Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Dawn ❯ Chapter 05 ( Chapter 5 )

Beautiful Dawn

Part Five

Heero's gaze was once again inevitably drawn to the clock on the wall, and to the slender black hands making their agonizing pilgrimage across its face. Finally, he thought with a wave of relief. Five minutes and his shift would be over. He glanced at the abandoned tables and seemingly bereft booths. It was pleasantly quiet. All of the customers had already left, and experience had taught Heero that few, if any would come in, in the late evening hours. This was a small town, and in general the crowds began to dwindle from about 8:30. By ten, most were gone.

10:25 and still nary a customer and Heero was tempted to leave. He would be grateful when he finally received his pay at the end of the week and could start taking the bus again. The walk home was always long and -- he hated to admit -- lonely. Well, there was no helping it, he thought dejectedly. The least he could do was get a head start.

He was grateful that Relena, J's evening attendan,t didn't mind his late hours. Although, Heero suspected this had little to do with innate kindness and more with some more mundane ulterior motive. For some unfathomable reason, the woman seemed besotted with him. Truthfully, he found the young woman ... unsettling. When not at work, Relena had an uncanny knack for showing up at the most unexpected times. If the notion weren't so ridiculous he'd almost think she were following him. Still, she was harmless enough, a good worker and unfailingly considerate of J's needs, and Heero disliked keeping her waiting any longer than necessary.

Just as Heero was about to drop his apron into the laundry hamper, and inform his supervisor that he was leaving, he heard the unmistakable tinkle of the door chimes announcing a customer's arrival. Cursing his luck, Heero sighed wearily. Re-donning the apron, he returned to his sentry at the counter.

It took a moment for Heero's shocked brain to confirm what his eyes were seeing:

It was him .

Where his sleep-addled wits had made the blonde the very stuff of fantasies, the undeniable, unmistakable physical presence of the man seared away any doubt that he was indeed very, very real. The pale, luminous hair falling carelessly over broad shoulders was as Heero remembered it. The masculine perfection of that face, the hammered silver-blue of those eyes.... All were emblazoned onto his memory in their glorious, golden virility. But Heero also noticed what he had missed in his haste to leave: The unconscious grace, the economy of motion that was the sultry stalk of a tiger, and the sharp intelligence peering out of the blonde's eyes.

In comparison, Heero's own pathetic inadequacy was bile on his tongue. Not only had he surrendered to the humiliating urges of his body, but his naïve passion must have been glaringly obvious to a man like the blonde. A man, who under the best circumstances could never want the lump of coal that was Heero Yuy. It was no wonder he had been unable to resist mocking him, Heero thought mercilessly as he remembered the man's soft words. The situation must have been grossly comic to him. Heero's lips thinned into a tight, line. He had been made a fool of, and he only had himself to blame.

The large blonde was smiling now, blue gaze resting on his nametag. No doubt, recalling last week's entertainment, Heero thought dispassionately. When he turned to address the blonde, this time, Heero made sure to erase every trace of emotion from his features.

"Good evening. Can I take your order?"

*

He was grinning like a jackass, he knew, but damned if he could help it. Zechs felt like he'd stumbled onto a goldmine. Truly, what were the chances of him coming to this quaint, little establishment , only to find the boy who had occupied his thoughts for a full week now?

And truly his dark beauty was a treasure. Appreciatively he raked over the boy's form -- even in that godawful outfit. His gaze fell once more to the tag pinned to the breast pocket of the boy's shirt. Finally he had a name to put to the face.Heero Yuy, he read, turning the foreign syllables over in his mind. Zechs nodded to himself. He should have expected that his name would be as exotic as his looks.

Zechs suddenly realized that Heero was talking to him: inquiring about his order it seemed. Deliberately ignoring the question, he turned his most seductive smile on the beautiful youth. Leaning forward on the counter, he allowed his hand to brush against Heero's slender fingers beside the cash register.

"So we meet again Heero Yuy."

*

The reflexive trembling of Heero's fingers that threatened to radiate throughout his body at the warm brush of the blonde's hand against his own, was quickly suppressed and controlled.

He glanced at the clock again. Only a few more minutes and he'd be able escape the unnerving man before him,he reassured himself, even as he derided himself for being a coward and a fool.

Yet, it was pointless to delude himself: He was utterly out of his element here. He had no idea how to handle this man; his beauty, his confidence and this presumptuous familiarity he was showing towards him-as if they had established some ... some sort of …relationship between them.

What could he possibly mean by this ... this ... display?

*

Zechs waited, hoping for some reaction. Annoyance, anger -- gods anything that would prove those fires he had glimpsed in the library hadn't been a dream.

But the boy continued to stare blankly at him, not even the flickering of an eyelash betraying any recognition that he had spoken -- or acknowledging the deliberate, intimate brush of Zechs fingers against his own.

Zechs frowned. What was wrong with him? he wondered exasperatedly. Surely he was not going to persist in this stoic façade when they were both aware of what was truly beneath.

He 'd attributed Heero's violent reaction last week to being caught at a vulnerable moment. And being the perfectionist the boy appeared to be, it had understandably embarrassed him. True, he was most probably inexperienced, was skittish to boot, but the electricity between them in that moment had been strong enough to taste. Zechs had hoped that meeting here, on Heero's own terms, would have improved his disposition. Yet the brunette appeared as churlish as ever. Heero had not spoken a single civil word towards him apart from the clipped, perfunctory greeting. It was perplexing -- and annoying as hell, especially when Zechs thought of his days of agonized fixation. Hell, he was still fixated with him -- else he wouldn't still be here making a complete fool of himself.

*

The tension in the air was palpable, threatening to erupt at any minute to something Heero knew he would not be able to handle. Backed into a corner, Heero was on the verge risking something desperate, when he spotted George, his replacement for the evening walking in. When the a short, pleasant-faced redhead smiled and positioned himself at the other register Heero released a grunt of relief:Let someone else handle the mystifying blonde. He was more than happy to completely forget this day.

Quickly, he locked up the register and placed the "closed" sign on the counter, but the blonde still made no move to place an order. Instead, seemed to be engaged in a curious study of Heero's person.

"This line is closed," he informed Zechs stiffly. "Kindly place your order at the next register."

*

Zechs watched with growing incredulity as the brunette secured the register, placed a small "closed " sign on the counter, duly directed him to the next cashier, untied his apron and … calmly walked out the door.

He remained rooted to the spot for a minute, surprise at being so clearly dismissed stamped across his face.

Then a week's pent up frustration erupted.

He had agonized over and longed after the boy for a full week and for this? To be repeatedly made a fool of? This flippant rejection was the final straw.

Oh no, this boy was dangerously mistaken.

Zechs did not stop to think. He simply spun furiously on his heel and marched after the boy.

Heero was already on his way out of the parking lot, but the speed lent by fury and Zechs' longer stride allowed him to easily catch the somber youth. Grabbing aslender wrist, he yanked Heero roughly towards him.

"What the hell is your problem?" he hissed. "God knows there is not a smidgen of human emotion inside that beautiful shell, but you can at least be civil."

Heero's head snapped back as if had been struck.Even as Zech's fingers clamped down on the velvet skin of his wrist with almost bruising intensity, he had to admit how beautiful the boy was in the muted light of the pale moon.

It betrayed the fine trembling of his lips as he turned to face Zechs, with dull, haunted eyes. But his voice was calm and dangerously low when he spoke:

"It would be in your best interest if you released me. Now."

Part Six