Author: Sorceress Fantasia
Pairings: 1+2, past Mariemeia+2, implied 5+H
Warnings: Alternating POV, fluff, some sap, AU (Our world and time)
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: 1+2, past Mariemeia+2, implied 5+H
Disclaimer: Mothers' Day had just passed by, and my children gave me the GW gang as a present. However, since I currently have no children, that scenario has not happened yet. So no, I do not own GW. I gave this fic to myself for Mothers' Day though. ^^
Note: I made up the way universities are run in this fic, since I've only heard about it. So please take this as artistic license. This part contains scenes from Heero and Duo's lives over a period of 5 days, and every break in the fic represents another day.
Thanks to Dark Tenchi for beta-ing!
Seventh Heaven Series Part 16
Four Days One Night
Heero POV
I slither into the tutorial room from the back door, hoping that the tutor won't catch me sneaking in. Yeah, I'm late to class. But it's not my fault that my bladder decided it would be fun to empty itself 3 minutes before lessons started. So it's technically not my fault, though I have no desire to explain this to the tutor and hence the entire class.
Therefore, I'm creeping into class. So far, so good.
Now comes the problem of finding a seat. Trowa and Quatre usually reserve a seat for me, but it seems that everyone else had arrived in class early and took up every available chair. Left two for them, but none for me. Gee. Quatre looks at me with his trademarked puppy look that meant 'sorry'; I shake my head, telling him it's alright.
Just as I'm about to slink into the lone seat beside some unidentified girl (No, she's not an alien. I've just not bothered to remember her name), I hear someone whispering my name in a firm tone. I turn, and notice that it's Solo. He points at the lone seat at his right, and I smirk. Quickly, I slide over.
"Thanks!"
"No problem! But really, what were you thinking? Sitting beside Jennifer? That potential Relena wannabe?"
"What?" I blink stupidly.
"Haven't you noticed the way she looks at you?"
I shake my head.
Solo points at her. "She, predator," -he turns his finger towards me- "You, prey."
"Oh..."
"Yeah, you were that close to having another stalker. Girls like that... once you sit beside them, they'll think it's an intentional action to get close to them, and they'll walk around proclaiming you love them. Really Heero, you should be more careful about this sorta..."
"Solo!"
Shit, our tutor is glaring at the both of us. That bit... witch is infamous for her 'write lines' punishment, and has always topped the 'Most hated person in university' list we students write up every semester. Probably due to her unreasonable demands about a student's character, horrid fashion sense that we sometimes considered abuse of our eyes, and a tendency to run off at the mouth with loads of crap ranging from her neighbour's dog to her husband. Really, I don't think anyone wants to hear about a mentally unsound man who had dared to marry her (1).
The point is: Solo and I are in deep trouble.
"I suppose you can repeat what I just said, since you were so deeply engaged in a conversation at the back of the room?"
She's wearing this irritating smile, arms crossed and looking smug. In other words, she looks as though she should be dragged to some dark alley and beaten black and blue.
I stare at Solo. He just gives me a winsome grin, stands up and looks back at her.
"You said, 'Class, listen carefully. You're all going to have to do a project for this term, and it'll make up quite a percentage for your scores. You're supposed to write a detailed business proposal (2), and start up a small business according to that plan. The university will give you a budget, which I will tell you later, and you should set up your mini businesses here on campus. You can keep any profits made, but you have to return the initial amount back to the university. Is that understood? Anyway, you're supposed to do this in pairs,'" Solo replies in a falsetto, grinning all the time.
Our tutor, Mrs. Smith, grits her teeth and puts her folder down onto her desk. If I were her, I suppose I'd be irked as hell. After all, I think Solo had just repeated her instructions word for word. I told you he's a slacker prodigy.
"Very good. I suppose you were listening. Well then, I shall continue. Your proposals have to be on my desk in two week's time; any late proposals will /not/ be tolerated and I'll give it a zero immediately." At this, she glared at Solo, who smiled right back at her charmingly. "Your businesses should be set up in 6 weeks from now. Is that understood?"
Now is the time to do the nod-your-head action tutors love.
"I'm going to pair you up now. Kenny, you're with Eric. Jennifer, you're with Trowa."
At that, I hear that soft but still audible groan from Quatre. Suddenly, I find myself pitying Jennifer. She may be a Relena wannabe, but she won't stand up to a worried / protective boyfriend. She'll probably want to run away from Quatre soon.
"Heero, you're doing it with Solo."
Solo turns to me, and holds out his hand. "Welcome to the world of late proposals. Or maybe Smith just wants to see me hand in an assignment on time for once. You've never turned in an assignment late, have you?"
"No," I answer, and take his hand firmly. I was going to have fun doing this project.
*****
Duo POV
I sip at my carton of orange juice, silently listening to Marie grouse about... everything. She gets bitten by the irritation bug every once in a while, and when that happens, I usually try to keep my mouth shut. Why? Because there's a distinct possibility that the gun will be pointed at me, thus drowning me under a barrage of complaints. I'll let Sylvia handle the situation first; if it goes out of her control, I /might/ consider stepping in to help.
"Gods! How is it that I flunked my math test? I studied for it!"
Sylvia offers her a faint smile, and takes a look at Marie's test paper. After a while, she points at a question on the paper. "See? You just made a calculation mistake here."
Marie glances at it, and slaps her forehead. "I had a god damned calculator! How could this happen!"
"Don't worry! Maybe you were just nervous and keyed in the wrong numbers. Things like that happen all the time! I do it sometimes too!"
"I know, I know," Marie sighs, leaning on her propped up hands. "But I'm just worried!"
"About what?"
"About university. We're graduating soon, remember? If my results carry on like this, I'm not gonna make it to a university! And I'll be flipping burgers in Burger King come next year while you two are in the most prestigious university in this country. Or maybe the world."
"Burger King? I've heard that the pay at KFC's better."
Oops. Did I say that out loud? Marie's glaring at me, and Sylvia's looking as though she's going to burst out laughing. Oh crap... now Marie's gonna gripe at me. Bad mouth, bad mouth. Why can't I shut up?
"Right, and I can give you a discount!" Marie replies so sweetly I'm getting goose bumps. "I'll add some extra stuff for you even! Arsenic, rat poison or DTT? Your choice."
I should have known. Marie can be very mean when she wants to be. Better to shut up now.
"Marie, you shouldn't worry so much. I could tutor you if you want."
Thank you, Sylvia.
Marie shakes her head. "No, it's okay. You're gonna be busy with your own studies. I'll... think of something."
"Okay. But you can always ask me if you can't solve a problem, be it math or literature or... whatever it is. I'm sure Duo'll be happy to help you too."
"Yeah, thanks. But really... have you two decided on which university you wanna go? And which subject do you wanna major in?"
"I... I want to study law. But I'm not sure which university yet. My parents want to send me abroad, but I want to stay here," Sylvia answers, a little hesitantly, as though she's afraid her parents will get wind of her words. I guess I understand that; her parents have always been very strict towards her, way before I knew her.
"What about you, Duo?"
"Me? I guess I..."
"I know! You're aiming to get into that Heero's school, right?" Marie interrupts excitedly. Geez. Ever since I came clean about my dinner at Pizza Hut with Heero, she's been adamant that I'm dating him and has tried everything short of stalking to get details about our relationship. She's a little crazy, considering that we had a short-lived relationship a couple years ago. Yeah, she got intimidated by my oh-so-protective brother.
"No."
"But Duo! This is such a good opportunity to get closer to your Heero!" she teases, and laughs suddenly. "You know, if he's a hero, doesn't that make you the damsel in distress? Or even a princess?"
"Marie! Heero is not hero. Hero is not Heero. Heero is Heero. Hero is hero (3). There's a difference. Get it?"
She blinks innocently, as though she understands. Then, she turns a sweet smile at me. "No. Honestly, Duo. Just admit he's your boyfriend and /maybe/ I'll stop talking about this for... the next hour."
"He's not my boyfriend! God... it's bad enough that I have to deal with Howie at home, and now I've to deal with you too! Why is it that all of you think we're dating?"
"Oh Duo honey, of course you're dating him. You've been going out with him so much the last couple of days that you're almost forgetting us!"
"Marie, going out with someone does not constitute dating!"
"Whatever. Anyway, have you two kissed?"
"Marie!"
I sneak a look at Sylvia, hoping that she'll just help me or something. Erm, better not be 'something'. If she decides to take Marie's side, I think I might be coerced into believing that I /am/ dating Heero. But I notice her looking down, as though she isn't paying attention to us. Which is very strange, because we're her only close friends here and she's always listened to whatever rubbish we're saying. Her policy seems to be 'never ignore us', or rather/seemed/ to be. I'm about to call her name, but Marie butts right in with another irksome comment.
"So is Heero a good kisser?"
This is going to be a damn long day...
*****
Heero POV
I quickly add some salt into the wok and continue to stir the vegetables. After a while, I turn off the stove and shove the cooked food onto a plate. Putting the wok back onto the stove, I wipe my face with a facial tissue and sigh. It's too hot inside the kitchen; I should install a fan or something. Yeah, and it'll put out the fire.
Sigh.
I add some sunflower oil into the wok and start the stove again. Picking up the rice I cooked earlier, I dump it into the wok and start stirring again. Add some green beans, some diced carrot and some corn, and some seasoning, I stir again. When I'm certain everything's cooked, I scoop up the rice. Ta-dah. Fried rice.
As I take the finished dishes out to the dining table, I wonder if I can cajole Hilde into doing this sometimes. Cooking is such a chore; girls should do it instead. But I'm not even sure if my sister is a girl. She's such a tomboy I'm shocked that she can still find herself a boyfriend. Probably because Wufei doesn't really take a liking towards girls?
Honestly, it's not as if I've never tried to get Hilde to do some housework. But ever since she broke twenty plates and bowls, I've banned her from going near the stove and oven. And she hates vacuuming the floor, hates wiping the tables and shelves, hates cleaning the windows... Actually, I think she hates all housework. It's an amazing feat I performed to get her to even agree to doing the laundry; I should probably stop pushing for more.
Suddenly, the phone rings and I pick it up.
"Hello? Yuy residence."
"Heero? Zechs here. Just calling to ask whether you wanna go out for dinner with us. You know that new restaurant in town that's doing a large buffet now? Quatre's giving us all a treat there."
"Sorry, but I've already got dinner ready. And Hilde'll be home any minute now."
"That's too bad. I've heard that the buffet's really delicious. Aa... Anyway, what did the great chef Yuy prepare tonight?"
"Just some Chinese dishes I read in a recipe book some time ago."
"Hmm. You know, there aren't many guys who can and are willing to cook as often as you do. Duo is so privileged."
I frown. "What do you mean? What does the fact that I can cook have anything to do with Duo?"
"You're so dense. Cooking is your forte! So try whipping something up for Duo! Get to his heart through his stomach!"
"Oh."
"Is that all you can say? Anyway, I've got to get going. Cathy will talk my ears off if I'm late for dinner."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
I hang up the phone, mind thinking about Zechs' comment. Cook something for Duo. That doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually. In fact, I like it because cooking is one of the things I'm confident in; lesser probability of screwing it up. I file the idea away mentally.
*****
Duo POV
I gently pull the slippers away from Shini's mouth. God, I swear Shini eats anything in sight.
"Shini, you'll choke on Howie's slippers. Either because of the size, or because of the smell. Let go! Shini!" I yell, and pull harder, but he refuses to concede. More than a little frustrated, I lift the slippers up, hoping that he'll let go. He holds on tightly, and I'm almost amused by the sight of Shini dangling in mid-air, mouth still lodged onto the slippers.
I hold it in place for a while, and Shini shows no sign of letting go. Sighing, I plop the slippers back onto the ground and Shini lets go immediately. I think he over-exerted his jaws or something. Petting the little creature on his head, I leave Howie's bedroom to look for him. The television's on, so he's probably lying on the sofa and watching some strange programs. Howie's got the weirdest taste sometimes.
"Howie!"
"Yeah, Duo?" Howie replies, turning his head.
I hold up his slippers. "Congratulations. Your slippers are the latest victims of the little terror known as Shinigami."
"Not again... Why is it that he likes my slippers so much? It's the third pair this month!"
"Who knows what goes through a doggy mind?" I shrug, and throw the pair of slippers into the dustbin nearby. "Anyway, have you seen Solo?"
"Solo? He called earlier to say that he's getting some take-out for our dinner tonight. He should be back soon."
"Take-out again? Why is Solo always buying take-outs when it's his turn to prepare dinner lately?"
"You complained about his atrocious culinary skills, remember? Besides, I think he's got a big project to do in school," Howie answered, lowering the volume of the television. "I think you should get a boy or girlfriend who can cook for you. That way, you'll always have something to eat and that will keep your mouth busy."
"Very funny."
"The next time you go on a date with that Heero guy, ask him if he can cook. If he can, make him your official boyfriend. And remember to bring him over to cook for us sometimes too."
I snort. "Howie, he's not my boyfriend, official or not. And no, I won't bring him over and subject him to the ruthless grilling by Solo."
"Grilling? You think Heero's some chicken wing? And well, I can take care of Solo."
"Yeah right. You say that every time, and Solo's managed to scare off nearly all my dates."
"It's not my fault. Some of your dates are just plain timid," -he shrugs- "Anyway, when are you bringing Heero home to see me? He's gotta get my stamp of approval if he wants to date you, you know?"
Sigh... I think Marie and Howie ganged up to do this.
*****
Heero POV
I pick up the phone from its cradle and punch in Duo's numbers. Heh... I'm still a little worried of Duo's brother picking up the phone. Still, that can't deter me from calling.
Ring... ring... ring...
I hear the distinct sound of the phone being picked up, but instead of hearing a 'hello' next, I hear some scurrying and voices fighting for the phone. After a little while, and Duo's voice shouting at a 'jerk', Duo answers the phone.
"Hello?"
"Duo?"
"Oh, hi Heero!"
"Hi. Err... you remember the photos we took the other day? I just erm, collected it this afternoon. I thought you'd want to see it."
"Of course! So... you're gonna pass it to me?"
"I was thinking that we could meet somewhere for some coffee or something... Are you free tomorrow? We could meet at Sally's." Please say yes! Please, Duo, say you're free tomorrow and that you'll love to have coffee with me!
"Why not? I'm free tomorrow, and I'd love to have coffee with you. So Sally's place?"
Thank you, Duo. Thank you. "Yeah. Shall we meet at 1pm tomorrow?"
"Sure! And remember to bring the photos. I've been thinking about them these last couple of days!"
"Okay. I'll remember them. Err... so, how have you been lately, Duo?" Tell me you've missed me! Okay, maybe that's too farfetched because we aren't that close yet, but at least tell me that you've thought about me once or twice!
"Well, it was pretty okay. Nothing really happened. Just normal days, you know? Anyway, you know something? I'd just been thinking about you a little while ago, and then you called! What a coincidence!" He laughs.
No, Duo. It's fate. "Really? I'd been thinking of you too; that's partially why I called, other than for the photos." Actually, the photos are just an excuse; you're why I'm calling.
"Hmm... Oh, sorry Heero. My uncle needs to use the telephone. I gotta go. Well, see you tomorrow!"
So soon? I was hoping we could talk for at least a little longer. "I understand. See you tomorrow. Bye."
"Bye!"
I hang up the phone, and flop down onto my bed with a grin on my face. I can just feel it; the grin's nearly splitting my face apart. Rolling onto my side, I pick up my calendar and mark tomorrow for another nice date with Duo.
Vaguely, I wonder when will I actually pluck up enough courage to ask him to be my boyfriend. Maybe when I fill up a whole list of that confession thingy Quatre made me write? Or when I come up with the perfect cuisine to cook for him? ...Nah, remember Heero Yuy! Things will happen by itself if it's meant to be!
I just hope that that day will come soon.
OWARI
(1) I modeled Heero's tutor according to my teacher in school. She's pretty much like that. Damn irritating.
(2) Yes, I made Heero, Quatre, Trowa and Solo all business students.
(3) Doesn't this just sound like some tongue twister?
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