It lives!11ONE1 Sorry about the long delay. Things were quite interesting for awhile. I'm certain you all understand; you have lives, too. I do apologize, though, for the delay. Here's to finishing this sucker this time around! Oh, and thank you for all those who have reviewed in my absence.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Control Freak part IX

Heero suspected it was a fortunate twist of fate that his car was currently parked a healthy five miles away. Perhaps he was being a bit condescending, but he wanted Duo to at least reach his house before being scared off by the flaming over abundance that he was half-ashamed to call his life. Besides, although Trowa had repeatedly shown just how readily he could adapt to changing environments, he doubted the quirky boy would willing submit to riding in the trunk of his miniscule excuse for a car.

"Do you mind if we walk?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at the two boys behind him. He had enough cash for a cab, if necessary, but was reluctant to call for one. Duo still seemed to be somewhat agitated and he wanted to give him a chance to simmer down before he met Maria. Or rather, before Maria deemed him an excessively angsty brat and lectured him for all eternity on the virtues of a positive mindset. Not that he'd had any experience with that. His face involuntarily ticked at the thought.

Trowa gave an apathetic shrug and jerked a thumb towards Duo. "It's up to Cranky McCrankerson over here."

Duo mumbled a few choice terms under his breath. "Sure. Fine. Just let me tie my shoes." He immediately stopped in his tracks and knelt down, paying no mind to the fact that he was smack dab in the center of the lobby. His abrupt halt nearly caused another patron to collide with him; the elderly man muttered angrily as he stalked away. Duo appeared utterly unaware of the mishap and finished tying his shoes in contented oblivion. He rose gracefully to his feet and started towards the exit, only to be pulled to a stop by Trowa. The two friends stared at each other for a few wordless seconds before Duo heaved a melodramatic sigh and nodded heavily. He might have been seeing things, but Heero thought he caught the hint of a smile on Trowa's face. He decided he must have been mistaken when Trowa suddenly slapped Duo so hard on the back that he staggered a few steps forward, barely keeping his balance.

"Am I correct in assuming that you're ready to go?" Heero interjected quickly, privately wondering if he was in the company of two seriously crackbrained snapperheads. Their behavior could only be described as abnormal; to call it unorthodox was almost a compliment.

"Let us depart post haste," Trowa grandiosely announced, striding confidently away from Duo, whose glare seemed more deranged than Michael Jackson on a good day. Heero followed Trowa out the door, just managing to catch it as the taller boy allowed it to swing shut on his face. Barely blinking in response, he made certain to hold the door long enough for Duo to get a grip on it.

"I live that way," he informed them, gesturing vaguely to the north. "It's only about a mile and a half. There are a couple of hills, though."

"S'fine," Duo grunted and began plodding down the street, shoulders slouched and hands tucked into the front pocket of his ever-present hoodie. "Later, Tro."

"Later." Heero watched in mild surprise as Trowa proceeded to turn the opposite way down the street, moving with a rolling gait, his thumbs tucked under his belt. He decided against shouting a farewell at the rapidly retreating back and darted to catch up with Duo. His shoes drummed quietly down the sidewalk.

"Does he do that often?" he questioned, drawing up alongside the other boy and slowing to match his steps.

"Leave abruptly? Yeah. But, he did tell me he was going." Duo squinted in the bright sunlight and chewed seemingly unconsciously on his fingernails. He gave no indication that he was interested in pursuing the topic further.

"Oh," Heero said. How was he supposed to reply to such a closed statement? He gave Duo what he knew to his most attractive smile, hoping it would break the ice a little. "Do you mind? That you're left alone with me, I mean." He continued grinning just in case it helped, even though his lips were beginning to feel rather dry. He licked them surreptitiously before turning up the smile full force.

Duo broke step for a moment before continuing at a slightly faster pace. "Mind what? Your implication that I find being alone with you threatening and/or possibly less than endurable, thus implying that I am incapable of defending myself or maintaining a civil conversation? Or that my pal trusts my self-preservation skills enough to leave me alone with someone he personally believes to be as dangerous as a narcoleptic cab driver during rush hour?"

And they were back to this. Heero wondered if progress was always such a backstabbing bitch.

"You read too much into things," he frowned, staring down at the cracked sidewalk. He'd be damned if he was going to apologize for trying to make simple conversation, no matter how failed his attempt. Internally he sighed. Perhaps if he'd attended Miss Plinkley's School of Social Graces he could have handled this situation with somewhat more refinement. Somehow he didn't think the tradeoff would be worth it.

He almost wished Trowa had remained. Although the lanky boy was a bit of an antagonist himself and certainly harbored no fondness for Heero, at least he was adept at deterring Duo's ample ramblings. On the other hand, the two roommates had been so mentally attuned, he'd almost felt as though he was intruding just standing next to them.

Intruding… Now there was a thought. Was he intruding? Was he attempting to willfully force his way into Duo's life? He didn't think so, but he'd been wrong before. Once. Okay, two… five… two hundred thirty-seven times. Not that he was keeping count. But, in any case, he never erred when it really mattered, and this time it certainly did. A person could never have too many friends… especially when they really didn't have any. Except Quatre, of course. And to be fair, he should count Relena, but she was more of a habit than a friend… a bad habit, at that. One that he should break expeditiously, or at least cut down on, before she latched onto him like some sort of parasitic freak. The last thing he needed was a human tumor permanently attached to his back. He had enough problems to deal with without having to explain ruffles growing out of his spine.

"Hey!" Heero looked up, jarred from the happy little bout with self-pity that he had been wallowing in. He realized that Duo had stopped walking a few feet back and was waiting impatiently for him to notice. His loafers scuffed against the cement as he turned to face the other, who seemed remarkably absorbed in biting his nails. He wondered what he was going to be accused of this time. Angsting too loudly? Then he took note of the other's body language, recognizing that they both seemed to be equally uncomfortable and uncertain in one other's presence.

"I'm not" The flustered boy cut himself off and shifted his weight awkwardly. Heero waited tolerantly, although his eyes were unfalteringly fixed on Duo's scowling countenance. "It's just…" he tried again, tugging on the sleeves of his hoodie. "Usually…"

Heero decided to put him out of his misery. "Usually people take you at face value and storm off when you blatantly insult them and don't stick around like idiots waiting for more?"

Duo looked away. "Something like that." He stared at the ground for a few seconds, thinking deeply, and then snapped his head up to stare at Heero, glare firmly affixed in place. "Why are we even doing this, anyway?"

"Doing this?" he repeated blankly.

Duo threw his hands up in response. "Hanging around like we're trying to be friends or something. Why bother? School's over in two weeks anyway. Hell, we don't even have to meet again. The essay's done. Your obligation is fulfilled."

"My obligation is fulfilled?" he echoed, beginning to feel as repetitive as HBO.

"Yeah!" Duo warmed to his subject. "I don't know about you, but this relationship just ain't doing nothing for me. You think I'm aggravating as hell; I don't particularly care for you—"

Well, that was a rather blunt way of expressing it, not to mention inaccurate. If there was one thing that irked his gourd, it was inaccuracy. Since when hadn't he liked Duo? Well, recently, anyway. More importantly, why did Duo dislike him? Insults and kicks to the head aside, he was doing his best to be friendly, dammit!

"—and it seems that all we do is provoke one another. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like playing Abbott to your Costello. Actually, now that I think about it, this is a little creepy. I hardly know you and here you are inviting me to your house. What's up with that?"

"It's what friends do," Heero replied steadily.

Duo snorted. "I just got done saying that is exactly what we aren't. Hence why the situation seems so bizarre? Jesus Crap. Get a clue, Yuy. I bug the hell out of you and you fully reciprocate the emotion. We. Are. Not. Friends."

"Duo," Heero broke into the rather insulting diatribe. "Shut up and walk."

Shut up he did, caught open-mouthed and gaping. His mouth snapped closed and he quirked an eyebrow, appearing to be at a loss for words. Then, finally: "Aye, aye, Captain!" he replied mockingly, shooting off a pseudo-salute involving only one finger. "Lead the way, sir."

Heero wasn't sure what he was getting himself into, but he would be damned if he would quit before finding out.

"…and this is how pizza should taste," Heero said with satisfaction, gesturing with the slice he held in his hand. He, Duo, and Maria were currently clustered around the island in the center of his kitchen, various pizza ingredients and kitchen supplies scattered around them. A piping hot pie sat steaming in the midst of the organized chaos, two pieces having already been cut out.

Heero had been pleasantly surprised with how smoothly the remainder of the afternoon passed. The rest of the walk had proven to be uneventful, if a bit quiet and, much to his relief, Duo's reaction to his house had been a simple shrug. "It's okay, if you're into that whole my-home-looks-like-a-bank thing," he'd commented. Maria had immediately taken a liking to him (Heero was somehow not shocked) and had been more than happy to help them out in the kitchen. Some of the tension had even abated between them, although Duo had been rather quiet, leaving most of the talking to Maria and him, and making only the occasional comment.

"I've got to admit, this sure puts Ellio's to shame," Duo admitted, his second slice already half gone.

"Young man, Pizza Hut puts Ellio's to shame," Maria chided, lightly smacking his head with an oven mitt. "Now you boys eat up and don't worry about the mess; I'll take care of it later. The two of you are skinny enough as it is. I don't want you burning anymore calories than you have to."

Heero refrained from rolling his eyes. "I don't think we'll vanish from existence if we wipe off the counter."

"No, but the counter might," Maria returned. "I've seen the way you clean, you vagrant! The last time you helped me dust, you broke half of the study."

"A lamp hardly constitutes half the study," he defended himself between bites of pizza.

"It does according to your mother! 'O woe, o death! That lamp was a family heirloom!' Funny, I could have sworn she had bought it at an auction the week before!"

Heero grinned. "Remember when I scratched the chair that 'came over on the Mayflower'?"

"It still had the Ethan Allen sales tag taped under the seat!" They both burst out laughing. Heero turned to Duo, intending to include him in the conversation, only to find him slouching on his barstool, head down and arms crossed. He elbowed him gently in the side and earned a scowl for his efforts. Still, it lacked its normal vehemence and he grinned in response.

"My mother," he explained, "is somewhat lacking in common sense."

"She's a fool, is what she is," Maria chuckled before finally calming. Turning to Duo, she smiled sympathetically. "Sorry to leave you out of the loop, there, kiddo. Here. Have another piece of pizza."

"No, I've gotta get going," Duo refused, shaking his head. He used his napkin to wipe his hands one last time and slid off the stool. "Thanks, though."

"Oh," Maria blinked at the abrupt announcement, a bit taken aback. Heero completely understood her sentiments. "Well, we've enjoyed having you. Come back, you hear? Next time I'll teach you how chocolate chip cookies are supposed to be made."

"Thanks," Duo smiled shyly. "I'd like that." He turned to Heero and nodded. "I'll see you around. You know where to find me."

Heero felt tension he hadn't even realized was there go out of his shoulders. He quickly stood, moving towards the drawer where his father kept the spare car keys. "Do you need a lift?" he offered. "It's already getting dark out."

Duo looked out the window and considered. "Nah. I'll be fine. Besides, I need to work off some of your cooking." He threw Maria a smirk. She shook a spatula in response, pretending offense.

"Okay. I'll see you out, then. I'll be right back to help clean up, Maria." Heero led the way out of the kitchen and down the hallway, heading to the foyer. He paused when he saw his father's golf bag leaning against the wall by the front door. When had he gotten home? Wasn't he supposed to be in Japan? His eyes widened as he read the monograms burnt into the leather bag. They weren't his father's.

"Something wrong?" Duo asked. He realized he had stopped in the middle of the doorway, effectively barricading the other boy in the hall. He moved a few steps forward, eyes locked on the traitorous golf bag.

"I hope not," Heero mumbled, rather inarticulately. But, after all, even Maria thought his mother was a fool.

"Eh?"

"Nevermind." He shook his head. "Thanks for coming over. Feel free to drop by anytime. Except"

"Except on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Right. I know." Duo finished his sentence.

Heero dredged up a smile. "So you do listen."

"It's selective hearing, but it gets the job done. Anywho, I'll see you around. G'nite." He headed out the door, pulling his hood up over his hair. "Oh," he paused, shooting a meaningful glance at the golf bag, "if you need to talk about anything, feel free to call my number. It's in the phonebook. I'm sure you of all people will have no problems finding it." He walked out into the dimness of the evening, pulling the door closed behind him.

Heero watched through the window as the porch lamp clicked on, the sensor detecting Duo's motions. The light glowed forebodingly, casting odd, twisted shadows across the two cars parked in the driveway. One was his mother's. The other he didn't recognize.

Heero didn't move until all was dark again.

-end part IX-