodiac animals engraved on the front in silver. Everyone agreed that he and Sally Po, a cute Chinese girl in the junior class, would get married and have dozens of babies someday. As long as Trowa's older sister, Catherine, never found out.
I slipped one of the cigarettes from the package. Marlboros. He handed me a lighter, a plain navy blue Zippo. I inhaled deeply, the smoke running its ashy fingers along my lungs, making me cough a little. I let the smoke out, and chuckled.
"You know, only virgins smoke Marlboros," I said. That caused him to laugh, a sound that stroked very unmentionable parts. I decided right away that I liked his laugh.
"They're my girlfriend's," he replied, smiling wide enough to show two rows of perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth. "My usual's GLCs."
I snickered. "Better than Marlboros, I'll say that."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, closing the distance between us.
"Hey, I shouldn't complain," I nodded, "I usually take what I can get."
"That desperate?" the boy chuckled.
"No," I replied, "I just don't smoke that much."
"Ah," he nodded his head, causing his hair to bounce against his face.
"So, I take it your girlfriend's inside?" I said, glancing back at the cafeteria. Another fast beat song was playing.
The boy nodded. "Yeah, chatting with her stuck-up friends." He stared into my cobalt eyes. "You?"
"Yeah, girlfriend dragged me here, then her friends pulled her off." I shook my head, wanting to run my fingers through my hair the way I usually do when I'm frustrated. But I remembered about the fists full of hair gel and hair spray Relena put into my hair to keep it standing and looking "perfect."
The boy laughed. "After we bend over backwards to look good for them, act all polite. . . and we get shafted for a bunch of gossipy bitches who try only to down our names."
I nodded, my lips pulling into a wide smile. "That's right on the number. . ." The song changed, something that sounded suspiciously like 80s pop-rock.
I took another drag on my cigarette, and looked in awe as my companion began nodding his head in beat with the music. "You like this song?" I asked.
He smiled, nodding, "Madonna is awesome! She led one of the biggest popular music movements in world history. She's surpassed only by The Beatles!"
I couldn't help but laugh."What about the Sex Pistols, and Kiss?"
"Oh please! *Their* generation was pure, but their later byproducts shame what the original punk bands started. And Kiss, they were purely for show, barely into their music! Like Marilyn Manson, only bigger. Personally, I think Metallica and Anthrax are better examples of the metal industry than Kiss."
I stared at him in pure shock. After a few moments, I was able to spit out, "You listen to metal?"
"Yeah," he said, "but I prefer the original groups. Some of the newbies are just. . ." His voice trailed off, but I knew what he was trying to say.
"So, you don't like any of the newer punk bands?"
He shrugged. "Some I like, like The Ataris and Green Day, and some EMO bands. But overall, not really."
I felt my eyes grow wide. "Woah. . ."
He chuckled. "What, just because I like Madonna, that means I can't like metal or punk?"
"Umm. . ."
He smiled, moving closer to me. "Hey, what's your name? I think I've seen you on campus before."
"Heero," I replied, "Heero Yuy."
"Wait, you're the guy that's dating Relena Darlian, right?" His deep eyes grew impossibly wide, as if he had just gotten smacked by his girlfriend.
"Yeah," I said slowly.
"Heh, I've heard Hilde talk about you before. She keeps bitching moaning about how," he began to mimic a nagging teenage girl's voice, "Heero is such a loser. . . What does Relena see in him?. . . Why can't he wear better clothes?. . ." He laughed again, that same sensual sound that implied things but told nothing. "God, she is such a gossipy little whore!"
I chuckled, "Then why are you with her?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "I tried to break it off with her, once, and she nearly cried. She is so needy and emotional, I'm worried she'd to kill me and take my body to a taxidermist, just so she could have another human being around."
I laughed, my usual masculine guffawing. "That's a bit harsh."
"Hey, spend five months with someone who insists you call her at least five times a day, see her at least four times a day, or after every class no matter where it's located, and give her flowers each work for our X-week anniversary. . . Trust me, it gets *really* annoying." He ran his long, pale fingers through his brown hair. A frustration technique I used; I've never seen anybody else use it before.
"Not to mention that she insists on dressing me, like I'm some sort of Ken doll," he added.
I stood there, stunned. It sounded almost like what Relena and I had. She would always get upset if I didn't call her once before school, and then at least once after school. I had to escort her to each class, give her a kiss goodbye, and then pray the late bell didn't ring before I could dash all the way to my own class. And it was almost expected now that I give her flowers at least once every two weeks, "just as a surprise."
I was beginning to think that the only thing that made me a Perfect Boyfriend was the fact that I was sacrificing my spine to make her happy.
"What's wrong?" My companion took the last step to meet me, gripping my shoulders, staring worriedly into my eyes. "You okay, man?"
I swallowed, shaking my head. "I just realized how miserable I really am. . ."
The boy nodded, pulling me into a hug. Or at least, a masculine hug; a few pats on the back, and it's over, simple as that, nothing emotional or comforting.
But for some reason, after he patted my back the customary three times, he just left his arms around my shoulder. I looked up at him, my cobalt eyes melting with his. I smiled, and he smiled back.
Then out of nowhere, I felt his lips pressing mine. They were soft, like the rose petals of so many bouquets I had given Relena to appease her as if she were some bloodthirsty god. The odd thing? I didn't pull away. And in the background, Madonna finished up her song.
//We were standing all alone you were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time//
I eventually pulled back, staring into his eyes. They were like your grandmother's quilt, warm and comforting when you needed it most. My throat felt dry, and my voice sounded hoarse. "I don't think I know you. . ."
He smiled, shaking his head, his soft hair playing across his ravishing eyes. "I'm Duo," he replied softly, starting to pull away. It suddenly looked as if he were blushing.
I don't know what it was that made me do it, but I grabbed his hands as they began to slip from my shoulders. He gave me a confused look. I simply grinned, pushing him further into the shadows.
Reaching the edge of the enormous lunch courtyard, where the gray pavement met soft green grass, I pushed Duo onto the grass, landing him with a thud. His violet eyes gazed at me, not quite registering what was happening. I sat on top of his legs, peering down at him with wonder.
"Dude," he said, his voice somewhere between fear and arousal. "My shirt's gonna get grass stains on it. Hilde will kill me."
"Well then," I smiled, "We can either stop. . . or you can just take it off."
Duo grinned, wide and pleased. He unbuttoned his crimson shirt, throwing off onto the pavement. I followed suit with my dark blue shirt. Silk rips easily, you know.
//Sweet temptation rush all over me
And I think about it all the time
Passion desire so intense I can't take anymore because//
Consuming each other's mouths, our warm and wet tongues dancing to their own little song in perfect unison, we rolled along in the dewy grass. It was supposed to get down to sixty degrees Fahrenheit, according to the weather reports. I could feel the premature frost deep within the grass when Duo pinned me to the ground beneath him.
There were no words shared between us, only the same carnal need for human flesh, for something more than just school dances and talking to pretty girls. For more than peer pressure or what is deemed right or wrong. Nothing, just the same desire, the same yearning.
As Duo began to flutter kisses down my neck, I heard the music suddenly grow for a second. My first thought was that someone had seen us, and told everyone at the dance to come and watch to faggots fucking.
I grabbed the top of Duo's head, bringing his face up to meet mine. He hushed, and we stayed silent, praying that no one had seen us, that no one was coming to held add kindle to the fires of the rumor mill.
"Duo!" a high pitched, feminine voice called. I was guessing it was Hilde. "Duo!" she called again. Duo stayed quiet, unconsciously pulling himself closer to me. I thanked every god I could think of that there were bushes nearby that we could hide in.
"DUO MAXWELL, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU??!!" Hilde screamed. I could tell she was deeply annoyed. Her loud, angry sigh carried all the way over to our position, directly across the courtyard. She went back into the dance, the clicks of her heels resonating within the area.
Duo sighed, relieved. "Sorry about that," he said. "I told her I was going out for a smoke twenty minutes ago. She probably thinks I'm ditching her, sleeping with some other girl." He ran his fingers through his hair again. "I'm gonna have hell to pay for this tomorrow."
I lightly kissed the tip of his nose. "Well, at least you can tell her that you weren't off with some *girl*," I chuckled. He smiled, pressing those wonderful lips to mine. A low moan built up in my throat, spilling out softly and slowly.
After what seemed like an eternity in the Garden of Eden, he stopped, topping off with a passionate kiss, exploring with his tongue edges of my mouth that I didn't even know existed.
"We should get back inside," he spoke softly, playing with my now not-so- Perfect hair. It had softened during our little make out session, but still had that spikiness to it that I knew Relena loved. "We've been gone for almost an hour. Our girlfriends are probably wondering where the hell we are."
I sighed, nodding sadly. As I sat up, he pulled me into a warm hug, giving me a sense of security I had not felt for a very long time.
He helped me to my feet, handing me my dark silk shirt. I was still in perfect condition, as was his crimson shirt. He gently kissed the base of my neck as I buttoned up my shirt. "We'll finish this someday, Heero," he whispered against my skin, causing me to shudder.
"You promise?" I asked, staring off toward the cafeteria.
He pulled me around, kissing my forehead with a feather's touch. "I am Duo Maxwell. I run, I hide, but I never, ever lie." He stared lovingly into my eyes. I kissed his lips, just a brush of flesh, and nodded. "Then I'll believe you," I said. He smiled, twining his fingers in mine. I looked down at our hands, the stark comparison of my tanned skin, and his unbelievably pale skin. Light and dark. . . how cute.
//I feel the magic all around you
It's bringing me to my knees
Like a wannabe
I got to be chained to you//
After I got home from the dance, I felt more happy and more depressed than I had ever before in all my eighteen years. Relena and Hilde had bombarded us with questions the second we entered back into the dance. They asked us where we had gone, and we lied by telling them we had gone out to get a burger, since they seemed caught up with their friends.
I noticed that when Duo spoke to Hilde, it was almost in the same way that a sullen teenager speaks to his parents. His tone was startling, it was so sarcastic and harsh. Nothing compared to the soft, sweet whispers he had used with me. I began to wonder which side was an act, and which side was the real Duo Maxwell.
At school on Monday, I was surprised when Duo joined me, Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre at lunch. I hadn't known he had the same lunch period as the four of us, but I wasn't going to complain. He seemed utterly interested when the guys and I talked about our band, talking about our first gig, and the one coming up in a month. He laughed at all our stupid jokes, the same laugh I had heard him use at the dance, the one that felt like kitten hair against bare, sensitive skin.
I knew we had shared an English class all year. And I was ecstatic when the teacher partnered him with me. More time I could spend alone with him, with an alibi. I couldn't help but smile, which I hid well enough behind my English book.
We had assigned seats, which were on opposite ends of the room. I glanced at him with a tiny smirk, and noticed that he shared the exact same look.
//And when you looked into my eyes felt a sudden sense of urgency
Fascination casts a spell and you became more than just a mystery
And I think about you all the time//
The more time we spent together, the more we learned about each other. I learned that he had had an older brother, who died of cancer when Duo was only ten years old. He had gone through a stage of severe depression, especially since his brother, Solo, had been his best friend as well as his sibling. Not to mention that his parents had died in a car accident three years before and the two boys were raised by their mother's parents. He used drugs in middle school, and had to be checked into a rehab clinic, where he stayed for six months. Still, he was able to catch up with his class, and graduate at his intended age.
And me? He learned that my father had been abusive to both my mother and to me, especially to me. He would sexually abuse me whenever I "got out of control," and would beat me if I cried about it. He killed himself after my mother and I were taken my police; he shot himself in the head. I had only been five years old. I knew now that it had to have affected me, but I've never shown any signs of abuse.
The project was three weeks long. We would work for an hour a day, then spend the rest of it just listening to each other's stories. He told me that he wanted to see me and the band practice sometime, meet the guys, befriend some people. I was shocked to find out that, for as long as he'd been in high school, he had never made any friends. He didn't seem the loner type.
I started putting Relena on the side burner of my life. When I went two weeks without giving her flowers, she immediately assumed something was wrong, grilling me about my life and my family and whatever. She offered comfort, but every time I would simply place a chaste kiss on her head or her cheek and say "Everything's alright, I'm just getting a little stressed out."
Duo's grandmother cooks like no one else. Her meatloaf is to die for, and her pot roast is like nothing else I've ever had. It was a nice change from the usual Japanese cooking of my mother. She's from Kyoto, and makes a wicked yakisoba, which I could tell Duo adored.
Two weeks into the project, Duo and I were taking our "break" from our homework, laying on my bed, with the door locked and the chair propped in front of it. He played with my almost-black hair, which was beginning to fall into my eyes. He chuckled, reminding me for the third time that afternoon that I should trim my hair. Then he kissed me, slowly, deeply, toying my lips with the apex of his tongue. I sighed cheerfully, kissing him back.
Then I remembered. "Duo," I started. He looked up at me with those perfect jewels he called eyes.
"Hmm?"
"Remember. . . at the dance. . . when you told me we would finish what we were doing?" He nodded, tilting his head to the side, still playing with my bangs. "You promised we would. . ." I looked down at my blue comforter, which made the bed look softer than it really was.
Duo smiled, kissing the bridge of my nose, slowly moving his lips down toward my mouth. I giggled, yes giggled, at the ticklish touch. He was the only person I knew who could do that with his mouth.
"I remember, love, vividly," he said slowly. "But we've only known each other for a few weeks. Are you sure you. . ." His voice grew quiet. "Are you sure you want to?"
I nodded. "More than anything, Duo. I don't know, but you're different. I've had my share of girlfriends, but I never felt about them, after months, the way I feel about you after just three weeks." I kissed him again, leaning into him, showing him my eagerness.
Duo chuckled. "You're serious?"
"I am more serious than I have ever been in my entire life. Why would I lie to you?"
//Is this fate is it my destiny
And I think about you all the time
I no longer pretend to have my hands on the wheel because//
The project was turned in, giving my girlfriend a chance to see me more often. Oh, but wait, we had finals that week. And I needed to study. She offered to study with me, but I told her that I studied better alone, where I could ponder my thoughts without the distraction of a beautiful girl whom I am so not deserving of. Relena didn't realize that the last part was pure bullshit.
Meanwhile, Duo and Hilde's relationship was past the rocks, hitting icebergs left and right. Every time I saw them together, they were screaming at each other, close to killing each other. Duo would always be the first to walk away, Hilde screaming at his back profanities and accusing him of sleeping around with some cheap slut.
The slut comment hurt. Duo promised he would make up for it.
Finals finished up, and my school went on its winter break. I started spending more time with the guys in my band, since our gig was coming up in a few days, and we were making last-minute preparations on our songs. We were playing at a small, underground club, but we still wanted to leave a good impression. You never knew when a producer could be sitting in the stands.
It killed me every time the guys and I practiced, with our girlfriends in tow to watch us. Our guitarist Trowa, of course, had Sally. Our drummer Quatre was, as of yet, without a girlfriend; he's always been bad with girls. Our basist Wufei had his girlfriend Aya, who was a junior at a Catholic girl's school. She was there with her best friend Asher, who was a senior at one of their school's rival high schools. And I had Relena and Duo. They were chatting idly while we practiced, making me more nervous by the second.
"You need a break, Heero?" Aya asked sweetly, her midnight blue eyes glittering even in the dim lighting of the garage. "You look tired, and your notes are dragging."
None of us could understand how Wufei had been able to bag a girl like Aya. She liked metal and punk, she could play all of our instruments with outstanding grace, and had the voice of an angel. She was intelligent, she was beautiful, and she was in love with Wufei. Unexplainable.
Trowa's a natural romantic, so it was no surprise that Sally fell for him. Why he fell for her was another question. She wasn't too interested with punk or metal, or anything besides the pop top twenty. She was tone deaf, she was barely pulling Bs and Cs, and her beauty was only comparable to the amounts of heavy make-up she wore. She and Aya never spoke to each other, since Aya thought Sally was a shallow dumbass and Sally thought Aya was a butch dyke who was only putting up a front with Wufei.
I ran my fingers through my hair. "Yeah, I'm feeling a little lightheaded. I'm gonna sit down for a moment." I smiled into her dark eyes, "Can you sit in for me?"
Aya nodded vigorously, her chin-length blonde hair bouncing up and down. She picked up my guitar and counted off, starting one of the songs. She had seen us practice enough times to have each of our parts memorized.
Duo stood up from his chair, taking a seat on the floor. I smiled at him, taking the seat he had made for me. Since it was right next to Relena, she laced her fingers into mine. I grinned at her, but I could tell my eyes were empty. I glanced down at Duo, a frown forming upon my features. He simply nodded.
After practice, I drove Relena home, giving her a passionate goodbye kiss, because I knew that is what she was expecting. It made me feel cheap, with Duo watching. Then, I drove Duo to his grandparent's house. It was almost ten o'clock in the evening. I ran my fingers gently through his hair, which was now just an inch below his chin. His hair grew fast, I noted. He closed his eyes as I did this, purring low in his throat.
"Why don't you stay the night?" he spoke softly, slowly revealing those beautiful violet eyes. He leaned in and kissed me, whispering against my lips, "My grandparents are out of town."
My heart skipped a beat. My cobalt eyes sparkled with excitement, an enormous smile playing on my lips. "I. . ." I stuttered, "I'll have to call my parents and tell them where I am. . ."
Duo nodded, slowly moving out of the car. I followed him through the front door. Picking up the kitchen phone, I called my parents and told them I was staying over at Duo's, since the guys and I were going to see a late showing of a movie. My father was too tired and too hazy to really care, so he agreed.
As I followed Duo up the stairs and into his room, I could only think about what a killer day this was turning out to be.
//I feel the magic building around you//
Amidst a swarm of warm, fervent kisses, Duo pushed me onto his twin-sized bed. He straddled my thighs, ripping off my sweaty tee-shirt. Hey, spend fourteen hours in a garage playing heavy instruments, and see how sweaty you get! He moved his lips down my neck, forcing a moan from the pits of my throat. I've always been a neck person, and he knew that. He tugged at the looped earring on my left ear with his teeth, licking the outside of the ear.
The look he held in his eyes. I knew, for certain, that he would keep his promise. We would finish what we had started almost a month before.
//And I think about it all the time
And I think about you all the time
Tell me it's madness I barely know you//
I watched the sun rise, Duo spooning himself around me. I looked on in awe as the crimson rays of sunshine pierced through the window of my now- lover's bedroom. I turned my head, glancing at how the soft beams of light danced of Duo's cheek, giving him a sort of ethereal angelic look. I smiled, turning in his arms, lightly kissing the tip of his perfect nose. He stirred in his sleep, a large, satisfied grin forming on his lips. I kissed those soft, rose petal lips, and he woke up, his long and dark lashes fluttering open.
His eyes came into focus, and he glanced up at me. "Hey," he whispered, snuggling closer to me.
I nodded, wrapping myself tighter into his arms. "Good morning."
He chuckled, inhaling the scent of my hair. "You smell like sweat and sex," he chuckled, mussing my already tousled dark hair.
"So do you," I mused, kissing his lips again, deeply. Our tongues danced for an all too brief moment, before he pulled away and smiled at me. He hugged me tightly, possessively, pushing me closer to him. I sighed happily, nuzzling my face into his chest.
"I love you, you know that?" I said quietly against the flesh of his chest. I felt him nod his head.
"I know." He rubbed my head, pulled my face up to meet his. "I love you too, Heero."
I wasn't sure if he really meant that, but I took his word on it anyway. At this point, it didn't matter to me. I was happy, truly and utterly happy, and I wasn't going to let anything ruin that.
//Ten steps back you're still a mystery
I can't take anymore because//
Later that day, I went to practice with the guys, this time just the four of us. We had a lot of practicing to do, since our gig was tonight. The entire time we practiced, I noticed Wufei looking at me funny. During a short water break, he pulled me aside, out of earshot.
"You had sex," he said, trying not to laugh. "And not with Relena. . ."
I blushed, lowering my head. "How did you know?" I whispered.
He chuckled, patting my shoulder. "You look like someone who's gotten lucky for the very first time in his life. And I know that you didn't do anything with Relena, because she called Aya yesterday, inviting her to go shopping today."
I nodded, my face turning redder by the second. "Well. . . I. . ."
Wufei bent his knees a little to look into my eyes. His intensely dark brown eyes stared at me, searching through my thoughts and feelings. We had been best friends since kindergarten, and he knew how to find my weak spots without trying very hard. Out of my three best friends, he and I were closest.
So I felt I could tell him. He had always been calm about these kinds of subjects, and I had a feeling he would offer me the most support. "You know that guy, Duo?" I started carefully.
Wufei nodded. "Chin-length brown hair? Yeah."
"Well. . ." I took a deep breath.
Wufei put up a tanned hand to stop me. He knew what I was going to say, but was sparing me having to say it. "I had a feeling something was going on between you two. Aya told me that Relena keeps bitching that you haven't been spending enough time with her, since you befriended that Duo character." He smiled. "Personally, I think you two look cute together. Much better than you and Relena."
I gaped at him, my eyes wide with shock. "You mean, you actually. . . you don't think I'm. . ."
"A fag?" he said shortly. He shook his head. "Of course not, Hee-man. You're my best friend. Something like this shouldn't break that." He shrugged. "Besides, I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I made fun of you."
"Huh?" I didn't try to keep the confusion off of my face.
He laughed, but spoke in a hushed tone. "You know that guy that is usually here with Aya?" I nodded my head. "Well. . . the three of us are sort of a. . ." he searched for the word, "couple."
My mouth fell open. "What?!" I gasped. "And you kept this from us?!"
Wufei waved his hand before him. "No no, I didn't mean to keep it a secret. But, well, if anyone at Aya's school found out she was. . . with two guys, she could get kicked out. And besides, I didn't know if you could handle it."
"Of course I could handle, man! We're best friends, close like brothers!"
He chuckled. "Well, I couldn't be too sure."
I nodded. Made sense. I was apprehensive about telling the guys, but Wufei told me it was best to wait until I felt more comfortable with my boyfriend. On the plus side, Duo and I could double-date, so to speak, with the three of them.
We kicked ass at our gig, receiving fine rewards from our biggest fans. Wufei, Aya, and Asher all disappeared somewhere after the show. Wufei gave me a wink before tugging his girlfriend's arm and dragging her and his boyfriend away. I couldn't help but smile. A closet bisexual, but he knew how to have a good time while hiding in there.
Sally and Trowa started going at it right after he stepped offstage, wet and sloppy kisses that were disgusting to watch but probably heaven to receive.
I smiled at Duo, knowing that I couldn't take my reward here. I'd get it later. Meanwhile, I gave Relena a well-intentioned kiss on the lips, before sneaking away with Duo in tow.
//Tell me it's madness
I barely know you//
It's hard to believe that I've only known Duo just over a month. We're so close, you'd think we had known each other since infancy. We know each other's ticks, and each other's deepest, most scary secrets. Secrets that nobody else knows, and will never find out about.
We broke up with our girlfriends, not telling them the entire truth. I told Relena that I felt our relationship was too smothering, but that I would always be around if she needed a friend. I think Duo just told Hilde to fuck off.
We're already planning for our senior prom. That's when we're letting everyone know what's up with us. The school scheduled prom for the evening of the last day of finals, so the students would really have a reason to celebrate. Wufei, too, is coming out of the closet, bringing both Asher and Aya with him. Though, technically, Aya's going with Quatre. We wouldn't let him miss out on his senior prom! Plus, Aya promised to give Quatre an extra perk- she would make out with him, only once, whenever he asked for it. Always giving for the team, is Aya.
Duo and I are extremely happy. Since our wild night almost a week ago, we've decided to abstain from any sexual activity. Until prom night. That is our graduation gift to each other.
Oh yeah, and we plan on telling our families our little secret on our wedding day. We think they'll be able to handle it by then.
Owari
I wish to thank my beta for putting up with this shit. LYLAS, KK, and I'm sorry for mentally scaring you bit by bit. Someday in therapy, you can blame me for all your mental ills. Still, you're an angel! Oh, and please tell me what you think, everyone. I love C&C, it makes me look popular. ^___^
I don't own the rights to Gundam Wing. I *wish* I did, but when has ever it mattered what I want?
This fic used lyrics from the song "Chained to You," which is property of Savage Garden and their affiliated labels. It's from their Affirmation CD, which is really sweet. If you ever have the chance, get it! You won't be sorry!
Oh yeah, and any characters that are not property of Gundam Wing and its associated companies are property of Saka-chan, Inc. (i.e., ME!!)
Before we start, I just want to remind you that this fic does not follow the original Gundam Wing plot, it is in an Alternate Universe. The boys are just normal teenagers, in a normal high school, dealing with normal teenage stuff. They've never been soldiers, or killed anyone, etc. Bear with me, folks, as I try to put the boys into a setting that many of us have had to face before. Or if you haven't faced similar problems, the gods have obviously smiled upon you!
Season of Change
The Winter Social dance. Somehow my then-girlfriend, Relena, convinced me to take her. Despite the fact that she knows that I despise dances. Always have, and probably always will. The reason? I can't dance. I was born with two proverbial left feet.
Even so, after begging me to go with her for three weeks, I finally caved in and agreed to go. I mean, it *is* our senior year of high school. And I couldn't take her to Homecoming because she came down with the flu. She missed a week of school, and bitched for about a month afterwards.
The social dances are casual; nevertheless, Relena dressed me up more than I was used to. The week before the dance, I was her weekly project, her Ken doll, so to speak. Everyday after school, we would find a different store to raid, to find for me the Perfect Outfit. The Perfect Outfit for the Perfect Boyfriend, she would say.
Finally, the day before the dance, we had everything ready. She came over two hours early, just so she could "enhance my perfection." She sculptured my thick, nearly black hair to a mess of impeccably patterned spikes. Normally, I just get up and go to school. But no, for a night out, I have to look Perfect!
Dark blue silk shirt, white undershirt, black Dockers, and black dress shoes. Much the divergent from my normal outfit of blue jean shorts, black Vans, and any clean or clean-looking shirt I could find in my stank pit of a room.
We entered the school cafeteria, filing through the mass of mainly freshman and sophomores, heading toward the dance floor. The first song was a fast one, something by one of those cookie-cutter boy bands. As they always played at school dances. Again, something Relena knows I hate with a passion. I'm more into punk and metal, like Green Day and Sevendust.
Still, I danced with her, her expertly shaped blonde curls bouncing off her shoulders as she moved to the wild beat. Her finely applied make-up sparkled in the twinkling light of the mirrored ball hanging in the middle of the cafeteria ceiling. I remember she looked amazingly beautiful, like some angel plucked from the heavenly sky and given to me by some divine provenance.
Yeah, I know, sounds queer, doesn't it? Too fruity, nothing like me. Anyway, at the end of the song, one of Relena's friends, Dorothy, pulled her away for "a moment," sweeping her off to their group of rumormongers with nothing better to do than put down others. Probably to bitch to Relena that I wasn't good enough for her.
I know they didn't like me, or my friends. The fact that I was the lead singer in a punk band made it even worse. But, as long as Relena was happy, I put up with their shit.
I walked toward the soda table, picking up a Dr. Pepper, then moving toward the opposite end of the cafeteria. Noticing the doors leading to the courtyard were unlocked, I slid outside, stepping into the chilled night air. It doesn't snow in Southern California, allowing the dull grey pavement to suck up all the beauty of the full late-November moon.
I sighed, leaning against a wall across and to the left of the doors, closer to the center of the courtyard. I glanced around, suddenly noticing someone else in the courtyard with me. In the darkness, I could barely make out the figure of a teenage boy, with chin-length hair. He took a puff from his cigarette, his face glowing red from the embers. It was a very pretty face, almost androgynous in manner, but still had that certain unspoken masculinity. He turned his head, looking at me with shadowed eyes. A smile played on his lips, and he turned his eyes back to his cigarette.
I don't know why, but I walked over to him, leaving about five feet between us. The music from the dance was a distant echo out here in the cool night air; another teeny-bopper song was playing, this one with a slow, romantic beat to it. From where I stood, the lights from the cafeteria's open windows cast long shadows. The boy looked at me again, his face more recognizable now. His chin-length hair was a soft brown, his eyes a deep violet, with hints of dark blue. He wore a crimson red silk tee-shirt with black dragons sweeping up the sides, and black dress pants that followed his form perfectly.
His full, shapely lips pulled into a grin, and he held out his box of cigarettes to me. "Want a hit?" he asked in a smooth, sensual tone.
I smiled, nodding my head. I usually didn't smoke, since Relena thought it was a disgusting habit. But I would occasionally steal a puff or two from one of the guys in my band. Trowa was the biggest smoker of our group, and could always be found with a pack of Camels hidden somewhere on him, along with his favorite black Zippo lighter that had his and his girlfriend's Chinese zodiac animals engraved on the front in silver. Everyone agreed that he and Sally Po, a cute Chinese girl in the junior class, would get married and have dozens of babies someday. As long as Trowa's older sister, Catherine, never found out.
I slipped one of the cigarettes from the package. Marlboros. He handed me a lighter, a plain navy blue Zippo. I inhaled deeply, the smoke running its ashy fingers along my lungs, making me cough a little. I let the smoke out, and chuckled.
"You know, only virgins smoke Marlboros," I said. That caused him to laugh, a sound that stroked very unmentionable parts. I decided right away that I liked his laugh.
"They're my girlfriend's," he replied, smiling wide enough to show two rows of perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth. "My usual's GLCs."
I snickered. "Better than Marlboros, I'll say that."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, closing the distance between us.
"Hey, I shouldn't complain," I nodded, "I usually take what I can get."
"That desperate?" the boy chuckled.
"No," I replied, "I just don't smoke that much."
"Ah," he nodded his head, causing his hair to bounce against his face.
"So, I take it your girlfriend's inside?" I said, glancing back at the cafeteria. Another fast beat song was playing.
The boy nodded. "Yeah, chatting with her stuck-up friends." He stared into my cobalt eyes. "You?"
"Yeah, girlfriend dragged me here, then her friends pulled her off." I shook my head, wanting to run my fingers through my hair the way I usually do when I'm frustrated. But I remembered about the fists full of hair gel and hair spray Relena put into my hair to keep it standing and looking "perfect."
The boy laughed. "After we bend over backwards to look good for them, act all polite. . . and we get shafted for a bunch of gossipy bitches who try only to down our names."
I nodded, my lips pulling into a wide smile. "That's right on the number. . ." The song changed, something that sounded suspiciously like 80s pop-rock.
I took another drag on my cigarette, and looked in awe as my companion began nodding his head in beat with the music. "You like this song?" I asked.
He smiled, nodding, "Madonna is awesome! She led one of the biggest popular music movements in world history. She's surpassed only by The Beatles!"
I couldn't help but laugh."What about the Sex Pistols, and Kiss?"
"Oh please! *Their* generation was pure, but their later byproducts shame what the original punk bands started. And Kiss, they were purely for show, barely into their music! Like Marilyn Manson, only bigger. Personally, I think Metallica and Anthrax are better examples of the metal industry than Kiss."
I stared at him in pure shock. After a few moments, I was able to spit out, "You listen to metal?"
"Yeah," he said, "but I prefer the original groups. Some of the newbies are just. . ." His voice trailed off, but I knew what he was trying to say.
"So, you don't like any of the newer punk bands?"
He shrugged. "Some I like, like The Ataris and Green Day, and some EMO bands. But overall, not really."
I felt my eyes grow wide. "Woah. . ."
He chuckled. "What, just because I like Madonna, that means I can't like metal or punk?"
"Umm. . ."
He smiled, moving closer to me. "Hey, what's your name? I think I've seen you on campus before."
"Heero," I replied, "Heero Yuy."
"Wait, you're the guy that's dating Relena Darlian, right?" His deep eyes grew impossibly wide, as if he had just gotten smacked by his girlfriend.
"Yeah," I said slowly.
"Heh, I've heard Hilde talk about you before. She keeps bitching moaning about how," he began to mimic a nagging teenage girl's voice, "Heero is such a loser. . . What does Relena see in him?. . . Why can't he wear better clothes?. . ." He laughed again, that same sensual sound that implied things but told nothing. "God, she is such a gossipy little whore!"
I chuckled, "Then why are you with her?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "I tried to break it off with her, once, and she nearly cried. She is so needy and emotional, I'm worried she'd to kill me and take my body to a taxidermist, just so she could have another human being around."
I laughed, my usual masculine guffawing. "That's a bit harsh."
"Hey, spend five months with someone who insists you call her at least five times a day, see her at least four times a day, or after every class no matter where it's located, and give her flowers each work for our X-week anniversary. . . Trust me, it gets *really* annoying." He ran his long, pale fingers through his brown hair. A frustration technique I used; I've never seen anybody else use it before.
"Not to mention that she insists on dressing me, like I'm some sort of Ken doll," he added.
I stood there, stunned. It sounded almost like what Relena and I had. She would always get upset if I didn't call her once before school, and then at least once after school. I had to escort her to each class, give her a kiss goodbye, and then pray the late bell didn't ring before I could dash all the way to my own class. And it was almost expected now that I give her flowers at least once every two weeks, "just as a surprise."
I was beginning to think that the only thing that made me a Perfect Boyfriend was the fact that I was sacrificing my spine to make her happy.
"What's wrong?" My companion took the last step to meet me, gripping my shoulders, staring worriedly into my eyes. "You okay, man?"
I swallowed, shaking my head. "I just realized how miserable I really am. . ."
The boy nodded, pulling me into a hug. Or at least, a masculine hug; a few pats on the back, and it's over, simple as that, nothing emotional or comforting.
But for some reason, after he patted my back the customary three times, he just left his arms around my shoulder. I looked up at him, my cobalt eyes melting with his. I smiled, and he smiled back.
Then out of nowhere, I felt his lips pressing mine. They were soft, like the rose petals of so many bouquets I had given Relena to appease her as if she were some bloodthirsty god. The odd thing? I didn't pull away. And in the background, Madonna finished up her song.
//We were standing all alone you were leaning in to speak to me
Acting like a mover shaker dancing to Madonna then you kissed me
And I think about it all the time//
I eventually pulled back, staring into his eyes. They were like your grandmother's quilt, warm and comforting when you needed it most. My throat felt dry, and my voice sounded hoarse. "I don't think I know you. . ."
He smiled, shaking his head, his soft hair playing across his ravishing eyes. "I'm Duo," he replied softly, starting to pull away. It suddenly looked as if he were blushing.
I don't know what it was that made me do it, but I grabbed his hands as they began to slip from my shoulders. He gave me a confused look. I simply grinned, pushing him further into the shadows.
Reaching the edge of the enormous lunch courtyard, where the gray pavement met soft green grass, I pushed Duo onto the grass, landing him with a thud. His violet eyes gazed at me, not quite registering what was happening. I sat on top of his legs, peering down at him with wonder.
"Dude," he said, his voice somewhere between fear and arousal. "My shirt's gonna get grass stains on it. Hilde will kill me."
"Well then," I smiled, "We can either stop. . . or you can just take it off."
Duo grinned, wide and pleased. He unbuttoned his crimson shirt, throwing off onto the pavement. I followed suit with my dark blue shirt. Silk rips easily, you know.
//Sweet temptation rush all over me
And I think about it all the time
Passion desire so intense I can't take anymore because//
Consuming each other's mouths, our warm and wet tongues dancing to their own little song in perfect unison, we rolled along in the dewy grass. It was supposed to get down to sixty degrees Fahrenheit, according to the weather reports. I could feel the premature frost deep within the grass when Duo pinned me to the ground beneath him.
There were no words shared between us, only the same carnal need for human flesh, for something more than just school dances and talking to pretty girls. For more than peer pressure or what is deemed right or wrong. Nothing, just the same desire, the same yearning.
As Duo began to flutter kisses down my neck, I heard the music suddenly grow for a second. My first thought was that someone had seen us, and told everyone at the dance to come and watch to faggots fucking.
I grabbed the top of Duo's head, bringing his face up to meet mine. He hushed, and we stayed silent, praying that no one had seen us, that no one was coming to held add kindle to the fires of the rumor mill.
"Duo!" a high pitched, feminine voice called. I was guessing it was Hilde. "Duo!" she called again. Duo stayed quiet, unconsciously pulling himself closer to me. I thanked every god I could think of that there were bushes nearby that we could hide in.
"DUO MAXWELL, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU??!!" Hilde screamed. I could tell she was deeply annoyed. Her loud, angry sigh carried all the way over to our position, directly across the courtyard. She went back into the dance, the clicks of her heels resonating within the area.
Duo sighed, relieved. "Sorry about that," he said. "I told her I was going out for a smoke twenty minutes ago. She probably thinks I'm ditching her, sleeping with some other girl." He ran his fingers through his hair again. "I'm gonna have hell to pay for this tomorrow."
I lightly kissed the tip of his nose. "Well, at least you can tell her that you weren't off with some *girl*," I chuckled. He smiled, pressing those wonderful lips to mine. A low moan built up in my throat, spilling out softly and slowly.
After what seemed like an eternity in the Garden of Eden, he stopped, topping off with a passionate kiss, exploring with his tongue edges of my mouth that I didn't even know existed.
"We should get back inside," he spoke softly, playing with my now not-so- Perfect hair. It had softened during our little make out session, but still had that spikiness to it that I knew Relena loved. "We've been gone for almost an hour. Our girlfriends are probably wondering where the hell we are."
I sighed, nodding sadly. As I sat up, he pulled me into a warm hug, giving me a sense of security I had not felt for a very long time.
He helped me to my feet, handing me my dark silk shirt. I was still in perfect condition, as was his crimson shirt. He gently kissed the base of my neck as I buttoned up my shirt. "We'll finish this someday, Heero," he whispered against my skin, causing me to shudder.
"You promise?" I asked, staring off toward the cafeteria.
He pulled me around, kissing my forehead with a feather's touch. "I am Duo Maxwell. I run, I hide, but I never, ever lie." He stared lovingly into my eyes. I kissed his lips, just a brush of flesh, and nodded. "Then I'll believe you," I said. He smiled, twining his fingers in mine. I looked down at our hands, the stark comparison of my tanned skin, and his unbelievably pale skin. Light and dark. . . how cute.
//I feel the magic all around you
It's bringing me to my knees
Like a wannabe
I got to be chained to you//
After I got home from the dance, I felt more happy and more depressed than I had ever before in all my eighteen years. Relena and Hilde had bombarded us with questions the second we entered back into the dance. They asked us where we had gone, and we lied by telling them we had gone out to get a burger, since they seemed caught up with their friends.
I noticed that when Duo spoke to Hilde, it was almost in the same way that a sullen teenager speaks to his parents. His tone was startling, it was so sarcastic and harsh. Nothing compared to the soft, sweet whispers he had used with me. I began to wonder which side was an act, and which side was the real Duo Maxwell.
At school on Monday, I was surprised when Duo joined me, Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre at lunch. I hadn't known he had the same lunch period as the four of us, but I wasn't going to complain. He seemed utterly interested when the guys and I talked about our band, talking about our first gig, and the one coming up in a month. He laughed at all our stupid jokes, the same laugh I had heard him use at the dance, the one that felt like kitten hair against bare, sensitive skin.
I knew we had shared an English class all year. And I was ecstatic when the teacher partnered him with me. More time I could spend alone with him, with an alibi. I couldn't help but smile, which I hid well enough behind my English book.
We had assigned seats, which were on opposite ends of the room. I glanced at him with a tiny smirk, and noticed that he shared the exact same look.
//And when you looked into my eyes felt a sudden sense of urgency
Fascination casts a spell and you became more than just a mystery
And I think about you all the time//
The more time we spent together, the more we learned about each other. I learned that he had had an older brother, who died of cancer when Duo was only ten years old. He had gone through a stage of severe depression, especially since his brother, Solo, had been his best friend as well as his sibling. Not to mention that his parents had died in a car accident three years before and the two boys were raised by their mother's parents. He used drugs in middle school, and had to be checked into a rehab clinic, where he stayed for six months. Still, he was able to catch up with his class, and graduate at his intended age.
And me? He learned that my father had been abusive to both my mother and to me, especially to me. He would sexually abuse me whenever I "got out of control," and would beat me if I cried about it. He killed himself after my mother and I were taken my police; he shot himself in the head. I had only been five years old. I knew now that it had to have affected me, but I've never shown any signs of abuse.
The project was three weeks long. We would work for an hour a day, then spend the rest of it just listening to each other's stories. He told me that he wanted to see me and the band practice sometime, meet the guys, befriend some people. I was shocked to find out that, for as long as he'd been in high school, he had never made any friends. He didn't seem the loner type.
I started putting Relena on the side burner of my life. When I went two weeks without giving her flowers, she immediately assumed something was wrong, grilling me about my life and my family and whatever. She offered comfort, but every time I would simply place a chaste kiss on her head or her cheek and say "Everything's alright, I'm just getting a little stressed out."
Duo's grandmother cooks like no one else. Her meatloaf is to die for, and her pot roast is like nothing else I've ever had. It was a nice change from the usual Japanese cooking of my mother. She's from Kyoto, and makes a wicked yakisoba, which I could tell Duo adored.
Two weeks into the project, Duo and I were taking our "break" from our homework, laying on my bed, with the door locked and the chair propped in front of it. He played with my almost-black hair, which was beginning to fall into my eyes. He chuckled, reminding me for the third time that afternoon that I should trim my hair. Then he kissed me, slowly, deeply, toying my lips with the apex of his tongue. I sighed cheerfully, kissing him back.
Then I remembered. "Duo," I started. He looked up at me with those perfect jewels he called eyes.
"Hmm?"
"Remember. . . at the dance. . . when you told me we would finish what we were doing?" He nodded, tilting his head to the side, still playing with my bangs. "You promised we would. . ." I looked down at my blue comforter, which made the bed look softer than it really was.
Duo smiled, kissing the bridge of my nose, slowly moving his lips down toward my mouth. I giggled, yes giggled, at the ticklish touch. He was the only person I knew who could do that with his mouth.
"I remember, love, vividly," he said slowly. "But we've only known each other for a few weeks. Are you sure you. . ." His voice grew quiet. "Are you sure you want to?"
I nodded. "More than anything, Duo. I don't know, but you're different. I've had my share of girlfriends, but I never felt about them, after months, the way I feel about you after just three weeks." I kissed him again, leaning into him, showing him my eagerness.
Duo chuckled. "You're serious?"
"I am more serious than I have ever been in my entire life. Why would I lie to you?"
//Is this fate is it my destiny
And I think about you all the time
I no longer pretend to have my hands on the wheel because//
The project was turned in, giving my girlfriend a chance to see me more often. Oh, but wait, we had finals that week. And I needed to study. She offered to study with me, but I told her that I studied better alone, where I could ponder my thoughts without the distraction of a beautiful girl whom I am so not deserving of. Relena didn't realize that the last part was pure bullshit.
Meanwhile, Duo and Hilde's relationship was past the rocks, hitting icebergs left and right. Every time I saw them together, they were screaming at each other, close to killing each other. Duo would always be the first to walk away, Hilde screaming at his back profanities and accusing him of sleeping around with some cheap slut.
The slut comment hurt. Duo promised he would make up for it.
Finals finished up, and my school went on its winter break. I started spending more time with the guys in my band, since our gig was coming up in a few days, and we were making last-minute preparations on our songs. We were playing at a small, underground club, but we still wanted to leave a good impression. You never knew when a producer could be sitting in the stands.
It killed me every time the guys and I practiced, with our girlfriends in tow to watch us. Our guitarist Trowa, of course, had Sally. Our drummer Quatre was, as of yet, without a girlfriend; he's always been bad with girls. Our basist Wufei had his girlfriend Aya, who was a junior at a Catholic girl's school. She was there with her best friend Asher, who was a senior at one of their school's rival high schools. And I had Relena and Duo. They were chatting idly while we practiced, making me more nervous by the second.
"You need a break, Heero?" Aya asked sweetly, her midnight blue eyes glittering even in the dim lighting of the garage. "You look tired, and your notes are dragging."
None of us could understand how Wufei had been able to bag a girl like Aya. She liked metal and punk, she could play all of our instruments with outstanding grace, and had the voice of an angel. She was intelligent, she was beautiful, and she was in love with Wufei. Unexplainable.
Trowa's a natural romantic, so it was no surprise that Sally fell for him. Why he fell for her was another question. She wasn't too interested with punk or metal, or anything besides the pop top twenty. She was tone deaf, she was barely pulling Bs and Cs, and her beauty was only comparable to the amounts of heavy make-up she wore. She and Aya never spoke to each other, since Aya thought Sally was a shallow dumbass and Sally thought Aya was a butch dyke who was only putting up a front with Wufei.
I ran my fingers through my hair. "Yeah, I'm feeling a little lightheaded. I'm gonna sit down for a moment." I smiled into her dark eyes, "Can you sit in for me?"
Aya nodded vigorously, her chin-length blonde hair bouncing up and down. She picked up my guitar and counted off, starting one of the songs. She had seen us practice enough times to have each of our parts memorized.
Duo stood up from his chair, taking a seat on the floor. I smiled at him, taking the seat he had made for me. Since it was right next to Relena, she laced her fingers into mine. I grinned at her, but I could tell my eyes were empty. I glanced down at Duo, a frown forming upon my features. He simply nodded.
After practice, I drove Relena home, giving her a passionate goodbye kiss, because I knew that is what she was expecting. It made me feel cheap, with Duo watching. Then, I drove Duo to his grandparent's house. It was almost ten o'clock in the evening. I ran my fingers gently through his hair, which was now just an inch below his chin. His hair grew fast, I noted. He closed his eyes as I did this, purring low in his throat.
"Why don't you stay the night?" he spoke softly, slowly revealing those beautiful violet eyes. He leaned in and kissed me, whispering against my lips, "My grandparents are out of town."
My heart skipped a beat. My cobalt eyes sparkled with excitement, an enormous smile playing on my lips. "I. . ." I stuttered, "I'll have to call my parents and tell them where I am. . ."
Duo nodded, slowly moving out of the car. I followed him through the front door. Picking up the kitchen phone, I called my parents and told them I was staying over at Duo's, since the guys and I were going to see a late showing of a movie. My father was too tired and too hazy to really care, so he agreed.
As I followed Duo up the stairs and into his room, I could only think about what a killer day this was turning out to be.
//I feel the magic building around you//
Amidst a swarm of warm, fervent kisses, Duo pushed me onto his twin-sized bed. He straddled my thighs, ripping off my sweaty tee-shirt. Hey, spend fourteen hours in a garage playing heavy instruments, and see how sweaty you get! He moved his lips down my neck, forcing a moan from the pits of my throat. I've always been a neck person, and he knew that. He tugged at the looped earring on my left ear with his teeth, licking the outside of the ear.
The look he held in his eyes. I knew, for certain, that he would keep his promise. We would finish what we had started almost a month before.
//And I think about it all the time
And I think about you all the time
Tell me it's madness I barely know you//
I watched the sun rise, Duo spooning himself around me. I looked on in awe as the crimson rays of sunshine pierced through the window of my now- lover's bedroom. I turned my head, glancing at how the soft beams of light danced of Duo's cheek, giving him a sort of ethereal angelic look. I smiled, turning in his arms, lightly kissing the tip of his perfect nose. He stirred in his sleep, a large, satisfied grin forming on his lips. I kissed those soft, rose petal lips, and he woke up, his long and dark lashes fluttering open.
His eyes came into focus, and he glanced up at me. "Hey," he whispered, snuggling closer to me.
I nodded, wrapping myself tighter into his arms. "Good morning."
He chuckled, inhaling the scent of my hair. "You smell like sweat and sex," he chuckled, mussing my already tousled dark hair.
"So do you," I mused, kissing his lips again, deeply. Our tongues danced for an all too brief moment, before he pulled away and smiled at me. He hugged me tightly, possessively, pushing me closer to him. I sighed happily, nuzzling my face into his chest.
"I love you, you know that?" I said quietly against the flesh of his chest. I felt him nod his head.
"I know." He rubbed my head, pulled my face up to meet his. "I love you too, Heero."
I wasn't sure if he really meant that, but I took his word on it anyway. At this point, it didn't matter to me. I was happy, truly and utterly happy, and I wasn't going to let anything ruin that.
//Ten steps back you're still a mystery
I can't take anymore because//
Later that day, I went to practice with the guys, this time just the four of us. We had a lot of practicing to do, since our gig was tonight. The entire time we practiced, I noticed Wufei looking at me funny. During a short water break, he pulled me aside, out of earshot.
"You had sex," he said, trying not to laugh. "And not with Relena. . ."
I blushed, lowering my head. "How did you know?" I whispered.
He chuckled, patting my shoulder. "You look like someone who's gotten lucky for the very first time in his life. And I know that you didn't do anything with Relena, because she called Aya yesterday, inviting her to go shopping today."
I nodded, my face turning redder by the second. "Well. . . I. . ."
Wufei bent his knees a little to look into my eyes. His intensely dark brown eyes stared at me, searching through my thoughts and feelings. We had been best friends since kindergarten, and he knew how to find my weak spots without trying very hard. Out of my three best friends, he and I were closest.
So I felt I could tell him. He had always been calm about these kinds of subjects, and I had a feeling he would offer me the most support. "You know that guy, Duo?" I started carefully.
Wufei nodded. "Chin-length brown hair? Yeah."
"Well. . ." I took a deep breath.
Wufei put up a tanned hand to stop me. He knew what I was going to say, but was sparing me having to say it. "I had a feeling something was going on between you two. Aya told me that Relena keeps bitching that you haven't been spending enough time with her, since you befriended that Duo character." He smiled. "Personally, I think you two look cute together. Much better than you and Relena."
I gaped at him, my eyes wide with shock. "You mean, you actually. . . you don't think I'm. . ."
"A fag?" he said shortly. He shook his head. "Of course not, Hee-man. You're my best friend. Something like this shouldn't break that." He shrugged. "Besides, I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I made fun of you."
"Huh?" I didn't try to keep the confusion off of my face.
He laughed, but spoke in a hushed tone. "You know that guy that is usually here with Aya?" I nodded my head. "Well. . . the three of us are sort of a. . ." he searched for the word, "couple."
My mouth fell open. "What?!" I gasped. "And you kept this from us?!"
Wufei waved his hand before him. "No no, I didn't mean to keep it a secret. But, well, if anyone at Aya's school found out she was. . . with two guys, she could get kicked out. And besides, I didn't know if you could handle it."
"Of course I could handle, man! We're best friends, close like brothers!"
He chuckled. "Well, I couldn't be too sure."
I nodded. Made sense. I was apprehensive about telling the guys, but Wufei told me it was best to wait until I felt more comfortable with my boyfriend. On the plus side, Duo and I could double-date, so to speak, with the three of them.
We kicked ass at our gig, receiving fine rewards from our biggest fans. Wufei, Aya, and Asher all disappeared somewhere after the show. Wufei gave me a wink before tugging his girlfriend's arm and dragging her and his boyfriend away. I couldn't help but smile. A closet bisexual, but he knew how to have a good time while hiding in there.
Sally and Trowa started going at it right after he stepped offstage, wet and sloppy kisses that were disgusting to watch but probably heaven to receive.
I smiled at Duo, knowing that I couldn't take my reward here. I'd get it later. Meanwhile, I gave Relena a well-intentioned kiss on the lips, before sneaking away with Duo in tow.
//Tell me it's madness
I barely know you//
It's hard to believe that I've only known Duo just over a month. We're so close, you'd think we had known each other since infancy. We know each other's ticks, and each other's deepest, most scary secrets. Secrets that nobody else knows, and will never find out about.
We broke up with our girlfriends, not telling them the entire truth. I told Relena that I felt our relationship was too smothering, but that I would always be around if she needed a friend. I think Duo just told Hilde to fuck off.
We're already planning for our senior prom. That's when we're letting everyone know what's up with us. The school scheduled prom for the evening of the last day of finals, so the students would really have a reason to celebrate. Wufei, too, is coming out of the closet, bringing both Asher and Aya with him. Though, technically, Aya's going with Quatre. We wouldn't let him miss out on his senior prom! Plus, Aya promised to give Quatre an extra perk- she would make out with him, only once, whenever he asked for it. Always giving for the team, is Aya.
Duo and I are extremely happy. Since our wild night almost a week ago, we've decided to abstain from any sexual activity. Until prom night. That is our graduation gift to each other.
Oh yeah, and we plan on telling our families our little secret on our wedding day. We think they'll be able to handle it by then.
Owari
I wish to thank my beta for putting up with this shit. LYLAS, KK, and I'm sorry for mentally scaring you bit by bit. Someday in therapy, you can blame me for all your mental ills. Still, you're an angel! Oh, and please tell me what you think, everyone. I love C&C, it makes me look popular. ^___^