Pairing: 2+1

Warning: AU, shounen-ai, humor, Heero POV, language

Thanks to those that left reviews so far! I really do appreciate it! Enjoy! ^^

 

 

Declaration of Our Love

 

Friday:

 

I am still reeling from Duo’s assault on me the other day and I have done a good job of ignoring him so far today. To be honest, it’s not as if he has even had the time to look at me much today. He has been surrounded by the same girls who tried to hunt him down yesterday and watching the way he laughs and talks with them, I wonder why he even bothered to hide with me in the locker to begin with.

 

No thanks to him my dreams last night had involved tight cramped spaces, a long braid and many kisses on my forehead… among other places. Of course several paper napkins and a tube of gel had been handy as well.

 

My ass still feels a bit sore…

 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Wufei asks as he sits beside me. I eye his tray with a light smirk, noticing that he’s eating his usual meal of salad and well…salad.

 

“You need some meat, my friend,” I tease as I pick at my still full plate of fried rice and chicken strips. Quatre and Trowa are making their way over and I see that Quatre’s already munching happily on his sandwich. Ah, but we make a brilliant crew. Heero Yuy and his gang of players.

 

We begin to talk of things that are important to us (and which are of no real concern to you dear reader) but you know…guy things. Everything was going quite well until Trowa suddenly clears his throat and says rather quickly.

 

“Hey, I talked to Duo on the way here and since he is kinda cool with me and all, I figured I would invite him to join us for lunch today.”

 

I continue to pick at my chicken, wondering why that name has caused my heart to skip a beat. Are my hands trembling? I sure hope not. I stall for time and chew thoughtfully. I can feel the weight of their stares as they eagerly await my answer. What do they want me to do?! Jump for joy and pat them on the back and congratulate them on inviting my rival for lunch?!

 

“It’s strategy, Heero,” Quatre explains quickly.

 

I raise my brow. Please, do elaborate.

 

“If people see you and Duo together, everyone’s going to think you’re the nice guy,” the blond says with a firm nod. “All great politicians do it. They invite their opponents for dinners and luncheons and the like. Show the public that you’re not the enemy here. Show them how generous and kind you really are by extending a hand of friendship.”

 

I have already been extending that hand of friendship. Duo and I do talk after school while we wait for the bus and I even know where he lives as he gets off before me. But we have never really had any real thought provoking conversations. Come to think of it…is it just me or does he seem on guard around me? I seem to get the sense that he’s waiting for me to do something.

 

/Don’t worry. I won’t touch you until you ask me to…/

 

Like hell I will!

 

“Fine,” I finally grunt out and stab my chicken impatiently. This is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever done.

 

“Hi guys!”

 

“Hey, Duo!”

 

“Yo, Duo.”

 

“Hi, D.”

 

What in the world?! When had they all become that familiar with him? Have they been making friends with him behind my back all this time?

 

“Hey, Heero.”

 

I refuse to lift my head or to even acknowledge him, but a sharp and quite painful kick to my shin has me cursing softly and forcing a smile to my face as I finally lift my gaze.

 

I wish I didn’t.

 

He’s smiling again – that friendly smile that had led to that kiss on my forehead, which was now tingling with warmth for some reason. No, wait a minute, it’s my whole body that’s tingling this strangely.

 

He holds up his hands as if surrendering to me and laughs sheepishly. “You’re not still mad at me over yesterday, are you?”

 

“Yesterday?” Wufei asks in curiosity. “What happened yesterday?”

 

Is it just me or is the room suddenly getting hotter than ever? “Nothing. Nothing happened yesterday,” I say quickly but damn that Duo Maxwell!

 

“Oh, you can’t tell me you’ve already forgotten how I made you stay with me in that locker when we were trying to hide away from Hilde and the others.”

 

Damn it! Damn it! Duo, I’ll kill you!!

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I grate coldly as I pointedly glare at him. But either he’s completely oblivious to what I’m trying to say or he’s just being an asshole.

 

“Of course you do! Don’t be shy now, Heero.” He winks.

 

Yes, he is definitely an asshole.

 

Trowa whistles softly. Wufei is trying hard not to choke on his lettuce and Quatre’s eyes are as wide as mine must have been yesterday. They are all staring at us like they had never seen us before. I am not even sure I am in this room anymore! Yes, that’s right! I am probably still in class reading! Yes! I am not in the cafeteria with this moron who wants to embarrass me at all costs!

 

“Why if it weren’t for Heero’s skills, we would have been caught!”

 

“Are we talking about those cramped lockers at the back of the classrooms?” Trowa asks with a smirk lighting his features. Oh dear god, no.

 

“Those are pretty…eh…tight, aren’t they?” Quatre adds with a smile that seems to be growing by the second.

 

“I doubt one person can fit in there, let alone two,” Wufei chimes in with a wave of his fork. “Just how did you two manage?”

 

Duo leans forward and lowers his voice, forcing the others to lean in as well to listen. I realize that the grip on my fork is so tight that I am sure I will break it in two. He’s going to say something really shitty right now. I know it. I know it!

 

“Well, I wasn’t going to tell anyone this but since you’re all his best friends and all,” Duo smiled at me again before having the gall to blush and lower his lashes. “He…he…well…he kissed me…”

 

“I DID NOT KISS YOU, YOU LIAR! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KISSED ME!”

 

As soon as the words escaped my lips, I knew I was done for. The silence that had fallen in the cafeteria was more than enough evidence to let me know that my reputation was now completely tarnished.

 

And ignoring my burning cheeks and trembling body, I mustered enough of my dignity that was left and promptly walked out of the room with my head held high.

 

 

__

 

 

 

The Weekend:

 

At least I have the entire weekend to think up several ways to kill Duo once Monday comes around. Of course I will have to make it seem like an accident. I cannot afford to have my already crumpling image ruined even further.

 

Several options have come to mind:

 

Pushing him unto the road as the bus approaches – but the boy does have quick reflexes, so that one might not work.

 

Poisoning his lunch

 

Stabbing him ‘accidentally’ with the scalpel during biology class.

 

Throwing the basketball at him so hard during gym that he dies from hemorrhage or something.

 

I groan and place my head wearily upon my desk. Who am I kidding? I might as well feign illness and not show up for school at all on Monday.

 

 

__

 

 

Monday:

 

I really am sick.

 

I can barely get out of bed.

 

Hear that? That’s me coughing my lungs out. Now, leave me alone.

 

 

__

 

 

Tuesday:

 

“Look, Heero. You can’t keep running away from school forever,” Quatre says as he sits upon my bed…

 

“OWW!”

 

“Ooops…sorry! Didn’t know it was your leg there.”

 

Sure you didn’t.

 

“And besides, I’m telling you, your popularity has soared to even greater heights because of that incident.”

 

I stare at my friends blankly and they stare right back, but there is amusement and yet laughter beneath the surface as they try not to give in to their mirth.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Wufei tosses me the folded paper and before picking it up I can already tell what it is. It’s the local school paper run by Relena Peacecraft, who unfortunately, is also the president (or at least was) the president of my fan club.

 

“Read it,” Trowa commands and I obediently open it up. I can feel my face growing paler by the second. I think it’s best I just copy and paste what was written:

 

The Secret Is Finally Exposed!

Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell are out of the Closet!

 

In a surprising move, unforeseen by many watchers of these two future stars of Fujisaki High, Heero Yuy was the first to finally admit his love for his very own political rival and classmate, Duo Maxwell.

 

It all happened in the middle of lunch yesterday in the school’s cafeteria. No one is sure of what brought about the outburst, but many observers noticed that Duo Maxwell had finally joined the Fabulous Four for lunch!

 

There has always been speculation about Heero Yuy’s sexuality and we the former members of his fan club have decided to give him a chance again and to create the Heero and Duo Shrine for the common love of the two most beautiful boys in our school. Presidents Hilde Schbeiker (Class 3-1) of the Duo Maxwell Club and Relena Peacecraft (Class 3-2) have agreed to put their differences aside and to work for this common goal.

 

In an interview yesterday, Miss. Peacecraft was quoted as saying. ‘I am glad that the truth has finally come out. With Heero’s declaration of love yesterday, we the fan girls will see to it that we preserve their relationship. We will do all we can to make sure that those two are never apart from the other…

 

I think I must have blanked out after reading that because when I open up my eyes, only Wufei is in the room with me.

 

“Quatre and Trowa had choir practice,” he explains with a nod before going back to his video game.

 

I groan and bury my face in my hands. “I can never go back to school,” I mumble. “I can never go back to any school! Duo…Duo has ruined my life!”

 

“No need to sweat over it,” Wufei says even though his eyes are still pinned on the screen before him. “Duo doesn’t seem to be worried.”

 

Somehow hearing that doesn’t help matters either. “Of course he wouldn’t! He’s an asshole that’s what! It’s all his fault!”

 

Wufei finally stops playing long enough to face me. I close my mouth and immediately feel my defenses about to rise. I can tell that he is about to get serious with me. His eyes always get that intense look that’s kind of intimidating.

 

“You keep acting like you really do like the guy, Heero.”

 

“Wha…!”

 

“He was teasing on that day. Even we weren’t taking it seriously, but then when you said that…”

 

“So? So what if I said that?!”

 

“It pretty much told us that you have the hots for him.”

 

“But he was lying! I can’t just sit there and let him lie!”

 

“He was just teasing…”

 

“I don’t like being teased!” Damn! But I am pissed off! Can’t they see? Can’t any of them what a disaster this is turning out to be? My whole life is ruined and all they can say is relax? He was just teasing?!

 

“Chill Heero. You’re going to burst a blood vessel at this rate.”

 

And before I can think of something smart to reply with, he gets to his feet and picks up his school jacket. “See you around, bro.”

 

Well, that does it! I am not going to hide any longer. It’s time someone put Duo Maxwell in his place! No one makes a fool of Heero Yuy and gets away with it! And this time, Duo was going to pay.

 

 

__

 

 

Tuesday:

 

Do you have any idea of what it feels like to be the center of attention? I mean to really be the center of attention? To feel a million and one eyes trained on your every move? To feel your skin prickle in awareness – goose bumps breaking out on your flesh? Your body shivering from the knowledge that you are being evaluated, dissected, literally undressed with just their gazes?

 

I have come to the conclusion that girls are inexplicably weird. I will never truly understand why the notion of (and I gag as I think this) Duo and I as a couple was even remotely appealing. Okay, granted the guy does look great in his uniform, I’ll give him that.

 

And let’s not forget that incident in the locker, my mind taunts.

 

No, that was just a reaction to the situation we were in. I mean we were in close quarters! What did you expect?!

 

Would you have felt the same way with Wufei or Quatre or Trowa?

 

Probably! Damn…get out of my head…!

 

“Hey, Heero.”

 

My world stops as I make the turn and bump into the very person I do not want to see. His hands reach out to steady me and all I can see are the millions of eyes watching…waiting for a photo op like this.

 

“Don’t touch me!” I all but snarl as I back away quickly. I see something akin to hurt and surprise flash within his eyes for a moment before it is replaced with one of polite amusement.

 

“Oh…yeah…you’re still worried about all that…kissing thing…”

 

“You disgust me,” I interrupt coldly. I watch the smile turn into a frown and I know that I have finally gotten a rise out of him. I really don’t care that those eyes are still watching our every move but I have to squash this thing now before it gets out of hand.

 

I move closer and make sure that my words are clear and concise. Let them all hear it.

 

“You think you’re so hot making me say that the other day, right, Duo? You think you can ruin my life and then pretend as if nothing happened? Well, nobody makes fun of me, do you understand? Nobody!”

 

“Is that right?”

 

“Yes. It is.”

 

He places his hand beneath his chin and closes his eyes as if in some sudden deep thought. I grit my teeth in fury, my hands clenching into fists as I realize that he is doing it again. Finally, he opens his eyes and breaks into a smile.

 

“So I disgust you, eh?”

 

“Yes, you mo…”

 

He suddenly moves so fast that I am pressed against the locker and effectively trapped with his hands on either side of my head. I barely hear the audible gasps from a few of the students and to my chagrin, I can feel my face grow red with embarrassment. He is leaning closer and saying something, but I can’t hear a thing. My mind, body…everything now seems to thrum with heat as they concentrate on those lips that are moving closer and closer to mine.

 

He is going to kiss me here! Oh fuck no! Please don’t kiss me here! Not here! Not now!

 

I squeeze my eyes shut and slowly lift my knee. If he dares to do anything, I’m going to kick him in the balls so hard, he’ll wish he had never been born. I feel his warm hands cup my cheeks and my eyes fly open so quickly, my lips parting to tell him to get his hands off, only for my mind to completely go blank as something hot and wet slips into my mouth.

 

His…his…tongue!

 

I don’t remember what happened next. I can’t even tell you what I must have done. But all I do know and remember is that my unofficial first kiss was the most incredible experience of my young life.