You'd think that with practically an entire month off I'd get more writing done. Guess not. "The best laid plans of mice and men" and all that jazz, I suppose. Ah well, I'll get over it in time I'm sure.
Anyway, Chapter 5
The melodic tones of the piano drifted through the halls of the first floor of the mansion. Carrying with it were the intermittent shouts of exasperation and a frustrated voice dictating steps and voicing its displeasure when the steps were not followed. The music stopped momentarily and the voices could be heard more clearly. "Would you please get serious? You asked for help, and I am giving it." "I'm trying to be serious, but it's rather hard when you don't even know what you're doing." "We're dancing!" "I gathered that much." "Then what do you not understand?!" "Whatever the hell it is that you're doing!" "I told you just to do what I do. How complicated is that?" "Very, when you move too fast for me to see exactly what it is that I'm supposed to be copying!" "Duo, this is a moderate pace!" A somewhat dryer tone replied, "Then I shudder to think what the normal pace is." "I give up." "No, you're gonna teach me how to do this. I'm not gonna be a wall flower…."
Sensing that the instructions would not be going anywhere anytime soon, and that he would not get anymore of his book read with the bickering in the background distracting him, Heero marked his place and left the solitude of the sitting room to aid Quatre in his endeavor. He stalked down the hallway and crossed the foyer to enter the hallway on the opposite side, heading towards the music room. The voices grew increasingly louder. "Why is it that you'll dance with Wufei to show him the steps, but you won't dance with me?" "Because Wufei does not step on my feet!" "I wouldn't either if you'd let me look down!" "If you look down you cannot see your partner, and that is rude!" "But if I can't look down then I can't see what my feet are doing and then I will step on my partner's feet, and that's rude, too!" A very heavy sigh followed that, "Just watch, Duo. We will go more slowly this time, ok?" "Fine," Heero could just imagine the look on Duo's face. No doubt it rivaled one of his own glares.
Just as he reached the room, a loud crash sounded and the music abruptly stopped. Heero stepped into the doorway just in time to see Quatre and Wufei pick themselves up off the floor. Once righted, Quatre spun around and glared daggers at Duo. Duo, standing near the entrance, backed into the wall in an effort to escape Quatre's angry advance. Quatre stopped a few feet from him, "What in the name of all that is holy were you doing?!"
Deciding that he wasn't going to die just then, Duo looked at Quatre impatiently. "Well it's kinda hard to copy your movements when you're spinning all over the place so I was trying to follow you. How was I supposed to know you were gonna change the direction you were spinning in?"
"By watching me!"
"I was watching you!" Heero watched the occupants of the room in fascination. Trowa was seated at the piano looking bored and somewhat amused. How he could manage to look both at the same time was a mystery. Wufei had a look of impatience on his face, but his eyes shone with laughter. Both had their attention focused on the two were still in the midst of a shouting match. Quatre looked ready to pull his hair out, and Duo looked ready to throttle someone. Heero had never seen either of the two this frustrated and it was, to say the least, amusing as hell. His smile almost transformed itself into a grin. Quatre must have become aware of another presence in the room, for his eyes suddenly flickered toward the doorway and they widened in—was that relief?
"Heero!" His voice rang with his relief. Duo jumped and snapped his head around to see him leaning casually in the doorway with an amused expression on his face. Heero looked at him and quirked an eyebrow, still smiling. Duo narrowed his eyes. Was he?—yes, Heero was laughing at him. His glare could have decimated a forest. Heero smirked, but the expression was quickly replaced by one of shock when Quatre rushed him. "Can you please help me? Some of us are not educated in ballroom etiquette," he sent a pointed look in the direction of Duo and Wufei. Wufei snorted, and Duo glowered. His grip on Heero's arm tightened, "Please, I know you know how to dance."
Heero almost laughed at the look of desperation Quatre was giving him, but didn't for fear of having the blonde's anger directed towards him. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"
Three wary and frustrated voices answered in unison, "Duo."
"Oh sure, make me sound like a hopeless cause," Duo muttered, pushing away from the wall.
"You are a hopeless cause." Wufei grinned at him. "Now, can we try this again?"
Quatre nodded, and took his place in front of Wufei. He glanced over at Heero and Duo expectantly. Duo grumbled but moved to stand before Heero. Giving him a strained smile he offered his hand and through clenched teeth asked, "Shall we?" Heero held onto his laughter and nodded before grabbing the proffered hand and leading Duo to the center of the room beside Quatre and Wufei. Quatre smiled widely and gave Trowa the signal to start playing.
Barely ten seconds into it, the music stopped at Duo's urging. It was more like a surprised squawk, but either way, Trowa got the message. Groaning, Quatre threw his head into his hands, defeated. He should have known this wouldn't work, even with Heero's help. He massaged his temples, to ease the sudden pounding in his head. Duo, meanwhile, was staring up at Heero in confusion while he rubbed his injured right foot, "What exactly are you doing?" Quatre sighed and threw himself down beside Trowa.
"Aside from dancing?"
Duo's face told him what he thought of that remark. "Yes," his tone couldn't have gotten any dryer.
Heero smirked, "I am following your lead?"
Duo gaped at him, "My lead?"
"Yes."
"I'm leading?"
"Yes."
"Meaning I lead you?"
"Yes."
"As in you follow me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I already know the steps."
"Then shouldn't you be leading?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"You will be expected to lead any dance you partake in next week, therefore it would be easier for to learn the lead now, instead of learning by following me then taking what you learned and changing the footing."
"Oh, well that makes sense."
"I know. That is why we are doing it."
"So I'm leading."
"Yes."
"Very well." Duo stood up and looked over at the other two. "I think we're ready now Quatre." Taking in Quatre's forlorn expression, Duo winked, "Don't worry about it. I'll get it eventually." Quatre shook his head, repositioned himself, and nodded to Trowa. Duo turned back to Heero, smiled, held out his hand, and bowed, "I await your instruction. Lay on MacDuff."
"Shakespeare." Heero fell into motion, allowing Duo to guide him around the room. "Right," he said offhandedly.
Duo grinned, "Yep, old William himself," he was silent while he tried to correct his footing. "I've spent the past five years analyzing his works and writing about him, so every now and then he slips into conversation," he rolled his eyes.
"You've been studying Shakespeare? Left then right. Why? Go right."
Duo nodded at the instructions, "Well not him specifically, but all my professors seem to think he's the only great mind in the world of literature. Damn sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Right. Why are you studying literature?"
"Damn, that's not right." Duo slowed, trying to follow Heero's instructions, "I spent two years of war staring at numbers and configurations. Yeah, I'd have aced physics and math if I'd made it my field of study, but I think I'd go crazy if I had to sit in a room and do equations all day. At least in the war I had a reason to do the calculations. Damn, there I go again—sorry. Besides, as I said, I already know that stuff. Literature wasn't exactly something I needed to know to pilot Gundam. Left?"
Heero nodded. "Right foot first, then your left. Your other right. Are you done with your studies then? Left."
"Oops. No, but because my skills in math and science were so advanced, I automatically received credit for them so I didn't have to take any of those courses in college; as a result, I was able to graduate three semesters early. I'm doing graduate school now. I have about three years left. Damn, I keep doing that."
"That was only the third time. Left, left, right. Turn. So what exactly are you getting your degree in? Right."
"Hey, I did it! Pre-colony literature."
"Right, right, left. Turn. What made you decide on that?"
"Well, it's more interesting than lit from the AC. All the modern day stuff deals with living in outer space and the hardship of it all," Duo feigned a desperate sigh. "Damn, that's four now. That or glorifies war stories," he shook his head, rolling his eyes again. "Pre-colony guys could only dream of 'living amongst the stars' as my professors would say. I find their works to be much more riveting and thought provoking." He sighed heavily and glared down at the floor, "Y'know I think I should just plaster myself to the wall."
"Stop worrying about it. Keep your head up; it's impolite," Duo leveled him with an annoyed glare; Heero smirked. "You like them because they have nothing to do with space? Left."
"Precisely. They were firmly routed to earth. To them space was an unknown that they looked to for answers and guidance. It was an unreachable, omniscient being that provided them with comfort because of its constant presence. Damn—I'm just racking them up. They weren't matter of fact about it, they were…."
"More philosophical? I told you it's ok. Left, right, left. Turn."
"Got it again! Yes, more philosophical—thanks. Damn—is that six?"
"Will you stop worrying about it? The more you think about it, the more you will do it."
"Why shouldn't I think about it? Your foot's gonna be black and blue by the time we're done. Damn, I'm surprised I haven't broken a toe."
"I think you did. Left." Duo snapped his eyes to meet Heero's. Heero laughed softly.
"Then maybe we should stop," his voice held traces of annoyance.
"I told you it's fine." He smirked. "Besides, it's not as if you could ever really hurt me."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Duo's face echoed his disbelief.
"That you are incapable of causing me pain."
Duo stared at him, mouth agape, and an expression of hurt crossing his features, "I can't hurt you?" Heero shook his head. "I can't hurt you?"
"No."
"I'll have you know I take great exception to that."
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Left, then right."
"Yes," Duo nodded emphatically. "That you should have so little faith in my abilities. Damn, there goes eight. Anyway, that you should doubt my abilities—that just hurts. To the core, Heero; that hurts me to the core."
Heero gave him a sardonic look, "I'm sure."
"Oh, so now you don't believe me?"
"No."
"Oh…well, so long as we're all clear on the point." He shrugged and grinned up at his partner. "Amazing, I actually managed to go a significant amount of time without messing up."
"I told you would do better if you stopped think—"
"Well there's nine, damn." He sighed in defeat, and stopped. "Ok, I'm tired of doing this, and whether you care or not, I'm sick of stepping on your foot every time I take a step."
"In all fairness, it was only every other step."
Duo glared and appeared ready to tackle him when a thought suddenly struck him. Cocking his head to one side, he looked at Heero in confusion, "Why don't I hear any music?" He raised an eyebrow in inquiry.
Sweeping his gaze around the room, Heero answered matter-of-factly, "Because we are the only ones in the room."
"And how long has it been like that?"
Heero opened his mouth to answer but immediately shut it. He had no idea. The last time he recalled seeing the others was just after Trowa started playing. After that, he and Duo had taken to the floor. He must have been so caught up in instructing Duo that he had not noticed the others leaving. Staring down at the other man, his eyes narrowed, and he berated himself for the lie. It was not the instructions he had been distracted by. He gaze trailed, and lingered, over the man before him, and he sighed. Definitely not the instructing. No, the man he was instructing had caused the distraction. Heero glowered even more at this admission. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing heart. All of a sudden the room seemed too small, the air too warm, and Duo entirely too close. The tension from the past few days that had previously been absent returned full force. The situation had taken a dramatic turn, and he no longer felt comfortable in it.
In his own mind, Duo wondered how he had managed to lose track of everything that was going on around him. He figured it had something to do with Heero, but could not quite place what. Sure he had spent many hours since the incident in the lounge thinking about him, but that had never rendered him completely unaware before. But then, I'm not normally this close to him either. Struck by the implications of that particular unbidden thought, Duo glanced up at his partner and was suddenly all too aware of the intimacy of the situation. Their hands were still locked in place from when they had been dancing and they were close enough that every time one breathed in, their chests touched. Feeling the heat rise to his face, Duo broke the contact and took a step back. Attempting to ease his own uneasiness, Duo chuckled nervously and spoke the first thought that came to mind, "Well, y'know, if they were finished, the least they could have done was tell us. Lord knows how long we've been circling around the room like idiots."
Duo's comment gave Heero the sickening feeling that perhaps he was more transparent than he thought. If the others can see my attraction, then can…? Staring at Duo with a look that could have been mistaken as one of horror, Heero abruptly turned on his heel and stalked towards the door. He didn't have any real destination in mind. He just needed to leave before he did something he may regret, and he needed a drink. Above all though, he needed to be somewhere Duo was not. The situation was too familiar to another, and he didn't want to be caught in a trap again.
Heero's sudden about-face caught Duo momentarily off guard; however, he quickly recovered his wits and chased after him, grabbing his wrist and stopping his retreat. "This is the second time you've done this, but you're not getting away from me today." He got the distinct impression that whenever Heero did this it was because of him, and for some reason that hurt.
"I'm not leaving you." Even to Heero that phrase seemed to imply something entirely different from what he had meant. Holding onto his irritation, he turned back around to face Duo.
"Well then, is there any particular reason as to why you're leaving so quickly?"
"It is too quiet in here." It wasn't a complete lie. The silence was overwhelming, and when combined with Duo's presence, it was even more so. If he spent any longer in the closed confines of the room he knew he would do something unforgivable. Unfortunately, he also knew by the look in Duo's eyes, that he would not get away with just walking out this time. His one hope was that Duo would not push him the way he had three days ago. He was in no way ready for another confrontation like that.
Seeing the brief flash of apprehension in Heero's eyes, Duo smiled and shook his head, "No worries, buddy. I learned my lesson there, and I'm sorry about that." He scratched his head and stared down at the floor, "I kinda got carried away with the whole thing. I really was concerned about you," he smirked and glanced back up at him, "Guess it just didn't come out that way, though, huh? At any length, my sincerest apologies." Heero continued to stare at him stonily. "Com'n, Heero, you'll be leavin' in what?—two or three days? Do you really want to leave with all this tension still between us? Because, quite frankly, I don't." He waited until he saw Heero's curt nod, before tossing an arm around his shoulders and turning them in the direction of the door. "Great. How about a drink, you look as if you could use one. By the way, thanks for taking pity on Quatre. He's a great guy and all, but when it comes to teaching he's horrible…."