GS Note: Not bad timing, huh guys? 24 more days! Set you watched, we are going to motor with new chapters from now on! I want to thank everyone for the 52 reviews right now. They mean a lot to know that people are still reading this arc even after it's been over a years. I have no clue how many more chapters but now I have no excuse to not finish. Not even laziness. Writer's block has finally left (knock on wood) and the plot FINALLY hit me ^_^ So hang on to your hats, ladies and gents!

Chapter 8

Revelations

Lies, cheat, deceit

Does it differ from one to another?

Can one lie and be right

And another do the same and be wrong?

Since school was officially out for the winter break, Heero didn't do much. The most strenuous thing he thought about over the two weeks was whether or not to have a peanut butter sandwich for dinner or reheat an unidentified dish at the back of the fridge.

Marie had tried to make him meals for the whole time she was going to be gone but her idea of what a teenaged boy ate was different then Heero's stomach.

Without proper food for the first time, Heero found himself scrounging in the large underground pantries Marie and other cooks dove into when they had a huge unannounced group of people to make dinner for.

In the last three days Heero made three dishes that he never planned on repeating. One was the dreaded Hamburger A La Flambé. Late one night had had been sure that placing a piece of meat in a heated area couldn't be much different then setting it on fire. Heat was fire and heat cooked, no matter what form right?

He hadn't counted on the tablecloth, plastic plate and his tee shirt. He hadn't been planning on cooking those.

The fork-in-the-dish incident at school made him very mistrustful of the lone microwave hidden in the smallest kitchen. When he attempted to make a grilled cheese sandwich in there, it only supported his suspicions. The burnt cheese had been cemented to the walls and door. Heero had placed a towel over the microwave to keep the toxic fumes of melting plastic plate away from the air.

The one dish that turned him off of cooking once and for all was something he first called Stroke of Genius and later Pile of Blackish Stuff. One very late night of an old monster movie marathon, a 2-in-the-morning snack turned into a disaster when Heero left his concoction of re-heated chicken breast, peanut butter, a small slab of chocolate, a boiled egg, half a can of Coke and a sliced carrot (for nutrition) boiling on the stove. When he had returned an hour later he was surprised to find it had boiling into a very thick black liquid-type thing.

Once cooled, it clung to the pot and stir stick like glue and no matter how hard Heero scrubbed and boiled water in the pot, it refused to unstick. He had thought it had been a good idea. If he liked all the food separately would his stomach know the difference?

Nevertheless, Heero managed to survive his three near hits with cooking without so much as a scratch. The kitchen, microwave and pot were another matter.

Marie came back from Italy with gift and an actual dinner the day before school started. Heero listened quietly to her stories and nodded at her pictures while he shoveled the mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"This is little Pedro," she pointed at a boy, maybe in his early teens. "He's your age. I showed you a picture of him before but he was only three then! Look at how he's grown!"

Heero nodded in agreement but took a huge bite out of the bread roll.

"And mother is doing so much better with the money I sent home. She and I went for a walk around Cecina while I was there. That the town where I grew up in, right on the ocean."

Heero chugged down the glass of juice beside his plate. He paused to swallow the half-chewed food before launching into his seconds. He was well into his thirds before Marie finally realised just how quiet he was being.

She hid a smile as he drained his glass of juice again with a satisfied sigh. He looked up at her after a few minutes.

"You were talking about you sister's new son…" he prompted quietly as he reached for the bowl of potatoes. Marie passed it to him and continued, still laughing slightly as he stuffed himself.

He stayed up later then usual. Heero wouldn't admit it but the long weeks of isolation had gotten to him. He followed Marie around the kitchen as she cleaned then went to her rooms with her to help her unpack. It was passed midnight before Marie finally tried to force him to bed.

"You have school tomorrow young man," she scolded and put her hands on her hips. Heero shrugged from his spot on her bed and played idly with her bedspread.

"I'm not that tired," he argued. "Tell me more about Cecina, my parents have only taken me to Rome with them."

She threw up her hand in defeat and settled on the bed next to him.

"How about you tell me what you did over your vacation. I'm getting tired of talking."

Heero looked up at the unexpected request. "My vacation?"

"Sure," Marie nodded. "You must have done something to tell me about."

"Since you're in a good mood, there was a little incident with the microwave…"

Marie was a little surprise he took her up on the suggestion. She smiled and listened as he told her of his cooking disasters. His words registered in her head but she looked thoughtfully at him as he rambled on. He might be lonely; she knew what it was like to finally have someone to talk too.

Still he looked a little to distracted to be just suffering from solitude. He started to trail off when a yawn started to interrupt his speech every few seconds. Marie finally threatened to drag him to his room and tuck him into bed before he agreed to leave. They said good night and he shut the door to her room before silently padding off to his own wing.

Marie took off her shoes with a sigh. Whatever was bothering him would have to wait for the morning when she could see straight again.

Heero slept in too late for much of a breakfast. After being woken up too early a few days in a row he had finally turned off his alarm clock and had forgotten to turn it back on again. A hasty knock of Marie had gotten him up a mere five minutes before the first bell was to go off.

He shoved on clothes he had sworn to never wear again. In his weeks alone his favourite outfits had been worn and worn again until they smelt too bad for even Heero to allow in his room.

The second bell to first period went off as he jumped out of the car and slammed the door. He tugged at the starched collar of his shirt as he struggled to lug his bag behind him. Running from the front door of the school to his geography class was the most activity he had attempted since what he dubbed as Maxwell Day.

His teacher didn't even look up as he arrived in class out of breath and two minutes late. Most of the kids were still chatting with friends about the break so Heero slid into his seat and tried to slow his breathing as the class waited to start.

In the first five minutes Heero realised that, in his haste to get to school on time, his winter homework was sitting on his desk in his room. He mentally cursed himself as the teacher told them to take it out.

Heero opened his textbook to the questions assigned and was grateful to hear that the teacher was only going to take up the questions and not check them. He managed to remember the ideas of what he had written. He answered a few questions off the top of his head so that the teacher thought he had actually had it.

The long break almost was enough for him to forget the complicated route to math class but, after a wrong turn, he found the way. Miss Noin was as late as ever so Heero walked in a few minutes after the bell and took his seat.

Dorothy was all ready in the class but he carefully avoided her eyes. She must have sensed something about the way he was acting and she didn't try to approach him. He was kind of relieved. He was still trying to sort out what had happened.

Did she not trust him or something? It was a huge shock, of course, to find out that his massive crush was indeed an orphan and lived at a church but still…

It definitely wasn't the strangest thing Heero had ever heard. His own childhood wasn't what people would call ordinary. He hadn't been raised by his parents. He had been raised by an endless stream of nameless nannies and tutors until Marie had been hired. Even then, she hadn't been his caretaker until he was twelve and his parents got tired of interviewing new people. They knew that Marie was looking after him anyway and, besides the fact she was only a couple of years older then him, she never neglected her cooking duties.

So why hadn't Dorothy thought about that? In a way, Heero was an orphan. So why would he care?

The answer hit him as the door opened and Miss Noin breezed in. He had never told her he was the Heero Yuy. He never told her that he was massively crushing on Duo Maxwell. And he certainly confided his thoughts to her.

Math class proved to be even less of a challenge then geography was with taking up work. Miss Noin's homework was more of a suggestion then an assignment. She launched right into the new unit without even mentioning taking up answers. It wasn't until the end of the class that she said anyone with questions could ask an older student to help them or go in for math help.

Heero didn't even consider going as he packed up his books and jogged to catch up with Dorothy as she left the class. He had a fair bit of explaining to do, and she did too.

"Hey Heero," she greeted him with a smirk. "Finally decided to say hello to me?"

Heero didn't bother answering as he shoved the flyer he had found in his newspaper into her hand. They were stopped in the crowded hall, so when Dorothy glanced down and paled, they didn't have time to talk. Instead she shoved the paper in the pocket of her jean skirt and gripped his elbow harshly.

He allowed himself to be dragged though the almost blocked halls outside to the winter cold. With snow everywhere, no one was brave (or insane) enough to take the short cut back to school. He and Dorothy were the only ones to not brave the lethal dodge ball game the grade tens were playing.

Heero knew that Dorothy must be colder then him, in her white blouse and skirt but she didn't show it. Instead, she held the crumpled flyer in front of his nose.

"Where did you get this?" she asked venomously. Heero almost shrank back as she glared at him. He struggled to remember why he was angry with her and held his ground.

"Why did you lie to me?"

"Where did you get this?" she repeated, lower and deadlier. Heero swallowed hard but refused to be intimidated.

"You first."

"Heero Yuy," she started through clenched teeth. "You're going to tell me where the hell you got this before I shove it in your ear and drag it out through your nose."

"I got it in my newspaper," the words were out before Heero could stop them. He tried to win back ground by glaring. "Why did you lie to me?"

There was a tense silence between them. A very cold wind suddenly swept around the building and threw snow on their clothes and faces. The chill finally registering on her, Dorothy shoved the paper back into her pocket and wrapped her arms around her.

"W-why don't we f-finish this in the l-library?" she tried to smile but failed miserably. Heero shoved his almost blue hands in his pocket and nodded. They hurried back into the math hallway brushing snow off their clothes and out of their hair.

"By the way," Dorothy smirked as she whispered so they wouldn't get in trouble. "Nice outfit, preppy."

Heero snarled but followed her into the gym. The grade nines in there right now were still trying to select basketballs from the rack so he and Dorothy hurried along the wall and back into the school before the teacher could yell at them.

They didn't bother going to the café but went straight for the library. This early into the lunch period it was fairly empty so they managed to get a table near the windows and away from the rest of the people. Heero pulled out his text books so it looked like they were working as Dorothy clasped her hands in front of her and closed her eyes.

"So, you know that Maxwell House church is an orphanage," she said it as a statement. Heero tried to not roll his eyes but nodded solemnly. She didn't noticed his contained sarcasm. "And I suppose you figured out that Duo and Solo Maxwell are some of their kids."

"I didn't know about Solo," Heero shrugged but Dorothy glared at him.

"I've been volunteering there for most of my life, Duo and Solo are like my brothers. It is a day care centre but that's only because it's low on funds right now and we are trying to raise money. We have about a dozen kids living there and another ten for the day care."

"Why did you tell me that in the first place?"

"You never told me you were the Heero Yuy," Dorothy watched from half closed eyes as Heero's face paled before flushing bright red. She smirked. "Duo noticed it when you stayed over. That and the fact your friend was Quatre Winner. That's not the most common name around."

Heero suddenly felt a little foolish. She had know his secret and had just gone along with it. He struggled to regain some dignity. "So?" he shrugged, his ears still a bit red. "I just didn't want to be singled out. Would you really have been so relaxed around me if you had known on the first day you met me?"

"I met you when you were flat on your ass in the hall after you tried to follow me to class on the third day," Dorothy's eyes sparkled as she tried to contain her laughter. "Not a lot to be afraid of there."

Heero snorted and glared. "What made you think I would have cared about Maxwell Church?"

"We've had…" Dorothy trailed off and lost her smile as she thought of how to continue. "I guess you can call them problems. Yea, problems with telling people the truth."

Heero's curiosity heightened and he tried to not sound too enthusiastic. "Problems?"

"Problems," Dorothy growled and Heero shrugged. He gave an inward sigh; she wasn't going to tell him.

"Well, now I know," he said instead of the questions burning on his tongue. "You didn't have to lie."

"Would you still have massively crushed on Duo Maxwell if you had known?"

If Heero had been surprised first, he almost died of shock on the spot. It felt like the world suddenly tipped off the orbit and fell through space. He knew he was gasping like a fish and he struggled to get his heart beating again. He choked a bit as his brain scrambled for an answer.

Dorothy tilted her head and smirked as he turned deathly pale and didn't turn red this time. "I guess I was right after all."

She smirked again and picked up her books, leaving Heero to catch up with the rest of the world by himself.

Heero didn't see Dorothy the rest of the day and when he was picked up that afternoon his brain still didn't feel connected to his body. Was he that obvious? Did Duo know? Did the rest of the world know that he was, well, that way?

But, and obviously most of all, if Duo knew, what was he going to do? Would he just ignore Heero or would he, maybe, consider it?

The second he walked in the door, Marie knew something was wrong. He had been distracted the night before; now it looked like it had doubled from a day at school. She waited for him to put his bag away and came in for food before trying to talk to him.

He was sitting in the kitchen with her as she started to get dinner ready for his parents' return that night. A sandwich was sitting in front of him with two bites taken out of it and had been that way for half an hour.

When Marie had the stove set and the timer on, she took the seat next to Heero. He didn't even notice her until she spoke.

"Did anything happen at school today?"

Heero visibly blinked as he tried to unhinge his jaw to answer. "Uh…"

Marie tried to not roll her eyes. "Anything unusual?"

"I forgot my homework this morning," Heero mumbled and picked up the sandwich again. He brought it to his mouth but put it down again. "Now that I think if it, I have some more to do tonight. I'll jut be heading up to my-"

Marie's hand flashed out and grabbed his elbow. She bent it painfully and forced him to sit again.

"I'm sure it can wait. I haven't see you in ages! I told you about my vacation, the least you can do is fill me in on your day!"

For some odd reason, words began to pour out of Heero's mouth. "Have I ever told you about my friend, Dorothy?"

"No," Marie shook her head as a knowing grin spread on her face. So that's who the mysterious D was! When she had come back she found several idle doodles written on the margins of newspapers, books, walls, the table… Most of them contained a letter D.

"Well, today she found out that I had a crush on someone," he continued, oblivious to Marie's brainwave.

"Did she?" Marie smirked. She had to meet this Dorothy now! Who knew if she was good enough for her Heero?

"See, it's her best friend Duo Maxwell, I've seen him around school and I was over at the place where he lives so I guess she picked up on it or something or other."

Marie's brain froze to a halt. Duo?

"But she didn't even tell him if he liked me, or if he noticed I liked him or not! I mean, she can't just leave a guy hanging like that, I need to know if he's interested or not so I can go back to just crushing or actually, I don't know, have a conversation with him! It's just so frustrating!"

With that off his chest, Heero let out a big sigh. He smiled and stood up. "Thanks Marie. I needed that. I'm going to be in my room if you need me."

Marie hadn't moved as he left with a bounce in his step. He was still oblivious to her reaction.

Marie's brain chugged to a start again. Heero was gay? This D was Duo? For some odd reason, her first thought after that really surprised her. If Heero was actually gay, why was he wearing such a horribly clashing outfit?

Knowledge is step one

Realization is number two

Three is acceptance

But love and embracing

Is the last step

To overcoming news.