Heero-ella

Chapter 8: Heero POV

Yesterday had to have been the best day of my life so far. Duo and I had so much fun, I even forgot my problems for the entire afternoon. I had floated down to my bedroom and locked the door, not wanting any of the house females to bother me for the night. I don't think I've dreamt since Odin died, but last night, I did.

The dream was very vague, the way dreams tend to be. I was sitting in a limo and drinking hot chocolate. On either side of me, my parents sat, talking to each other as we were driven. My dream faded after that and a little girl came into sight. We played and built fortresses and then knocked them over. The little girl had long cinnamon brown hair and brilliant blue-violet eyes that just seemed to shimmer with mischief. We went to the kitchens and terrorized the cooks until they fed us candy.

I woke up feeling very relaxed, but I didn't know why I kept calling the little girl "Duo" in my dream. 'You're just associating someone who was nice to you such a long time ago to someone that's being nice to you know,' my mind reasoned. I had no argument for myself.

I went downstairs and cleaned the dishes from the night before since none of the "ladies" in the house would stoop so low. I cooked them some breakfast and left it on the table. If they came down too late for breakfast, they'd have to heat it on their own.

After that, I got dressed, put on my shoes, and left for work.

"Heero," Count Merquize called out to me. I went over to where he was and he led me to the break room in the back of the store, leaving Jeremy to take care of the front for the time being.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" I asked.

He smiled at me and asked me to sit down. "Heero, I have something I want to talk to you about." I took a seat, feeling a little nervous. "It's about Prince Duo," he began, and my heartbeat began to race. Was he going to tell me that I shouldn't be seeing him? "I heard that he asked you to come to the ball personally..."

"Y-yes, sir... he did."

"Heero, you do know that His Majesty must wed a woman and produce an heir, do you not?" I nodded, "Good. This will be much easier then." I felt hot tears streaming down my face and I just couldn't stop them. "Hey.... Heero... Heero, what's wrong?" Zechs came closer to me and hugged me gently, wiping the tears from my face. "Heero... why are you upset?"

I shook my head slightly, wiping the tears away and backed away a little, "I'm sorry Sir... I... I don't know what's gotten into me." I was lying, I knew it. Inside, my heart was breaking. I really liked...maybe even loved Duo, and now I couldn't be with him because he was a guy. Life could really be unfair sometimes.

"Look Heero, Prince Duo will be coming to pick you up on your lunch break and talk to you about the ball." I nodded, hoping I wouldn't start balling when Duo told me that he didn't want me. Sure, he had kissed me and all, but this was his last week of freedom before he was betrothed. I'm probably his final fling.

"Heero!" Count Merquise snapped his fingers in front of my face, "Heero, you have to pay attention, Duo want you to do something for him-"

He was going to say something more, but I cut him off, knowing what he was going to say, "He is my prince, thus his wish is my command." Okay, maybe I made that sound a little colder than intended, but I was hurting and this was the only way I knew to deal with pain.

For an instant, he looked like he had the wind knocked out of him but I didn't get the chance to examine it further as Jeremy poked his head in saying that there was someone outside who wanted to see me. Duo.

"Hey Heero!" Duo smiled as I came out of the "Employees Only" section. "You hungry? I really need to talk to you and I was hoping you'd join me for lunch."

I nodded slightly, still too emotional to come up with a vocal acknowledgement and started to walk out of the store with him. I almost missed a look Duo and Zechs shared on our way out.

We got our meals at the Mongolian Grill again and this time, went to sit in the not-so-crowded balcony of the two-story mall. Taking seats across from each other, we began to pick at our food.

"Heero... is something wrong?" Duo asked.

I shook my head a little.

"Did Zechs talk to you today... about me? Us?"

I nodded slightly. "He told me that you had to produce an heir and that you wanted me to do something for you," I said, slightly bitter.

I saw him flinch a little, his eyes on his food. "Did he tell you what I wanted for you to do?" he asked quietly.

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me soon enough. I'm not stupid, Duo. I know that this is your last week of freedom and you want to have some fun before you're tied down. I'm probably a last fling before you're sentenced to the ball and chain. So tell me what you want from me. Do you want me to sleep with you, because your wish is my command, my prince" I was seething. I barely hissed out the last word when tears started streaming down my face again. I couldn't help it. I just felt so used... Here I was thinking that maybe, just maybe Duo would have feelings for me only to be told that he was going to have to marry a girl. I covered my eyes with one hand, leaning my weight on my other arm which rested at the table.

"Heero..." I felt Duo's hand at my back, the other prying my hand off my face. "Heero... you don't understand...."

I took my hand away from my eyes and looked at him through tear-soaked lashes. He looked like I had just slapped him in the face as he caressed my cheek, wiping away my tears.

"Heero... where did you get the idea that I'd want to use you like that?"

I shrugged, "Count Merquise said that you have to produce an heir and if I understood that. When I said I did, he looked a little relieved and said 'Good. That'll make things easier.." He also told me that you wanted to talk to me about the ball, and I can only assume you are here to revoke the invitation...."

Duo took my hands in his and pulled up a chair so he sat next to me, locking his eyes with mine. "I think you should have let Zechs finish what he had to say, and I only hope you'll let me finish without interruption." I nodded and he continued, "I do have to get married and produce an heir... that much is true, but that isn't possible with the person I choose to be with. I talked to my father and even though he wasn't happy at first, he let me have my way and this is where you come in. Heero, I want you to be my bride. What I need from you is to dress like a woman for the ball, for appearance's sake. I would never ask this of you had I the choice, but in order not to cause uproar, I need to be seen picking a girl to marry."

I think my brain stopped working for a minute. Duo was proposing to me and all I had to do in exchange is wear a dress? I couldn't believe this was happening to me. Good things don't happen to me, at least not that often. I couldn't help myself and leaped into Duo's arms, hugging him tight.

"Does that mean you'll do it?" Duo sounded just a bit nervous.

I nodded as I pulled back, smiling at him and blushing slightly, "Of course I'll do it, Duo... I... I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier..."

Duo laughed a little bit and settled back into his original chair, "Don't worry, Hee-chan. I can see where the message got mixed up... but it does hurt to know that you'd think I'd just use you like that..."

"That's why it hurt so much to think so, I didn't want to believe that you were like that... but in my defense, I've only known you just a little over a day, not including today."

Duo laughed again and we finished our meals, looking like any other pair of friends grabbing a bite at the food court.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to see Duo any more between that day and the ball so I began looking for something that I could wear. It was very hard to try and find something suitable.

I looked all week for something and finally found the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen in my life. The material was made out of a pale blue shimmering cloth that caught the light beautifully. It had a square cut neck trimmed in sapphire blue to show off any long neck. The bodice was embroidered with crystal beads that just seemed to sparkle as if the dress had caught a dash of twinkling stars. The sleeves were fitted from shoulder to elbow then opened up to beautiful bell sleeves with the same sapphire trimming as the neck, but the most beautiful part of the dress was the skirt. The gown's skirt had a three-inch sapphire ribbon at the bottom, dotted with white crystal beads that went from a high concentration to a lower one as one's eyes traveled up the length of the skirt. The waist was wrapped with a thick sapphire ribbon that tied off in an elegant bow in the back, the embroidery on it a true work of art.

I knew that dress was fitting for someone who would soon wed the prince, but I was short on money. I could never afford such a beautiful dress, much less the shoes, purse, embroidered mask and white silk wings that complemented the dress.

I went home soon after that, tired of having the display mock me. The ball was tomorrow evening and I still didn't have a dress. I didn't have a dress, I didn't have a ride, and I didn't want to be a bother. Maybe Duo should have chosen someone else... I'm not worthy.

I arrived home, locking the door behind me. I went into the kitchen to get a bite to eat when I noticed I wasn't alone. Lady Une sat at the table watching me with cold eyes. I had managed to avoid her since that day Duo freed me, but I could see I had no escape from her tonight.

"Heero." She said in a cold tone, getting up from where she sat. "I have been kind enough to keep a roof over your head all these years when you are nothing but a burden to my household. At the moment, my daughters stand a very good chance of becoming the next queen of our kingdom and I will not have you ruin it for them." Une was very intimidating when she wanted to be, and right now, she wanted to be. "For that reason, you are to remain in your room until after the ball," she said, as she shoved me down the stairs to my basement-room. She closed the door behind me, leaving me in darkness until I reached out and pulled the chain that illuminated the single soft-glow light bulb of my room.

It was sparsely furnished with only a twin sized bed, a card table and folding chair, and a set of stacked-up plastic drawers for my socks and underwear I had bought at a thrift store. The rest of my clothes was hung on a broken broom suspended in the air by two low rafters under the stairs on wire hangers that the "ladies" didn't think were suitable for their garments.

I looked around and found that Une had brought down a gallon of water and five boxes of Lunchables meals. One for tonight, three for tomorrow, and one for my breakfast if they decided to sleep late the night after the ball. At least Odin had installed a tiny, yet functional bathroom down here. He always wanted to be prepared and thought the basement could save our lives if disaster struck.

The way I saw it, disaster had struck. I was stuck in my room, it being bolted and barricaded from the outside and I had no way to tell Duo. I sighed. Maybe he'd have to marry a girl after all...

(Une POV)

I smiled as I slid the bolt home, effectively locking Heero in his room. I turned and left, to prepare my gown for tomorrow evening. That boy was getting in the way of my plans of having one of my daughters marry the prince. I had lost my chance with Treize because I was not of noble birth, but now my daughters had proper titles so the same wouldn't happen to them as well but Heero was in the way.

Soon enough, he'll be out of my hair and I'll be living in luxury with one of my daughters as queen, but until then, Heero has to stay out of sight. After all, who'd think of looking for him in a basement?