Disclaimer: I lay claim only to my family, cat, house and car.
I'm glad you guys are still around. You are….still around, right? Hope so. Enjoy!
Rascal
Chapter 9
"I….don't think so."
"Why not?"
"No."
Milliardo looked down at the calm man sitting at his desk flipping through a trade magazine. He had two reasons for asking Heero to dinner and he was leery about revealing either, but the firmer Heero's stance was against having dinner with him, the more it became clear to Milliardo that he'd have to show at least part of his hand to win this game.
"Alright, fine. The truth is Rascal won't shut up and I think it's your fault. I think he…..misses you."
Heero's hand stopped mid page turn and he stared at his desk for a few moments. I am not hearing this. Is he trying to pull some kind of prank? Heero looked up and saw Milliardo leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and head down. As if hearing Heero's silent questions he looked up and Heero was stunned to see pale blue eyes screaming of desperation. He's serious. I'll be damned. He had hoped his exposure to freakish felines was done once he left Milliardo's apartment earlier that week.
"Are you inviting me to have dinner……with your cat?"
"No, of course not!"
Milliardo threw his arms up in a gesture of frustration as he pushed off the wall and began pacing the small office a few times before turning to face the suspicious cerulean eyes following his every move.
"Just…..come over. If he shuts up, then I'll have my answer. But I wouldn't just ask you to stop by. I thought the least I could do was offer you dinner."
Come on, Heero, just say yes. Have dinner with me, damn it!
Heero sat there and stared at his magazine, not seeing anything as he contemplated Milliardo's offer. I can believe that freakish excuse for a cat is driving him crazy. But…because of me? That's stupid! But the more Heero thought about the strange cat that compelled people to talk to it, the more he found himself willing to help Milliardo out. Damn it.
"Alright. I'll come over."
Milliardo smiled, but made sure not to look too triumphant. Instead, he let the breath out he was holding and his shoulders sagged with relief. Step 1: check.
"Thank you, Heero. What night will be good for you?"
Heero scoffed at the perfectly normal and polite question. Like I have anything else to do. But I want to get this over with so the sooner the better.
"Tomorrow?"
"Sure."
"See ya then."
Heero stood up and headed for the door that led into the main garage area, not turning back to say another word to Milliardo. But the blonde didn't care about the wordless exit. He'd accomplished what he came to do: get Heero to spend some time with him outside of a bar. I don't want to be the drinking buddy. I want to be more than that.
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Milliardo walked in the front door and he heard Rascal meowing at the top of his little kitty cat lungs before he even appeared. He sighed and answered the feline in a tired voice.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
"Wow."
"Told you."
Milliardo and Heero deposited their jackets in the foyer and Milliardo continued back to his bedroom while Heero just stood on the precipice of the living room.
Meow.
Heero saw the black cat with white socks padding up to him.
"Hey there."
Rascal sat at Heero's feet and the two just stared at each other for a few silent moments as Heero questioned his sanity. Why am I still talking to a cat? And what's with the look? Just as Heero was about to step past the cat and sit down, Rascal launched himself in the air and by instinct alone Heero caught the cat against his body.
Meow.
Rascal, who had his paws resting on Heero's shoulders as if giving him a hug, leaned in and began licking his cheek.
"Jeez."
Milliardo emerged from his bedroom to find Heero looking very annoyed as he hugged Rascal to him and tolerated the cat's affections.
"Well, I guess that answers my question."
Milliardo shrugged and turned towards the kitchen to start cooking dinner, leaving Heero to fend off the affections of Rascal. Confident that he wouldn't be found out, Milliardo let a triumphant smile show as he began to prepare dinner.
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"I have OZ to thank for my shop."
The simple unexpected statement caused Milliardo to choke a bit on the food in his mouth and he reached for his drink, sipping and coughing intermittently while casting glances at the man sitting across from him who didn't seem fazed by his statement or Milliardo's reaction.
Milliardo finally cleared his throat and met Heero's gaze which seemed to be waiting for a verbal response and not just a physical one.
"They never were very good bookkeepers."
Heero smirked and Milliardo returned the gesture before dropping his head again and continuing with his dinner to conceal his smile. I thought Heero accepting my dinner invitation was a major victory, but for him to reveal something so personal….without any prompting……
"Cut it out."
Milliardo's head shot up at the stern warning from the man across from him, thinking he'd somehow given himself away but he soon realized it wasn't him Heero was addressing. Milliardo's lips slowly curved upwards into a lopsided grin as he watched Heero try to politely push Rascal away from under the table with his foot. Rascal seemed fairly determined to stay right where he was however, opting to wrap his front paws around Heero's ankle in an effort to stay with the man.
"He's really quite fond of you. Why don't you take him home with you?"
Milliardo chuckled at the positively murderous glare being aimed at him from across the table.
"This is all your fault, Peacecraft."
"My fault?"
"If you hadn't brought me here in the first place---"
"You wouldn't tell me where you lived."
"You should have just left me alone."
"Really, Heero? Is that what you really wanted? To be left alone?"
Heero's face suddenly went slack and Milliardo saw the briefest of color in his cheeks before Heero bowed his head and suddenly became very fascinated with his half-eaten dinner. Milliardo thought he'd just ruined dinner, cursing himself for saying something so bold to the restrained brunette. But how else am I supposed to get through to him?
As the pair sat and continued their dinner, the sounds of silverware clinking against ceramic mixed with the shuffling sounds of feet fighting against furry beast with the occasional growl thrown in for color. And just when Milliardo was about to attempt to start up the conversation again, Heero's quiet voice sounded.
"I'm glad you didn't leave me alone."
Milliardo thought to say something, just a little snippet to let Heero know he appreciated the admission and to let him know he wanted more out of their relationship than just drinks, but thought better of it and opted to just nod instead before getting up to get another drink from the fridge. One step at a time, Milliardo. One step at a time…..
To be continued…..
Note: Was that short? It seemed short to me after proofing. Didn't seem that short in Word. Oh well.
And just for the record: Yes, my Baxter actually will jump right up onto your chest like that. Sometimes without making eye contact first and it will scare the mess out of you, believe you me.