Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

Note: I've updated! As if that weren't stating the obvious . . . I would advise against getting used to this because my muse likes to take off on me sporadically. But who knows, eh? Anyway, you'll notice that this chapter is considerably longer than the first. I've been working on it for about six days now, so hopefully, it all came out okay, and you'll enjoy it. Assuming that you have read the first chapter, I'm not going to repeat the pairings and all that stuff.

Thank you so much, everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate any comments, criticisms, and questions, so long as they're constructive and, well, relevant. The plan is to reply to all the reviews I get, and since I can reply to sign reviews personally now, I won't have to spam the chapters with all those replies. As for anonymous reviews, if you leave your e-mail address, I'll reply to you personally that way, and if not, I'll reply here!

phoenixfirekitsune - Thank you very much for reviewing my fic, even though the chapter was so short:) I've been a band geek for years myself, although, now that I've graduated from high school, I don't think I'll be continuing. I don't think a lot of people realize how much workband is, how much of ourselves we put into everything, and that was part of the reason I wanted to write something about it. I played the trumpet. You might notice that slant in the fic, but hey, section pride, right? ;)


The Ladies' Man

Chapter II

With his usual ease, Duo brushed off Heero's cold demeanor, undeterred. "Glad to have you with us," he smiled, leaning against the lockers with his right elbow. His eyes unabashedly studied Heero's expression with mild interest, which only provoked the other boy more. "We definitely need all the trumpets we can get!"

"Yeah, especially since most of them suck," Heero remarked casually, carefully watching him, to gauge his reaction; Duo raised his eyebrows, and Chloe looked away, startled and uncomfortable.

With a nervous laugh, Quatre interjected, "Heero! That's a terrible thing to say!"

The trumpet player merely shrugged. "It was a joke," he stated blankly, but it really wasn't – not completely. "You're always telling me to lighten up." Though there were some rather exceptionally talented players, the school's band department as a whole didn't really have a strong trumpet section.

Recovering from his surprise, Duo chuckled. "Nah, he's right, Quat. Trumpets do suck," he winked, only grinning when Heero shot a less-than-friendly look his way.

Blue eyes narrowing, Heero retorted coldly, "That's not what I meant."

Duo cocked his head to the right and smirked. "Oh yeah? Then show me whatcha got . . . Prove me wrong," he challenged, shifting his weight evenly between both of his feet and crossing his arms.

His mild dislike for the so-called player flared, and his irritation stemmed from a more personal level. How dare Duo insult him? Taunt him . . . He knew he'd been right about him. Blue eyes still fixed on the other boy, he raised his mouthpiece to his lips, but Quatre stopped him, fingers clumsily curling around the bell of his horn. "No playing before rehearsal, remember?" he reminded everyone pleadingly. More kids were filing into the locker room, and several stared curiously their way.

"That's pep band, Quatre," Chloe dismissed impatiently, eager to hear Heero's demonstration. "Come on, Heero," she encouraged, smiling. "I want to hear you play!"

"Yeah!" Duo agreed. "Let's hear it! Play some runs. You've always been really good with the technical stuff."

A peculiar look crossed Heero's expression, as he allowed his arm to drop back to his side. "Why do I have to show you how I play, if you already know?" he questioned, expression guarded, suspicious.

"Well, I think I'm going to go greet some of the other new members," Chloe excused herself quickly before proceeding to sneak after one of her friends.

"Sure, I'll catch up with you later," Quatre smiled.

"Oh, yeah, see ya around, Chloe," Duo called after her with a grin and a wave. Then, managing to look a bit sheepish, he turned around, shrugged, and smiled, "I just wanted to hear you play . . ." Then he added for clarification, "Since you play so well."

"Duo!" A saxophone player shrieked, as she jumped hurriedly over the various instrument cases and dodged the bystanders to give him a hug. She effectively ended the boys' conversation. "I've missed you so much!"

Duo smiled charmingly and returned her embrace, lifting her slight frame up in his arms, "Hey, Kathy!" he greeted with nearly equal enthusiasm. "I've missed you, too!" When he finally disentangled himself from her arms, he glanced up and felt confused to see the tight-lipped glare set across Heero's face. However strange he found the situation, he didn't comment, only stared back, perplexed by the sudden shift in mood. Strange guy.

"Excuse me," Heero said coldly, turning around to walk into the band room, although he wasn't sure why he bothered to say anything at all. Duo Maxwell was nothing but a beguiling shark, preying on any and probably every girl he saw, and there was no way Heero would allow him to get any closer to Relena.

"Hey, wait!" The trombonist called after him, taking a step forward, as if to follow the Japanese boy. "It was nice meeting you . . ." He frowned deeply, casting a questioning glance at Quatre, who only shrugged helplessly in response. "Yeesh. What's with him?" he muttered to himself with an incredulous laugh.

"No kidding!" Kathy nodded vigorously, staring for a moment after his retreating form.

With an exasperated sigh, Quatre walked closer to Duo, smiling apologetically. "Sorry, Duo . . . Heero's kind of – anti-social."

Scoffing, Duo raised an eyebrow, "Anti-social? You mean he's an ass. I don't know why you're friends with him, Q-man. He's got some serious issues," he remarked editorially.

The blonde winced. "He's not – an ass . . ." he sighed, frustrated. "You just have to get used to him. Really, he's a good guy; he's just –"

"Not that great with people," Duo interrupted, looking away from the trumpet player. He turned to face Quatre,expression contorting in disgust as a clarinetist squeaked suddenly; he bit back a laugh. "Yeah, I know. I mean, it's not like I've never seen him around, but this is the first time I've actually talked to him, and it's like he's already got a grudge on me. And – why are you blushing, Quatre? What? Does he really have a grudge on me?" Luckily, Duo continued without allowing the drum major time to answer. "Anyway, I mean, I don't want to be judgmental or anything, but he's not making such a great impression on me right now . . . Trumpet players," he scoffed, kicking a nearby plastic bottle cap away, "they always think they're better than everyone else. Tch. Anyway, Q, I'm gonna get my trombone out. I'll see you at practice, 'kay?"

"Yeah, see you, Duo," Quatre answered, running his fingers through his short, blonde locks. Things weren't going so well already . . . Quatre stubbornly reminded himself that eventually, Duo and Heero would get along; it was just a feeling he had. But it might take some intervention . . .

"So who was that guy, anyway?" Kathy inquired innocently after Duo left. "What grade's he in?"

Quatre smiled, shaking his head lightly before answering, "His name is Heero Yuy. He's in Wind Ensemble, he's a senior, and he's a new member."

"Newbie, huh?" Kathy grinned.


Some of the other trumpet players were already there, fooling around and warming up, when Heero had joined them on the fourth tier of the band room floor. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he observed two juniors he knew from Wind Ensemble out of the edge of his vision; they were trying to see who could play the highest note. Bailey would not be happy about that – no matter how much he favored the two boys. Hn. Closing his eyes briefly, he continued to run through two octave chromatic scales, no longer paying attention to the well-practiced task. It felt strange to be packed into the familiar band room with so many people, so many people he didn't know. As a string of particularly sour notes reached his ears, he grimaced – so many untalented people . . .

He took a calculated step back with his left foot, angling himself so he could see Duo, who was animatedly gesturing as he relayed a story to some freshman new members of his section. Whatever he was saying, it couldn't carry over the chaotic sounds of the band room, and Heero only felt curious because he needed to find a way to get that shark away from Relena.

"Hey, Yuy," Wufei's voice broke Heero from his reverie.

He glanced back. "Chang," he answered, nodding in acknowledgement.

His carrier slung casually across his right shoulder, Wufei returned his gesture before his keen eyes narrowed in on Heero's object of interest. He raised an eyebrow and smirked, "So you meet Maxwell yet?" A strangled, high-pitched squeal cut sharply through the air next to him, followed by a failed attempt to match it; several people winced. That contest was over.

Recovering from the audio assault, Heero scoffed, eyes glinting harshly. "Unfortunately."

The percussionist's lip curled up in a rueful half-smile. "Come on, Yuy. He's not that bad."

Surprised, Heero creased his brow. "Not that bad?" he echoed skeptically. "You're always complaining about him."

Wufei chuckled briefly, gaze roaming absentmindedly across the room; he didn't say anything, which didn't help make his argument more convincing. In fact, Heero thought it was a pretty half-assed, half-hearted defense. After a moment, Wufei looked back up at his friend. "Well, I have to go join the rest of my section. Have fun, Yuy."

"Hn." Raising his horn to his lips, Heero resumed his warm-up. Something small and blue shot past his head, nearly grazing his right cheek, after Heero quickly stepped aside; he'd always had fast reflexes. It was a pen cap, and it landed harmlessly on the carpet a few feet away. His dark blue eyes narrowed icily, immediately targeting the source of the missile.

"Look what you did, Jordan!" Alex playfully shoved his friend back with his palm. "Sorry, Heero! Did that hit you?"

"No," Heero snapped sharply, maintaining the rather menacing glare aimed their way; and this idiot had been section captain last year.

"Oh, good," Alex smiled, ill at ease, unconsciously leaning closer to his friend. "Well, sorry, man. Jordan's just so clumsy and ow!" Whipping around, he glared half-heartedly at Jordan, feigning anger and hurt. "What was that for?" he whined, nursing his forearm, as he pouted.

Jordan rolled his eyes at him before turning to smile apologetically at Heero, brushing bangs back, away from his intensely blue eyes. "Yeah, sorry, Heero. This idiot decided it'd be fun to throw things at me, and when I tried to block that pen cap, it kind of flew in your direction . . . Excuse me," He politely slipped past Heero, bending down to retrieve the article, a sheepish smile on his face.

Heero snorted softly and grimaced in displeasure, allowing the two trumpet players to resume their playful banter. Clearly, they needed psychological help. Like most of the people present. Eyeing the podium, he saw Mr. Bailey waving his arm around in a cut off, signaling to the mostly new members that the first day of marching band practice was beginning. It was two minutes after six. Bailey-time, Heero smirked inwardly.

When the noise died out, Mr. Bailey beamed, his warm, hazel eyes roaming across the faces in the crowd. "Hey, everyone, and welcome to new member week! And boy, I tell ya – we are so happy that all of you guys decided to come! I'm seeing a lot of new faces in the crowd but also a lot of old faces . . . Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to be with us now – the new members for being brave enough to join our marching band and the old members for sacrificing the time to come help us out." He cast a heartfelt, meaningful look to the entire group of youngsters, who for the most part listened attentively. "Anyway, I promised I wouldn't talk too much." A smattering of giggles followed and interrupted his remark; anyone who knew Bailey knew he had a tendency to run off on tangents. "I'm going to let these," he gestured to Chloe and Quatre, who waved and smiled, "fine young people tell you about what we're doing today. They are your drum majors this year, and boy, we're lucky to have them. They're excellent musicians and excellent leaders. So without further ado," he clasped his hands together and predictably grinned widely, "they will introduce themselves."

He smiled a little – he couldn't help it – and besides, it would be impolite not to return at least some of Mr. Bailey's goodwill and general enthusiasm. "Hello, everyone! My name is Quatre Winner." Quatre flashed his mega-watt smile at all the students, and Heero's barely perceptible smile grew just a little bit in affection and recognition. At least he knew someone in this marching band who wasn't insane. Several friendlily returned Quatre's greeting.

"And I'm Chloe Pierson!" The brunette piped in, grinning and waving at the crowd. Heero looked decidedly less friendly. "I'm a junior, and this is my first year being drum major!"

"So to break the ice, we thought it'd be a good idea to play a game . . . A getting to know you game . . ." Quatre drawled slyly, feigning sinister intentions.

Heero's smile disappeared. Fuck. These were the consequences of hanging around underclassmen. Was it really worth it? His mind flashed back to the nauseating way Duo had been flirting with those two girls, forcing himself to renew his resolve. Stifling a sigh, Heero half-heartedly listened to the drum majors' instructions.

"Okay, no one do anything yet! On the count of three, you have thirty seconds to go find someone you've never met before – and just one person. I guess if the numbers aren't even, there can be one group of three or something, but go find someone you don't know and stand by them . . ." Chloe paused for effect, smirking as she noted all the kids ready to run. "One . . ." she flicked her green eyes briefly towards Quatre, who smiled back.

"Two . . ." he continued.

They made eye contact and nodded once before simultaneously announcing, "Three!"

And all hell must have broken loose because all of a sudden, shrieking demons started swarming chaotically through the band room, tripping over one another and screaming. Though slightly horrified, Heero critically scanned across the room, trying to locate one person, whom he did not know, who looked relatively normal and sane, but who didn't have a partner yet. Time was running out. Suddenly, he remembered a long, chestnut braid and a pair of pretty violet eyes – but that wouldn't work since he did know Duo now. Sort of. Duo, who probably had girls lined up to partner with him. And why would be want to be partners with him anyway? A part of him was curious – but only for Relena's sake, he amended harshly, raking a hand through his unkempt, brown locks.

Narrowing his blue eyes, he reached out purposefully, ready to grab the freshman flute player who stood in front of him, when someone else's hand touched him lightly on the shoulder. His skin felt warm and tingly from the contact, and he snapped around unhappily, bristling at the unwelcome physical invasion. He wasn't used to people touching him, and he didn't particularly care for it when people did. Another strike against Duo, his mind tallied, annoyed, since it was the braided boy who stood before him then, smirking slyly.

"Howdy, Heero!" He cocked his head a bit to the left, arms akimbo, hands planted firmly on his slim hips.

Guardedly, Heero peered into his eyes, examining for any traces of what his ulterior motive may be; he thought he detected a hint of animosity. Finally, he spoke, "I've met you before . . ."

Rolling his eyes, Duo dismissed the detail with a wave of his hand, nose scrunching up in distaste. "Yeah, but you don't really know me. Or at least . . ." he trailed off, eyeing the trumpet player almost defiantly. "I don't really know you."

For what seemed like a drawn out moment, which only really lasted a few seconds, their gazes were locked. "Hn," Heero snorted derisively and looked away,wondering what Duo meant by that remark – if anything at all. "Close enough," he muttered. Duo grinned.

They didn't really speak, and Heero felt somewhat grateful that Duo didn't try to make conversation. However, when he noted offhandedly that more than thirty seconds had passed, hefelt mildly surprisedthat Duo commented on it himself. "You know, thirty seconds here seems awfully like two minutes . . ." the braided boy remarked sarcastically, grinning at Heero knowingly.

"Hn," Heero grunted in agreement. "Bailey-time," he retorted noncommittally, earning a chuckle from the trombonist.

"Okay!" Quatre's voice rang out amidst the noise. "Does everyone have a partner?" He had to repeat the question several times before all the students fell quiet enough for the game to continue.

A chorus of "yes"s and "yeah"s followed, though a few kids were still scampering about, trying to find partners at the last minute.

"Okay," he paused. "Now I want everyone to tell their partner –"

"His or her!" a few smartasses reminded him good-naturedly.

Shooting them a mildly exasperated look, Quatre amended, "His or her partner two truths and a lie."

There were a few groans and a few cheers, all of which were pretty much ignored by the two drum majors. "Then," Chloe continued, "you have to introduce your partner to everyone in the room and tell us – his or her –" she smirked, "three things, and we all have to guess which one's the lie!"

"Tell us his or her name, grade, and instrument, please!" The blonde reminded everyone. "You have – three minutes . . . Go!"

Once again, the band room erupted in conversation, loud chattering, as each set of people tried to obtain the necessary information. "Well, this will be interesting," Duo mused, chuckling and shaking his head. He glanced at Heero out of the corner of his eye and shot him a lopsided smile, as he tucked part of his bangs behind his ear. "So your name is Heero Yuy . . . You're a senior, and you play the trumpet . . ." he listed slowly, smiling in triumph when he finished.

Heero was not impressed. "Your name is Duo Maxwell, you're a senior, and you play the trombone," he stated shortly. "What are your three things?" he demanded, bored, dark blue eyes fixed unnervingly on the braided trombonist.

To his credit, Duo didn't seem the slightest bit fazed and returned the favor with his own cool stare. "What are yours?" he countered finally, grinning. When Heero sighed and refused to answer, he relented, rolling his eyes. "Fine, okay, okay. Let's just get 'er done," he smirked at Heero's obvious annoyance, before falling into contemplation. "Hmm," he considered. "Well, let's see . . . I've never been out of the state, I love pie, and –" Duo wriggled his eyebrows, "I once saw a bank being robbed."

Taken aback by the last piece of information, Heero stared at him in surprise, unsure how to respond. Quickly, he recalled that one of the three was supposed to be a lie, and his mind critically reexamined what the boy had told him and, more importantly, how he told him. Usually, he could tell fairly easily when someone was telling the truth . . . Unless . . . Frowning, he managed a grunt and, without pausing, listed his two truths and a lie. "I have a dog, I enjoy science and mathematics, and I can speak French." He didn't bother making much of an effort to disguise his lie; after all, this game was stupid anyway.

Violet eyes lighting up, Duo inquired curiously, "Do you 'parlez-vous français?'"

Heero snickered quietly, unable to contain his amusement. "Do you 'do you speak French?'" he translated dryly, smirking when he saw Duo color slightly pink.

To his surprise, Duo laughed with him, embarrassed by his own mistake, "Well, you know what I mean," he muttered, grinning all the same.

"Mais oui," he replied quietly, blue eyes glinting with a hint of – something – fully aware that he hadn't really answered the question. But that was the point of the game, wasn't it? Not that he cared – just – maybe he should humor them a little bit.

Duo grinned widely, shrugging his shoulders. "Can't say the same. I've taken three years of Spanish," he proudly declared. "I'm pretty fluent in Spanglish."

"Hn." It sounded almost like a chuckle.

"Stop!" Chloe cried as loudly as she could, cutting off the chatter with a dramatic wave of her arms, beaming in satisfaction when she succeeded. And the game began.

Slowly but steadily, they wound their way around the band room, learning interesting facts about the other students with whom they'd march this year. However, Heero found himself still raptly uninterested, not wasting the effort to even put names to faces, quietly waiting his turn. Naturally, Duo noticed the lack of enthusiasm from his partner and frowned, several times nudging him gently, as if to rouse the trumpet player from his state of boredom. The Japanese boy wondered why he even bothered. Maybe it was because Duo was a shark starving for attention . . . That's why he always flirted so indiscriminately. Either way, he found it aggravating and tried his best to ignore him.

There were only four people left before the game would inevitably reach them, he mused silently. When he craned his neck to the left, in an attempt to crack his stiffened joints, he sharply noticed that Duo had been watching him silently, eyes darkened and nearly purple. Embarrassed at being caught, the braided boy dropped his gaze instantaneously, blushing and muttering something unintelligible to himself.

"What?" Heero inquired, his voice low, quiet, but harsh.

"Nothing," Duo mumbled under his breath, averting his gaze to the people currently introducing each other. "Just trying to figure you out . . ." he breathed softly; it was barely audible.

While the trombonist joined in with the rest, attempting to figure out the lie from the two truths, Heero's mind worked furiously, no longer so bored. What did that look mean? Why had Duo been staring at him like that? For how long? He felt more suspicious than ever and unconsciously cast a puzzled glance towards the braided boy himself. Figure him out?

"Hey, everybody!" Duo's voice broke him away from his thoughts, and he snapped his head up in surprise when the boy's firm grip pulled him up. He grinned, as if nothing had happened. "This cute guy here is Heero Yuy. He's a senior, and he plays the trumpet!" he announced, winking. "And as far as I know, ladies, he's single!" Quite a few members whistled appreciatively, laughing.

"Duo . . ." Heero growled warningly, glaring severely at the trombone player. Somehow, no one seemed to grasp the seriousness of his displeasure and only laughed appreciatively at Duo's brazen teasing. Even Mr. Bailey and Mr. Hedrick found it humorous.

"Hush! It's not your turn yet, Heero!" Duo admonished him in jest. "Anyway, Heero here has a dog, he loves science and math, and he speaks French!"

The guessing part was fairly painless and was over quickly, and Heero felt slightly relieved, though still irritated by the trombonist's apparent lack of decorum. Without much enthusiasm, he admitted that he didn't really have a dog; it was a cat. The girls, of course, found it adorable. Then it was his turn.

"This is Duo Maxwell." He fought back the urge to roll his eyes when the students, particularly the female ones, giggled and greeted him in annoyingly whiny voices. "He's a senior, and he plays the trombone," Heero continued monotonously. "He's never been out of the state, he loves pie, and he once saw a bank being robbed."

Everyone laughed, and quite a few gasped in surprise and disbelief at the latter bit of information. "No way!"

"Well, Duo does love pie, so that can't be a lie . . ."

"There's no way you saw a bank robbery!"

"You've seriously never been out of the state?"

The guessing continued, and Heero noticed with suspicion that a sly smirk crept across the boy's expression, growing wickedly with each passing second. Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei must have known the answer – they watched the scene unfold with slight exasperation and amusement, sparing a few knowing glances at one another and at Duo, who winked. A contemplative silence fell across the group.

"Well, which one's the lie?" Hedrick inquired at last.

Beaming brightly, Duo stated simply with a shrug, "There is no lie. They're all true."

The room erupted in protest and laughter.

"That's cheating!"

"You have to have ONE lie!"

"Duo! That's not fair!"

However, Duo only laughed, "That's me! I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie!"

And as the trombonist began to recount the bank robbery story, yielding easily to the persuasion of the crowd, Heero remained silent, brow furrowed in thought, and wondered if it were true.


Done! So what did you think? Reviews would be awesome! Heero's kind of being paranoid, isn't he? Poor guy. And Duo's provoking him. Towards the end of the chapter, I just -- I didn't feel like writing out all the details, so I'm sorry if it sounded kind of choppy and blah. Gosh, two chapters, and they still haven't actually started practicing . . . Maybe next time. ;)