Fan Fiction / Zoids Fan Fiction ❯ Out of the Closet ❯ Part II ( Chapter 2 )

Out of the Closet

Part II

A Zoid Fic

By: Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins

Rated: PG, for slash, J/B! H/L?

Disclaimer: Zoids and it's characters, Jamie, Bit, Leena, Brad, Doctor Toros, and Harry do not belong to me, unfortunately or else I'd be rich, so you better think twice about suing me!

Summary: Harry makes the biggest mistake of his life. He follows Bit's advice!

(AN: Aww, I really love Harry! I just love to give him a hard time even more! Harry and Leena may be a bit out of character for this, just deal with it!)



Bit found Harry standing outside the closed bathroom door. The man was almost in a catatonic state. He was foaming at the mouth.

"Harry? What are you doing hanging out at the bathroom? It's Leena's shower time, you'll just have to wait like everyone else." Bit said.

Harry twitched spasmodically. "I know!"

Bit rolled his eyes when he realized that the Champ chump was fantasizing about Leena naked in the shower. "That's just sick, Harry."

Bit left the drooling rich boy in the hallway and shook his head. He was feeling much better and wished that the Doc would let him fight in the day's battle. But Doc wanted to be certain and give him a few extra days of rest. So Harry stayed on, much to the lug's delight and to Leena's aggravation. He threw look over his shoulder at Harry who could be heard muttering the phrase, "So close and yet so far…" Bit had to admit he felt sorry for the guy.

He turned back and came to a stop next to Harry.

"You alright, Harry?" He asked.

Harry sighed heavily. "Do you know what it's like to have your heart kept at bay for all time? To know what you want but to have it stay just out of reach no matter how hard you try?" And Harry sighed morosely again.

Bit put his hand on Harry's shoulder, feeling for the guy. "Maybe you're just trying too hard. If you try to play hard to get, you might get a whole different kind of response."

Harry brightened and actually smiled at Bit. Cloud had to smile back.

"You really think so?" Harry asked and he glanced at the doorway to bliss.

Bit nodded. "Leena's got a hard head. She thinks she doesn't have to work at getting guys to like her. You've been doing all the work and look at what it's gotten you… nothing. Let her work for a change. You're the man destined to be king, after all. She should be after you."

Harry's eyes sparkled. "You know something? You're actually right for a change, Bit!" Harry seemed to have taken a liking to Bit once he found out the Lyger warrior was no longer a source of competition, at least for Leena that is. "I shouldn't have to bust my balls for her! I'll make her run to me! She'll come crawling to my door, begging for my attentions! Hahahahaha!" He strutted off laughing maniacally. Bit smirked; this was going to be worth watching.

They won the battle against the Fuzzy Panda's team, even with Harry's help. The Doc had a big celebration dinner planned for them that evening. Leena put on the finishing touches to her outfit. She had to dress for success after all and she couldn't disappoint her admirers, though those numbers seemed to distressingly be on the downward slide. Well, she gazed at her perfect face once more in the mirror. She was just going to have to make Harry swoon so much that he'll forget to eat to make up for her dwindling fanclub. She batted her eyes. Yes, Harry'd be putty in her hands.

She was late to the table and coughed to get everyone's attention. They glanced in her direction and shrugged, then returned to scarfing down the food on the table. She gritted her teeth at the lack of drooling. Leena stared at Harry who didn't drool at all. He was scarfing down his portion just as if she wasn't standing right beside him looking her best. How dare he! She glared at him and forced Brad who was sitting next to him to move aside. An upset Leena sat between Harry and Brad.

Harry didn't even look at his new neighbor and that pissed Leena off more. She shoved food into her mouth while shooting angry sidelong glances at the head of the Champ team who seemed to be suddenly and unforgivably giving her the cold shoulder.

Bit and Jamie were on the other side of the table, helping themselves to whatever was on their partner's plate. Bit watched Leena's reaction to Harry following his advice. So far so good. Leena was the kind to notice lack of attention right away. The only thing was he didn't know how she was going to react to it. He supposed he should have warned Harry that she might react negatively to suddenly being scorned but he didn't think he could rain on Harry's parade at the time. The guy had looked so hopeful then.

Jamie watched too and whispered to his lover, "What's with Harry all of a sudden?"

Bit whispered back, "Harry's playing hard to get."

Jamie blinked. "You're kidding, right?"

Bit shook his head and Jamie mouthed the word `oh.' The two of them watched with interest to see if Harry would succeed or not.

Sebastian brought a hot cherry pie to the table and stepped back to let the diners admire it accordingly.

"Wow, Sebastian, Benjamin! You guys are great cooks!" Brad said appreciatively. Jamie sweat dropped. No one complimented HIS cooking and he was the only one who cooked for the Blitz team. He chewed the roast with aggression. He felt a hand suddenly rub his back and looked over to see Bit smiling sweetly and understandingly at him. Jamie cheered up somewhat and found himself looking forward to the pie.

But Leena grabbed it away from the robot and heaved it at Harry who was too startled to duck in time. The pie was pressed squarely into his face as everyone looked on in amazement. Brad sighed.

"It used to look good enough to eat." He said sadly.

"HOT! HOT! HOT!" Harry jumped up and screamed at the torment of a hot, fresh pie hanging off his face. Harry ran off.

Everyone looked over at a glowering Leena who stomped off to her room. Then everyone sighed.

"My pie!" Sebastian whimpered.

Brad grimaced at the mess. "Who's going to clean this up?"

"Not me!" Bit said.

"You can bet Leena's not going to volunteer." Jamie sighed and snatched a potato off of Bit's plate.

"I guess that we'll have to." Benjamin replied sadly and started to mop up the trail of pie Harry left.

Jamie was relieved. He was usually the one who got to clean up as well as cook and was afraid he'd have to do so again. But he wasn't going to argue with the robots. It was nice to have sort of have a vacation from taking care of the cooking and cleaning and pretty much all the household duties to keep the Blitz base running smoothly. Jamie the homebody, pathetic, he knew, but it was a living.

Harry was wiping off the last of the pie from his face in the bathroom and then looked into the mirror. His cheeks were slightly red having been scalded from the edible missile. He frowned. That hadn't gone as planned. What had gone wrong? Maybe he just wasn't doing it right. Leena should have been eating out of his hand, not force-feeding him. This was going to be harder than he thought. He'd never played hard to get before.

Someone knocked on the door and Harry hesitated to answer. Leena could be on the other side with a gatlin gun for all he knew.

"Harry, it's Bit." And Harry sighed in relief.

He let Bit in. Bit leaned up against the sink counter. "Well, that didn't go very well."

"Tell me about it! Now my favorite face is going to be blistered by this evening!" Harry whined. "Who's going to be attracted to a face full of blisters?"

"Oh, come on, Harry. You don't look THAT bad." Bit grinned and winked at Harry who paled even through his reddened face. He backed up and sweat dropped as Bit walked slowly towards him in a flirtatious way.

"Bit, what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, I'm just messing with you, Harry. You take everything so friggin seriously!" Bit sighed and quit playing with Harry's mind.

Harry slowly exhaled. "Jeeze. What'd you do that for?"

"Getting you used to the unexpected. With Leena, you have to expect the unexpected."

Harry looked thoughtful. "I think I understand." He nodded. "Just don't do that again!"

Bit smiled and almost laughed. "You need to relax, seriously, bud." Bit left Harry alone to brood.

Leena was very unpredictable, Harry knew. One time she sent back a very fat envelope full of his love letters he'd sent with postage due. Another time, she'd sent him a real rose, which he'd been thrilled to receive. Then he'd stuck himself with a thorn and didn't realize she'd coated the stem with sleeping potion. He'd been knocked out for a few hours and woke up with a hell of a headache.

She was a regular firecracker. He knew that. But what he didn't know was the way to her heart.

After a while, someone else was pounding on the bathroom door.

"Come ON! SOME of us have to use the TOILET! Who's in there?" Shouted an angry Leena through the door.

Trapped! Harry panicked. I can't let her see my face look this way! He thought. Harry grabbed a towel from the wrack and threw it over his head. Then he opened the door and hurried past a bewildered looking Leena. Who was that masked man? She wondered.

That was too close! Harry thought, wheezing as he finally came into the relative safety of his room. He slid to the floor feeling depressed. How was he supposed to make Leena his queen if he was running away from her?

The next day, they were all sitting around in the circular sitting room, Harry sat with Brad and the Doc. Bit and Jamie were holding hands and Leena were sitting on the other side. Leena scowled at Harry who tried very hard not to notice.

"Say, Brad. How's your fox?" Harry said uncomfortably making idiotic small talk.

"Dandy, thanks." Brad had his arms slung across the back of the couch with his legs habitually crossed and a bored look that always seemed to go wherever the mercenary went.

"Bit, you should be well enough for the next battle so you could join in. And the Lyger's in top condition." Doc was saying. He smiled over at Harry. "We want to really thank you, Harry. We know how close you are to the S-Class and how you put your goal on hold in order to help us out. We'll be sure you'll get all your personal points and some of our team points given to the Champ team as well as a sixth of the prize money."

"Thanks, Doc. But, I was working on another goal while I was here." Harry said. And failed miserably at it, he thought sadly.

Doc shrugged. "Be that as it may, you'll still get what's coming to you, Harry. You have our teams undying thanks!"

Harry nodded and his smile faltered and he looked away. He was being sent away. He'd never gotten to be with his Leena the way he wanted. Tears wanted to well up but he pushed them back and remained uncommonly silent as the Doc droned on. He'd leave after the Doc was finished saying whatever it was he thought was so important. After it was clear the Doc was finished, he got up without saying anything and went to see if Sebastian and Benjamin finished his packing. He had to get out of there.

Leena watched Harry's emotion's play an obvious procession across his face during the Doc's one-sided conversation. He'd seemed to be depressed for most of the time he was with them. He hadn't been chasing after her as usual and after she had gotten over the aggravation of being ignored, decided that something must be wrong with Harry and her anger melted away into concern. She got up and left her team members to follow Harry.

She found him in the spare room he had occupied orchestrating his robots in the final stages of pack up.

"Harry?" Leena asked in the doorway.

Harry Champ turned suddenly, surprised to have Leena of all people to see him off. He stared at her but had nothing to say.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked concerned.

Harry shrugged and the dejected look never left his face. "There's something wrong with me. I try too hard and I get nowhere. I stop trying and I get nowhere. I just don't know what's wrong with me."

Leena blinked. It was one of the few times he spoke honestly and openly to her without sounding like an idiot. She thought she understood now. He looked so downtrodden. Beaten, was the word she was trying to grasp. She had done this to him, she suddenly realized. Twisted and manipulated him so he didn't and couldn't know which way was up. She had a momentary shocking since of clarity that rarely happens to anyone and when it does happen, it only happens once in a lifetime. God, he really loved her, but he had no idea how to express it and she wasn't helping matters in the least. She suddenly felt guilty and she didn't like that at all. But she supposed Harry felt worse.

She stepped up next to Harry who jerked back, preparing to flee if she decided to inflict violence upon him. But she placed her hands on either side of his cheeks that had lost their blisters and pulled his head close to hers. And she kissed him on the lips, lingering and feeling slightly light headed at the contact. When she released him, he had a shocked and blank look on his face that was almost comical, but she knew that he had enjoyed it greatly and she smiled and walked out.

But, before she left, she said over her shoulder, "Thanks for helping us, Harry."

A speechless pair of robots was left to try to resuscitate their companion. That hadn't been bad at all, Leena mused and felt her guilt dissipate into thin air.