school adversary

Part 8


I don't know how I got to sleep the night before. Today I was going to Heero's house, as Quatre and Trowa would be camped out at Quatre's house. I wonder how Wufei was taking this? Not that he didn't love Relena in his own way, but she did tend to cling to him a bit. She was fascinated with his hair apparently. Still loved mine, but she was amazed at the way his stayed all in the one ponytail, and was so shiny, "like a ken-doll". Wufei had loved that remark, but couldn't really be angry with her. She ruled all three of our hearts completely.
I sighed and pawed through my wardrobe once more. What to wear, what to wear? Something sexy, yet not in an intimidating way. I was looking for subtle, which my wardrobe lacked in a big way. Let me see...black, black, black, black, red, black, black, black, black, black, purple, black, black, blue?! I took out the button up shirt and looked at it in confusion. What the hell was an aqua blue shirt doing in MY closet?
Quatre! I realised it must have been the little blond who left it here. God knows when. I looked at it considering. Maybe...
No! I do not care if I have to go around naked, I am not wearing an aqua shirt! I tossed it back in the wardrobe in disgust. Obvious it was. After all, nothing was wrong with a little drool on Heero's part. I grinned and decided that if it was worth doing, it was worth doing right.

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I looked through my wardrobe again and sighed in frustration. I was supposed to take Duo to my house today and I had absolutely nothing to wear. Everything was so understated, so plain, so BORING. I wanted something different, something interesting, something...sexy. I put my hands on my hips and glared at the neat row of clothing just hanging there, mocking me. Blazer, blazer, blazer, tie. It was basically all the same. I scrounged through them one more time and a piece of something blue caught my eye. I pulled out a pair of worn blue jeans. How the hell had they gotten in there. I scrutinized them dubiously. Maybe...
No! There was no way I was going to wear these, especially as I had nothing that would go with them. What was I supposed to do, pull on a long sleeve shirt, tie and jacket with these jeans? I think not. I sighed, frustrated, and threw them back into my closet. It would have to be understated then. Oh well, if something's worth doing, it's worth doing right.

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I glanced down at my watch and continued to pace. 5 minutes till he's supposed to be here. I had finally decide upon dark navy pinstripe three-piece suit with a white shirt and yellow and blue tie. I felt like I was going to a job interview, and all I needed was a fog watch. If I kept this up, I'd wrinkle myself. I was already on the brink of breaking out in a sweat. I ran my hand through my hair, disrupting it for the thousandth time.
When the knock finally came, I almost jumped out of my skin.
I went over to the door, took a calming breath, and opened it with my mask firmly in place. The sight before me was one straight out of my dreams. Duo was wearing baggy black zip pants (1), a tight black top, heavy black Doc Martens with red laces and red lensed reflective, slightly wrap around sunglasses (2). He was using one arm to lean against the door, outlining his torso muscles. I felt like collapsing at his feet in worship. Instead, I merely stepped aside and silently invited him in. He passed me by, and I smelt his unique scent, like rain and sunshine on a spring day.
He strolled into the room like he owned it, looking around curiously.
"Hey, how you doin'?" He asked, still not looking at me, but examining a landscape painting on the wall.
"hi"
"Is this a supposed to be a Monet?" He asked, looking up at me.
"No" I answered. Like he knew what a Monet was! I shook my head then braced myself "About the other night" I said to his masked eyes "I'm sorry I yelled at you. It wasn't your fault, I was just angry about losing the debate"
"That's ok" He replied, smiling at me. I couldn't tell what he was actually thinking, and it annoyed the hell out of me. "So what are we supposed to do now?" He asked.
"What would you like to do?" I asked him. After all, I was the host here, and he was technically my guest. "We could watch T.V or play my playstation 2." I asked him, certain that he would go for the PS2.
"What games do you have?" He asked me curiously. I listed off all the games I had for it (all 2), expecting him to be impressed. "No offence, but Quatre has all those and I've already played them heaps of times. I practically LIVE over there" He smiled ruefully. "Although he doesn't mind. Do you have anything else to do?"
I racked my brain, wondering what other kind of mindless activity would keep him entertained. "How about you show me around, and then we'll see if there's anything, yeah?" He asked.
"Sure" I said, leading him all around the house. I saved the library for last, thinking that it would be the last room he would want to be in. I opened the double mahogany doors and led him inside. Our library was massive. It was double story, with spiral staircases and heavy curtains. No light was allowed in on a daily basis as it would damage the books. They were opened once a year after the books had been covered, to let some air in, and to allow in some light in which to spring clean by. Thickly padded leather chairs with reading lamps dotted the available floor space. Overall, it had a strangely oppressive feeling, and I didn't really like it. I don't like any of my house much.
I turned to the following Duo, wondering what he thought of it.

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It was gorgeous! The best I had ever seen! And so well presented. It took up all my attention. I barely noticed what Heero was saying, but managed to get the gist of everything. I couldn't stop staring at it though. If he turned around right now, I have no idea what he'd think. Actually, I probably know what he'd think, and then what he'd do. This thought made me finally drag my gaze away from his perfect ass, encased in that sexy three piece suit, just as we got to the library.
He opened the doors and I stared. It was the biggest library I had ever seen. Including the school one, and THAT was saying something.
"It's huge!" I said, going in and looking around. "I've never seen one this big."
"You go to libraries a lot?" Heero asked me.
"I used to when I was a kid" I replied, and at his questioning look, added "It was basically the only free entertainment."
"Were your parents poor?" He asked, with no maliciousness, just interest. I looked at him for a moment, thinking. I might as well tell him. We'd be spending time together, I liked him and I wanted him to know about my background. Hopefully, he might tell me his then.
So I said as calmly as possible "My parents died when I was little, I was raised mainly at the Maxwell Church Orphanage."
"I'm sorry"
"Don't be, I'm not" He looked startled at this, but I didn't add anything this time. It was his turn to share now. Instead, I walked further into the room, looking at all the books. There were so many, most leather bound, but there were some newer shelves in the very back of the room, and on them were newer books. Books by authors like Mercedes Lackey, Dean Koontz, Steven King, Lynn Flewelling, Robin Hobbs and so many more. I could have died right then. My favourite authors, all gathered together. I felt like hugging them.
"Have you read these?" I asked Heero, indicating the books before me.
"Some of them. I liked The Liveship Trader series by Robin Hobb the best"
"Yeah, that was so much better than the Farseer trilogy (3). That was just too depressing. I mean, that poor guy. He loses his girlfriend, his dog, his bodyguard person, his friends, his position at court, almost his life, and all he did was try to save the country. I mean, is that really fair? I kept thinking it would get better, but it never did. I swear I almost cried by the time that book was finished. I never would have though"
Heero gave me a small smile then, god he was hot! "I know. I felt the same way. Why would you never cry?"
"Because boys don't cry" I said, remembering how I'd gotten THAT lesson hammered into me. Heero frowned slightly and looked at me like I was some sort of puzzle to be solved.
"So have you decided what you wanted to do yet?" he asked me. I shrugged.
"Is there anything that you want to do?" I asked him. I'd be happy to just read a book while he did whatever.
"Well, I am in the middle of Storm Rising..."
"Great! I haven't read this" I held up a Dean Koontz book "So why don't we go park our asses somewhere nice and cosy and get down to it?" Heero nodded, and I thought I saw a brief flash of pleasure in his deep prussian blue eyes before he turned with book in hand and went back to the living room.
God it was stark! I mean, it was white, and there were no mementoes ANYWHERE! I felt like I was in a doctor's waiting room. I took of my boots revealing Scooby Doo socks before plonking down on the white leather sofa. "You don't mind do you?" I asked him in mid plonk. Heero shook his head dazedly. I guess he's never experienced real people behaviour. I finished my plonk and settled down to read. Heero settled himself on the other sofa, opening his book to midway.

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Two hours later I heard Duo moving and looked up to find him staring at me, his book closed in his hand. God he was gorgeous! He'd finally taken off those glasses and every feeling he had was written in his eyes.
"Gotten tired of the book?" I asked him.
"Finished it" He replied. My face must have shown my surprise as he grinned at me and said "I'm a fast reader."
"So what would you like to do now?" I asked with some reluctance. I had just gotten to a really good bit and didn't want to stop at the moment.
"I'll find myself another book ok?" He asked me, heading back to the library. I nodded as he passed and settled back down to read. Some time later I looked down at my watch to find that Duo had been gone an entire hour. I put down my book and got up to look for him. He's probably gotten lost, I thought to myself. I wandered down to the library, but Duo was not there. I looked around a bit more until a noticed that a side door was open. I walked out onto my back lawn. I couldn't see him anywhere, but my backyard was very large. Hearing a noise, I walked around some screening bushes and discovered Duo sitting on the grass reading with a cat. A CAT? My mind did a double take at that. what the hell was he doing with a CAT? "Duo, what are you doing?" I asked him.
"Oh hey man" He replied. "Well, I came out here to see your garden, and I found this little thing here" He said pointing to his lap. "So I started patting her, and then she just curled up and went to sleep, so I started reading to pass the time."
I looked at him. "You like cats?" Duo had never struck me as the type of person to like cats. More of the bad-ass (mmmmm ass!) don't mess with me type of person.
"Yeah, cats are cool. I always wanted one, ever since I could remember, but I couldn't have one at the orphanage."
"What about when your parents were alive?" I asked him, imagining that such a bouncy, happy person would have come from a happy home. Surely they would have let him have a kitten? I was immediately sorry that I'd brought up his parents again when his face became blank and his eyes became distant.
"I brought a kitten I'd found in ally back home on day. My father strangled it" This was said with such a complete lack of emotion that I knew he felt a lot of emotion at these memories.
"I'm sorry Duo" I said, getting down beside him on the grass and putting my hand on his shoulder. No one should have to put up with anything like that. And I thought MY parents were bad. Inattention was better than negative attention. He looked up at me with no masks this time.
"Thanks man. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"What was your childhood like?"
"My parents never really noticed me much. I was passed from nanny to nanny and my mother and father weren't really there much. I can remember the first birthday they ever missed. I was five and I woke up very early and extremely excited. Nothing greeted me however as they had forgotten my birthday and were in Monty Carlo." Dredging up old memories was painful, but I needed to make Duo understand, if only a little, that he wasn't the only one to have been hurt.
"When is your birthday?" He asked me.
"March 30th. Yours?"
"I don't know. I've never had a birthday. My parents never mentioned it. I didn't even know you were supposed to have one until I got to the orphanage."
I sat there with him for a while. What could I say? I couldn't possibly help him with his memories. Finally, the little cat got off his lap and he stood up, smile back on his face. "You man, you got anything to eat?" I though about it.
"Probably not" I answered, "I don't normally stay here that often. My parents aren't normally here, and there's not much stuff around. How about a pizza?"
"Sure, anchovies?"
I made a face at him. "NO!" I answered emphatically. How could anyone like anchovies? Duo looked at me pleadingly. "No" I repeated. "Anything but anchovies"
"OK then, surprise me. I'll eat anything." I picked up the phone and called the pizza place, understanding that if anyone he knew worked there and they heard him calling from my house, it would be a little hard for us to explain.
"They'll be here in 20 minutes"
Duo nodded happily and went back to reading. I picked up my book and pretended to read, but I was really watching Duo. He was so sexy when he was in black, which was most of the time if I really though about it. Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang and I went to answer it. It was a girl called Hilde who was also a cheerleader.
"Hello" she said "um.. you ordered a pizza?" She was one of the nicer people in the sporty crowd.
"Hn" I acknowledged, handing her a $20 and taking the pizza. She stood there stunned for a minute before leaving to go back to work.
"Pizza's here" I called out to Duo.
"Who delivered it?" He asked as I made my way into the living room.
"Hilde" I replied, wondering what relation he was to her.
"Oh yeah, she's pretty cool" Instantly I felt a stab of jealousy. Did Duo like her? Duo munched happily into his pizza, unaware of the roil of emotions I was feeling. How foolish of me to think that he might feel the same about me as I did about him.
The rest of the day passed pleasantly, with Duo going through another 2 books, and I felt a stab of sadness when he left.
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(1) You know, those pants with all those zipped pockets on them? They have 2 pockets on the side (like cargo pants), two on the legs, just above the feet, and two back pockets (not zipped) and two normal pockets. I love these pants! They rock!

(2) The type Cyclops wears in the X-men movie

(3) Never read this book, it's bad. It's written very well, and it's extremely riveting, but it's very depressing. I really did almost cried.