These Boots Were Made for Racing

by InfectedLife

AU and therefore some OOCness. Duo is at the top of his game. When it comes to drag racing he and his engineer Quatre can't be beat. But what will he do when arch rival Heero Yuy enters the scene. 1x2 3x4 5xM YaoiShounen Ai rated R for later chapters.

7. Hearts and Clubs

Alright I have made you guys wait long enough for this, so I am not going to babble on. Same old stuff, don't sue. I use a lot of songs in this chapter, please don't sue for that I earn no money from using them. This chapter is extra long, I hope you all like it. I love all my reviewers so I am sorry to keep you waiting, holidays and stuff are super hectic and I had to work on it whenever I could find a spare moment. Oh dang I'm babbling, I'll just shut up now and let you read.

Hearts and Clubs

Chapter 7

The ride to the club was amiable, with Duo switching seamlessly from topic to topic and still managing to say nothing personal about himself. Heero did however have a very clear picture now of how Duo and his friends spent their free time in earlier days, and he had to admit it would have been great to have known them all back then. He heard about the many practical jokes, the whole story of Wufei and Meiran, and all about Qautre being a child genius. He thought his adolescence would have been a thousand times better if he had known them back then. Maybe his whole life would be different. He would probably still be in drag racing since he would most definitely be best friends with Duo and they would have entered together. After every time one of them won a race there would be a big party at Duo's house and all their friends would be there. They would have gotten Wufei drunk and played a practical joke on him, maybe one that went down would be talked about for decades to come at their high school. Then he and Duo would have gotten smashed themselves, and Heero would have to spend the night because he passed out on the couch. At some point when all the guests had left, Duo would bring down a blanket and drape it over Heero's unconscious body. The sudden warmth would bring Heero back to the waking world, he would look sleepily at his best friend kneeling beside him, and in his drunken quasi-asleep state he would lean forward and gently brush his lips to the longhaired boy's. Duo would return the kiss tentatively, and soon it would deepen into something more desperate, more passionate. Duo's tongue would dart out and swipe across his bottom lip. In response Heero would open his mouth slightly and allow Duo to plunge in and tangle with his own tongue. Heero's hand would reach out and burry itself in the soft braided hair he found resting on Duo's neck. Tongues would battle for control and bodies would gravitate toward each other. It would be the most amazing experience of his young life, and from that point on they would no longer be just best friends, but so much more.

"Hey man we're almost there. You take a left at this next light, don't you?" Heero's head snapped around to Duo then back to the road, a light tinge of pink blushing across his cheeks when he thought about the daydream he had just been having. He recovered quickly however and looked perfectly calm when Duo glanced at him in the rear view mirror.

"Yeah, and the place will be on our right." Heero's nasally accent came out cool and collected like his stony face, his insides however were still squirming with the image of a kiss with longhaired driver. Duo's face turned toward his window, it was dark outside now, the lights of the fantastic structures coming to life and casting a beautifully eerie neon glow on the streets of the city. His face lit up when he saw the most incredible two-story building come into view on his right. It was a midnight blue and black oval warehouse with two large pillars connecting to a wide terrace that encircled the entire club. The front of this balcony had a tall arching rail that swooped down in intricate designs and followed the terrace all the way around the building. On the walls on either side of the pillars there were enormous full-scale portraits, painted in amazing detail and lit by spotlights. Next to the right pillar was a young woman holding a cocktail in one hand and a sequent hand purse hooked around the other. She was dressed in a long red silk gown that had slit up one side revealing an expanse of pale thin leg and one red high heel with straps. The dress had a pattern of small beaded hearts all over it. Her hair was all pulled up in curls and she was wearing a tiara that had a diamond-encrusted heart in the center. She was obviously supposed to be the Queen of Hearts, and the portrait on the other was her partner of another suit, the King of Clubs. He was wearing the classic coat and tails and carrying what looked like whiskey on the rocks. He leaned casually on his cane, which looked suspiciously like a septor. He loosely held his drink, and appeared to be winking at the people walking into the club. His tie had a silver four-leaf clover in its center and his vest too had the silver clovers as a pattern.

"I think we're here, but that's just a guess." Duo laughed when Heero glanced to the right and arched one eyebrow at the sight of the club building. He pulled into the right hand lane and turned into the parking lot, the lights of the club illuminating his face as he leaned forward to keep the top of the building in view.

"We're supposed to meet the guys in the parking lot. Wufei will come later, he had to go get Meiran." Duo bounced out of the car the moment it had stopped, Heero once again handed the keys over to a valet and went to stand next to Duo. The two stood for a moment and just stared at the building they were supposed to enter after they met Qautre and Trowa in the parking lot. They didn't even see the other boys' approach they were so busy gawking at the fantastic nightclub.

"They're never going to let us in with the dumb looks on your faces. Don't seem so easily impressed." Duo whipped around at the sound of the barely familiar stoic voice coming from behind him, Trowa and Qautre had stepped out from behind one of the large pillars.

"Har, har. Qautre how do you intend to get us into a place like this. I mean when you said we were going to a night club, I have to admit this wasn't exactly what I had pictured." Duo tried to smile carelessly, but it was obvious he was uncomfortable with the ritziness of the place. "I was thinking more a long the lines of a whole in the wall that wouldn't check our age." Duo came from a poor background and never felt comfortable in the presence of the rich. The only one who had been able to overcome that was Qautre. You could also tell by the way he tugged at his shirt, that he felt inappropriately dressed.

"Duo don't worry about it, my uncles best friend runs this place." Qautre said shyly, he was always ashamed when he told Duo about all these perks his life had, but truth be told Qautre would have preferred to live like Duo, and he respected the braided boy's strength more than the boy would ever know. Duo continued to tug at his outfit and tried to glance around, without being to obvious, and see what everyone else was wearing.

"Duo will you stop fidgeting, you look fine. You'll see, I really think you're going to like this place." Duo immediately stopped as though he just realized what he was doing, Heero hadn't taken his eyes off the braided mechanic during this entire conversation. Their eyes met in a nervous glance, but Duo embarrassedly looked quickly away. Then he finally noticed what Qautre and Trowa were wearing, and he felt a little relieved. Qautre was wearing a nice form fitting light blue dress shirt with comfortable looking faded black jeans, and Trowa had on a forest green long sleeved button down shirt with skin tight charcoal gray slacks.

"Qautre, is the entire world owned by your family or someone they know? I swear I could end up in the middle of the arctic and your second cousin twice removed would own an igloo hotel or something." Duo smiled earnestly, he was starting to relax and the world seemed funny again. Qautre giggled softly and was able to relax too when he saw Duo was more comfortable.

"Actually I believe one of my great uncles is currently doing an expedition in the ice caverns of the arctic, he's retired and loves doing extreme things." Duo cracked up at this, he loved poking jokes at Qautre's family, and Qautre loved them too. In the beginning it felt odd to have someone make fun of his relatives, because no one else dared. But he soon realized as he got to know Duo better that the boy's way of coping with life and the things that made him uncomfortable, was by making jokes. The blonde fell in love with the odd brand of joking that his new friend seemed to posses in excess. It was actually that personality feature that had caused him to approach the eccentric longhaired high schooler.

"So Wufei called me, and I'm so glad he and Meiran can come. He said he would meet us inside, which means…" Qautre had a small evil smirk, that was worthy of Duo himself, playing gently across his lips. Both Trowa and Heero had no clue what was going on and they looked at each other with mimicking arched eyebrows.

A grimace passed across Duo's face and he positioned himself into something that resembled a fighting stance, Qautre too looked like he was bracing himself for impact. They were staring hard at each other as though trying to size the other up. They looked like they were waiting for a sign to throw the first punch. They stayed just like that for a long time, so long that Heero checked his watch just out of curiosity. Finally Qautre was the first to move, he pulled his fist back and quickly shot it up into the air above his head while he let out a whooping yell. Heero was very confused, he didn't remember seeing anything happen, but it must have because Duo looked as though he had just lost a bet or a race. His shoulders sagged in defeat and he punched down at the air, though with much more malice then Qautre's jubilant strike at the sky. Heero's gaze traveled back to Qautre who was at the moment doing a little jig and singing something that sounded like 'you blinked first.' He also heard Duo mutter a curse under his breath and he wondered what the hell was going on here exactly.

"Duo what just happened?" Heero glanced confusingly between the longhaired enigma and his equally strange blonde friend. Duo merely shrugged in response and pointed to Qautre, who took that as a sign to gloat more.

"He blinked first, he lost. I tell you what though Duo I'll buy your first one." With that Qautre let out a maniacal laughter, and Heero could tell that Trowa had never heard the young blonde do that before.

"Qautre, could you explain what's going on, what are you buying Duo?" Trowa asked the young blonde standing next to him. He looked concerned for his shorter companion, who was still looking haughtily at Duo and chuckling occasionally.

"It's a tradition between the three of us, whenever one is going to be late the other two have a contest to see who has to be the designated drinker." Duo finally spoke up, but in a dejected tone of voice, in the background Qautre had started chuckling again.

"That means that since he lost the competition, he's it and has to have a drink every three minutes until Wufei arrives." Qautre would have elaborated but he was lost in another fit of giggles, and Duo glared at him.

"It's not normally this much of a big deal, but Qautre's never won against me before. I can't believe this little punk beat me." Duo fainted punching Qautre's arm, but he laughed good-naturedly. "Thank goodness Fei's gonna be here in just a few."

"Unless Meiran holds him up." Qautre cackled.

"Well, this ought to be an interesting night, shall we go in now?" Trowa's ever calm voice asked as he shook his head faintly at the other driving team's antics.

"Ah Trowa, and I was going to try and stall us a little." Duo laughed and turned to follow the group into the club, Heero walking right next to him.

"Your friends are almost as interesting as you." Duo looked over at Heero, who was smiling faintly, and he couldn't help it, he blushed very slightly.

"You calling me a weirdo Yuy?" Duo flashed him a crooked grin.

"Yes, yes I am." Heero was laughing when they reached the bouncer. It was a very attractive laugh, and though it didn't last long, Duo definitely thought he should do it more often. The bouncer was a large man he had broad shoulders and was at least six foot three. He was tan skinned and had dark brown hair that stuck straight up off his head and curled out from his chin. Duo expected him to card them all and then throw them onto the streets, but instead he smiled politely and shook Qautre's hand before he opened the door to the club. Duo heard Qautre say 'thank you Rashid' before he stepped into the club. Duo was going to say something, but the second he looked around him he was speechless.

It was like taking a step back in time, in here the forties had never passed. Or, at least, it like a dream you would have after staying up all night watching movies from that era on a classic film channel. There were multiple uneven levels on which sat round tables with small dim lamps set up in the center next to a thin vase containing a single rose. The bar was a raised oval set in the center of the club where six bar tenders on either side of a panel in the center o the oval, were tossing glasses and bottles of liquor, mixing drinks in fantastic ways. The club was painted in midnight blue and draped in maroon tapestries, and the tables were covered in deep red cloths. To the right of the bar was a dance floor made of square glass-looking tiles, underneath it was many different colored lights that flashed in turn making the entire dance floor change color with them. To the left was a large group of tables also on the platforms of different heights in the middle of which was a large, wide, dark stairway that led to the uppermost level where larger tables were set up for parties and such, and another bar ran along the back wall. Straight ahead of them was a large wooden stage painted black with large red curtains, it was raised and the bottom was rimmed with aluminum striped with neon lights. On top of the stage instruments for a band were set up on chairs and a piano was to the left of the small group of chairs. Directly in front of the stage was a D.J. booth that was being run by a man in an expensive tuxedo. All employees seemed to be wearing tuxes and long sequent gowns straight from the 1940s but the patrons were dressed like they had just gotten out of a rave, Duo definitely fit right in. They stood in the entrance and simply surveyed all their surroundings there were so many details everywhere. There were incredible light fixtures everywhere, lights that draped the walls, that stuck straight out of them, poles that reached the ceiling that were lit from the inside, and an enormous crystal chandelier with a three foot radius that hung above the oval bar and it's twin above the stage. The paint on the walls wasn't a single color it was actually finely detailed with intricate patterns painted in darker tones, and sparkled when light touched it.

The D.J. in front of the stage glanced up after changing the song and noticed them standing at the entrance, he winked at Qautre and grabbed the microphone in front of him.

"Of all the clubs in all the cities in all the world, you had to walk into mine. Welcome to Hearts and Clubs." And he winked one more time when he replaced his microphone. Qautre gave a small wave to him and began weaving his way through the crowd toward the stage, the other three followed him still gawking at the amazing things they came across, like how the dance floor changed and now each square switched to a different color when they were stepped on. They also started to notice all the artwork that covered the walls, it was apparently a collection from the local artists and it wasn't just paintings, there were abstract sculptures and collages of the music greats throughout history. Duo was the only one who danced his way across the floor, he did however get Heero to move a little bit with him when he bumped his hip into the boy in time with a disco song that started playing.

They reached the D.J. table and the man choosing the songs, which seemed to span all music throughout the centuries. He reached over the equipment and pulled Qautre into a light embrace slapping him on the back a couple times. When Qautre stepped back, Duo was finally able to get a good look at the man. He was short and tan, he had a thin black mustache that hung down past his bottom jaw. The jet-black hair on top of his head was slicked back and pulled into a small ponytail, which reminded Duo of Wufei's. His pinstriped suit was a dark charcoal gray that looked black in the dim lighting of the club. His cufflinks were large diamonds, and there was another diamond in the middle of his smoky tie. His eyes were small black beads that shone with jubilance, there were heavy crows feet at the corner of his eyes and wrinkles around his mouth from smiling so much. Duo instantly liked the guy, he reminded him of his old friend at the track, Howard. Well the constantly smiling did anyway, but this guy was way too polite for Howard.

"Ah, Qautre my dearest little friend, I had no idea you were in town. You should have told me, I would have made special arrangements." By the looks of this guy, Duo didn't doubt that if Qautre had mentioned they would be passing through, the two of them would be in the best suite in the best hotel of the city, in the finest restaurants every night, and wouldn't have to pay for a thing. "And you brought friends! Well come now, introduce me."

"Yes of course, how rude of me. This is Trowa, my old friend from college who I hadn't seen in a long time. We just met again today." Qautre smiled and blushed slightly, though Duo could barely see it in the dim lights. The D. J. must have been more used to the dark because he certainly picked up on it.

"An old college friend, eh? Perhaps there is something more now though?" The old man winked and Qautre's blush deepened ten fold, which in Duo's mind confirmed his suspicions. Qautre however did not deny nor confirm the D.J.'s accusations, he simply plowed on with the introductions.

"And this is Heero, he is Trowa's friend and a race car driver like Duo." Heero nodded politely to the man and he smiled in return."

"Qautre always has had very attractive friends, I think this one may be one of the most exotic looking of them though." Heero had no idea how to respond to that, he simply stood there and looked rather uncomfortable, the man's smile only widened. Duo was afraid of what he would say to him when Qautre introduced them.

"And this of course is Duo, but you already knew that." Duo looked shocked he hadn't ever met this man before, yet Qautre was under the impression that they new each other. He looked confusedly at the old man behind the table and saw recognition in those sparkly black eyes.

"Yes of course. I have seen many pictures of you and heard many more stories. I have to say you're a kid after my own heart, but much more clever than I was at your age." The old man continued to look Duo up and down. "I must admit that your pictures don't do you justice, you are a masterpiece in real life." Duo blushed as red as a tomato and tried to say 'thank you' but nothing came out except a choked cough garbled with a strangled whimper. He glanced over at Qautre who was nodding in agreement and glared at the blonde. Then his eyes uncontrollably flashed to Heero who seemed to be smiling at him and there was something in those deep blue eyes that made Duo even more nervous but he couldn't help thinking that he liked the butterflies Heero gave him.

"Well anyway, I have been very rude and have not introduced myself, because even though I have heard so much about the young Maxwell boy that I could write a book, I am certain he has never heard of me." The man winked again, and laughed at the expression on Duo's face, which clearly showed that he was both shocked by this information and embarrassed. "I am Dr. H. I used to be a private professor and I taught Qautre through much of his youth. People around here just call me H though, the Dr. is intimidating and people seem much more tense around me, which I hate. You all can call me that, though I am sure that old habits die hard and Qautre will not be able to stop saying my title." Qautre laughed and smiled at the old man affectionately. "My partner and designer of this club, Mr. Trieze Kushrenada, has gone away on a business trip with his…friend, Mr. Zechs Marquis. I must introduce you to him sometime Qautre he has the most interesting views. I think a conversation between the two of you would be very interesting." The man smiled at Qautre like a teacher proud of his best pupil.

"I think Duo has some of the most interesting and realistic views, perhaps we should all get together sometime. Professor it has been very good talking to you, I will be back later tonight for a longer chat but I owe my friend here his first drink of the night, though I guarantee it will not be his last." Qautre laughed and looked proud, like he had just achieved a lifetime goal.

"So you finally won one of your little competitions against Duo" He chuckled warmly. "Just give this to the bar tender and you wont pay for a thing tonight." The old man had never stopped smiling he held out his hand and Qautre took what had been offered to him. Duo had caught a glimpse of it before Qautre had tucked it into his pocket, it was a red rose and its stem curved at the bottom to form three letters, VIP. Duo had never been considered a VIP in his entire life, and he was slightly overwhelmed by it all.

"Thank you professor, I will see you later tonight. I actually have a small request of you that I think you will enjoy." There was maniacal gleam to Qautre's aquamarine eyes that everyone but the D.J. missed, and he simply grinned in response before he turned to switch the CD to the swing music that would be found at a speakeasy in the 1920s. They made their way over to the oval bar, Duo once again dancing as he walked, he tried once to spin Heero, but found himself being dipped by the young man instead. He was immediately lost in those deep eyes, the butterflies in his stomach taking flight again. The urge to lean closer to Heero was so strong it took everything he had, including his full concentration on repeating in his head 'I will not give in to this, he is my competition, I will not give in,' in order to stop himself from laying his head on gorgeous boy in his embrace. When Heero stood Duo back up, he held him close until he was sure Duo had his balance and the braided boy almost lost his control when a stray thought slipped into his mind 'Damn he smells good.' To Duo he smelt like Old Spice, but the cologne smells different on everybody when it interacts with their body chemistries, and on Heero it smelt edible. Duo walked the rest of the way to the bar.

"I don't know about everyone else, but my friend here will take a slow comfortable screw." Trowa arched one delicate eyebrow at the blonde's interesting drink request, but then realized that the title suited Duo's personality much more, and that it must be the driver's favorite drink.

"Ah come on Qautre, start me out with something a little lighter, what if the warrior princess holds Wufei up, can't I have like a Shirley Temple or something." Duo looked a little nervous, Heero couldn't understand why, the blonde seemed very nice and he didn't think he would actually force Duo to drink until he's hammered just because their friend was running late. Then again he didn't know Qautre that well and the look in the blonde's eye was a little frightening.

"You can pace yourself after this one. Bartender!" Qautre laughed again in that scary crazy laugh that gave Heero the goose bumps. The bar tender looked Qautre up and down and then glanced around at his group of friends eyeing them all suspiciously.

"Look I dun' know how yeh got past Rashid, but I think yeh gotter be a bit too young ter be in here." He told them in a heavy accent that Duo couldn't place right away, it sounded from somewhere in the Middle East but he couldn't pinpoint it exactly. He watched as Qautre just smiled knowingly at the man while he pulled the rose picture out of this pocket. He discretely handed it over to the bar tender who took it hesitantly. The strangely handsome man looked at what he held in his hand and did a double take at Qautre before apologizing profusely, with his accented voice, as he rushed to get Duo his drink.

"Damn." Duo uttered as he accepted his glass reluctantly. He gulped the entire thing down as fast as he could and, like an old pro, didn't even grimace in the least. Heero had to admit he was impressed, but a little intimidated, and was glad that this definitely made him the designated driver. Heero watched interestedly as the bar tender handed Qautre back his rose and the blonde responded with what he assumed was thank you, but it was definitely in the man's native language. The man smiled and said something back and they both laughed. Heero smirked at the curious exchange, obviously there was a lot more to this blonde than what meets the eye.

"How about we go find a place to sit, maybe upstairs?" Heero suggested trying his best to seem natural, when he was really trying to get Qautre away from the bar before he came up with any other bright ideas.

"Oh that's a great idea, that way we can see when Wufei and Meiran arrive." Qautre smiled brightly and Duo looked relieved that they would be stepping away from the bar. He whispered his thanks to Heero as they made their way over to the stairs on the other side of the bar. The upstairs was just as beautiful as the rest, it was the same dark colors and dim lighting, but the lighting was much softer, almost like candle light. The bar was classic looking, like the downstairs one except smaller. The upstairs was composed of a wide walkway that ran all the way around the perimeter, just like the balcony outside. It too was a magical combination of old and new, creating an atmosphere that no one could be uncomfortable in. Where the tables downstairs were for two or three people, up here you could fit up to ten and they ran along both sides of the balcony creating a walkway in between. People were standing around holding their drinks and talking, the atmosphere was very affable even the music was quieter up here so you could hear what your party members were saying.

The boys followed along the left walkway, but Qautre would not stray far from the bar against the back wall. They finally took their seats at a table that had six chairs and was a little less than half way down the veranda. Their table was in a small cul-de-sac in the wall that was barely lit with the soft glow of the lighting fixture hanging above, it too had a single rose in the center. They took seats across from each other. Trowa sat next to Qautre, which left Duo sitting next to Heero. Duo glanced up as a waiter strolled over in a full tux with a white rose in his breast pocket. He smiled politely at everyone, and lingered on Duo which caused Heero to glare at him and that was enough to wipe even the grin off the man's face. In true professional form however, he recovered and quickly plastered it back in place before the others noticed.

"What can I get for everyone? Perhaps I could start you off with some drinks?" He smiled at everyone again, this time keeping it short to Duo and never making eye contact with Heero.

"What do you mean by start off with drinks?" Duo asked flashing the waiter a grin and leaning onto the table. Heero rolled his eyes at the thrilled look on the waiter's face at being addressed by Duo.

"Well sir, we also offer a full range of dinners, this is not just a night club, but one of the hottest restaurants in town." He smiled even brighter at Duo and stepped closer to the table where he was sitting.

"Oh don't call me sir it makes me feel old, the name's Duo." The waiter looked ecstatic that he now had the boy's name. "Uhm I'm not sure we're really here for food, is anybody here hungry?" Duo looked around the table and when he looked at each person they shook their head at him, except Heero who seemed to be too busy glaring at the waiter. Duo couldn't figure out why, but the two just seemed not to like each other.

"Well then what can I get everyone to drink?" He tried to smile seductively and fixed his eyes on Duo. "What would you like for me to get you, Duo?" He asked in an ever so slightly lower voice. Heero snorted and the waiter looked affronted, he glared at Heero but quickly realized that his was nothing compared to Heero's panted icy glare o' death. The waiter finally broke his glowering contest with Heero and turned back to Duo, and in an even more seductive tone he leaned forward and almost whispered "How about sex on the beach, I think you'd like that." Duo quirked an eyebrow at the strange waiter and next to him Heero growled low in his throat. The waiter looked smugly over at Heero and put his hand on Duo's shoulder. Heero glared twice as hard, and to tell the truth, the waiter was scared for his life he just refused to give up.

"Alright you, none of us want anything, why don't you go and do something useful like clean a toilet." Heero growled never lifting the glare from the finely dressed man who had made the biggest mistake in his young life, pissing off Heero Yuy. The waiter looked taken aback, he stood up straight and tugged the wrinkles out of his coat then smoothed them.

"Well then, I suppose when your ready you could flag down a waiter then. Good evening, gentlemen." The waiter said briskly then turned away from the table and walked rather loudly back to the bar. Never again did that waiter come near their table. He even flat out refused to look in their direction, though none of the boys actually noticed this.

"What the hell just happened?" Asked Duo in a bemused sort of way. He looked around the table as though one of them might be able to help him. Qautre looked as confused as he did, Trowa had a slightly amused expression on his face but shrugged his shoulders when Duo looked at him, and Heero was just glaring at the table. Duo merely shrugged his shoulders too and said "Oh well."

"I think that waiter might have had a bit of a crush on you." Qautre said and giggled at the look on Duo's face. Duo looked like he was trying to fight back laughing too hard, but he failed miserably after a second.

"I bet the guy would have flipped if I had told him that I've only been legal for less than a year." Duo laughed hard, but quickly stopped when he saw Qautre get up from their table. "And where do you think you're going?" He asked in the scolding tone of a third grade teacher.

"It's been three minutes, you have another drink coming." And with that Qautre set off toward the bar. It wasn't long before he was back carrying Duo's next glass, it was tall though, and that frightened Duo. When Qautre sat down and placed the tall glass in front of him, he simply stared at it.

"Quatre, what is this?" He picked it up tentatively and swirled it around.

" A Tequila Sunrise. I figured I'd have you drink this and let you off the hook for two drinks. Then we don't have to keep getting up since I don't think our waiter is coming back anytime soon." Qautre smiled at Duo, and Duo glared at the blonde.

"What are you trying to do, get me plastered?" Duo set the drink back down and in front of him and smelled it. "Oh man that's strong. Qautre you suck." He picked his drink back up and held it to his lips. He took a small sip and ripped the drink away from his face so fast that he almost sent some of it flying. One small cough escaped his lips, though he was trying very hard to look cool, especially since he didn't know Trowa very well and he didn't want Heero to think he couldn't handle this. He frowned then squared his shoulders and looked determinedly at the glass. Bringing it back slowly he prepared himself for the liquid, brought it back to his lips, and downed the whole thing as fast as he could.

"There now you don't have to have another one for a good six minutes." Qautre said in a sickeningly sweet voice, he was obviously enjoying the torture he was putting poor Duo through.

"Oh good." He said sarcastically, and then in a much more depressed voice, "I think I'm going to be sick." He pushed the glass as far away from himself as he could and pressed his forehead against the cool tablecloth.

"Qautre, perhaps Duo has had enough for a while." Trowa said soothingly, but Qautre simply ignored him. He knew Duo was faking it, he had seen the boy drink twice that in half the time and barely have a buzz.

They sat there in their alcove talking and laughing, Qautre would occasionally get up and bring Duo new and sometimes very strange drinks. They included a rum cannonball (which nearly made Duo choke), and a Mai Tai (which he actually enjoyed). By the time Qautre spotted Wufei on the bottom level, Duo had a good and solid buzz going. Trowa suggested Qautre go down and get Wufei, and while the blonde was gone he went and got Duo a tall glass of water. He set in front of the longhaired boy and Duo looked at it strangely.

"The buzz you're feeling is actually dehydration, drink this and you'll feel a little better." Heero explained his engineer's actions. Duo took the glass and downed it fast. He really hadn't planned on even drinking that night, and definitely hadn't wanted to get drunk. But Qautre knew what he was doing, he knew how much Duo could have to get a buzz and nothing more, what the guys didn't know is that the really strange drinks Qautre brought back, were ones that most people hardly knew and had only a little alcohol in them.

"Thanks." He muttered to the two, he really did have a good buzz going, and was thankful that Wufei had finally arrived. It was disconcerting to think that his next drink would have been his thirteenth. But now he also felt stupid that Heero had explained that to him, he already knew it of course he just hadn't expected it from Trowa and his little buzz was slowing his response time. He turned and saw Qautre leading Wufei and Meiran to their table pointing out all the interesting things the club had. Wufei was wearing a navy blue tank top with a gold stitched dragon circling around the bottom and a pare of fitting black pants. Meiran was decked out in a long black dress with traditional Chinese embroidery and her hair was down and beautifully straight. They arrived and Duo gave Wufei and Meiran a big hug, Trowa shook their hands, and so did Heero though he seemed much more uncomfortable. They all took their seats, this time with Wufei sitting on Trowa's right side and Meiran on Heero's left.

After proper introductions the group began holding animated discussions with Duo doing a lot of the talking. They talked about what they had been doing lately, they learned that Trowa had worked in a circus when he was younger and that Heero had started racing when he was ten on mountain bikes. Wufei admitted that he had finally decided that he would apply to law school when he graduated from his university, which was rather ambitious considering he would have barely finished his first year. They also learned that Meiran was thinking about a degree in psychology, to which Duo made a lot of cracks about Wufei being her first case study. Duo told the couple all about the rematch between him and Heero, and after enough pressuring, they all found out about the rivalry between Qautre and Trowa.

"I actually met Qautre when he joined the Society for Mechanical Engineers, he had joined right about the time when we had started making designs for a club project. You see each year all the clubs do a project that has to do with what the club is about and the best project wins a prize. That year I think a barbeque with the Dean. I had been at the college longer so I had experience with the project, but Qautre had some great ideas." At this Qautre blushed, the rest of the group also noticed that Trowa looked somewhat strained from his long speech. Qautre seemed to notice this too and decided that he should explain the rest.

"Well I think it was Justin, the treasurer, who came up with the idea of the 'contest within a contest.' It would decide which design idea would be judged in the Dean's competition. Everyone would make their own design and submit it before the end of the year. The cabinet would vote on which one would represent our club and get sent to the Dean for judging. Well I suppose you all have guessed that it was Trowa's and my designs that were getting the most attention. It was almost guaranteed that it would be one of us that would win. It became one of the most heated competitions in school, it seemed more people were interested in which one of us would be chosen than who would win the whole competition. Well I decided to back out of the competition for my own reasons, though many people thought that it was because Trowa had bribed me or threatened me or, and I think this was the school favorite, that I had dropped out because we had become lo… more than friends." Qautre blushed again and smiled shyly at Trowa. "Which was not the case at the time." Whatever else Qautre was going to say was quickly cut off by Duo, whose all too sensitive ears picked up on the exact meaning of that last sentence.

"What do you mean 'at the time' Qautre? You want to tell us something?" Qautre flushed yet again when he realized what he had inadvertently let slip. He stammered a bit, but it seemed Trowa had recovered from his long dialogue and was ready to talk again.

"Qautre and I have finally liven up to our old college reputation." And Trowa left it at that, though no one was confused by the message. Duo had a wide 'I-told-you-so' smirk on his face, Heero looked happy for his friend and tried to deny the minor twinge of jealousy, and Wufei and Meiran wore twin expressions of shocked excitement.

The taunting would have continued, especially from Duo, but at that moment the song switched and Wufei and Meiran seemed to straighten up a little. They looked softly at each other and Wufei extended his hand to his girlfriend. It was this action that caught everybody's attention, much to Qautre's relief, and the couple got up to head down the stairs to the dance floor. It took a while before Duo realized what song was playing. It was 'Only Heart' by John Mayer.

"This is their song, it was the song he and Meiran first slow danced to at that winter formal thing in junior high." Duo smiled fondly at the memory of Wufei calling him the same night and talking all excited about their first dance and the quick awkward kiss they had shared when he had walked her home. For some reason that not even Duo could explain, those two dancing gave him ideas for the first dare he was going to have Heero do. After a few moments of silence at the table the song ended and the couple returned looking enamored with each other.

"So Duo, Wufei tells me that if I don't dance with you tonight you will steal my boyfriend instead." Meiran's small feminine smile could have fooled anyone but Duo he saw it in her eyes that the wheels were turning in her head. She was one of the cleverest people he knew, and definitely the scariest when it came down to putting her plans into action. The maniacal gleam in her eye twinkled in the low lights of the club, her smile looking almost malevolent. "Why don't we all go down to the dance floor, I want to see the downstairs again it was beautiful."

Duo snorted at this, he knew she was plotting something and he didn't like being on the receiving end of it, he usually was her main partner in crime. They all trotted downstairs in a group until they reached the bottom where they lost Qautre and Trowa in the crowd. They headed toward the oval bar in the center and walked around to the side facing the multicolored dance floor. Duo and Meiran were doing some goofy dance moves with each other while Heero stood uncomfortably next to Wufei. The Chinese man smirked at his tense company, he wasn't sure if he and Duo had cleared things up since the hotel but he was pretty sure they had since Qautre said they had arrived together. So the discomfort could only be a bit of jealousy left over form seeing Duo in a compromising position with another man, which Wufei thought was a good sign.

"Hey Maxwell, come over here and have a drink with me." Wufei said still smirking.

"No way Wuffers, I've already had my fair share thanks to you." Duo turned back toward the dance floor and watched as the lights changed into a dozen rainbows that swirled.

"Come on, you ain't man enough to handle one more?" Wufei goaded, he had a plan and if it went right his best friend wouldn't be the lonely one anymore.

"What! Oh fine, one more but this is it." Duo resigned himself to a night of drinking. He had a feeling that, for some reason, this would not be his last. He was sure that Wufei was now in on Meiran's plan. "I'll just have a screw driver." Heero imperceptibly shook his head. He was sure Duo's friends were definitely up to something.

"Yeah ok. Bartender, two screwdriver's." Wufei yelled while holding up two fingers.

Duo took his drink and, in keeping with the rest of the night, he swallowed it in one big gulp. Wufei, on the other hand, took a couple small sips from his glass. Duo sidled over to Heero and grinned at the boy, Heero instantly knew he was in trouble.

"So I've just thought of your first dare, you know something light to ease you into it all. You're not used to me yet, don't want you backing out after the first challenge." Duo chuckled softly and there was something in that soft laugh that made Heero want to let Duo do whatever he wanted to him.

"Alright, what do I have to do?" Heero sealed his fate for the rest of the night as Duo's toy. Although Heero didn't think he would object to that under other circumstances, he had heard about Duo's practical joking in the past and he was a little frightened. He watched as Duo glanced around making sure no one could hear him, then leaned closer to Heero to make sure. Heero took a long breath, inhaling Duo's unique sent.

"I dare you to give Meiran's butt a good pinch." Heero choked even though he wasn't drinking anything.

"Are you nuts?" Heero whispered harshly. He was afraid he would get a fist in his face by Wufei, of worse, Meiran. He was scared to death of Meiran, he had heard the stories, and she seemed a very domineering young woman.

"Well if you're going to be such a wussy. Man and I thought I was being nice." Duo's evil grin widened, he was loving every minute if this, stuff like this was what he did, what he was known for doing. Heero, not wanting to look like a total wimp, agreed and began looking for the easiest way to do this without really getting caught. Maybe he could put a fork on Meiran's barstool when she wasn't looking, then got to pick it up at the last second before she sat on it and 'accidentally' grab her butt in the process. After at least ten minutes of pure deliberation during which Duo was talked into another drink by Wufei, he decided to just say screw it all and get it over with as quickly as possible.

So when Meiran turned toward the bar to say something to Wufei Heero stuck out his hand and, as lightly as possible, pinched Meiran squarely on the buttocks. She whipped around so fast she was a blur and had his wrist in a bone-splintering grip. When she saw it was Heero's hand she was about to break she dropped, but the look on her face stayed put. Heero just looked shocked and guilty, he had no idea how he was going to explain this. He couldn't believe he let Duo talk him in to something so stupid. He cast a quick glance to Duo, and then to Wufei to see if he was going to have to fight tonight. Now Heero knew he could defend himself, he just really didn't feel like it tonight. Meiran however, had caught his glance to Duo, and through years of experience, it took her only an instant to realize what had happened.

"Duo Maxwell you slimy dog, get over here I want to talk to you." Duo tried to look innocent when Meiran called, but he failed miserably. It didn't really matter though, he knew he would be caught the second he had made the dare. After all it wasn't the first time he had done it. He had used it as one of his first plans to get Meiran and Wufei together, it had backfired miserably that time as well but it was damn funny.

They walked around to the other side of the bar and Meiran flung Duo on to a barstool and pinned him to the edge of the bar. The waiter walking by winked at Duo and smiling told him "Quite a woman you got there." Duo laughed and shouted back at the guy "Don't I know it." Meiran looked at him impatiently and a twisted smile grew on her face. Duo got the distinct feeling that he had somehow played right into the plan she had been making earlier.

"Maxwell."

"Ah come on Meiran, now you're starting to sound like Fei-cakes." Meiran laughed, she knew she had the boy cornered and was having great fun with it.

"Duo, sweetheart, why did you make that nice young man do that?" Duo chuckled but it sounded a little forced, in all truth Duo was slightly afraid of Meiran's ability to get what she wanted.

"It was a cry for attention, you had been her for almost an hour and still hadn't danced with me." Duo joked, but the second the words left his mouth he knew he was in trouble. He could tell by the slightly giddy look on Meiran's face that he had once again played perfectly into his friend's hands.

"Well my dear Duo, I think that you should get to dance." The smile on her face brought only one thought to Duo's mind, 'Uh-oh'. "Unfortunately after that little display I don't think I really want to dance with you, but I think you owe Heero something after making him do that." She leaned closer and smiled wider, she really could be frightening when she wanted to be.

"Oh no, no way Meiran, not gonna happen, no ma'am." Duo shook his head rapidly while Meiran just stood there smiling. They both knew he wasn't getting out of this, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to put up a fight.

"Well then I suppose if you're not keeping him busy by dancing with him, then I'll get plenty of time for a chat. You know I bet I know a few things about you that would really interest him…" Duo cut her off before she got into the details of her blackmail.

"Alright, alright you win. I'm going." And he turned to walk back the other side of the bar, with Meiran following behind him smiling. They reached the other side and after ten minutes of standing and a hard nudge from Meiran's elbow Duo finally walked over and sat on the stool next to Heero.

"Hey you know I'm getting pretty bored with this lovey dovey couple over here, what do you say we head onto the dance floor for a bit?" Duo kept his gaze focused on the counter, he could sense the moment when Heero's eyes turned to look at him.

"Is this a mini-reward for a task well done?" Heero's dry sarcasm broke the uneasiness Duo was feeling.

"Yeah, I guess that might have been a little harsher than I intended." He smiled at the handsome young man beside him. "Although I think I got sharp edge of that woman's sword in all this." He muttered so Heero didn't hear.

They got up and weaved their way toward the center of the dance floor there was an awkward pause when Duo stopped, thinking this was as good a spot as any. Heero stepped awkwardly forward. The beat was a fast song from the early nineties, so there wasn't any real need to touch each other. Duo took a step toward Heero too, there was more awkward standing until a guy bumped into Heero's back shooting him straight into Duo then telling him that he needed to 'get with the groove.' So he did. He placed his hands on Duo's hips and moved with the beat. Duo, suppressing the sigh that threatened to escape when Heero placed his hands on his hips, also started to dance. They moved even closer forgetting themselves for the pure pleasure of being close to each other. The music pumped loudly and the two were lost in a sea of sound and touch. They slid and ground against each other, getting so close there wasn't an inch of room between them. It was like magic the way their bodies fit and moved together, sliding up and down one another to throbbing beat.

"Well I think this went well. We should make plots against our friends more often." Meiran smiled at her boyfriend who looked on in a bemused way at the results of his master plan. He had told Meiran about the attraction he had picked up on between the two in the hotel room and she had agreed that it was time their friend wasn't alone anymore. Meiran was absolutely certain, now that she had seen them together, that those two were meant or each other. They would balance each other perfectly with Duo's wild, stormy energy being soothed by the calm, quiet, collected Heero. Yet they would also compliment each other in that they were both caring and, from what she had gathered from their discussions earlier, they both valued friendship above anything else. She also saw the same passion for life burning in Heero's eyes that she had always been so impressed by in Duo's. Despite all that Duo had been through in his youth, he still had a zest for existence that was rarely dampened.

The song ended and a new one started, this one was a lot more recent and it was a slow song. Heero shifted uncomfortably but didn't let go of Duo. But Duo wasn't making any objections he had justified this in his mind already as Meiran forcing him, and besides it was just innocent. All of a sudden as if his brain just snapped into reality, he realized what song was playing, and he also realized that Heero was singing the words into his ear. He looked around and noticed Qautre was standing close to the DJ table, he put two and two together and figured Qautre had asked his DJ friend to play this song when he noticed he and Heero were dancing. 'Clever bastard' he thought, but couldn't help enjoying the sound of Heero's accented voice and the feel of it brushing against his neck.

"I'm quiet you know, you make a first impression. I find I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind." Heero sang softly as they rotated slowly on the dance floor. "Even the best fall down sometimes, even the wrong words seem to rhyme, out of the doubt that fills your mind you somehow find that you and collide." Duo closed his eyes tight, he tried to not think about what this song meant to him. He tried to not think about how true those words rang about he and Heero. It was combining past and future, and he didn't want that he wasn't ready to face it. It was his past, lately he had been trying to let go of his hang ups from his past and this song wasn't going to help. It was even worse having someone else sing it to him, it had been her favorite song right before she…the accident. She had sang it so much, the halls would echo with the lyrics." He squeezed his eyes even tighter fighting back the moisture gathering there. There was a burning lump in his throat that he didn't think he could push down for the rest of the song.

"Hey Heero?" He said and it sounded a little more choked than he had wanted.

"Yeah?" For some reason there was an undertone to Heero's deep voice that Duo couldn't place, but it sent chills down his spine.

"How about we get a drink together?" 'Damn not another drink', he chided himself but it was the only thing he could think of on the spot. And damn it he still sounded shaky, maybe he needed a drink.

"Right now?" Heero sounded a little disappointed but he was covering it up well. "Yeah, sure we'll go back to the bar." Heero walked back to the bar with Duo. He was trying hard not let the thoughts going through his mind reflect on his face, which wasn't hard for him he rarely showed any emotion. But his mind was flashing through a hundred questions which all revolved around why Duo hadn't wanted to dance with him anymore. He had thought it was the greatest coincidence in the world when that song started playing, and had tried to create a romantic atmosphere by singing it but that apparently had backfired. There was so much to Duo that he was sure he would never find out unless he painfully pried these facts out of him, and he didn't feel like doing that tonight.

They got back and found that Wufei and Meiran had disappeared but they sat down on the stools anyway. Heero ordered Duo a Smirnoff since it was light on alcohol, but refused when Duo said they were supposed to drink together. He finally got Duo to stop trying to get him to taste drinks when he said one of them had to be the designated driver and Duo could pick. Since Duo was still feeling a little light headed he agreed that Heero was the best man for the job this time. They sat there for a long time joking around and talking about how weird everyone that Duo knew was, when Duo noticed a young woman standing off to the side of the bar. She was kind of pretty with wheat blonde air and forget-me-not blue eyes, but she had the most obnoxious laugh he had ever heard in his life which is why he noticed her in the first place. She was flanked on all sides by minions (at least that's what Duo was reminded of) who would all laugh annoyingly whenever the blonde did. He noticed that her face always had this look like she had smelled something rotten, and upon closer inspection he noticed that she kept laughing because she was poking fun at the other people in the club, their clothes, their dancing, anything. Duo knew what his next dare would be and it would horribly hilarious. Poor Heero, this woman would be insufferable Duo was sure about it.

"Hey I've just thought of your next dare." Heero looked like a jury had just given him the death sentence.

"So soon?" Duo smiled innocently at his companion's question, which actually freaked Heero out a lot.

"Yeah, but it's an easy one." Heero snorted at this.

"Like the last one?"

"Nah, all you have to do is ask a girl to dance." And Duo slapped him on the back like the good buddy he was, smiling as if he had just given Heero a present.

"That's it? Just ask someone to dance? One dance?" Heero eyed Duo suspiciously. He knew there was something more to this he could see in it those eyes.

"Well I mean, obviously I get to pick who you ask." And the twinkle in his eye grew dangerous.

"It's not like I've got a choice. Fine, who am I asking to dance." Heero cast a nervous glance around the room trying to predict which person Duo had in mind. 'Just please don't let it be Meiran…or Wufei, no he said it was a girl.' Heero thought anxiously.

"Over here on this side of the bar, there's a blonde surrounded by a gaggle of giggling girls." Heero cringed, a bubbly giddy blonde, the thing he hated most in this world. "That's your dare."

Heero sighed in an exasperated tone and pushed himself off of the barstool. Duo watched as he walked nonchalantly over toward the blonde and laughed when it seemed he couldn't find a way though the wall of girls around her. He watched as Heero said something that parted the sea of wonder bras and he approached the dare girl. Jealousy flared up as he watched the girl smile hungrily and stare Heero up and down. She giggled and leaned in closer, twirling her hair around her finger. He could tell the moment Heero had asked her to dance, her eyes lit up and her giggling doubled. His eyes followed the two onto the dance floor where he noticed Heero kept a respectable foot of distance between them. It also sated his jealousy a little when he reminded himself that Heero had held him close right from the start of their dances together. Then again Heero had been pushed into him, maybe he was just being polite when he didn't back away. 'Damn it Duo, do not be jealous, don't do this, you can't be doing this and you know it. Besides you told him to dance with her, so whatever happens you only have yourself to blame.' And somewhere in the back of his mind a resentful voice added 'and that's how you've always liked it, right? Taking all the blame? Beating yourself up, an emotional masochist? Maybe it's time you grew up and stopped acting like a wounded child.' Duo frowned at himself 'shut up,' he thought at himself and with that he turned back to watching Heero do a waltz like dance with the annoying young blonde and, to his displeasure, Heero didn't seem to be hating it nearly as much as Duo thought he should.

Duo eyeballed the couple closely cursing himself for ever daring Heero do this. His jealousy was mounting to the point where he felt like he could scream at Heero for liking the dance, when a young man stepped into his view. He was beautifully dark skinned and very handsome with shoulder length wavy hair and storm gray eyes. He smiled when Duo looked up at him from his seat, and the young braided man noticed the row of perfect pearly white teeth.

"I noticed that the young man you were dancing with earlier, is now dancing with another. I thought that perhaps you would be interested in dancing as well?" The elegantly handsome man was polite and had a wonderful accent, it sounded South African to Duo and it was fantastic, though he couldn't help himself from thinking that Heero's nasally Japanese accent was still the sexiest thing he had ever heard. He took one last glance as Heero twirled the blonde then, after a quick glare at the couple, he nodded and took the offered hand of the man in front of him.

Heero kept glancing over Duo's way through the entire dance with the young woman, apparently named Relena, but he could never catch the braided man's eye. He now watched as a tanned 'playboy' stole his Duo away to the dance floor. 'Great' he thought 'Duo pawns me off on this pink bubble' (for she was indeed wearing a pink mini skirt with pink halter top and pink high heels) 'then he goes off and hooks up.' Relena continued to babble on, and although Heero was ignoring her, she kept taking his grunts as an interest in what she was talking about when really he was growling at the man getting slowly closer to Duo. He watched like a hawk as Duo finished out the song with this young man then was asked by another to dance, he barely realized he was agreeing to another dance with the pink princess. Duo didn't look too happy with the switch in partners, and it soon became apparent why. The man was all over Duo, his hands kept roaming to certain areas and Duo would slap them away. Heero was fed up pretty quickly with this guy and tried to excuse himself from the young woman but she clung to his arm like an animal clings to it's prey. When he was finally able to break free, he felt something being shoved into his hands.

He pushed his way as fast as he could through the crowd until he stood directly behind Duo. He smiled at the man dancing with Duo, though it looked more like he was a protective wolf bearing his fangs, the man frowned and stopped dancing.

"Huh?" Duo turned around and looked stunned when he saw Heero standing behind him.

"I was hoping I could cut in?" Heero said softly and his smile was so genuinely tender, his cold crystal eyes becoming a clear warm pool of deep blue water, that Duo found himself letting go of his current partner and stepping toward Heero before he even thought about it. His dance partner, however, was not ready to let go.

"Hey back off man, I had him first." The guy stepped up and stood less than a foot from Heero, which was a horrible mistake because Heero hated it when people invaded his personal space. You could see it in his face, the big thug could see it too and he looked a little frightened at the change in the young Asian's eyes. The icy fire of those orbs sent chills down the spine, you could sense the hidden power in his wiry form. As he flexed his muscles you could see each one becoming defined under that tight tank top. The dance partner could feel the confined strength emanating from Heero and, in a rare moment of brilliance, the man backed down.

"Whatever man, it ain't worth fightin' for. You can have him." Duo pretended to look insulted by the man, but Heero simply pulled him away and wrapped his arms around him. Duo couldn't hold it back anymore, he burst out laughing and Heero frowned at him confused, though there was still a smile on his face. It felt great to be in Heero's grasp once again, he could feel the solidness of the beautifully sculpted body pressed against his. The intoxicating strength of the corded muscles in the arms that encircled him. He could smell Heero's wonderful cologne, and it all combined to give him this half relaxed half turned on feeling. There were butterflies in his stomach but they were subdued because he felt so happy and content where he was. He never wanted dancing with Heero to end, he could spend the rest of the night there and it would be just as exciting as it was at this moment. He sighed at the feeling of Heero's feathery breath against the back of his neck when Heero pulled him even closer, the whole of their bodies pressed firmly against one another. Duo was breathing fast and shallow, and he knew it but he couldn't control it. He had never let himself get this close to someone before, certainly not someone this hot, and I was affecting him…a lot.

"My darling you have saved me, I am once again in your debt. How shall I repay you this time?" He said, trying to sound cool and seductive, yet make it a joke at the same time. Duo was pleased to note that, once again, Heero held him a lot closer than he had held the blonde.

"Well you could just give me my car back." Heero stated sarcastically.

"No, no we already have an arrangement on that. Hmmm I think your reward will be that I'll count that last dare as accomplished." Heero's eyes bugged out at this, well as much as Heero could, which wasn't a lot he's not very expressive.

"What do you mean, I definitely did what was asked. I danced an entire song with that girl." Heero looked ready to pounce in defense, but he also looked somewhat amused.

"Yes well I'm not sure that I would have passed that one, but I'll give it to you since you were totally about kick some ass in my honor." Heero snickered.

"I think you should give me an award or something one dance and she gave me her number." Heero had expected Duo to laugh, but instead he looked like he had seen slapped in the face.

"You asked for her number?" Duo's whole attitude changed. "Well if you were enjoying yourself so much then I'm sorry you felt you had to rescue me?" Duo snapped. He had stopped dancing and stepped back away from Heero.

"What do you mean, why are you so upset anyway. It's not like you care, right?" Heero was so angry and he didn't even know why. His jealousy over the tan guy, his anger at Duo not returning his feelings, and his confusion about what the hell was happening right now; they were all culminating and surmounting into one huge spell of rage.

"That's right I don't care. I can't care." Duo's eyes were glistening, and Heero suspected there were tears in them and this softened his anger. But he didn't understand what had upset Duo so much. And what did he mean he couldn't? "I didn't need your help anyway, I don't need anybody's help." He yelled, almost louder than the pounding music.

Duo stormed away, Heero tried to track where he was going, but lost him in the sea of people dancing to the now fast song that was playing. He trudged slowly back toward the bar, but noticed that the other four of the group were standing near the DJ table again in front of the stage. Duo, however, was not with them. Heero walked over to his new group of friends, but what he really wanted was to talk with Trowa.

"Hey guys… and girl." He added in his usual monotone. Though nobody else noticed any difference, Trowa was skilled in reading the subtleties of Heero's personality.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a calm neutral voice.

"Where's Duo?" Qautre asked, and Wufei and Meiran looked around too.

"Trowa can I talk to you?" Heero still hadn't made eye contact with anyone.

"Yeah sure."

They took seats opposite each other at one of the small round tables. Heero sat there silent for a long time before Trowa felt that some ice needed to be broken since Heero was obviously uncomfortable with whatever he wanted to talk about.

"You know, Qautre tells me that Duo's hair is so long that when he leaves it down he sits on it sometimes, and that there is a reason behind everything that boy does. He's quite remarkable, Qautre's told me many things that I think you would find interesting but I'll let you find those things out on your own. There are a lot of things about Duo that are rather unexpected aren't there? I do wish Qautre would get off the topic, though." They both smiled, they knew Trowa couldn't care less if Qautre spent the whole night talking about fruit flies as long he was talking to him. But Trowa had this uncanny ability to always guess what Heero was thinking about, especially when it came to things that were bothering him. And he always knew what to say to make Heero comfortable enough to talk to and show Heero that he was ready to listen.

"But he won't tell me any of those things?" Heero stared at the shadows on tablecloth.

"Then maybe you should ask him." Heero froze. He had been wanting to ask Duo so many questions. Trowa always knew, always. A faint smile passed across his face at memories from the past.

"I don't know where he's ran off too." And this time Heero finally looked up, and to his surprise Trowa was smiling, just slightly.

"You know Qautre told me that Duo loves to look at the stars. Something about the vastness of outer space being comforting to him." Trowa looked back toward Qautre and smiled again, his eyes softening. "Maybe you could ask him about that, for starters." Heero noticed the look in Trowa's eyes and followed them to their target.

"You love him." It was a statement. Heero didn't need to ask he just wanted to show Trowa that the mind reading went both ways in this friendship.

"I suppose to you that's obvious." He was well aware of how unreadable he was, but Heero had broken the code pretty fast. Heero was actually able to read him way before he had cracked Heero's personality, he wasn't sure if he had yet fully deciphered Heero's personality. Though he felt that he was the more expressive of the two, and that was saying something about Heero's stoicism. The guy could win a straight face contest with a statue. "I won't just yet, but I think I could say the same to you." Heero took a deep breath.

"I think I should go stargazing. I've heard Venus is supposed to be shining brightly tonight." Heero got up and turned toward the stairs.

"Well then you better make sure he can see it." And with that Trowa walked back to Qautre humming 'Fly Me To The Moon.' When he got back he swept the blonde boy into his arms and kissed him happily. Qautre blushed and the two of them left for a dimly lit table in the back.

"They're absolutely hopeless, aren't they?" Qautre smiled up at the young man he had loved for so long.

"Yes, they're both idiots, but so were we." He smiled knowingly and Qautre did too, this was going to be an interesting evening.

Heero walked around upstairs until he found a pair of large French veranda doors. He stepped out into the cool night air and took a deep breath, trying to calm his squirming insides. Of course from the outside he appeared about as calm and collected as the next guy, actually a lot more so. He looked around for any sign of chestnut hair or black leather pants (which he really liked), but saw none. The balcony was lit by what looked like street lamps from the eighteenth century. They were black and only about six and a half feet tall. They had curled steel designs on them and went all the way around the building. Heero went to the left because it would be easier to see the moon from that side of the building. Sure enough, when he rounded the corner he found Duo all alone leaning against the railing, showered in a soft pool of light from one of the lamps. He walked up slowly not because he was trying to surprise Duo, he had a feeling that Duo had known he was there even before he finished turning the corner, but because he wanted to give Duo time to tell him to go away if he wanted. He got no acknowledgement, which wasn't the best response he had hoped for, but it wasn't the worst either. He walked until he stood next to Duo and leaned on the railing too, he watched Duo's beautiful profile out of the corner of his eye. After a while it became apparent that Duo wasn't going to speak, so Heero decided that this had to be one of those few times when he was going to be the one to break the silence.

"The moon, does it look full to you?" He took Trowa's advice hoping that starting the conversation on a neutral topic would better his chances of not upsetting Duo.

"Yeah, it's almost harvest moon that's why it's so big." Duo seemed to not be upset, but his voice seemed a little hollow, the usual undertone of optimism lacking. "Too bad you can't see any stars, it's been a long time since I've been able to just look at them and enjoy them." His voice was distant again. Something was going through his head, and this time Heero was going to find out what it was.

"What do you see when you look at the stars?" And for a second Heero thought he saw Duo glance at him, but it was too quick to be sure.

"Space is an infinitely dark and cold place, death presses in all around you out there, surrounds you, but the stars still manage to shine through all the darkness." He stared out into space as though all the answers in life were out there somewhere. "People should live their lives like that, it's tough but they should do it." He focused hard on the moon and whispered, "As long as the stars refuse to quit, then so do I."

"Duo, I don't know what happened on the dance floor but I was having a great time with you." Heero tried to think of something else to say, but he just wasn't a charming socialist. "Could you just look at me?" Duo sighed, his head slumping slightly into his shoulders.

"Yeah, sorry about that. That song that played earlier sort of trudged up some old memories that I didn't really want to deal with tonight. And no offense man, but I don't know you well enough to have this discussion." Duo kept his eyes focused on the sky the entire time he spoke.

"Just over an hour ago you were telling me how it felt like you had known me forever. Duo I…look you can't keep everything bottled up forever you'll crack. Believe me, I know." Heero had turned his full body to Duo.

"Heero, it would take way too long to explain. How about you and me just enjoy the rest of the night." He smiled, but it was a sad smile. "Did you really like that blonde chick?" He asked and there was something like uncertainty in his voice.

"What? No she was obnoxious. I think she said she was in the political science program at the local university. She kept talking about politics but it was obvious that she was just regurgitating things she had heard, other people's ideas, and didn't really understand them." He looked accusingly at Duo since it was his fault he had to dance with that girl. " And she wouldn't shut up, she kept clinging to me even though it was obvious I didn't like it. Then she had the nerve to hold me back and shove her number into m hand when I was trying to get to you. No I think she is the only person that I can honestly say I couldn't find a single good thing about." Duo laughed, for some reason he felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted from his body.

"Well then I guess the dare was successful after all." He turned to Heero and this time when he smiled it was real and it reached his eyes.

"Your eyes, I've just now been able to tell what color they are. They're purple." Heero said smiling amazed at the beautiful unique color that he had been blind to all day. Duo shyly half shrugged, trying to throw it off like nothing, but he knew a lot of people thought his eyes were cool when then saw them.

"Only in certain lighting, usually they're more an indigo blue." And Heero noticed that his eyes had changed with the way the lamps on the balcony caught them when he had turned. And now as Duo stepped out of the lamp's light they faded back into that same indistinguishable color in the shade of the night. They stood there for a minute, neither sure of what to say or do, then Duo laughed and Heero laughed with him and together they strolled back into the club like a couple of old friends.

Inside the club they met Trowa and Wufei and quickly discovered that Qautre and Meiran were missing because they were sharing a tango, the music variety in this club amazed even Duo who considered himself a music guru. Wufei admitted that he was impressed with the talent Qautre showed for this kind of dance, to which Trowa merely smiled knowingly and Duo told them all that since Qautre's family was wealthy it was like some weird requirement that he take every form of ballroom dancing known to man. The song ended and the two came back slightly out of breath.

"I will have my dance now Duo. I was going to hold out and make you dance with Wufei, but I don't think he should have the all the fun. Besides you still owe me for that little stunt earlier, I may just make you dance with Wufei for that instead." She smiled and laughed almost innocently, but failing.

"Well I don't know if you should say dancing with your boyfriend is a punishment, but I will gladly accept the honor of giving you this dance my lady." Duo bowed making an extravagant gesture with his arm. Meiran smiled and offered her arm, they strolled out on to the dance floor as a Samba started to play. Wufei's jaw nearly hit the floor when the two started to dance.

"I knew he was a good dancer, always has had a natural rhythm, but I had no idea he knew how to dance like that." They all stared in amazement. "I mean anyone who dances with him knows that he's amazing. Right Heero?"

"Hn." The truth was that Heero hadn't paid much attention to how well Duo could dance, he couldn't think about much at all except the feeling of that surprisingly muscular body pressed hard against his. But now that he could see, he had to admit that it was a shame he hadn't noticed it while they were dancing because Duo was unbelievable. It was obvious that someone had taught him the basic steps, but he did so much more than that and it all had his own personal flair added to it. It was like the dance was another outlet of Duo's personality, and it was just as amazing and beautiful as he was. The dance made you feel joy and like Duo did, but there was a hint of sorrow in his fluid steps. It was beautiful, Heero was entranced and he wasn't the only one.

"I had no idea that when I taught him the dances that my father made me learn…" Qautre looked like he was in shock. "It's like watching moving art." Duo paced the dance floor with Meiran doing spins, and lifting her in the air with some of the fanciest footwork that made even Qautre wonder where he got it from. The song picked up in speed and Duo seamlessly increased his pace, doing tighter twirls with Meiran and ending perfectly with the song by flinging Meiran into super low dip her hand almost brushing the ground, the other wrapped around his neck. They smiled and Duo hauled her up to the applause of half a dozen people that had been next to the dancing twosome. Duo grinned and scratched the back of his head. He was obviously confused as to why these people were clapping at him. Meiran just smiled and happily took his arm so together they could march proudly back to the rest of the group.

There was a chorus of compliments when they got back to the group. Everyone felt they had to tell Duo just how amazing he was and how great Meiran was too. Duo shrugged it all off, and despite feeling a little too inebriated, he drowned out their appraisal in another drink at the bar. Meiran took Wufei out to the dance floor telling him it was time to prove that he was her boyfriend. Qautre and Trowa headed out to dance floor too, inspired by how fun Duo made it look.

"Got my next dare?" Heero said in the tone of a man who had accepted a horrible fate, like his plane was about to crash and he just asked the stewardess for another whiskey.

"No, but I'm thinking about it." He watched the other couples dancing, happily in love, and ordered another drink despite his best judgment. Heero watched him do it and considered saying something, but they had just got back on friendly terms and he didn't feel like having another spat.

"I'd ask you to dance but there seems to be a bit of a curse tonight on that." Duo laughed, it was good to be able to laugh at what had moments ago been tense and uncomfortable. Even Heero laughed a little, which made Duo feel even better. He smiled and looked down at the drink he held in his hand, not really wanting it anymore. He was on the edge of drunk and in a few minutes the alcohol would probably really settle in and he would be in for it. He glanced at the watch on the wrist of that hand holding the drink, and noticed that it was after one o'clock in the morning. Well then it was time to pull out all the stops, he would need Qautre for this.

"Alright I have your last dare, you wait here I have to do something first." Naturally the fact that this dare required some set up scared the hell out of Heero, but then again every dare that night had scared the hell out of him. He stayed waiting at the bar for Duo to return, but Duo didn't return. After ten minutes he started to worry that Duo wasn't coming back. 'What, the dare is I have to find my way home without a car? Or maybe this requires that much set up? Damn, this sucks.' All kinds of crazy thoughts passed through his mind as the minutes ticked by, like what if Duo were hurt, what if that guy came back and hunted Duo down, what if Duo was really still mad for whatever reason and had used this as an excuse to get away from him.

Heero considered ordering a drink to make it easier to pass the time, but he finally decided against it considering they would be going soon and if he got pulled over he would fail an alcohol test. But still he felt conspicuous sitting at the bar without a drink in his hand. He didn't have to worry about that for long though, out of nowhere the whole club went almost pitch black. At first Heero thought that the power was out, then the crazy thought entered his head that this was all part of his dare. He laughed at himself over this one, there was no way Duo would go through that much trouble for a game. It finally hit him when he heard the D.J.'s voice boom over the audience's whispers of concern. This was a promotional stunt.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight I have a real treat for you. And since I am who I am, we all know that this is one fantastic treat. Q has gotten a special entertainer for you, he's young, he's hot, and he's got one hell of a cute ass. Tonight, this one is definitely for the ladies, here he is girls the sweetest little hottie with a sweet hot body, Heero Yuy!" The D.J.'s voice resounded and echoed off the walls. Heero sat on the barstool stunned. He could hear people behind him beginning to whisper. One of them further in the back was Relena, she was bragging that she had danced with him and that they had really hit it off. Before he even had time to think about how delusional this chick was, he found a spotlight searching the audience and landing directly on him 'There's been a mistake.' He thought. 'It has to be some kind of mistake.' He was planning out his apology in his mind, he would just have to explain that he was about the furthest thing from an entertainer you could get, despite his career choice that is. However he noticed that at the front of the stage Duo was standing by, more like leaning against, the D.J. booth with another drink in his hand. This was all part of his dare. Duo really would go through all that trouble just for a game! 'Shit.'

"Come on down to the stage Heero, we have everything set up for you, and thank you honoring this humble night club with your heavenly voice." Heero recognized cheesy crap like that. Duo was definitely feeding the Dr. H. lines. But if this was a dare, he didn't have much choice but he was so leaving right after this. He stepped off the barstool and the whole place erupted in cheers, the lights came back on but they were even dimmer. The spotlight followed him as he made his way to the stage, as if it were a cage of light preventing him from escaping. He climbed the steps at the side of the stage and noticed there was a band all set up for him. He watched as the spotlight moved in front of him to form a circle of light around the microphone.

With courage that even Heero didn't know he had, he stepped back into the spotlight and took hold of the microphone post. He stood still, having absolutely no idea what to do. Looking down he could see the D.J.'s booth and Duo standing next to it grinning, but that was all he could see thanks to the dimness of the lighting. 'Just pretend there's nobody else there, you're just singing to Duo. You've done it before.' And a malicious voice added, 'And he didn't like it too much did he.' Heero fought with himself on stage finally coming to the conclusion that Duo seemed to be enjoying himself now so as long as he didn't sing the same song this should go fine.' He glanced back at the band behind, leaned far away from the microphone and covered it.

"Anybody tell you guys what I'm supposed to do up here." They all smiled at him.

"Nope, but I think you're supposed to sing a song." Said one band member.

"Yeah I had gathered that much." Heero replied in his sarcastic monotone. The band laughed muttering 'I bet you had.'

"Man this has got to be one of the best practical jokes I have ever witnessed." There was laughter and consent from the rest of the band.

"Yes that makes me very happy for you. Now how about we decide on a song so I can get out of here." They all chuckled.

"Alright, alright. Keep your pants on, and I mean that there are a lot of people out there." The guitarist said and the whole band laughed again.

"Har har. You guys are a riot really, and I'd be happy to do this off stage. But right now let's just do a song, a short one, and let me get down." They smiled and nodded.

"Yeah let's stop giving the guy a hard time. What songs do you know?" The band looked at him expectantly, and wouldn't you know it he couldn't think of a single one. Damn it he was supposed to function great under pressure.

"Oh, how about that one by Dashboard Confessional?" The band looked around at each other.

"You mean 'Vindicated'?" Asked the guitarist.

"Yeah that's the one." He nodded and turned back to the microphone. "Whenever you're ready just start." Heero fixated his stare on the microphone.

"We don't know that on." Said the guitarist again.

"What?" He whipped back around but his what had made into the microphone and he could still hear it echoing. 'Damn' he thought 'that's how loud I'm going to be, I don't think I could take listening to my own voice at that level.' It took him a second but he realized that the band was laughing again.

"He's still messing with you, we're ready to go." He would have given the guitarist a patented death glare, but he all he could manage to do was take a deep breath and steel himself for what he now considered a mission.

He grabbed hold of the microphone and the band started playing the song. His adrenaline burst when he realized he would have to jump in and, despite his nervousness, jump in he did.

"Hope, dangles on a string, like slow spinning redemption…" Heero sang in his deep nasally tone though his accent disappeared in his crooning of the lyrics. Duo paused, the smile on his face slipping for a second to a look of shock, but he was back to grinning big before Heero had finished the first lyric. The audience was silent, even the whispering girls had nothing to say. It was tragically beautiful, slightly off key when he tried to reach the higher notes, but still beautiful. There was so much emotion in it, so much hopeful sorrow, that you couldn't help but be swept up by it and carried away.

"So turn up the corners of your lips. Part them and feel my finger tips." Duo closed his unable to prevent himself from imagining the scene Heero was painting with those lyrics. "Trace the moment, fall forever. Defense is paper-thin. Just one touch and I'd be in too deep down, to ever swim against the current. So let me slip away…" Heero looked directly at Duo as he sang the song lyrics and wouldn't let go of those violet eyes. Duo stared back as if his gaze was locked with Heero's by some unseen force. He kept thinking that he needed to look somewhere else. He felt that familiar feeling of needing to glance away that overtakes all people when they hold eye contact for too long. There was a strange feeling in his chest, a sort of awareness of the empty hollow that now caused him pain. It was like Heero's singing and his eyes had reached into his soul and started to try to fix the cracks that threatened to rip him to pieces.

"Like hope, dangles on a string, like slow spinning redemption." Heero finished the song but stood still in front of the microphone while the band played the last of the melody. When they had finished the audience remained silent for a few moments, then the entire club burst into raucous applause. He gave a small wave and hurried to the stage exit, applause followed him all the way to the stairs. Even when he had stepped of the last step and was making his way through the crowd toward Duo, they were still applauding. People kept clapping him on the back and giving him compliments, one person even asked when they expect his first CD release.

"We are going back to the hotel now." Heero said in a no-nonsense tone but there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Duo couldn't help but get lost in those after they had been so fixed on him, and now they were so close. It took a few moments for Duo to snap back into reality, just in time to hear Heero say, "We're getting in my car and I'm driving us back."

"Yeah okay, you've earned your car back." Duo said and Heero noticed that there was a slight slur to his voice, and that he was still leaning against the booth.

"Duo how many drinks have you had?" Heero asked, and despite his monotone, there was a hint of worry in his accented voice.

"Like six, I'm fine." Duo tried to stand to prove that he was fine, but teetered dangerously and finally grasped the edge of the booth again for support.

"Qautre alone gave you at least twelve, and six is a lot anyway those are hard alcohol drinks." Hero walked over to stand next to Duo with the intent of being his support as they left the club. The D.J., who had been missing from his booth, came running up to greet the two.

"My boy that was spectacular. You and Duo are welcome in my club anytime. With or without Qautre, come see me and you will be treated as special guests." He said in a way reminiscent of an old Mafia boss, but a lot less frightening.

"You guys have to do me one favor, Duo you owe me after this." Duo laughed and nodded. "They saw you guys standing here and rumors about Duo's dancing have spread like wildfire. You guys are a famous couple now, the singer and the dancer. I'm hearing a lot of talk about you two sharing a dance, so what do you say? You can leave right after, since that's what you were planning." He smiled and looked hopefully back and forth between the two.

"It's true, I do owe him. He went through a lot for that final dare." Duo slurred and weaved a bit.

"Well I don't know if he'll even be able to dance but alright, we'll do it before I take him back to the hotel." Heero took Duo's hand and a jolt passed between the two of them, Duo momentarily sobered up at the contact.

They walked cautiously out onto the dance floor. People all around them backed off and formed a large circle waiting for the last dance to begin. Duo stood in front of Heero less than a foot away, their eyes locked, waiting for the music to begin. Heero took two steps forward placing his hands on Duo's hips and pulling the boy closer, the braid brushing against his hands during the movement. Duo's breath hitched when his body met Heero's, but he still managed to drag his hands up the sexy Asian's arms to wrap them around his neck. They stood there holding each other, their hearts beating fast and their breaths getting shallow, still waiting for the band to start playing. The song started off a low mournful waltz and, after a pause of uncertainty, Heero took the leading step.

It was even more beautiful and touching than when Duo and Meiran shared their dance. The whole audience could easily sense the chemistry between the two dancers. The tension in the air was palpable. Duo was fluid and graceful and, surprisingly, Heero was just as graceful and had just as many beautiful dance moves. They circled the dance floor and each other, their modern clothes providing a wonderful juxtaposition to the classic dance they were performing. The mournful tune picked up and the morose atmosphere turned to one of apprehension as the two doubled the efforts of their fantastic footwork. Heero twirled Duo out but held on to his hand so their arms were locked and fully extended, then he whipped him into a tight twirl back against his body. The crowed was silent as they continued their waltz. They moved around in a circle, but while they moved Heero spun Duo too. It was gorgeous and required a lot of concentration or talent or practice, probably all of the above. Heero couldn't help it, when he stopped spinning Duo and threw him into a dip he smiled down at the boy in his arms. There was a collective sigh from the woman in the audience. Now Duo started to take the lead. He threw them into a tight spin and circled around the perimeter of the circle. The song slowed back down and their dancing became that melancholy grace once again. They ended holding each other close, Duo bent back just slightly with Heero leaning over him. They were panting hard, Duo became hyper aware of Heero's hands holding firmly against the small of his back, their bodies pressed tightly together. Heero's breath ghosted across his lips, they were so close and in a perfect position for a kiss. Duo's stomach twisted and his panting became harsh, his eyes slipped closed as Heero leaned a little closer, both their lips were parted, puffs of shaky breath mixing in the small gap between their mouths. Heero's nervousness spiked, he wanted to close the gap but was afraid that Duo didn't want that. He was getting mixed signals. Right now Duo looked like he wanted to be kissed, but most of the time he seemed like he didn't want to get any closer to Heero. Heero leaned in slowly giving Duo time to back away. Duo's stomach kept twisting. His internal monologue would have confused the hell out of anyone. It consisted mainly of Duo telling himself that he wanted nothing more than to share a kiss with Heero, but another part of him kept yelling about horrible repercussions, that Shinigami has been starving and waiting for someone to get close enough for him to take. He could feel Heero shifting, getting closer. It was now or never, his mind pulled him hard in opposite directions. The butterflies in his stomach shot to his throat. He finally decided that he better pull away, not only because he wanted Shinigami's taunting voice to shut up, but also because he felt his nerves were going to make him throw up.

But he didn't have to, a deafening applause erupted from the club patrons and Heero pulled back quickly as if he just remembered that they weren't alone in this place. Duo too had forgotten all about the massive audience they had gathered, and he stared around dumbly now becoming aware again of just how much he had drank that night. All the spinning and nerves had made him feel like he was going to hurl and without Heero holding him, the room began to spin dangerously. Heero looked over and noticed that Duo's upper body was rotating in his spot. Heero grabbed hold of him, and began to carry him through the crowd. He reached the boys and Duo had just enough time to tell Wufei that he had pretty eyes but his butt wasn't as nice as Meiran's, before he passed out in Heero's arms.

Heero told the rest of the group that he was taking Duo back to the hotel. He told Wufei and Meiran that it was nice meeting them, and said that he would see Qautre and Trowa at the hotel. He hauled a barely conscious Duo out of the club to the song 'Closing Time' by Semisonic. "Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end…I know who I want to take me home…" 'Well Duo I don't know if you planned on having me take you home," Heero thought, "but you're not in the position to argue against it either. And you better be thankful someone saved your drunk butt.' When a valet spotted them he instantly asked which one was their car and ran off to get it, he even helped put Duo into the passenger seat. Heero pulled out slowly, being careful not to disturb Duo too much. He kept a watchful eye on Duo the whole way back to the hotel, making sure he was ok.

They pulled into the hotel in the early hours of the morning. It was so late that there was only one valet still standing out there. He took the keys and helped Heero get Duo to the door. Nodding silently he respectfully left the two to go back to their rooms without too much fuss. Heero dragged Duo into the elevator and pushed the button for their floor, he just hoped that no one else was awake. He really didn't feel like explaining himself to one of the older drivers. The elevator dinged, signally the end of their ascent and he pulled Duo down the hall towards Duo's room. He leaned Duo against the doorframe while he turned the knob to let them in. He turned it the other way, no good though it was locked and he didn't have a key. He looked to Duo, it would be invading the boy's privacy but how else was he supposed to open the door. He began to search Duo's pockets reminding himself to not think dirty thoughts, especially when he started looking in the back pockets. Duo really didn't have a lot of storage space on his outfit, and a key was nowhere to be found. 'Great' Heero thought, 'He probably figured we would all go back together and Qautre would have his keys.' Heero shook his head and dragged Duo all the way back to the opposite end of the hall. He very cautiously unlocked his door, the bundle known as Duo hanging limply at his side held up by only his right arm.

He stumbled into his room, Duo weighting him down and making movement awkward. He took a moment of debate before and, glancing at Duo's passed out form, placed the boy gently on the full sized bed. He and Trowa had gotten a room for one to save on expenses and they had taken turns sleeping on the couch. He turned Duo on his side just in case the boy got sick in his sleep, he didn't want him to asphyxiate on it in his sleep. The next ten minutes he spent sleepily fixing himself a bed on the couch, the whole time he kept glancing at Duo's peaceful sleeping form in his bed. When he had everything ready and was about to turn out the lights, he just couldn't control himself. He walked over to Duo and leaned over him, just watching his beautiful face relaxed in slumber. He smiled faintly at the wisps of hair that had come loose from the braid and lay gently around Duo's face. The boy's lips were parted and a light snore was coming from that tempting mouth. Heero reached down and brushed his knuckles against the soft skin of Duo's cheek, sweeping back a few strands of stray hair.

Duo suddenly tossed fitfully in his sleep, grabbing hold of Heero's fist, which had still been cupping Duo's cheek. Heero was jerked forward as Duo continued to roll over. He was leaning so far forward over Duo, that he had to concentrate on keeping his balance. He tried to steady himself using just the edge of the bed, not wanting to disturb Duo's sleep. He tried to slip his wrist out of Duo's grasp, but the guy was clutching on to it like a lifeline. He pulled one time too hard and Duo violently yanked back and turned completely over, taking Heero down with him. At the last second Heero was able to kind of catch himself with his free arm and lower himself to the mattress. Unfortunately Duo had a really good lock on his arm now, and Heero was reluctant to move and wake the sleeping beauty. 'Yeah right, you're still in this bed because you don't want to wake him up.' His mind Taunted sarcastically. He told himself to shut up and curled up next Duo without actually touching the boy, except for the arm that Duo had pulled around himself and clung to tightly.

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Wellthat was it, I hope you liked it. Please review and don't yell too much at me for the wait, I won't do that again. You are allowed to yell a little though, I deserve it. The title of the chapter is a super old film that has nothing to do with the plot ,I just liked the name as the name of my club. Okay expect the next chapter soon, it won't be nearly as long but that's just how it works.Can't wait to hear what you guys think. See you next chapter. Oh and sorry for all the grammar mistakes, I would have to stop at odd times then resume sometimes mid-sentence so it's a little chaotic. Right I'm done now so you can go review, yes? Yay.