Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Wishful Thinking Book Two: All Boxed-Up ❯ Chapter 7

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing is not mine. No copyright infringement intended. I am not making money out of this. Original part of the fiction is the property and is copyrighted to the author.
Category: AU, shounen ai get-together fic
Rating: PG
Pairing: 1+2+1
WARNINGS: none really, but be wary of bad words
Dedication: For Emmy-chan
Notes: In part 5, they're all sophomores. In part 6, they're juniors already. All Boxed-Up is nearing its much-awaited graduation day, the day that we've all been anticipating. :) But the whole series isn't finished yet, because I'm weighing the pros and cons for books 3 and 4--debating with my soon-to-be-busy-with-college self, more specifically. For Mi-chan who wants Heero's suffering to end already...(turns chibi, climbs into portable waste basket and hides). I don't think I can do that yet. Gomen nasai! Please don't thwap me!

(another school tidbit) The school that they are enrolled in is a school that has different departments: nursery/kinder, grade school, high school, and college. It's a really *big* school. The reason for my using this setup is because the plot is based on someone's RL whose school is like that. If you would care to refer to the first part, Hee-chan hinted something about him and Duo being schoolmates since first grade 'til they were high school seniors, but they have never been classmates and have never been formally introduced before. That's how big their school is.

Title: Wishful Thinking, Book Two: All Boxed-Up (Chapter Six)
Author: AJ Maxwell ( webmaster@weluvduo.zzn.com )

~Waiting, anticipating for the perfect time
To see you one last time today,
And as I walk frantically, fearing that you've gone,
I behold my greatest fear.

There has been hissing disgust, scandalous whispers--
Rumors about you and a forbidden love,
To all of which I've turned a deaf ear;
I hope those are just as they are.

Now, standing alone along the benches,
My limbs rubber-like, tears frozen in midair,
You drive away with the rumor turned reality;
The sun sets before me.

-Shinigami~

I just found out the weirdest, most ridiculous thing today. You see, last year, Zechs was a new teacher here, and he had been a good History teacher. Then he was forced to transfer to the College Department. Try guessing the reason why the High School Administrators wanted him out of here. Yes. It is the most ridiculous thing there is! They said there had been rumors circulating around the school about him and ME being together in a relationship that is more than just friends. ME?? HIM??? The idea is enough to make me hurl this morning's breakfast!

"Why didn't you inform me before?!" I spit out angrily at Trowa, who, as I've just found out, had known all along about the rumors and kept mum about it.

Trowa pokes his food with a fork and can't even spare me a glance. I try to calm myself--but some friend he is, anyway! The rumors had been going around the whole school since last year, and he didn't even tell me!

"I didn't want to ask you about it, Heero," he begins, his eyes lowered to his food, now unappetizing because of the situation. "I decided that if I asked you about it, you might feel betrayed because as your friend, I shouldn't doubt you and believe in rumors like that. And I thought that even if it was true, I always knew that you wouldn't keep it from me. I thought that you would tell me about it, because we're friends."

"I see your point, but still--"

"I'm sorry, Heero. I didn't think that you'd be upset like this about it."

I sigh. What else can I do? "I'm sorry for losing control of my temper like that. I didn't mean to shout at you."

Trowa just nods at me. "It's OK."

I excuse myself for a while to buy myself some iced tea. I guess I am too preoccupied at the moment to notice someone coming, and nearly colliding with the newcomer as I turn to leave with my glass of iced tea in hand.

"Hey!" someone exclaims.

I stop walking and steady my hand as the liquid in the paper cup sloshes around, several drops managing to spill on the floor. I snarl, "No, you watch it." As I lift my head to give the person a glare, I almost drop my drink.

Duo.

He just gives me an expressionless stare, and then turns his back on me.

That's that. My second major encounter with Duo since first grade, that is, if you can call it major. Well, at least this time there had been words.

As I walk back to the table where Trowa and I have been eating lunch, a disturbing thought hit me. Duo had heard of the rumor, I just know it. Never mind that he's not the type of person who dwells on rumors. The issue had been all over the school--it's impossible that it somehow spared Duo.

"Trowa?"

One green eye (I make him sound like a monster, don't I?) makes its assessment. "Of course he's heard of it. You have to be deaf not to know about it."

"And you didn't clarify it to him?" My voice raises a couple of notches.

He sighs, then says, "What's there to clarify? I understand that you don't want him to have a bad impression of you, but he never asked Quatre about it. He didn't ask me, either. From the way he reacted, the news wasn't much to him."

I can't believe this. I just can't believe this. "You didn't even try to defend me?"

"Heero..." he sounds exasperated. "I don't know what you want me to do anymore."

"It's nothing to him, isn't it?" I ask him, possessed by the thought of Duo not even caring about the news, not even reacting a little. "He doesn't care."

Trowa just throws a look at me that says, 'Do you think there's enough reason he should?'. Still, I continue talking, nearly ranting, "Didn't he even get curious if it's really true? Didn't he even ask your friend Quatre? I bet he just said, 'Oh', then just threw the rumor away like soggy paper!"

"Calm down. You're quite managing to agitate me."

"He's supposed to--"

"He's supposed to what, Heero?" Trowa cut in, sounding annoyed. There is silence for a moment, then he quickly lowers his head in apology. "Look, this has gone on for years already, Heero. And not just a mere four years--you've been so hot and bothered about him ever since we were in first grade! First grade, Heero. And what did you do? What the hell did you do? Did you even try to do something about it? Did you?"

I've never expected Trowa to get really annoyed at me like this, but he's right. What did I do about it, anyway? Did I even do anything? Did I even think of doing anything? No, I didn't. I didn't because--

"And I know you didn't do anything because you can't do anything about it--you're too shy, or too tongue-tied or too lost and floating high somewhere whenever he's near. But damn it, Heero. You'd be doing both of us a favor if you'd just jump over the cliff and just DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT."

"Are you quite finished yet?" I ask, my tone soft and devoid of anger and sarcasm. He just nods, then looks at me expectantly for an answer. I bite my lower lip. I only have one honest answer. "I don't know."

Trowa sighs loudly, and is ready to bang his head on the table when I quickly say my follow-up, "You're right about everything that you've said, and it's true that I'm too tongue-tied, shy, lost and floating high somewhere when he's near, even when I see him from far away. But we do know something--he'd surely reject me because he's not into guys. He likes girls, older girls, like Noin." My voice takes a more bitter tone. "He likes women who are overachievers, Trowa. He likes intellectual people; he hangs out with intelligent people. What do you think he thinks about me? An idiotic varsity player who has a 26-year-old man as a boyfriend."

Trowa shakes his head. "That's true about him hanging out with intelligent people, but what you said about what he'd probably think of you, that's not true. You're not an idiotic varsity player. You're the only person who's excelled in sports who managed to get into the honors' section. Besides, do you think he's the type of person who would treat the grapevine as a source of credible information? He's been taught responsible media; I'm sure that he'd have to see it for himself before he believes any of it."

What Trowa had just said comforts me greatly, but as his last words sink in deeper, a feeling of dread spreads through me.

I'm sure that he'd have to see it for himself before he believes any of it...

A setting sun ending a wonderful day, the gentle wind holding tendrils of his hair aloft, making the reds and golds stand out...he looked so beautiful that day. But as my memory strives to remember more of the details.....

He just stood there, unmoving. His fists were balled up, and he had his mouth open in disbelief. Could it be? Or am I just making myself think what I want to believe? Am I so desperate as to credit something that could possibly just my hopeful imagination as truth?

"So," Trowa's voice breaks into my reverie, "are you going to do something about it?"

. t o b e c o n t i n u e d .