This chapter's a bit short so I'll be sure to update again soon! - Swordy

Some Kind of Wonderful – Part 9

Trowa Barton was waiting at the entrance to Seventh Street's car park when the sleek black Chrysler pulled up. He threw his gym bag in the back before climbing into the passenger seat next to Quatre.

"Hello, love," he said leaning across and kissing the Arabian on the lips. As he pulled away, he couldn't help but notice Quatre's troubled expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked, grabbing the blonde boy's hand in concern.

Quatre proceeded to explain what he had heard in the diner as Trowa listened in silence. When Quatre had finished, he turned to Trowa, anxious to hear what the green-eyed boy thought he should do.

"I think you need to talk to Heero," Trowa said quietly after a moment's thought. "If he doesn't believe you then that's his lookout. At least you know you tried."

"Okay," Quatre said nodding grimly as he shifted the car into drive. "Let's go round to Darnell's to see if he's there."

They arrived at Darnell's Automotive Centre twenty minutes later to find they were in luck. Through the glass fronted shop, Heero could clearly be seen working under the bonnet of a battered Corvette. He looked up as he heard the car pull onto the forecourt but waited as he saw Quatre get out and make his way inside.

"Hey, Quatre," he said brightly as the blonde stuck his head around the door into the workshop. "Come in. Is there something wrong with your car?"

Quatre shook his head as he came to lean against the desk, his eyes scanning the untidy mechanic's bay. "No Duo tonight?" he enquired.

Heero gestured in the negative.

"He doesn't stop by much any more," he said curtly although there was a hint of sadness in his eyes as he said it. "I guess he's busy."

"I don't think so," Quatre replied vaguely, leaving Heero wondering if the blonde knew something he didn't. There was an awkward pause as each waited for the other to speak. Eventually Quatre decided to dive right in and say what he had come to say.

"I heard something today at the mall. Treize Khushrenada and his guys were there and I heard them talking about you."

Heero looked at him squarely as he wiped his oily hands on a rag. "What's your point, Quatre?"

Quatre sighed as he pushed his blonde locks away from his face. "Heero… it's a joke," he said sadly. "Relena Peacecraft, the date, the party, the whole thing. It's a joke. She's only going out with you so she can get you to Treize's house so he can mess you up."

The Japanese boy stared silently for a moment before he started to laugh, clearly convinced that Quatre was joking. Seeing Heero's disbelief, the young Arabian grew angry.

"I heard Treize say it Heero, I heard him myself, it's true."

Heero's mirth was halted by the serious expression on Quatre's face. "You're not kidding are you?"

Quatre shook his head despondently, his eyes no longer able to observe Heero's pain.

"It's a joke?" Heero repeated, clearly stunned.

"Yeah."

Quatre pushed away from the desk and headed for the door. After he had walked a few steps, he turned back to face Heero who was glumly staring at his feet.

"Heero," he said, attracting the other boy's attention, I'm really sorry. I just thought you deserved to know."

After acknowledging Heero's glum yet grateful nod he turned and left, leaving the Japanese boy to contemplate what he had just learnt.

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At ten pm, Heero locked up at Darnell's and began the long walk home. The air was chilly as he trudged along the quiet streets, coat held to his body to keep out the cold. As he walked, he couldn't help but replay the various conversations he had had with people recently; Relena, Quatre… and Duo. As he thought about the braided boy he realised how little he had seen of him lately. For a reason he couldn't fathom, that made him feel worse than learning that his date with Relena was nothing more than a joke. He missed Duo and felt guilty that their friendship had lapsed because of his neglect. Suddenly he felt compelled to make things right between them.

Drawing close to the rundown property he was greeted by the familiar sound of drums emanating from the garage, which doubled as Duo's bedroom. On the other side of the house, Heero could make out the glow of a television set in the poorly lit front room. Without bothering to knock, Heero pushed back the garage door as he had done so many times before. Inside he found Duo practising his drumming to a tape that blared from a battered old stereo balancing precariously on a stack of books. Seeing that he had company, Duo leaned over and stopped the tape before wiping the perspiration from his forehead.

"You're getting really good," Heero said as he pulled the door shut behind him.

"Thanks," Duo replied warily as he pushed the sweat soaked bangs from his face. Heero hadn't dropped by like this for a while and he was a little suspicious of his motives.

"Your cousins not mind you playing this late?"

Duo shrugged, unconcerned. "I don't know, I never asked," he said eying the Japanese boy dubiously. "To what do I owe this honour?"

Sensing Duo's stand offish attitude, Heero went to sit on the edge of the braided boy's bed, wringing his hands nervously.

"I er, I got a little problem. You know how you told me the thing with Relena was a joke?"

"Yeah?" Duo replied, reluctant to get into another 'Relena' discussion.

Heero looked up to meet Duo's enquiring gaze.

"Well… it is a joke."

Duo cocked his head to one side as he caught the end of his braid and began to play with it. "You mean a joke as in a joke on you?"

"Yep," Heero said as he stood up and started to pace the room. "Quatre heard Treize talking about it and… Relena's supposed to get me over to Treize's house and they're gonna pound me." He allowed himself to laugh slightly as he said it.

Still sat behind his drum kit, Duo's expression morphed several times as he took this information in. "Well, it's a good thing you found out about it," he said finally, unsure why Heero was telling him this.

"But I'm not afraid of him!" Heero exclaimed, spinning away from the Akira poster he had been staring at moments earlier. He was met by Duo's expression of disbelief.

"You're gonna go through with this?"

Heero nodded grimly, his bright blue eyes displaying just how serious he was. "I have to," he said flatly.

"You think it's just Treize?" Duo said, trying desperately to reason with him. As angry as he was with Heero at this moment, he certainly didn't want to see him get hurt.

"No!… Look, if he's gonna get me, he's gonna get me, it doesn't have to be at this party, he's gonna have lots of chances. I'm not gonna hide from him."

"Leave it alone," was the braided boy's response.

"I can't!"

"Why?"

"Because I wanna stand up to him!" Heero said frustratedly.

Duo looked at him coldly, his large violet eyes displaying an unfamiliar hardness.

"Well forget it, it's impossible. Another year and you're gone. It's better to swallow pride than blood."

For a moment Heero was dumfounded. Duo hated it when the little guy got dumped on so he couldn't believe that the American wouldn't want him to stand up for himself.

"You don't think that. I don't believe for a second you think that."

They glared at each other for a moment before Heero's expression softened.

"I'm not giving in to them any more, not for another year, not for another minute," he said quietly.

"I get it," Duo replied in defeat as he turned his back on the Japanese boy.

As the conversation ceased, Heero went to lie down on Duo's bed, his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling above him. Unable to be angry with him any longer, Duo lay down beside him, their bodies squashed together on the single bed.

"I'm sorry," Heero said quietly after a moment's silence. "I'm sorry that I was so tough on you."

"Me too," Duo replied.

"You always hurt the ones you love," Heero muttered, repeating a phrase his mother had told him once.

"So when are you beating the shit out of Relena Peacecraft?"

Heero glanced across at Duo as he started to laugh, amused by the braided boy's remark. However, the Duo's eyes remained fixed firmly on the ceiling as he gloomily observed that Heero had not denied loving Relena as he had hoped he would. True, they were friends again but their truce had done nothing to allay the aching in his heart that would only be tempered when Heero was lying here in his arms.

TBC…