A metallic city…

He stretched out on the green, green grass and laughed as he felt the wind blow against his skin. The metallic city arched up and around him, forcing a white-blue sky. The heat of the reflected sun made him feel all the more real.

Green grass and the metallic city…

His laughter stopped as the warm air was replaced by warmer flesh. Violet-blue eyes looked down at him and filled his reality for an indeterminate amount of time. “Hey… what’s so funny…”

“Heero!”

A sharp round of bangs against his V-door jarred him from his dreams of violet-blue and the metallic city. He groaned in annoyance as he turned over on his stomach and rubbed his eyes against his pillow. “Yes…” he muttered, half of his mouth muffled by the sheets.

“Heero, come on! It’s already past 10. We’re going to be late!”

One hand stretched out over the small space that included only a cushioned space for sleeping and a safe-box for his possessions and pressed down the door’s release button. The V-door slid out of the way in a whoosh, allowing the fluorescent lighting of the hallway to shine into his bed-cubicle and blind him momentarily.

“Late for what, Relena?” His voice came out blurry and hoarse with sleep. His eyes opened, blearily seeing the girl staring at him from the hallway.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about the match today?” Her voice was shrill with nervous anxiety. Heero made no physical or vocal response as he continued to lie in his tiny bed inside the wall.

Relena immediately panicked. “Oh god, you did forget!” She grabbed the body part closest to the V-door opening and began to yank it out of the cubicle.

Thankfully, it was only his arm.

“Come on, we’re going to be late!” She pulled again, causing Heero to groan in annoyance and pull his arm back inside.

She began pacing up and down the hall in frustration, leaving him alone for a moment so that he could yawn and stretch in peace. “God, why does he always have to give me a hard time?” she fumed nearby as he turned onto his back and stretched his arms out of the cubicle. He grabbed the edge above the V-door opening and began to pull himself out. In half a second, he was standing in the hallway.

“I mean, really,” she said as she stood, her arms akimbo, and her back to him before turning. “If he wasn’t my darling, I wouldn’t put up with this sh-Jesus Christ!”

Heero paused from looking into his safe-box and turned his attention back to Relena. “What is it?”

She stood frozen in place, her jaw agape as her eyes wandered up and down before she caught herself. He cheeks burned red as she turned away. “Have you know shame? Put on some clothes, Heero.”

Heero looked down at himself before shrugging and turning back to the safe-box. “Why bother. I’m the only one in bed.”

“God, you’re so embarrassing,” Relena wailed as Heero pulled out his outfit and began putting it on. “With a hard-on and everything!” He tucked in his semi-hardened penis into the skin-tight body suit. “With everyone watching, too!”

“Everyone woken up by your complaining, you mean,” Heero retorted as he pulled the top part into place. “Who are we playing today… darling?”

Relena crossed her arms across her own spandex-clad chest and shook her head at the obvious attempt to mock her. “The American champions. They’re so cocky, they probably slept in this morning.” She glanced at Heero for emphasis.

Heero ignored the look and snapped his armbands into place before reaching for his sneakers.

Green grass and the metallic city… hidden by eyes of violet-blue…

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trench coat as the glass elevator slowly made its way up. The smaller buildings faded away as they rose higher, revealing the grass plains beyond the white capital. His gear was secure in the bag by his feet.

“What are you thinking about?” Relena said as her hands pulled her blonde hair into a high ponytail. The green plains and white city framed her black-clad body.

He continued to stare out of the glass shell of the elevator as he pushed back thoughts of the metallic city and violet-blue from the forefront. “Our strategy,” he lied.

Relena either did not notice or decided not to contradict him as she pulled at the hems of her gloves. “The same one we went through after watching the tapes?”

Heero nodded. The Americans, in their latest victory against the Euro team, showed their weakness in the speed competition. They were able to compensate with technique, but with enough time, a fast pace can throw the champions off-guard.

That will be when Heero and Relena move in for the kill. Though Relena was only recently named as Sylvia’s replacement and was not talented enough to master some of the more complicated techniques, she was an excellent follower and always allowed Heero to set the tone. With Heero’s ability to stay fast and smooth and Relena’s willingness to mimic and follow, they may have a chance against the Americans.

“Don’t worry, Heero. I’ll make you proud.” Relena posed, sticking her chest out and her shoulders back. Heero nodded and turned back to the view of the plains and the white capital.

Sylvia was already in the waiting room when Heero and Relena arrived, She was relaxed with her leg propped up on the armrest of the sofa she sat in. The white of the cast on her leg contrasted sharply with the black uniform she insisted on wearing in spite of the fact she was not competing that day.

At the sight of Heero, she bounced off the couch and towards him, causing him to take a step or two forward in case she fell.

After a few hops forward, she lost her balance and, as Heero presumed, fell forward and into his steady arms. He kept her steady as her hands slowly traveled from his forearms to his face. “Oh, Darling…” she cooed before placing a light kiss on Heero’s lips.

“Are you THAT shameless, Sylvia?” Relena fumed by Heero’s side, glaring at her teammate, highly disapproving of the modifications she had made to her uniform.

Sylvia wrapped her arms tighter around Heero, who could only stare straight ahead instead of joining in yet another one of their fights. “You’re just jealous he was mine first,” she purred as one of her hands began to play with his hair.

“You… you… you!” Relena stammered.

“Relena, Sylvia,” Heero intervened. “Cooperate today, please?” He sighed as he slowly unwound Sylvia’s arms from his body and settled the woman in a nearby chair. “We’re competing today, remember?”

Sylvia pouted but there was a glint in her eyes. “Okay, Darling…”

Relena crossed her arms and plopped angrily into the sofa. “Fine, whatever.” She glared at Sylvia. “Hey, do you mind closing your legs? I can see up that strip you call a skirt.”

“Hey, it’s a mini.” Sylvia flicked Relena off and crossed her legs. Her hands absentmindedly smoothed out any creases from the legging she was able to wear. “Besides,” she countered as she played with her braided blonde hair, “why are you looking up there anyway, Pink Princess?”

Relena’s jaw opened up before she decided glaring was more appropriate. “Unlike YOU, all I did to my uniform was change the piping to pink instead of blue… or whatever it was… YOU made it a skirt!”

“So I have fashion sense.”

Heero glared at the two of them, hoping they would stop any time soon, but neither noticed. Sighing softly to himself, he opened up his bag and pulled out his A-set. He strapped the main unit around his waist and rested the headphones around his neck as someone began to knock on the door.

As his two partners argued in the background, he opened the door to reveal pair of violet-blue eyes.

“Hey,” their owner said in greeting.

Heero could only stare in response.

“Heero, who is it?” Relena called out just as she placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to catch a glimpse of their visitor.

The owner of the violet-blue eyes extended a hand in greeting. “Duo Maxwell.” He smiled slightly. “Captain of Team D’Hell. And, I guess… you’re Heero Yuy.”

Heero could not move, nor could he speak. The eyes have felt him without enough ATP, it would seem.

Relena moved Heero out of the doorway and gave Duo an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Heero’s not very social.” She took Duo’s hand and shook it. “Relena Dorlain.”

“Nice to meet you, Relena… wait, wasn’t there a Sylvia Noventa in Team Wing?”

“So, you’re the opponent,” Sylvia smirked secretively from her chair as she took a good look at the competition standing outside the room. She raised her hand a half-waved. “I’m Sylvia… slightly incapacitated, but still a Wing.”

“Well, I guess I see all of you later. Bye ladies.” He glanced at Heero, catching his eyes with the violet-blue. “See ya around…”

Heero felt his limbs slowly unthaw as the door was closed and a silence settled in. He immediately became aware of both of his partners giving him worried looks.

“Do you think…” Relena started as she led Heero to a seat on the sofa.

“That Heero’s going to be useless in the Dance-Fight-World competition tonight?” Sylvia continued.

“Yeah…”

The practice room was average, a 20x40 foot room with mirrors lining it all around. It was warm and lonely. No one wanted to fine-tune their techniques or stretch in preparation. Everyone, including Relena and Sylvia, were upstairs, eating light meals and striking up conversation.

The noise and energy of the cafeteria had never appealed to him. Here, in the comfortable near-darkness, he did not need the conversation skills he simply did not have. Here, on the smooth hardwood, he did not need to ignore his blonde teammates’ foolishness. Here, as his A-set filled the air with waltzes and strings via the room’s sound system, he was alone, blissfully alone with his thoughts and his own heartbeat.

As he stretched in the near-darkness, the thoughts did come.

He lifted his arms up slowly and reached up. How many times has he dreamt of that metallic city and those eyes of violet-blue?

Only last night, he answered himself as he help his position for a few moments before lowering his arms and repeating.

And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. It felt so real, more than a dream. He had felt the heat and the itchiness of the grass. He had felt that body pressed against his own. He had heard his own laughter and Duo’s voice…

He bended over and pressed his palms on the ground, causing his body to jack-knife. He held his position with little effort.

Duo…

His toes wiggled on their own as he stared at his bare feet. He closed his eyes.

He had seen the competition, yes. He had watched tapes on his routines countless times and had seen his face in the magazines, but he had never noticed the color of his eyes.

There was never a reason to before.

He lifted his legs smoothly and slowly formed a handstand.

They had matched the ones in his dream, those eyes. How could that be possible, the fact that Duo’s eyes were the very same eyes Heero looked into in his sleep?

His legs moved downward as slowly as they were raised, causing his body to bend over backward with well-trained finesse. He held his position.

The familiarity of the dream had been the most unnerving factor of all. He had the feeling he had been in such a place as the metallic city with green grass to lie on.

He had the feeling that he had been with Duo like that before.

He opened his eyes slowly and heard his breath come as steadily as it would when he slept.

Immediately, he felt something was wrong. He could almost feel it, the other heartbeat in the near-darkness.

He frowned and swiftly straightened his body with the same amount of perfect balance and finesse. He was never one to enjoy being watched while practicing and decided not to continue with an audience.

He snorted and made his way to where his A-set was connected to the sound system without even looking at the intruder. “I’m leaving now, so don’t mind me.”

“Oh, I’m not practicing…”

The voice was light, but it froze Heero as completely as it had before. It was the same voice that teased him in his dream and greeted him around noon.

As he stood, uncertain, by his A-set, possibilities of what could happen ran through his mind. Some of them were rather interesting, but they all made him nervous.

“I just…” he continued, but his voice was quieter and more grounded in response to Heero’s physical reaction and the darkness all around them. “I just wanted to watch you. I didn’t think you’d mind.” There was a bit of hesitation in the tone as he moved towards Heero.

Heero waited, his body tense as the footfalls got closer and closer. His heart began to race as he became more aware of the nervousness he felt.

Never, not even when competing in front of hundreds of thousands of people with millions more at home, was he as nervous as he had been now.

If he looked at Duo, he knew something important would happen.

If he touched Duo, things would change drastically, and not for the better.

If he kissed Duo---

“Who told you I was here?” Heero asked, his voice stronger than perhaps he intended, but he will not let his thoughts of Duo get the better of him.

Duo stopped and stood behind him, leaving only mere centimeters between them. The warmth from Duo’s chest pleasantly warmed his back. “I took a guess,” he whispered lightly against Heero’s neck. “You weren’t in the caf…”

It was not intended in any sensual way, but Duo’s words on Heero’s body caused a reaction just the same. He titled his head back slightly and his heart raced beyond control. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but that only realize how… familiar Duo’s scent was.

“Who are you to do this to me?” he whispered to himself. He clenched his fists at his sides even as he breathed in Duo’s scent. As his mind tried to shelve away the familiarity of it all away for further reference and comprehension, he titled his head and caught Duo’s mouth with his own.

Even the taste…

He did not notice when the music finally stopped. There were other, far more important things at hand.

There was no eye contact made as the two snapped their spandex, albeit sticky, back on.

The cafeteria was filled from wall to wall with competitors and sound. They stood and mimed their winning techniques to their friends. They made small talk with the competition. They ate and laughed and tried desperately to get rid of some of their nervous energy.

Heero glared at his two teammates as he found them, once again, in a half-violent argument as they picked at tiny garden salads.

“You seriously think judges like a big fat ass like yours?” Relena said as she stabbed a helpless piece of tomato with her fork.

“They like enough to give it first place last year,” Sylvia responded as she placed a sliver of lettuce in her mouth. “With that keg you call a stomach, however…”

“Excuse me!?!”

“Sylvia, Relena,” he said as he approached their table. His A-set was secured at his waist and the headphones where already in place. Hopefully they’ll get the hint, and not notice anything in particular.

Two pairs of light blue eyes looked up at him and blinked. As the seconds slowly passed, Heero became more worried.

The two women gave each other a look and silently consented to something as Heero turned away. He knew they suspected something. Hell, probably half the cafeteria suspected something now.

He’ll deal with it when they decide to ask, and not sooner.

Relena began her stretches as Sylvia settled herself into a cozy chair nearby. Heero plugged in his A-set and searched the device’s memory banks for the hi-speed selections the competition will be using. It wasn’t enough work to keep him from thinking altogether, but at least it kept him from thinking about…

“So Heero, where were you earlier?” Sylvia started the inquisition and she plugged her headphones into the sound system’s portable con-unit. She looked up at him with beautifully innocent eyes that completely offset the smirk on her lips.

That. “What do you mean?” he shied away as he adjusted the microphone on his headphones.

“Ooh, it must be something good if you don’t want to say…” Relena commented as she swung her arms in a windmill motion to loosen them up.

He didn’t even bother to give them a glare and opted instead to avert his eyes. “No, I don’t.” He strapped the con-unit to his waist in the same position that the A-set would be.

“Well, at least it couldn’t have been sex. I mean for all intended purposes, Heero’s a…” Sylvia paused as the two women watched for a reaction from Heero. “Eunuch.”

“Oh my god,” Relena said, completely forgetting her exercises and dashing to Heero’s side. She grabbed the sides of Heero’s face and forced him to look at her. There was no need to hide anything now, her eyes told him and his wisdom concurred. These two will give him hell for the rest of the night if he refused now. “You had sex?”

“Who would have thunk it?” Sylvia delivered with a smirk.

“Yeah, who?”

The three members of Team Wing turned as one and spotted an all-too familiar intruder to their affairs.

Duo leaned against the open door frame, his formally jovial features low and rather serious as he stared straight at Heero.

Time itself must have stopped, for no one moved. There was only the air and the lights and four silent figures. In the eternity of a few moments, Heero’s heart raced and his body became flushed with shame. Duo’s dark look almost made Heero run towards him and apologize, but before anything could happen, Duo turned on his heel and walked away from the doorway.

Neither Relena nor Sylvia had anything to say, and Heero was not going to volunteer information either.

“So we’re forfeiting. Just like that.”

“There’s nothing else to do.”

“But there has to be something. I mean, can’t Heero--”

“Heero can’t do this, alright!” Sylvia’s voice was sharp even through the bedroom door. “You try to compete with a twisted ankle!” She sighed audibly. “We can’t compete that way.”

Heero bowed his head in shame as his hands tightened their grip on the clinic’s bedsheets. It was already 7.30 and the competition would start in a few minutes, and there he was with a badly-twisted ankle.

He tried to get Duo out of his head and concentrate on feeding instructions to Relena and rehearsing their moves, but it was not enough. Seeing him at the doorway only made it worse.

He completely lost concentration at one point, landed wrong on his right foot and fell forward, only to give himself a concussion on the hardwood floor.

There goes the possibility of winning the World Competition that year.

He laid down and stared up at the ceiling. If there were anyone he hated, it would be himself for being such a fool. Second in line was Duo Maxwell.

There were no dreams of the metallic city that night.

~~~~end

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