It was only a few days before that dreaded day, when Miss Allen's fifth grade class was making construction paper holders for their valentines. Heero was beginning to feel that it was a bit pointless, but it was an assignment. He glanced over in the direction of the other students to see what they were doing. Some were elaborately decorating theirs, while others seemed to feel the same as Heero and had gone the minimalist route. His eyes returned to his blue piece of paper. He really didn't feel up to doing anything much with it, so he simply cut out a heart shape, then took the cream colored paper and stapled and folded until it formed a little holder. It looked passable, so he set it down and stared blankly at the far wall. He really did hate that day. Only because it made him realize how out of touch he was with his fellow students. Heero couldn't help that he didn't talk much, that was just him, but apparently no one understood that and thought him a bit odd.

Eventually Miss Allen walked around and inspected each student's work, and then told them to write their names on the front and set it on her desk as they left for lunch. Slowly each child did as they were told. When Heero walked up to her desk, Duo was just leaving. He looked down at the heart which Duo had just placed and smiled. Heero couldn't explain what it was about Duo, but he felt drawn to him even if they had never spoken. Oh, he would never be able to just walk up to Duo and talk to him. Just the thought made his throat tighten with nerves.

Heero set his heart over top of Duo's and followed him out to line up in the hallway. They were standing right next to each other, which was unusual since Duo sat in the middle of the classroom and Heero at the end. He longed to say something to him, anything. Heero managed to open and close his mouth several times, but then decided to just stand still. It was easier that way. He decided to turn his eyes to artwork which was hanging on the wall across from him, again because it was easier than looking at the back of the boy whom he felt an odd connection to.

A few moments passed, and Heero felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned his head to find Duo peering at him, but when Heero turned to face him, his eyes quickly snapped back to gaze in the other direction. This happened several more times, before Heero became curious as to why Duo was acting almost -- shy. Just as Heero was about to ask him what was wrong, Miss Allen emerged from the classroom and smiled at her students. "Time for lunch. Remember to walk in an orderly and quiet manner to the cafeteria." Drat. He couldn't ask him now, and unfortunately their seating arrangement was in alphabetical order. His question would just have to wait, but then would he be able to ask him later?

Lunch seemed to drag on for an eternity. Heero felt very anxious, and found himself going back and forth with whether or not he should approach Duo about his behavior in the hallway. By the time lunch was over, Heero was very tired and had decided to let it slip. He may not want to know why Duo was staring at him. What if it's because he too, like everyone else, found him odd? That would simply crush him, and he couldn't handle it. So, Heero sat quietly for the rest of the day, and then went home when the bell rang. Over the next few days, when everyone would line up for lunch, Heero felt Duo's eyes upon him, and every time Heero would decide to let it slide.

Finally, Valentine's Day came, and it was right before recess when everyone was allowed to hand out their valentines. Against his better judgment, Heero had created a special card for Duo. He wasn't sure why he did, but he had just become inspired for some reason. He slipped the card into Duo's container and quickly walked back to his seat, where he watched the other students mill about the room and give their cards and candy to their friends. When everyone was finished, Miss Allen asked everyone to please line up in the hallway so they could go outside. Heero's stomach was churning slightly; he couldn't help but wonder if Duo had looked at his card yet. He found himself constantly glancing unseen at Duo, hoping that the boy was looking at him; however, it never happened.

Heero's heart felt a bit heavy as he walked the length of the playground to the swings. Hopefully there was one open that he could sit on; that wasn't always the case, but today he got lucky. With a small burst of speed, Heero ran up to the swing and plopped down on it's black surface. He occupied himself with kicking at the dirt, making his clean white sneakers turn brown. Why had he given Duo that special card? He felt so silly now. What did he think of him? Strange, odd, or creepy? Oh please don't let it be creepy. Heero didn't like that thought, and he glared down at the dirt as if it had placed the idea inside of his mind. With a strong kick, Heero launched his swing into motion, hoping that the movement would still his brain.

When it was time to go back inside, Heero somehow ended up in front of Duo. He was grateful that he didn't have to look at the boy's back, but it made him feel a bit uncomfortable having him directly behind him. The entire walk back to the classroom, Heero could feel those deep blue eyes on him and he wondered what Duo was thinking. He really needed to stop thinking so much about it, but his mind just wouldn't listen to reason, which frustrated Heero. How could one person control his thoughts so easily? It wasn't fair. Maybe he should despise him instead. Yes, that would definitely be easier, but it was painful at the same time.

Heero cast a glance over his shoulder at Duo, and found an odd expression upon the usually happy face. He had a serious look and his eyes caught Heero's for a moment in time. Heero snapped his head forward again, and began to speculate as to why Duo hadn't quite looked himself. In fact, he spent the rest of the day going over that look in his head, and he could never come to a conclusion as to what it had meant, which made what happened the next day even more confusing.

Heero was usually one of the first students to arrive in the classroom in the mornings, but that particular day, Duo had beaten him. He didn't think much of it, except that it was strange. As usual, Heero quietly put his backpack away in his locker, and then sat down at his desk. There upon its surface was a small envelope, and in graceful strong strokes was his name. A bit puzzled, Heero opened it and peeked inside. It was a card, a beautifully drawn card. It showed two hands locked together, and a small heart behind them. Heero still felt confused, so he opened the card, only to be surprised. It was from Duo. He thanked him for the special valentine which he had given him, and told him it was the best one he had received. Heero gazed over at Duo, who had a bright smile on his face. He didn't quite know what to do, did this mean that Duo didn't think about him the same way everyone else did? He had only been in Heero's class this year, so it wasn't as if he had known him before. So there was that possibility.

Duo stood from his desk and walked over to where Heero was sitting. He pulled the chair out from the desk behind Heero and pulled it around to sit next to him. "I wanted to talk to you sooner, but you always seemed to go the opposite direction of me. So, I kinda gave up." He was smiling at Heero, whose heart was beating faster by the second.

"Y-you wanted to talk to -- me?" Heero's voice was whisper soft, but then he added in a louder tone, "why?"

Duo grinned and shrugged. "I dunno. You just seemed interesting. I can't really explain it." Heero made a soft affirmative grunt, which made Duo smile again. "You're really quiet, huh? That's a good thing, because I love talking." Duo's comment made Heero smile, and as he did so, he saw a small spark in the other boy's eyes. "Wow, Heero, you don't look so grumpy when you do that."

"Thanks. Um ... did you draw this?" Heero indicated rather shyly, the front of the card.

"Yup, I sure did. I wanna be a comic book artist when I grow up. Ooo ... do you like comics? You'll have to come over and look at my dad's collection! He's got like every single issue of Spider-Man and Batman -- ever. It's really cool." Heero nodded. The two of them fell into a comfortable conversation until the bell rang. Duo quickly scribbled his phone number on a piece of paper and Heero did the same.

Valentine's Day after that was never as bad as before for Heero, especially since that was the day that he proposed to Duo years later, and was rewarded with an enthusiastic 'yes'.