Author's Notes- Whee! I'm actually continuing this thing! HUZZA!!! ^_^ Yes,
I know that this whole idea is ENTIRELY un-original, but oh well. You're
still reading it, aren't you?!
Silver- Who's reading it?
Sage- Er, 'you' in the general sense. Wait, how the HELL did YOU get here?
Silver- I'm here to make sure you actually finish this bloody thing, instead of stopping half-way through like you do with everything else.
Sage- Aw, come on, I'll finish! Uh, make an effort to.. I'LL TRY ALL RIGHT?! Geesh.
Silver- Good, now where did Relena go. *whips out a mallet*
Warning- Yes, still 1x2.. what, you thought I'd change it?! Cri-mi-ny. Oh yes, there may be some mild 3x4, I haven't decided yet. Oh, did I mention Relena-bashing? Oh yes, plenty of that. ^_^
Disclaimer- Yup, still don't own anyone from GW. I DO own Sage, so there. Nyah. (Silver owns herself, though I don't know why she gets in here.. she's just in the bloody author's notes. O_o) ON WITH IT!!
~~~~~~~~~
"My. servant?!" Duo's mouth hung open as his brain tried to comprehend what had just been said to him. A servant?! HIS servant?! Ok, he was definitely hallucinating. (a/n- again with the damned two l's.-_-) "You're kidding me, right?" Another part of his brain was still trying to accept the fact that the person with whom he was speaking was invisible.
"Yes, your servant, and no, I'm not kidding." Duo whipped his head around, trying in vain to locate the speaker.
"No offense or anything, but could you pick up something? This is insane, I can't tell where you are." Quatre picked up the silk shirt which Duo had neglected earlier.
"Better?"
"Er, kinda." Duo was now being un-nerved by the floating shirt. "Ugh. Ok, that aside, why on earth do I, a prisoner, have a servant?!"
"But you're not a prisoner." Quatre's frown went un-noticed by the braided youth, considering it wasn't visible. "You are a guest here, and I was appointed to you to make your stay comfortable.."
"Guest?! Comfortable?!?" Duo sat down on the bed, hard, and put his head in his hands. "If you don't mind, I'll just sit here, trying to figure all this out for the next hour or so." His mass of hair fell forward, completely concealing his face from view.
"Um." Quatre finally decided just to ignore the statement. "Master Duo, why aren't you wearing the clothes provided?" A bright amethyst eye peered out from the curtain of chestnut hair.
"Are you kidding?! Those things are silk! The likes of me don't wear silk." Duo frowned. "Especially when you have a past like mine. The money for silk could have fed me for a year a little while ago." Quatre bit a lip, trying to decide how to respond.
"I apologize for making you uncomfortable.. Is there a material you would prefer? I'm sure his highness has anything you would care for.." Duo stood up suddenly, making the invisible servant jump slightly.
"That's another thing, why is this Heero person taking such good care of me?! I'm supposed to be a prisoner, but I'm in a room grander than anything I've ever imagined, presented with silk clothing, and now a personal servant!"
"I TOLD you, Master Duo, you are NOT a prisoner. " Quatre sighed in exasperation. "You are an honored guest here, and are meant to be treated as such. As for why his highness has decided this, that is something I'm not aware of. No offense intended, I truly believe that you deserve it.."
"Oh, drop it." The servant was taken aback by the tone of Duo's voice. "I'm just some guy who was stupid enough to go searching for someone in the middle of a blizzard, not to mention I've no decent past and nearly nothing to my name. I DEFINITELY don't deserve ANY of this."
Quatre decided to take another approach. "Yes, you do, because the master of this castle has said so. Now, if you would stop having such a negative attitude about this, I'm sure you'd see reason." Duo rubbed his temples, scrunching his eyes shut.
"Negative attitude? Who has a negative attitude? I'm being truthful, not negative. You could throw me in a cold, damp cell and I'd still make an effort to be positive." He gave a glare in the general direction of the floating silken shirt, hoping he was looking at the servant's face. Promptly, his stomach growled, loudly, ruining the whole effect.
"Oh! I had nearly forgotten! His highness has requested that you join him for dinner! Judging by the complaints your stomach is making, I take it you won't disagree?" Quatre bit a lip, sincerely hoping that the long-haired youth would not choose to be stubborn.
"Like I have a choice?" Duo scoffed, sitting back down on the bed.
"Of course you have a choice."
"Riiiiight. Well, in any event, I suppose I'd better go." Quatre grinned delightedly, though is expression was only known to himself. "I don't have to wear those clothes, do I?" The blonde's face fell faster than previously thought possible.
"Well, Master Duo, as you have noticed, the clothes you arrived in are pretty worse for wear, and, er, I believe it would be more fitting." Duo waved a hand, cutting him off.
"Fine, FINE! I'll wear it." He shot another glance at the shirt, taking note of it's pastel blue color. "You wouldn't happen to have anything in black, would you..?"
~~~~~~~
"Your highness, you are going to wear a hole in the floor if you continue with your pacing." Trowa stated mildly, invisible eyes following his master's trek back and forth across the dining room.
"Don't be stupid, it would take more than me walking around to go through this floor." Heero shot back. Sighing, he resumed his pacing.
"But sir, I believe that the carpet isn't used to the stress.." Another voice added. The prince glanced down, noticing that there was indeed a very ragged looking stripe in the middle of the carpet he was on. Taking a large step to the side, he began to walk back and forth on the wooden paneling instead. "Your highness.."
"No, Wufei, I will NOT simply sit down. I've told you that."
"Your highness, may I inquire as to why you are so nervous?" Heero, long used to invisible servants, had tuned his hearing to be able to locate them by sound alone. He turned and glared at Trowa, who immediately regretted asking the question, but didn't take it back.
"Who said I was nervous?" The beast-prince stopped pacing and tried to put on a casual air. It didn't do much for him.
"It's.. well, your grace, I have not, in my recollection, ever seen you act like this." Wufei nodded his agreement, and Trowa decided to be daring and continue. "And how you have been acting towards the. guest.. It's almost as if.." The invisible servant made the decision that he wasn't quite daring enough after all.
"What, exactly, are you implying?" The steely tone in the prince's voice made both servants gulp and pale slightly. Trowa wished that Quatre were there as well, he could usually calm their master down without blood shed.
"N-nothing sir, it's just that.." Wufei mentally smacked himself on the head for saying anything. "We find it.. incredibly.. kind and generous of you, highness, to take such great lengths to accommodate the prisoner.." The servant blanched as he realized his mistake.
"He is NOT a prisoner." Heero hissed, prussian blue eyes narrowing to mere slits. "I have told you that, repeatedly. If you ever-"
"Yes, sir, please forgive him." Trowa butted in. "We know perfectly well that the young man is your guest, it was a mere slip of the tongue, I assure you." He heard the door handle turning across the room. "Ah, it appears your guest has arrived. We'll just go serve the food, shall we?" He grabbed Wufei by the wrist and hauled him off to the kitchen before he could get himself in deeper trouble.
Heero, on the other hand, forgot everything else when greeted with the fact that his guest had arrived. With a panicked look, he quickly made his way to his seat and sat down in the most civilized manner he could muster, and tried to look dignified.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Here you are, Master Duo." Quatre smiled and pushed open the door to the dining room. Duo glanced at it warily, then down at himself.
"Are you sure about this? I mean." Quatre grabbed him by the arm, cutting off whatever he had been about to object with. Gently, the servant tugged the braided youth in the room, shutting the door behind them. Duo's eyes widened at the abrupt change of location, and immediately lowered his gaze to his feet. He locked his hands behind his back, really wishing he were somewhere else at the moment. He again took note of the form-fitting black tunic and leggings Quatre had selected for him, and severely hoped the servant hadn't been lying when he said that the young man looked stunning in the outfit.
"Good evening." Heero's soft greeting made Duo forget his thoughts. Gulping, he glanced up to meet his host eye-to-eye. He blinked a bit, eyes adjusting to the bright lighting from the crystal chandelier above. Again taking note of his host, he noticed that he didn't look as horrible as he remembered. In fact, if you just looked at his eyes. His eyes were amazing, a deep prussian blue that Duo could drown himself in if he looked too long. They were also human, something to drive a suspicion into his mind that Heero had not always been so beast-like.
Meanwhile, Heero himself was having an extremely difficult time tearing his eyes away from the long-haired young man in front of him. Quatre really knew quite a bit about clothes; the outfit Duo was wearing accentuated his slim but muscled figure nicely. Heero couldn't help but wonder how the youth's chestnut locks must feel, along with why the image of him shirtless coming to mind repeatedly. Ugh, it was that damned emotion again. How could you fall in love with someone you barely knew? Easily, it seemed.
Duo noticed the beast's eyes lingering on him, and immediately glanced down again, blushing. "Won't you have a seat?" He nearly jumped at the invitation, and felt Quatre nudging him from behind to go and sit down. Heart beating rapidly, he made his way over to an ornately carved chair and sat down, placing his hands in his lap and staring at them intently. "You are hungry, aren't you?" Duo was puzzled at his host's voice.. he sounded almost as if afraid he had somehow mis-pleased him.
"Er, yea, I suppose." His stomach growled loudly again, confirming his weak statement. Quatre, apparently still standing behind him, giggled softly, and Duo's blush returned in full force. Heero nodded, then turned to glance behind him, where Duo could see another doorway. Almost immediately, platters of food began emerging from the doorway. Duo's eyes widened. Platters of food began emerging from the doorway by themselves. The logical part of his mind told him that they must be being supported by other invisible servants, but each and every other part couldn't help being shocked.
The beast-prince noticed his guest's shocked expression, and leaped up to take a platter to the table himself, not thinking about anything but pleasing the braided youth. He set it down on the center of the table, of course not seeing his servants' nearly scared looks. He did, however, notice that Duo's shocked expression now rested on him, and he sat down sheepishly, realizing how foolish he must have looked.
Duo, on the other hand, was about ready to burst with the stress level. That one antic was the thing that pushed him over the edge. It started out as a snicker, then a soft chuckle, but soon he was laughing aloud. He didn't think about the consequences he might suffer later for laughing at his host, he was just trying calm himself down. It worked immensely well, he was no longer nervous at all.
Heero smiled slightly, noting that his guest's expression had changed to one of relieved glee. So maybe his antics hadn't gone un-appreciated after all. The two ate in companionable silence while a handful of servants stood around in wonder. No once noticed the black-clad young woman who had appeared on the chandelier above.
"Good," the sorceress whispered to herself, grinning. "So it's working out the way I had planned." She disappeared as silently as she had arrived. (a/n- whee, I get another cameo ^_^)
When the two had finished eating, the empty plates seemed to pick themselves up off the table and float back towards the kitchen. The logic part of Duo's mind was getting better at calming the other parts down, but it still took a few seconds. He quickly shook his head, helping that logical part out. Across the table, Heero was deep in thought about what to do next. He wasn't exactly used to entertaining people, especially people that he wanted to make a good impression on. Check that, very good impression. He had never wished so vehemently that he looked as he had before, and he had been wishing for a long time.
"So, um, thank you." His guest's soft voice snapped Heero out of his thoughts.
"For what?" Duo began folding his napkin up in different ways, trying not to look nervous. Apparently, doing nothing but sitting in front of the prince wasn't the most easy thing to do in the world.
"Well, you know, all this.." Violet eyes looked into deep blue ones as Duo waved his hand at his clothes, the table, the entire castle. "I know I'm not a prisoner, but this is all far greater than I've ever been treated in my life. I just don't feel like I deserve any of it."
"Of course you do." Heero mentally smacked himself for such a bland statement. "How could you think otherwise?" A humorless smile graced his guest's face.
"Easy. For the better part of my life, I was a street rat. I was abandoned. I don't know when, but I can't remember anything before just being another homeless kid. I never had anything, and most of the town hated me because, well, I had to steal to keep alive. Even when I was taken in by Father Maxwell, I wasn't exactly wealthy." Duo shook his head slightly. "No, not going for pity here, I don't want it. I'm just trying to explain that this is all something that seems like a dream. For the longest time, a full meal would have been paradise. And look at what you're giving me. I just don't think I'm the right person for any of this."
The beast-prince blinked. There was more to his guest than he had first thought. And all through the description of his life, he kept an even voice. Not a trace of sadness or whining. Just an explanation. Heero couldn't believe that anyone could talk about something like that so calmly. His first reaction would have been to try and comfort the beautiful youth, but he didn't seem to need it in the least bit. Coming up with a response that sounded decent, he cleared his throat slightly.
"Why should your past dictate who you are? It's done and over with. A person can change, and most people deserve much better than they receive. Much better. You're one of those people." Realizing how sappy that last part was, Heero immediately stared down at the table, not wanting to meet the puzzled violet gaze that he was sure was on him.
Duo didn't respond for a moment or two, not quite sure what to make of his host's comment. The way his voice had sounded on that last comment might have led someone to believe.. No way. Duo rolled his eyes at the ludicrousness of the thought. He was definitely jumping to conclusions if he thought that this person he had just met was in love with him. But the look in his eyes.. His beautiful eyes.. Beautiful? The braided youth blinked. Where had that adjective come from? "You're a lot different than I thought you would be.."
Heero glanced up, one eyebrow raised, and Duo immediately regretted the statement. "What do you mean?" Well, he hadn't sounded angry.
"Well, some people.. Heck, people in general don't usually act so nice towards me. You're just.. Well, yea, different."
The beast-prince blinked once, twice, trying to get the statement to process correctly. How could anyone treat such a beautiful apparition poorly? Not only beautiful, but courteous, intelligent, interesting, brave, self-sacrificing.. The list of descriptors ran on and on. "I see." That was the best he could do? 'I see'? Heero mentally smacked himself in the head. Repeatedly. Scrambling to think up something to make up for the brief statement, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Would you like me to walk you to your room?" Yea, great save. He mentally smacked himself a few more times.
"... Sure." The response made Heero quit his mental barrage and glance up. Duo looked a bit uncertain about his answer, but not like he was regretting it. Perhaps the beast-prince was making progress after all..
"All right then." He stood and made his way over to his violet-eyed guest, not sure what to do next. Duo unknowingly saved him by getting up swiftly, and the two exited the dining room silently.
"Did you see that?!" Wufei asked anyone who was listening, gaping at the retreating pair. "How polite he was being? I didn't think it was possible!"
"Of course it's possible." Quatre replied softly, smiling. "He just needed the right person to bring out his better side, that's all."
"Right person?" The black-haired servant raised an inquiring eyebrow. "What exactly are you saying?"
"Saying? Nothing besides what you heard.." He jumped slightly as Trowa wrapped both arms around his waist, then rested his chin on the smaller man's shoulder. (a/n- yea, so, there's 3x4 after all, I suppose.. Very little though, we need to keep the focus on 1x2 here people!)
"I know what you're saying, koibito." He whispered softly into the other's ear so Wufei couldn't hear. "You think that his highness is falling in love with his guest, neh?"
"You must have read my mind."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, do you like it here? I mean.." Heero nearly groaned at the bluntness of his statement, and Duo couldn't help but laugh slightly at his host's awkwardness.
"The castle?" The prince nodded sheepishly. "Of course, it's the nicest place I've ever been by a long shot. A very long shot." He thought for a moment, then decided to add to his comment. "And the company isn't bad either.
Heero blinked, realizing his guest had made a joke. He smiled, then actually began to laugh, something he hadn't done since.. Well, he couldn't remember when. Duo smiled as well, glad he could make his host laugh. His laugh was nice too, he would have to find a way to make it show itself more often. The two reached the ornate door that led to Duo's room, and stopped.
The beast-prince looked down at his feet, really not sure what to do at this point. He gulped, deciding to try and wing it. "Well, good-night."
"Good night, Heero." Duo opened the door, shot a smile at Heero over his shoulder, then disappeared within his room. The transformed young man sighed, relieved he had said the right thing. With one last glance towards the object of his affection's current residence, he made his way back towards his own rooms, thinking about the youth the entire way.
"Well, that wasn't so bad." The braided youth said to himself, grinning crookedly. "Definitely had worse nights." He yawned, realizing he was still exhausted from his stupid stunt in the woods. Tugging off the black tunic, he climbed between the silken sheets of his bed and fell asleep, for some reason dreaming about deep blue eyes.
Author's Notes- Ugh, sorry folks, that's about as long as I could make this chapter without having my head explode. I'm trying to write too many things at once.. _
Yami- You SHOULD be writing one of those nice limey fics with me and my Aibou in it..
Oh, can it you. I've been writing nothing but YxY fluff lately, and you still owe me for getting you out of wearing a dress. (long story, don't ask) Anyways, I might not have an update of this bugger for a while, I'm trying to update Transfer Students quite a bit, not to mention finals are coming up VERY soon.. Sigh. Dreadfully sorry, I try, really I do.
Silver- Who's reading it?
Sage- Er, 'you' in the general sense. Wait, how the HELL did YOU get here?
Silver- I'm here to make sure you actually finish this bloody thing, instead of stopping half-way through like you do with everything else.
Sage- Aw, come on, I'll finish! Uh, make an effort to.. I'LL TRY ALL RIGHT?! Geesh.
Silver- Good, now where did Relena go. *whips out a mallet*
Warning- Yes, still 1x2.. what, you thought I'd change it?! Cri-mi-ny. Oh yes, there may be some mild 3x4, I haven't decided yet. Oh, did I mention Relena-bashing? Oh yes, plenty of that. ^_^
Disclaimer- Yup, still don't own anyone from GW. I DO own Sage, so there. Nyah. (Silver owns herself, though I don't know why she gets in here.. she's just in the bloody author's notes. O_o) ON WITH IT!!
~~~~~~~~~
"My. servant?!" Duo's mouth hung open as his brain tried to comprehend what had just been said to him. A servant?! HIS servant?! Ok, he was definitely hallucinating. (a/n- again with the damned two l's.-_-) "You're kidding me, right?" Another part of his brain was still trying to accept the fact that the person with whom he was speaking was invisible.
"Yes, your servant, and no, I'm not kidding." Duo whipped his head around, trying in vain to locate the speaker.
"No offense or anything, but could you pick up something? This is insane, I can't tell where you are." Quatre picked up the silk shirt which Duo had neglected earlier.
"Better?"
"Er, kinda." Duo was now being un-nerved by the floating shirt. "Ugh. Ok, that aside, why on earth do I, a prisoner, have a servant?!"
"But you're not a prisoner." Quatre's frown went un-noticed by the braided youth, considering it wasn't visible. "You are a guest here, and I was appointed to you to make your stay comfortable.."
"Guest?! Comfortable?!?" Duo sat down on the bed, hard, and put his head in his hands. "If you don't mind, I'll just sit here, trying to figure all this out for the next hour or so." His mass of hair fell forward, completely concealing his face from view.
"Um." Quatre finally decided just to ignore the statement. "Master Duo, why aren't you wearing the clothes provided?" A bright amethyst eye peered out from the curtain of chestnut hair.
"Are you kidding?! Those things are silk! The likes of me don't wear silk." Duo frowned. "Especially when you have a past like mine. The money for silk could have fed me for a year a little while ago." Quatre bit a lip, trying to decide how to respond.
"I apologize for making you uncomfortable.. Is there a material you would prefer? I'm sure his highness has anything you would care for.." Duo stood up suddenly, making the invisible servant jump slightly.
"That's another thing, why is this Heero person taking such good care of me?! I'm supposed to be a prisoner, but I'm in a room grander than anything I've ever imagined, presented with silk clothing, and now a personal servant!"
"I TOLD you, Master Duo, you are NOT a prisoner. " Quatre sighed in exasperation. "You are an honored guest here, and are meant to be treated as such. As for why his highness has decided this, that is something I'm not aware of. No offense intended, I truly believe that you deserve it.."
"Oh, drop it." The servant was taken aback by the tone of Duo's voice. "I'm just some guy who was stupid enough to go searching for someone in the middle of a blizzard, not to mention I've no decent past and nearly nothing to my name. I DEFINITELY don't deserve ANY of this."
Quatre decided to take another approach. "Yes, you do, because the master of this castle has said so. Now, if you would stop having such a negative attitude about this, I'm sure you'd see reason." Duo rubbed his temples, scrunching his eyes shut.
"Negative attitude? Who has a negative attitude? I'm being truthful, not negative. You could throw me in a cold, damp cell and I'd still make an effort to be positive." He gave a glare in the general direction of the floating silken shirt, hoping he was looking at the servant's face. Promptly, his stomach growled, loudly, ruining the whole effect.
"Oh! I had nearly forgotten! His highness has requested that you join him for dinner! Judging by the complaints your stomach is making, I take it you won't disagree?" Quatre bit a lip, sincerely hoping that the long-haired youth would not choose to be stubborn.
"Like I have a choice?" Duo scoffed, sitting back down on the bed.
"Of course you have a choice."
"Riiiiight. Well, in any event, I suppose I'd better go." Quatre grinned delightedly, though is expression was only known to himself. "I don't have to wear those clothes, do I?" The blonde's face fell faster than previously thought possible.
"Well, Master Duo, as you have noticed, the clothes you arrived in are pretty worse for wear, and, er, I believe it would be more fitting." Duo waved a hand, cutting him off.
"Fine, FINE! I'll wear it." He shot another glance at the shirt, taking note of it's pastel blue color. "You wouldn't happen to have anything in black, would you..?"
~~~~~~~
"Your highness, you are going to wear a hole in the floor if you continue with your pacing." Trowa stated mildly, invisible eyes following his master's trek back and forth across the dining room.
"Don't be stupid, it would take more than me walking around to go through this floor." Heero shot back. Sighing, he resumed his pacing.
"But sir, I believe that the carpet isn't used to the stress.." Another voice added. The prince glanced down, noticing that there was indeed a very ragged looking stripe in the middle of the carpet he was on. Taking a large step to the side, he began to walk back and forth on the wooden paneling instead. "Your highness.."
"No, Wufei, I will NOT simply sit down. I've told you that."
"Your highness, may I inquire as to why you are so nervous?" Heero, long used to invisible servants, had tuned his hearing to be able to locate them by sound alone. He turned and glared at Trowa, who immediately regretted asking the question, but didn't take it back.
"Who said I was nervous?" The beast-prince stopped pacing and tried to put on a casual air. It didn't do much for him.
"It's.. well, your grace, I have not, in my recollection, ever seen you act like this." Wufei nodded his agreement, and Trowa decided to be daring and continue. "And how you have been acting towards the. guest.. It's almost as if.." The invisible servant made the decision that he wasn't quite daring enough after all.
"What, exactly, are you implying?" The steely tone in the prince's voice made both servants gulp and pale slightly. Trowa wished that Quatre were there as well, he could usually calm their master down without blood shed.
"N-nothing sir, it's just that.." Wufei mentally smacked himself on the head for saying anything. "We find it.. incredibly.. kind and generous of you, highness, to take such great lengths to accommodate the prisoner.." The servant blanched as he realized his mistake.
"He is NOT a prisoner." Heero hissed, prussian blue eyes narrowing to mere slits. "I have told you that, repeatedly. If you ever-"
"Yes, sir, please forgive him." Trowa butted in. "We know perfectly well that the young man is your guest, it was a mere slip of the tongue, I assure you." He heard the door handle turning across the room. "Ah, it appears your guest has arrived. We'll just go serve the food, shall we?" He grabbed Wufei by the wrist and hauled him off to the kitchen before he could get himself in deeper trouble.
Heero, on the other hand, forgot everything else when greeted with the fact that his guest had arrived. With a panicked look, he quickly made his way to his seat and sat down in the most civilized manner he could muster, and tried to look dignified.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Here you are, Master Duo." Quatre smiled and pushed open the door to the dining room. Duo glanced at it warily, then down at himself.
"Are you sure about this? I mean." Quatre grabbed him by the arm, cutting off whatever he had been about to object with. Gently, the servant tugged the braided youth in the room, shutting the door behind them. Duo's eyes widened at the abrupt change of location, and immediately lowered his gaze to his feet. He locked his hands behind his back, really wishing he were somewhere else at the moment. He again took note of the form-fitting black tunic and leggings Quatre had selected for him, and severely hoped the servant hadn't been lying when he said that the young man looked stunning in the outfit.
"Good evening." Heero's soft greeting made Duo forget his thoughts. Gulping, he glanced up to meet his host eye-to-eye. He blinked a bit, eyes adjusting to the bright lighting from the crystal chandelier above. Again taking note of his host, he noticed that he didn't look as horrible as he remembered. In fact, if you just looked at his eyes. His eyes were amazing, a deep prussian blue that Duo could drown himself in if he looked too long. They were also human, something to drive a suspicion into his mind that Heero had not always been so beast-like.
Meanwhile, Heero himself was having an extremely difficult time tearing his eyes away from the long-haired young man in front of him. Quatre really knew quite a bit about clothes; the outfit Duo was wearing accentuated his slim but muscled figure nicely. Heero couldn't help but wonder how the youth's chestnut locks must feel, along with why the image of him shirtless coming to mind repeatedly. Ugh, it was that damned emotion again. How could you fall in love with someone you barely knew? Easily, it seemed.
Duo noticed the beast's eyes lingering on him, and immediately glanced down again, blushing. "Won't you have a seat?" He nearly jumped at the invitation, and felt Quatre nudging him from behind to go and sit down. Heart beating rapidly, he made his way over to an ornately carved chair and sat down, placing his hands in his lap and staring at them intently. "You are hungry, aren't you?" Duo was puzzled at his host's voice.. he sounded almost as if afraid he had somehow mis-pleased him.
"Er, yea, I suppose." His stomach growled loudly again, confirming his weak statement. Quatre, apparently still standing behind him, giggled softly, and Duo's blush returned in full force. Heero nodded, then turned to glance behind him, where Duo could see another doorway. Almost immediately, platters of food began emerging from the doorway. Duo's eyes widened. Platters of food began emerging from the doorway by themselves. The logical part of his mind told him that they must be being supported by other invisible servants, but each and every other part couldn't help being shocked.
The beast-prince noticed his guest's shocked expression, and leaped up to take a platter to the table himself, not thinking about anything but pleasing the braided youth. He set it down on the center of the table, of course not seeing his servants' nearly scared looks. He did, however, notice that Duo's shocked expression now rested on him, and he sat down sheepishly, realizing how foolish he must have looked.
Duo, on the other hand, was about ready to burst with the stress level. That one antic was the thing that pushed him over the edge. It started out as a snicker, then a soft chuckle, but soon he was laughing aloud. He didn't think about the consequences he might suffer later for laughing at his host, he was just trying calm himself down. It worked immensely well, he was no longer nervous at all.
Heero smiled slightly, noting that his guest's expression had changed to one of relieved glee. So maybe his antics hadn't gone un-appreciated after all. The two ate in companionable silence while a handful of servants stood around in wonder. No once noticed the black-clad young woman who had appeared on the chandelier above.
"Good," the sorceress whispered to herself, grinning. "So it's working out the way I had planned." She disappeared as silently as she had arrived. (a/n- whee, I get another cameo ^_^)
When the two had finished eating, the empty plates seemed to pick themselves up off the table and float back towards the kitchen. The logic part of Duo's mind was getting better at calming the other parts down, but it still took a few seconds. He quickly shook his head, helping that logical part out. Across the table, Heero was deep in thought about what to do next. He wasn't exactly used to entertaining people, especially people that he wanted to make a good impression on. Check that, very good impression. He had never wished so vehemently that he looked as he had before, and he had been wishing for a long time.
"So, um, thank you." His guest's soft voice snapped Heero out of his thoughts.
"For what?" Duo began folding his napkin up in different ways, trying not to look nervous. Apparently, doing nothing but sitting in front of the prince wasn't the most easy thing to do in the world.
"Well, you know, all this.." Violet eyes looked into deep blue ones as Duo waved his hand at his clothes, the table, the entire castle. "I know I'm not a prisoner, but this is all far greater than I've ever been treated in my life. I just don't feel like I deserve any of it."
"Of course you do." Heero mentally smacked himself for such a bland statement. "How could you think otherwise?" A humorless smile graced his guest's face.
"Easy. For the better part of my life, I was a street rat. I was abandoned. I don't know when, but I can't remember anything before just being another homeless kid. I never had anything, and most of the town hated me because, well, I had to steal to keep alive. Even when I was taken in by Father Maxwell, I wasn't exactly wealthy." Duo shook his head slightly. "No, not going for pity here, I don't want it. I'm just trying to explain that this is all something that seems like a dream. For the longest time, a full meal would have been paradise. And look at what you're giving me. I just don't think I'm the right person for any of this."
The beast-prince blinked. There was more to his guest than he had first thought. And all through the description of his life, he kept an even voice. Not a trace of sadness or whining. Just an explanation. Heero couldn't believe that anyone could talk about something like that so calmly. His first reaction would have been to try and comfort the beautiful youth, but he didn't seem to need it in the least bit. Coming up with a response that sounded decent, he cleared his throat slightly.
"Why should your past dictate who you are? It's done and over with. A person can change, and most people deserve much better than they receive. Much better. You're one of those people." Realizing how sappy that last part was, Heero immediately stared down at the table, not wanting to meet the puzzled violet gaze that he was sure was on him.
Duo didn't respond for a moment or two, not quite sure what to make of his host's comment. The way his voice had sounded on that last comment might have led someone to believe.. No way. Duo rolled his eyes at the ludicrousness of the thought. He was definitely jumping to conclusions if he thought that this person he had just met was in love with him. But the look in his eyes.. His beautiful eyes.. Beautiful? The braided youth blinked. Where had that adjective come from? "You're a lot different than I thought you would be.."
Heero glanced up, one eyebrow raised, and Duo immediately regretted the statement. "What do you mean?" Well, he hadn't sounded angry.
"Well, some people.. Heck, people in general don't usually act so nice towards me. You're just.. Well, yea, different."
The beast-prince blinked once, twice, trying to get the statement to process correctly. How could anyone treat such a beautiful apparition poorly? Not only beautiful, but courteous, intelligent, interesting, brave, self-sacrificing.. The list of descriptors ran on and on. "I see." That was the best he could do? 'I see'? Heero mentally smacked himself in the head. Repeatedly. Scrambling to think up something to make up for the brief statement, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Would you like me to walk you to your room?" Yea, great save. He mentally smacked himself a few more times.
"... Sure." The response made Heero quit his mental barrage and glance up. Duo looked a bit uncertain about his answer, but not like he was regretting it. Perhaps the beast-prince was making progress after all..
"All right then." He stood and made his way over to his violet-eyed guest, not sure what to do next. Duo unknowingly saved him by getting up swiftly, and the two exited the dining room silently.
"Did you see that?!" Wufei asked anyone who was listening, gaping at the retreating pair. "How polite he was being? I didn't think it was possible!"
"Of course it's possible." Quatre replied softly, smiling. "He just needed the right person to bring out his better side, that's all."
"Right person?" The black-haired servant raised an inquiring eyebrow. "What exactly are you saying?"
"Saying? Nothing besides what you heard.." He jumped slightly as Trowa wrapped both arms around his waist, then rested his chin on the smaller man's shoulder. (a/n- yea, so, there's 3x4 after all, I suppose.. Very little though, we need to keep the focus on 1x2 here people!)
"I know what you're saying, koibito." He whispered softly into the other's ear so Wufei couldn't hear. "You think that his highness is falling in love with his guest, neh?"
"You must have read my mind."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, do you like it here? I mean.." Heero nearly groaned at the bluntness of his statement, and Duo couldn't help but laugh slightly at his host's awkwardness.
"The castle?" The prince nodded sheepishly. "Of course, it's the nicest place I've ever been by a long shot. A very long shot." He thought for a moment, then decided to add to his comment. "And the company isn't bad either.
Heero blinked, realizing his guest had made a joke. He smiled, then actually began to laugh, something he hadn't done since.. Well, he couldn't remember when. Duo smiled as well, glad he could make his host laugh. His laugh was nice too, he would have to find a way to make it show itself more often. The two reached the ornate door that led to Duo's room, and stopped.
The beast-prince looked down at his feet, really not sure what to do at this point. He gulped, deciding to try and wing it. "Well, good-night."
"Good night, Heero." Duo opened the door, shot a smile at Heero over his shoulder, then disappeared within his room. The transformed young man sighed, relieved he had said the right thing. With one last glance towards the object of his affection's current residence, he made his way back towards his own rooms, thinking about the youth the entire way.
"Well, that wasn't so bad." The braided youth said to himself, grinning crookedly. "Definitely had worse nights." He yawned, realizing he was still exhausted from his stupid stunt in the woods. Tugging off the black tunic, he climbed between the silken sheets of his bed and fell asleep, for some reason dreaming about deep blue eyes.
Author's Notes- Ugh, sorry folks, that's about as long as I could make this chapter without having my head explode. I'm trying to write too many things at once.. _
Yami- You SHOULD be writing one of those nice limey fics with me and my Aibou in it..
Oh, can it you. I've been writing nothing but YxY fluff lately, and you still owe me for getting you out of wearing a dress. (long story, don't ask) Anyways, I might not have an update of this bugger for a while, I'm trying to update Transfer Students quite a bit, not to mention finals are coming up VERY soon.. Sigh. Dreadfully sorry, I try, really I do.
