Demise Angel: Thank you, I'm so happy you think so :)

Luna's (the moon) ladylove: Thank you for your short but sweet review :) I'm glad you still like the story so far and yay for cute and adorable Heero! We need more of him :)

Snowdragonct: you are totally right, unless you jump in somewhere in the middle and half of the process has already been completed, than maybe you can cheat a little with length, but our lovable pilots are so messed up they definitely need a lot of time for them to believably circle back to "normal" :) Thank you for your review and I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well.

Ffreeloader: I know what you mean! So many stories on and other sites are discontinued it really is such a shame that you'll never know the end of those stories. I have to be honest, I had experienced some difficulty finishing stories in the past, but that is behind me. I'm quite hard on myself concerning this. I am very much devoted to finishing this story and I know I will, I'm very inspired and passionate about this story. I have been tempted to branch out and post other stories, but they will have to wait till this one if finished, so I can keep my focus on this :) Don't worry, you haven't gotten involved for nothing. I thank you for your kind review and I hope to have eased your mind :)

Angelyn: YEAH! ;) I thought it was about time (the tenth chapter!) to sneak the L-word in ;) Enjoy finding out what happens next! Thank you for another one of your great, enthusiastic reviews! :)

ElleSmith: I definitely don't blame you for not reviewing. I don't have much experience with younger children, but what little experience I have has proven to me that they are a handful. Oh... and then you go on with this great review that makes me blush... I'm SO glad that you really like this story and I'm so flattered it's almost embarrassing. I'm happy to see that you wouldn't mind if Heero said "the I love you too" just to please Duo. Because frankly, if he said it just for that reason, it would be great progress on his behalf. I think it is much too soon for him to feel and open up to love the way we feel it. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you will enjoy this next chapter :)

Nikki: And everything about your review makes me happy. I'm so grateful to hear such nice things about this story and I really aim to keep up the good work. Thank you for reviewing. And about your second comment: I already figured you meant write :) Stuff like that happens to everyone when were in a rush.

Kai-chan94: Thank you so much :)


Author's note:

I am so sorry for this epically long overdue update! You know life, it has it's untimely ways... I was just left too tired to write. Luckily though, I couldn't sleep one night and decided to read some fanfiction and after I finished reading a short story I got this burst of energy and I immediately opened Word to write. I guess when I read that fic, I was just reminded of how much I love these characters (however sad that may be) and I needed to continue my own story. It is weird though, I've been into Gundam Wing since I was twelve, 2x1 fanfiction since I was 14. I always expected to grow out of it, but I never have, it's still with me and it evolves as I do. I think that is a truly remarkable aspect of Gundam Wing, you can look at it through child's eyes and enjoy it, and when those eyes mature and report back to a much more developed, skeptical and cynical brain, you can appreciate the series on a new level. I don't know why I'm telling you this, I just felt like it needed to be said... Gundam Wing deserves more credit than it gets.


Warheads

Part XI - Even

Kissing Heero goodnight became part of the routine. I kissed him goodnight every night, with passion but it was never requited. He remained passive and when I would part our lips he didn't chase the contact and follow me up. He would always merely look at me with his big eyes, seeking guidance or reference. The confusion in his eyes told me he was unable to find either, inexperienced at reading me and taking cue. He did not yet understand what was expected of him, so the abrupt darkness when I switched off the light would be followed by a forced "I love you", wry and alien. I wish I could tell him he didn't need to say it. I knew he loved me, regardless, there were more important ways to show love. Yet I could not tell him so. The more I heard him say it, the more I realized I wanted it. In spite of being awkward and mechanical, those three words in his deep voice was the most amazing thing I had ever heard and I had become addicted to the sound. Whether or not he meant it then, he would mean it soon. I knew that. I had faith that one day his own words would spark understanding and enlighten him.

I woke up, tired and exhausted, for the last day of school before spring break. I hadn't even realized how drained I had become. Life as a "regular" teenager was harder than I had expected. Emotionally draining for the most part. Especially as at school intricate plots had been developing, plots of revenge brewing by the lockers, in the girl's restrooms and measured out in short encrypted notes passed through classrooms without the teacher's knowing.

Something was on the horizon, but for the life of me I hadn't been able to figure it out. My deductive skills as a Gundam pilot appeared to have dwindled fast and relentlessly. I decided to simply focus on school and try to get the drama to slide right off me like the coating on our Gundams. Still, I had the ominous feeling I was involved in these schemes without me knowing, without me approving of it and without me wanting to participate in it.

I sent Heero off to work in our regular silence. I hadn't worked my way up to a good morning kiss yet, but I would.

I dressed comfortably, the weather outside was hot and humid and it would be particularly uncomfortable as I had a history test in the late afternoon.

I took with me the heavy book on the world wars that I had borrowed from the library and held it under my arms as it was too big and too heavy to fit into my bag along with the other textbooks. Outside I held it tightly against my chest and walked leaning forward slightly, to protect the delicate, old paper from the steady drizzle of rain and the humidity that smacked me around the head when I stepped out the door. At school I found most of the girls to be dressed in inappropriately revealing clothing and, I imagine, making the day only hotter for the male students as they redefined "short shorts".

Arms flung tightly around my neck. I tensed up rigidly but managed to suppress any other, considerably more lethal, militarized reaction to the sudden, restricting contact.

"Good morning, Sookie." I said, without even looking over my shoulder.

She released me, her heavy black bracelet scraping across my shoulder. "How did ya know it was me?"

I shrugged. "Just be grateful I did. Anybody else I would have killed."

She laughed as though I made a joke and I left her kindly deceived. She playfully punched me against my shoulder. "Weirdo."

I finally looked at her and noted she was probably wearing the shortest shorts out of everyone, hidden underneath the length of her loose fitting tunic. If she even was wearing shorts, I thought, inconspicuously trying to tilt my head to look under the fabric of the shirt. Fingers with black nails grabbed my chin and aimed my gaze upwards at her grinning face.

"Aren't ya supposed to be gay?"

"Maybe." I replied casually. "My motivation was purely fashion related. I was wondering where you had left your pants."

"Wow, ya really are gay." She joke, then hiked the tunic up and revealed a pair of shorts that might have been intended to be worn as underwear. I would never know. I didn't pretend to have any experience with or knowledge of the matter, so we dropped it and agreed to meet at our regular table during lunch as we parted ways for our separate classes.

My classmates hated the timing of our math class, as the first period in the morning. I preferred it actually. I agreed that math could be quite tiring, especially for those who were troubled in this area, but the early hours served a higher purpose, for the most part still being fresh and not yet fed up with the day. Of course the prerequisite for that mind set was a good night's sleep and from the faces surrounding me, I assumed not many of them had enjoyed that luxury. But I did not pity them. There had been a rave last night and they could have easily denied the invitation. Whispers in the hallway had been that not going was considered "social suicide" and the prevention of that, even the night before a test, was a valid enough argument to attend. But as someone previously announced DOA in the social scene, this reason did not register with me. I was in bed at ten thirty, being peacefully lulled asleep by Heero's kiss lingering on my lips.

"Very well done, Duo." The math teacher praised as he handed me last week's pop quiz, adorned by a big, red "A+".

I smiled, accepting his compliment. Being in the back of the class, I had been the last to receive the result of my test, but apparently it gave the teacher the welcome opportunity to kneel by my table and take a little longer.

"I was wondering if maybe you would be willing to tutor some fellow students, who are running the risk of flunking this subject." His words were soft and kind but did not appeal to me. I already had someone to tutor, who took up a lot of my time, but would be worth the investment.

"No." I declined

He didn't force me into anything other than guilt by blatantly displaying his disappointed attitude.

The class went on as usual, but at the end I was approached by a short figure, shuffling towards me with small, rushed steps.

I looked up at Aston and greeted him politely, even though I dreaded the attention he was giving me.

"Are you going to be a tutor as well?" He asked excitedly.

I shouldered my bag and answered his question truthfully as I walked away.

Aston followed me with his short, hurried steps. "Why?"

"Busy."

"Oh."

When he was still behind me by the time I had reached the next class, I abruptly pivoted on my heels to confront him with an agitated: "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No."

I narrowed my eyes at him, upon which he started to squirm and fumble with the hem of his cardigan. "Shouldn't you go to class yourself?"

He shook his head, his blond hair whipping around his head in wisps. "I have the period off."

"Fantastic." I could not hide my sarcasm, maybe for the better. I didn't want to give him the wrong impression. "So what, you're gonna join me in physics class? Aren't you in the advanced class?"

He nodded. He visibly shrank away before my eyes, making me feel guilty.

"I gotta go." I said, before guilt would make me apologize and offer him false hope.

His interest was disconcerting to say the least. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I had to make clear to him somehow that I wasn't interested. It wasn't his fault, who could compete with a Gundam pilot who saved the world and my ass on several occasions for that matter? During the next classes I calmed myself down and convinced myself not to overreact. It was just a little crush and while I did not have any experience with crushes, I was certain it would be non-threatening and therefore I was not required to bite his head off and make him feel awful about himself.

Then I spotted him occupying the seat next to Sookie at "our" table and my good intentions and my resolve to live up to them where trampled by my angry footfalls somewhere between the entry to the cafeteria and our table.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, making him nearly choke on his sip of milk from the tiny carton.

"Eating?" He offered meekly.

"No." I furiously shook my head.

"Technically I was drinking..." He tried.

I rolled my eyes to the heavens. "Aston, I don't feel comfortable with you inserting yourself into my life like this."

"What do you mean?" He questioned innocently, clearly convinced that he had done nothing of what I accused him of.

"You were waiting for me by my locker Monday," I started, "and you came into the locker room when my class had just finished P.E. and you watched me get changed! And-"

"I think he gets it, Duo." Sookie interrupted me as my voice really started to sound angry and dangerous.

With a softer but still annoyed and dead serious voice I said to Aston: "Part of me is really flattered. But most of me is just freaked out."

Aston looked into his own lap while his finger nervously played with the straw sticking out of his carton of milk, jostling it around and pushing it in circles.

Guilt was a damn thing. My anger deflated and I sat myself down across from him. "Aston," I gently said.

He looked up at me with pleading eyes.

"I have a boyfriend." I said. From the corner of my eye I could see Sookie starting to smile sweetly. "I love him very much." Whereas Sookie smiled bigger and brighter, Aston hunched over more and more, trying to disappear into himself, morbidly embarrassed. "I didn't want to be mean, but I also didn't want to lead you on."

Aston nodded, but he was fighting against stinging, bitter tears, not eased by the sweetness of Sookie's empathy as she gently stroked his back in soothing circles.

With a sigh I left. I didn't understand Aston's infatuation and I didn't know how to deal with it. Being in a relationship with the perfect soldier I thought would be the most complicated romantic involvement I would ever engage in, but it was proven to me that day, that every day life - the life we were never allowed to live before - had it's own unique challenges. Challenges that I was as unsuitable to handle as Heero.

Being with Heero was actually easier, I realized. Not because in a way our relationship is less messed up than the one I could hypothetically have with Aston, but because the two individuals in the relationship are equally messed up. I was a soldier of war and massacre, just like Heero, it created an understanding between us that I had previously underestimated. I suddenly felt invigorated and empowered, masking my guilt at not being able to requite a young man's desperate need for affection. I reconciled my conscience with the assertion that Aston would find someone else, someone infinitely more suitable than me. He was smart and hidden behind thick glasses, grey cardigans and kaki pants was an attractive boy. But, I realized grimly, he was too friendly for me.

I needed Heero, as a coarse and rough personality, to sand away the sharp edges of myself.

I passed Sookie in the hallway later on the way to my History test. She seemed upbeat and assured me Aston would be fine. She emphasized "just" and drawled out "fine", which added to my suspicion that something was going on right underneath my nose and Aston what the final, odorless ingredient to this brewing mix that I failed to understand the implications of. I asked her if there was something she needed to tell me. She shook her head, grinned and walked way.

She may not believe there was something she needed to tell me, but I knew for certain there was something I needed to hear.

I made a mental note to tackle her later and question her thoroughly. After a couple of months inserted into this "regular school-going life" I realized that though tabooed, military tactics were not out of line, nor unnecessary if you're intention was not to be fooled with. High school was rough. I had a newly found respect for the regular kids who dealt with all this without torture- and self-defense training. It would certainly come in handy.

I concentrated myself during the test. I could argue that grades did not matter, I wasn't going to college. I could perfectly pass with a C for every subject, but I did not want to. It's a pride thing.

The questions were relatively easy. The final question required an essay like answer in which I always excelled. Not necessarily because I was so apt at history, English, or literature for that matter, but I could talk my way out of an OZ standoff, so I had no concerns.

History was my last period of the day. I looked around for Sookie for a little while, but I didn't find her. Other students were talking about Aiden's party, which was that night. I was stopped in an abandoned hall by a warm, large hand on my shoulder.

"You're Duo, right?"

I turned to face Hunter. A heartbeat behind him was Danny, glaring at me, but I had been on the receiving end of much more intimidating glares by the master of death-glaring himself. Danny was a mere rookie. His attempt at a discerning, evil glare was on the brink of amusing. "Yeah." I looked up at Hunter, who was an inch or three taller than me. I was currently in a drastic growth spurt however, fast leaving Heero - of Asian descent - behind me. I smiled when I thought I might just get to grow as tall as Hunter. Fun.

"Was Aiden right, are you gay?"

I surprised myself when I answered: "Yes."

In the background, Danny froze, his glare melted away for something... disgusted.

Hunter smiled. "Wow. You're okay with that?"

I shrugged. "Everyone should be. Unfortunately the world doesn't work like that."

"Yeah." He mumbled and scratched the back of his neck. "You going to Aiden's party tonight?"

I snorted. "No." I didn't elaborate, I figured he would understand, especially considering the rumors about him that Sookie had whispered into my ear. Based on his demeanor, I judged the rumors to be true. I wasn't shocked by this at all. Statistically, it would have been more surprising if I had been the only gay male in a school of over seven hundred students.

"Too bad. You look like you could be quite the party animal." He flicked the end of my braid as he sported a charming and confident smile. He walked past me and Danny followed in silence, still stunned at my casual confession.

I almost felt violated by his invasion of my personal space, touching my hair without my permission, but I didn't let myself escalate the situation and just watched him go. I sympathized with him. It was hard for me to come to terms with my sexual orientation and then being open about it, I realized it might be harder on him still. I lived in a quite unconventional universe with no traditional upbringing or protective parental figures to tell me being gay was wrong. I was free to explore it with only my own morals and values, uninhibited by the preconceived and outdated notion that only man and woman could truly be together with the acceptance of God. Hell, my universe was so unconventional, I could, out of the blue, kiss my best friend and even he would be like: "Oh hell, why not?" - I'm paraphrasing.

Hunter did not have the same freedom - unexpectedly brought on by the war - he was constricted by the whole package of social norms, misunderstanding parents, religion and peers - who never made anyone's life any easier.

In a weird way the day was only getting better.

When I got home, the day just got weirder.

I opened the front door and froze in the doorframe when I noticed the clutter in our living room. My whole body tensed up with fear and concern, a reaction so instinctual I found it hard to calm myself down even when I noticed what I was looking at was not the result of an out of control fight, but rather the arrangement of our office furniture in our living space. Still frozen by the door, I called out Heero's name, afraid of memories repeating themselves.

"Hn?" Heero came out of the office, he was wearing his cheap but well-fitting jeans and a basic, disposable shirt. There were red stains on his hands, wet and glistening.

"What's going on?" My voice betrayed a fear I would have preferred to keep to myself. "What are you doing home so early?"

Heero looked at his feet.

"I don't mean..." I started, when I realized I might be giving him the impression that I didn't appreciate his early return home. I was just confused by it. "I like having you home early. I also like knowing what's going on."

He looked back into the office. "I'm painting." He stated and then went back into the office.

I was relieved, but berated myself for even letting my thoughts trail so far into darkness. Paint, of course, I told myself silently. Just red paint.

I closed the door behind me and followed him, still carrying the weight of my backpack on my back and the keys making noise as they dangled in the loose grip of my fingers. When I stepped inside I noticed the walls were wet from a third coat of paint he had apparently added. I looked at him, confused.

"I wanted the color to be even." He explained, his narrow eyes and the shadowed frown between his eyebrows clearly indicated he was not yet satisfied with the result.

The uneven tones were mostly amended. However, when I looked closely I could still see some faint discolorations. It scared me that it had bothered him enough to abandon his regular and prized routine and do all this work by himself. "You could have told me. I would have helped you." I said. I was startled at the sudden fixation of his intense eyes on me. They narrowed further and questioned my comment.

"Would you?" He emphasized.

"Yes, of course."

His eyes searched me for answers but found me to be an illegible book. "You don't think it's weird?"

I did, I admitted, but only to myself. I didn't want to discourage or insult him. "What?"

"It's okay that I want the walls to be even?" His question sounded like a challenge, like he was expecting me to forbid him from ever painting them again.

"Sure." I tried to sound unconcerned and added a smile for the sake of it. Truthfully, his obsession with the walls being even surprised and confused me, it made me think bad things, like maybe there was something wrong... with him. I felt sorry for him. Why do walls matter? Why does everything have to be even? The answers dawned on me. "Heero, the walls don't have to be perfect." I waited for him to look me in the eye again. "You don't have to make everything perfect. You are already perfect to me." I raised my hand to touch his cheek gently and noted with a clench of my heart the flaring of his nostrils and the widening of his eyes as he followed the movements of my hand. He relaxed only after our skin made soft contact.

"I want the walls to be even." He said, almost stubbornly.

"Okay." I pulled my hand back and smiled at him. "That's okay. I'll help you. One more layer and it should be fine."

He nodded and seemed reassured by the fact that I didn't proclaim him to be mental, which he obviously feared and accused himself of being.

I didn't know for what the walls were a metaphor, but I knew he didn't want them to be even just because the discoloration disrupted the décor.

I sat us down in front of the TV. It was too early to eat and we had nothing else to do while the paint dried on the walls. I skipped past many news broadcasts and sentimental talk shows, ending up at a history channel that covered the construction of the first colony, L1. I was intrigued so I put down the remote. Heero watched coldly as he always did.

"Doesn't even look anything like it, right?" I commented as the screen showed the steel, skeletal shape of L1 against a backdrop of dark space.

Heero was silent.

Feeling daring and needy of contact, I inched closer to him, waiting every time I closed the distance by a little, to judge his reaction. He didn't shy away from the contact when I finally made it, aligning my thigh with his, pressing our legs together. Even through the two layers of thick, coarse denim I could feel the surge of electricity that he passed to me. In the sizzling aftermath I noted Goosebumps on my skin. I looked at him with a smile, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen. I wasn't deterred by him ignoring me, I leaned in and whispered in his ear that I loved him. His whole body tensed up, I could feel the muscles in his thigh trembling with the strain. I waited for him to relax. It didn't take long. He looked at me and I smiled and repeated: "I love you."

He nodded, but he didn't say it back. He only ever did when he was in bed, right after I kissed him goodnight, hidden in darkness. I felt guilty that maybe I was forcing it out of him, but I reminded myself not to underestimate Heero's strength and own willpower.

I eased up on him, separating our bodies reluctantly and I offered him a drink. "A beer, maybe?" I joked, but he surprised me by taking me up on the offer. I rose to my feet and retrieved two bottles of beer from the kitchen, no glasses to save time on dishwashing later.

I watched, bemused, as he put the bottle to his lips and titled it, his face scrunched up again at the taste, but he corrected himself quickly. Every other drink he took afterwards it didn't appear that he actually let any of the fluid into his mouth. The beer touched his closed lips and when he straightened the bottle, it just drained back in. Fifteen minutes later I had finished my drink, but his beer was still full to the neck of the bottle.

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable by letting him know I had caught onto his ruse. It was heartening to see him try so hard to be normal, for my sake.

I cooked us dinner and when we finished eating I joined him in the office and took a second set of roller and paintbrush to add another layer to three previous ones. In the meantime, as we worked, I whistled the tune of an old song to fill the silence as Heero debunked my every attempt to start shallow conversation. Heero didn't like to talk unless there was something meaningful to say, in sharp contrast to myself, for whom words were filler for an awkwardly silent world. I didn't mind though, maybe he was right, words should be used more carefully and more profoundly.

When I went into the chorus for the third time I stilled as my whistle echoed. But even as I stood with my mouth gaping wide open in nothing other than shock, the song continued in a light whistle. A smile finally broke my flabbergasted face and together we finished the song. I didn't even know that he recognized the song. As I pondered, it dawned on me that maybe he didn't, but was able to memorize and replicate the monotonous tune after hearing me whistle the first half. I was inappropriately proud, like a mother who had just watched her son take his first steps, but Heero was definitely not my son.

I turned around, he was busy painting and busier still pretending nothing happened. "You know the song?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." He absentmindedly dragged a brush heavy with red paint down the surface of the wall.

He sounded earnest; he really didn't know.

The shrill cry of the telephone broke the rare serene moment between us and I cursed it for all I was worth. I didn't move, honestly just wanting people to leave us alone.

"Duo, the phone is ringing." Heero alerted, not willing to answer it himself. He never did, afraid that the person he would answer to was someone he had nothing to say to - a salesperson or someone from my school.

"Right." I jumped off the chair that I had been using to reach the higher corners and sprinted towards the phone by the front door to answer it before it stopped ringing. The screen indicated the caller had turned off the videophone function. "Hello?" I answered, not making an attempt to hide my dismay.

"Duo?"

I barely recognized Sookie's voice as it came through the telephone line cracked and distorted and there was a lot of indiscriminate talking in the background. "Yeah? Sookie?"

"Yeah, sorry to call ya, I know it's late."

I looked at my watch, apparently it was late, I hadn't even noticed. "The line's really bad. Is something wrong?" From the corner of my eye I saw Heero standing in the doorway of the office, looking away and trying his damndest to hide his curiosity.

"Can ya come pick me up someplace?" She was almost shouting into her phone, probably her cell phone, which I knew to old and malfunctioning.

"I don't have a car." I didn't know why she would ask me, she knew I didn't have a car. I told her almost every day that I wished I did.

"I know. Can ya take a cab?"

"Can't you?" I realized I wasn't being very helpful, she might actually have been in trouble, but considering the red flags that had been waving in front of my face all day, I was inclined to be cautious. I didn't distrust her in the sense that she might would lure me away and murder me, I was afraid she would find a way to suck me into school drama.

"I don't have any money with me. I called one and said I would pay him at the destination, but he left."

I sighed, I caved at her hurried and seemingly distraught voice. "Fine, where are you?"

"Forth and Maple... number ten..."

"Forth... and... Maple..." I mumbled as I wrote it down on a piece of paper "number... ten... Wait, ten?" I groaned. "Ten as in Aiden's house?"

"Yeah, that would be it." She replied innocently.

"What are you even doing there?" I was angry and it was noticeable in my voice.

"Can ya please come pick me up? I'm sorry."

"Fine. But you better not be up to anything." I warned seriously.

"When am I ever?"

I knew I was falling for some sort of trap, but I couldn't risk the chance that she actually did need my help. I said a hasty goodbye and then immediately dialed the number of the taxi service. As I waited for the cab to come pick me up, I changed into a clean shirt that wasn't dotted with red - suspiciously blood-like - stains. I didn't want to show up at the house of my "arch enemy" and look like I was on a killing spree.

"Where are you going?" Heero asked, joining me in the bedroom and watching me change.

"That was Sookie, she apparently needs me to come pick her up. You know taxi's nowadays, want to be paid up front."

"Aiden is the girl from the gym." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I also know her through school."

"I don't like her."

I smiled at him. "Good, you're not supposed to." I stuffed my wallet into the back pocket of my jeans, I had some cash left that Heero always gave me for the groceries. "Wanna come?"

He frowned. "Why would I want to go to the house of someone I do not like?"

I nodded. "Exactly. Sookie is definitely up to something."

His ears perked at that, the soldier kicked in. "Up to something?"

"Yeah, haven't you heard? She is the leader of an anti-colony sleeper cell, planning the disintegrating of ESUN with the assassination of prime minister Sutherford."

Heero blinked. My sarcasm was lost on him but he knew better than to take me seriously.

"Relax. I'm kidding." I laughed at my own joke. "Only if she was planning to kill Relena would I let her." I swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch with something that would have been a smile if he had let it. The phone rang again, the taxi was here. I promptly planted a kiss on his lips and on my way out I called: "I'll be back in like thirty minutes!"

During the drive to Fourth and Maple number Ten, I felt a nervousness in my stomach at what Sookie, or anyone else for that matter, might be up to.

I heard Fourth and Maple number Ten before I saw it. Booming, loud music and excited, drunken shouts. The lights of all the other houses in the neighborhood were switched off but I doubted anyone on that block was getting any sleep. Number ten was brightly lit, not just by regular lights, but also disco and strobe lights. The nice suburban home had been transformed into a packed club, taken over by stumbling teenagers who seemed to have the hardest time not spilling their drinks from their plastic cups. The taxi stopped in front of the house and on the lawn I spotted two figures not swaying from intoxication or dancing to the music.

I turned to the driver. "Can you wait for me here? It'll only take a second. Grab and go."

The man, reeking of cigar smoke, nodded, making eye contact with me through the rear view mirror.

I got out of the car and walked towards the two figures. One I had already presumed to be Sookie, the identity of the other surprised me, to say the least.

"Hi, Duo." Aston said with a big smile.

I swallowed and did a double take. Aston looked nothing like I knew him to look like. His hair had been cut and styled modernly, his glasses appeared to have been replaced with contact lenses and his cardigan and kaki pants had made way for a silk button up shirt and dark, form fitting jeans. "Hi."

"Am I good or am I good?" Sookie cut in.

I fixed an angry gaze on her. "Sookie, you better be in real trouble, 'cause I don't want to be here..."

"Let's go inside." She suggested with a wicked grin.

"Sookie..." I turned to Aston, "Look, I'm really flattered but-"

"Oh please!" Sookie interrupted. "He's long over you."

"Really?" I was skeptical.

"Totally." Aston confirmed.

"We're teenagers, Duo. We're not like you and Heero. We have crushes and then we have new crushes." Sookie explained with a smile. She gestured at the house, she wanted to go inside.

"I doubt you're invited."

She snorted. "Duo, the front door is wide open!" Sookie gestured back at the gaping doorway. "I don't think anyone will be verifying invitations or anything." She already started dragging me towards to entrance, Aston following us.

"Why are we even here?"

"Hunter." Sookie answered. "I really want to introduce him to Aston."

Ah, realization. "You want him to come out of the closet at Aiden's party." I started speaking louder and louder as we neared the source of the loud music. "What do you need for me for?" By the time we reached the front door, I couldn't even hear myself anymore. Sookie's lips were moving, but she stopped and smiled, probably realizing the music was too loud for her to be heard. She mouthed: Come on.

And then we crossed the threshold and stepped into the hallway.

The stereo was blasting in the family room off to the left, to the right there was a den, a dining room and further back into the house a kitchen. Every square footage of the property was being used for inappropriate conduct, young teens drinking, smoking cigarettes and rubbing up against one another with the pretense of "dancing". I added it to my list of things teenagers did that I would simply never understand, as my head already started to hurt from the music. I was quickly becoming agitated by the amplified aural stimulation. Sookie dragged me to the kitchen, where her words could be heard coherently.

"I thought ya would wanna see. Don't ya wanna get even?"

The sixteen year old boy in me did, but I was better than him, more mature, so I vehemently shook my head. I just wanted to go home and spend the rest of my evening with Heero and suppressed any curiosity regarding the "payback".

Sookie smiled at me when several seconds later I was still standing there, long after she had let go of my hand.

Maybe I did want to get even...

Sookie and Aston were scanning the crowd. It wasn't a challenge to spot the tall Hunter, the top of his head stuck out in the crowd. They moved over towards him and I unconsciously followed them, letting my curiosity and my childishness - both of which I knew to be wrong - get the better of me. I argued there was nothing wrong with someone my age acting a little childish from time to time, even though I had long ago acknowledged my childhood had ended and maturity had kicked in at the age of ten. Pushing our way through the crowd we ended up in front of Hunter. Sookie beamed a greeting that Aston matched, though shyly. I just jerked my hand up and hoped it could pass for a wave.

He said something, looking directly at me, but I couldn't hear a word.

"What?"

With a grin he leaned into my personal space, his mouth so close to my ear I could feel his breath as he repeated: "I'm glad you came."

I decided not to explain the details of my visit to him. As Hunter kept shamelessly ogling me Sookie poked me in the side and gestured to someone staring at us from the corner of the room. Aiden stood with her back rigid and her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her face expressed a mixture of anger, shock and fear, contorting and twitching almost comically. When I focused my attention back on Hunter, I reared back when I realized how close his face was to mine. "Have you met Aston?" I stepped aside and directed Aston to stand in front of the tall basketball player.

Hunter smiled at him and seemed polite. They shook hands and Aston blushed when Hunter ran a hand through his newly styled hair.

Sookie gave me the thumbs-up but her joy had been premature. Seconds after the introduction, Hunter joined me again in my personal space, obviously missing the "NO TRESPASSING" signs clearly indicated by my crossed arms, leaned back posture and a face with the promise of violence. The basketball player scored no points of reading body language when he leaned in again and asked me if I wanted to dance.

My eyes darted around myself, interpreting "dance" as it was obviously meant in the current context: Vertical dry-humping.

"No thanks."

Hunter just stepped in closer, really pushing his luck.

"What's with the sudden interest?" I backed away but he followed suit. Sookie, to my dismay, didn't intervene, enjoying the smoke coming from Aiden's ears at Hunters "romantic" pursuit.

"I didn't know you might be."

I quirked an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm interested?"

He seemed confused but quickly restored his predatory grin. "You are gay, aren't you?"

"So?"

He chuckled confidently. "Well so am I. I didn't want to... pursue because I wasn't sure, but when I heard Aiden got suspended over some email, I checked my inbox and I was very pleasantly surprised."

His voice was sly and dripping with unrestrained teenage hormones but I wasn't intimidated. As soon as I would see fit to end it, I could, but I postponed a fist fight for the sake of keeping up appearances. I was supposed to be normal kid after all. Normal kids - especially the gay ones with the girly hair - aren't supposed to take on six-foot-plus jocks and win. All I could think of as he tried to engage eye contact was: why me? You're outed and all of a sudden you are a magnet to all that is gay and sexually frustrated? "I'm flattered." I said sarcastically, hoping it would create distance between us.

"You should be."

Oh good God, I thought.

"Seriously though, let's dance."

"You don't mind people knowing?" Sookie interjected, hopeful.

Hunter didn't even take his eyes off me as he answered her. "Not really. Aiden would but... I don't really care anymore." He finished with a seductive tone.

"Hunter, that's great, but please get away from me." I balled my fists at my sides.

"Why?"

"I'm not interested. I have a boyfriend."

Hunter snorted. "Is he better than me?"

"Yes."

He seemed a little angry as the insult registered. He felt the sting but he just kept closing the distance between us. Pressed flush against other people as it was, I couldn't back up further and decided to give him till one before I'd remodel his face. Five... Four... "I'm warning you..." I said as he didn't let up. Three... Two...

Hunter suddenly seemed to disappear, janked back by a strong hand that had gripped his shoulder and a short figure inserted himself in between us.

"Heero?" My face broke in a wide smile, though not at all pleased with being the damsel in distress, I loved the idea of him as a knight in shiny armor, riding in on his noble steed - also known as Tampa Taxi service.

Heero's whole body was tense but his demeanor was calm, deadly calm, the clenching and unclenching of his jaw was the only clear threat to release the strength he had managed to contain so far.

Hunter straightened himself and was clearly unimpressed by the short Asian boy. Heero was a good head shorter than Hunter but he looked like he was going to kill him. And he could. Easily. I've seen him kill bigger men than Hunter, but Hunter didn't know that and stepped forwards fearlessly.

"Who are you?" The tall kid demanded.

"He's my boyfriend." I answered, glowing with pride - the immature nananananana-kind-of-pride but I allowed myself to be filled and consumed by it.

"Oh my God," Sookie squealed, "Yer Heero?"

Heero didn't respond but nevertheless my friend felt the need to point out:

"Yer a hottie!"

"Jesus!"

Everyone turned our attention to Aiden after her profound shriek.

"Is everyone gay nowadays?" She stomped off angrily; huffing, puffing and screaming.

Hunter ignored her drama and started laughing at Heero, causing a new surge of anger that made every tendon in his body stand out. I would be lying if I didn't admit to the fact that I was turned on by my protective and aggressive boyfriend. "What are you going to do, shortie?" Hunter stepped in closer to emphasize his height. He literally towered over Heero but Heero has stood in the shadow of greater men and had ways of turning his disadvantage into an advantage - some important parts of the male anatomy were actually quite conveniently located for someone his size and Heero was not above a below-the-belt tactic.

However much the adrenaline pumping through my vain craved to see some action, I reminded Heero not to get us into trouble. "Don't hit him, he's not worth it."

Heero heard me, even with the loud music still booming he could, but he didn't answer me, instead he kept staring down Hunter. With his back turned towards me I couldn't gauge his glare but I knew it to held promises he could live up to. He kept challenging Hunter until finally the ego of the taller boy altered the situation for the worse. Hunter pulled his fist back, arming it like a coil and then unleashed his fist with his best shot. In a split second his knuckles contacted Heero's face, twisting his head to the side with the force. Though I didn't understand why, it was obvious Heero allowed himself to be hit. Maybe my immediate response was his intended goal: "Now you may hit him!" I yelled.

The crowd redirected it's focus to the fight but was to be disappointed, in a blink and a heartbeat it was over and Hunter was left sprawled on the hardwood floor, groaning in pain from a single, hard kick to his ribs. He should consider himself lucky.

"Let's get out of here!" Roaring with giddy laughter I grabbed Heero's arm and dragged him out of the house. Sookie stayed behind to reap the spoils and assured me she would make it home just fine. She had plenty of money with her for a cab. I was too pumped up to be angry at her previous lie.

Outside the cool air of the night struck me like a bat but I kept running to the cab, still parked at the curb. I was surprised he hadn't left already, but also grateful. I ripped the door open and ushered Heero into the back, casting one last look at the vibrating, illuminated house before crawling in after him. I leaned forward to the driver and instructed him to take us back home, only then did I realize it wasn't the same taxi driver as the one I had talked to before. Apparently my taxi had left, it had been Heero's taxi driver who had had the courtesy to wait.

As the cab pulled away I sat back with a sound a marriage of a sigh and a chuckle. "That was one hell of an evening." I looked at Heero at my side and instantly felt concern when even in the dark I noticed the twin trails of blood coming from his nose and leading to his upper lip. "Are you okay?" I scooted closer to him and carefully wiped away some of the blood with my hand.

"I'm fine."

"Lean your head back." I instructed seriously, drained from adrenaline and excitement. I cupped the back of his head and tilted it back to stop the flow of blood.

"He has quite the left hook." Heero muttered.

I laughed. It took me a full second to notice Heero's lips, dirty with his own blood, were curved in a genuine smile. The exquisiteness of it rendered me silent.

He continued, bemused: "He hit me harder than you did that time..." His brows furrowed, the smile vanished momentarily, only to reappear with greater merit. His eyes rolled to the side to look at me and they were lit with child-like mischief as he spoke. "Duo, you hit like a girl."

"Well, excuse me for being a mere mortal." I quipped, regaining my voice when I passed the phase of "utterly dumbstruck". "Mister I-can-bend-steel-with-my-bare-hands." I added in a low voice, as to not arouse suspicion in the driver.

After a few moments of quiet, only the sound of traffic drifting through the windows, his smile left his lips and the twinkle left his eyes, but for the few seconds that it lasted I was grateful and it renewed my hope in Heero and in us.

"You were totally jealous back there, weren't you?" I teased.

Heero straightened his neck, looking forward, the bleeding had stopped. He wiped away the last of the blood with his sleeve. "No."

I laughed but didn't say anything, no matter how much he glared at me. I didn't tell him then, but Heero was a lousy liar.


In my opinion it's a pretty light and cute chapter. I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Let me know if so or if not :)

PS: I am totally bummed though because I saw a movie trailer yesterday and it was based on the same premise that my next fic was going to be based on and I hate that. :(