A/N: Don't kill me! I'm so sorry for the last posting, but I lost inspiration at one point for the story (I lost my plans for the plot, etc… it was utter chaos) But I've found it again! If it's any consolation, at least this chappie is uber long! Lol ;;
The standard warnings and disclaimer applies
Enjoy!
!#$&()
Chapter 3
"Morning!" Duo sung out cheerfully as he entered the attic.
Heero glared at him in return. "Hn." was he said -or rather, grunted- before turning back to the piano.
Duo rolled his eyes and sat down. "So where were we up to?"
"Isn't that your job to remember?" Heero asked scathingly.
It seemed that they were back to hating each other. Duo sighed- the messy haired boy had been rather nice to him the night before. He wished that Heero was like that more often.
"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't." Duo glanced at his notebook. "Aa- the romantic piece it is. Start at bar 38."
Heero cocked an eyebrow inquisitively. "Why bar 38?"
"Why not?" Duo asked, blinking owlishly.
Heero gave an exasperated sound and positioned his hands on the keys. He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts, then started playing. Duo narrowed his eyes and suddenly laid his hands on Heero's, stopping the Japanese boy's playing.
"What?" Heero turned to stare at him, half angrily, half puzzled. "Why did you stop me playing?"
Duo looked back at him thoughtfully, not taking his hands off Heero's hands. "Just before you started playing- what did you do?"
Heero frowned. "Look at the music?" he offered, a biting note in his voice.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight Heero. I just want to know what you did before you started playing." Duo said, irritation written all over his face. "You had a closed kind of look. I want to know what you were thinking."
Heero's frown grew deeper. "I was just thinking about the piece of music."
"Were you?" Duo raised his eyebrows. "I don't think you were."
"What's it to you?" Heero snapped. "You're just here to make sure that I learn my pieces correctly."
"Exactly." Duo shot back. "So tell me."
"I push all my thoughts out of my mind." Heero replied. "So they don't distract me."
"Uh-huh..." Duo sucked on his lower lip. "Do you ever think about the music?"
"When I'm playing, yes."
"Well don't." Duo replied, a small smile on his face. "You're worrying way too much about what's going on the music to enjoy it. Just don't think- let the music carry you away."
"You sound like a fucking hippy." Heero growled.
Duo inclined his head. "Why, thank you. Now get back to work. Remember- don't think."
Don't think? Heero stared at the music uncertainly, not sure what he was going to do. How could he just not think? He was always thinking- how could he suddenly stop all of the thoughts in his head? Duo made it sound easy, as if it was just like turning off a tap, but it wasn't like that at all- if he didn't think, then he wasn't perfect.
"You're thinking too much." Duo's amused voice cut through his thoughts.
"I can't help it." Heero snapped, irritated.
Duo sighed. "We'll have to work on it. Just... I don't know, just focus on something else, and start playing."
"But I'm still thinking."
"Not about the piece you're not."
Heero growled angrily. "What the fuck do you want me to do? First you say don't think, now you're telling me to think again! Jesus, Maxwell, what do you want?"
Duo frowned deeply. "Are you alright Heero? You're in a really shitty mood today."
Heero let out his breath in one exasperated rush, and ran a hand through his hair. "Nothing's wrong, damnit!"
"I never asked if anything was wrong. I asked if you were alright." Duo said kindly, concern written all over his face.
"Well I'm not." Heero snapped. "I'm never alright!"
"Never?" Duo asked softly.
Heero groaned and rested his forehead against the piano. "I don't know what I'm saying anymore."
Duo chuckled. "I don't know what you're talking about either. Why don't we start at the beginning? What exactly is bothering you so much?"
"Why are you so curious? What's it to you?" Heero asked waspishly.
"You're my friend, and I'm worried about you." Duo said simply.
Heero looked at him uncertainly. "I'm your friend...?" he repeated.
"Yes, Heero, you're my friend, and don't you ever forget that." Duo said, laughing softly.
Heero growled at him, though it lacked anger. "How can I forget it when you'll probably remind me every single minute?"
Duo shrugged, an impish look on his face. "Anyway, tell me what's wrong."
"I don't know what to do." Heero admitted.
Duo frowned slightly, obviously puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Heero sighed. "The scholarship." was all he said in explanation.
"What about it?" Duo racked his mind for something wrong. They seemed to be on the right track for the scholarship- besides, there was plenty more time to practice. It didn't need to be perfect right now, so why was Heero so wound up?
"I need to do a duet." Heero said, sighing again.
"Well we can just play together." Duo replied, thinking of the most simple answer. The frown didn't disappear from Heero's face- it just got deeper.
"I'm not stupid." Heero said, an indignant note in his voice. "Don't think I haven't already thought about that. I need to do a duet with another instrument. Preferrably something of a different section."
"What about Quatre? Don't you have any friends that play an instrument well?" Duo inquired.
"Quatre can play the violin, but he's sitting the scholarship as well."
"He is?" Duo asked, obviously surprised. "Aren't you guys a little, well, tense with each other?"
"No." Heero replied bluntly. "I don't care what he's up to, and vice versa. We're both individuals in this."
"So does he have a duet partner?"
Heero nodded. "He's with Trowa, as per usual."
"Trowa? Haven't heard of him before." Duo said, nibbling on his lip.
"Trowa Barton- he's coming with his family to the ball. You'll meet him then."
"So anyway, back to the duet problem. So do you have any friends-"
"No." Heero interrupted. "Do you play another instrument?"
Duo winced. "Well, yeah, but-"
"Good. You can play with me then." Heero said matter of factly. His tone of voice brooked no argument, making Duo sigh and slump in his seat. "What instrument?"
"Violin." Duo muttered through gritted teeth.
"Are you any good?"
Duo shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't played in a while."
Heero sensed that there was some sort of story behind why Duo didn't like the violin, but he knew better than to ask. It was Duo's business, and Duo's business alone.
"Have you got any duets?" he demanded.
"Yeah, but-"
"Good. What pieces?" Heero didn't wait for Duo's protest.
Duo groaned loudly. "Fine! I give in! I'll play the stupid violin for you. But if you don't get the scholarship don't go blaming me."
"Hn. Whatever." Heero shrugged, not caring in the slightest.
Duo felt like thumping his head against the piano, but quickly refrained himself. "I have a couple of duets. All for piano and violin- what kind of music do you want? Lively? Slow? Romantic? Sad?"
"Name me some, and I'll tell you which ones we'll do." Heero commanded.
Sometimes I forget who's the teacher in this relationship, Duo thought sarcastically.
"La Gitana, by Kreister- that's quite good. Maybe some Chopin? Umm..." Duo racked his mind. "Serenade Melancolique would make an excellent choice- I'll bring the music for that tomorrow. We can start working on it right away."
"We should prepare two pieces- one for backup." Heero said thoughtfully.
Duo nodded in agreement. "Why don't we play La Gitana? If you don't like it, how about Melodie, by Christoph Willibald von Gluck?" Duo shrugged. "I'll bring the pieces tomorrow, and we can decide then."
"Sounds like a plan." Heero smirked. "I'll look them through then. Which ones do you recommend?"
He actually cares about which ones I like? Duo wondered, amazed. He's changed since the first time I met him.
"Well, um, Serenade Melancolique for sure." Duo grinned sheepishly. "I love Tchaikovsky and don't get me started on Chopin."
Heero chuckled quietly. The sound was so alien that Duo could only stare dumbly at him.
"You laughed." Duo said, shocked, his eyes as wide as saucers. "You actually laughed."
Heero glared at him. "I am human whatever you may believe."
Duo flushed, guilt gnawing at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"Just drop it." Heero snapped.
Duo lowered his eyes, wanting nothing more than to bang his head against the wall. Heero had finally opened up to him a little, and he had managed to screw it up.
As per usual, Duo thought bitterly.
"So..." Duo broke the heavy silence. He searched for something to say, that wouldn't make the silence even more uncomfortable.
"I'll start with the first piece." Heero said in his usual monotone.
"Of course." Duo murmured. He leaned back in his chair, but he wasn't truly listening to Heero's playing. He was too busy concentrating on the boy himself.
Heero sensed that Duo wasn't paying attention, and skipped 8 bars, watching Duo to see his reaction. When the American didn't respond, Heero started playing an octave lower. Duo still didn't respond. Heero heaved a sigh and stopped playing.
"Pay attention Maxwell. I'm not hiring you to daydream." he said sternly.
Duo flinched and snapped back into reality. He saw Heero's eyes on him, and flushed. "What was that?"
Heero glared at him, unable to explain why he felt slightly hurt because Duo had been ignoring him.
I must be sick, Heero told himself firmly. I don't need Duo's attention- I don't want Duo's attention.
"You weren't paying attention." Heero felt like a schoolteacher telling off a student. "What's the point in being my piano teacher if you don't listen to me play?" Heero chastised.
Duo looked away, guilt written all over his face. "I'm sorry, it's just that there's a lot of things on my plate at the moment."
Like playing the violin again, and Mike, Duo thought gloomily. And you. Especially you, Heero.
"I don't care." Heero snapped, wincing inwardly at how heartless he sounded. "While you are here you'll be performing to the best of your abilities- you will not think of anything other than-" Heero paused. He had been about to say 'me' but quickly decided against it. "-music." he finished.
Duo frowned, his face like a thundercloud. Heero grimaced inwardly, sensing that he had totally the pissed the other boy off.
The long haired American stood up and brushed off his clothes. "Keep practising. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You're leaving?" Heero asked incredulously. "It's only been around 45 minutes."
"I can't concentrate today." Duo said, gathering his notes together. "And seeing as I'm not able to perform to the best of my abilities I don't really have any choice other than to leave."
With those parting words Duo swept out of the room, leaving behind a slightly stunned Heero Yuy.
The messy haired boy blinked, not sure what to do. He was torn between going after Duo and apologising, or staying where he was.
Why do I care so much about him? What's wrong with me? Heero slammed his fist against the piano keys creating a loud crash.
"I saw Duo leaving- is everything okay?" Quatre asked, frowning slightly.
Heero twisted around, noticing the blond for the first time. The Arabian boy was leaning against he doorframe, looking more than slightly dishevelled.
"Everything's fine." Heero said, his voice tighter than he would've liked.
Should I go after him and make sure that he's alright? Heero wondered before realising what he was thinking and growling silently. I'm not his nanny- there's no reason for me to go after him, even if I wanted to. Which I don't, he added quickly.
Quatre sighed and ran a hand through his tousled blond hair. "Heero, I'm worried about him. I don't know what he's gotten himself into, but whatever it is, it can't be good. I'm not sure who that man was, but I don't think Duo's seen the last of him."
"So?" Heero asked coldly. "What do you want me to do about it?"
"Keep an eye on him, would you Heero?" Quatre asked wearily.
"He's no concern of mine." Heero said, looking away. He glared at the piano as if it were to blame. And in a sense, it was.
If there was no stupid scholarship then I wouldn't have even met the guy, Heero thought sullenly.
"He is now, damnit!" Quatre snapped, making Heero stare at him in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap, I'm just a little stressed right now."
"Hn. I'll do my best." Heero grunted and stood up. "I'll go after him. He'll probably be on his way to his apartment."
"Thank you Heero." Quatre smiled gratefully. "I just want to know that he's safe." he sighed. "I wish Duo would just tell us what's wrong."
"It's none of our business." Heero reminded him.
"I know, but..." Quatre trailed off, then shrugged, smiling in his usual calm manner. "You're right. I need to talk to Madame Levy about the flower arrangements for the ball, so I'll see you later Heero."
"Hn." Heero watched Quatre leave, before making his own way out of the house.
He guessed that Duo would return to his apartment and have lunch, before doing anything else.
What about his other job? When does that start? Heero wondered, making a little mental note to have dinner there more often.
He climbed into his limo. "Same place." he grunted.
The chauffeur nodded and started driving. Heero stared out the window, thinking over what had happened that morning. He wondered what Duo had been thinking about- he had seemed so preoccupied. His violet eyes had been unreadable, but Heero sensed that he had touched a nerve within Duo.
What happened in Duo's past so that he hates playing the violin? Heero thought, frowning. I'll ask him about it. One day.
Heero climbed out of the limo and walked up to Duo's apartment. He was about to knock on the door when it was opened and Heero found himself staring into Wufei's angry face.
"You attract a lot of attention every time you come here, do you know that?" the Chinese boy hissed. "Hurry up, come in."
Heero was quickly hustled into the apartment and forced onto the sofa. He glared at Wufei, but the other teen ignored him steadily.
"I suppose you want Duo." Wufei said after a long silence. He was still quietly seething with anger, but had otherwise collected his emotions and was sitting opposite Heero calmly.
"Hn." Heero grunted. "Where is he?" he asked, knowing that Wufei wouldn't tell him unless he asked.
Wufei laughed and there was a hint of irony in it. "Strange that you should ask that. I was going to ask you the same question."
Heero frowned. "What do you mean?"
"He hasn't returned- I presumed that he was still at your place." Wufei shrugged. "He's probably out having breakfast somewhere. I'll talk to him later."
Heero's eyes narrowed. "About what?"
Wufei glared straight back at him. "It's none of your business."
"It is now. He's my employee and he is an important factor in my life for the next couple of months. I can't afford to lose him, not now."
"So what you're saying is that he's really important right now, but as soon as the scholarship is over and done he can go and get himself killed for all you care." Wufei demanded, his black eyes dancing with anger.
Heero growled and clenched his fists. "That's not what I'm saying at all." he snapped. "I'm not making any promises concerning Maxwell."
Wufei sighed. "Let's get something straight Yuy." he said, deadly serious. "Maxwell doesn't need false friendships or echoes of promises. I won't allow you to befriend him only to discard him like a used rag after you're done with him."
"How dare you-" Heero began angrily, but Wufei interrupted him.
"I'm not trying to insult your integrity. But I won't allow you to do that to him."
"What are you, his mother?" Heero bit out.
Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Something like that." he said, smirking.
Heero let out his breath in an angry hiss and stood up. "This has turned out to be a pointless visit. I'll let myself out."
Wufei watched as Heero walked over to the door. He suddenly stood up, capturing Heero's attention.
"What?" Heero snapped.
Wufei sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. "If you're looking for Maxwell he'll be at this cafe." he shoved an address scribbled on a grubby piece of paper into Heero's hands. Wufei shook his head, a tiny smile on his lips. "I'm not sure why but I trust you with Maxwell, but I do. Make sure that he doesn't get hurt, and especially make sure that you don't let Mike near him."
"So now I'm Maxwell's mother?"
"For the time being, yes. Have fun." Wufei said, smirking somewhat evilly.
Heero simply let out a sigh and walked out of the apartment. He climbed back into the limo and glanced at the piece of paper in his hands.
Granger's Deli, the piece of paper read. Look there. Don't let Mike get him.
Heero frowned. He hadn't seen Wufei write anything down, so the raven haired boy must have known that he was going to come after Duo.
I don't like him, Heero decided.
"Where to now, Master Yuy?" the chauffeur asked politely.
"Granger's Deli." Heero grunted.
They arrived at the small cafe which was packed full with people, most of them coffee addicts needing their regular fix.
"Can I help you?" a waitress asked, smiling coyly at Heero who merely glared at her in return.
"No." he snapped. Seeing her hurt expression, he quickly added "Thank you."
The waitress nodded, the coy smile wiped off her face, and strutted off to serve another, more cheerful, customer.
Heero looked around at the large throng of people, trying to shut out the loud chattering and ear piercing laughter.
Where the hell is Maxwell? He had better be here, or else... Heero growled menacingly.
"You looking for someone?" a man sitting nearby called out.
"Hn." Heero grunted non-committedly.
"Well, I know most of the people in here seeing as they're regulars. Just tell me the name and I'll direct you to their seat." the man said helpfully.
"Maxwell." Heero said, and the man nodded.
"You mean Duo? He's over there, table 12. Appears to be in a bad mood today." the man winked at him. "You'll probably be able to cheer him up though."
Heero glared at him and walked off to table 12, where he found Duo cradling a mug of coffee in his hands, staring moodily off into the distance. Not bothering to wait for Duo to snap out of his reverie, Heero sat down opposite him and caught the waitress's attention.
"Coffee. Black. No sugar." he ordered.
The waitress nodded and jotted it down on her notepad before walking off.
Duo blinked and stared at Heero in surprise. "Uh..." was all he could manage to get out.
Nice, Duo. Real eloquent, Duo scolded himself inwardly.
"Hn." Heero crossed his arms and glared at Duo steadily. The long haired pianist looked at him uncertainly, not sure why the Japanese boy was here, or why he looked so angry.
"So... what brings you here on such a fine day?" Duo asked in his usual joking manner.
"You." Heero replied, straight the the point as always.
"Me?" Duo repeated dumbly.
"Hai. I've been sent to look after you."
The surprise on Duo's face was quickly replaced by anger. "I can take care of myself! Jesus, what is Wufei's problem? I'm 17 years old, not 7!"
"Hard to believe." Heero muttered under his breath.
Duo glared at him. "I may act immature but I do know how to take care of myself."
"Right." Heero said sarcastically. "Which explains the whole ordeal with Mike the other night."
Duo scowled, unable to think of a retort. Heero glared back at him, raising an eyebrow at him.
The silence that settled over the pair after Heero's words was defeaning. Duo squirmed in his seat uncomfortably, trying to think of something to say that would take the Japanese boy's mind off Mike and off music.
He opened his mouth to speak but Heero -surprisingly- beat him to it.
"It wasn't Wufei."
"Huh?" Duo forgot all about eloquence and how stupid he must look with his mouth hanging open. "Whaddya mean?"
"I mean, Wufei didn't send me after you. Well, not really."
Duo's brow crinkled as he tried to make sense of Heero's words. "So Wufei didn't really send you after me? What the hell does that mean?"
Heero gave an exasperated sigh. "It means that I came down here mostly of my own accord."
"Oh." Duo couldn't help but blush slightly.
Get a grip on yourself Maxwell, he didn't just tell you that you're the most beautiful creature on the planet, Duo told himself crossly. Only when he tells you that can you blush like an idiot, and that's never ever going to happen.
"You okay?" Heero asked gruffly, staring at the table.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Duo asked, blinking.
"You seemed distracted this morning. Is there something wrong?" Heero demanded, still not meeting Duo's surprised eyes.
"Do I detect a hint of concern?" Duo teased, hiding his shock that Heero was actually concerned about him. "Heero, you're losing your touch."
Heero looked up and glared at him. "Shut it Maxwell."
Duo laughed and sipped his coffee, wincing as the scalding liquid slid down his throat.
"Gah! Hot!" he managed to gurgle.
Heero smirked at the violet eyed boy's antics. "Baka. You should've waited for your coffee to cool."
Duo made a face at him. "What does baka mean? Does it mean something good?" Duo asked, grinning.
"Idiot."
"Hey! What was that for?" Duo asked, making a pathetic face, sticking out his lower lip in a mock pout.
"Baka means idiot." Heero replied, unable to keep from smiling. "And don't think you can distract me from the original question, Maxwell. What's wrong?"
Duo shrugged, letting out a long sigh. "Everything's just piling up on me at the moment."
"Mike?"
"Him too."
"Who is he, Duo?" Heero asked, noticing how agitated Duo was- he was fidgeting with everything he could get his hands on, tugging and twisting the threads on his jacket, tapping his shoes on the ground, gnawing on his lip like a rabid rabbit.
"He's just some guy-"
"Don't give me that bullshit Maxwell." Heero said bluntly. "Now tell me who he is."
Duo flinched visibly. "I'm telling you, he's just a guy that I know."
"What does he want with you? Is he your boyfriend?" Heero winced inwardly. That he come out sounding just a little bit jealous.
"He just wants some money." Duo replied, grimacing. "There's no way I would ever have a boyfriend like that."
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you guys kiss? Was he trying to rape you or something?"
Duo fell silent. Heero had basically struck gold.
"He was, wasn't he?" Heero demanded. "He was going to ra-"
"Shut up!" Duo slammed his fist against the table. "Just shut the fuck up!"
Heero fell into a stunned silence, along with the people sittting around them. They craned their necks around to see Duo, wondering what all the commotion was about. The waitress who was approaching their table with Heero's coffee stopped, uncertain whether to approach their table or not.
"You have no idea what you're talking about." Duo said softly, a dangerous note in his voice. "Don't even think that you have an idea of what my life is like. You have no clue, Yuy. No fucking clue. You live your perfect little life in your perfect little house with your perfect little girlfriend. I live in a fucking shithole, with no real job, with an overprotective flatmate, and an asshole of a student!"
"Whom I would presume to be me." Heero said dryly. "Whatever you think of my life, Maxwell, just be assured that it isn't as perfect as you believe."
"Sure seems that way to me." Duo snorted.
"Um... is there a problem, sirs?" the waitress had gathered enough courage to approach them.
Heero shook his head mutely and accepted the coffee from her. She scuttled off back into the kitchens, obviously glad to have gotten away.
"What's the matter with you?" Heero asked, frowning deeply. "I'm going to start from the beginning, okay? So you owe this guy, Mike, money, and he attempts to rape you?"
"It's not like that! Well, not exactly like that." Duo muttered, his shoulders slumped.
Heero's intelligent mind went over what he knew and what he had seen. Money owed... sex... Suddenly it all seemed to fit into place.
"You're sleeping with him in order to pay him back?" Heero asked in disbelief.
A look of pure disgust crossed his face when he saw the resigned look on Duo's face.
"You're disgusting." Heero hissed, unconsciously pulling away from Duo. "You agree to sleep with someone just because you owe them money? That's the lowest form of life there is!"
"You know nothing!" Duo almost screamed, before remembering that they were in a deli, and said it in a hoarse whisper instead. "You know nothing at all Heero! You think I want to do this? You think I'm enjoying myself, knowing that I have to fuck a man I can't stand?"
"Just pay him back!"
"The hell? Do you honestly think that I would sleep with him instead of paying him back! Are you fucking crazy?" Duo shook his head. "Unlike you, Yuy, most of us don't have money to spare. In fact, we don't have money in the first place."
Heero shook his head, rubbing his temples gently. "I don't get you Duo, I really don't."
"Trust me when I say that I feel exactly the same way about you." Duo muttered.
Heero sighed. "I didn't mean what I said earlier. I apologise for my shock."
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Uh... okay."
"I didn't mean to call you disgusting." Heero's voice was neutral, his face blank.
Duo looked away. "You were right." he said quietly. "I am disgusting." he stood up. "Goodbye Heero."
"Goodbye?" Heero stood up as well. "There's no way I'm letting you out of this conversation. Let's go."
"What? To where?"
"My house." Heero replied, grabbing Duo's wrist and dragging him out of the deli. He vaguely realised he hadn't paid for his coffee as they climbed into the limo and gave a mental shrug. He would pay them back later some time. Right now Duo was more important.
Duo had no idea what the fuck Heero was doing, but decided that his life couldn't possibly get worse so he finally decided to stop struggling and just let Heero take him wherever.
My god that boy is strong, Duo thought, amazed beyond belief.
Heero's grip on his wrist was like iron, and no matter how hard Duo tried to get away, the grip remained vice-like.
The ride back in the limo was silent. Duo rubbed his now sore wrist, while Heero sat still and stared out the window mutely. His calm face revealed nothing, no anger, no hate, no malice, nothing at all.
I wish I could do that- damn my too honest face, Duo thought angrily.
Heero watched Duo's reflection in the car window carefully. He had no idea why he wanted to help the brunette so badly, or why he was so protective of him, but he didn't question it. There was no time to think about that now- he could analyse his feelings later. What was most important now was getting Duo to open up to him, to find a way to get that goddamn pervert away from him.
Duo's more frail than he leads people to believe, Heero thought, watching the pianist's long fingered hands tremble slightly. He's so scared... How could I have missed this? How could I believe that he was doing alright? What did Wufei tell me before? That sometimes the only reason that Duo lived was for his music?
Heero sighed and reached over, placing his hand on the younger boy's hand. "I'll help you."
Shocked by this rare show of emotion, Duo nodded silently.
"I'll pay him back."
That got his vocal chords working again. "What? No way! I owe him heaps!" Duo protested.
"I've got too much money anyway." Heero said calmly. "It won't hurt me to part with some of it."
"No! There's no way I could possibly ask you to repay my debts!" Duo shook his head violently, his long braid whipping the air.
"You're not asking me. I'm telling you." something that resembled a smile graced Heero's thin lips for a split second before disappearing.
"No... no..." Duo protested weakly.
"Baka." Heero chided softly, before turning away and opening the door.
Duo realised for the first time that the limo had been stationary for a few minutes. He quickly scrambled out of the spacious car and after Heero, tagging a few steps behind from his sudden benefactor.
Heero walked up the flights of stairs to the attic, where he held the door open for Duo. "Hurry up, get inside. I don't want Relena to realise we're home."
Duo nodded, not wanting to meet Heero's fiancee either. He sat down on the piano stool, swinging his legs, agitated.
"Stop being so damn scared." Heero snapped, sitting down in the other seat.
It was a reverse of positions, with him being in the teacher's chair and Duo in the pupil's seat. Had it been a subconscious act of Duo's, Heero wondered, to put himself in the chair that signified inferiority, submission?
Pushing that out of his thoughts, Heero leaned forward.
"Tell me exactly what's going on Maxwell. And leave nothing out." he commanded.
Duo opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally gathering up his courage to speak.
"Well.. I guess... There's not really a lot to tell you."
"I don't care."
"Um... alright then." he offered a weak grin which Heero didn't return. "Okaayy... Well, I really needed some money a couple of months ago."
"How much money?"
"$678."
"Hn. Carry on." Heero leaned back in his chair, his blue eyes never once leaving Duo's face.
"Well, I promised him that I would pay him back in no time at all, because I thought I could put in some more hours at work, and pay him back in small payments regularly." Duo sighed and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes. "But then something happened, and I couldn't pay him back."
"What happened exactly?"
Pain and anguish shone clearly in Duo's expressive violet eyes before being replaced an artificial blankness.
"It doesn't matter." his voice was flat, dead.
Realising that no matter how much he questioned Duo on it the boy would never tell him, Heero gestured for him to continue.
"And yeah... He demanded payment, and then it changed from money into sex." Duo shuddered. "I agreed to sleep with him a couple of times if he stopped bothering me. And that's it." he shrugged, avoiding eye contact.
"Hn." Heero remained silent for a few seconds, before standing up and walking over to Duo. Crouching down, Heero rested a hand on the nape of Duo's neck, and pulled him close. "I won't let him do this to you Maxwell."
Shocked by Heero's actions, Duo could do nothing but nod. He hesitated before dropping his head onto the older boy's shoulder. When Heero made no effort to move him or reprimand him in any way, the long haired pianist relaxed.
"Thank you..." he murmured some time later, finding his voice again.
"Hn. Now tell me more about Mike."
Duo tensed up again. "Why?"
Heero shrugged, the movement causing Duo's head to bob up then down again.
"Well... I don't really know all that much about him. I just know that his name is Mike Davies, and that's it."
"Where does he live?" Heero asked.
"I'm not sure."
"Well how'd you find him then?"
"He's a moneylender. I found him through Jack."
"Jack?"
Duo laughed humourlessly. "Jack's a beggar- he begs around by the park."
Heero wondered briefly why Duo was associating with beggars but decided not to ask any more questions. "Alright then. Arigatou."
"No problems." Duo muttered. He pulled away and stood up. "I'd better be heading off home. Wufei will be getting worried."
Heero shook his head, also standing up. "You can phone him- I'm not letting you out of this house until I've found Mike."
"You're going to go after Mike?" Duo shook his head. "Mike will come looking for me, trust me, so there's no reason for you to go looking for him."
"Exactly." Heero retorted, standing in front of the door. "He'll come looking for you, and when he does, I'll deal with him."
Duo couldn't help but smile. Heero sounded so protective...
Almost like a lover, the long haired boy thought semi-dreamily. He realised what he was thinking and quickly shut down that train of thought. Mike is more important right now, I have to deal with him at this point in time- I can think about Heero and how much I lust after him some other time.
"Can you fight?" Duo asked, doubt obvious in his voice. "I mean, it's not like you don't look fit or anything but can you actually fight?"
Heero smirked and rolled his eyes. "If you stay here you can see my fighting skills first hand." the boy smirked.
Duo raised an eyebrow. It seems I've discovered another, even more arrogant side to Heero. Lucky me.
Heero saw the unimpressed glint in Duo's eyes and immediately cursed himself. Why had he said that? He was still so used to proving to people how intelligent he was, that he was more brains than money, that he wasn't just another pawn in his parents' game.
"Hn." Heero grunted and looked away. "Would you like something to eat?"
Duo's lips quirked into a grateful grin. "Sounds good to me. What have you got?"
Heero shrugged. "Let's go down to the kitchen and see." he started to open the door before freezing abruptly. "Actually I'll just get the maid to go down and see."
"What, afraid Mike will have come already?" Duo asked humourlessly.
Heero shook his head. Duo raised his eyebrows, about to question the boy further when he heard a female voice calling out the older boy's name.
Catching the grimace on Heero's face before it was quickly replaced by the usual blank mask, Duo had a good idea of what was going on.
"You really don't like her, do you?" Duo asked, unable to stifle a laugh.
Heero growled. "Shut up. I don't want to marry her." he was unable to stop the words tumbling from his lips. Wincing inwardly, he waited for Duo to mock him, to laugh at his misfortunes.
Instead, the younger boy squeezed his shoulder in silent sympathy. Heero looked at him, surprised, and Duo quickly pulled his hand back, thinking that the Japanese boy had resented him invading his personal space.
"Sorry." Duo said awkwardly.
"Hn." Heero grunted, not really sure how to respond. He opened his mouth to explain that he hadn't been offended, when they heard the stairs creak and Relena's voice getting closer. "Kuso!"
"Huh?"
The confused look on Duo's face registered in the back of Heero's mind as "cute" but that thought was quickly banished.
Can't think about that now...
"Quick, through here." Heero opened a door that Duo hadn't even realised was there before, and shoved him into a dark passageway.
"Holy shit!" Duo looked around at the cramped passageway in amazement. "You even have a secret little tunnel thing!"
Heero snorted. "Hardly. It's merely a corridor connecting my bedroom to the study. It belonged to the first owner of this house, an extremely private man who hated leaving his room by the normal route and so created this one."
"How weird." Duo said, laughing softly.
He tried not to think about how close they were standing- just a few more millimetres, and they would be right up next to each other. Even now their bodies were slightly touching- Duo could feel Heero's body heat through their thin clothing.
The pianist thanked the heavens that it was quite dark in the passage, otherwise the fact that his face was bright red would be even more obvious than it already was.
"Are you alright?" Heero asked, a touch of concern in his voice. "Do you find it's hard to breathe in here?"
"No, no I'm fine." Duo's voice sounded strained, even to his own ears. He caught Heero's slightly worried look and flashed a large grin. "Shall we move on then?"
"Hn." Heero brushed past Duo and led the way. He stopped abruptly after a few minutes of walking and pointed to a door in the side of the passageway that Duo would have otherwise missed. "This leads to a guestroom." Heero paused. "More specifically, the one of the bathrooms in a guestroom."
"I think the guy who built this must have been a bit of a pervert." Duo laughed.
A brief smile lighted up Heero's stern face momentarily. "Can't disagree there."
Duo grinned, and they kept on walking.
They soon reached Heero's bedroom, which, to Duo's surprise, wasn't large and spacious as he had imagined it to be, instead just small and ordinary.
Heero saw Duo's incredulous stare and shrugged awkwardly. "It's not much, I know." Heero muttered.
"It's great!" Duo said sincerely, pausing to look at a piece of manuscript taped onto the wall. "Did you compose this?"
"Hai." Heero shifted uncomfortably. It was weird, having someone in his personal room- they were strictly off-limits to everyone- it had always been like that. And now Duo, the enigma that Heero just couldn't figure out, was in his room, and looking so damned natural.
"It looks really good!" Duo said, humming a few bars to himself. "You should finish it- the way it's going, it can rival any masterpiece that the greatest composers in history have ever written."
Heero's eyebrows snapped together. "Are you mocking me?" he demanded.
Duo looked at him in surprise. "No! Why on earth would I mock you?" he asked indignantly. "I was just telling the truth. I really do think it's great."
"Oh." Heero shrugged again, and walked over to the other side of the room.
He watched Duo from the corner of his eye- the American was now peering at some of Heero's sketches.
"These are pretty good. I didn't know that you drew."
"On occasion." Heero replied tersely.
"Hey! You drew me!" Duo exclaimed in surprise and held the picture up.
Heero stifled a sharp gasp of surprise.
Shit!
"That's amazing! You have a knack for drawing people, man." Duo grinned at him.
"Hn." Heero turned away, embarrassed. He had forgotten that he had stuck the picture of Duo up on the wall.
I hope he doesn't think anymore into it... I do not have a crush on him... I can't- I'm engaged to be married, and what would happen if my family found out? They'd disown me for sure...
"Heero? You okay?" Duo waved his hand in front of Heero's face, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, fine. Just fine..." Heero sighed.
"Hey, can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer it or anything, but why are you engaged to whatshername if you don't like her?" Duo asked, a puzzled frown on his face.
Heero rolled his eyes. "My family's decision. The Darlion family is an influential family in America, and my family is an influential family in Japan, so, combined, we would make a perfect union."
Duo winced. "You make it sound so..."
"Heartless?" Heero snorted and sat down on a chair nearby, gesturing for Duo to sit on the bed.
"Kind of, yeah." Duo said sheepishly.
"Well it is- our families forced us together, and I think that in her heart, Relena doesn't want it either."
"But she seems to be really into you." Duo said, surprised.
"She is because it is her family's wish that she falls in love with me. Seriously, I have a feeling that Relena would be much happier with someone that doesn't come from a family with money."
Duo raised an eyebrow. It doesn't seem to be that way to me, but Heero does know her better- maybe she's deeper than she appears to be.
"So is that your question answered?" Heero asked.
"For now, yes." Duo grinned. "Y'know, after this whole Mike thing is sorted, we should go out somewhere. Like a themepark, or somewhere fun."
"Fun? Why?"
"To celebrate of course!" Duo's grin widened.
"But the scholarship-"
"Oh come on Heero, surely you can't be focussing all your energy on that?"
Heero shrugged. "It's important." was all he said in reply.
"You mean that's all you spend your time doing?" Duo asked, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. "But- but... I dunno... Don't you go out and just, well, mess around?"
"Mess around?" Heero echoed, frowning. "What does that involve exactly?"
"You're shitting me!" Duo leapt up.
Heero flinched and looked up at Duo, not sure if he should be frightened or not by the boy's weird behaviour.
"No, I'm not 'shitting' you." Heero forced his voice to remain calm.
"You mean to say that you've never just hung around with your friends, and do whatever you richies do? Like uumm... smoke cigars?"
"Smoke cigars? Why on earth would I do that...?"
"I don't know." Duo gave an embarrassed shrug. "That's what the rich people do in all of the movies."
"... right..."
Duo ignored him. "We can go to the amusement park, and buy lots of icecream! Come on Heero, what do you say? It'll be so much fun!"
Heero couldn't help but smile at Duo. I've never seen anyone more beautiful than him... The way his eyes light up, the way he gestures so that it's a miracle he doesn't knock anything over... it all just makes him so damn captivating.
"Of course." he found himself saying. "It sounds like a good idea."
"Cool!" Duo grinned at him. "When shall we go? It'll be good for you to have a break from practice."
"It sounds great." Heero smiled at him and for a second their gazes connected, and Heero felt like he had caught fire. He wanted nothing more in that second than to reach out and pull Duo closer to him.
This is no ordinary crush, Heero realised.
He quickly averted his eyes, and stared readily at the ground. "We'd better be getting back to the piano room. Relena will have gone by now." he said, his voice flat and unemotional.
Duo couldn't believe what he had just felt- he had had his fair share of lovers, and he had fallen in and out of love countless times, but never before had he felt anything like this- they had connected.
If there are such things as soulmates, then he's mine, Duo decided.
Judging by the way Heero had turned a lovely shade of ripe red he had noticed it too.
"Heero..."
"Let's go." Heero commanded brusquely. He could feel Duo's curious violet gaze on him, and he wondered if Duo had felt the same way when their gazes had interlocked.
Stop it Heero! The Japanese boy scolded himself. I'm getting sappy- gazes interlocking? More than a crush? I must be under way too much stress...
"Heero, you felt it too, didn't you?" Duo asked quietly.
Heero turned to look at him, intent on saying no. But when he saw Duo sitting there, the expression on his face half hopeful, half afraid, he couldn't help but tell the truth.
"Yes." his voice had suddenly become hoarse. "Yes, I did."
I can do this. I can face up to my emotions, Heero thought, determined.
But when Duo stood up and started to approach him, Heero did the only thing his panic stricken mind would allow him to do: run.
#$&(
A/N: Uh yeah… a cliffie of sorts lol :P Well, review and please, no flames, but CC is welcome lol.