Affection
Chapter nine: Communication Is Of The Essence
It had been a total of three days since he'd last seen his brother and he was beyond upset. Heero had made no attempt to see him or call him; it was like he was still mad at him for no damn reason at all, and that pissed him off. He'd spent Lord knows how long worrying over him wondering if he was sleeping well at night or even if he was thought of. If everything was fine then why hadn't his little brother come home by now? He'd stayed over at Duo's for two days and had gone home because he'd hoped that Heero would be coming back, but no he hadn't. He was currently walking down the corridors of the high school and had made a left into one of the small quads that littered the schools grounds. As he passed one of the stone benches he saw the word SEVEN written in black permanent marker across the top. Heero had done that, well actually, it was both Heero and Quatre who'd done that, the both of them had consumed too much Kool-Aid that day. Neither of them would disclose why they had chosen to write seven on all the school benches. He'd finally made it to his destination. The drama room. Well to be honest the drama room was really just the end of the cafeteria sectioned off by a false wall. There were teens scattered all over the front of the class and each one had a small bundle of paper in there hands. Some of them were muttering to themselves while others were sitting down on benches reading the words off the pages out loud, but none of them were who he was looking for.
He walked over to a group of girls standing a few feet away from the door; their tattered jeans were rubbing up against the paint speckled cement beneath their feet, he tapped one on the shoulder. "Hey do you know where Heero is?"
"Yeah he's in the class." he noticed that the other girls were whispering to each other and quietly giggling.
"Thanks." as he walked into the class he heard the small group burst out into laughter behind him.
The inside of the drama room smelled of tater-tots and was painted black. The white tile floor beneath him was flecked with black paint; there was a makeshift stage on his left with walls carefully nailed to the bottom of the flat that also happened to be splattered with paint of many different colors. Once he passed the small excuse for a stage he saw the tan couch cluttered with props and wardrobe, and perched on the top of the couch sat Heero who was sitting opposite of some guy with hair so dark it looked both purple and blue. He walked over to them; Heero merely glanced at him. The guy standing opposite his brother broke out in a huge smile, but didn't let his eyes leave the script in his right hand.
"I care for you more than anything in the world." Heero kept his eyes locked on the boy in front of him.
"Can you honestly spend the rest of your life loving a man who feels guilty for hurting you?" Trowa watched as the boy licked his lips.
"I could spend the rest of my life loving you; it's just that I can't spend the rest of it trusting you." that was it.
"Heero I need to talk to you." Trowa tugged on Heero's arm.
"I'm practicing lines here, Tro." Heero looked at the teachers' small room and noticed that he was not there.
"My ass, you're the stage manager and part of the tech crew, now come on." Heero put down the script and was practically dragged out the back door of the drama room.
Right before he was dragged completely out of the room he called to the boy he was helping rehearse lines. "It's pronounced Taé-la-flur not Tale-fur!"
Once outside Trowa let the door close behind them and Heero walked over to the cheap plastic tables that sat a few feet away from the room. Trowa followed him and watched as Heero sat down on the nearest one. They could hear splashing from the people swimming in the pool not too far off from the place where they were sitting. Trowa had moved and sat on the flat where you usually would eat; he put his legs on either side of Heero, wrapped his arms around him, and rested his chin on his little brothers head.
"Heero what's happened?" he inhaled his brothers scent and realized that it had become different.
"I think……I fell in love." Heero curled his arms around Trowa's; he grabbed one of his brothers' palms and kissed it.
"Wufei?" said Trowa smiling at his brother.
"How'd you figure?"
"Duo."
"You're not mad are you?" asked Heero tugging on Trowa's writs.
"No, if it's what makes you happiest the most in life how could I be mad." he got up and pulled Heero up with him. They walked around the side of the cafeteria and sat underneath a huge tree that would hide them from any passerby's view.
"Thanks Trowa." said Heero as he rested his head against Trowa's chest. "I don't know if I told you or not, but you mean the world to me and you always will."
"Same here Heero." he kissed the top of Heero's head.
"I just want you to know that I don't hate you there's no way I could. Also, I'm ok with you and Duo being together; it was childish of me to think that I'd get to have you all to myself forever. You're my brother and I should be content with that in itself because I know that you'll always be there for me no matter what." Heero sighed. "I just wish I could have kept you longer."
"If you come home today I promise we can spend at least one more night together like this." Trowa kissed Heero on the back of the neck.
"Won't that like upset Duo?" said Heero as he slightly tilted his head.
"No I already had a talk with him about it." he also tilted his head just enough and kissed Heero delicately on the lips.
"That had to be something, did he make a face?" mumbled Heero from behind his brothers lips.
"It was obvious he tried not to, he really is uncomfortable with it." said Trowa as he pulled out of the kiss and sighed.
"He's entitled to be squeamish I guess. It would be a good way to end this wouldn't it? But the sad thing is that if that happened I don't think I'd be able to pull myself away. I'll come home tonight; just let me do something after school." Heero pulled himself out of Trowa's arms.
"You're going to tell Wufei?" Trowa got up and followed Heero as he walked around the front of the chain-link fence and stared off into the dry field not too far off.
"Trowa, how are we supposed to act around people we've fallen in love with. How was it that you and Duo could just fall into place so easily and not feel like such fools?" Heero pressed his face against the fence and closed his eyes and tried not remember the other night he spent with Wufei underneath the stars and his tears of self-pity.
"I'm not quite sure myself, everyone assimilates to one another differently Heero and as for me and Duo; well we did have a bit of a rocky start, but I have a feeling that you didn't help much either there." Trowa had placed a hand on his little brothers' shoulder not quite sure why he seemed so forlorn.
"I think I really screwed up you know. Everything was fine until I let my stupid insecurities overwhelm me; I have no idea why Wufei would even want to stick around me." Heero turned around and faced Trowa.
"Heero you're wonderful guy, and no, I'm not saying it because we've "done it" with each other, or even because we're brothers'. I'm saying it because I honestly know how great a person you are and if you'd just allowed others to see what you let me then things wouldn't be so hard on you." Trowa's palms rested on the chain-link fence on either side of Heero's face.
"But Wufei-" Trowa cut him off.
"Wufei likes you for who you are and who you've shown him, Heero, if all he'd ever see were your negative points then he'd probably never like you, but I've got a feeling that he's always felt this way about you. Because trust me, when you discover that the person you've loved all along loves you back, it's a wonderful indescribable feeling that only you can understand." Trowa hugged Heero and the bell rang.
He'd been a bit surprised that Trowa had shown up at his class and wanted to talk to him. It was strange to know that since his aunt had left things had become different with him and his brothers relationship. They had gone from close cozy romantic to close cozy platonic. He supposed it was as good a switch as possible, but it was going to be a while before he felt completely comfortable with everything. He also supposed it was time he told Wufei how he felt about him, although, since that night up at the Heights he felt like such an idiot. Just the thought of it made his face burn with embarrassment. Acting like a fool seemed to be his forte at times, but for some reason or another Wufei seemed to like him no matter how stupid he acted.
When he'd gone back into the class to grab his things Toné had been carrying it, as well as a smile so wide he wanted to slap it right off his face. Toné was the only person in the drama class he ever felt ok talking to, and Toné, well that boy had a mouth on him that just loved to talk shit and say the most dirty and hilarious things in the world. It was no wonder why he was the one guy who, during the junior auction, got sold for the most money.
"So 'Ro what was that all about?" he grabbed his stuff from Toné and ducked when he tried to sling his arm around him.
"What do you mean?" he tossed his bag over his left shoulder and gripped the strap with his right hand. "And don't call me 'Ro."
"It's been kind of obvious to everyone that you two haven't been on speaking terms as of late. Now, the one thing everyone wants to know is, why?" Toné managed to sling his arm around Heero's shoulders and leaned against him as if he were drunk.
"It's nobody's business and stop draping yourself all over me." he tried to shrug him off, but it was fruitless.
They walked on together for a while, neither of them saying anything to the other, and somehow managed to work their way through the large school crowd. Heero felt awkward with Toné draped over him like that. He knew it wasn't sexual or anything of the sort, Toné just had a habit of forgetting that most people had comfort zones they'd rather not have breached. They came to a stop in front of Heero's math class, he was about to walk into the room but Toné tugged slightly on Heero's arm to stop him.
"I know that we're not really good friends and all 'Ro, but, I just want you to know that if you ever need anyone to talk to, I've always got an ear to listen." he took his arm off of Heero finally and shoved his hands in his lose jean pockets.
"Can I ask why you're even bothering with me?" he shifted his backpack to his other shoulder and kept looking back at the door to the class.
"Because for some reason," he ruffled Heero's hair like you would a child's "I worry about you."
"You worry about me?" he felt a surge of embarrassment shoot through him.
"Of course, you seem like such a sweet guy 'Ro, don't spend your life worrying over whether or not you're making a fool of yourself. Take life by the fucking nuts and have your way with it because 'Ro…….you only live once." and for a brief moment Toné let rip his very own "devil may care" smile.
"Um…well I guess you're right." he could feel heat creep up his neck.
"I know I'm right. Now, what's been wrong?" he arched his eyebrows up and down a few times.
"Like I said, none of your business." he smiled at the expression on Toné's face. It was like someone had just offered a five year old two dollars and then took it back. It was so hard not to laugh.
"Well, shit, I tried." he smiled. "See ya 'round 'Ro!"
Heero watched as the other boy took off down the hall at God knows what speed. For a while he just stood there in front of his classroom harboring a strange bewildered feeling. It was weird, never once had he ever thought anyone, sans his brother, ever worried about him. Was it so obvious that he was hurting not so long ago? This was ridiculous, Toné was right, you only live life once.
When the bell for lunch had rung Wufei found himself waiting in front of Heero's classroom. He watched as people poured out and wondered how long Heero would be inside. After ten minutes had passed Wufei figured he'd chance a look inside; when he'd peeked his head around the door all he saw was the teacher sitting at his desk and three students sitting at their assigned seats scribbling down answers on a piece of paper. He roamed the schools halls and went to get some food from the carts in front of the cafeteria. Where the Hell could Heero have gone? When he'd gone to their usual spot and found Heero absent he started to worry.
"How come everyone else seems ok with the fact that Heero isn't here?" he started eating his cheese fries.
"Because he was here not too long ago looking for you." said Trowa as he took a sip from his soda and handed it to Duo who was sitting right next to him.
"Say what!" quickly he turned his head back and forth.
"He left a few minutes before you got here." said Quatre as he put down his sandwich.
"Yeah, so where were you at while he stood here waiting?" said Trowa leaning against Duo.
Momentarily a blush crept up his neck, "Waiting outside his classroom." he decided that he would just wait for Heero to come back.
"Aww how cute." drawled Quatre as he rolled his eyes.
It had been wonderful waking up in the middle of the night and finding that Heero was still there dreaming in his bed lying next to him. If it could go on forever he'd be the happiest guy in the world.
"You know Quat, sarcasm doesn't become you." Heero had walked up behind Quatre and bopped him on the back of the head.
"What can I say you've been one of the best influences of my life." said Quatre smirking.
"Nice to know I've done some good in the world." Heero sat down next to Wufei and smiled at him. "So where've you been?"
"I-" Quatre cut him off.
"Waiting outside your classroom." Quatre just smiled at the look on Wufei's face.
"Can it Quatre!" growled Wufei throwing a french fry at him.
"You're supposed to eat your food not throw it at people!"
"Toss one here!" said Trowa. Wufei tossed a fry and Trowa managed to catch it in his mouth.
"Hey after school today I wanna talk to you about something." Wufei noticed the slight tint that graced Heero's face.
"Sure." he smiled.
When the end bell for lunch had rung everyone took off for their own classes.
Quatre thought the whole thing was so absurdly stupid. Trowa and Duo were obviously together and now Heero and Wufei would oh-so-magically pair up. The world was an obscenely cruel place to live in. He was going to be walking home with the latter pair and dreaded having to listen to the impending sentimental conversation that was guaranteed to pass between them. He would be mere steps behind them catching tid-bits of their sentences, just enough to make him nauseas.
He stared at Heero from his desk and realized that this was the first time in the past few weeks that he'd ever seen his friend so content. There he sat quietly doing his work with a slight smile adorning his obvious striking features. It was enough to make him smile; he guessed if anyone needed to be happy, it was Heero. The bell for class to end had rung and he was off to his last class for the day.
A/N: there was going to be more to this chapter, but I got lazy and would like to super dupery say SORRY for the delay. Second semester of school stared and I had new classes and I hate going to college. One day when I'm sitting in my own home typing my next book in front of a computer I'll look back on these days and cry about not being in school in general.
Anywho hoped you enjoyed this chpt. ; (and maybe one day I'll even get me a beta reader, who knows!)
