Author: Merula
Pairings: 1+2
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Yaoi, AU
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine.
I so meant to have a New Year's fic for today, but it was not cooperating. Maybe because it had originally been a Christmas fic? Hmmm. So then I meant to have another fic... and well, my day is not cooperating! I was thinking of resolving to finish some of my fics and post fic twice a week, but now...
Well, in the spirit of trying, how about an unfinished rough draft of something? Posting these usually pokes me into finishing... eventually...
Blind Date
"You aren't chicken, are you, Duo?" Trowa's smile nearly took the sting out of the words.
Nearly.
"I'm not going to sink to your level, Barton, and respond with some equally juvenile comment," I retorted.
"Come on, Duo." Quatre rolled his eyes at me. "It's no big deal. People do it all the time."
"I'm not interested."
"Ten minutes ago you were complaining about your lack of a love life. We're offering to help you. How can you not be interested?"
"Because I know the social circles you two move in, remember? I don't want to date someone who will throw knives at me if they get irritated."
"I didn't say we were going to set you up with someone from the circus," Trowa sighed.
"I wasn't talking about the circus people- I meant the ones Quatre works with."
"Look, the person I have in mind doesn't work with me. And they like you."
"But will I like them?"
"Duo- it's just one blind date." Quatre leaned over the table. "You let us set it up and if you have an awful time, we'll make it up to you."
"Who is this person? And how do you know they- and don't think I didn't notice the non-gender specific pronoun- like me?"
"He is a good friend. And I know he does because he told me so."
"Maybe he didn't mean it like you think."
"Really?" Quatre's eyebrows shot up. "Let me ask him." And before I could reach across the table to stop him, he'd whipped out his cell phone and dialed a number.
"What are you doing?" I hissed at him.
"Asking. Hey!" He said into the phone. "It's Winner. I was wondering if you'd be willing to go on a blind date tonight."
I made a grab for the phone knowing it was too late, but Trowa blocked me.
"With Duo Maxwell. Remember him?" Quatre grinned evilly at me. "I thought you might. Where...? Ah, perfect! That one's his favorite! I'll make sure he's there." He hung up the phone, his smile sliding up a notch. "So, you have a date tonight at seven. He's going to meet you in the old town section, in front of that Italian restaurant you like."
"I'm not going!"
"So you're going to let the poor guy stand there, all by himself?"
"No, you're going to call and cancel!"
"Nope." Quatre widened his eyes innocently at me. "If you don't go, that poor guy will just stand out there in the cold for hours. Do you really want to hurt someone's feelings like that? Especially after they jumped at the chance to go on a date with you?"
Goddamn Quatre. "This is emotional blackmail."
"Yes."
Well, at least he admitted it.
"So you'll go?"
What could I do? I didn't like to think of the poor guy- whoever he was- just standing there. I'd been stood up myself and it always sucked.
"Fine."
"Good." Quatre smiled sunnily at me while Trowa smirked. "I know you're going to have a great time."
Easy for him to say, I thought as I headed home from the restaurant. Catch me having breakfast with those two again.
What the hell was I going to do? I hadn't been on a date in.... well, a while. And a blind date? This was going to suck. Instead of turning right when I got to my complex, I turned to the left. Surely Heero would be home. Maybe he could think of a way to get me out of this?
"Hey," he said as he let me in. "How was breakfast?"
"Horrible. Why didn't you go? Without you there they picked on me."
"I had to go help Wufei," Heero reminded me as he closed the door. "Besides, I'm sure it wasn't that bad."
"Oh no? For your information, I have a blind date tonight."
The bastard smirked. "A blind date? How did they talk you into that?"
"Please, it's Quatre. He blackmailed me into it. Called the guy before I could protest and then refused to cancel. I can't just stand the guy up-"
Heero chuckled. "He knows you too well. Still, how bad could it be?"
"Incredibly bad."
Waving me towards the couch, he sat down in front of his laptop. "I'm listening- I just have to send a few things on this morning. Why incredibly bad? You could have a really good time."
"Come on Heero, it's a blind date. Who actually has fun on one of those?"
"Lots of people actually, or people wouldn't go on them in the first place."
Trust Heero to be logical.
"Besides, Quatre said the guy leapt at the chance to go out with you right? So he knows you."
What...? "Wait a minute- Quatre called you- didn't he?"
"Right after you left the restaurant." Heero smiled at me over his shoulder. "He knew you were going to show up here to bitch."
"Damn. I should've known you were compromised."
"I'm not compromised. I just know you've been dateless the last few months-"
"Don't rub it in. I know that."
"So what's wrong about going to spend the evening with someone who finds you attractive?"
"Well, that's one thing wrong right there. If he's just accepting based on appearance, he's going to be disappointed..."
"Duo- I'm sure he's basing it on more than that. Come on, stop being so negative. You could have a really good time tonight- but you won't if you go in with this attitude."
I glared at Heero's back. "Quatre really did get to you."
He turned just enough to roll his eyes at me. "No. I just know you. I know you're lonely and I know that you need someone. I don't see anything wrong with at least trying to fix the situation."
"Hi Pot? This is Kettle...."
"I know, I know." Heero laughed and turned back to his keyboard. "Still- I think you need to go."
"Fine. But then you'd better let Quatre set you up on a blind date."
That made Heero laugh. "Unlike you, I doubt I have some secret admirer languishing over me."
"The guy is not languishing. It's probably one of those young exec types who talked to me for three minutes at one of Quatre's stupid parties and told Quatre I was okay or something. And if you remember- I wasn't the one who had a princess chasing after me during the war."
"She wasn't chasing- she just had a crush- which she got over pretty quickly." Heero snorted. He hit a few more keys and then turned to face me. "Go grab your stuff and we'll go to the gym. A few rounds and you'll stop freaking out over this blind date thing."
"I'm not freaking out."
"Sure you aren't. Let's go."
~*~
After the gym, Heero remembered an errand that he had to make to HQ. And after that he had to go drop something at Wufei's- and then Wufei somehow challenged us to a few games of basketball...
I suspected Quatre had issued orders to keep me busy that afternoon- it was late when Heero finally dropped me back off at my apartment. I'd barely have time to shower and dress before I'd have to leave for the 'date'.
"Good luck tonight." He said as I got out of the car.
"Yeah, yeah," I told him and closed the door. I headed to my apartment wondering if there was some way of getting out of this date thing.
I didn't want to hurt the guy's feelings by not showing up... maybe I could go and just tell him right out that this hadn't been my idea and he'd have better luck if he went bar hopping for the evening instead?
Before I could finalize that plan in my head- and after I got out of the shower- I found Quatre at my front door.
"Has he come to his senses and canceled the date?" I asked as I opened the door, keeping one hand on my towel.
"Hardly. That's not what you're wearing tonight is it?"
"Why not? I think old beach towels are coming back into fashion."
Quatre sniffed and headed for my closet.
"What are you doing?"
"I know you Duo. I'm here to make sure you don't wear your sweeper coveralls or something equally horrible tonight trying to scare this guy off."
"I wouldn't do that!" Damn, why hadn't I thought of that?
Quatre just shook his head and opened my closet doors. "Oh good, you did laundry."
"I'm surprised you just didn't show up with an outfit."
"Thought about it, but this guy raved about you when you wore...." Quatre rummaged for a moment. "Here it is." He tossed my blue silk shirt on the bed and grinned at me.
His selection made me pause for a minute. "I've never worn that to one of your parties." Where had this guy seen me?
"Nope." Quatre raised an eyebrow at me. "I think you need to wear it with black jeans. Need me to help you put them on?"
"No thanks Mom. I can do it." Much to my relief, he headed for the door.
"Five minutes." He said to me on his way out. "Any longer and I'll know you've gone out the window."
"And you'd never catch me."
"I would if I was smart enough to have the Magunacs staking out the complex."
"You didn't."
Quatre just laughed in response.
Damn him.
Glancing at my clock I cursed inwardly and scrambled to get dressed. Quatre was waiting in my living room. "Still here?"
"I thought I'd drive you over."
"No way!" I protested. "What if this guy doesn't show? Then I'm stranded! Or what if he ends up hating me? I'm not walking home!"
Quatre rolled his eyes. "Such a positive attitude. I've told you- this guy really likes you Duo." His expression changed, grew serious. "Please try- just a little? I've been trying to get him to ask you out for ages. Don't just automatically crush him, okay?"
Damn. I hadn't thought of it that way. Maybe I was letting my worry get the better of me- and maybe I did need to change my attitude. "All right. I'll try. I promise." Quatre's smile returned. "But I'm still driving myself over there." I was not going to be dropped off like a kid on a first date.
"Okay," Quatre stood up and grabbed my coat. "Have a good time," he said and tossed it at me.
"Thanks," I said rather than the several other responses that sprung to mind. It wasn't until I was halfway out to my car that I found the movie passes that Quatre must've stuck in the pocket. So, not just dinner, but a movie. Aw hell. At least Quatre was paying.
I reached old town just at seven and somehow managed to find a parking space. I didn't like being late, so I hurried towards the restaurant, hoping the guy wasn't one of those sticklers for promptness.
There was only one person outside of Rustico's- someone with his back to me, in a very familiar black coat.
What was he doing here?
"Heero?" I said as I reached him. "Why are you here?"
"Quatre-" he started and it hit me. All of my resolutions to try and be positive fled.
"Damn- the guy backed out, didn't he? And Quatre roped you into telling me cause he knew I'd kill him?" Though how did Heero get here so fast?
"Duo-"
"I knew it. Even after Quatre gave me that whole spiel about how much he liked me and that I shouldn't hurt his feelings- he stands me up! I should've known better!"
Heero was turning red for some reason. Poor guy, it wasn't fair asking him to be the bearer of bad news- I was going to talk to Quatre about that!
"Duo," he said again. "Your date didn't back out. He's here."
"Oh." That derailed me for a moment. "Where is he? And why are you here?"
Heero took a deep breath. "I'm your date."
My brain must've shorted out for a minute, because the next thing I knew, we were in the restaurant, following the hostess to a table. Heero had a firm grip on my elbow- I don't know if it was to keep me upright or because he was worried I'd run off.
"House red," Heero said in response to the hostess's question when we sat down. "And bring the bottle- I think we might need it."
Once she was gone, he leaned across the table. "Duo? We don't have to do this if you don't want to-"
The look in his eyes shook me out of my shock. "No, no- it's okay. You just surprised me, that's all."
That was putting it mildly. My brain was still spinning the 'Heero-is-my-date' thing around, trying to figure it out. Was what Quatre had said true? Or was this his way of solving things? Had he pushed Heero into it? I was sure I'd never told him...
The clink of the wine glasses snapped me out of the spin. Heero was still looking at me, the worry-line between his eyebrows deepening.
"Scoozzi," he said and our waitress nodded. I must've missed a question again. "No, we need a few minutes."
I cleared my throat once the waitress left and managed a smile. "Why did we need a few minutes? Are you actually going to order something different for a change?"
Heero's worried look faded a bit. "Maybe- if you do."
"Though we still ordered scoozzi."
"It's always good to start from a familiar point," Heero's lips curved a little. "Besides- it's your favorite. I'm trying to be a good date, here, okay?"
"I'm sure you're-" I started without thinking- and stopped again. But the guy did look in dire need of reassurance. "I'm sure you'll be great. I mean- you already started off pretty well- reservations, the right appetizer..." I was sure I was red by now.
Blind dates suck. I could've done this so much better if I had just known it was Heero...
The worry-line was back. "Duo- it's okay. Don't try so hard- it's just me."
I tried to summon up a smile. "Sorry. It's just- you weren't what I was expecting." Oh, that sounded bad. "I mean- I had sort of psyched myself up for one of Quatre's stuffy friends- not for my best one."
"I told you- it's okay if you don't want to do this."
Oh gods, there was that look again. "It's not that! I just... well, I never thought I was your type. You seemed to go more for royalty and all- that's why during the war I never even tried."
Oo. Okay, that might have been a little too revealing there...
Heero blinked. "During the war-?"
Luckily, at that moment, the waitress arrived with our appetizer.
"Ready?" She asked with a perky smile.
"The gnocchi," I told her and saw Heero's eyebrows lift in faint surprise.
"Mizithra," he told her and she collected the menus. "Decided to try something new?" He said when she left.
"Change is good," I assured him as I reached for the spoon in the tomato mixture. Heaping it onto the cheese topped bread; I lifted up a piece and offered it to him. He took it with careful fingers and a faint smile.
A sudden thought occurred to me, tightening my chest.
"Unless- it's a forced change...?" If Quatre had done something to convince him to do this-
Heero looked up from his plate, his eyes meeting mine. "No one can force me to do something I don't want to do. You know that." "So, this is okay with you?"
"Duo-" he shook his head with a smile. "Let's just say you weren't the only one during the war convinced that they didn't have a chance."
The tightness in my chest vanished. I took a bite of my bread with a lighter heart. This might really work...
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