Author's note – I made some revisions to the last chapter and then realised that I'd cocked things up (with the days things took place on) so I've had to go back and re-revise them. You might not notice, but I'm a stickler for detail.
Original author's note – Okay, so the story's drawing towards its conclusion (probably one or two chapters left). I apologise if people feel that this chapter doesn't add a lot to the story but I'd forgotten just how long the scene between Keith (Heero) and his father is. Although there's a lot of talking, it's actually a pretty poignant scene in the film and so I wanted to include the whole of the dialogue. Oh, and all the stuff before that scene has come from my own little brain! So, in anticipation of 'the big date', enjoy! - Swordy
Some Kind of Wonderful – Part 11
Friday. Normally Duo's favourite day of the week (with the possible exception of Saturday) but not today. Today was quite possibly the greatest example of Duo's own private hell as the braided boy slumped against a tree watching Trowa run circles around the synthetic track.
"Isn't he just gorgeous?" the blonde on his right gushed, his face consumed by his large grin of pride.
"Gorgeous," Duo repeated sounding far from enthusiastic.
Sensing Quatre's watchful stare, Duo turned to look at him. "What?" he snapped when Quatre didn't speak.
The blonde shook his head sadly. "This is about Heero isn't it?"
A smart response was instantly on the tip of his tongue but he held it back. It wasn't Quatre's fault that Heero didn't love him. Love. Such a strong word but Duo was certain that that was exactly what he felt for the Japanese boy.
"Yeah," he muttered quietly. "Who else?"
Quatre nodded thoughtfully. "And you say he kissed you back last night?"
Duo rolled his eyes at the return to this conversation. He'd told Quatre what had happened at Darnell's although he had neglected to mention one or two details. "Yes but…"
"But what?"
Duo hesitated.
"But I told him to pretend I was Relena."
Quatre's eyes widened as his hand rushed to his mouth. "By Allah!" he muttered before starting to laugh. Duo shot the Arabian a glare that Heero would have been proud of before he returned to staring into his lap. Quatre eventually regained some composure as he turned his attention back to Trowa, who was now performing a series of stretches with his impossibly flexible body. When Trowa had finished, he waved at Quatre, indicating that he would be right with him after he had gotten changed. Sensing Duo's annoyance, Quatre quickly started another conversation.
"So what are these plans of Heero's for Saturday night that involve the use of my dad's car?"
Duo shifted so that he was lying on his stomach next to the blonde and snorted.
"I dunno, I think Heero's planning on showing Relena that he can run with the rich boys too," he muttered bitterly.
"And where do you come into this?" Quatre asked as he groped the grass with his fingers.
"I'm the chauffeur."
"What?"
"I know," Duo muttered, shooting the blonde an angry glare. "Anything for the one you love."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Trowa headed for the changing rooms, his sweaty body craving a shower. At the opposite end of the corridor he could see Heero talking animatedly with a Chinese boy he recognised as Wufei. At first he thought it strange until he recalled Duo telling him that, since their detention days together, Heero and Wufei had become firm friends. As Trowa drew close, Heero bid the boy farewell with a quick 'See you Saturday' before spinning on heel, almost colliding with the approaching athlete.
"Hey, Trowa," Heero said good-naturedly as Wufei disappeared through the doors at the end of the corridor, "You still going to Treize's tomorrow?"
Trowa nodded, slightly curious as to why Heero looked so happy when he was faced with the prospect of a beating. He sensed the Japanese boy had something planned that went beyond just showing up at the party to make a point.
"Well I hope everything goes well, whatever you have planned," the reticent boy said as he reached for the door handle. "And Heero? Don't let Duo get hurt."
Heero frowned and shook his head reassuringly. "Duo's going to stay outside when we get to Treize's."
Before he disappeared into the changing rooms, Trowa offered the Japanese boy a slight smile. "That's not what I meant," he said quietly and then he was gone.
Heero stared after him for a moment, trying to comprehend the boy's cryptic statement before he started off down the corridor, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Saturday dawned and before any of the people involved had time to contemplate what the evening would bring, they were dressing in preparation for the night ahead. As he showered, Heero couldn't help singing along to the rock song playing from the radio he had dragged from his bedroom into the bathroom. For the first time in his life he felt confident about himself and the way his life was going. He was so caught up in his good mood that he failed to notice the toilet flushing until it subsequently caused the water in the shower to turn stone cold.
"Argh!" he yelled, jumping back out of the icy spray. Keen to find out why the heat had suddenly gone out of the water, he pushed open the shower cubicle door to find his father stood in the bathroom, arms folded across his chest.
"Odin!" he said, surprised. "What are you doing?"
His father's expression remained serious as he stared at his son.
"Get dressed," he ordered sternly, "I wanna talk to you."
It didn't take a genius to work out that Odin was far from pleased with Heero about something and, as he dressed, Heero correctly reasoned that it had something to do with his money. He walked into his room, rubbing the excess water from his hair with a towel, to find his father staring out of the window. As he heard his son enter, Odin turned to face him, his expression unreadable.
"I wanna know what's wrong," Odin began quietly. "Are you in trouble?"
"No."
"Were you at the bank recently?"
Heero paused, the towel resting against his head as he mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen. Knowing things were likely to get ugly, he moved further into the room and closed the door behind him.
"You withdrew the college money didn't you?" Odin said, his voice impossibly controlled despite the anger inside him.
"Yeah."
"Well it's going back, pal. Every last cent of it's going back," he said, the volume starting to rise. "You don't get this close to something and then piss it away!"
"It's not going back because I don't have it," Heero replied quietly. "I spent it."
"What'd you buy? A car? Whatever you bought you can take back and you're gonna take back!"
"Dad," Heero said taking a step towards the angry man, "I can't, I don't want to."
"I don't care what you want!" Odin replied, yelling now. "The money's going back in the bank and that's final!"
"Look, you're not listening to me," Heero said, frustrated. "I don't have the money, I can't get it back!"
"You had no right touching that money!"
"I had every right!" Heero replied, his own voice raised. "I earned it!"
"WHERE'S THE FUCKING MONEY HEERO!" his father bellowed, his face now an interesting shade of crimson.
"Dad, calm down, listen to me, the money is not important here…"
"You don't know what's important, you don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
"I do know what the hell I'm talking about, you just never listen to me!" Heero exploded, throwing the towel at the wall in a rage before coming to stand right in front of his furious father. "You only hear what you want, will you listen to me for once?"
"I'm listening," Odin snapped.
Heero took a deep breath, his eyes still bulging slightly with rage. "I'm not gonna go to college. The money's gone; you can't get it back! It's over, this whole dream; it's not what I wanted it's what you wanted. I never wanted it; I just didn't have the guts to tell you!"
Odin stared at him for a moment, before turning back to face window.
"Ah, you're only eighteen years old for Christ's sake!" he muttered.
"Then I'm nineteen, then I'm twenty, when does my life belong to me?"
There was a pause, which Heero was the first to break, his voice quiet and slightly pleading.
"Dad… listen. I'm going out with a girl tonight and she's beautiful and… everybody's in love with her and she's going out with me. Get it?"
Evidently not getting it, Odin continued to stare at his son as if he had grown a second head.
"See… in the eyes of most people around here, I'm a nothing," Heero said sadly, "and so that I don't start agreeing with them, I'm gonna go through with this date." He gazed at the floor for a moment before returning to meet his father's dark brown eyes. "I want to show this girl that I'm as good as anybody else."
Odin shook his head in despair. "So what? You're gonna impress her with money? You think that's the solution, Heero?" he said quietly, all the anger now gone from his voice.
"Dad, didn't you ever have guys at your school that didn't fit in?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Well I'm one of those guys."
"I thought things were going okay for you," Odin replied, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Yeah well… I like art, I work in a gas station, my best friend has hair down to his knees and wears a minister's collar everyday. These things don't fly too well in the American high school…"
Odin shook his head at these continued revelations. "I didn't know about this," he muttered, staring down at the floor.
"Well how could you know about this, you're my father!" Heero replied, smiling slightly.
"Jesus, Heero, how could you blow all that money?"
"Believe me, there's a good reason behind all this, you just need to trust me," his son implored, his Prussian blue eyes pleading in their expression.
"Trust you? There's a limit Heero!" Odin retorted.
"How can you put a limit on trust?"
"Do you know any father who would let their kid do something like this?" came the response.
"No," Heero replied truthfully.
"So why should I have to go along with it?"
"Because… you believe in me."
Odin gazed at his son, unable to think of a suitable response. Wearily, he sank down onto Heero's bed, his head falling into his hands.
"Listen…" Heero began, "I'm gonna replace the money. Think about it, you know I will. I'm not… stupid, I didn't work all this time just to throw everything away without thinking about it." He knelt down, so that his father had no choice but to look at him. "I know what I'm doing, Odin."
"You sure?" the older man replied, his tone one of defeat.
"Yeah."
"Okay," Odin said, nodding his head as he stood to leave. "But I'm still gonna ride your ass about college, Heero, I'm not giving up on that."
It was Heero's turn to nod. "All right."
"I've said my piece," Odin announced finally as he made his way to the door. As his hand rested on the door handle, he paused and turned back to look at his son. "Oh, and do me a favour?"
"What?"
"Stop calling me Odin!"
Heero grinned. "Sure thing, dad."
As his father pulled open the door, Heero's mother appeared, her expression anxious. She had no doubt heard the shouting from downstairs and was concerned that the father-son relationship could have been irrevocably damaged. However she was more than a little relieved to see both Odin and Heero smiling as she reached her son's bedroom.
"Heero?" she called gently, "Duo's waiting downstairs for you."
"Okay thanks," Heero replied offering her a reassuring smile. "I'll be right down."
Both his parents left and Heero was alone. Up until this moment, he had felt completely prepared for this evening but suddenly he found himself fretful and on edge. He almost felt like going downstairs and telling Duo that the plan was off but deep down, he knew that that wouldn't solve anything.
Tonight, Heero Yuy was about to take charge of his life, once and for all.
TBC…