Hi! This… fic if you'd like to call it that way, came to me once while I had three whole free hours at school. It's not really what I intended it to be, but the idea somehow mutated inside my brain and this is the outcome.
The usual disclaimer goes for this story as well, the one where I'm a sad, poor writer that owns nothing except a computer, an old notebook and an empty cup of coffee…
Lover vs. LoverHeero began practicing martial arts by the time he was thirteen. Somehow, he had a tremendous facility for it, and he quickly advanced. His favourite was karate and he had already achieved an outstanding black belt by his seventeen birthday. Along with it came plenty of medals in various unimportant and local events. Even though he was so good, he never did really consider this activity to be the most important one in his life.
Sure, some of his friends tried hard to encourage him to go national and international, but all he really wanted was to just do it as some sort of a hobby, although the idea sounded good, nestled as it was in his mind.
Everything changed, however, when his parents decided to move to a smaller town. His practice seemed in jeopardy, as he doubted whether he'd find anything karate-related in there. Heero was black belt, but he still needed to practice if he wanted any new dans. And in one last, desperate attempt to seem like good parents, his mom found a decent dojo on the other side of town opposite his house, and his dad agreed to pay whatever the cost.
They somehow felt guilty and like it was the least they could do, especially since he was the only child and they were never around, always too busy with their jobs. It was good for him, so he took advantage of the offer and decided to at least give it a try. And so, his training was destined to continue, or at least for a while if he didn't consider the dojo and sensei to be of his liking.
It was on Heero's first day of class that he met him, his nemesis. It was a guy of apparently his own age, who had been equally practicing martial arts, ending up in karate, for a while now, meaning he had also achieved a black belt and was well on his way to first dan. Heero had no idea of how good or bad this guy was, but he seemed dedicated, so Heero immediately assumed he was no laughing joke.
He was the first person Heero saw after the sensei told him to go get changed. So, sports bag perched on a shoulder, he ran into a slightly taller, long braided and violet eyed American guy. The guy actually just popped out of one of the many doors in the changing rooms and his eyes met with Heero's.
He had to admit it, the first impression was nothing short of shocking. He might've hated it, but the guy was good-looking, Heero quickly noticing this being not really straight as he was. To top it off, he was chest naked and had a well marked six pack.
The American guy stared at Heero, surprised and inquiring at first, but Heero failed to notice the second reaction as he, cool as a cucumber, always able to mask his true feelings, opened the nearest door to his right and went right in. As he was changing into his own uniform, he figured this would be a very interesting class.
Outside, at the dojo, everyone was warming up. By the look of their belts, Heero and the other guy, apart from the sensei, where the only black belts in the evening class. If no one else joined later on, Heero was facing three orange belts, four greens and only one purple. All in all, there were ten students in the class, including me, and most of them were small kids with ages going from nine to maybe fifteen. So far, so good, Heero supposed, he disliked big groups but ten he could handle.
He'd always been a silent guy… too silent. The psychologist said it was due to the fact that he'd spent too little time with his parents during his childhood… or his entire life for that matter. Being at this place was not about to provoke and exception in him. He just stood there, obeyed to do what he was told to, and never once complained or commented on the activities. He was an automaton. He did notice, however, that the American guy was unstoppable, or at least his mouth. Whenever he was not concentrating on a particular activity, like basics of katas, he just kept blabbering away until he ran out of breath.
When the time came to practice combat, he was first told to wait. The purple belt really needed the practice for his next examination and had to pair up with the other black belt in the room. The rest either paired up on their own or stared at their fellow companions engaged in a rather boring combat… or at least for the black belt, as he was easily blocking and defending while the purple one nearly collapsed within a couple of minutes.
That's precisely when the enmity sprung between the two, because as Heero watched their progress, the American was downright being an asshole. Being the most advanced student in the class, he was a real show-off, and the worst part was that the teacher himself encouraged such behaviour, proud as he was of his star student, kind of like a mother hen. Heero was determined to change that, even if it cost him his life. One of his outstanding characteristics was his over-developed competitive spirit.
Whenever someone was being a prick, just like this guy, no matter how, no matter what, he always set his mind, body and soul to most-gloriously kick the bastard's ass, even if it meant going against the devil himself… okay, maybe it was an exaggeration, but the idea of bringing him down was still firmly secured in his brain.
"Duo" the sensei called out to the offending piece of bum, "let Quatre pair up with Heero now." The sensei pointed towards Heero, standing at a corner of the dojo, silently watching.
Quatre was a nice blond kid with a baby face. He was about fifteen, a couple of years younger than me, and he was kind and fragile-seeming. Heero was almost afraid to break the kid, but still obliged and turned to face him in the middle of the dojo to make the proper salutation. Quatre smiled and Heero simply nodded, as kindly as he could.
Back at his last residence, Heero's mom and dad had hired a private trainer for him. He had been educated in the arts of karate the old-fashioned way, which meant harsh, tough, and sickeningly painful… at least for the first months. After that, he had developed excellent condition, reflexes and elasticity. The lack of time had stopped him from being perfect.
Everyone in there, or at least those who had a better idea of karate combat, noticed that Heero's movements were quick and fluid, contrasting with those still heavy and rather clumsy ones of Quatre. Even Duo, Heero noticed, had somehow stopped his motor-mouth and was watching the battle with great interest. Next to him, the sensei was nearly ecstatic, following closely the outcome with an almost adoring expression. He motioned for the fight to end shortly after it had begun and called for Duo again to face Heero this time. It was his big chance.
Duo's face finally dropped the joker stance and never lost eye contact with Heero when they quickly bowed, or rather nodded quickly, before the match. When they took their own positions, they kept studying each other, never turning sights away afraid of making a mistake that could define the outcome of this fight. As the order was given and they each moved around, biding their own time, tension fell all around, so thick someone could've cut right through it with a knife… or rather an electric chain saw, that thick it was.
When Duo finally decided to deliver the first blow, a well-chosen circular kick, everyone unconsciously let go of the breath they'd all been holding, and gaped with rapt fascination each and every one of the very fluid, very quick movements both guys were performing. The match went pretty even for a while, Duo had obviously been practicing karate for long, just like Heero, entirely dedicating himself to it, and both his offence and defence were amazing.
They both lost track of the time, they had been completely absorbed by the battle, and Heero silently thanked for his excellent condition, or he doubted he would've lasted even the first couple of minutes. This Duo guy, Heero came to realize, was just as competitive as himself, and was really good once he took things seriously.
If karate rules had allowed it, they would've torn each other using only their bare hands… but they didn't, at least not modern karate rules, so serious injuries were out of the question. Basically, they were just showing off their speed, reflexes and strength to the rest.
After a while, the sensei came to his senses and had to put a stop to the match, or maybe blood would be actually spilled, but to tell the truth, he regretted it as much as the rest to see the exhibition come to an end. Both guys parted and bowed in the same fashion as before, and it would take an idiot not to notice that from now on, they were mortal enemies.
When the class ended, after getting changed into regular clothes, Heero saw Duo leave along with Quatre. Right outside the dojo were a couple of guys waiting for them. There was a Chinese one and a tall, green eyed and brown haired guy, who immediately wrapped his arm around Quatre's waist. For a brief, mind-torturing moment, Heero panicked at the thought of the Chinese guy doing the same with Duo, but he didn't, and Heero had to mentally kick himself when he discovered thoughts of that nature running around in his mind. Later on he would discover that, indeed, Quatre and that tall guy, named Trowa, were actually a couple, and that him, along with Wufei, the Chinese dude, also practiced martial arts, but had chosen kung-fu instead.
After looking up at the cloudy sky, Heero sighed and began his lonely walk to a probably lonely house. It was on an opposite direction as the quartet he'd just seen walking away and so he had to content himself by stepping on it, afraid of getting caught in a probable downpour.
After that day, when the match ended even by the way, the sensei generally avoided competitions between Heero and Duo. He was not an idiot and he feared for the sake of his group's union, all for obvious reasons. Instead, he had to settle for pairing them up with the others, pretending he needed help with their teaching.
"We're having an exhibition next month at the nearby park" announced the sensei one day. This meant they had to make something flashy in order to draw attention and potential students to the dojo, and who better to do something spectacular and complicated than Heero and Duo.
Heero had already been there for over three months. He had felt somewhat comfortable, despite Duo's presence, and had decided to stay and share some time with people who shared his same passion rather than remaining a loner with only his private teacher to "talk" to. Yes, the rivalry continued, as it was expected, reaching yet another level when Heero had found out Duo attended the same high school as him. It was no surprise they each tried to make each other's lives miserable whenever they had the chance, and it was no secret either that if they were left alone, they'd probably kill themselves given the chance.
However, be that as it may, karate lessons were generally given without major disturbance and problems really began when Duo and Heero were asked to do a number for the exhibition. The sensei had given up in trying to make peace between the two and had decided to go for a more arbitrary position of "they can handle themselves" when interaction between the two was unavoidable.
Duo kept telling Heero off with that unstoppable mouth of his and Heero occasionally poked at Duo with the pole they used for rehearsing. Both hit each other a lot and gave death stares to the opponent that would scare the wits out of anyone. It was a big relief for everyone when classes were over and they each took separate ways home, Duo never failing to notice now Heero was always silent and alone, both there and at school.
Still, considering the trouble they went through to get their number for the exhibition right, it went rather well and smoothly the big day and the audience was awed beyond reality by their stunning rehearsed battle. All of Duo's friends had assisted, and cheered loudly whenever he pulled a stunt. Heero had naturally invited his parents, but as usual they couldn't go. His hopes were never high, but he'd told them, just for the sake of it. At the end, when everyone emptied the place, he was left alone, sitting at a bench.
Passer-by barely spared a glance at him and little by little the sky became grey, promising rain. Heero was just looking down at the ground, oblivious of his surroundings.
"What are you doing here?"
He lifted his head when a familiar voice cut him out of his musings. Standing right before him was no other that Duo Maxwell himself, changed back into regular, black clothes and holding a sports bag on a shoulder.
"None of your business" answered Heero scathingly.
Duo lifted and eyebrow and looked around the place. The park was slowly filling up with couples while the sun steadily lowered itself. He turned towards Heero once more. "Are you waiting for someone?" he asked.
"I have no one to wait for" Heero stated, cold as ice.
"Mind if I take a seat?" Duo pointed towards the empty space next to Heero on the bench. Heero just shrugged and Duo dropped the sports bag to a side before letting himself drop nonchalantly close by. He leaned back and placed an arm on the bench's back, opposite Heero, of course.
"Aren't you going home?" he insisted.
"What happened to your admirers?" responded Heero.
"My… what?"
"Don't pretend you're modest now, it doesn't suit you"
Duo let a soft laugh escape his lips. It was the first time Heero heard that and he discovered it was an enticing sound. He had failed to notice before, busy as he was hating Duo and trying to make his life impossible, but Duo's voice was actually choir worth.
"Well, everyone's gone now… I felt like being on my own for a while" answered Duo while he looked up at the sky. "You still haven't answered my question."
"I don't want to go home" said Heero returning his gaze to the floor.
"Aren't your folks waiting for you?"
"No, they're not home"
"Where are they?"
Heero turned to look at Duo. For a while the other guy turned to look at him as well and held his gaze for as long as he could. He then realized he was being nosy and that his mortal rival wasn't about to answer. However…
"They've gone away on a business trip"
Were his ears deceiving him? Heero had actually engaged in conversation with him, and a civilized conversation nonetheless. Why was he answering? Neither had a good chance of guessing than anyone else. It was surely an unexpected turn of events to be together without being at each other's throats.
Duo sighed heavily. The time was warm, like every other summer night, and only a light breeze cooled them from time to time. All the while, Heero kept staring unblinkingly at the floor, still unable to believe this was really happening. He only made a move when Duo left the bench and disappeared behind some trees.
He only gave Heero few time to wonder what had made him leave so unexpectedly, leaving behind his bag, when he returned from where he had disappeared to carrying two large ice cream cones. He stopped right in front of Heero and smiled.
"Chocolate or vanilla?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"I wasn't really sure of which did you prefer, so choose, which one do you want?"
Heero hesitated for a while. The wild idea of food-poisoning-caused death made a mad dance around his thoughts and he had to push it off-stage. "Chocolate"
"Heh! I knew it!"
He handed Heero his ice cream and returned to his seat. They just stayed there, silently sipping on it, comfortable for the first time in their lives with each other's presence. Any one looking their direction would think they were life long friends relaxing after a hard day of school.
"Would you like me to give you a ride home?" asked Duo once he had swallowed the last bit of his cone. It was now dark and the lampposts every few meters away illuminated the place with orange light. Crickets were heard in the background and right before them a couple parade was on.
"I… well I…" Heero tried hard to articulate coherent words, but the offering was the last thing he'd expect from Duo… or at least top five in the long list of the last things he'd expect from Duo.
"Come on."
Duo stood up and motioned Heero to follow him. Heero had no option but to stand and walk right next to Duo in search for his car, a red Mini. Making themselves comfortable on the front, Heero gave Duo some quick instructions of how to make his way towards the other side of town in order to take the shortest route to his house.
They talked about themselves, in one last attempt to be civilized, and learned a lot of new things from the other. Duo told Heero his parents were American, just like him, but he had bugged them forever to let him go to England to continue his studies. He was currently living alone in a small apartment near the dojo.
Heero, in return, told him about his constant loneliness. He told Duo how his parents both worked in communications and at the same company, making them be always away in one business trip or another. They had always tried miserably to make it up to him by giving him a rather lavish life he had never really been comfortable with. At this point, Heero couldn't help but to notice Duo's expressions softened and resembled an almost sad expression.
"Turn left here, my house is the blue one on the corner"
Duo followed Heero's instructions and parked right in front of the garden. He also walked Heero up to his door and waited until Heero had stopped fidgeting with the keys and opened it.
"Thank you" Heero said, "good night."
Duo looked deep into Heero's Prussian eyes, wanting to say something and painfully restraining himself. Instead, out of nowhere, he leaned down and gave Heero what was unmistakably a light, quick kiss on his soft, full lips. He backed away a step, eyeing Heero nervously, expecting something like a punch.
Heero's eyes were round as plates for a moment and he took a hand up to his lips, shocked after what had just happened. He traced a finger on his bottom lip and swallowed.
"Would you like to come inside?" he just said.
XXX XXX XXX
A/N: Well, yes, I know… it really was a short, cheesy fic, but I had to get it out of my system before it clogged up my ideas for the rest of my fics. It is actually the result of personal fantasising, extreme boredom and nothing better to do, or rather something better to do, just not wanting to do it. It just so happens I had a notebook and a pencil quite close to me and my subconscious did the rest resulting in what you just read. I was even lazy enough not to add lemon parts, just to make the story a bit more worthwhile. Probably it's too much to ask, but could you please review? Maybe if I get enough reviews asking for it, I might add a second chapter full of lemoniness... If I were like Quatre I'd pull a puppy-look on you, but since I'm not, I will resort to the more conventional method of begging… :'(
See ya!