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The Challenge	By : Eliztric Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1501 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing/AC, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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For Lynn, who gave me sufficient reminder of one of my most favourite pairings on the whole planet - some 1x2x1! Inspiration for this is brought to you by a grilled cheese sandwich and the classic Elvis CD I had in my car�s stereo. Thank you all for being so patient with me - �Fei and Quatre will be back eventually. For now, though, enjoy the break. I hope you like it.
Give me a hint, and maybe I�ll take it.
- The Author

It was an easy choice, Heero decided, sliding into the front seat of the car he had helped Duo repair over the summer. �If I don�t do it now,� he thought to himself as Duo clambered into the passenger seat beside him, �I never will�� A glance at Duo, who was turning the radio on and blowing a large bubble of what smelled like strawberry chewing gum, 100% unaware of the Japanese soldier�s thoughts, confirmed it. �The risks of this mission are greatly outweighed by the goal,� Heero thought as Duo�s bubble burst with a puff of strawberry and his pink tongue set about gathering the pinker substance from where it had landed upon explosion. With a suppressed shiver, he recalled their conversation earlier that afternoon.

�What do you want for dinner?� Duo asked, rolling down the window as Heero backed them out of the parking garage and onto the street. �You,� Heero thought in reply, briefly imagining all the things that they could do in their kitchen / dining room together, before glancing at the American and firing back, �Whatever you�d like to make for dinner, Duo.�

�Whose idea was this �taking turns� business, anyway?� the braided pilot thought out loud with a huff, before setting about blowing another bubble.

�Yours,� Heero replied. �Because you �can�t stand� all my �health food�.� He resisted the urge to grin, as always, at the memory. He had tried the expression on once or twice, in the mirror - it always made him think of Duo, though�and thinking of Duo was almost always the source of what Heero fondly liked to call �negative reactions�.

�Riiiiight,� Duo said, drawing the word out as he nodded. �Exactly why I want to call out for a pizza tonight.�

�Pizza is what we had for dinner two nights ago,� Heero said.

�Pizza is good, Hee-chan,� Duo said, grinning at him before blowing yet another bubble.

�Why?� Heero asked, trying to focus on anything but the pilot seated beside him on the bench seat of their refurbished Cadillac.

�Because!� Duo said, �You like pizza, Heero. Remember?�

�Yes,� Heero agreed, adding quickly, before Duo could take the fact and run with it, �But not all the time.�

With a sigh, Duo slouched down in his seat, and popped another bubble. For a while there was silence as the braided American thought, chewed, blew, and popped more luminous, pink bubbles and Heero fought the waft of strawberry that came to him on the fresh air pouring through Duo�s window.

�I know,� Duo said, sitting up suddenly, �Mexican food!�

�Mexican food means you�ll want to include tequila,� Heero said, �Including tequila means you�ll get drunk.�

�And?� Duo said, raising an eyebrow.

�You agreed that you wouldn�t have �Mexican food� for the rest of your life after the last time,� Heero reminded him patiently. �Do you remember�?�

Duo�s paling was tangible - Heero didn�t even have to finish his sentence. �Yeah,� Duo said quietly, then laughing a little, �Man, that was a lot of barf��

�What about the little Chinese place down the road?� Heero suggested. �You always say we should eat there more, and they do offer take-out.�

�Chinese�� Duo said slowly, which sent Heero�s glance his way. Duo was making a face, nose wrinkled up while he fought a grin. �Poor Wufei�! He�s having dinner with Quatre tonight��

Heero sighed in mental relief. So Duo had broached the subject first. That was good. �Then we should eat in his honour,� he said aloud, smirking. �I doubt you�d be able to do it with a straight face, though.�

�Says you,� Duo retorted, �You�re the king of straight faces.� Straight. Heero hadn�t thought about the word until that very moment, and as he regarded Duo in the red light from the streetlight in front of them and the gathering darkness, he realized that he was about as fucking queer as it got. Just looking at Duo right now was causing havoc in the Japanese man�s pants. Straight��Quite the opposite.�

�Huh?� Duo asked unceremoniously. Heero felt his cheeks grow hot. He hoped he hadn�t said all of that out loud�with a sigh, and a look at Duo, he realized it was about damn time. If he was ever going to win Duo�s heart - or at least, get into his pants, his libido added - he needed to start by being honest - the way Duo was with him.

�Straight,� Heero said simply, waiting for hell to come. Instead there was silence, and when he looked over, Duo was removing his gum from his mouth, still in bubble form, to stare at him.

�I know that the truth is something you value, Duo,� Heero said. �I did not want to inform you of this whilst in a moving vehicle, but here we are.�

�You could tell me that anywhere,� Duo said, blue-violet eyes focused on Heero intently. �You know that. I think we�re talking about a different value, Heero.�

Heero smiled a little, though he felt like a spring coiled tight. �Different is one word for it, yes.�

�What�s the other?� Duo asked bluntly, face betraying nothing but keen interest in Heero�s response.

�Duo,� Heero began with a sigh, �You know what I�m talking about just as well as I do.�

�Are you trying to tell me,� Duo cut him off, �That you�re gay?�

Heero put the car into park, having reached their driveway without realizing it. He shifted in his seat a little to grin sheepishly at Duo, fighting the urge to fidget under the watchful eyes of the man that he was so attracted to, and borrowed one of the American�s slang terms: �Yep.�

Under Heero�s gaze Duo�s face relaxed and then folded up, confused, before it relaxed again, and took on the tinge of disappointment. �Oh,� was all he said.

Strangely, the silence unnerved the Japanese man. �I was expecting more of a comment,� Heero said, feeling surprise kick in.

Duo shrugged and said, �I guess I had expected to have recognized it, that�s all.� he turned his head on one side, examining Heero in the half-light. �So when did you figure that out, kid?�

�Recently,� Heero confessed, though he didn�t want to admit just how recently he was talking about.

�Huh,� Duo said, a statement more than a question. �Go figure, eh?� he added, grinning.

�Indeed,� Heero replied, fighting to restrain himself. Approximately 15,678.9 ideas of ways to prove exactly how gay he was had suddenly swamped his brain, which was rapidly losing control under the onslaught of suggestion.

�So do you have someone special?� Duo asked, doing his best to keep his own active imagination in check. How long had he waited to hear something like this, but written off the chance of it actually occurring as something only dreams were made of? He bit his tongue. And what if Heero had someone? What would he do then?

A voice spoke up in the back of his mind, a voice he had taken to ignoring for the most part, as it often got him in trouble. Seeing Heero look at him like that, confused and distracted and with that slight pink flush to his cheeks, made Duo agree wholeheartedly with the best plan of action - �Steal him��

�Not exactly,� Heero admitted, feeling stifled and sticky, rolling down his own window as if it would cool off the cab he shared with Duo.

�What does that mean?� Duo pressed.

�It means I haven�t said anything about it presently,� Heero returned, casting a glare at Duo.

�So�� Duo said slowly, �You like him, but you�re too shy to say something about it to his face, yes?�

Heero nodded, grateful that Duo could not see how he bit his tongue to keep from asking if this didn�t count. His cheeks positively flamed now, and he knew full well that Duo could see it - it wasn�t that dark yet.

�So what is it?� Duo asked, �He�s straight?�

Heero laughed. It was short, and gruff, but a rich, rare sound that made Duo shiver. �He said himself that he wasn�t,� the Japanese man added, not looking at his counterpart.

�So what�s the problem, then?� Duo asked. �I�m sure anybody�d be thrilled to be deemed suitable for someone like you - after all,� he said with a cheeky grin, �You�re perfect.�

Heero snorted. �It�s not that simple, Duo.�

�Sure it is,� Duo said, stretching out in his seat, folding his arms and putting them behind his head, �Just why are you talking to me about this, though? If you wanted relationship advice, you�d�ve had a better counselor from Quatre - after all, he�s got one. Hell,� Duo laughed, �Maybe even two.�

�Quatre has his own mission to worry about - I needn�t add mine to his list,� Heero said sternly, a lifetime of practice all that kept him from saying any more than he already had�but he was on a mission of his own, and it was part of his plan. So far, everything seemed to be going accordingly�

�Mission, eh? Is that what we�re going to call it?� Duo chuckled. �Alright, I get it. You�re on a mission.�

�I don�t know how long I have,� Heero said, trying to justify it, because Duo was grinning like he had told the American something crazy again. �He�� Heero caught on the oddness of speaking to Duo about his affection for him in third person, and had to start again. �He makes me�want this. He�s shown me that there can be things�outside of what I have been trained to consider life. And I want to show him that he means something to me. Before something�gets in the way.� They had been in the driveway for a few minutes now, Heero for once very grateful for his autopilot function. Since they were parked, he had the freedom to turn his head toward Duo, and see how his words had affected the man who did not know what they truly meant.

Duo was still and solemn in his seat, obviously touched by emotions coming from the one person he had imagined to be primarily incapable of anything but producing them effectively. When blue-violet eyes looked into Prussian blue, the American knew without a doubt that he didn�t want whoever Heero was so in love with to be anyone but him - because he loved him, the braided pilot realized, like he hadn�t ever allowed himself to love anyone in a long time. But another part of Duo, the one causing him to bite his lip at the acrobatics his stomach was doing and the things he wanted to say, sided with his logic. Heero �Perfect Soldier� Yuy loved�somebody. And that somebody was very, very lucky - as was he, to be chosen as confidant. It really said something, about the level of trust Heero had in him. And he was going to honour that.

�Shit, man�� Duo exhaled. �That�s�something else.� he forced himself to smile. �Whoever he is�� he swallowed the urge to say something crass and selfish, and succeeded by reverting to his own mental words, �He�s very lucky.�

Heero�s smile was breathtaking, the same way it had been earlier that afternoon. �Sure?� He asked, one eyebrow raised.

Duo snorted. �Of course I�m sure. I�m positive.�

�Only fools are positive,� Heero said, quoting the old animated film Duo loved.

Duo grinned, but his eyes were serious, when he retorted, �Wise men say �Only fools rush in��

Heero didn�t need to do it. But he had listened to that song so many times as a part of Duo�s �cultural education� phase, that the next lines fell from his lips unconsciously, naturally in song, as he had learned them: �But I can�t help falling in love with you��

The American�s heart thudded in his chest like he had driven too fast over a speedbump, and his breath caught at the dark voice breaking into that bittersweet chocolate tone and singing. Duo felt himself heat up. Did Heero know exactly how implicating those words were? No. There was no way, Duo thought, shaking his head and grinning, though his heart was too preoccupied to be in it. �You really are Batty.� he turned his serious face on and asked gently, �Do you need any�help?�

Heero fought the urge to smirk. �Not if you�re going to insist upon walking right into my trap, Duo Maxwell�� Perhaps,� he admitted, putting on his best unsure face. It wasn�t hard - Duo wasn�t stupid, and Heero knew that he really did only have so long before the situation changed again. �I would greatly appreciate your assistance on this�mission,� he added, unable to help the wry smile that came. Duo grinned back. �Mission accepted,� he laughed, shaking Heero�s hand. How the Japanese man hoped that this would not be the last friendly exchange between them�!

�Alright,� Duo said, unbuckling his seatbelt, �I say we go in and order dinner, and while we eat you can debrief me, and then afterwards, we can discuss tactics further. Sound like a good plan?�

�So long as you don�t kill me,� Heero thought, �Affirmative.�

Duo�s laugh never failed to make Heero feel good - even though this time it didn�t last very long. �Affirmative indeed!� he popped the door open. �Let�s go, kid.�

Heero obligingly followed Duo into the house, thinking to himself that, despite calling it a mission, he was unable to treat it as he usually treated them�no. He had meant what he had said�whether Duo realized it or not.
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The Challenge