Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Warnings: Heero POV, humour, fluff, some sap, AU (Our world and time)

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: 1+2, 5+H

Disclaimer: My alarm clock woke me out of this neat dream where the GW gang did indeed belong to me. Too bad... So well, I don't own the GW gang and the anime in any way. Sad, I know, but it's true.

Thanx to Lily Kalanoa for beta-ing! ^^

Seventh Heaven Series Part 23
Photo of the Day

I wake up groggily, vaguely hearing the sound of one of the most annoying things in the world. Reaching for my nightstand, I slap my alarm clock, and it goes blissfully quiet. My hand slithers back into the blanket.

I think it's a couple of minutes later (you tend to lose track of time when you're half asleep), when something starts the shrill ringing again. Raising my hand, I smack the snooze button. My hand, once again, falls prey to the beckoning of the warm blanket.

It's a while more, and I hear something again. My hand, realizing the pattern, reaches out to the source of the sound and whacks it. However, instead of the welcoming silence, whatever I had just hit cries, "Oww!" My mind, still traipsing around the void between dreamland and awake-land, supplies me with a single fact: alarm clocks don't shout like that. It rings shrilly to get my hair on ends; it blares till I want to blast the little thing to hell and back... but I really don't think it protests to being slapped. Besides, the 'thing' doesn't feel like one. It feels more like... hmm... what's that thing called? Oh yeah, hair. It feels like hair.

That thought throws my mind into full alertness, and my eyes spring open. "Hilde?"

Just as I had expected, my sister is couching beside my bed, pouting at me and staring at me with her patented puppy eyes.

"Heero, what was that for?" she asks perplexedly, and swipes my hand off her head. "You messed up my hair!"

"Sorry..." I stifle a yawn, and get off bed. "Why are you here anyway? You're usually not up before twelve on weekends."

She pokes at my forehead haughtily. "What's wrong with sleeping until twelve? It's good for my complexion. And what's with you? The alarm clocks could be ringing their heads off and you'd still be off in laa laa land. What did you do last night?"

I can feel the sudden tingling in my bones, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I had been discovered. Then I notice the curious glance my sister's casting at me, and I realize that my secret is still safe. "Just... catching up with a little bit of reading. Nothing much." That isn't a lie in any way. Honest! The secret is in /what/ I was reading. And knowing Hilde, she's not likely to ask about that.

She nods offhandedly, and I cheer inwardly. For once I'm glad that Hilde doesn't like reading books. And to think I used to always grumble about how she didn't read. Oh well, things change.

"You haven't answered my question. Why are you in my room?"

"I want breakfast," she replies simply, and stares at me.

If I could, I'd have sweatdropped like those Japanese anime characters.

*****

Several minutes later, my sister is sitting at the dining table like a pampered little princess (which she probably is, considering how I had brought her up, most regrettably), waiting for me to serve breakfast. I peer behind my shoulder. She's holding the cutlery in her hands, pounding them onto the table while making demands on how I cook her share. I'm seriously contemplating that I take back my earlier comments; she's not a pampered princess. She reminds me more of a /very/extremely/ pampered princess. And who should I blame? The kid who was so excited over his mother's birth of a baby sister for him to play with, or the baby girl who was just too cute for words that the kid mentioned earlier couldn't help but be nice to? Rolling my eyes, I scoop the scrambled eggs onto a dish with sausages and bacons, and place it onto the table.

She quickly latches onto it, dividing it into two equal portions before eating her share. "You know, Heero? You can just pamper me every once in a while with breakfast served in bed, instead of having me go wake you up."

"If you want breakfast in bed, you should sleep in the kitchen," I jest, meticulously cutting up my sausage. Looking up, I notice that Hilde is stuffing her face. I think she didn't even hear my comment. How can one blame me for having no sense of humour when no one pays attention when I try to exercise it? I'm hurt. "You're not that hungry, are you? What's the rush? You have something on that I don't know about?"

"Yeah. I've got a date with Wufei," she answers, sprinkling her scrambled eggs with a little pepper. Mixing it up again, she scoops some into her mouth. "Argh... too much pepper."

"Where're you going? Are you coming home for dinner?" Crap. I think I burnt my bacon.

"I don't think so. Wufei says that there's this new eatery somewhere. I think he's taking me there."

I nod. "I've noticed that you seem to be spending a lot of time outside nowadays. Have you been doing your school assignments?"

"Of course I do!"

"Good. I don't want to receive a phone call from your teacher," I reply curtly, although I know there probably won't be any. While Hilde bosses around in our apartment, she's as meek as a mouse when she's in school. I think it's an after effect of being bullied by Mueller and Alex; she just wants to blend into the background so nobody would notice her so much they'd want to pick on her. Just like a chameleon of sorts.

Now that I think about it, I can see why Hilde insists on spending a large proportion of her allowance on clothes of a large variety of colours. And I say that in a sarcastic tone, if you haven't noticed.

"And what are you doing? Laze around? You know, Heero, you should get a life. Get out more!" she says, flailing her cutlery around.

I roll my eyes inwardly. For a girl her age, Hilde sure is longwinded. I've heard this... oh, I think I lost count after the tenth time this month.

"If you haven't noticed, I have to do all the house chores and hence, there's hardly any time for me to socialize. And why is that so?" I ask, raising a knowing eyebrow at my sister who suddenly finds interest in every direction except mine. "I'm going over to Treize's place to get something, and since you're not having dinner at home, I'll probably have dinner with the guys," I say, and put my used dishes and cutlery into the sink. Turning back to Hilde, I ask innocently, "You insist on me getting a life? Well, I suppose I'll take your advice. But I won't have time to clean up, so..." I lean forward, "you're doing the dishes today."

And I stroll out of the dining area gleefully; I have to dress up for all the things I'm going to do today. But I remember to holler, "Or else I won't be cooking your share of meals for the next couple of days!" I saunter into my room to get ready, and I can no doubt imagine Hilde's cussing.

*****

I check my watch. 11am. Just on time. So I ring the bell, and wait patiently. Quickly, I hear movements behind the mahogany door, and it swings open to reveal Treize, dressed comfortably in a shirt and a pair of three-quarters.

Seeing me, he grins. "You're fanatical about punctuality, aren't you?" he teases, and welcomes me into his apartment.

"As fanatical as you are over photography," I reply with a slight chuckle. Treize is crazy over photography, and I can attest to that. When we had first met, and I somehow casually told him about my interest in the subject, he launched into a lecture on it that lasted for the better part of an hour.

Treize's apartment is a very spacey place, his furniture arranged in such a way to make the place appear even more sparsely decorated. White and light brown serve as the main colours around the house, tastefully applied to invoke a feeling that one is at the beach. Of course, Une's gift of a couple of seashell ornaments may have something to do with that.

I glance around his house, and I see another piece of evidence for his love for the art. Photo frames capturing instances of his life encumber the tables, each more lifelike than the one before. I pick one of them up; it's a picture of Une and him, all decked out in a wedding dress and a classy tux. Both of them are smiling widely, and the glossy finish on the photo adds onto the hint of a twinkle in their eyes. No, they aren't married yet, but probably will be some time soon. They were probably trying on the new arrivals for Une's wedding dress boutique, one which Une started nearly entirely on her own. Quatre told me that she outright refused to use her father's money to fulfill her dream, which is, apparently, to own a wedding dress boutique shop filled with wedding dresses designed by herself.

"We took that one the other day, when Quatre came over with a camera. We thought it'd be fun," Treize explains when he sees what I'm holding, all the while calmly walking over to me. "Go take a seat in the living room. I'll be back with the books you want."

I nod, and throw my knapsack onto the couch. As I wait for him, I continue scanning the pictures. Actually, contrary to what my behaviour suggests, it's not my first time here. It's just that Treize has the tendency to change the photos on display every once in a while, so it's good to check out the new ones every time I come. Most of them are snapshots of his friends and himself, and some of Une. Ah, I see one of myself, with a careless arm thrown over Trowa's shoulders. Beside it is a picture of all of us: me, Trowa, Quatre, Catherine, Zechs, Une and Treize. I think it was taken that night when we were gathered at Quatre's to welcome the couple back from their holiday a while back. Looking to the other side, I spy a picture of myself, raucously drunk. It was during a small Christmas party Une held for all of us and some other friends, and we had been playing truth or dare. In conjunction with the game, we fed ourselves full with alcohol. And I was just sitting on the couch, face pretty red because I had too much to drink, flailing an empty bottle of Jack Daniels when Treize snapped the photo. It is, by far, one of the most humiliating memories I have, because, according to Catherine, I was singing the teapot song off key while trying to do the actions. Zechs recorded that, and has threatened me on many occasions to give away free duplicates.

Peering around, I slide that photo out of the frame. Damn if I'm going to let it sit there and be humiliated further than I already have.

"Heero, here are the books you wanted!" Treize calls out, carrying a few books out from his study room. He ambles to the living room couch.

I still, and put the picture back. I'll have to take it later. Hastily, I get over to the couch as well and pick up one of the books. It's a couple of books on photography, something that I want to improve on. And who's better than Treize to help me with this? "Is this it?"

He nods. "Yeah, pretty much. I figured you'd want to start from the basics, seeing that you're still pretty much an amateur. When you finish all these, you can come over and get the more advance ones."

"Thanks," I reply, and stuff a few of the thinner ones in my knapsack; I'll have to carry the heavier ones on my arms or my bag will probably be much lighter than it should be when I get home. "I've got quite a bit here; I don't think I'll be able to read the advanced ones any time soon."

He peers at the number of books he's handed me, and scrunches his brows. "Yeah, I think so too. So, have you taken any good pictures while I'm gone? Or..." he leans over, as though to whisper something of utmost secrecy, "specifically, any pictures of your crush?"

"What!" I nearly exclaim. When did Treize become so nosy about my love life? Did he catch the busybody bug from Quatre and the rest? Or maybe the over-concerned bug from Une?

"Oh please, Heero! You can't expect me to believe you that you have only that one 'brown spot' picture of your crush!" He nudges me in my arm shrewdly. "You like photography! Surely, you'd take more than just that one picture of your crush!"

"Duo."

"What?"

"His name is Duo. Stop calling him 'my crush'," I mutter, feeling strangely irked at hearing that. It's not exactly name-calling or anything insulting, but I just think it's... I don't know what to say. Duo isn't a thing; he's a person, and a very lovely one at that.

Treize chortles. "Okay! Fine, fine... I understand how you feel! Duo, is it? So... his picture?"

I look at him warily. Just what is he trying to do? He's acting like child, something that doesn't go well with his personality, usually. I mean, Treize must come from a rich family to be able to afford an apartment as wonderful as this one, and people of his class are normally aristocratic in their behaviour. But he doesn't seem to have any at this particular moment, as he's trying hard to cajole Duo's picture out of me.

"Why do you want to see it?"

"Hey, you can hardly blame me for being curious. For all the years I've known you, this is the first person you've ever really liked! And he's not even /just/ a crush! You're actually courting him!"

His tone reveals his disbelief, and while I can understand his feelings, I am still strangely irritated. Is it really that unbelievable that I'm courting someone? Did they really think I was going to remain a bachelor for all of eternity? I had known all along that the reason why I had never done that was because I hadn't met the right person yet. It was a problem of 'when', not 'if'. How little they think of me... Hmph.

"Besides, I've never heard you praise someone as highly as Duo. Looks like an angel when he smiles (1)?" He wags a knowing eyebrow at me, grinning smugly like a cat that has managed to catch the bird and polish off a few plates of cream. I swear: if he just opens his mouth now, feathers would come flying out.

"I just haven't a better word to describe Duo," I reply exasperatedly. Treize can be pretty persistent when it comes to satisfying his curiosity, as I'm starting to find out. Why doesn't anyone in the world believe the old saying that curiosity kills the cat anymore? Or maybe they believe that all cats have nine lives, so they can afford to be nosy on eight occasions. So before he can ask anymore, I relent, handing him my wallet.

He flips it open, and becomes instantly quiet. For a long while, he stares and stares at the photo I'm half worried that he'd burn a hole in it. Then again, I've got backup copies.

I wave my hand in front of him. "Hello? Anybody there? If you're out of your mind, at least let me leave a message."

Treize jumps a little, and smacks my hand away. "My god. I can't believe you never showed me his pictures..." he says, punctuating each word with a little pause.

I don't like his tone. Sounds like he's... shocked. Totally. So I decide to tiptoe my way carefully into this line of conversation. And what better thing to say than a silly one? "I did."

"Not that 'brown spot' one! I mean, a real picture where I can actually see his face!"

Okay, I just got dragged into the conversation. And I must add that I'm kicking and screaming all the way as he's dragging me. He's going to ask for something I don't like; I just know it.

"So now you've seen his picture. Stop gawking," I say, reaching out to snatch my wallet back. However, Treize is faster to pull it away, and my hand ends up clasping only air. What is wrong with all of my friends? They take a look at the photo, and they won't give it back!

He holds up his hands, gesturing for me to wait a minute. "Hold on. Just let me ask a few questions. His name is Duo right?"

I nod guardedly. "Right. And what else?"

"How old is he?"

"Why do you want to know?" I frown, feeling more than a little frustrated already. This does it. I am officially not going to let anyone lay a finger on my wallet again.

"Just tell me!"

"18! He's 18! Now give it back!" I reach out and seize the leather wallet, and to my surprise, Treize gives it back without hesitation. Or maybe I'm just too fast. But honestly, I don't care. I'm keeping it away from him.

He's got a large smirk plastered onto his face, much like a Cheshire cat smiling his trademarked Cheshire grin from ear to ear. I'm about to bark at him to stop that smirk or I'll wipe it off of him when he starts talking.

"I never knew you were the possessive type. Then again, I guess I can understand that. I mean, Duo's rather attractive. His long hair would have looked feminine on any other guy, but he certainly looks good with it. Maybe a little girlish, but still... And well, his eyes are certainly his best features. I don't think I've ever seen violet eyes before!"

I glare at him. "Treize, whatever you are thinking won't sit too well with Une."

He rolls his eyes, and sighs. But his amused grin is still stuck on his face. It seems like a permanent fixture. "Do you think so little of me? I'm halfway to the altar with Une! Besides..." he lowers his voice. "Une'll have my hide if I so much as drop a hint that I've met another!"

He's actually right. Une will not take it lying down, and any man, any /sensible/ man, would not cross her. I suspect that she's got a mild case of schizophrenia, and her other personality is pretty violent, as proven by Treize's black eye not so long ago. I don't think she's aware of it, but we all call that other side of her 'Scary Une'.

"Then what are you implying?"

He sits back, reclining against his couch. "I was hoping that you could talk to him, and get him to be my model. He's beautiful, Heero, and it is my ambition to preserve such beauty on photographs! And I know Une would be elated if he would model her new tuxedoes every once in a while. Don't worry about the money. We'll pay him a decent fee."

That sounds like a good deal. Duo would probably be a pretty good model with his incredibly good looks and his lithe body. As a photographer myself, I want to capture his radiance down on pictures too. I can understand Treize. What's more, Une is very generous with her money. It's a good opportunity.

But apparently, my mouth is staging a rebellion. "No," I say tersely, wondering to myself why in the heaven I said that. "I'm not sharing Duo."

"Heero, you can't be serious! He's stunning! You can't keep him for yourself!" Treize is getting flustered; I can tell. And he's probably right.

"I said no." I think I'm being selfish, but I really don't want other guys gaping at him like he's out for the catch. For now, before we actually hook up, I don't want to share. Not that I'd share after that, but I'll possibly be more open about this, because I can look at other guys in the eye and say 'He's mine'. And probably cackle insanely when they start weeping. Duo is doing weird things to my psyche.

"Your jealousy is acting up again," Treize states simply, and shakes his head. "Never mind, I'll ask again, when you've calmed down to really think about the offer."

However reluctantly, I nod. I know it's a good opportunity for Duo.

"Heero, you really like him a lot, hm?"

"Yeah. I never thought I'd feel like this towards someone," I utter, feeling something welling up inside me. It's a feeling that appears only when I think of Duo, whenever I see him, whenever I talk to him. And I like it.

Treize's expression turns curious, and, dare I say, cautious. "Forgive me if I'm asking too much, but just what is it that you like about Duo?"

That's really got my mind going. Why? No one has ever asked me that question. They just all know that I'm in love, and well, that's just fine and dandy. All that's left is for Heero Yuy to figure out a way to get Duo Maxwell. No one, not a single person, has ever asked me why.

"Actually... I'm not entirely sure. At first, I was attracted by his looks. Then after I got to know him better, I found that he's... so different from me. He's bright and outgoing, and I'm almost sullen. But still, I still felt attracted, despite our differences. I'm not sure how to explain this, but it's... just a feeling he gives me. It's almost like... I have wings. With him, I feel free. I forget about the house chores, about university, about... nearly everything. There's just him, and me. There is just... us," I say, my heart getting lighter with every word.

Treize gazes at me for a quiet moment. "Heero," he starts, "you're in love. Just as I had been when I first met Une. It's a good feeling; believing that there's just us, and we're both happy to be together. But... being in a love isn't a constant. It's a feeling, and feelings can go away. It fades... with time. And well, people argue, people have horrible days, and people fall in and out of love all the time. People get married because they're in love. And the same people get divorced because they didn't love each other; they were just in love. But loving someone... that won't ever change. There's a difference, and that difference will determine how your relationship will be.

"I'm not trying to boss you around and tell you who you can or should love. I just want you to think about it clearly. I've always thought of you as a younger brother; I don't ever want to see you hurt and confused by this."

*****

I leave his place feeling more befuddled than ever. What do I feel towards Duo? In love with him, or love him? ... I don't know.

Maybe I'm just in love. I mean, how can I love someone I've met not too long ago? I don't know everything about him; I don't know much about him. He's gorgeous, but I can't love someone based on his looks.

Then again, what is this feeling I have for him? This feeling of freedom, of flight? This feeling of my heart soaring, of my soul breaking free of the chains? Is it because I love him?

I write all my feelings down on a sheet of paper. No, it's not going into my confession list. At least, not yet. I vaguely recall someone telling me that it's better to jot down things that confuse me so I can get a clearer picture of it. So I'm keeping the paper until I figure out what I feel. When I finish, I carefully slot it into a small booklet like a bookmark.

I push myself away from my desk, and turn the chair around. Pictures of Duo smile back at me from the walls, each so captivating and yet so bewildering. Just what is it that I feel?

Suddenly, my cell phone, which is lying on my desk, vibrates. I pick it up; it's a message from Dorothy.

'heero, i've got the dvd you want. you can pick it up anytime you want. i'll be at work mostly in the afternoons though.'

Yes! I've found the anime DVD Duo wants! No matter how confused I am, I'm not going to let go of an opportunity to date Duo. Besides, it's for me to evaluate what I'm feeling too. The second part doesn't sound too convincing, does it?

Quickly, I pick up the phone and dial Duo's number. It's the third ring when I suddenly remember his brother might be around to pick up the phone. Gee... I hope not.

Someone picks up the phone. "Hello? Who're you looking for?"

I am so out of luck today. It's not Duo. But it doesn't sound like a young guy either. So it can't be his brother either. Could it be Duo's uncle? I should just give it a shot.

"Hello, sir. I'm looking for Duo. Is he around?"

"Oh, just wait a moment!" he replies, with more than a bit of cheeriness I might add, and hollers for Duo. Fortunately. I had been half worried that he'd hand the phone over to Duo's brother. A while later, someone picks up the phone again.

"Hello? Who is it?"

"Duo? It's me."

"Heero? What're you calling for?"

I /know/ he's smiling. I just /know/ it. "My friend just told me that she's found the DVD you want. The anime you were talking to me about the other day."

"Really? Oh wow! I thought I was going to have to walk around the whole city tomorrow just to find it! Thanks so much!"

Okay, he's /definitely/ smiling now. I can just hear it, feel it in his voice. And the thought that he's smiling for me just makes it sweeter. If Hilde was here, she'd probably complain that I'm giving her cavities. "You're welcome. So, shall I pick it up and pass it to you at Sally's tomorrow?"

"Can we meet somewhere and go collect the DVD together? I mean, I want to know where the place is so I can go there on my own the next time. And I've got to return the thing, right?"

"Of course we can go together!" Are you kidding, Duo? I get to spend more time with you, and I can hold your hand when we're walking there too. I'd love to go together. Besides, Dorothy is probably dying to see you; I'll be returning her a favour.

We talk for a while more, deciding on where to meet and the time. But we eventually hang up, and I smile. More time with Duo...

Hmm... wanting to spend time with him... is that being in love, or is that because I love him? Geez, Treize. If it weren't for the fact that I know you're concerned for me, I might be tempted to give you a punch for confusing me.

OWARI

(1) Reference to part 14, Heero's confession to the guys.

 

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