"Asshole," Duo swore softly, almost at the butterfly, which slowly fluttered away from his potty-mouth. "Why'd you have to confuse me now?"

"I don't think the butterfly knows either." A familiar voice piped in, and Duo could hear the edge of uncertainty. He reluctantly looked up, finding Heero standing there before him, a big bag with some restaurant's logo stamped across in a charmingly crooked manner, in the same way that Heero's lips were smiling at him right now. Duo forced himself to let his head fall back in exasperation, groaning at his friend's bad humor. Heero dropped down on the ground next to him good-naturedly.

"You suck. Don't diss the butterfly! I bet he knows why he demanded I come to a deserted playground in the middle of nowhere, of all places, to talk." Duo let a bit of impatience filter through and immediately felt better, but regretted it when Heero stopped unwrapping their food and turned to him with a look that was both worried and thoughtful. "Just like Alice in Wonderland, with the smoking caterpillar. He was smart," Duo added, taking the burger quickly in order to distract.

"Does that make you Alice?" Heero humored him, looking so mock-earnest with his raised eyebrow that Duo had to laugh and throw a fry in Heero's direction, just relieved that the ploy even worked.

"Only if you're the bunny that's late." Duo studied Heero seriously for a moment. "Yeah, some glasses, a pocket-watch...I could see it!"

"Halloween's a few months off, Duo." Heero bit off the top of a fry, eyes regarding Duo flatly.

"Oh, I know! Believe me, I wouldn't waste that costume on you when there are so much more...interesting...looks to choose from!" Duo stole a fry from Heero's hand and grinned triumphantly while eating it, having evaded Heero's swatting easily.

"No need to give examples on that. I still remember the costume party you gave last year." Heero shuddered slightly. "How you talked Dorothy into that, I will never know."

"Let me just say it wasn't hard!" Duo snickered, picturing the outfit in his mind. "Actually, I think she still wears it for Relena every once in awhile..." By then Heero's faintly displeased expression ventured into disgust and he was staring at the food in his hand as if trying to find out whether he had the stomachpower to keep going.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad." Duo filched another fry, taking advantage of the other man's discomfort with glee. "You thought she looked good at first!"

"...I think that was before she took off her coat and revealed what she was dressed up as," Heero replied dryly, snatching his fries back from Duo, who gave up, tilting his head in thought.

"Oh, yeah...well, it was pretty convincing, you gotta admit. You have to give her props for all the feathers."

"Convincing I will agree on. I'll even do you one better and say that she was a bit too convincing. Do you remember when Wufei saw her and almost ran the other way?" Heero and Duo snickered together as they thought about his horrified expression.

Heero sighed when they'd stopped and gone into a comfortable silence, dropping his hand close to Duo's. "I miss you," he admitted grudgingly.

"Uh...well, yeah, me too. There aren't a lot of friends like you --" Duo's unease was interrupted promptly by Heero's snort.

"Shut up, Duo. You know that's not what I meant. Are you going to keep stringing me along forever? Even I deserve more than that."

Duo met Heero's gaze with his own hard look. "This isn't fucking easy for me, either."

"I know." Heero softened slightly. "And you know that I'd wait forever for you, but even I get impatient sometimes."

"I'm sorry, it's just..." Duo rubbed the back of his neck, wincing uncomfortably. "I don't know what to do about it."

"Go on a date with me."

Duo gaped at Heero's casual demand.

"Er -- what? Shouldn't we talk about this?"

"Duo, don't you think we've done enough talking?" Heero gave him a determined look. "Go on a date with me. We'll just see a movie or something. We're not saying 'I do' or going house-shopping, or anything like that yet. Just a movie."

"'Yet'?" Duo mused, going on when Heero looked like he was close to punching him. "You...really want to?" Duo asked, frowning a little at the grass in-between their hands.

"I don't think the ground does, no, but I do," Heero replied, his finger nudging Duo's, closing the gap. He reached over and shut Duo's mouth with the back of his hand, sensing the reply he was about to get. "I know, I know, I said we weren't going to say 'I do', shut up." Duo shot him an offended look.

"For your information, I'm not corny like you! I was going to say 'yes' but now I'm not so sure!" Duo hmphed, his fingers interlacing with Heero's despite his words, squeezing slightly, then letting go.

"Hey, I try," Heero protested, picking up Duo's hand in his own, bringing a rough fingertip to his lips as Duo watched. "Where do you want to go?"

"There's a movie playing down the street around now that I've been thinking about." Duo blinked, jerking his hand away gently from Heero's mouth, sliding it nervously down his leg. "Uh, I mean, unless you're working..."

"I'm not, so stop trying to weasel out of it," Heero replied knowingly. 'You're not getting away from me now."

"Alright, alright. We'll go, then," Duo said, stretching. "No big deal."

"'No big deal', he says." Heero's wry tone wasn't lost on Duo.

"Hey, you're the one who --" Duo trailed off, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "What?" Heero smiled and bumped Duo's shoulder with his own in an affectionate gesture that managed to surprise Duo. "Nothing. It just seems that I'm late for a very important date!" Heero's smile widened at the corners of his mouth as Duo hit him again, laughing and groaning at the same time.

"You are such an idiot, you know that, right?" Duo asked, shaking his head, pressing his palm to Heero's, bringing their hands up between them and meeting him fingertip with fingertip, grinning as though enjoying every minute of Heero's idiocy.

"An idiot for you," Heero retorted, and he leaned his forehead against Duo's, trying to muffle a cheesy smile.

"Wh--...who are you? I don't think I know you! Get the fuck away from me!" Duo let out a whoop of laughter as he jumped to his feet and started walking away, palm pressed to his forehead as though wondering what he'd gotten himself into, a sneaky smile creeping onto his lips even as he thought that.

But when Heero caught up and pressed a small, sudden kiss to Duo's cheek in that charming, crooked way of his, Duo can't help but scoff and give him a real kiss back, right there next to the monkeybars, for all the butterflies to see. When they slowly break away, both disconcerted and breathless, Heero asked:

"Did you learn that in Wonderland?"

"...I don't know you!" Duo ran off and Heero had to sprint to catch up, only to bury Duo in a clumsy, laughing hug. Duo lets him, hugging -- just a little! -- back, since he can't remember when he has ever felt so happy as when he's hearing one of Heero's bad, corny comebacks and feeling one of his crooked, smiling kisses. And when those happen, there's nothing for Duo to do except roll his eyes and laugh.