Author: Gypsie1201
Pairings: 1+2
Warnings: Sap
Rating: PG
Archive: A Study in Obsession, Debs-Dragon - GW Diaries, Akira_1x2
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, nor will I make any money from the creation of this story.
Feedback: All is welcome and much appreciated.
Summary: Love is a leap of faith, you never know where, or when, you are going to land.
Author's Note: Title and inspiration taken from the song "Taking Chances" by Celine Dion.
Taking Chances
Duo Maxwell was nervous. His hands were shaking and just the slightest bit sweaty as he hesitantly raised his hand to knock on the door to apartment 304. But he would not let himself back down, not this time. He had been trying to gather enough courage to take this step for the past two horrible months, ever since he realized just how he felt, and now that he had made it this far, he was not about to run away. Running and hiding may have kept him alive in the past, but right now, it would only mean more heartache, and that was something he just could not deal with anymore.
So, putting more courage into his hand than he felt in his heart, he rapped his knuckles against the wooden door before stepping back a hasty step to wait. Luckily for his nerves, he did not have to wait long before he heard the unmistakable sound of the privacy chain being released just before the door swung open to reveal the owner of the apartment. Still dressed in the dark blue jeans and loose t-shirt that Duo had left him in just about an hour before, Heero Yuy peered out at his best friend with an unmistakable and understandable look of confusion, making Duo's mouth go instantly dry and causing his previous bravado to start slipping away.
"Duo?" the dark-haired man questioned softly. "What are you doing here? I thought you needed to get some sleep before your mission in the morning?"
Blushing deeply at having his excuse thrown back at him, the very excuse he had used to escape Heero's apartment earlier, the longhaired man found himself shifting from foot to foot momentarily, like a child caught doing something wrong. "Um, yeah, I do but I just..." Duo trailed off, ducking his head in the process and bringing a frown to the blue-eyed man's face.
"Just what, Duo." Heero asked softly. He was a bit taken aback by the other man's actions and words. He had never seen Duo acting like this before, not in the three years they had know each other, ever since Duo shot him on the pier during the early days of Project Meteor. In fact, he would have never believed that Duo could act like this, since he had always given off the air of a strong-willed, confident young man, even at the age of eighteen. But here he was, hands stuffed deep into his jean pockets, shoulders hunched, and cheeks glowing brightly as he kept his eyes pinned directly on the floor in front of his feet.
"I just, ummm..." Duo fidgeted for a second more before finally biting down on his lower lip and closing his eyes as he realized he was not going to be able to go through with it. He could feel the moment slipping away from him, could literally feel his shored up courage quickly draining in the face of the only person in the world who could make him feel this way.
"Come inside, Duo." the dark-haired man said gently after a few more moments of silence passed between them, when it appeared that Duo was not going to say any more. In fact, he had a feeling that if he did not get the young man inside soon, Duo would bolt like a skittish colt, and while he was not quite sure what the repercussions of that might be, he did not think he would like them very much.
Nodding his head in agreement, Duo started forward as Heero stepped back to allow him into the apartment. Once inside, Duo took a quick look around, noting the half-eaten bowl of popcorn still sitting on the coffee table, where it had been when he had ended their usual Friday night movie night in a fit of nerves an hour ago. He also noted that the movie now paused on the screen was the same one they had been watching before he left, one that he had picked out because he had thought Heero would enjoy it, but knew the other young man would never choose for himself.
"Going to finish the movie, huh?" he asked softly to fill the silence without turning to look at Heero. Inside, he was fighting with himself, trying to find the courage and determination in the face of the fear that had sent him running away in the first place only an hour before. So far though, nothing was working and he could feel his frustration growing by the second.
"Yeah, I didn't think I'd like it when you picked it out, but it really hooked me in after a while." Heero answered just as softly as he shut the door and came to stand beside the longhaired man, giving him a long, measuring look. "You always seem to know just what I'll like."
"Sometimes." Duo whispered back with a soft smile as he cast a brief glance in Heero's direction.
"Usually." the blue-eyed man countered before grabbing Duo's shoulder and turning him so he could look into the man's violet eyes. Duo's eyes were so much easier to read than his words, something that Heero had learned early in their friendship. Duo could use words to mislead people into thinking the way he wanted them to. But by just looking into his eyes, Heero found he could see around the twists to the real truth beneath. And right now, with the strange way Duo was acting, he needed that window. "Duo?"
"What do you say to taking chances, 'Ro?" Duo asked and from the startled look that crossed his face as soon as the words left his mouth, Heero could tell that was not what he had intended to say. But, as if a switch had been flipped in the longhaired man's mind, Duo's violet eyes suddenly lost the frightened and lost look they had had from the moment Heero opened the door, as pure determination took their place. "What do you say to jumping off the edge, no parachute, no guarantee that there's even ground below to catch us."
"Duo, what?" Heero started, but before he could formulate a more coherent question, Duo suddenly jerked out of his hold, whirled around, and began pacing from one end of the living room to the other, the words flowing from his mouth like a dam that had just broken its walls.
"I know you don't know about my past, no more than I know about yours really, and god knows I don't have a clue about what the future holds, but I think we can make it work. I mean, I'm willing to give it a try if you are. And even if it's not meant to be, at least we can say we tried, right? I mean, we're already best friends, so we got that part down with no problem. Taking the next step shouldn't be that hard and besides, even if it hurts, love's always worth the pain, right?"
Turning for the third time to make yet another circuit of the room, Duo jumped and gasped, effectively shutting off his small speech as he found himself face to face with Heero, who had placed himself in the braided man's path as soon as he had caught those last few words. And even while he was not about to give into the hope that had sprung up in his heart at hearing them just yet, he could not stop the tendril of excitement that raced through him when Duo's brilliant eyes suddenly met his.
"Heero--"
"Shh." Heero admonished as he placed his fingers across Duo's lips, drawing another gasp and causing those wondrous eyes to widen even further in surprise. "You've had your say, now I have a question."
Nodding his head in agreement, since Heero's fingers were still effectively silencing him, Duo held perfectly still as he waited for what the blue-eyed man would ask.
"You wanted to know what I thought about taking chances." Heero started, finally removing fingers when he was sure Duo would not interrupt. "I can tell you I'm more than ready. Hell, I've been waiting for you to be ready for months now." When Duo opened his mouth at those words, Heero instantly raised his hand to silence him and he quickly closed his mouth again, giving Heero a sheepish smile that earned him a return smile from the dark-haired man before he turned serious again. "But what I want to know is if you're really prepared to take the chance with me."
"I thought that's what I was doing by coming back here." Duo answered softly, daring to interrupt. "And I know it won't be easy, so you don't have to tell me that. But like I said, I'm willing to give it a try."
"You better be damn sure, Duo." the blue-eyed man stated, taking a step forward to close the distance between them. "Because I've been waiting for you for a long time and once I have you, I'm not letting go."
Reaching out with his right hand, Duo laced his fingers together with those of his best friend, his eyes showing Heero the determination that lay behind the statement when he said, "What do you say we take the leap together, 'Ro."
"Always." Heero returned before using their joined hand to pull Duo close and finally, finally, into his arms where he belonged.
OWARI
Taking Chances by Celine Dion
Don't know much about your life
Don't know much about your world, but
Don't want to be alone tonight
On this planet they call earth
You don't know about my past, and
I don't have a future figured out
And maybe this is going too fast
And maybe it's not meant to last
But what do you say to taking chances
What do you say to jumping off the edge
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay
What do you say
What do you say
I just want to start again
And maybe you could show me how to try
And maybe you could take me in
Somewhere underneath your skin
What do you say to taking chances
What do you say to jumping off the edge
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay
What do you say
What do you say
And I had my heart beaten down
But I always come back for more, yeah
There's nothing like love to pull you up
When you're laying down on the floor there
So talk to me, talk to me
Like lovers do
Yeah, walk with me, walk with me
Like lovers do
Like lovers do
What do you say to taking chances
What do you say to jumping off the edge
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay
What do you say
What do you say
Don't know much about your life
And I don't know much about your world
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