Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Seventh Heaven ❯ Emotions Check ( Chapter 12 )

Title: Emotions Check

Series: Seventh Heaven

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: 1+2

Warnings: Duo POV, AU (our time)

Archive: Lev's Lair

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Disclaimer: I tried tracing the GW boys so I could kidnap them, but hey, they're the professionals. So currently, I'm still at the tracing part. So of course they don't belong to me. I don't own the movie 'The Mask' either.

Thanks to Dark Tenchi for beta-ing efforts! ^^

Seeing the familiar wooden door, I reach into my side pocket. I'm usually a pretty cautious guy, so you can imagine my shock when I didn't hear the tinkling of my metal keys. Immediately, my other hand fishes around in the left pocket. I sigh in relief when the keys magically turn up.

With a bit of fumbling with the lock, I manage to get the damn door to open. Tossing my backpack god knows where, I all but flopped onto the living room couch, propping my feet up on the table before it. Feeling the fan's breeze, my irritation fades away. A little. A teeny, weenie, itsy bit.

But really, I think I'm entitled to being aggravated today.

When I got to school this morning, Marie and Sylvia kept trading glances and peeking at me. That was fine, cause I understand that some girl secrets can't be shared with guys, no matter how close you are. Uh huh, so I let that slide. A few classes later, they still giggled and blushed when I came within their line of vision. I already had a bad premonition about that; when girls have that reaction, it probably means a) they caught you getting intimate with someone, b) they have a crush on you, c) they've just read some silly girl magazine gushing about love and you've proven something printed in the magazine. A fourth option probably exists, but it exists only in the internal logic plains of females.

When lunch hour came around, we sat at the same table like we always do. I had wanted to avoid them actually, but Marie dragged me forcibly to the table. She has a damn good grip despite her diminutive stature. Anyway, as soon as my bum touched the bench, the barrage of questions started coming at me at a pace that would rival a machine gun.

Apparently, Marie had seen me yesterday. At night. When I was about to have dinner. With Heero.

Crap.

Trust me. When girls, especially Marie and Sylvia, get hold of material like that, they won't stop bugging you until they get the answers they want. Either that, or when the school bully overhears the conversation.

Yeah, it just so happened that that friggin' bastard Mueller was passing by, and yes, he heard us talking. I can stand him taunting me about my long hair that I keep in a braid, my femme looks that have misled quite a number of guys, my skin that does not get tanned no matter what… All of that, I can tolerate. After so many years of being in the same school as him, I'm already somewhat immune to those taunts. Besides, the insults he hurls are the run-of-the-mill type, too clichéd. And if he had stayed that way, everything would have been fine and dandy.

But no~! His creative juices just had to kick in today. My god… lunch hour escalated and became 'Pick on little Duo' hour.

I can only hope that thinking up of all these new insults has permanently killed his brain cells.

Of course, I might have done him a favour by countering nearly every one of those gibes with a smart-ass remark or two. That guy absolutely does not deserve his brain cells. By the time lunch period was over, his face was as red as a ripe tomato. I was faring any better though, but I hid it with much more ease.

And that wasn't the end of it. Somehow, by a stroke of damn bad luck, a teacher happened to happily stroll by. Worst still, the teacher wasn't just anybody. It was Miss Tracy Ewell, the old spinster who took great perverse in giving me hell.

So she caught both of us using what she perceived as 'swear words', and proceeded to lecture us like little puppies. Mueller wasn't in her English class. I was. And as punishment, I was to write her an essay. On what? On 'Why swear words were undignified.'

I could just kill her.

To sum it all up, this has been a really bad day.

I sigh, leaning back onto the couch even more. Suddenly, Heero slides back into my thoughts. Really, why did I get so embarrassed when Marie and Sylvia were asking about him? Why did I get so damn uneasy when Mueller insinuated that I was interested in him?

… Because Heero's a really nice guy. He's shown nothing but kindness towards me since the first day I saw him. Well, attraction too. I'm quite sure that Heero's interested in me… *that* sorta way. I mean, coincidence or not, he approached me and asked me nicely for my name. And he had that *look* on his face. The same one Mueller wears when Ruby is around. As much as I dislike that guy, I can't deny how much he likes Ruby. I know I'm not imaging Heero's happy expressions. Once or twice, maybe. But Heero's been looking happy every time I've seen him. The only exception was when Wufei came up to us at Sally's.

I don't think I've ever met a guy as… considerate as Heero.

"Hey, what're you thinking about?"

I look up, and manage a smile for Howie. He's my mum's elder brother, an eternally sunny and optimistic man. He's really called Howard, but I couldn't pronounce that when I was a kid, and the nickname just stuck. I remember that I loved it when he came visiting, because he'd bring loads of presents. Probably because he's got no kid of his own, so he absolutely doted on us. When dad and mum died in a car crash, Howie took both my brother and me in and cared for us like he was our father. He's a great guy.

"Nothing…"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. I ran into some problems in school today. Mueller wouldn't stop mocking at me. But really, Howie, I'm old enough to take care of it on my own."

"Of course I trust you to do that much. But you know, you should tell that jerk that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird, but it's definitely a virtue to kill a mocking-man. [1]"

I laugh. Howie always tries to cheer everyone up.

"I'll try that out tomorrow."

"Go ahead." He replied with a grin. "But Duo, is this also about that guy you've been dating lately?"

I blink. "The guy I've been dating?"

"Yeah, the one who called the other day and your bro grabbed the phone first?"

"Oh, you mean Heero. Howie, we're not dating. We're just… hanging out together. You know, go somewhere and chill and all?"

"And that's not dating?"

"Of course not. If that amounts to dating, then I've dated… god… half the school population!"

"Okay, I get your point. But what's he like?"

"Nice."

"That's all? No 'handsome' or 'gentlemanly'…?"

I roll my eyes. "Why do you sound so… disappointed?"

"I *am* disappointed! I want my young nephew to find someone he can date! Better still, someone who won't get intimidated by your brother."

I know what he means. My brother has already scared off more potential dates than I can count. If it wasn't for the fact that Howie would think that I was going bonkers, I would have just stood on the table and coo like some blonde harpy, "I'm over-protected~!"

"Oh, don't worry. I will. No matter what he thinks, I'm old enough to get a boy or girlfriend."

"So is this Heero…?"

"Howie!"

"Okay, okay. I'll back off. But are you going on another date with him?"

"No, I'm not going on another date with him. But I'm gonna *hang out* with him this weekend."

Howie clapped and hooted. "Way to go, Duo! A few more dates and you can bring him home to meet me!"

I roll my eyes, and stand up. I know better than to argue with him when he's in this state. I swear that he thinks I need to get laid for some odd reason I can't comprehend.

Looking up at the clock hanging on the wall, I notice that I still have some time before dinner. And it was Howie's turn to do the cooking tonight. Might as well take Shini out for a walk in the park nearby. After being cooped up in our tiny apartment for nearly the whole day, he'll like the exercise.

*****

Dogs are cute little creatures. I mean the small ones. The big ones… even I get scared of them sometimes. Like my insane neighbour who brought a St. Bernard into his apartment. The thing damn near tore his house apart. But the small ones are cute. Like my Shini.

Shini's a Jack Russell. The type whose coat is a combination of light brown and white, the type that is really active and fun loving. If you still don't know which breed Shini is, it's the one in that movie 'The Mask'. Howie gave him to me for Christmas three years ago, and Shini's been turning our house topsy turvy ever since. Let me recall… So far, he's eaten my five-page English essay… urinated on my brother's computer diskette that contained his term assignment… destroyed two pairs of Howard's sunglasses… Yeah, none of us got away from the little terror. But still, we love the little fellow to bits.

Suddenly, Shini barks wildly at a passing cat. The grey tabby takes flight into a nearby bush, and I can just imagine the grin on my dog's face. If he can grin, that is. I pull him back gently, hushing him. That cat looks great, and I have a soft spot for most furry animals.

We continue strolling along in the park. I must say… a lazy walk in a green environment always does wonders for me. My temper has somewhat diminished to something I can tolerate, and I think I can gleefully relay Howie's message to Mueller and sweet-talk Sylvia into helping me with that essay.

The wind feels cool. I feel comfy. As comfy as when Heero's around. I'll admit; Heero gives me a feeling of protection. Enough to make me feel safe, but not so much that it's overwhelming. And although I rolled my eyes when Howie asked me about him, I do think that Heero's good-looking. Well, he did score 11 over 10 on the Duo Maxwell scale. Gentlemanly…? Yeah, I guess so. He's waited patiently for Wufei and me to stop talking, opened the door for me, paid for the food and talked to me politely that day when we were hanging out.

But a potential boyfriend? That's going a bit too fast, don't you think? I've known him for barely three days. Even Cupid can't work *that* fast.

I'm so lost…

"Duo!"

I look up and blink. "Heero?"

He smiles excitedly. "What're you doing here?"

"Walking my dog. What're you doing here?" I reply, feeling a little uneasy. After all, I had been thinking of him. But still, I can't stop the smile blossoming on my lips.

"I'm just passing by. I usually take a bus to get home, but I felt like walking a bit today, so I got off the bus earlier."

"Oh, I see. So you live around here?"

"Yeah. Just a couple blocks down. You?"

"Me? Well, I live around here too."

"So… this is your dog?" Heero asks, bending down to get a better look at Shini. "He looks great."

I ignore the sudden change of subject. He must have been unsure of what to say. Cute.

"Yup! Wanna touch him?" I ask, kneeling down as well.

He nods.

"You can pretty much pet him anywhere you want. Shini's won't bite. Well, unless you've just handled food or something. He's always hungry. So even if I make him a guard dog, he'll be an easy one to bribe." I tease, poking Shini's tummy. He yips, and turns and pouts at me in his unique doggy way.

Heero starts with Shini's head, stroking his fur in a very gentle manner. I think Shini likes him; he's leaning into Heero's hands.

"Try his chin. He's kinda ticklish there." I say, and Heero nods with a smile.

Shini yips in delight, and rolls over on the ground. I chuckle, and join in the 'attack'.

"What's your dog's name?" Heero asks abruptly.

"Shinigami. But we call him Shini for short. He's the one who got doggy drool all over my headphones."

"Shinigami?" Heero blinks and looks at me in surprise. His hands stop tickling Shini, and Shini rolls back to his side like he's trying to catch his breath. "You do know what that means, don't you?"

"Of course I do. It's Japanese for 'God of Death'."

"Then why…?"

I shrug. "It was chosen randomly. When I was choosing a name for Shini, I took my brother's J-E dictionary, and just flipped through the pages. I stopped at a page, and pointed at it with my eyes closed. Somehow, my finger landed up on 'Shinigami'."

"Oh. That's a nice way of choosing a name for a pet. I should have thought of that when my sister got a pet hamster. She kept hogging me for a good name because she couldn't decide for herself."

"Really? No wonder my brother all but threw that dictionary at me." I laugh, and Heero laughs as well. For a moment there, his laughter soothes me and I feel calm.

"But Heero, how did you know that's Japanese? You've learnt the language before?"

"My dad's a Japanese, and he taught me a little when I was young. I picked up some books later and learned on my own. It's my mother tongue, after all."

"You're part Japanese? That's cool! You know, with your blue eyes, I'd never think that you're Asian. But now that you mention it, I guess you do have Asian features…" I take a step back, and cock my head to the side slightly, eyes scrutinizing his face.

I guess I shouldn't have done that. He's blushing now.

"So you into any Japanese stuff?" I ask, hoping to ease the tension. "I mean… it's part of your heritage!"

"Japanese stuff?"

"Yeah! Like the games, and the animes…"

"…Does music count?"

"Of course! Whose music?"

"Kitaro."

"Aa… should have guessed. You like new age, don't you?"

I guess I shouldn't think too much about what's going on between Heero and me. If it's supposed to happen, it will, despite snide comments from school bullies and over-protective brothers. And if it's not really meant to happen, I have a gut feeling that Heero'll make it happen.

No, I've still got no idea what is it. But that sort of thing… it'll come to light in time. Heero'll make sure of it.

-owari-

Sorceress Fantasia @ 16th April 2003

Last beta-ed 22nd April 2003

[1]: The mockingbird comment was inspired by Harper Lee's book 'To kill a mockingbird'. For those of you who haven't read it, go read it. It'll be worth every minute of your time.