Disclaimer: Usual disclaimer :)

Warnings: same old, shonen-ai.

Author's notes: Hey there ^^; I should prepare lots of 'I'm sorry' tokens...sadly I don't have enough time XD, I'm writing now because I really want to finish this story, although I'm not yet sure how this'll end XD Anyway, here's chapter 7 =) Enjoy!

Unexpected Meetings

by Arakune Yoru

Chapter 7

"So..." Duo said slowly, twirling the basket ball on his hands easily. Heero looked at him with a straight face and bored eyes.

"So what?" The braided boy almost pouted, but only allowed himself to frown.

"You know what." The ball bounced on the court smoothly, its sounds echoing all over the place. It had been two weeks since they had been scolded and assigned to the late shift at the library; it had never happened again, Patrick hadn't came close to them, or rather to Heero since the Principal talked to him for, apparently, the last time. Duo wanted to talk about what Heero had done that night, but he never found the taller guy alone, not even in the toilets.

"I do?" Duo snorted and threw the ball toward the basket, watching with half happy eyes when it went in without touching the backboard. Heero had never been evasive, most of the times he would answer questions straight forwardly to the point unless he was in a pissy mood. Now he sounded like he was avoiding the topic.

"Hm, I wonder" They kept throwing aimless shots at the backboard, not even caring they didn't score. Duo wanted to ask about Heero's mum, about their projects, what he was doing for holidays, what he looked like when he was really happy, but most of all about that damn kiss. He hadn't been able to think straight after that happened, his mind was constantly focused on the blue eyed monster, as he had decided to call him; the damn kid was even in his dreams! Shaking his head firmly he looked at said man from the corner of his eye. "How's your mum?" He asked gently and the other young man sighed and looked at the ground completely missing the hoop.

"She's...she's better now" The blue eyed boy was so embarrassed that Duo had seen his beloved mother like that...so helpless, so utterly...

~Lost~

"Hey." He looked up when he felt a slight weight rest on his shoulder, his eyes looking up into those unique violet eyes. "You ok?" Duo asked gently and Heero merely shook his head, straightening once more as he walked to retrieve the ball.

"I'll live." Duo then regretted asking, but he just shrugged it off and caught the ball when Heero threw it his way. The messy haired boy looked, slightly impressed, how Duo moved the ball so easily, it slid smoothly from his hands, to the ground...between his legs. He almost groaned out loud and forced his eyes from the slender boy's groin; his staring wouldn't do any good, even when his nether regions thought otherwise.

"Let's play a bit? Just you 'n me" Heero repressed the urge to sigh when Duo decided to play it safe and divert his attention to something less personal. He looked down his nose at his friend and smirked slightly when an amused expression graced the other's face.

"What, you in for an ass kicking, Maxwell?" The braided young man pouted childishly and threw the ball hard at Heero, setting his fists on his slim hips as he smirked mischievously at the other.

"Wanna bet?" He teased, the smirk on his face never softening.

"Oh? What do you want to lose?" Heero wasn't much of a talker, he had convinced himself of that long ago, but there was something, everything about Duo that made him want to shove his teasings right back on his face while he controlled the ball with almost equal ability the other had showed. The still round face pinched in mock hurt as he clutched at his shirt right over his heart.

"Man, Iam hurt Heero. To think I'm planning to lose" Letting out a low chuckle from his chest, the blue eyed man threw the ball at the hoop, a predatory grin adorning his features as the ball went in so smoothly and yet strongly.

"So, what will be the bet?" He said innocently, turning to find a stunned Duo looking rather owlishly at him. He almost chuckled, but managed to keep his face questioning.

"Huh...well the winner decides. How's that sound?" The braided boy suggested, his face not looking as confident as before. Yet, he refused to lose; if he won, and he was sure would, he'd make Heero tell him what that kiss had been about, what it meant to him...

~And if we can do it again...~

Duo stopped walking and looked down at his feet, a deep red blush adorning his pale face. He didn't know why he'd fallen for Heero...was it his looks? Could be, the guy was handsome, and he was athletic; but Duo had learned the hard way a good body wasn't all that mattered when they were giving love a try. The aura around the blue eyed young man attracted Duo to no end, even when he had a cold exterior, he was warm...The way he walked, the way he talked, the way he'd stare at the clouds for hours before he closed his eyes and sighed, looking back down at his assignments or Duo.

~I wonder what it is that you see...~

He didn't know for sure if Heero saw anything at all. For all he knew, he could have some sort of absence syndrome and that's why he'd stare at nothing at all.

"Duo?" Big violet orbs looked up at the source of that deep voice and locked with endless seas of blue, but the lost look in them remained. Heero frowned and walked a closer to him, leaning down a bit to look Duo square in the eye, but the other young man didn't move an inch...it was almost as if he was seeing through him right at the other side of the court. "Duo" He called his name more firmly this time, biting his lower lip when the other didn't react. How long had Duo been standing still anyway? Heero had walked to the end of the court and turned around to find the braided boy standing just a few steps from where they had been before with this lost look in his round face. "Duo!" The younger of the two jumped slightly, his eyes finally focusing on Heero and a red blush spread all over his face as he looked down sheepishly.

"S-sorry..." He whispered and then smiled a bit to the other youth. "I guess I'm not feeling that good...shall we call it quits?" Before waiting to hear a response from his taller friend, he turned on his heels and walked to where is backpack was along with Heero's, sitting by it, before leaning back to lie completely down. As he stared at the endless sky, he understood why Heero did it: it was calming, it gave this sense of...freedom, even when it seemed to swallow him whole; somehow, seeing how big the sky was, the idea how long the corners of the space extended made him feel so small...and yet, so at peace.

~What's gotten into him?~

The blue eyed boy stared at the braided youth for a few seconds, trying to figure out what had just happened to ruin the cheerful mood of the violet eyed ball of energy. Realization dawned on him and he almost smirked, but he just sat down by Duo's side and placed the ball next to him, looking into the horizon with happy blue eyes, even as his face remained blank and void of emotion.

"So, I get to pick what you'll lose right?" Violet orbs focused on him and Duo rose an elegant eyebrow in question, but Heero just shrugged with a straight face and looked again to the sunset. "That was the deal, winner will pick what he gets." Instantly, Duo was up with slightly wide eyes and his pinkish mouth slightly ajar. "You quit, hence...I won." Duo chuckled and shook his head.

"We didn't even play-"

"I won, that's final" The look Heero was giving the other young man made him think it would have been best to ignore the shock realizing his feelings had given him and just play.

"That's not fair." He said with a small pout on his lips and crossed his arms above his chest.

"May I remind you it was you who set the rules?" Heero wasn't laughing, but there was a certain gleam in his eyes that assured Duo he wasn't taking this too seriously.

"OK, I give. What do I lose?" The blue eyes closed slowly as the other lied down beside Duo, taking a deep breath and stretching in a cat like manner.

"Later...we're supposed to work at your house today, right?" The violet eyed boy smiled gently and lied back down, pillowing his head in one arm as the other rested against his flat stomach.

"Yeah...my parents won't be home, though, so you either eat some of my poison or we can buy something" A low chuckle greeted him and the blue eyed man shrugged.

~Anything's fine...you are fine Duo~

Heero shook his head and chuckled, letting a small smile grace his face; he knew Duo was annoyed at him because he kept avoiding the 'inevitable talk' about that kiss...but he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it at all. Sure, he was the one who started it, and he should be deliriously happy Duo wanted to talk about it...except he wasn't. He was nervous, worried, sad, happy, upset.

"Let's go grab a bite before we head home" He heard his braided companion let out as he stood up, cracking his shoulders before offering a hand to help Heero up. For what seemed like an eternity and a half, he just stared at him, taking in the soft, yet manly features framed by chestnut hair, his curly lashes almost caressing his cheeks as he looked down at him. "Heero?" The smile that never seemed no vanish, no matter how hard their assignment was, no matter how gray the skies looked beckoned him, trying hard to pull him in, to convince him this was a good idea. He'd thought about it before, but the reminder of what was happening to his mother held him back. He wanted to focus on the task of discovering J so he could tell the police...and yet...

~Lend me your strength~

"I've made up my mind" The blue eyed boy let out with such conviction he shocked even himself, and the man above him just rose an eyebrow.

"...So...you gonna tell me what that kiss was about?" Duo wasn't stupid, nor was he blind, the look Heero had given him was not normal. If he was honest, he had looked into the mirror while thinking about his blue eyed companion and he had the exact same look. However, Heero just smirked at him and took his hand, standing up a head taller than Duo.

"I'll think about it" He tucked a strand of hair behind the braided boy's ear and leaned in to kiss the exposed cheek, smiling charmingly at the confused face afterwards. "Let's go to your house to eat...I'm starving" Duo stood frozen for a while, staring at Heero as the young man bent down to pick up his things along with Duo's. "Ready?" He asked quietly, cocking his head to the side slightly as he looked at his companion. To some he would be picturing innocence right then, but to Duo he portrayed the devil himself. Glaring half-heartedly at him, he took his bag from him and started walking, muttering something about 'damned tease' under his breath. Heero couldn't stop a smirk from spreading on his face and he jogged to catch up with Duo, not turning to look at him when they were side by side.

"You know, you might as well just come out and say what's on your head. All this side stepping is making me dizzy" Duo said simply, his eyes glued to where they were walking, and he knew he was still blushing madly. He wasn't used to being hit on so boldly, that was if what Heero was doing could be called 'hitting on', his previous relationships were all discreet and a dirty little secret his boyfriends didn't want anyone to know. It felt good, really, to be the one on the receiving end of someone's affections and besides...he already knew what he felt towards Heero wasn't simple friendship.

"Meaning?" And then there was that attitude. Duo glared the rest of the way to his house and kept his mouth shut, huffing annoyed when he noticed Heero smirking. The damned tease! "You cooking?" His blue eyed companion asked when they walked the steps to the front door, looking up and down the street for who knows what. Duo shrugged and unlocked his door, not bothering to hold it open for Heero as he walked inside.

"Here, lock it." Grabbing both their bags, he jogged upstairs to his room and dropped them there, looking around absently minded. He was used to having Heero around his room, either working or asking about the various objects and pictures in there, however, he couldn't help but feel self-conscious this time around. Was it appropriate for them to be in a closed room together, in a house that would be empty save the two of them for as long as Heero was there? Would Heero try anything? And most of all, would Duo even care or try to stop him if he did? The violet eyed boy chuckled suddenly and shook his head. It wasn't like Heero was a rapist and would force him into something they were clearly not ready for...

~Wait, the guy hasn't said anything yet!~

And yet...that tender gesture when they were still in the court.

"Knock it off...don't rush anything" He told himself and turned to go back downstairs, only to collide hard with the guy who had been invading his musings no longer than 5 seconds ago. Heero took Duo by his forearms to steady him and he looked at him worriedly.

"You ok?"

"Um, yeah" Duo realized their bodies were touching and he blushed hard, swallowing thickly and looking up into his friends blue, blue eyes. That close, he could see a silvery around Heero's pupil, making his eyes incredibly ethereal and beckoning. "Heero, I―"

"Duo, this―" They started at the same time and they looked at each other startled, not even knowing when they had looked away. A chuckle broke from the braided youth and he blushed cutely, and Heero's face broke into a soft smile as he scratched the back of his head, finally letting go of him and stepping away. "I'm sorry" The blue eyed boy said simply and looked away, the smile still intact on his face. Duo leaned close to him to look into his eyes once more, his expression pretty much mirroring his friend's.

"Are you?" He asked in a whisper and his smile widened slightly. "What exactly are you feeling sorry for?" He lifted Heero's face by his chin, glad that, for once, it was the messy haired boy blushing and not himself. "Having met me? Working with me? Or could it be you're sorry because of that damn kiss?" Duo pushed himself against Heero's side, and brought the immobile guy's face to look at him with a careful hand. "Is that...it?" Petal-soft lips ghosted over Heero's and he groaned, closing his eyes as he leaned into Duo's touch. "I see...well two can play this game 'Ro" Suddenly, the warm body that had been flushing against his disappeared and his eyes snapped open, his head jerking around to find those slim hips swaying as the owner walked towards the stairs. Just as he took the first step, he looked over his shoulder, indigo eyes half hidden by coquettishly lowered, curly eyelashes. "You hungry?" Heero half growled when the braided fiend jogged all the way downstairs and to the kitchen, leaving him standing red-faced outside his room.

~They say paybacks are a bitch~

"I'm gonna kill whoever said that" He said out loud as he stalked his way after Duo.

TBC

Author's notes: Phew, it took so long to write this! I bet you noticed, I think it's been over a year since I last updated, I'm sorry u.u I'll try and finish this soon, it's just, I've got so many ideas it's hard to order them, and then put them to words ^^; I hope this chapter doesn't seem as forced as I think it does ; ; Reviews please? Thanks for reading! =D