Something to Talk About
By Wolf Girl
Author notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Thanks again to those who I contacted already, and for those of you who didn't sign in to review or didn't have e-mails, thanks to you too.
Introducing, my muse fRuiTdevil! She's agreed to help me out by being conversational! The first part of this chapter is dedicated to her! Thanks fRuiTdevil!
Hey, most importantly, I figured out belatedly that the way I was separating the scenes in my story was not showing up on the page. I hadn't noticed this until a friend suggested that I separate the scenes, but now I have it all fixed. So, if you had any confusion on scene breaks, you can look back at the updated last three chapters.
Disclaimer: I do not have any sort of ownership over the characters or the premise of Gundam Wing. I do not make any sort of profit off of this story.
Warnings: AU, Yaoi, minor Relena bastardization, Mild Relena bashing, OOC Heero (not stoic enough, please forgive me), philosophy, much taunting.
AN Warning: Unfortunately, my grammar and punctuation usage is a weird mix of American and British styles... Enough said.
Pairings: 1x2x1, others...
Italics = thought (unless obviously otherwise).
(:::)
FOUR: Ineffectual
Journal Entry #70
Life doesn't suck so much today. I'm painting again. The art teacher finally decided that I wasn't like the other punks and wouldn't ruin her paintbrushes using acrylic paint. Thank God! I was about to get the spray paint cans out and do a mural on the school lockers...
My English teacher gave me a writing assignment today. I'm supposed to say something profound...
I had to think about this one. I usually crack jokes in favour of being serious. I don't say profound things very often. That's Quatre's job as far as I know. Here's my best stab at my only homework for the night.
What is profound?
Well, you have to say it in a profound manner to make it profound.
(::)
"So if you mix two parts cadmium yellow together with three parts saffron red, you get a nice shade that is perfect for what you're describing. And if you use the palette knife, you can get the texture you want too." Duo explained, sketching on a loose sheet of paper the way you would apply the acrylic to the canvas.
Quatre nodded enthusiastically. "You know more than the art teacher does Duo!"
"Only about painting." Duo chided half-jokingly, handing Quatre the paper.
"Hey kid." A sudden tall shadow loomed over Duo's locker and a male voice filled his ears.
"Hi Trowa!" Quatre practically melted into his locker. "How are you?"
"Fine. What are you doing tonight?" Trowa leaned past Duo to face Quatre.
Duo made a face and continued rummaging in his locker for his math books. I hate math... Stupid subject... Why does Quatre like this guy anyway... He's a jock... Hey, at least he smells good.
"Nothing." Quatre's eyes widened even more hugely in hopefulness. Trowa ran a hand through his bang and Quatre shifted from foot to foot a few times before Trowa proceeded. Duo stifled a giggle at Quatre's nervous body actions.
"You want to go see a movie with me... and some of the guys?" Trowa asked, his face showing practically no emotion.
Quatre's face fell at the last part of the question, but he was not about to pass up time with Trowa. "Sure! Sounds great!"
"I'll pick you up at seven. No need to bring anything except Mr. Liberal Arts if he wants to go." Trowa smiled slightly.
Quatre was beaming. "Okay, sounds good. You want directions to my house?"
As the two exchanged an address for a phone number, Duo rolled his eyes and left for class.
No way I'm getting a late for these doveys.
(:::)
The guys passed more beer around and made a loud toast. They slopped their drinks up to their mouths. Duo watched disgustedly, still only halfway through his first glass of the stuff.
I wonder how I can get my revenge for the locker room incident... Duo thought to himself, sipping his beer in unusual silence. Just when he had gotten to the crowning glory of his plot involving marshmallow cream, he was interrupted.
"So, Duo, why did you get kicked out of that school?" a brunette asked drunkenly when there was a suitable pause from the crude commentary the jocks were running on the waitresses legs. It seemed to Duo that they had run out of various dirty jokes to tell.
Duo stared. Someone actually asked, he thought. "Well, after getting too many bad marks in the Dean's book for sneaking around using certain students as nude models, and annoying my teachers by painting murals in the hallways, my own rendition of the school's Last Judgment (1) was not looked on very highly.
"Oh... We thought you like, burned down a girl's dorm or something." The guys lost interest in Duo and started punching each other playfully and swigging more beer.
Duo was surprised. He'd expected a bigger reaction, but what was he expecting from these jocks... I had thought I'd get away with that too... It's not my fault Une has no sense of humor...
Trowa and Quatre were sitting in a far corner of the table, whispering to each other and ignoring the other boy's rowdiness completely. Duo was having trouble admitting to himself that he was envious of their infatuation with each other.
"So what's your type, pretty boy? I saw you in the locker room. You're not too bad off for a artsy boy, if you know what I mean." Some blonde goon thought he could drape his arm over Duo's shoulder.
Duo removed the boy's arm distastefully and resumed picking at his spaghetti.
"You're so quiet now. We could fill the silence with something else." The boy moved his hand down to Duo's thigh after taking a sideways glance to make sure his buddies were otherwise occupied.
Duo kept his mouth closed for once, even though he was livid with indignation. He stood up and stalked out the door, knocking over his chair in the process.
(:::)
Duo adjusted his coat collar against the chilled wind, then shoved his hands in his pockets. He ran across the street and started as he saw Relena and Heero turning a corner and walking toward him.
"Hello, Duo," Relena said, and then continued walking.
"You two out on a date?" Duo sneered, his dander already riled up.
"Yes, and we were having a very nice time until you came along," Relena said snippily, pulling on Heero's arm.
Heero's eyes bored a hole in Duo with his intense gaze. Duo started to feel uncomfortable. "Have fun with your pet, though even you could do better."
"You're so stupid, Duo! You don't understand how precious Heero is!" Relena stamped her foot. "Heero, let's go!" Relena huffed, turning, then looked at Heero, who didn't move right away. "Heero!"
Heero stared at her for a second, then he looked back at Duo. Relena glared at Duo, then started walking briskly off.
"I hate her. She's so selfish. Doesn't she care how I feel? I'm her brother!" Duo kicked at the wall roughly.
"She's jealous of you."
"Why would she be jealous of me?" Duo fumed. "She's the one who has all the friends and all the glory. No one even notices my paintings at school!"
"You're talented at many things. She has problems with it."
Duo turned his head away at the comment. "Bitch... Why do you even hang out with her?" He asked scornfully, not really expecting an answer.
"Right now she's all the friend I've got." Heero's voice sounded so sad and matter-of-fact that Duo turned to look.
Heero turned and walked after Relena's distant figure, leaving Duo standing there, all self-pity gone as he realized that maybe he wasn't the only one who felt alone.
(:::)
Heero glared at Relena for what must have been the fourteenth time just during lunch. She can't take a hint, can she? He ignored her chatter and continued eating his lunch solidly. He let the talking from other places in the room drift over.
"I hear he's a whore. I wonder how much he'll take?" someone was whispering. Heero straightened up even more than his usual rigid posture and glanced around.
"I think that blonde Quatre Winner is paying him to be exclusive. The Winners are a rich family. I'm sure we couldn't even begin to match Blondie's pay," another voice whispered back. Heero finally pinpointed the voices. There were two boys sitting in a corner with chairs drawn together, hunched over their lunch trays.
"Too bad though, did you see him? Perfectly gorgeous." Heero let his attention fade as their conversation drifted off to other things.
Relena finished talking and looked at Heero expectantly. He grunted belatedly, and she seemed satisfied with his non-answer. She turned to another person at her table and started chatting. Heero stood up. Relena glanced at him.
He made a concerted effort to explain his departure. "I'm going to go practice basketball." He then left for the gym. Relena stared at him in confusion as he left. He doesn't play basketball, she thought, then turned back to her conversation.
The gym was silent. Heero got a basketball from the rack and started shooting from the half-court line. The fourth time he made it, a small clapping sound was heard. He looked behind him and spotted Duo in the bleachers.
"Bravo, bravo!"
"Duo," he acknowledged. Duo walked down from the bleachers, stopping to stand on the sidelines of the court.
"Hello, Mighty King of sports," Duo replied. "Is there anything you can't do?"
"You can't do better, scrawny."
"You insult me." Duo maintained an air of levity. "Dumb jock."
Heero snorted, his eyes tracking Duo as he stalked closer.
"What if I wanted to play?" Duo taunted. "Would it compromise your manliness if I beat you?"
Heero didn't reply, just stared.
"Bet you couldn't take me on," Duo challenged.
"One-on-one. First to ten." Heero said, tossing the ball to Duo. Duo tossed it back, accepting the challenge.
Heero dribbled the ball at the basket, Duo in a defense position in front of him, half-crouched, looking like a wary tiger. Heero's eyes darted to the braid caressing Duo's thighs as it draped over his shoulder.
"I bet you thought that joke in the locker room was funny," Duo said snidely, making a grab at the ball. Heero dribbled the ball and made a feint to the right. He didn't reply.
"And you're getting awful cozy with Relena, aren't you 'Hee-chan'," Duo purred. Heero growled and pushed to the left, driving for the basket. He did a lay-up and sunk it.
"You're such a dick." Duo checked the ball and started toward the basket. "You better not be screwing my sister. I don't care if she's a bitch, if you nail her you're going to regret it."
"I don't screw girls." Heero said, then looked horrified for a moment before his expressionless mask slipped back into place. He looked at Duo, who had stopped smiling.
"Who do you screw then, Hee-chan? Boys? Pretty boys like me?" Duo's eyes were glinting maliciously as he stalked over to Heero. He licked his lips as he stopped less than an inch away.
"Does this invade your 'space bubble' too much, 'Hee-chan' or do I turn you on? Do you want me?" He leaned in and let his fingers drift along Heero's neck and shoulders then down across his chest. Heero shuddered involuntarily. "Maybe some other time." Duo passed by Heero, shoving the basketball roughly into his hands. He left the gym out the side door.
Heero stood breathing heavily, then chucked the ball at the wall with a reverberating bang. The ball bounced on the floor as the door closed.
(:::)
Endnotes: Ineffectual means not producing the proper effect; without effect; weak; useless; futile; unavailing.
(1) Last Judgment was a painting done in the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Burronati. This painting is approximately 5,600 square feet and covers the back wall of the chapel.
It's a painting about how people measure up when they go to see Christ after they die. This painting was originally done with almost all the people in the nude and in varying degrees of punishment, showing Purgatory and Hell.
During the Inquisition run by the Papacy of the Catholic Church, another artist was hired to put clothing or draperies over the nude bodies to cover their 'indecency.
It is said that Michelangelo put himself in the painting as St. Bartholomew, and that he put a Catholic Cardinal he disliked in hell being carried off by the dead resurrected.
If you like J-Rock, check out L'Arc en Ciel's new album Smile. I just got it and it rocks bobby socks! It has some nice songs to space out to... I mean.... write to... Anyway, Smile is available in the US through Sony music and Tofu Records, and in Japan I think through Sony Music as well!
So you all don't think I got attacked by rabid 1xR loving fangirls, I am going on vacation the first week of August and will not have internet access, so don't expect another chapter until at least the second week of August.
E-mail me any questions! R&R si vous plait!