Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Burning Water ❯ Chapter 2b ( Chapter 2 )

Burning Water (2b/?)

Author: care

Archive: http://www.fanfiction.net (when it's working =_=) If you'd like to archive my fic (aka my precious baby), please leave your e-mail and a note in a review and I'll get back ta ya.

Category: Light romance, general, humor?

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: language. Much language. And OOC Fei-chan (in the form of semi-domesticated!Wufei). Oh yeah… beware of the rabid run-on sentences. And the slightly evil fragments.

Spoilers: none really.

Obligatory disclaimer: not mine. pout.

Notes: College fic. Somewhat OOC Hee-chan and somewhat OOC Wu-chan fic. Light 1+2/2+1, 5+2/2+5. I promise nothin' more than leering and smoochies.

Feedback: please sir, could I have s'more?

However, he was still bone tired and was in no mood to go to the local grocery store and be ogled and drooled over (what, you really thought he didn't notice? He was a gundam pilot for Chrissakes, he knew what was going on around him).

A small smile playing on his lips, he phoned the grocery deliver boy and placed his orders.

"Hi. I'd like to order a triple fudge cake, a gallon of milk, and a box of Chocolate Puff cereal."

He really had wanted to make a cake for his best friend.

Really.

But screw it - he was fucking tired.

…

And it was onna's work anyway.

+++

Duo Maxwell, sprawled on his bed with his hands crossed behind his head, twiddled with his braid. Leisurely, he smiled up at Heero Yuy, who stood in front of him armed with a bucket of cleaning supplies, and brandishing with utmost self-dignity a toilet-bowl brush.

Releasing his braid with a gentle toss, Duo said very simply, "No."

Brushing off Heero, he examined his fingernails and flicked off specks of imaginary whatever-the-hell-he-was-flicking-off-anyway in the most annoying manner that he could come up with.

Unflinching, the messy-haired boy that some deemed to be the Father of Peace and the Heart of the Universe, replied with just as simple an answer (though it could also be accurately termed a demand) - "Yes."

"No." Fick flick.

"Yes." A tick started to form on the ex-Perfect Soldier's forehead.

"No." Flick flick flick.

"Yes." Tick tick tick tick.

"No." Flick flick flick flick.

"Yes." Tick tick tick. "And damn it, Maxwell, stop that incessant flicking!" [0]

"Fine."

Flicking stops.

Ticking stops.

"... No."

"Yes."

"No. You wanna clean up the joint bathroom well, that's your choice. But you are not dragging me over there."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No. I mean, why me? And furthermore, on that matter, why us? The janitor will clean it, and anyway, you're not in charge. Everyone on the entire west wing of this floor has rights to that dinky bathroom, and therefore responsibilities, yes, I know that. But I clean after myself after I do my 'little thing.' Finite. The end. No encores, please. I mean, I like a clean bathroom, I do, but that doesn't mean I wanna spend this whole afternoon cleaning for one. Nor does it not mean that I'm going to be emptying out those little bathroom-trashcans full of onna-private-monthly-yucky-things." [1]

"I'll do that."

"Okay. Good for you."

"But you'll be washing out the toilet bowl."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes. You're not busy anyway."

"Ah, but 'Fei's picking me up today to eat a nice dinner to celebrate a few… things. So, once you move your little tush out the room, I can get ready for my little date."

Heero's eyes flashed.

Oddly enough, the tick came back.

Tick tick tick "Date?"

"Not really a date date, but yeah."

Heero's eyes squinted some more until widening comically.

"No."

"Exactly. No to cleaning the bathroom. Now, if you excuse me, I've got to get read-"

"No."

"What now?"

"Hn."

"I thought we got past that word."

"Hn."

"Damn it, Yuy, what the hell?"

"You are not going to be going out with Chang. You will be staying here with me, cleaning the restroom - as dictated by necessity, mind you - and then you will stay here with me and clean the storage rooms too."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"God damn it, Heero, you fucking neat-freak! I'm not cleaning any damn restrooms or any damn storage rooms today, got it? I'm going out to eat with 'Fei."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Well, up yours, Yuy."

<a door slam>

<something hits the door>

Heero stood there, uncertain of what the hell just went on, watching indifferently as the toilet-bowl brush that he was previously holding bounced off the door and lay innocently on the floor.

Idly he noted that Duo was indeed right, throwing things was a good way to loosen up all of his tension.

He sighed.

And what exactly was that anyway? What in the world compelled him to act like a freaking toddler?

He sighed again.

Running a hand through his hair, he muttered a soft, "… no."

+++

He guessed in some ways he had become used to his partner during the war. He was used to finding wet towels and clothing sprawled everywhere, used to finding chestnut hair clogging the drains, used to the sight of a loaded gun in the refrigerator - Duo had always had a knack for hiding ammunition in mayonnaise jars - hell, he was usually able to know exactly where the Braided Baka was, 24/7 in spite of the hyper boy's spontaneity.

Or perhaps it was the boy's calculated spontaneity that made it easy for him to get used to?

… Never mind. Duo's psyche was too confusing a thing to deal with today.

It's just sufficient to say that Heero was used to Duo.

And he knew that Duo was used to Heero - the way that Duo would be able to hand Heero a wrench before he asked for it, the way that Duo knew Heero didn't like raspberries and was actually allergic to peanuts, the way that Duo always saved those little Maraschino cherries from his canned fruit cocktails for Heero because they were the stoic boy's favorite… well, Duo knew a lot about Heero.

And Heero thought he knew a lot about Duo too.

Maybe he was wrong.

Maybe he was just used to Duo, maybe he didn't know Duo at all.

Heero wanted to know Duo. His analytical nature didn't let the little things like the scar on Duo's left palm, the coconut smell of the boy's shampoo, or the very-rarely-seen silver cross that Duo wore at all times get past him, but that was all just physical. Anybody could know that. But Heero wanted to know what Duo was made of, what was Duo's favorite flavor of ice-cream, what Duo thought of World War II, his stand on Vietnam, what was the best way to disarm a guy without injuring him first. He wanted to talk about the feeling that one got preparing to push the self-destruct button, wanted to know why someone so full of life would call himself the God of Death anyway. In short, he wanted to be Duo's best friend because somehow Duo was just one of those people that you want to be best friends with if only just because he never tried to be one of those people.

And Heero had thought that he'd have time to unravel the seemingly huge secrets of Duo's being after the war and after peace had finally been achieved.

'Cause they'd be best friends in every sense of the word by then.

And maybe, he had dared to hope during nearly-impossible missions, they'd be even more.

Even lovers, maybe.

He'd forgotten about his dream of love for a while, but he had held on to his dream of friendship.

Yep, they'd definitely be, at the least, the best of friends.

And maybe Heero was wrong.

Because now that he reflected, Chang seemed to be used to Duo too.

Chang also seemed to know that Duo's favorite color wasn't black but lemon yellow. Chang also seemed to know that Duo's favorite book was Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Chang also seemed to know that Duo owned mint and first edition Harry Potter books that dated from the 21st century…

Chang also seemed to know a lot about Duo.

He also seemed to know a lot about what was under the mask.

Maybe more so than Heero.

Maybe Chang knew why Duo still wore his pastor-garb, why Duo's smile was always a tad too wide, why Duo always seemed to see the rain as heaven-sent and malicious at the same time.

'Cause Heero didn't know.

Maybe even though Heero and Duo had bonded over some html-coding and a few hacking jobs, Duo and Chang's close-to-death encounter also served as quality bonding time.

Nothing like near-suffocation to form a foundation of friendship, ne?

Ne?

Ne?

So maybe Heero did know why he had acted like a three-year-old and a forty-year-old mom at the same time - he was jealous.

The last time that he and the Braided One had cleaned a bathroom, Heero had finally understood that no matter how much Duo talked, he never seemed to talk about himself. And at the same time, he had learned that Duo's favorite fruit was mangoes, which was also the first fruit that he had ever tasted when he first landed on Earth, that Duo didn't like anime story lines as much the art itself, that Duo thought that Li Syaoran from the old anime/manga Cardcaptor Sakura was 'kawaii' and kinda reminded him of a guy named Solo - fiercely loyal, determined, spitfire but gentle.

That Duo also wanted a magic sword like 'Syao-chan's'.

Heero hadn't been sure what to make of that statement at the time. It could have been clear-cut innuendo because of the 'lusty' wink that accompanied it if not for the bittersweet look of muted childhood fancies that was in those violet eyes at the same time.

The truth was that Heero didn't know what to make of Duo a lot of times. Sometimes Duo was blatantly flirting, other times Heero would dismiss it as being paranoid and heartsick like a stupid swooning teenager, and a lot of times Heero didn't know.

A lot of times Heero felt awkward and relieved when Duo left to pester Chang because that allowed precious time for Heero to analyze past conversations and decide if he had made an idiot of himself or not.

Thus he had learned that "hn" was often a very wise choice of… word to answer many questions.

But now he wasn't so sure if that gratitude and relief had been placed right.

Sure, Heero knew that he'd changed a lot from his usual one-word self.

But really? That was only when Duo was around.

If it were just him, he'd probably be just a two-word self.

Instead, he was now a four-word self. Well, not that word.

Too often anyway.

Where were we…

Heero had become a lot more talkative.

A lot more open.

But only around Duo.

He'd admit it - when he had seen Duo at the doorway, grinning widely as Heero himself had been eating Duo's sandwich, all the dreams of pure Duo that Heero'd had during missions popped back up and love and lust and general hormonal thoughts crowded into his head, pushing out such useless thoughts as molecular structures and how much the cost of milk had gone up.

But reality was always scarier than dreams and Heero had found himself afraid.

But he hadn't let himself back down this time - he forced himself to change.

Talked a bit more.

Smirked a bit more.

Even had - be still his heart and he meant it, damn it, no one's around if he were to go into cardiac arrest - groped at the object of his affections a bit.

So far, so good, he thought when Duo didn't punch his lights out.

Duo had been willing to drop the mask for a full night, while holding Heero, sleeping in the same bed as Heero, and then waking up with a freaking adorable smile for Heero.

So far, so damn good, he thought.

He'd thought.

Past tense.

No longer.

But that was all right, Heero wasn't one to give up.

And yet, for some reason, Heero still felt that he had been punched in the gut.

No matter that it had already been two and a half-hours since Duo had stormed out and since Heero had chucked a toilet-bowl brush at the door.

No matter that he hadn't been hit with anything but the idea that maybe he and Duo weren't that close after all.

Unthinking, he rubbed his stomach.

[0] sounds like Wufei, ne?

[1] okay, I like that I seem to be able to write Wufei well (but should I be scared that I seem to be able to write a chauvinist and at times pig-headed to laughable extremes scholar well? o_o), but I'm really not liking this whole write-Wufei-when-it's-another's-lines-damnit-thing going on. X_x

AN: so here's un-betaed-because-my-beta's-in-China-and-not-replying-to-my-mail-chapter 2b, which is also undeniably short. Hn. Oh well.

This chapter's Hee-chan is totally different from the other parts, huh? Ah screw it. For some reason, I just wanted to change the way I was writing him in bw, but now he just sounds like a simpering, whimpering fool. >_<

Athame~! Where the hell are you? And get yourself near some internet connection already!

Thanks to:

Ryoko-onee: I haven't decided if it's going to be 5+2 or 1+2 in the end yet… which do you prefer? I've always thought that both pairings are justified in the sense that they have pretty good chemistry.

Mikka (K-chan: I always thought Duo-chan would always be a little prone to things that go boom… I'm glad you think so too!

Athame: how's China? Screw the lemony freshness. Write! Me! Or! I! Will! Sic! Katie's! Bunnies! (the dead one included) On! You!

Duo/Folken/TK: hmm… paint the teacher's car pink? Nice! Maybe…

Kelp Soda: I've always liked writing romantic comedy but this keeps on slipping to fluff… argh.

shireoki: thanks!

Queen Of Vegetasei: yes, I am the retired princess of one liners. ^_^

Kinomoto Sakura: Wuffie would like say that the green glow is what packs in the flavor…

chibi-akuma: no, burning water doesn't imply bad cooking skills (and I'm sure that you're gourmet worthy). ^_~ um… who exactly is shamen flamingo?