Author's Note: I'm not a fan of Relena-bashing, but honestly, it can be fun...and I couldn't resist a little DuoXHeero interaction...hope you like it!
Boot Camp Part 19
Visiting Day--Revisited
When Quatre and Trowa headed for the visitor center, they did, as promised, escort Duo safely back to the barracks first. He teasingly thanked them for "walking him home," and sauntered inside to find Heero at the familiar laptop.
"Back to your sweetheart, eh, Yuy?" sighed the braided boy, shaking his head as he went to his foot locker to retrieve a comic book or two.
Heero nodded at the colorful comics Duo pulled out. "Likewise," he said with a shrug.
Duo looked down at his light reading. "These? Just a diversion, Yuy." He climbed up onto his bunk, angling across it so he could just see the team leader. "Some day I'll tell you about my real sweetheart," he smirked.
"I'm sure I don't want to know," Heero said firmly, eyes riveted on the screen. He didn't bother to tell Duo that since arriving back at the barracks, he'd been pretty much staring at the same page on the screen, unable to stop daydreaming about what might have happened earlier.
Duo made a skeptical noise, rolling onto his back. "Sure you do. Admit it. You're the curious type, Yuy. No matter how blasé you act, you want to know things."
"Not those things," Heero muttered, wondering why he was letting the braided menace bait him into a pointless conversation in the first place.
And then, as the previous week, there was a sharp, no-nonsense knock on the door, and Captain Chang stuck his head in. "Yuy...visitor!"
"That's impossible!" Heero said flatly, his tone gone cold.
"Not for Miss Peacecraft it's not," Wufei smirked at him.
"You have got to be shitting me, Chang," Heero said, in a moment of unguarded shock.
Duo chortled at that. "You must really hate Miss Pretty Pink Paper, Yuy!"
Heero looked up at him with a scowl. "Maxwell..."
"Hurry it up, Yuy," said the Captain.
"Oh, all right!" snarled Heero.
As Wufei started to close the door, Heero called out to him quickly.
"Hey, Chang! Can Maxwell come with me?" he asked.
The Captain glanced up at the startled expression on the braided boy's face, and then at Heero's tense one. "I suppose so," he shrugged. "Make it snappy, both of you."
He was out the door before Duo had vaulted off his bunk, mouth opened in protest.
"Chang! Wait!"
"Too late, Maxwell," Heero said firmly. "Let's get going."
"What? No!" Duo put his hands on his hips, standing with his feet planted stubbornly. "I don't even know Her Royal Pinkness. Why in hell would you want me to go with you?"
Heero favored him with a long look. "So you won't be here in the barracks alone again...with my foot locker."
Duo blushed slightly at that. "Don't you think I learned my lesson?"
"I think," Heero said, walking closer, "you might have learned not to get caught, Maxwell."
Duo gave a weak smile. "Well, yeah...but...what if I promise to behave?"
Heero was almost toe to toe with him by now, Prussian blue eyes locked on indigo ones. "You don't really want to end up owing me again, do you?"
That depends...owing what, exactly?
Duo pulled his mind out of the gutter, recalling that it had gotten him into trouble more than once before. "Uh, I guess not," he said faintly, wishing Heero wouldn't stand so close that it totally disrupted his mental processes.
"Good," Heero said brightly. "Then let's get going. You're going to meet Miss Relena Peacecraft today." He caught Duo by the arm, leading him unresistingly to the door, and holding it open for him. "You first."
"Aye-aye, sir," Duo said feebly, walking out and turning in the direction of the visitor center.
He regained his equilibrium during the walk, turning and looking at Heero's somber expression, raising an eyebrow curiously. "So, how do you know Relena Peacecraft?"
Heero sighed. "We went to the same school."
"Ah," Duo replied. "How long have you known her?"
The deep blue eyes shot him an irritated look. "What difference does it make?"
"A huge one, Yuy." Duo raised his hands in a placating gesture. "That's okay. Don't answer. I can guess. Judging from the number of letters you throw away each week at mail call, I'd say you've known each other at least ten years."
Heero nearly growled at that. "Since second grade," he admitted.
Duo grinned triumphantly. "Knew it." He looked down at the ground as they walked, now assailed by doubts. "I suppose she's your girlfriend?" he hazarded a guess.
Heero stopped in his tracks, waiting until Duo stopped as well and turned to face him. "Maxwell, does the fact that I throw away her letters say nothing about our so-called relationship at all?"
Duo blinked, a little confused by the obtuse wording. "Uh...maybe?"
"No, she's not my girlfriend."
"Good," Duo said reflexively, biting his lip a second too late. "I mean, I'm sure you could do better," he hastily amended. Riiiight...better than the heir to the Peacecraft legacy... Duo frowned in confusion. "Why isn't she your girlfriend?" he asked bluntly.
Heero gave him a look that nearly made him wince. "Maxwell...not that it's any business of yours, but I don't particularly like her."
"But she likes you--" Duo guessed.
"I suppose so," Heero conceded. "Can we keep walking, Maxwell? I'd like to get this over with."
"Oh, sure." They resumed their stroll towards the visitor center. But this time Duo was silent.
While he'd begun to think that Heero might be attracted to him, he still wasn't even sure the team leader was gay...or even bi-sexual. After all, they were in a prison, and it wasn't at all uncommon for perfectly straight guys to take sex when, where, and however they could find it. Again, that was Duo's biggest reason for fearing the hardcore prison system. It wasn't like he'd only have gay inmates to evade...especially with the long hair.
But then again, Heero Yuy didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd be that desperate. Knowing how focused and disciplined he was, Duo rather suspected Heero could go indefinitely without sex.
Then again, when Duo had teasingly asked if it was the pink letters Heero didn't like, or girls in general, Heero hadn't answered.
On the other hand, when Duo had blatantly offered Heero sex, he'd adamantly refused it, which certainly suggested he was straight.
And yet, he admitted to flirting, which again led to the conclusion that he was at least bi.
Duo groaned, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He could clear up the whole issue if he just had balls enough to ask. He stopped in his tracks.
"Heero?"
"What?" came the impatient reply, as Heero turned and gave him an exasperated glare.
"Why didn't you--?" Duo hesitated, fidgeting with the end of his braid. "When I offered to--y'know--why didn't you just--take what was offered?"
Heero sighed in frustration. "I thought I explained it, Maxwell. It would have been taking advantage of you...preying on your fear of prison to extort sex. That's not how you treat a teammate."
"So, it wasn't because you don't--wouldn't want--" Duo stopped, sure he'd already said too much. "Oh, fuck...just forget it," he said in frustration, walking past Heero and up the steps to the visitor center.
He held the door open, and Heero walked slowly up the steps, pausing as he reached the braided boy. "It wasn't because you aren't--attractive," he said quietly, proceeding inside before Duo could respond.
Duo waited just long enough to catch the breath that he lost every time Heero talked to him in that quiet, sexy voice. And then a smile spread across his face as he followed his team leader inside.
Yeah, attractive is good. And was that flirting again?
~*~
On the other side of the divider was a prim-looking young lady with sleek blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She looked at Heero with a smile, which froze when she saw the boy he dragged into the booth beside him.
"Heero--?"
"Relena," he said coolly. "I see you ignored my request that you refrain from visiting."
She blinked in confusion, still glancing from him to the braided boy. "Uh...who's this?" she asked.
Heero glanced aside at Duo, who darted him a narrow glare. "Oh...Duo Maxwell, meet Relena Peacecraft."
"Charmed," Duo said with a polite smile, nodding in the girl's direction.
"Uh...of course...how nice to..." She turned her gaze back to Heero. "Why is he here?" she demanded curtly.
"I simply thought that since you are no doubt here on a media-driven quest, you should meet some of the other recruits attending the boot camp," Heero said smoothly.
"Oh?" she said blankly. "But I'm not here for the press today," she insisted. "I specifically avoided any media attention for this visit."
"Why?" Heero asked simply.
"Well, that should be obvious," she huffed. "You seemed very put out that my last visit might draw unwanted attention. So this time I made sure it wouldn't."
Heero sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose to cover his scowl.
Duo smirked, giving the pretty girl a sly glance. "So, you must be here for personal reasons then?"
She eyed him warily. "Very personal."
"Ah..." Duo ignored the deadly glare from Heero's blue eyes. "Girlfriend?" he hazarded.
"Yes," said Relena.
Just as Heero said, "No!"
They both glared through the glass at each other.
Duo's grin widened, and he leaned in closer to Heero. "Want me to get rid of her for good, Yuy?"
His teammate darted him a wary look, and then an almost invisible smirk. "Absolutely."
Duo turned back to Relena, his indigo eyes alight with mirth. "I'm afraid I've got some really bad news for you, Princess." He settled himself onto Heero's lap, draping one arm lazily around his neck. "Y'see...being here at Camp Peacecraft, Heero's made some--er--startling discoveries about himself."
Heero shifted uneasily under Duo's weight, hoping the braided boy wouldn't notice the reaction he couldn't help having. He winced, trying to keep from groaning out loud as the other boy wiggled slightly, leaning closer to the glass divider.
"Um...what I'm getting at," Duo elaborated, giving Relena a conspiratorial wink. "Heero and I are...well...together...if you catch my drift."
Relena's eyes were as big as saucers. "I don't believe-- This can't be--"
"Having a little trouble finishing sentences, sweetheart?" Duo cooed snidely.
Her blue eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" she demanded of the braided boy. "And why are you saying things like that about Heero?" She looked at Heero for help. "Well?"
"I told you who he is," Heero said simply.
"And you expect me to believe you're--he's--you're both--"
"Gay," Duo supplied helpfully. "The word is 'gay', or 'homosexual', if you want the more politically correct term, Princess." He knew Heero would probably beat him senseless later, but it was worth it for the stricken look on the prim face opposite them.
"But, you can't be!" Relena insisted.
"Why not?" Heero asked.
"Because you--you're--you!" she wailed in dismay.
Duo cocked an eyebrow quizzically. "You do know that didn't make any sense," he pointed out.
"You shut up!" she snarled, darting him a perfectly icy glare. "And leave my boyfriend alone!"
"Your boyfriend?" Duo echoed in mock disbelief. "I think you've got that all wrong. I'm the one sitting in his lap." And what I wouldn't give to stay right here the rest of my life...
Relena gave Duo a look that could have curdled milk, but then turned an appealing gaze to the Japanese boy. "Heero, please tell him he's mistaken."
In response, Heero wrapped both arms around Duo's waist, giving Relena a small shrug. "But he's not."
Duo didn't have to pretend to melt into that embrace. He let himself lean against Heero's chest, reveling in the sensation of those warm arms around him. "So you see how it is, Ms. Peacecraft," he said a little breathlessly. Again, that wasn't something he had to fake at all. "And I'd appreciate it if you stopped writing to my boyfriend, 'kay?" He gave her a small, insincere smile.
She stood up, her mouth opening and closing for a moment as she glanced back and forth between the two boys.
Duo eyed her with amusement, rather hoping she'd demand more proof of their relationship, like a nice, steamy kiss...but then, it was very possible Heero would kill him for something like that. Not that it wouldn't be worth it. Soooo worth it.
Instead, she gathered what was left of her dignity, darting a last, resentful glare at Duo. "Fine then." Her face was flushed with emotion as she picked her purse up off the table. "I--I'll wait for you to come to your senses, Heero. I know this is just because you're trapped in this awful place...with no female companionship. When you get out, we can--talk about this." She narrowed her eyes, glancing surreptitiously at Duo, who had started twirling a finger in the hair at the back of Heero's neck. "I'll keep writing, Heero, so you know I haven't given up on you."
As she hastily turned and walked away, Duo doubled over in silent laughter, burying his face in Heero's shirt front. "Ah, that was priceless..." he snorted between muffled snickers.
Heero still had his arms around Duo's waist, watching until Relena actually left the building. He knew she'd glance back one last time, and seeing Duo snuggled up under his chin just made the red in her cheeks a little brighter before she left.
"She's gone," he said quietly, dropping his face so his lips were next to Duo's ear.
"Mm-hmm," Duo mumbled, still chuckling.
"You need to get up," Heero added, his voice slightly strained as he tried to control his body's natural reaction to having the incredibly handsome boy in his lap.
Duo sat up, wiping tears of hilarity from his eyes. "Ah, yeah...sure. Just enjoying the moment," he said between gasping to catch his breath. "Her face was just..." Shaking his head helplessly, he took his arm from around Heero's shoulders. "Um...you'll need to let go..." he added, looking down at the arms still looped around his waist.
"Oh, yeah." Heero blushed as he opened his arms to release the braided boy.
Duo took his time standing up, and as he turned to leave the little booth, he leaned down so his lips barely brushed Heero's ear. "Bet your laptop never had that effect on you," he whispered, glancing significantly down at Heero's lap before he left.
The Japanese boy groaned quietly, burying his face in one hand and trying to salvage what was left of his composure, before standing up and following Duo.
TBC...
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