any missed chapters can be found in my fanfiction area. ^_^
It?s Not Like It?s Love
By Crystaltear
Chapter Ten
Rated PG13
Warnings: mild language
Notes: none
Although still not on speaking terms with his older brother, Duo took the car on Wednesday afternoon to pick up Heero?s suit. Marty seemed highly irritated that Heero had not shown up himself to pick up the suit, moaning about the need to try it on to make sure the measurements were all correct. Duo assured the man that Heero hadn?t drastically changed over the course of a couple of days, and then inquired about an appointment for a suit of his own. After an appointment was made for the following day and the check was declined (Marty explained that Catherine had already made the payment arrangements), he took his leave with Heero?s new suit in hand. With Heero still at work, Duo had plenty of time with the car and planned to make use of that time.
Kimberly answered the door after the third knock, and grinned widely at their visitor. ?Duo!? she exclaimed happily, and then launched herself at the older boy.
Surprised and completely unprepared for the attack, Duo barely managed to grab the frame of the door with his left hand to prevent them from tumbling to the ground. ?Whoa, easy Kiddo, you nearly knocked me on my ass there,? he scolded, but his smile was still in place. ?Feeling better, I presume??
She nodded. ?Much. Hilde?s thrilled that I haven?t set foot near the club since. Though I bet she?s even more thrilled that my parents called and want me home earlier than planned.?
?Nah, I bet she?ll be pretty lonely when you leave,? he assured her. ?I guess that means I?ll just have to come by more often and keep her company.? He winked to show he was kidding, while Kimberly laughed and lightly swatted at him.
?Don?t flatter yourself.?
Suddenly, a string of curses floated through the house, its origin being the tiny room upstairs. Kimberly cringed and shook her head. ?Hilde?s working on a fairly nasty English report she was assigned. She?s not a big fan of the subject, so when they clash it?s a very scary thing,? she explained.
?I noticed,? he replied, but still began to make his way up the steps.
?You?re a brave man,? Kimberly proclaimed as she waved him off and headed to the kitchen.
?No, just a very stupid one.?
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He found Hilde sitting at a large oak desk, leaning her face toward her computer screen and looking as though she were about to throw it through the window. She seemed so wrapped up in her aggravation over the paper she was working on that Duo didn?t think she had realized he was there until she suddenly acknowledged him.
?What do you want, Maxwell?? she asked through clenched teeth. She never took her eyes off the screen, so she did not see Duo visibly swallow hard before replying.
?I was wondering if you wanted to take a break and we could go do some shopping,? he suggested hopefully.
Hilde jabbed the screen with her finger and looked over at him. ?Does it look like I can take a break? This friggin? lunatic wants two-thousand words on Wal-Mart* by tomorrow!? she bellowed.
Duo fought the urge to shrink back and get the hell out while he still could. Women were scary when they were unhappy, that was for sure. ?Um?how about this,? he began. ?If I help you finish up the report, will you come shopping then??
?Duo, if you can help me with this damn thing, I will shop with you for a year if I have to,? she replied in desperation, obviously at her wits? end with the essay. However, she wasn?t actually expecting results.
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An hour and ten minutes later, Hilde scanned the final product one last time for errors. She was floored; to think that Duo of all people could form such vivid and complete sentences that actually made sense left her in awe. This was a person who didn?t do well in high school? Who doesn?t want to go to college? It was incomprehensible. It was a complete waste of such beautiful talent.
?You surprise me again, Duo,? she complimented. ?You would do wonders in college.?
Duo shook his head, already knowing where the conversation was leading. ?All of that is too boring for my taste. Now, I believe you owe me a shopping trip.?
Hilde nodded, saved her paper, and stood up. ?What did you have in mind??
He grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the stairs. ?We?re going to look at prom dresses for you.?
?What? No!?
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"I can't believe you talked me into this," Hilde grumbled as Duo led her a little too enthusiastically into the first dress shop.
?A deal is a deal, babe,? was Duo?s only reply as he guided her in front of him so she could get a good look into the whole store. He was hoping that she would make things simple and pick a dress out within the first few stores; he really didn?t feel like darting all across Florida looking for a ?perfect? dress. Hilde seemed to share his opinion though, and even looked a bit too eager to be done with all of it.
?I think you rely too much on deals,? Hilde pointed out, then glanced around the room to see if anything caught her eye. The style of the year was apparently puffed out fairytale princess dresses, but Hilde had no intention of being caught dead in something such as that.
?You really don?t have to do this, you know,? Duo said quietly when he saw her wrinkle her nose in distaste at one particularly hideous pale blue number. ?I?m not going to force you to go if you really don?t want to.?
Hilde smiled lightly. ?No, I?m flattered that you would invite me,? she admitted, and was glad to see some of the pain she had noted leave his eyes. ?I want to go; just ignore all of my moaning, it makes me feel better about accepting this after I specifically told myself no more dates.?
He nodded, but was still much quieter than usual. Hilde figured that there must have been something else on his mind, but didn?t feel that she had the right to inquire. Instead, she decided to turn the tables and use the trick he had been using on her since day one.
?Excuse me, M?am?? Hilde called over the elderly employee who had been walking around pretending to be busy. She came right over at Hilde?s request, figuring she was going to catch herself a sale. ?I was just wondering,? she addressed the sales woman while grabbing the edge of the full skirt glittering pink dress in front of her, ?do I get the pink corvette to go along with this dress??
Duo?s burst of laughter startled some of the customers as it filled the room, while others looked completely puzzled while trying to figure out what was so funny. Hilde was looking rather smug despite the serious expression she was trying to hold as though she was expecting the women to answer. The sales lady frowned, and after a moment stalked away mumbling something about kids wasting her time.
Duo and Hilde left the store a couple of minutes later empty-handed, but in a much lighter mood than before they had gone in.
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They were at their last stop for the day when she found it. It was simple and dark blue in color, slim in its design with a small flare toward the bottom and a full back to make up for its lack of sleeves. It reminded her of her prom dress from her senior year of high school not so long before; it reminded him of how easy it was to drown in the color of her eyes when that small light of happiness shone through them. The dress was back on its hanger and up at the counter to be purchased quickly. It would need to be altered slightly and taken up to better fit Hilde?s small form, but otherwise it was perfect.
The both reached for their money when the price was given, and the glaring contest began.
?Put your money back, Hilde, I invited you. There is no way you?re going to be dishing out for this,? Duo told her sternly.
?Don?t give me that noble bull! I already told you I want to go, and that means I?m responsible and capable of paying for my dress,? she argued, also not willing to back down.
?What don?t you understand about the word ?guest??? and so it went on while the others in the store looked on with knowing smiles.
In the end, for the first time, it was Hilde who walked away with a grin on her face.
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Heero glanced at his ringing cell phone in disgust; she was calling yet again. It was becoming an everyday thing for her, and it was driving him insane. He answered anyway.
?Hello??
"Oh, no ?what do you want? this time? You're a lot nicer when you know you?re going to get a check."
Heero glared at the phone hoping there was some way that Catherine could feel its vibes of hatred. "Money talks. It makes spending time with you more bearable,? he bit back.
?Forget what I said before, you?re not nicer by any means.?
?At least I?m consistent,? he replied in turn, and glanced at the door as it swung open. Duo entered a moment later, looking as though he was in a better mood than he had been for a couple of days. Heero decided to seize the opportunity to try to make amends, and end his bickering with Catherine for the moment. ?Listen, I need to cut it short. What?s the matter??
?Nothing, I just wanted to let you know I?m on my way there to pick you up. And dress nicely, okay? I don?t want the seller or my neighbors thinking I associate with bums,? she informed him, her sweet voice not helping to cover the iciness of her ridicule.
Heero didn?t even bother to reply to Catherine?s nasty remark and promptly hung up. He had other things he wanted to deal with, and he wanted to do it before he went to go look at what would be his new place of residence.
?What are you doing home? I thought I had to pick you up in an hour,? Duo questioned.
?Change of plans. Catherine wants to see the apartment a little early so we can go over some things at her place afterwards.?
Duo simply made a face and grunted in response.
Since the night that Duo had first learned of Heero?s plan to move into a new apartment, he and Heero passed the time in each other?s company in silence. Heero was already well over the incident, but he figured that it would be best not to even acknowledge his brother?s attitude until Duo had gotten over his anger and realized there would be no change of plans despite what he had to say about it.
Unbeknownst to Heero, Duo already had the wheels in his head turning and putting together a plan of action concerning where to live. It all came to a point on today, the day that Catherine was bringing Heero to go look at the apartment and then to her place so that they could go over the life Catherine made up that Heero was to present to her mother that Sunday.
?Did you want to come take a look with me?? Heero questioned as he fixed the collar of the shirt. Duo glared in response, knowing what Heero was suggesting he look at, and Heero shrugged at him. ?I was just offering. You?re going to see it eventually anyway.?
?Not if I can help it.?
Bewilderment flashed across Heero?s face, and then his eyes narrowed as realization came to what Duo was implying. ?Don?t even think about it.?
?Think what?? Duo asked innocently.
?You?re not staying here on your own, just get that idea out of your head right now.?
?Too late, I already have it all planned out.?
?God dammit, Duo, do you have to fight me with everything??
Just then, the doorbell rang, announcing Catherine?s arrival and the end of their discussion. Heero glared at the door, and then turned to Duo. ?We?ll talk about this later,? he promised.
Duo scoffed. ?You can waste all the oxygen you want on the subject, Bro, my mind is made up.?
Heero let the subject drop and opened the door allowing Catherine to enter. She glanced around the house with a look of interest, probably searching for some sign of improvement since the last time she had visited. Upon seeing Duo, she smiled brightly and gave a cheerful hello. Duo merely scowled in response, which in turn made Heero glare at Duo for being disrespectful to a guest in their home, even if it was an unwanted one.
?I?m just going to find my tie in the other room, and then we can leave,? Heero said to Catherine, and then disappeared down the hall. Catherine nodded and sat down on the couch to wait, trying to ignore the heated stare that Duo was still giving her as best she could.
?What?? she finally snapped.
"Just what the hell are you trying to do here?"
?What are you talking about??
?I know your type, and you?re up to no good as far as I?m concerned,? Duo barked as he got closer so he could speak without Heero hearing him. For a moment, Catherine thought he was going to strike her. ?What the hell do you have planned for Heero??
?Ah, I see,? she finally acknowledged. ?You two watch each other?s back.?
?Something to that effect.?
Catherine smiled prettily. "It gets pretty lonely with the job I have...even someone like me wants companionship. Heero's a nice, attractive guy who suits my needs and makes me happy. Of course, he's pretty heartless a lot of the time and doesn't have any interest in me besides my money. I could probably change that, but who has time to deal with someone else's demons? Having him to impress my mother and satisfy my sexual needs are all that matters to me."
Duo failed to hide his surprise at her blunt explanation of just what she wanted out of his brother. "That's sick," he seethed.
It was Catherine?s turn to look surprised. "Oh, really? Tell me Duo, are you in a relationship? You seem like the playboy type to me."
Her question hung in the air, and when Duo?s silence seemed to be the only answer he would give her, she smiled triumphantly. "That's what I thought. Who's calling the kettle black?"
Duo was not able to form a response before Heero reentered the room with his tie in place and his jacket halfway on. ?You ready?? he asked Catherine, who nodded, her smile still in place. She had won that argument, but Duo didn?t plan to let it end there. And the way he figured he would have time, since it seemed Catherine was there to stay for awhile, no matter what he had to say about it.
?I won?t be home when you get back,? Duo informed his brother as he was going out the door. He didn?t know where he was going yet, but he needed to get away from everything and think things out.
Heero nodded. ?Stay out of trouble,? he advised before leaving.
?Don?t tell me how to live my life,? Duo muttered to the closed door, knowing his brother couldn?t hear him anyway.
*- Many thanks to my psycho English teacher for giving me such a topic to help write this chapter! Okay, I?m lying. It didn?t help at all. Who the hell wants to write about Wal-Mart?!
It's Not Like it's Love, Chapter 10
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Crystaltear
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