To Onigami Nanashi- First of all, I love your name. Second of all, thank you for the review. Yes, Cathy acts like a real bitch, doesn't she? Don't worry; I curse all the time in my stories. Look at my profile, and you'll see one warning on almost all of them: language. Yes, 1x3 is a very yummy pairing.
To Kuro no Baka- I feel sorry for Trowa, too. He always has it so rough in my stories… But then there's Heero, so I guess we're even in this one! (Trowa- The hell we are.)
To Bunch-o-Nuts- I'll try to move faster on this story, but I can't make any promises.
To NailPolishBunny- Hey, Sooti! I like your new name. Very unique. Thanks for the review!
Trowa was probably the only person at the dance not in eveningwear. He wasn't the kind of guy to get dressed up for any reason, and this was no exception. His only concession to the occasion was a new navy blue turtleneck and a pair of pressed black jeans. Since he had absolutely no intention of wandering any further than the nearest restroom, he saw no reason to go out of his way to look nice.
The brunette collected tickets wordlessly, nodding couples in one at a time before moving on to the next pair. Everyone who knew him knew that he wasn't a big talker, so no one took his silence amiss.
Truth be told, however, Trowa's silence tonight was due almost entirely to the scheme his sister had cooked up and his part in it. He was actually dreading the end of the dance.
Heero stood out of the way of the stream of students, doing what he did best; watching. Like a silent ghost, the brunette watched every move Trowa made, his eyes never leaving the taller teen. Trowa's grace was apparent in everything he did, even something as simple as collecting tickets. It was mesmerizing.
After he'd figured out who his mystery man was, Heero hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. Every time he saw Trowa, his hands itched to move those long bangs and see what was under them. He wanted to kidnap him, to save him from his father. He wanted to hold the other boy in his arms and soothe him. More than anything, he wanted to see a real smile on those thin lips, not one of the plastic smiles Trowa wore in school.
In short, he was hopelessly smitten.
Love wasn't exactly something he was familiar with; he'd been adopted at a fairly grown age, a year or so after his mother had committed suicide. He cared for his adoptive parents, of course, but he couldn't truthfully say that he loved them. He'd never had a girlfriend or a boyfriend, never had a crush on a celebrity. He just wasn't given to such volatile emotions. But even with his lack of experience, he knew exactly why it was that the mere sight of Trowa did strange things to his mind and stomach.
And he wasn't exactly unhappy about it.
He'll be 18 in less than a year. He reminded himself. Then I can ask him if he might be willing to give it a try. Heero's amazing self-control was being tried to its limits just standing there looking at Trowa; he wasn't sure what would happen if he ever confessed how he felt to the younger brunette.
A sudden tensing of Trowa's shoulders pulled Heero's thoughts back to the present as a couple dressed in matching red and black outfits handed over their tickets. The girl, whom Heero identified as Trowa's younger sister, flashed Trowa an odd look of disgust before sweeping past him and into the hall.
Dammit, she's here. Trowa groaned silently. She really wants to go through with this! Although his face remained impassive, his mind was roiling, thinking of his sister's twisted plan.
A hand touched his shoulder, and Trowa almost jumped out of his skin.
"Your shift's over." Zechs said quietly, his blue eyes worried. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing you can help with." Trowa replied just as softly, unable to look his former boyfriend in the eye. "Just trouble with Catherine."
"I see."
Although Trowa could feel Zechs's penetrating stare on his back as he walked away, he was just as glad the blond chose not to press the issue.
In his unfocused state, he wasn't really surprised when someone else managed to sneak up on him. This person grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him into an empty classroom before he even had time to yelp.
"So we meet again."
"What do you want now, Heero?" Trowa demanded, massaging his wrist. "I'm kind of busy."
"Doing what, exactly?" Heero asked, his penetrating blue eyes pinning Trowa where he stood, somehow dragging the truth out of him.
"What… what Catherine wants." He confessed, tearing his eyes away from those deep, hypnotic pools and staring at the ground. "She's got this… plan."
"Oh, really? And what does this plan entail?" Heero prompted, an odd note in his voice.
"I'm… she wants me to… to…"
"To…"
"To hurt someone. She wants me to beat her boyfriend up."
"Why?" Heero asked, his eyes glinting strangely in the dark shadows of the room.
"How should I know?" Trowa demanded irritably, looking Heero right in the eye for the first time since the two had met.
"Why are you listening to her?" Heero elaborated.
"Because…" Trowa started, then shook his head. "You wouldn't understand." He said, turning to the door.
Again, Heero grabbed his wrist, effectively trapping him in the room.
"Try me." The dark-haired boy said, his eyes again drawing out the truth against Trowa's will.
"She threatened to tell my father."
"Tell him what?"
"Heero, why won't you leave me alone?"
"Tell him what?" Heero repeated with more force, his hand tightening on Trowa's arm to an almost painful degree.
"That… that I was… seeing someone. A boy." Trowa looked away again, feeling his face grow hot. He'd never told anyone about his preferences before, and he hadn't meant to tell Heero. The words had slipped out on accident.
"I see." Heero said in a flat voice. "Is that why he hits you?"
"Yes." Trowa whispered, afraid to look at the other boy.
"Well, let me let you in on a little secret, Trowa Barton. I understand better than you think. I want you to remember this conversation when you think about lying to me again." Heero's hand left his wrist, and the shorter teen slipped past him to the door. "I'm going to go have a talk with your sister. Stay here."
The door swung shut on Trowa's protest, and he heard the unmistakable sound of a lock turning.
That little bitch. For one moment, Heero had the irrational urge to find Trowa's sister and strangle her. That anyone could even think of using Trowa like that was enough to make his blood boil.
But by the time he found the girl, he'd calmed down enough to be logical about the whole situation. It wouldn't do to hurt her. Scaring her, though… well, that was another story altogether.
Catherine Barton was alone near the edge of the dance floor, enjoying a glass of punch while her date was off somewhere else.
"Excuse me." He said quietly, startling her. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to grant me a dance?"
She stared at him a moment, then seemed to comprehend what exactly he'd said.
"Of course I would!" She assured him brightly, smiling and setting her cup down on a handy table.
He led her out onto the floor to the opening notes of a slow waltz, and the two danced in silence for a few measures.
"May I ask your name?" She asked finally.
"I'd really rather you didn't." Heero told her. "There's something I want to talk to you about."
"Really? What?"
"Your brother. Specifically, the way you planned on using him."
"W-what?"
"Don't play innocent with me, girl." He warned her, tightening his arm around her waist. "I know when someone is lying to me. I'd suggest abandoning your little scheme; Trowa won't be able to make it to the party."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Catherine hissed. "Did you kill him or something?"
"No, he's perfectly all right, not that you give a damn. He's just otherwise occupied tonight. It would be best for all parties involved for you to stop acting like such a cold, heartless bitch, Catherine." He said as the song wound to a close. "And if you so much as think of telling your father about this conversation… Well, let's just say you won't be doing much dancing when I get through with you."
Dammit.
Trowa was trapped. The door was too heavy to break down, the windows too high and narrow to climb through. There was no door to an adjoining classroom.
"This is just great." He sighed, sliding down the wall to the thin carpet. "Now what, Trowa? How do you plan to get out of this mess?"
"You could always ask the guy with the key to let you out." Heero remarked from the doorway. "Not promising he would, but it never hurts to ask."
"You're a real bastard, Heero." Trowa snarled, glaring at the other brunette. "Did you know that?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."
Voila. Chapter three completed. I'll try to move faster on chapter four, but I'll be moving in a few days, so…
