Rating: PG-13?
Warnings: Sap

Heero's Date
by Aaeth Payne

It didn't work.

"I don't know, what would you like to do?" Heero shrugged and clicked the remote from 'Invader Zim', what Duo had been watching, to some historical dissection of King Tutankhamen on the History Channel.

Feeling his eye begin to twitch, Duo shook his head. "Eh, nothing I guess." Quickly getting up from the modest couch, Duo retreated to his bed.

They had been living together, working together, and dating for the past seven months. Or, to be accurate, Duo had been consistently dragging Heero out of the house on different activities for the past seven months, and called it dating.

Not that Heero objected. No, he thought they were dating as well. Heero seemed to be absolutely clueless as to how to be in a relationship, and seemed to be quite pleased to continue in the way they had been going. Duo, however, was steadily reaching the end of his rope.

Knowing Heero's training under J would not have included such sessions as making out 101 or how to be romantic in 5 easy steps, Duo tried to be patient. Good lord, he tried. Heero shied from physical contact -- so Duo, who was an absolute cuddle fiend, respected that. The occasional hug or kiss on the cheek in private... perhaps an arm around the shoulders or hand holding in a darkened movie theatre... Duo felt sure he was easily treading the fine line between respecting Heero's boundaries without ignoring his own needs.

He was very proud of that.

However, what truly bothered him was something so tiny that... he really felt dumb bringing it up. It was always him taking Heero out. It was never the other way around.

Again, he would tell himself that Heero probably didn't even realize that the road goes both ways. He probably didn't realize that Duo would like to be surprised with tickets to a new movie, or a picnic in the park.

At least, that is what he thought until two weeks ago when Heero had made him breakfast.

It had been a normal work day, and Duo was ready to stumble his way through a bowl of cereal... when his nose caught the delicious scents of pancakes, bacon, toast and various other scrumptious breakfast things. Anyone could have knocked him over with a feather when Heero sat him down and fixed him a plate saying, "I know I haven't been the most attentive... I've been busy..."

In one minute Duo had gone from sleepy to startled to amazed to simpering. He had been sure that his troubles were over. Heero had seen the error of his ways, and would now be, if not an attentive boyfriend, not an ignoring one either.

Duo's hopes for continued consideration soon died.

It wouldn't have been so bad if only he hadn't gotten that glimpse. Now he knew that Heero could be romantic and spontaneous. It just seemed that he just didn't want to be.

Shaking his head, Duo tried to ignore those dark thoughts. He was sure it wasn't that! Heero was just busy... Well, he was pretty sure it wasn't that...

Duo was fully aware, since Quatre and Trowa told him flat out, that the best way for him to solve his problems was for him to talk to Heero about it. His reply had been "How do you tell someone you love that they're being an inconsiderate boyfriend? How can I expect him to be perfect when I know he has no model of behavior from which to act?"

Duo closed his eyes and massaged his forehead. "How can I get him to understand that I want him to be a part of being a couple? I don't want to take him everywhere and do everything! Hell, the only thing he ever pays complete attention to is missions!" He had thought that a weekend away would help them, but it seemed even this trip to the mountains wasn't helping. They were watching the History Channel!

He had rented a room at a getaway resort out in the mountains hoping that maybe here while they were alone and away from work, Heero's more impulsive instincts would kick in again. No such luck.

Eyes snapping open in sudden realization, Duo began sporting a grin that would have sent many running for their lives.

Quickly, before inspiration left him, Duo grabbed a pen and paper and penned his note.

Mr. Yuy,

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take your (boyfriend/significant other/hanger-on/person you are currently seeing/personal parasite/or whatever term you use to describe one Duo Maxwell) on a date one day from this day.

You have one day to arrange this date*. Something you come up with yourself is preferred, but if you absolutely need to, others can be consulted. Duo Maxwell, however, is not to be consulted. The point of this exercise is for you to do the sweeping off of the feet. ^_^

(Note: actual sweeping of feet not required)

This letter will self-destruct in 3... 2... 1...

Ok, so it didn't, but that would have been neat.

*Note: The term 'date' is used, however and activity involving the two of you is all that is desired. Romance is an option, but it is not the only one. Be creative.

Satisfied beyond belief, Duo quickly took a shower, said his goodnights to Heero, and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Duo woke up and dressed much earlier than normal. He wanted Heero to have as much time as possible to prepare for their date. He knew it was probably a silly idea in the first place... maybe he shouldn't have tried it this way at all.

Before he could talk himself out of the plan, Duo taped the note on the bathroom door -- a place Heero would be sure to see it, and left. After walking all the way to the resort pool, Duo spent the day diving, sunning and playing some water volleyball with the vacationing kids.

It was five in the afternoon when Duo finally decided it was time to go back to the room. He figured this would be time enough for Heero to have seen the note and either be thinking of a plan, or be calmed down enough that he wouldn't kill Duo for the suggestion.

With mixed thoughts of excitement and dread, Duo walked back. As he approached the door he noticed something odd. There was a tape recorder... well, taped to the front door. Unmindful of the marks left by the duct tape, Duo tore the machine off the door, hurried inside and inspected his prize.

The tape recorder was labeled with a simple note that read 'play me'. Grinning in anticipation, Duo pushed the button and waited. A second later, Heero's cool voice gave him further directions. 'Be here at seven, dress nicely.' Duo didn't have time to really think about the message as it continued, 'This message will self-destruct in 5... 4...'

Eyes growing wide, Duo grabbed the tape recorder from the table, emptied the nearby tin wastepaper basket, and threw in the recorder. A second later when Heero's voice reached '1', the machine began to smoke and shortly thereafter burst into flames.

Still staring at the merrily burning tape recorder, Duo began to grin. This was going to be good.

It didn't take Duo long to shower and dress in a pair of tight fitting black slacks and an untucked cobalt shirt. Hopefully this would be 'nice' enough. And if it wasn't... well, he could always tuck the shirt in.

Six fifty seven found Duo nervously pacing the room.

At exactly seven pm the door slammed open and Heero ran inside, "Hurry! They're after us!" He grabbed Duo's hand and pulled him out of the room.

Duo, as one of those few whose life had for a long period of time involved running without question from various 'thems', found that running without question was his first instinct. It wasn't until Heero pulled them into the second broom closet that he began to wonder. It was also in this second broom closet that Duo noted Heero was wearing a classic tuxedo -- complete with black bowtie. It was something straight out of a James Bond movie. His doubts about the existence of 'them' became confirmed when upon running out of the closet, Heero stopped and went back to replace the broom that had fallen out.

Duo waited patiently with an ever growing smile. It seemed that his boyfriend had accepted the mission... quite literally. Not that he was complaining. It had been a while since they'd had a good run at top speed through a building. And it was even nicer now that it wouldn't result in death if they were caught.

Finally they ran through the main entrance of the apartment where Heero gestured to a row of cars. "Which one?"

Duo's jaw dropped. Before him was a line up of the sweetest cars he could imagine, a black Ferrari 360 Spider, a silver BMW Z4, a deep red Lamborghini Countach, a navy blue Corvette Convertible, and a white Ford Mustang. Boggling at the sight for a moment, Duo recovered and pointed to the Ferrari. "Black of course."

With a quick nod, Heero produced the keys and they both hopped into the Ferrari. Duo barely had his seatbelt on when Heero peeled out of the parking lot, and Duo later confirmed that two perfect black tire marks were left behind.

The ride itself was exhilarating. Not only were they speeding beyond even Duo's wildest dreams, occasionally Heero would pull into an abandoned parking lot and pull a few doughnuts before returning to the highway and continuing on. Duo never felt so grateful that he chose to vacation in the mountains as he did when Heero would take a tight corner at a rate of speed that would have made Duo nervous... if it hadn't been Heero driving.

Finally they seemed to reach the top of the snow covered mountain, or at least as high as the road would take them. Heero halted the car, perfectly parking it in a space marked 'scenic vista overlook', and quickly pulled Duo into the old weather observation station that was beside the 'scenic vista overlook'.

Inside the station it was nearly pitch black, but it seemed Heero already knew where he was going, and led Duo by the hand until he paused. Duo lost Heero's hand for a moment and then heard a rustling. Finally the room was flooded with light as Heero opened what appeared to be a garage door.

Before him was a vast expanse of untouched snow. And beside him was a snowmobile. What to do. What to do.

Heero mounted the machine and waited. Duo quickly sat behind him and wrapped his arms around Heero's torso. As soon as he was seated, Heero revved the engine and took off up the mountain. Duo contentedly tucked his head against Heero's shoulder and closed his eyes. He marveled at the trouble and thought Heero had put into this date. It simply amazed him.

It took only a few minutes for them to reach the summit of the mountain, but Duo was not allowed to enjoy the view. Rather, Heero shucked off Duo's shoes, slapped on a pair of ski boots, and attached those boots to a pair of skis.

Duo grasped his set of ski poles that were conveniently stuck in the snow beside him as Heero hurried into his own set of skis. Looking down the slope, he noted that the other side was indeed a regular ski slope, well lit and free of obstruction. At the foot of the slope there was some sort of lodge.

"Let's go." Heero paused only a moment before setting off down the mountain.

Not about to be left behind on this little adventure, Duo quickly followed Heero's trail. The fresh powder was excellent, and they both flew down the slope as if they had wings. When they came to a halt outside the lodge, Duo had to quickly uncouple his boots from his skis and follow Heero around the back of the building.

He caught up to Heero on the back patio of the building where there were two convenient pairs of shoes waiting for them. Shaking his head to keep from laughing out loud, Duo slipped on the shoes that were, of course, the perfect size. Seeing Heero motion to him from over by the patio door, Duo walked over to see what he wanted.

Pointing through the glass at what appeared to be a party in full swing, Heero turned to face Duo. "We need to infiltrate." Blinking Duo glanced in again at the merry revelers. Some danced others congregated around the food tables. About to suggest a cover as waiters, Duo was a bit startled when Heero simply opened the door, grabbed his hand, and waltzed them into the throng of dancers.

Upon closer inspection, Duo recognized all of the people within. Quatre and Trowa were also whirling around the floor as were many of their other co workers and friends. Realizing that they were not crashing some party, Duo relaxed into the dance and sighed with regret as the waltz ended. It seemed that others were also disappointed with the end of the music as they were clearing the floor.

Swallowing, Duo just looked at Heero. He couldn't believe that he had gone through so much trouble... it was amazing. "Heero --"

Holding up a hand Heero stopped Duo. "Hold that thought." Heero reached around Duo's waist with his right hand and drew him close while simultaneously taking Duo's right hand and pointing it away from their bodies.

Recognizing the invitation to tango, Duo quickly turned his face to the right and rested his left hand above Heero's bicep. Duo loved the tango, the catlike motion appealed to him, and Heero knew this very well it seemed. Just as they were correctly positioned, the music began again. Both skilled dancers, they set off around the abandoned dance floor, taking the time to spice up the dance with cradle rocks and Adornos. Duo particularly liked the Caricias, where his leg would caress Heero's, and he used them with abandon.

When the dance ended, Duo let Heero guide him back onto the patio. They sat on a bench in silence for a moment before Duo finally spoke. "This was... amazing." Duo wrapped his arms around Heero's waist and rested his head on Heero's shoulder. "I never imagined that you would... do something like this!"

Heero didn't say anything for a while; instead he began playing with the end of Duo's braid. When he finally did talk, he spoke softly. "I'm sorry I never took you on a date before..."

Duo sighed and straightened up. It was time to be serious. "No, Heero. I left you that note to let you know what I wanted without having to tell you to your face... and that was wrong. I never wanted to make you feel guilty. I should have just told you..."

Heero shrugged. "Maybe... but then we never would have gone on this date." Heero smiled slightly. "And I think that this date was a pretty nice success, don't you?"

Nodding, Duo ran his fingers over Heero's cheek. "Oh yeah, you hit the bull's-eye with this date. But... just remember you don't have to do this every time. Hell, you never have to do anything like this again! I just like spending time with you. Ok?"

Heero sighed. "Thank goodness!" He slumped dramatically. "I won't tell you how hard it was to find a Lamborghini Countach in that color! Not to mention I only had a day to deal with..."

Duo stood and pulled Heero along with him as he moved toward the buffet table. "Actually I intended for you to put your date plan in action tomorrow, giving you the full 24 hours."

"Well, I suppose it is just as well I misunderstood, if I knew I had more time..." Heero gestured to the room full of people. "Imagine how much trouble would it have been to fly all out friends to Switzerland."