Horoscope

Chapter 4: Exploration II

Author's Notes: I'm BAAAAACK. I can't even begin to apologize for the insane delay, but I'm out of school now, so hopefully I can get this back together. I reposted everything to AO3, however this chapter is appearing here FIRST as a huge apology. Forgive any mistakes and weirdness because I was too impatient to wait for my beta to re-read the story before I could post this for you guys. You've waited long enough. :) Please join me on AO3 under the same name!

Trowa found himself being pushed along by a small sea of panicking students as everyone rushed out of their classrooms to make their way to the dorms. The PA system continued to play the same message periodically, only making the situation worse, in the brunet's opinion. He spied an opening near an empty classroom and quickly slipped out of the swarm and breathed a heavy sigh of relief that he was free.

The European had found himself near mobile suit battles more times than he could count, and judging by the magnitude of the tremors, he wasn't entirely concerned with dawdling in the hallway for a few moments. He watched one girl run by with tears streaming down her face and he shook his head. That was a little melodramatic, to say the least.

Catherine was ushering her own gaggle of students through the halls when she noticed Trowa looming off to the side. "Trowa!" She called out to him, immediately making her way through the throng of students to reach the olive-eyed boy. "Trowa, this is no time to be loitering. You have to return to your dormitory immediately."

"It's really not that serious," Trowa replied blandly, his eyes trailing to watch a few more wailing students go by. He didn't notice Catherine's expression go from taken aback to stern before he was yanked roughly by the arm and brought back into the flow of bodies.

The air was thick with smoke and the combination of the pungent smell of blood and dirt burned in the throats of the civilians as they tried to evacuate the area. A small family of four; a husband, a wife, their young daughter and two year old baby boy, were amongst many trying escape the town that was now reduced to nothing more than burning ruins.

"Not that serious?" Catherine demanded as she practically dragged Trowa along with her. "It's a war, Trowa, and it's in our backyard. That's pretty serious."

The woman held her daughter and small son close to her body as they fled, trying desperately to keep her family from being separated.

"Stay close to me, darling," the woman whispered, adjusting the baby in her grip. "Everything is going to be okay."

"If it were close, we'd be able to hear it," Trowa tried vainly to protest, but either Catherine couldn't hear him or was ignoring him entirely.

"Mommy?" The little girl said, rubbing her tear stained cheeks with a soot covered sleeve. "Mommy, where are we going?"

The woman had no time to respond before suddenly a large explosion went off behind them. She shrieked as her baby was thrown from her arms, disappearing in the dense cloud of smoke.

"Well, too bad. I'm your teacher and I say you're going back to the dorms," Catherine said with a frown, continuing to pull Trowa forward. The pair moved only a few feet forward before they noticed Treize ushering the flow of students down the hall. Wufei was standing close by, along with Zechs, and the former didn't appear too hurried to return to the dorms either.

"Miss Bloom," Treize greeted with a curt nod once Catherine was close enough.

Catherine returned the gesture, but she looked a bit more annoyed after her small argument with Trowa. Her eyes flickered to Wufei briefly and she sighed. "Would either of you please guide the boys back to the dorms?"

"I'll escort them," Zechs offered, stepping away from the wall and making a sweeping motion for Trowa and Wufei to merge into the now dwindling crowd of evacuating students. "Gentlemen, if you'd please."

Both teens shared a brief look with one another, one of complete wordless understanding, but they nodded their heads silent acquiesce and followed Zechs and the remaining students out.

"You don't seem to concerned," Trowa noted quietly as they're walking and Wufei regarded him with a short, but meaningful look.

"I've been through worse," Wufei shrugged, keeping his voice equally low. He didn't have to ask Trowa if he understood, knowing that as a fellow colonist, he'd most likely experienced his fair share of the war—much more than the average citizen of the Earth Sphere could attest to.

It's more than an hour later after the campus was evacuated and all students accounted for before the PA system crackled to life again. The Dean's voice echoed through all of the dormitory rooms and assured all the students and attending staff that the battle had moved a safe distance away from St. Gabriel Academy, and that the school was no longer in danger of being affected by the violence. The dormitories practically erupt into cheers when the decision is announced to cancel classes for the remainder of the day.

Duo didn't waste any time sneaking out of his dorm room once he heard the announcement. He had been on the verge of a huge personal discovery before the OZ and Alliance militaries decided to ruin his opportunity. However, the brunet colonist now appreciated this even better opportunity to be able to talk to Heero privately without having to worry about anyone overhearing them.

Expertly, Duo slipped out of his room and quietly made his way down the hall to the staircase. He carefully avoided the teachers and staff patrolling the corridors as he went a few floors up to where he knew Heero's room to be. He pushed back the negative memories he had of sneaking around, usually for breaking into businesses and military storehouses to steal money and food. This is different, he reminded himself as he dodged another teacher. I don't have to do those things anymore.

The trip only took a few minutes, but his heart pounding in his chest from nerves made it feel as if he'd been sneaking around for hours, yet when he came up to the door with the placard marked 'HEERO YUY', he felt as if he appeared there in an instant. Duo swallowed once, but his throat was suddenly too dry from nerves. Steeling himself, the American took a deep breath before reaching out and rapping lightly on the door.

Heero let out a content sigh as he stepped out of the tub, the steam from the hot shower he'd just taken giving his bathroom an ethereal glow in the fluorescent lighting. He left little wet footprints as he padded over to the foggy mirror. The brunet swiped his forearm across it once and revealed his blurred reflection. He stared into his cobalt eyes briefly and narrowed his eyes accusingly at his mirrored self.

It was still relatively early in the afternoon, however the Japanese boy had decided to attempt to gather himself in the shower. He was still perturbed by the thoughts that had been running rampant in his hormone driven mind and hoped to chase them away with a piping hot shower.

The brunet is dressed in a simple pair of track pants and a t-shirt, toweling his hair dry, when he heard a knock at the door and stiffened. He wasn't one to normally be on edge, but with the morning they've all had at the academy, he thought he deserved a little leeway.

Heero doesn't bother checking who it was before he pulls the door open, expecting either a teacher or Quatre. What he wasn't expecting was a red-faced Duo standing outside his door.

"Duo?" Heero questioned, the L1 colonist completely shocked to see the other boy at his door. He'd just been preparing mere hours before to potentially confess his confusing feelings he was having for the other brunet, but now that Duo was presented so suddenly before him, Heero realized how horribly unprepared he was.

"Hey, Heero," Duo greeted and cursed himself mentally for almost sounding breathless. The American had been readying himself to talk to Heero since that morning and now he was at a loss for words. He noticed the look on Heero's face and swallowed. If he left now without saying anything, he knew he would never do it. "I really need to talk to you. Can we go somewhere?"

"We're not supposed to leave our rooms," Heero reminded dumbly. It was obvious that Duo had no regard for that rule, considering he'd travelled up several floors to get there. With the Winner Family essentially paying for his entire education and housing, he was always careful not to step too far out of line, and that reason would be the perfect accuse to avoid blurting out his embarrassing emotions to Duo.

"It'll only take a minute," Duo replied. His confidence in his actions was steadily dwindling with each passing second. He scanned the hallway again briefly to make sure no one would stumble upon him standing in the hallway during the semi-lockdown. "We won't get caught, I promise."

Duo's eyes were practically pleading and Heero felt a cold weight settle in his stomach when he realized how much the expression bothered him. He was restrained enough to not immediately give into Duo's puppy eyes, playing it off with a sigh. He held up one finger to the other boy, disappearing back into his room, returning not a moment later without his towel and a sweatshirt pulled over his head.

"We come right back," Heero said firmly, pulling his door shut behind him and locking it.

"We come right back," Duo agreed with a bright smile.

The campus was practically barren as the sun was beginning to set and everyone was drained from the excitement earlier that day. It wasn't hard for Duo to lead Heero outside of the dorms and he felt ridiculously proud of the mildly impressed look he received in return. Heero brushed off the American's teasing with a scoff and a grumbled retort.

"I just didn't think you could be so quiet for that long, is all."

Duo had taken the comment in stride and even offered the other brunet a tiny smile. He was starting to feel much more relaxed now that Heero didn't seem almost as jittering as he did. A small part of him dared to hope that perhaps he and the Japanese colonist were both nervous for the same reason. He could only hope that was the case at that point.

The gardens Duo decided on were secluded enough that no one outside of them would be able to see them, but they'd have ample time to hide if someone were to stumble upon out of the dormitory breaking curfew. There was a slight breeze that chilled the air and Heero shivered when the cold hit his still damp hair.

"So what did you need to talk about?" Heero asked and pulled his mismatched sweatshirt closer to his body.

Duo took a deep breath. No point in beating around the bush.

"I think I like you," The American said bluntly once he caught Heero's gaze. Violet met cobalt and for a brief moment, it was as if time had stopped. "I know we're both guys, and that's weird, but ever since I came to this school, I've felt something. I thought it was just me wanting to get a rise out of you, but when you supported me after what happened with those posters…I don't know."

Heero stood there silently, completely stunned, and it was evident on his face. Duo's heart nearly sank to the bottom of his stomach when he saw Heero's expression. He swallowed down the thick lump that returned to his throat and snapped his mouth shut and waited for Heero to respond. When the other boy still didn't reply, the regret immediately began to set in.

"Heero, please say something," Duo begged. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way. We can be just friends—"

"I like you too," Heero cut in before Duo could continue. All this time, the same thoughts that had been plaguing Heero for weeks now have been wreaking havoc on the American just the same. It was both a relief and terrifying at the same time. Heero barely had experience with friendships, much less relationships. He didn't know how any of this was supposed to work and he was certain that the fact that Duo and himself were both boys just complicated the matter even further. He scrunched up his face in a frown and amended his statement to match Duo's. "I think."

"Really?" Duo asked dumbly with a wide grin on his face and it only grew wider when he received a nod in confirmation. "I'll take it."

"So what now?" Heero asked, looking around awkwardly. He wasn't sure where they were supposed to go from there, if he was supposed to confess more like the other did, but the L1 colonist wasn't exactly keen on rehashing his regular dreams that he'd been having, especially not to the subject of them.

"Can I kiss you?" Duo asked daringly and already took a step closer to the other boy.

Heero blocked the reflex to take a step back and furrowed his brows. How had they already gone from weird confessions to kissing in a matter of seconds? Duo looked almost anxious for the answer and Heero sighed. There was really only one way to find out if his attraction for the other brunet was true or only limited to his dreams. He nodded.

Duo beamed and took another step closer until their chests were touching. He brought his hand up to gently cup the back of Heero's head and rubbed the fine hairs that rested against his neck. Duo moved slowly so he wouldn't spook the other before he slowly descended down to Heero's lips.

When their lips met, it suddenly wasn't cold anymore. Warmth spread throughout Heero's body and he was embarrassed when he realized that he'd sighed into the contact. The kiss was far from perfect, Duo bumping into Heero's nose and noticing for the first time that the Japanese boy was a little bit shorter than him, but it was everything Duo had hoped it would be. Heero didn't move away from him and even awkwardly settled his own hands against the American's waist.

Duo started to move his lips against Heero's, but pulled away before the kiss could deepen any further. He studied the other boy's face and smiled at new red flush on his cheeks and how adorable and vulnerable Heero looked in that brief moment.

"That was nice," Duo commented and stepped back to return Heero's personal space.

"We should head back," Heero said awkwardly. He still kept his eyes trained on Duo, but now slightly lowered to focus on his mouth, as he was too embarrassed to make direct eye contact yet.

"You're probably right," Duo agreed, unfazed by Heero's lack of enthusiasm for their first kiss. He just chalked it up as a part of the other's personality and didn't let it bother him. He actually found it rather cute. He'd be lying if he said he'd like Heero because he was warm and fuzzy.

Duo escorted Heero back to his room so he wouldn't get caught on the return trip, despite the many protests from the other brunet more than half of the way there. Heero wouldn't admit that he enjoyed Duo's irritating stubbornness and his company was enjoyed. The American even managed to steal another kiss once they were back at Heero's room, earning him a darker flush from Heero and a glare before the door was slammed in his face. Duo couldn't stifle the laugh that burst out of him when he could hear Heero tell him off on the other side of the door.

For the first time in weeks, Heero awoke in an uncompromised situation. The dream he had was sweet, versus the steamy encounters he would normally have after a day of mentally combating his growing feelings. He was surprised at the innocence of his subconscious, considering the lip lock he and Duo had shared the afternoon before. In his dream this time, they confessed again, but it was much more romantic. The sun was setting and there were flowers, and Heero was the one to make the first move this time, and he wasn't too shy to participate in the kiss. It was much sweeter than the real thing, but the Japanese teen couldn't say he was disappointed. Heero was happy the confessions even happened successfully in the first place.

After a quick shower, Heero dressed and headed to the cafeteria where he met Quatre at their table. The blond didn't seem his usual self, more subdued, but he still offered Heero a warm smile as he joined him for breakfast.

"Good morning, Heero," Quatre greeted.

Heero surveyed their surroundings briefly, and once he was satisfied that no one was close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation, he cut straight to divulging the development between himself and Duo. "Duo told me he liked me last night."

"What!" Quatre nearly shrieked, looking much more alive now. He quickly calmed himself down so no one would take an interest in them. "Really? When? What did you say?"

"I told him the same," Heero shrugged, trying to brush off his excitement and nervousness that Quatre's overzealous reaction stirred up. "He kissed me."

"I knew it would work out," Quatre smiled genuinely and reached across the table to pat his friend's hand once. He had been raised in a more conservative home, but Quatre was too loving of a person to let the prejudices of his upbringing influence how he would treat people, especially his best friend. "So, when is the first date?"

"Date?" Heero questioned after he picked up an orange and began to peel it.

"Yes, a date. You two have to go and make it official," Quatre declared with a nod and his breakfast was all but forgotten as plans for Heero and Duo's new relationship already started to occupy his thoughts. "You could go this weekend. Maybe we can ask Trowa to tag along to make it like a double date? Well, not that Trowa and I are dating or more than friends or anything…But my father left last night for a business trip, so it'll be a good time to take a day trip over the weekend."

Heero didn't get the chance to affirm or deny Quatre's plans when the rest of their group suddenly joined them. Duo looked perkier than he normally did so early in the morning as he plopped himself down in the seat closest to Heero. He was trying to be subtle, but Quatre smiled immediately at the gesture. The Arabian didn't say anything and lifted his cup of tea to his lips, after greeting the new arrivals, to hide his giggle when Heero briefly smiled involuntarily at Duo.

Duo began to chat animatedly immediately with the group, starting with Quatre first as the blond was always more receptive, before moving down the line. The evacuation of the academy was an easy topic for them to pick at, considering nearly all the students were still talking about it. None of them seemed phased by it at all, which in itself was strange, although Quatre was perturbed that it had happened so close to them.

"I'm worried about my sisters," the blond confessed sheepishly, when Trowa asked him about it. "We used to spend a lot of time on L4, so I've gotten used to experiencing scares like that, but father always tried to keep it away from my sisters. I know I'm the youngest, but I still feel like I should be protecting them too."

"You're a good brother," was Trowa's response with barest hint of a smile. It was still enough to brighten up the Arabian's face.

The rest of breakfast passed without incident and the group started to go their separate ways. Wufei left without much fuss, stating he had a few last-minute touches he needed to add to an assignment for Mr. Khushrenada. Quatre shot Heero a meaningful look as he and Trowa were heading off to their first shared period together. Ask him! The blond mouthed firmly before turning his attention back to the European teen.

Duo waited until everyone cleared out before he approached Heero, who was still loitering uncharacteristically around their table. There was too much momentum from yesterday to let the situation cool down, so the American was going to pounce on the opportunity to ask the other colonist out on a date while he could.

"Hey, Heero—"

"Do you want to go out with me this weekend?"

Duo blinked a few times in confusion. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't his own voice that he heard ask that question, but Heero. The brunet was almost too shocked to respond, so he resorted to nodding his head slowly with an almost dazed look on his face.

"Good. We'll talk after lunch," Heero responded simply and walked away without waiting for another reply.

Duo stood there dumbfounded for a few more seconds, watching Heero leave the cafeteria and immediately intercepted by Relena before he could finally speak.

"Okay, what the hell just happened?"

Saturday, the day decided upon for Heero and Duo's first date, couldn't come fast enough.

Duo started to behave like a ten year old with a crush and by Thursday, Heero was starting to become more irritated than endeared, but it didn't make him change his mind about their weekend plans. Quatre kept his word and invited Trowa out to join them, and the European readily agreed. Trowa was already spending the weekend at the Winner Estate to keep the blond company while Zayeed Winner and a few of Quatre's sisters were away on their trip.

The same sleek limousine that retrieved them for their first weekend outing to the Winner Estate pulled up again at the front of St. Gabriel Academy later in the afternoon. Heero and Duo were already waiting at the gate for the other two to arrive, passing the time with idle conversation and Duo trying to determine how close was appropriate for him to stand next to his unofficial boyfriend.

Quatre had bounced date ideas off of Heero all week when they had a few private moments together and they both agreed that a movie and lunch with a group of guys would be very inconspicuous. It wasn't like their first date was going to be romantic, considering Quatre and Trowa were tagging along, but it was as close to a proper date as Heero was willing to do for now until he grew more comfortable with Duo.

"A lot of people go on double dates as first dates," Quatre assured and ignored the glare he received when he added that his sisters did it all the time.

It was dark in the theatre and the air conditioning was entirely up too high. Trowa offered his jacket to Quatre when the blond started shivering, even reminding him that it was technically his jacket when Quatre tried to refuse it, the Arabian having bought it for him when all five of them spent their first liberty together. Duo tried a few maneuvers himself, and only managed to earn one half-hearted glare from Heero when the American faked an exaggerated yawn to fling his arm behind Heero's seat. The Japanese boy wouldn't admit it, but he liked the gesture and didn't make the other boy move. Heero even shifted in his seat a bit so that their thighs were touching and Duo nearly cried at his small victory.

They chatted about the movie afterwards as they were leaving the theatre, Duo definitely having enjoyed the action movie the most. The movie theatre popcorn and candy definitely weren't enough to stave off their hunger for very long. Quatre was about to suggest a few locations to eat when he stopped to squint at two people walking just in front of them.

"Hey…isn't that Wufei and Mr. Khushrenada?" Quatre asked, pointing to the pair a few feet ahead.

"Yeah, it is," Duo agreed with a nod. He cupped his hands around his mouth and took a deep breath before he shouted. "Hey! Wufei!"

The shorter person bristled, slowly turned to face the commotion, and sure enough, it was Wufei. Treize turned as well, looking a bit puzzled, then his eyes landed on the small group a few feet away. He nudged Wufei lightly, and it only took him a couple of strides to cover the distance between them and Wufei trailed a several steps behind.

"Ah, Mr. Maxwell, isn't it? And Misters Winner, Barton and Yuy," Treize greeted and favoured each of them with a nod.

"Hey," Wufei greeted stiffly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"What are you two doing out together?" Quatre asked curiously and noted the plastic bags hanging off of their arms.

"I was just helping Mr. Chang with a project he has due soon," Treize supplied, lifting up one of his arms to show off one of the bags he was carrying. "There's a very good art supply store here, but unfortunately, they only permit memberships to purchase, so I agreed to accompany Mr. Chang here today."

"Oh," Quatre nodded and didn't comment when Wufei wouldn't make eye contact with any of them. "Well, we were just on our way to get dinner if you two wanted to join us."

"No, we—"

"That sounds nice," Treize nodded in agreement, which earned him a silent frown from Wufei, but no other protest.

They let Treize choose the restaurant and he decided on a small, yet elegant café that was within reasonable walking distance from the theatre. The atmosphere was nice and everyone found themselves relaxing. The three pairs within their groups found themselves focusing more on conversation with each other versus the entire group, with several larger conversations spread here and there during the meal.

Treize was surprisingly easily to get along with outside of the classroom and spoke with them just as they were equals. He eventually dropped his formalities and insisted that they do the same after he admitted it felt a bit strange while they were not in a formal setting.

Quatre tried to argue when Treize took the bill at the end, the older man insisting that as their teacher, he felt it was his responsibility to foot the bill. In return, Quatre was adamant that Wufei and Treize join them for their last stop: the karaoke lounge.

Heero was horrified as he had outright refused that idea when Quatre initially suggested it during their "planning period", but Duo was beyond excited, and the Japanese teen learned already that once Duo was set on something, it was impossible to deter him. Heero decided he would have his revenge on Quatre later.

The karaoke bar wasn't terribly busy, which was strange for a weekend, but they shrugged it off as people still being weary after the mobile suit battle just a few days ago. They secured a booth big enough for all six of them and Duo was the first one to grab at the songbooks.

Everyone took a turn, save for Heero who outright refused the second Duo looked at him too long with the microphone in his hand and Wufei was quick to second the sentiment. Despite their protests, the two still laughed and enjoyed listening to everyone else sing. Trowa surprised everyone with his sear amount of confidence, even if he lacked the skill to be a singer. Duo and Quatre were finally able to bully Wufei into singing one song with assistance from Treize.

Once everyone had been worn out and Trowa and Duo were nearly hoarse from singing, the group decided to call it a night. Wufei and Treize went their separate ways and the original four decided to take a short walk through the park. Quatre nonchalantly lead Trowa down a different path to give the new couple a little bit of alone time. Duo was grateful for that and took the opportunity to slip his hand into Heero's once he was sure no one else was around. He wasn't yelled at or shrugged off, so they continued to walk hand in hand until they reached the end and met up with Quatre and Trowa again.

The sun was nearly set by the time they returned to the dorm. Quatre said his goodbyes and offered Heero a little wink and a smile as he saw the other two back off to the gates. The campus is practically deserted at that hour, so Duo tries his luck at holding Heero's hand again. He's met with a little reluctance and hesitation this time, but Heero doesn't back away again.

The silence that surrounds them is slightly uncomfortable as both of them are fretting over what they should say to the other, if anything. It feels like ages have passed once they finally make it to Heero's room after Duo insisted he walk him all the way back.

"I had a lot of fun," Duo commented once they were at Heero's door. "Thanks for asking me out."

"It really wasn't all that different from the first time we hung out," Heero pointed out plainly.

"Then we'll have to do it again, just us then," Duo agreed with a little smile.

Heero nodded and turned to open his door. Duo reached out and wrapped his fingers around the other's wrists, giving him a light tug so that they were facing each other again and gently cupped Heero's cheek in his hand. Slowly, he pulled the other boy towards him for a kiss. It was more intense than the first one, Duo adding more pressure with his lips and Heero reciprocating, but it was still just as sweet. They both pulled back after a moment and Heero reflexively licked his lips. He still had his hand on the doorknob.

"You're not going to slam the door in my face this time?" Duo asked with a teasing smile.

"Only if you keep being an ass," came Heero's dry retort.

Duo smiled warmly at Heero and pressed a final chaste kiss to his lips. "Good night, Heero."

"Good night," Heero repeated. He regarded the other brunet one more time before he retreated back into his dorm, closing the door quietly behind himself.

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