Warnings:
angst, lime
School Tales #20
Extracurricular Activities
Saturday,
Wonder Mart
We received a shipment of
store supplies earlier this morning and stocking
the shelves with brand new cans of tomato sauce, chicken soup and diced fruit
has kept my mind off a million and one other
things I don’t want to think about. Can after can is stacked against each other
in rows that seem to never end. I lost count at three hundred and fifty five
when I had started out on this aisle and I’m not going to bother trying to figure
out where I ought to start counting again.
Stepping down the ladder, I
spy Wufei between the shelves in the next aisle. He’s currently struggling with
the paper products – you know, tissues, paper napkins and the like. He had
arranged them neatly into a pyramid for display purposes, but seeing the scowl
on his features, I can tell that his hard work is about to come crashing down
around him in one…two…
The expletive that follows
seconds later tells me that my prediction has come true.
Saturday mornings at this
time – the store opens at ten, by the way – is always a good time for me. It’s
nice to see the aisles empty save for the other workers who are just as busy as
I am. In a few minutes, the doors will be opened up and the day of business and
commerce will begin. The cacophony of gossiping women, giggly teenage girls and
their loudmouthed boyfriends, sniffling, mischievous and annoying little kids,
screaming and wailing babies and impatient husbands and fathers, will bring
this building back to life. I tell myself that I need the distraction by any
means necessary. I’ll even suffer the ‘dumb’ customers with their incessant
questions if I have to - anything…anything to get my mind off my actions
of the last few days.
“Hey, Yuy. I need you to help
with the frozen foods section. Ted’s moving over to Clothing.” “Yes, sir.”
I dutifully head to my new
assignment and get to walk past Wufei, who’s still trying to get his pyramid of
toilet paper together.
“Give it up, boy,” I tease
with a small smile. “That thing’s going to fall again…”
“Shut up, Heero,” he growls
in response, hardly looking at me as his focus and undivided attention remains
on his work of art. “Go back to whatever you’re doing and leave me alone.”
I shrug and smile to myself.
Yeah, Wufei can be that callous when he chooses to be especially when it comes
to matters that are of dear importance to him. In this case, his toilet paper
fetish.
As I pull out the trolley
filled with boxes of frozen foods a few minutes later, I can already see a few
customers milling around the aisles. Fixing the obligatory smile on my visage,
I nod and greet the few that come my way. I can already tell it’s going to be a
great working day for me and if I’m lucky, things will go off without a hitch.
__
Three hours later, and Wonder
Mart is at its busiest, with customers seeming to fill every nook and cranny of
the large store. I haven’t been assigned to the cash registers yet and trying
to ask my manager about that is next to impossible. I might end up having to
stock for the rest of the day. Wufei’s currently engaged in a fascinating
conversation with an old lady about the merits of frozen and live lobsters and
from the look of pained patience on my friend’s face, I can tell that it’s
taking all of his strength just to keep up. I really don’t envy his position in
the slightest.
“Excuse me, but can you tell
me where I can find powdered milk?”
With a ready smile of
courtesy on my lips, I turn around and find myself face-to-face with a woman
whose features have haunted my dreams from the moment I saw her in the parking
lot at school. She is dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a white
dress-shirt, which emphasizes her slender figure. Her long chestnut-colored
hair is down her back in a single thick braid, reminiscent of her son’s. I can
very well be looking at a female version of Duo, if I want to think of her in
that way and I can’t help it. The box of cereal I planned to put on the shelf,
slips through my fingers and to the ground. Feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment,
I apologize quickly and reach for it, only to be beaten by her quicker
reflexes.
“I hope I didn’t startle
you,” she says with a soft laugh that sounds so ‘pretty’ and out of place in
these surroundings.
“No…no…” I want to hate her.
I need to hate her for what she’s about to do to Duo and I but the more
I try to muster up that emotion, the more pathetic and wasteful it seems.
Here’s a woman who must be extremely thrilled to finally have her son back and
my jealousy and selfishness…
“Well? Do you know where the
powdered milk is? I’m trying to prepare my son’s favorite cake today and I
really need a specific brand.”
Your son’s favorite
cake? I don’t even know what that is and I’m…was…his boyfriend!
Come to think of it…I wonder
if Duo has told her about us at all.
“Oh…please…follow me,” I
finally say as I begin to lead the way on legs that feel like thick logs.
The squeaky sound of her cart
being pushed beside me drowns out every other noise in the store. Her scent is
a fragrant sweetness that reminds me of freshly picked roses – the kind my
mother liked to grow in our garden when I was much younger.
“You have a lovely store,”
she says again as I notice her reach for a box of crackers to throw into her
cart. There’s already an assortment of vegetables, fruit and tons of desserts
in there. My god! It seems like mother and son share the same craving for sweet
things.
Of course, they’d have
more to share. That’s why they’re family! And you’re not.
That’s right. I’ll never be
that close to Duo because of this woman. She knows more about him than I do.
Although, she’s been out of his life for most of it, she still has the right to
know all of his dirty little secrets.
We finally get to the right
shelves and as I lean down to pick out a brand for her, Wufei’s voice hails me.
“Hey, Heero. Lunch break in ten…oh…I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were with her…”
“Heero?” Duo’s mother says
slowly as if trying out the name to test its weight on her tongue. Her eyebrows
knit in concentration for a moment, but then give way to a look of
understanding. “Ah, you must be Heero Yuy, my son’s friend. You know him…Duo
Maxwell.” She holds out her hand, her smile becoming even more disarming. “I’m
Eleanor, Duo’s mother. It’s really nice to finally meet you. My son has talked
about you.”
“He…has?” I blink in
surprise. I would never have thought that Duo would bring me up in conversation
with anyone let alone his mother.
“And you must be Wufei,” she
continues as she turns to face my surprised friend. “He says there’s one with
black hair who looks like he can beat up ten men with no problem whatsoever. Goodness, it really is a pleasure to meet
you two. And now that I have, it’s only right that you come down to our house
this evening and join us for dinner…unless you had other plans…”
Wufei’s already beginning to
shake his head behind her (since she had faced me to say the last bit) and the
words of refusal has already begun to spring to my tongue. The thought of
spending time with her…and Duo in tow is something that…
“It’s his birthday today
actually,” she says softly – so softly that I could barely hear her at first.
“Although he insists on celebrating it on the day he was found at the
orphanage.” She gives us a small apologetic smile as if hoping we will forgive
her for her sins. “I had to talk him into this tonight. But I’m sure he’ll
really like it if his friends showed up.”
Lady, I’m not sure you’d want
us…especially me…hanging around your place tonight. Your son and I
aren’t really that friendly right now. But damn if Wufei doesn’t open up his
big mouth to say…
“Heero would love to go,
wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, I have plans to be with my own family tonight,” he
says quickly. “It was a real pleasure meeting you, Ms. Maxwell. I hope we can
see each other again really soon.”
Cursing Wufei in every
language I know (inside of course) I throw a quick cold glare at him and manage
to fix a smile on my visage quickly as I meet Eleanor’s questioning and yet
hopeful look. Shit. There’s no way I can say ‘no’ now. It will seem as if I am
deliberately trying to avoid her – and I actually am, to be honest!
“I’ll…I’ll…love to come,” I
say quietly. “I’m sure…”
“Wonderful!” And to my
embarrassment and shock (and there’s no doubt that this is making a scene), she
grabs me in an embrace that’s so tight,
I can feel my lungs about to burst from the pressure. “Oh this is going
to be so exciting,” she gushes and finally releases me. I am blushing again and
I think it’s a combination of different things. She is definitely hot in the
looks department and feeling that warm bosom pressed against me and her
smell…well…what can I say? I’m only human and a guy at that.
Wufei’s laughing silently at
me and I flip him the finger as Duo’s mother turns away to pick out several
things she needs. By the time she leaves, she has left me her phone number and
home address.
One of my co-workers assumes
that I have just snagged a hot babe for the night. I ignore the teasing remarks
as I continue to stare at the hastily written note in my hands. I can feel my
insides churning with nervous anticipation.
Oh dear god, I hope this
night doesn’t turn out to be a disaster.
__
The
I confess that it took me
almost half an hour to decide on what to wear tonight. Nothing in my closet
looked good enough and after kicking myself for a few minutes, I decided that
it wasn’t worth sweating over. I was just going to have dinner with the
Maxwells. It’s not as if I am doing this to impress anyone. Duo and I aren’t a
couple anymore and besides, Eleanor is just being nice and well…motherly,
that’s all.
Glancing at my watch, I see
that I have almost twenty minutes of nothing to do. I’m not sure it will do for
me to show up so early. They might think that I’m way too eager to be here tonight.
I settle for taking a stroll around the apartment complex for a while. With any
luck, I’ll be at their doorstep with five minutes to spare.
The Palisades are considered
to be pretty high-class living conditions. Coming through the gates had required
a special pass code (which Eleanor had been kind enough to tell me earlier) and
some other high tech security measure. The well-tended and beautiful landscape
is lush with rare flowers and trees. Expensive cars line the parking lots and
from some of the apartments that are lit, one can see that even the interior
décors are just as lavish. Speaking of lit apartments, I do believe that there
is a couple making out in full view a few stories up. They haven’t bothered to
close their blinds and things are getting pretty heated with each passing
second. I flush and try to turn my gaze away only to hear the soft catcalls
from a few neighbors who are also watching the free porn show with great
enjoyment.
Besides the little peep show,
the Palisades is a far cry from Duo’s former accommodations. I’m sure he’ll
enjoy living in a place like this. I sigh softly and make a turn around a
corner, which takes me to the complex’s swimming pool. Hell, it’s a planet of
its own! From the sights of men and women in catering outfits, it looks like
there’s a party about to take place in a few minutes. Soft
Fuck! I have less than five
minutes to make it to their building!
She had said they were in
Building One and looking at the numbers around me, I am nowhere near that.
Cursing beneath my breath, I begin to run, wondering how I had walked so far
from my starting point in the first place. Leaping over hedges, nearly getting
bitten by a dog whose owner has let loose for reasons beyond me, and almost
colliding into a passing car finally has me standing before Apartment H-210.
Thank goodness it’s on the
ground floor.
A quick running of fingers
through my hair and tuck of my dress shirt into my pants and desperately trying
to get my breathing back to normal, has me looking relatively decent enough. I’m
two minutes late and as I begin to form the quick lie to tell Eleanor, while
lifting my hand to press the doorbell, the door opens up quickly to reveal…
I blink again just to make
sure I am not seeing things even though my cheeks are burning at the sight.
…Duo Maxwell in an apron!
And not just any apron as it’s white with frill lace edges around it. Beneath
the apron, is a simple white dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up and a pair
of black pants. He’s holding a rather large white cat and I can tell that he’s
about to leave it outside to wander around for a while. Either way, we are staring at each other like
morons. He, with a look of disbelief and then dawning embarrassment at being
caught in such an outfit, while I’m still not sure of how to react. My cheeks
still feel hot, my hand is still hanging in mid-air and I think my jaw must be
somewhere on the ground. I’m not even sure I can trust myself to speak for
whatever I have planned to say will sound extremely inconsequential.
Duo recovers quickly,
however, and tries to scowl. “Don’t just stand there,” he mumbles as he leans down
to let the cat go. His braid falls forward and
my first urge is to wrap my hands around it and seize his lips in a kiss that
will have the neighbors talking for weeks.
Ah, the thought of making out
with Duo dressed in only an apron…
“Are you coming in or not?”
he asks again and I nod slowly before walking past him and into their quite
cozy home. Eleanor has a cream Victorian décor that’s rather feminine and
understandably so. Soft jazzy tunes emanate from the small but state-of-the-art
sound system. The large plasma TV is on, but muted to show only images of some
news program being aired. There is the smell of freshly baked cake overpowering
the other smells of baked fish, chicken and grilled meat. There’s pasta and
sauce, salad and bowls of fresh fruit in ice and even shrimp cocktails that
have been laid out on the small dining table.
Duo walks past me and I feel
my insides quiver at how great he smells. If I could touch him for just one
moment…
“My mom’s getting ready,” he
explains quietly as he walks into the kitchen. I follow slowly, watching his
every move with greedy eyes as he opens up the oven to check on the bread rolls
he had been warming up. “She should be out soon.”
He straightens up and finally
looks at me. I mean really looks at me. “I didn’t think you’d come,” he
says softly. He looks like he’s about to say something else but then shakes his
head and rubs his hands down the apron. “It’s the only kind we have ,” he explains with a small smile as he points to the
other girlish looking aprons hanging in the corner.
“It’s…” You look great in it, I begin to say but decide not to or Duo might
decide to kick my ass. Instead, I reach for one, to his surprise, and slip it
on with a small smile as well. “Would you like some help before your mom comes
out?”
He looks like he’s about to
burst into laughter and I try to look as masculine as I can in my new garb. He
settles for pointing towards the dirty dishes stacked up in the sink.
“Help load those into the
dishwasher and I’ll set up the rest of the table.”
Nodding in understanding, I
set to work while hoping that my hands don’t tremble too badly or I might end
up breaking a lot of Eleanor’s fine china. Somehow, I manage to pull it off as
we both work in relative silence. He’s humming along with the song playing now
and I realize (and rather painfully too) that I am not aware of Duo’s tastes in
music…well besides being a Stoners’ fan. I lean down to place the last dish
into the machine, only to fight back a yelp as Duo moves closer to me – so
close that I end up pressed tightly against the counter unable to back away. My
breathing quickens as our eyes meet again. His, are filled with amusement and
something else I can’t quite define. There is a light sheen of sweat on his
forehead that I so long to wipe away with my tongue. His lips look moist, warm
and so damn inviting and to make it worse, he has the gall to lick them slowly
as his hands reach up to…
“Needed this…” he whispers
softly while bringing out the saltshaker from the cupboard above me. He begins
to move away but I’m having none of that. He can’t tease me like this and
expect to walk away like nothing’s happened. I’m trembling like a fucking leaf
and I must have him…now! With a low
growl, I reach for that braid of his and pull him close
to me again. I close my eyes and seek his lips blindly, already knowing
that he will taste and feel just as good as I have imagined during my last few
weeks in hell. He hardly resists and opens up to me – our tongues clash
hungrily as our bodies press so tightly together it feels as if we could melt
and become one entity. He tastes like sweet wine and salt – perhaps a
combination of sampling a few of his meals earlier. I moan desperately into his
mouth as his hands slid down to cup my ass. I reciprocate the action, sucking
and breathing in his low cry of pleasure as our aching groins rub against each
other in need. I’m in heaven…pure heaven…but he’s saying something into my mouth
now and I can barely comprehend any of it.
“Mo…mom…”
What? I capture his tongue
and suck on it. But he pulls away with great effort to whisper huskily against
my swollen lips. “My…mom…”
“Boys! I’m ready! So sorry, I
took so long to get ready. You know how we girls like to…”
We pull away from each other
so fast that we just barely get ourselves composed enough in time for Eleanor’s
appearance. She looks fantastic in a simple red evening gown that shimmers as
she walks. Her hair is a loose mass around her face and shoulders and her
beautiful eyes are sparkling with excitement. I sincerely hope we are not too
obvious because my cheeks are still flushed and I didn’t have enough time to
make sure that Duo hadn’t unzipped my fly during the kiss. The boy does have an
uncanny ability to do that without me knowing.
“You look beautiful, mom,” he
says with a warm smile as he leans close to place a soft kiss on his mother’s
cheek. Something hard beats within my chest and I shake my head softly to get
rid of the jealous pang. Watching them talk and laugh together reminds me of
just what I will be missing when Duo goes away with her for the summer…or for
god knows how long.
I sigh inwardly while
complimenting her on her looks as well. She has a pretty blush that seems to
make her entire visage radiate with pleasure. She kisses me as well and shoos
us into the dining room. Duo and I take off our aprons but refuse to look at
each other for fear that we might see something that will make us feel even
guiltier.
Dinner, for its part, was wonderful. Beneath the
romantic glow of the candles, delicious foods and wine (I tried not to drink
too much and Duo’s snicker was more than enough to have me putting off the
alcoholic beverage all together. I don’t think I want to make a fool of myself
in front of Eleanor), she’s a great host and knows about a lot of stuff that
even makes her son impressed. She regales us with stories of her travels around
the world and as she describes each city with amazing detail, I can see the undeniable
excitement in Duo’s eyes. I tell myself it’s just my imagination, but at the
back of my mind, I know that I am beginning to fight a losing battle here.
When the cake is finally
brought out, we both marvel at the simple red and white design on the sinful
treat. ‘Happy Birthday Duo’ is written in red upon the white surface and two
candles have been lit for him to blow.
“Now,” Eleanor begins with a
small smile filled with pride, love and warmth. “Make a wish and blow out the
candles, Duo.”
He remains still for a
moment, his lashes shielding his gaze from me. I can feel my heart pounding
faster for some reason and I am unaware of how tightly clenched my fists are . Why am I getting so worked up over something as
silly as a birthday wish? It’s not as if such things came true. It’s just a
silly whimsy that’s been passed over the years and believing in such things is a waste of time. So why? Why am I so desperate to
know what Duo’s thoughts are? What has he wished for? He finally lifts his gaze
and smiles at me and for one heart-stopping minute, I completely forget to
breathe.
He closes his eyes and blows
hard and before long, we are digging our forks into the rich chocolate cake,
which, by the way, tastes delicious. I lick my fork, an unconscious gesture on
my part, and then flush as I notice Duo’s gaze trained on me. Great. Trust me
to make a fool of myself in front of his mother by acting so childishly. I
cough and take another forkful to slip into my mouth and then make the mistake
of glancing at Duo again. He’s somehow gotten icing on his fingers and watching
that pink tongue lick each digit sends my stomach quivering with heat and
butterflies and my cock throbbing with a need for immediate release.
“So, Heero,” Eleanor begins
with a warm smile as she swirls the white wine in her glass. “Duo tells me that
you are the junior president. That must be an exciting position to be in.
What’s it like?”
Does she really expect me to
form coherent sentences when her son is deliberately trying to make me go insane?
“I…” Ah fuck, don’t suck it
like that, Duo…
“Yes?” Eleanor prods gently.
There’s a small chocolate
stain besides Duo’s mouth. I must not concentrate on it. I must not want to
lean over this damn table to lick it away. I must not…
“It’s a wonderful position to
be in,” I finally croak out in reply. “The benefits are…amazing.”
“Are they really?” she asks.
There is a slight slur in her voice now and I’m wondering if she’s easily prone
to drunkenness like I am.
“Yes…” My gaze drifts towards
Duo again, who’s licking his lips slowly – ever so slowly and what’s this?! I
sit up a bit straighter as I feel his feet (he has his socks on) beginning to
crawl up my leg ever so slowly. Why is this dining table so small? Why is this
room getting hotter by the second?
Duo, you bastard!
“What kind of activities are
you in charge of?” Eleanor asks again. She’s refilling her glass and there’s a
definite flush on her cheeks.
I bite my lower lip hard
as Duo’s toes wriggle dangerously close to my
bulging cloth, but here I am still
parting my thighs to let him in. “Activities?” My voice sounds a bit breathless
and damn if my vision isn’t getting hazy by the second.
“Yes…surely you are in charge
of several activities in school, aren’t
you?”
Activities…activities….aah! I
grip the edge of the dining table as my lashes flutter shut. A light sheen of
sweat breaks out on my skin and my mouth feels so dry. My torturer gives me no
room for compromise as he continues to stroke my cock with his feet. I think my
pants are already beginning to get damp.
“Extra…” I swallow tightly
and struggle to focus my gaze on the smiling woman before me. “I’m…I’m in
charge of some extra curricular activities...”
“Heero is very versatile,”
Duo says with a small smirk. His toes press harder and I am a thick puddle of
warm slush. Shit. I’m not sure I can last another minute. “He’s good at
everything. Aren’t you, Heero?”
Fuck you.
“Well then, it’s good to know
that you have a friend like him,” Eleanor announces with a wave of her hand. Now,
I know that she’s definitely drunk. She leans close to place a hand upon mine,
her warm breath filled with liquor brushes my face as she whispers thickly. “My
son is such a loose cannon. You’ve got to put him in his place sometimes, you
know.”
“Hey mom,” Duo barks out a
bit too loudly. “Quit hitting on my boyfri…him!”
Boyfriend? Boyfriend?! Does
this mean that…?
Duo finally releases me,
thankfully, to get to his feet. He gently helps his mother up and whispers
something into her ear. She looks annoyed for a moment but finally sags limply
against him. Even in her weak state, she still looks amazing.
“Thanks for coming tonight,
Heero,” she says with a warm smile. “When I told Duo you would come, he was
very happy…”
“Mom!” Duo cries out, quite indignant.
“You should have seen how
nervous he was and how he kept fussing over the place and insisted he cook the
meals and everything.”
“Mom, let’s go!”
But Eleanor can be ruthless
and I think I love her for it. She places a hand over her embarrassed son’s mouth
and continues with a chuckle. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s crazy
about you.”
I can’t help the heat that
rushes to my face at that. I try to catch Duo’s gaze but he’s turned away with
a shake of his head.
“I’m…” I swallow tightly and mutter
out quickly. “I’m…crazy about your son too.” There! It isn’t ‘I love you’ but
it’s close enough, right?
Duo finally does turn around
and looks at me incredulously. I give him a sheepish smile and get to my feet.
Placing my arm around Eleanor to support her right side, I say quietly. “Let’s
get her to bed.”
Eleanor’s bedroom is just as
beautiful as the rest of the apartment. The large four-poster bed is draped
with matching cream-colored sheets that we lay her upon carefully. Duo tucks
the blanket around her and reaches out to turn off the light. He whispers a
soft goodnight to her and kisses her softly before moving away. However, as I
lean down to say the same, I feel a tight grip on my wrist and my eyes widen in
surprise as I meet the rather fierce but pleading look in Eleanor’s eyes.
“Mrs…Maxwell…?” I ask softly
in growing panic. “Is everything all right?”
“Don’t…don’t take him away
from me,” she says in a harsh whisper as soon as she notices Duo almost out the
door. “I can see it in your eyes and in his. Promise me. You won’t take him
away from me. I want to be with my son again. Surely you can understand that?”
No! No, I don’t understand!
It’s not fair at all!
“Promise me, Heero Yuy!”
She’s beginning to cut off
the circulation to my hand and for fear that she might break my wrist soon, I
find myself nodding slowly. “I…I promise,” I finally whisper sadly. “I promise
to let him go…”
~End Period Twenty~