A/N: Yes, I know I said I'd get this up soon and I'm sorry. Blame the back-to-school blues. Apart from that, you know the drill by now: none of 'em are mine, not even Duo. Shounen ai, 1+2, 3+4, implied ?+5. Thanks to all those lovely lovely people who reviewed, please keep reviewing. I wuv you all. Heero POV for a change.
Checkmate
Chapter 4: Confession
I took the stairs two at a time, figuring the quicker I talked to Maxwell the quicker "Oprah" Winner would get off my back. This whole humanity thing can seriously get on my nerves. As I approached the door of our room, trying to suppress the butterflies in my stomach, I started to wonder whether maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Why would he like *me* for crying out loud? I mean, Duo's so cheerful and friendly and *human* and I'm so... not.
Oh, hell. I just called him Duo. I must really be obssessive.
I shoved the door open before I could completely chicken out. "Maxwell, I..." I froze. Sitting on my bed, glaring at D - uh, Maxwell, was Chang.
"Oh, hi Heero! Wu-man's back, you may have noticed, he's been shackin' up with some mystery blond. Oh, and doing a mission. Sorta in his spare time, as it were."
Chang scowled murderously. "Kisama, Maxwell..."
"Oh, sorry. *Wufei's* back, Heero." He turned to Chang. "Sorry 'bout that, it just sorta... slipped out..." He trailed off as Chang did a fairly effective imitation of the Yuy Death Glare.
"Maxwell, I didn't mention any blond at all. You're just talking out of your ass, as usual."
"I resent that. OK, Wu's been shackin' up with a mystery person who he won't tell me anything about, not even their hair colour."
Chang hid his face in his hands. "You're irrepressible. Why the hell would I tell you anything about what I do in my free time?"
"Oh, so there *was* something going on! Who was it? Anyone we know?"
"You seriously think I'd tell you?"
Duo ignored him. "I wanna know! Male or female? Are they cute? Hey, I bet it's that Sally chick, isn't it?"
"No. Shut up."
"OK, so it's not Sally, that's one name off the list."
"Leaving only several million other people in the world." I said dryly.
"Well, there's some we can cut out automatically. Me, you, Quatre, Trowa..."
"Shut *up*, Maxwell." Wufei growled. Duo ignored him as usual.
"The doctors, anyone Wuffy doesn't know. Hey, I bet it's... Releeeeeeeeena!"
Chang let loose with a stream of curses. I raised an eyebrow at Duo. "That's not even funny."
"OK, so it's not Releeeeeena. No-one in OZ, 'cause that would be just too West Side Story. Hey, I bet it's a guy 'cause Wuffles hates girls." [1]
"Shut UP." It was becoming a mantra, albeit an unsuccessful mantra. Duo grinned and bounced up and down on his bed.
"Aha, so it *is* a guy. Anyone we know? C'mon, Waffle, don't leave me in suspense here."
Chang's voice was like cracking ice. [2] "Waffle??"
"Uh... I mean Wufei."
"I'm going. You talk to him, Yuy, if you can get a word in edgeways. That accident hasn't shut him up any. Bye."
"Bye, Casablanca!"
"I think you mean Casanova. Bye, Chang."
Duo turned to me as Chang walked out. "So whaddaya want?"
"Casablanca's a place."
"That's *it*? You came here to correct my pop culture references? I feel so loved."
"That's not it." I got up and shut the door. "Look, Maxwell, I guess I owe you an apology."
His jaw dropped. "YOU owe me an APOLOGY?? Geez, Yuy, didja get hit on the head or something? Oh, wait, is it April Fools' Day? Hah, nearly had me then. I thought you were *really* goin' to apologise for something, though I can't think what. Yeah, right." He was talking more to himself than me. "Like *you'd* apologise for anything."
"I wasn't kidding." He looked up, violet eyes wide with surprise. "I'm... sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to. Um..." OK, here goes. The big speech. "Uh, I -"
"Sorry if you scared me when? 'Cause if you mean in the kitchen -" he held up his bandaged hand to remind me, as if I'd forgotten over the last seven minutes - "Don't bother, 'cause you were just being normal, well, normal for you and I was kind of edgy and anyone with half a brain cell wouldn't have been peeling potatoes towards their hand anyway and since when do you eat potatoes with chilli anyway and you didn't mean you were sorry for that."
"No."
"So what is it then? C'mon, make with the words. I won't interrupt once, promise, though it'll be a struggle. D'you want to sit down, that might make it easier to tell me, OK, out with it."
I sat on my bed, facing him. "Shut *up*. I was talking about the chess game earlier. More specifically, what I did after it."
"Oh, you mean when you beat me at chess and scared me half to death and kissed me and then wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked you why and then scared me half to death again and made me slice my hand though that wasn't your fault really and then kissed me again and basically just confused the hell outta me? Yeah, I guess that kinda deserves an apology. Especially since I've been beating myself up ever since trying to figure out what the hell you thought you were doing and why."
That boy really knows how to lay on the guilt. "I thought you said you wouldn't interrupt."
"Just clarifying what you meant." he said with an angelic smile that he'd copied from Winner. I sighed.
"Yes, that's what I meant. I'm sorry about all of that, OK?"
"That's it?" he pouted. "No explanation? No free food as a peace offering?"
"I don't *have* any food." I growled. "And, and wouldyouliketogotoamovietomakeupforit?" Smooth. Really smooth. The first time I ask Duo Maxwell on a date (well, sort of a date, but that doesn't make it any less humiliating) and I gabble like that Peacecraft bitch on steroids. Duo didn't seem to have any problems understanding me, though - I guess he talks like that anyway half the time.
"Sure - on two conditions."
"What?" I grunted, trying not to show fear.
"One, you buy popcorn." There goes my next three months' pay. Duo eats enough popcorn to keep three film food manufacturers in business for a year.
"OK. What's the other?"
"I want an explanation, and I mean it this time."
"OK, fine." I took a deep breath, reminded myself that Perfect Soldiers don't get butterflies and told him. "I like you, Duo."
He smiled slightly. "Thanks. Uh, I like you too." There was a pause. "Quatre's gonna be *so* smug when he finds out."
"Who cares?" I smirked, leaning towards him. Our lips were maybe a centimetre apart when there was a yell from downstairs: Chang, taking out all that excess stress.
"MAXWELL! YUY! DINNER! NOW!"
~TBC, probably sooner than you think. I mean it this time.
[1] So I borrowed this. Wuffles, for anyone who doesn't know, is the name of the Patrician's dog in the 'Discworld' series.
[2] I borrowed this, too. The '...voice like cracking ice' description is originally from some Biggles book, if anyone knows which one then please let me know.
Checkmate
Chapter 4: Confession
I took the stairs two at a time, figuring the quicker I talked to Maxwell the quicker "Oprah" Winner would get off my back. This whole humanity thing can seriously get on my nerves. As I approached the door of our room, trying to suppress the butterflies in my stomach, I started to wonder whether maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Why would he like *me* for crying out loud? I mean, Duo's so cheerful and friendly and *human* and I'm so... not.
Oh, hell. I just called him Duo. I must really be obssessive.
I shoved the door open before I could completely chicken out. "Maxwell, I..." I froze. Sitting on my bed, glaring at D - uh, Maxwell, was Chang.
"Oh, hi Heero! Wu-man's back, you may have noticed, he's been shackin' up with some mystery blond. Oh, and doing a mission. Sorta in his spare time, as it were."
Chang scowled murderously. "Kisama, Maxwell..."
"Oh, sorry. *Wufei's* back, Heero." He turned to Chang. "Sorry 'bout that, it just sorta... slipped out..." He trailed off as Chang did a fairly effective imitation of the Yuy Death Glare.
"Maxwell, I didn't mention any blond at all. You're just talking out of your ass, as usual."
"I resent that. OK, Wu's been shackin' up with a mystery person who he won't tell me anything about, not even their hair colour."
Chang hid his face in his hands. "You're irrepressible. Why the hell would I tell you anything about what I do in my free time?"
"Oh, so there *was* something going on! Who was it? Anyone we know?"
"You seriously think I'd tell you?"
Duo ignored him. "I wanna know! Male or female? Are they cute? Hey, I bet it's that Sally chick, isn't it?"
"No. Shut up."
"OK, so it's not Sally, that's one name off the list."
"Leaving only several million other people in the world." I said dryly.
"Well, there's some we can cut out automatically. Me, you, Quatre, Trowa..."
"Shut *up*, Maxwell." Wufei growled. Duo ignored him as usual.
"The doctors, anyone Wuffy doesn't know. Hey, I bet it's... Releeeeeeeeena!"
Chang let loose with a stream of curses. I raised an eyebrow at Duo. "That's not even funny."
"OK, so it's not Releeeeeena. No-one in OZ, 'cause that would be just too West Side Story. Hey, I bet it's a guy 'cause Wuffles hates girls." [1]
"Shut UP." It was becoming a mantra, albeit an unsuccessful mantra. Duo grinned and bounced up and down on his bed.
"Aha, so it *is* a guy. Anyone we know? C'mon, Waffle, don't leave me in suspense here."
Chang's voice was like cracking ice. [2] "Waffle??"
"Uh... I mean Wufei."
"I'm going. You talk to him, Yuy, if you can get a word in edgeways. That accident hasn't shut him up any. Bye."
"Bye, Casablanca!"
"I think you mean Casanova. Bye, Chang."
Duo turned to me as Chang walked out. "So whaddaya want?"
"Casablanca's a place."
"That's *it*? You came here to correct my pop culture references? I feel so loved."
"That's not it." I got up and shut the door. "Look, Maxwell, I guess I owe you an apology."
His jaw dropped. "YOU owe me an APOLOGY?? Geez, Yuy, didja get hit on the head or something? Oh, wait, is it April Fools' Day? Hah, nearly had me then. I thought you were *really* goin' to apologise for something, though I can't think what. Yeah, right." He was talking more to himself than me. "Like *you'd* apologise for anything."
"I wasn't kidding." He looked up, violet eyes wide with surprise. "I'm... sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to. Um..." OK, here goes. The big speech. "Uh, I -"
"Sorry if you scared me when? 'Cause if you mean in the kitchen -" he held up his bandaged hand to remind me, as if I'd forgotten over the last seven minutes - "Don't bother, 'cause you were just being normal, well, normal for you and I was kind of edgy and anyone with half a brain cell wouldn't have been peeling potatoes towards their hand anyway and since when do you eat potatoes with chilli anyway and you didn't mean you were sorry for that."
"No."
"So what is it then? C'mon, make with the words. I won't interrupt once, promise, though it'll be a struggle. D'you want to sit down, that might make it easier to tell me, OK, out with it."
I sat on my bed, facing him. "Shut *up*. I was talking about the chess game earlier. More specifically, what I did after it."
"Oh, you mean when you beat me at chess and scared me half to death and kissed me and then wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked you why and then scared me half to death again and made me slice my hand though that wasn't your fault really and then kissed me again and basically just confused the hell outta me? Yeah, I guess that kinda deserves an apology. Especially since I've been beating myself up ever since trying to figure out what the hell you thought you were doing and why."
That boy really knows how to lay on the guilt. "I thought you said you wouldn't interrupt."
"Just clarifying what you meant." he said with an angelic smile that he'd copied from Winner. I sighed.
"Yes, that's what I meant. I'm sorry about all of that, OK?"
"That's it?" he pouted. "No explanation? No free food as a peace offering?"
"I don't *have* any food." I growled. "And, and wouldyouliketogotoamovietomakeupforit?" Smooth. Really smooth. The first time I ask Duo Maxwell on a date (well, sort of a date, but that doesn't make it any less humiliating) and I gabble like that Peacecraft bitch on steroids. Duo didn't seem to have any problems understanding me, though - I guess he talks like that anyway half the time.
"Sure - on two conditions."
"What?" I grunted, trying not to show fear.
"One, you buy popcorn." There goes my next three months' pay. Duo eats enough popcorn to keep three film food manufacturers in business for a year.
"OK. What's the other?"
"I want an explanation, and I mean it this time."
"OK, fine." I took a deep breath, reminded myself that Perfect Soldiers don't get butterflies and told him. "I like you, Duo."
He smiled slightly. "Thanks. Uh, I like you too." There was a pause. "Quatre's gonna be *so* smug when he finds out."
"Who cares?" I smirked, leaning towards him. Our lips were maybe a centimetre apart when there was a yell from downstairs: Chang, taking out all that excess stress.
"MAXWELL! YUY! DINNER! NOW!"
~TBC, probably sooner than you think. I mean it this time.
[1] So I borrowed this. Wuffles, for anyone who doesn't know, is the name of the Patrician's dog in the 'Discworld' series.
[2] I borrowed this, too. The '...voice like cracking ice' description is originally from some Biggles book, if anyone knows which one then please let me know.