Disclaimer: I don't own GW or 'Falling' so don't come crying to me about any of it. Bug someone who actually has the time and money to listen. It belongs to Joey Mac.

Warning: Shounen-ai. Relena bashing. OOC (well, you lot prolli think so). Bad dancing?

…

By the time Duo opened the door to admit several boys I recognized vaguely from class, his cheerful grin was back in place. It didn't reach his eyes.

Falling

Part Four – The Club

After a swift round of introductions – for my benefit, I was sure, though I really couldn't have cared less – I followed Duo and the others from the dorm.

The six of us piled into a car (I didn't know who it belonged to, but Duo drove), and off we went. I rode shotgun, and spent the ride staring at the city as it glided by my window. The others chattered.

The trip was over quickly, ending in front of a tall building covered in bright fluorescent lights. We climbed out and Duo tossed the keys to a waiting valet.

I half-assumed we'd go stand in the long line that had formed leading to the door, but apparently our wealthy classmates had connections, because we were admitted immediately.

Now, I pride myself on being ready for anything, but I was not prepared for what was inside. It was hot and crowded, and the music was so loud I could barely hear myself think. It was dark, the only light coming from flashing multicolor strobes and the exit signs. I didn't know what to do, and neither the gun holstered at the small of my back nor the knife sheathed in my boot was doing much to comfort me.

Duo, clearly sensing my tension, took my elbow and steered me away from the entrance. The others had already vanished into the sea of bodies.

We wound up at the bar in the far corner of the room. Duo sat me down, and ordered two of something with cherries.

Contrary to popular belief, I had been (to put it in layman's terms) 'completely smashed' before, and on more than one occasion. I was not, however, particularly savvy when it came to the options. To this day, I'm still not sure what it was we drank, but it was strong.

I could feel the beat of the music pounding in my chest, almost as intoxicating as the alcohol. I couldn't understand half the lyrics, but it didn't matter.

"You gotta dance, 'Ro," Duo said suddenly, mouth close to my ear so I could hear, breath stirring my hair. I felt a warm shiver run down my spine.

"What?" I turned to look at him, and suddenly his face was very close to mine, so close his breath drifted across my lips, warm and sweet. His amethyst eyes flickered with some unnamable emotion and I was suddenly afraid to breathe.

He pulled back a few inches, face flushed, either from the alcohol or the heat of the club, I wasn't sure. "You hafta dance," he told me. "'S why you came, isn't it?"

I just stared at him.

"Come on," he stood, tossed aside his cherry stem, and held out a hand to help me off the barstool. "Let's find you a girl."

"Find me a girl," I repeated, feeling foolish.

"To dance with," he explained slowly, as though I were thick. Or drunk.

Duh.

"I know what you meant," I told him, scowling. "And I'm not drunk, if that's what you're thinking."

"All right," he agreed, a little too readily. He was looking suspiciously disbelieving.

"I'm not," I insisted, and I wasn't. I knew my limits, it had been part of my training, to learn how to determine how well I could function under the influence. And I didn't live under a rock, I was familiar with both the wonderful freedom that came with inebriation and the unpleasantness of the morning after. The release from caring about missions and rules was a strong lure, but I'd learned early on what the consequences were (J was not pleasant when crossed), and I rarely drank much. That night, I'd only had enough to become what is affectionately known as 'buzzed.' My inhibitions were melting away, and I was only too happy to see them go. I was slowly relaxing into the comfortable feeling of my partner's company, now that I could let myself relax at all, and I was not eager to leave it for some simpering girl.

Duo looked at me more closely, and must have realized I was telling the truth, because the suspicion cleared from his face and he nodded, and held out his hand again.

"I'm not dancing with some strange girl," I informed him, still ignoring the hand.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, propping his hands on his hips. "You can't just sit there all night. The point was for you to learn to dance without having to deal with the Blonde Bitch."

I frowned. He was right, but… "I don't want to dance with – "

"Fine!" he cut me off. This time, he actually grabbed my hand and yanked me to my feet. "Let's go." He started pulling me away from the bar.

I dug in my heels. "Go where?"

"If you won't ask a girl, I'll teach you to dance." He wasn't looking at me, so I couldn't see his face, but his ears looked decidedly pink. Of course, in the half-light of the club, I could have been imagining it. "It's not all that hard."

"Duo, I can't ask you to…" But I wish I could, I realized. I really, really, wish…

He faced me and gave me a little smirk, like he could read my mind. "You know you want to," he said, and I was so stunned I let him pull me out into the press of bodies on the dance floor.

As we wove our way through the dancers, I remembered what he'd said about me coming here with him. And he'd said he had meant it like that, which meant…

"Duo?" I tugged on the warm hand still holding mine.

He turned. The strobe light hit him from behind, outlining his figure and making his hair glow chestnut. It barely lasted a second, but it was enough to make my breath catch in my throat. He looked incredible.

"What?" the question broke me out of my reverie.

"Duo, do you like me?" I gave an inner wince as I heard myself. And the genius speaks, I thought bitingly.

"What?" his eyes had gone very wide, and, even in the semidarkness, I was sure he'd just turned a brilliant shade of red.

I could barely believe I was doing this. Heero Yuy was not supposed to care about anything personal, either in his own life or anyone else's. Maybe I don't want to be 'Heero Yuy' anymore, a small voice said in my mind.

I shook my head. Must be the alcohol.

"Heero?" Duo was watching me.

"What do you feel about me?" I clarified. "Do you think of me just as a fellow pilot, or a friend, or… more?"

Definitely the alcohol.

He was gaping, mouth moving silently like a fish out of water.

"Because I think I like you. As more than a friend."

Damn, that stuff must have been stronger than I thought. What the hell did he give me?

"I… I…" Duo couldn't seem to speak.

The rest of this chapter can be found on my homepage, under 'Fan Fiction'. It's not posted here, because it contains song lyrics that I did not write (thus the reason this fic was reposted, because it was kicked off for containing those lyrics, even though I SAID I didn't write them. But I'm not bitter, what would make you think that?). But, please, feel free to review here, or on my site (there's a button at the bottom that let's you e-mail reviews to my other e-mail account). Sorry about the inconvenience!

A/N: So, back to me. Did you like the ficcie? Any good in comparison to my other stuff? Or is my other stuff crap in comparison to this? Or is it all crap? What do you think? PLEASE REVIEW!