Title: For Love and Basketball
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.
Warnings: Yaoi, AU, OOC

Thanks To The Reviewers
Solo: I swear, when you have a car, I'm gluing roses to it.
PATTY 40: Yeah, I'm not doing so well at writing long chapters for this story.... I do so much better with Lost...
LadyDragonWolfKnight: He kissed Zechs so that blondie boy would leave him alone.
Blake-Schawarz: Yay! Someone noticed that Duo's a hypocrite.
Link Worshiper: I know the pairing...I finally decided on it...after the fic wrote itself....
MC-88: I'm glad you liked it.
Shori Musei: Nope, I didn't. Well, I updated other stuff.
RekiaReium: I'm glad you liked it.
Princess2000204: I don't think I took that long to update this.
Tortured Artist 666: lol I'm glad you like it enough to keep reading the same stuff over and over.
Cat Youkai: They so were not on their way to the motel to have sex...
Thalia16: It was some strange idea that popped into my mind. I actually have a really crude and sadistic sense of humor.
WindyRiver: I try to update as much as I can.
DarrkKatt: I'm glad you love it!

Chapter Nine

Duo sat in the gym, waiting for the rest of the team. His last class was let out a few minutes early when their teacher got a call saying he had to leave. The brunette went straight to the locker room and changed into his uniform. Just like Howard had promised, his letterman's jacket came in. It now hung next to his letterman's jacket from OZ high, but there was enough space so they wouldn't touch.

Duo looked up when Heero walked through the door and headed in his direction. He smiled slightly, thinking about current realizations. He finally admitted to himself that he had a tiny crush on his teammate. He wouldn't admit that out loud. The Japanese youth was someone that confused his gaydar to no end.

Duo watched out of the corner of his eye as Heero sat down. He couldn't help but watch as each muscle either tensed or relaxed with Heero's agile movement. He was sure that the Japanese youth knew that he was staring at him occasionally, but he never said anything. He figured if it bothered him enough, he'd speak up.

"Are you nervous?" Heero questioned.

"About what?" Duo asked, eyebrow raised in confusion.

"If we win this next game, we go to state," Heero stated.

Duo shook his head. "No, I'm no nervous. This year we're going to win," he said. "I have a record of being on the first place team to keep in tact."

"You forget, Zechs has that same record to keep in tact," Heero countered.

Duo shrugged. "I know, but he can't shoot from half court."

Heero nodded. "I guess you're right. The rest of them team is stoked about going because of having you on the team, but I can't help but worry."

"You doubt my skills?" Duo asked with an absolute scandalized look on his face.

"No, I don't," Heero stated, shaking his head. "But, what if Oz does something that completely pisses you off and makes it so you can't play?"

Duo stared at him. "I won't do anything stupid," he said. "I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the team or my scholarships."

"How many scholarships do you have?" Heero questioned.

"Three, all for basketball," Duo muttered.

"Do you wish that you hadn't started playing here?" Heero asked.

Duo shrugged. "Sometimes. It would be nice to have the free time, but if I don't play, I lose my scholarships."

"Why weren't they taken after your fight?"

"They sops weren't called and no one pressed charges. If Zechs had pressed charges, then they probably would have. Even if the fight was his fault."

Heero started at Duo for a moment. "But, you said that you kicked his ass, so how was it his fault?"

Duo sighed. "That morning, we were all in the locker room, and he started shooting his mouth off about the guy from Romefeller, saying what a good fuck he was. I told him to shut the hell up and said a few other things. He threw the first punch after I said something he didn't like so I beat the crap out of him."

Heero shook his head as the rest of the team filed in. "Well, I guess it's time to run until our legs fall off," he joked, standing and walking over. Duo nodded, following the Japanese youth.

Howard stood there, arms crossed over his chest as the team made a semi-circle around him. "Alright, men! This week is the deciding game that determines if we go to state or not. Now, I know you're all excited about it, but its best not to get to hubris. There's a chance that something could go wrong and we could lose. That's why practice this week is going to be extra tough. Now, I want everyone in two lines for stretches!" he ordered. Everyone ran into the line they belonged in and got ready for the stretches.



Duo walked slowly towards his hummer, dragging his bag behind him. Practice had been tough, each of his muscles throbbed with pain. He wanted to get home and take a long hot shower. Some of the other guys had decided to go to a movie and asked him go to, but he declined.

"Hey, Duo!" Heero called to him.

Duo turned and waited for him to catch up. "Yeah, what is it?"

Hero stopped to catch his breath. "Are you going home?"

"Yeah, that's generally what I do after practice," Duo sated.

"Well, do you want to come over?" Heero asked. "My parents have been dying to meet you and I figured we could do something."

Duo thought about it for a moment. "Well, I was going to go home and take a long hot shower..."

"We have a hot tub," Heero stated.

"Okay, I'll come over, but we'll have to stop by my place first," Duo agreed. Heero nodded and followed Duo to his vehicle.



Duo followed Heero into his house, his bag slung over his shoulders. He looked around, taking in the layout of the house. He watched as Heero tossed his keys onto the hook in the kitchen and took off his shoes. Duo followed Heero's example, bending down to unlace his boots.

"Why do you wear combat boots?" Heero questioned.

Duo shrugged. "They don't wear out as quickly as other shoes."

Heero nodded, walking towards the back of the house. Duo walked after him, looking around at the new surroundings. They walked into a room with an indoor pool and jacuzzi. Heero pointed over to a door a little beyond the deep end of the pool, "There's a bathroom over there for you to change in," he said.

Duo nodded. "Thanks," he said, walking over to the door.

"No problem. I'll be back in a minute, I'm heading to my room to change," Heero said, leaving the room.

Duo went into the changing room, quickly pulling off his pants and shirt. He grabbed his swim trunks from his bag and pulled them on. He undid his hair as he left the room until it was completely hanging free then pulled it up into a messy bun so it would not get wet in the hot tub. He walked over to the spa and slowly eased himself into it, resting his head against the tile lining.

"You know, I knew you had long hair, but I didn't know you had a lot of hair," Heero commented from behind Duo.

Duo smiled slightly. "Having long hair usually means that they have a lot of hair," he commented as Heero got into the hot tub next to Duo after turning on the jets. "So did you have fun at practice?" He asked.

Heero shrugged. "It's been the same for the past three years," he stated.

Duo shook his head. "It was never this bad at Oz," he muttered.

They both fell into a calm silence, each allowing their muscles to relax under the gently pummeling of the water jets. Duo would occasionally sneak a peak at Heero's nearly naked form. He bit the inside of his lip and forced himself to look away.

"Duo, can I ask you a serious question?" Heero inquired suddenly.

"Sure, ask away. It seems to be all I've been doing for you lately," Duo declared.

"Do you like me?"

Duo blinked a few times. "Of course I do."

"No, I mean as more then a friend."

Chuckling lightly, Duo shook his head. "How could you tell?"

Heero smiled slightly. "I've seen you staring at me," he said.

"Hn, and here I thought I was being discrete," Duo joked. "Are you totally pissed about it?"

Heero shook his head. "No, I'm not. It's actually kind of flattering."

Duo sighed. "But you don't return the feelings," he said sadly.

"Well, at first I didn't think that I would," Heero admitted. "But, the more I thought about it, the more I started thinking that it wouldn't be so bad."

Duo stared at him for a moment. "So, does this mean that your open to the idea and I stand a chance?"

Heero smiled softly. "You stand more then a chance," he stated.

Blinking a few times, the braided brunette wasn't quite sure how to respond. Heero took that as his opening and leaned over, capturing the American's lips. Duo groaned slightly against the other teen's lips, having been surprised by the sudden kiss. Slowly, he responded, lips moving together.

Heero was the first to pull away, feeling the need to breath. Duo smiled, moving to straddle his teammate's thighs and press their lips together again. Tongues darted out to meet each other, dueling in a battle for dominance. The braided teen lost, not that he minded.

They pulled away again and Duo rested his forehead against Heero's. "So...more then a chance?"

Heero nodded. "A bigger chance then anyone out there," he stated. "So, want to go out on Saturday?"

Duo thought about it. "Well, I did have plans, but sure, I'll go with you," he said, kissing the Japanese teen again.