Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ There's Definitely Someone ❯ Chapter 1

Title: There's Definitely Someone

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, mild H+5

Warnings: Fluff, some humour, nice but busybody Hirde, OOC-ness

Archive: Lev's Lair

Fanfiction.net

Finally Fantasia (www.finallyfantasia.netfirms.com)

Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to, I don't own any of the GW boys. I think I scared them all away. ^^; Luckily, this little piece of ficcy can't run because it hasn't got legs, so yea, I own it.

Notes: This is a sequel to my earlier fic 'Maybe there really is someone'. Anyway, it's after the war, and Heero and Duo are both back in school. They are living in the same area, but in different apartments.

Thanx to Duo-chan for beta-ing! ^^

Heero gripped his armrests fitfully. Even though the war had been over a long time ago (two years can feel like a lifetime when you go from a soldier to a student), the control freak in him still hesitated from boarding any vehicle that he was not at the steering wheels of. Or the control panels, to be more exact, since he was currently in a space shuttle bound for L4.

And to think he still had 14 hours left on board.

"Can't sleep?"

He turned to his side where his best friend was seated, cuddled comfortably with a thin blanket and pillow. Even though Duo had a slight semblance of awareness in his eyes, he still had that sleep mussed look that reminded Heero of a kitten. The armrest between them was probably the only thing that prevented him from pulling Duo close.

"I woke you up? Sorry… I was just…"

But Duo shook his head. "Nah, you didn't wake me up. But I can't say the same for Hirde. She's already punched me twice."

Heero let out a small chuckle despite himself. The perky girl had decided to tag along when they were packing up for a short vacation on L4. Technically, it was a pilot gathering, but even the two of them combined did nothing to dissuade her ("I'm a god damn pilot too, you know? I just didn't pilot a gundam."). Not that they tried very hard actually. In fact, Duo was more than happy to take her along, since it meant extra 'ammunition' to help tease Wufei.

Heero was already feeling sorry for the Chinese boy.

He took a peek across Duo's seat, where Hirde was seated. She had bounced up the shuttle, and promptly deposited herself in the window seat when all she wanted to do was sleep the entire flight away. And sleep she did. It seemed that she hadn't woke up since the shuttle left Earth's atmosphere. This, Heero mused, was probably how the petite girl conserved her energy so she could go pester someone later. But the person next to her while she slept usually suffered from sleep deprivation since she had the uncanny ability to flail her limbs like some weapon, even though she was far away in dreamland.

"So what's with you? Feeling some insane urge to hijack the shuttle so you can pilot it?" Duo teased, yawning slightly as he shifted further away from the kicking Hirde.

Heero blinked, then his surprise faded away. Duo simply knew him too well. That, or… Hirde's words rang inside his mind again. It was another of those invisible things couples did. He willed that thought away.

"A little," he finally admitted.

"Heh, I know how you feel. I felt the same earlier, but it's getting better after a nap. You might want to try that."

"Maybe, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to fall asleep. You should get back to sleep though. You want to switch seats with me?"

Duo snorted. "And let Hirde beat you up? It's fine. I should be okay if I just move a little further from her."

Heero was about to offer his shoulder for his friend to lean on, then he faltered. It didn't sound like a bad idea actually, since that meant that Duo would be as far from Hirde as possible and he would probably be able to fall back to sleep. But Heero wasn't sure if he would be able to stop himself from doing unmentionable things to his best friend under such close proximity, feeling Duo's warm breath against his body and knowing full well that Duo was leaning into him. Ever since he had come to grips with his feelings for the braided boy, nearly everything he wanted to do with Duo felt like some kind of flirting to him, even though they had done a good number of those things before.

"Hey, can I borrow you shoulder for the rest of the flight? I mean… I'll be able to get as far as possible from Hirde. She's still kicking at some invisible foe," Duo jibed, looking at him hopefully.

Again, Duo had echoed his thoughts but he had almost become immune to the surprise it brought. Heero sighed. If he agreed, he was going to have to stop himself from doing anything that could endanger his friendship with Duo. And it was going to be a difficult task; he just knew it. But in the face of such cuteness, that and his inner self egging him on, Heero could do nothing but relent and immediately felt a light weight on his left shoulder.

It was as if that were a charm, for he could hear Duo's light snoring just a while later. Carefully, he took Duo's hand into his own and went to sleep as well.

*****

Time flew as fast as a shuttle when one slept it away, Duo thought. It seemed like only minutes ago that he had asked Heero if he could borrow his shoulder, but they were already settled in Quatre's gigantic mansion, each of them having a big room to themselves. He let a goofy grin surfaced as he recalled the warmth of Heero's body, the way his hand felt in his.

When he had asked, he had no idea that Heero would actually agree. It was a joke, but Heero apparently didn't catch that. Still, Duo thought, it was better this way. At least, he got to get that close to his best friend who was turning out to be something more in his mind.

Ever since that movie date -he had started to regard every outing with Heero as a date already- almost a week ago, things between them had been changing. The changes were subtle to say the least, but they were generally headed in the right direction. There was more space for some light flirting every now and then. It was like… they were making the transition from best buddies to lovers.

And Hirde, obviously, noticed that and had bugged him endlessly for juicy details. But he honestly had no idea what to say, even if he did want to tell her. Nothing extraordinary happened; rather, it was a whole string of small things that happened everyday, those minute details of the lesser things in life.

Those overlapping of their thoughts and habits were probably what did the trick. They understood each other so well; perhaps they unconsciously knew what the other was thinking. And after being such close friends for years, it was inevitable that their living habits would affect one another. At least, Duo had never thought that coffee was palatable without any sugar, or that fried eggs could taste good with some ketchup.

He was sure that he was somehow responsible for Heero's habit of eating ice cream during a heavy shower too.

That had certainly come as a surprise when he had gone to a nearby convenience store for a tub of cookies and cream flavoured ice cream during a particularly heavy rainfall at night, only to find Heero coming into the same store, looking for the same brand of ice cream and the same flavour a while later. It was almost too much of a coincidence to be true.

He seriously doubted that Heero had stalking tendencies.

Maybe it was high time he asked Heero out on a date. With that thought in mind, Duo walked out of his room and across the corridor where Heero's room was.

*****

Heero tossed his bag onto his bed and promptly jumped onto it. When he finally stopped bouncing, he flipped over and for a while, just stayed in bed, looking up at the stark white ceiling. He was quiet, a big contrast from the many noises filling his mind.

'Duo borrowed your shoulder! Doesn't it just feel good? Doesn't it just remind you how good it feels to have Duo so close?'

He did nothing to stop the silly grin from appearing on his face.

'And you were just about to offer it to him! That is such a coincidence, don't you think?'

'Definitely.'

'Maybe Hirde is right for once! You *are* doing the invisible couple thing with Duo!'

'I hope so. I really hope so.'

'Hope, hope, hope. Is that all you're gonna do? Aren't you going to do something tangible? Something visible? Like… ask Duo out on a date? Yes! You could kick start this whole romance by asking Duo out on a date now!'

'But the other pilots and Hirde are here…'

'Does it matter? It's best if you ask Duo out as soon as possible. You know that your friends will support you all the way, especially Quatre and Hirde. They just can't wait to see you settle down with Duo!'

'But…'

'No buts, Heero Yuy! Just ask Quatre where you can have a nice, romantic candlelight dinner, bring Duo there and you're all set! All you have to do is tell Duo how you feel!'

"Right. I can do this," he spoke aloud, breaking all rules of conversation with one's inner self.

Nodding resolutely, he got out of bed. He was going to make Duo his by the time they head back to Earth, and nothing would stop him from his goal. But first things first. He had to ask Duo out before he could prepare that candlelight dinner that would hopefully help him clinch the braided boy's heart.

Opening the door, he was mildly surprised to see the object of his affections standing before him, hand poised to knock.

"Duo?"

"If you had just opened that door one second later, I might have knocked on you," Duo sniggered. "You going anywhere? I was just gonna… look for you. But it's not anything really important." The last bit sounded rush, as though he was a little… embarrassed?

"I'm not rushing off anywhere. I was about to go look for you." Another wonderful coincidence, Heero thought.

Duo blinked, seemingly a little surprised as well. "Oh… so why are you looking for me?"

"I wanted to know if…" Go on, Heero! Just say it! Just tell him you want to ask him out for a lovely candlelight dinner! Oh wait. Hold the mystery. Just ask him out for dinner. Leave the details out.

"…you're ready to go down for dinner! I think dinner's ready!" Heero finished, and he immediately heard someone yelling for god. Oh yeah, he recognized that voice. It was himself.

"Oh."

Was it just him, or did Duo look vaguely disappointed?

"And just why did you want to look for me?" he asked, hoping that Duo was asking him for a date too.

"Same thing! I… I was just getting hungry and I thought I'd call you down with me!"

"Oh. Let's go down then."

"Okay."

*****

'Now just why did I chicken out at the last minute?' Duo asked himself as he walked down to the dining room with Heero, the person he had intended to ask out on a date. Almost hesitantly, he stole a quick glance to this side and he felt his heart skip a beat.

It was getting increasingly difficult to ignore his attraction to Heero, especially when he had this little crease in his eyebrows like he was thinking of something with undivided attention. Duo was always reminded of the times when Heero was planning their missions back during the war. Now that it had ended, the little crease was probably one of the few remnants from the war; Heero had changed a whole lot after getting back into school with him and Hirde. And the crease never failed to remind him Heero's dedication, his determination and iron will that had always made him weak in the knees.

'I have to make the first move since I know that Heero's not likely to do it,' he thought, a little miffed. 'Maybe I should just ask Quatre for help. Well… I can always ask his chefs to prepare a nice supper for two and call Heero over to my room to have a long chat.'

With that thought in mind, he started to think up of a way to get Quatre alone so he could ask for help without anyone else knowing. He shuddered to think what would happen if word got to Hirde; she would probably get so excited that she'd want to prepare the food personally. And he had no intentions of abusing his taste buds or Heero's.

Worse still… If Wufei somehow heard about his plans, he would never let him live it down.

*****

Dinner was great. Well, as great as it could be when thoughts and plans were running amok in one's mind, occasionally colliding against one another as though they were bumper cars in a theme park.

Heero wisely chose to concentrate on slaughtering the already dead piece of meat on his plate, knowing that he needed to formulate a foolproof plan to ask Duo out. There were just too many things at stake; no matter how much he yearned for Duo's love, he would never abandon Duo's friendship. Maybe if things didn't work out, he could at least convince himself that Duo would make a better friend than a lover.

"Heero?"

He looked up, and noticed the amused smile on Hirde's face and the curious expression on Quatre's. Almost sheepishly, he set down his cutlery and asked what he had missed.

Quatre's confusion did not fade, but he answered, "Well, we were talking about our plans for tomorrow night. Trowa suggested that we go into town, have dinner there and then catch a movie. Wufei thinks we should stay in. What do you think?"

"I was thinking… maybe I won't join you guys tomorrow night. I… I have a report I need to finish."

Duo promptly dropped his fork, and it hit the table with an ungraceful 'clank'. The rest of the table blinked.

"Strange, isn't it? Both you and Duo have to complete a report tomorrow night and won't be able to join us!" Hirde smiled smugly, winking knowingly at Heero.

Somehow, Wufei picked up from there. "Then I guess we'd better leave the house to them tomorrow night, since they'll need some peace and quiet to… finish up their work. Is that settled?"

Heero didn't think Wufei believed him. Maybe Hirde had already bewitched him with tales of the invisible couple thing. She *always* acted quickly, and it looked like this was no exception.

"Yes, I guess. The four of us will go out and have dinner in town, then we can decide what else to do after that. Right, Quatre?"

Oh, it looked like she had gotten Trowa too, judging from the way he was trying to hide a grin.

Quatre nodded. "Right. We'll try to be away from the house as long as possible, so we won't disturb you two."

Damn! When had she gotten Quatre as well?

Heero peeked across the table where Duo was trying to sink into his seat, almost looking as though he would die of embarrassment. When their eyes met, their faces flushed another shade deeper. The rest of the table quickly hid their laughter by looking away.

*****

'Well, that solves my problem of asking Heero to stay behind with me!' Duo thought, still fighting off the blush that had captured his face by force since dinner. He had no idea how Hirde did it; somehow, she managed to get everyone into her little observation, even Wufei. And he thought he had the gift of the gab.

Apparently, Hirde was even more talented.

Still, he was not one to give up the perfect opportunity. With the rest of the guys out, he could have that lovely candlelight dinner with Heero! Feeling determined, he marched up to Quatre, who was conversing quietly with Trowa in the music room, and tactfully dragged him off.

"What is it, Duo?" Quatre asked, once they were out at the balcony.

Duo scratched his head. "It's about dinner tomorrow… You see, since Heero and I will both be staying behind, I was thinking that… maybe, you know, the two of us… could have a nice dinner together? So, yeah… could you ask your chefs to help me with that?"

Quatre's eyes had a mischievous gleam all of a sudden, and Duo was worried that perhaps he had asked the wrong person for help. He was certain that he shouldn't tell his friend he actually wanted a candlelight dinner already.

"Sure… I'll ask them to prepare dinner for the two of you. The dining table will be set up all nicely before we leave tomorrow night. No worries." And he smiled angelically.

"Ok…" Duo decided it was safer for his health to just leave things to the blonde angel.

*****

Heero rolled his eyes, his mind already chomping down ideas to get Duo to stay behind with him. That was good, since none of his ideas were really plausible, even though he had probably killed a whole lot of his brain cells to come up with them.

So all he had to do now was to go hunt Quatre down and ask for his help.

He found the blonde boy conversing with Trowa in harsh, but clearly amused tones as they were leaving the music room. The talking died down almost immediately when Trowa noticed him, so he guessed they were probably talking about him. It was highly possible that they were talking about him and Duo, since they had already proven themselves to be 'supporters' of such a relationship during dinner. If he could, he wanted to wring Hirde's neck.

Quickly, he led Quatre into the balcony.

"What is it, Heero?" Quatre asked, sounding amused.

Ignoring that, Heero decided to push ahead. "It's about dinner tomorrow. As you know, Duo and I are staying behind. So I was thinking that maybe you could have the chefs prepare something for the two of us? Just the two of us."

"Oh, I see…" Quatre trailed off with a smirk. "You want any candles? I could arrange for a little blackout for you tomorrow…"

Heero felt his face burn again. "Candles are a fire hazard, especially when my room has billowing curtains and long bed sheets. Also, Duo might kick it by mistake and set the place on fire," he replied methodically, as though he were reading out from a textbook. Then he slapped himself inwardly. He wanted some god damned candles for his dinner! Just what was wrong with him?

Quatre blinked innocently. "Oh. But… where did you get the idea that dinner would be served in anywhere but the dining room? Much less your bedroom? And what are you and Duo doing that would result in him kicking the candle off the table?"

He flushed harder.

*****

Duo held his breath, but he promptly released it when Hirde shouted Wufei's name. How they had ended up playing a non-alcoholic version of truth or dare for the evening was beyond him. He was just frolicking in the garden with Quatre, finalizing the dinner plans when Hirde ducked out and dragged them both in for the game. If that didn't surprise him, the sight of Trowa and Wufei dragging Heero down to play the game did.

Something was definitely amiss. But what was it?

"Wufei, truth or dare?"

The Chinese boy contemplated the question for a while before he decided on it. "Truth."

"Okay… Erm… Wufei, what is your relationship with Sally? Couple or no?"

He winced. "No. We're just normal friends, and she's my superior at work in the Preventers."

Hirde perked up visibly. "That's all?"

"That's all. Now it's my turn," Wufei grumbled. "Quatre, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"All right then. Quatre, I dare you to call up Pizza Hut, order a bowl of noodles and ask them to deliver it to the Preventers' Headquarters."

It was a relatively easy dare, and Quatre managed to sweet talk the management into buying a bowl of noodles from the Chinese restaurant next door and deliver it to Sally. Being rich and having a sweet voice certainly had its advantages. Duo laughed when he saw the look on Wufei's face.

"My turn now. Heero, truth or dare? Well, there's not much of choice actually. If I took Wufei's dare, surely you can take a dare from me?"

Was Quatre baiting Heero? Things were changing from strange to plain weird.

"Dare."

Quatre smiled, and Hirde shared a conniving grin. I wince inwardly, knowing that they were both up to no good.

"Heero, I dare you to check out the room on the third story. And you have to stay inside for at least ten minutes."

I blink. "What's so special about that room?"

"If it's the room I'm thinking about, then it's haunted," Trowa replied coolly. "Supposedly, strange noises come out from that room on some nights. It sounds a little like a cross between moaning and whining."

"Right, it's that room," Quatre said, nodding. "Come on, Heero. I'll take you to the room now."

All of them trudged up the stairs, and Quatre quickly led Heero into the supposedly haunted room. When the door opens, Duo caught a glimpse inside. But he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary before it slammed shut again. And then they waited patiently for the ten minutes to pass.

The minutes ticked by, and still, there was not a sound coming from the room. Duo was starting to get worried. It wasn't as if he was worried about the spooky aspect of the place; he knew from experience that Heero would always let him know if he was in danger and needed help. But for him to not make a single noise was… unsettling. Heero's nature was being quiet, not mute.

"Hey, Quatre. Are you sure this room is… you know, safe to be in? Heero's been in there for almost ten minutes and there's not a sound from inside," he asked.

The blonde shrugged. "It can't be too dangerous for Heero. Well, if you're worried, why don't you go in too? Besides, it's almost time for our dinner reservation."

Duo frowned. "You guys are leaving already?"

"Quatre's right," Hirde added, glancing at her watch. "We should leave now or we'd be late for dinner. You know how those restaurants are! They'll strike off your reservation if you're late."

Wufei and Trowa nodded their consent.

"Well Duo, we'll give you the job of waiting ten minutes. When the time is up, you'll call for him to come out, okay? Bye!" Hirde waved, and ran down the stairs. The rest followed her, leaving the braided boy standing alone outside the supposedly haunted room.

Duo raised an eyebrow. There was obviously a ploy going on, and everyone but he and Heero was in it. But what was it? Did they think they could scare Heero? Something was wrong, and it was very, very apparent when the ten minutes had passed and there was still no sound from the room.

Maybe it was better to just go into the room, rather than wait outside. He knocked on the door tentatively.

No response.

He tried again.

No response still.

Peering at the doorknob as though it were some poisonous snake, Duo hesitantly reached for it and with a turn of his wrist, opened the door. The aroma that assaulted his nostrils were enticing, to say the least. But the smell did not fit with Trowa's description of a haunted room. He immediately smelled a rat. Thankfully, he didn't mean that literally.

The room was huge, even by Quatre's standards. It was more of an apartment by itself, rather than just a room. Curiously, Duo followed the trail of the smell, bypassing what seemed like a living room and heading into a corridor that led to another three rooms. He entered one of them, and found Heero.

And a few flickering candles casting a shadow on a whole table of food.

*****

Heero frowned at the dare, thinking that it was easily one of the most absurd ideas for a dare he had ever heard of. But if Quatre wanted it…

He entered the room on his own, closing the door behind him. The soldier in him immediately told him to look around, and if there was indeed something that moaned and whined, eliminate it. But after a while of careful searching, he found only a table set in sensuality and an air of romance. It was clearly Duo and his dinner. A candlelight dinner, to be more exact.

Peering at a single, white slip of paper left on the table, he picked it up. It was a message from Quatre.

Note to Heero: There are no billowing curtains here, but you may still have to be careful of the bed sheets. And if you engage in any strenuous activity with Duo, remember to take the candles far away from the bed. Better yet, don't even take the candles into the bedroom. I'd appreciate that you blow out the fire first before leaving too. After all, you're supposed to set Duo's passions on fire, not the place. Anyway, just wait in the room. We'll lure Duo inside.

P.S. Yes, the four of us set you two up. You may thank us tomorrow.

If it were at all possible, he would spontaneously combust and save himself from the embarrassment. As it was, Heero was flushing to the roots of his hair. But still, he could not stop the grin tugging at his lips with vigorous fervor.

Then, he caught another line scribbled carelessly underneath Quatre's distinctive cursive writing. Maybe it was Trowa. The couple always did the add-onto-each-other's-words couple thing.

Another P.S. I hid a tube of you-know-what in the nightstand in the bedroom. Think of it as an early Christmas present.

Heero flushed harder. It was probably Hirde.

He quickly disposed of the note, knowing that if Duo ever found that, he would need a shovel to dig a hole to hide in. Then his eyes settled on the silverware lying on the table. Lifting the silver cover, the smell of the food quickly spread across the room, another testament of how good Quatre's chefs were.

Suddenly, he felt excitement take over him. He couldn't wait for Duo to come into the room. To him!

The wait was over all too soon. Duo stood by the threshold of the room, his jaws slightly slack and looking appropriately surprised. Heero licked his lips; that opened mouth was just too tempting. If he just took a few steps forward, he would be able to grab Duo's waist and press their lips together. Duo would probably be too shocked to react before getting kissed thoroughly. He felt his heart pound harder as his mind conjured up the image of their first kiss. And their second. And their third.

He shook his head slightly to clear those lusty thoughts away. Kissing was not on the menu. Yet. But he planned to remedy that by the end of the night. First off, sweep Duo off his feet.

"Duo," he said, hoping to ease the braided boy's mind and get him to enter the room.

"Heero? What is this?" Duo asked, ambling into the room after a careful inspection of the surroundings. The room was meticulously decorated to resemble one of those dining halls of a classy restaurant that served loving couples candlelight dinner. The dim lights accentuated the beauty of the glimmering flame, burning slowly on top of three long, white candles.

Was this Quatre's plot?

But somehow, he didn't mind falling for this one. Really. In fact, he was going to thank the blonde for reading his mind like it was an open book.

"An elaborated candlelight dinner for us, prepared by Quatre and crew," Heero replied, sounding more than a little amused. He walked towards Duo and gently took his hand, leading him to the huge mahogany table. Pulling the chair out, he gestured to it and said, "If you would be seated, kind sir?"

Duo grinned. Heero was taking this exceptionally well. And was he even flirting lightly with him? Maybe had more to thank Quatre than he thought.

"Of course," he answered, sinking into the seat gracefully. "And you?" He gestured to the seat across the table.

Heero nodded. "I'd be delighted to dine with you, Duo." His answer was as smooth as the way he glided over to his own seat and settle down. And then he offered a faint smile that, in Duo's eyes, promised something delectable.

Duo suppressed a moan. He wasn't going to jump his best friend. Oh no, he wasn't. But Heero's lips led his mind to call up images and the electrifying thrills of ecstasy of their first kiss. He wondered if he could get his best friend to loosen up enough so they could kiss.

*****

Dinner was a heart-soothing affair that night. It was as though magic dust had been sprinkled in the air, and they could both feel their entire beings submerged in the enchanting atmosphere. They kept a light conversation going, and when they were not talking, they kept communicating with stolen glances.

The meal was finished all too soon, they both thought. But when their eyes settled on each other, they suddenly realized that dinner had taken far too long.

Heero felt the urge to confess his feelings, and his inner self was doing a good job of cajoling.

Duo thought that he was going to give Heero exactly one minute to start confessing, or he would do so himself.

"Duo… I was hoping that…"

"What?" 50 seconds left.

"… that tonight would last. No, I want it to last. I want it to last for the rest of our lives, or as long as you want it to be."

"What do you mean?" Duo wondered if Heero could hear the wild pounding of his heart. It was so loud it was almost drowning out Heero's voice. Almost. 40 seconds left.

"Duo, we've been friends for so many years already… in fact, you've been my best friend all this while."

"You're mine too, Heero. You're my best friend too," Duo added, not wanting Heero to think otherwise. 43 seconds…

Heero smiled. "Thank you. Being best friends, we've gotten to know each so well. And sometimes, I think you know me better than I know myself. Maybe that's why… maybe that's why we've been echoing each other's words and thoughts lately. But Hirde's wrong, Duo. We're not doing the thing she says we're doing because we're a couple. We're doing it because… we're friends. Best friends."

Duo felt his heart dive down a chasm. 18 seconds left.

"But… I want to make her right. I *need* to make her right," Heero continued, hoping that Duo would accept his words. "I know that this might be difficult, and it will probably change our friendship. For better or for worst, I don't know. But I have to tell you this…" he paused again, gathering his courage for what seemed like the fiercest battle of his life.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

"I love you, Duo."

Duo's heart soared, shooting out from inside that deep chasm, blasting off into the clear blue skies. He smiled widely; so it was coming true. The fantasy that his mind had been playing out for a while now had come true. And now he could finally give it a conclusion.

0…

"I love you too, Heero. Kiss me?"

Heero wasted no more time. He lunged forward to gather his braided love into his arms, grounding their lips together, carefully tasting. Duo's reaction was addictive, instantly moving his body against his own in a flaming caress. A heady intoxication settled into Heero's mind, and he groaned, tightening his arms.

Finally, slowly, they parted. Duo's eyes were unfocussed, his lips red and slightly swollen, and his chest heaving in a slow movement. Heero smiled, and leaned in for their second kiss. It was relatively chaste, compared to their thrilling first, but the tenderness was apparent.

Duo buried his head against Heero's shoulder -when had he grown so tall, Duo thought- and sighed contentedly. "You know, Heero… I've always thought that there'd be someone out there, doing the same things as I do. No matter what I do, even if it is really silly, I think that there's got to be someone out there, doing it with me. And then we started to echo each other's thoughts and actions and then words… I started to think that you're the 'someone out there'."

Heero's hand instinctively went to Duo's braid, grasping it firmly but gently. "But now we both know, don't we? We are each other's 'someone out there'," he said, fully comprehending Duo's logic for he had always felt the same way.

"Yes… definitely," Duo breathed, no longer surprised that Heero's thoughts had once again echoed his own. "Shall we take this to bed now?" he suggested, instantly feeling the stiffening of Heero's body.

It took a while, but eventually, Heero nodded. "Let's sleep. It's been quite a day, don't you think?" And he maneuvered them to the bedroom, one room down the corridor.

Duo smiled. Yes, they would sleep tonight. There would be a lot of time for exploration in their future together. And he wanted to sleep so he could dream up of the possibilities of their relationship. Not to mention how he would have to thank his friends for setting them up.

*****

"It was a dirty trick you played on them, Quatre. But I must say it was a nice one," Wufei said with a smirk, sipping his martini.

Hirde elbowed him gently so he would not spill on her. "We were all in it. You included, Wufei."

"I merely went along with you guys. You and Quatre plotted the whole thing."

"He's right," Trowa interjected. "You were the one who came to us and asked for our assistance. You plotted, Quatre put the plans into action, and Wufei and I are just innocent bystanders who gave moral support."

"Moral support? You're the one who suggested we put a tube of lubricant in the bedroom," Hirde protested.

Trowa blushed.

"Who would have thought that Trowa Barton would come up with such an idea? What happened to you?" Wufei teased, feeling delighted when Quatre started to blush as well.

"Well, let's not argue about this. Heero and Duo are probably happily together now, and isn't that all that matters?" Quatre quickly said. "And it was brilliant of you to come up with the haunted house idea, Trowa."

Hirde and Wufei nodded, taking pity on them enough to stop teasing.

"And now we probably know…" Wufei started.

"…the reason for the moaning and whining inside the room!" Hirde finished for him.

They all laughed, but not before Quatre quietly pointed out to Trowa that another two of their friends were apparently doing the invisible couple thing.

-owari-

Sorceress Fantasia @ 16th January 2004

Last beta-ed 15th March 2004