Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon a December ❯ Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A few weeks went by, and although Misha was now truly settled in, the group still found it very difficult not to discuss the great news they had received. One night in their rec room, upon settling himself on the couch, Quatre scowled. Wufei giggled at the sight, so abnormal for the cheery blond boy. Trowa, seated at Misha's side, gave a low chuckle from his perch. Heero, also with Misha, snickered.

Duo who was still pining away for time with Misha, stood up, having had a great idea. He gave everyone a great big grin, and with a wink ran out of the room in a flash. Moments later he returned with a massive box. He quickly locked the door from inside and with a grunt set the box down on the table.

"What's that?" asked Quatre. Misha stood up and ran over to get a peek. She tore open the top and looked inside. With a little squeal of delight, she jumped up and landed in Duo's arms. "It's a PAAAARTYYYY!" she shrieked. Duo, heart all aflutter, also gave a

howl of excitement as he tore the rest of the box open to reveal…a massive keg he'd stolen from the mess hall!!!

Everybody cheered as they all got up and headed straight for the booze. Quatre ran and grabbed some paper cups from a cupboard, and someone switched on the stereo. Pulsing beats started emanating from the speakers, and Misha, who had by then gotten off Duo and helped herself to the keg, sauntered into the center of the room and started dancing. For a moment it was just Misha and the music- unbound locks swirling across her back, arms twirling through the air and slim, shapely hips rocking back and forth verrrrry slowly… The boys stood, fixated on their tiny dancer.

Trowa set down his drink. For some reason, a flood of recognition came over him, watching Misha dancing. The way she was twirling round and round, so unlike how most people her age dance. It was strangely familiar, and it made Trowa's heart beat faster with anticipation. Perhaps there was something about the way this girl danced that relates to his forgotten past. As the rest of the group started joining in the fun, Trowa hung back for a second collecting his thoughts. In the end, he wrote it off as simple déjà vu.

Duo, meanwhile, couldn't keep from smiling. The music took a softer note, and his heart sang as Misha lavished attention on him. She even went so far as to dance with him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck. When she laid her head on his shoulder, he sighed happily. He could stay like that forever with this beautiful Russian goddess…

Heero sat down on the couch and frowned slightly. What was she doing? She pushed away from him when he wanted to be close, but now she was all over Duo! The group was watching Duo and Misha together, dancing very closely. Neither seemed to realize they were the center of attention, so absorbed were they in their dance. Quatre sighed and nudged Wufei who promptly rolled his eyes at the romantic display before them. Trowa eased into a chair and watched as well. For some reason, he felt extremely at peace, watching Misha and Duo dance. He noted the slight pinkish tint of her cheeks and chuckled inwardly. Although he had only known Misha for a few weeks, he felt that she had long needed this special attention, and was happy that she'd received it.

As the song ended, Duo and Misha realized they were the only ones dancing. Misha blushed furiously and Duo avoided their eyes. Quatre finally spoke, "You guys, that looked really nice…" he started.

"Um, thanks Quatre. Duo is a great dancer," Misha replied sheepishly. Heero slid in beside her in her chair. As the others started to tease Duo for his "great dancing abilities", Heero whispered in Misha's ear, "Can we go somewhere quiet and talk?" Misha nodded and rose from her seat. "Heero and I are going to go grab some food from the kitchen. Can we get anyone anything while we're gone?" Trowa said he wanted a glass of milk, and Wufei asked for a Power Bar. The pair left the room quickly, leaving Duo looking helplessly at the door.

Once out in the hallway, Heero took Misha's hand gently in his own. "Misha," he began, "I know you probably think I just want to like get in your pants or something." Misha stifled a giggle at his frankness. "But honestly, it's not like that," he continued. "That day after the meeting, I just admired your courage and conviction so much, I, well, I don't know what came over me."

Misha shook her head. "Please, I asked you to think nothing of it, and I meant it! You are a very nice boy, and I do find you very attractive." She ran her hand through his messy dark hair. "To tell you the truth, I welcomed your, err, advances that day. I just got scared that's all. It felt like we were too close, you know...I'm not used to that" She blushed and looked away.

Heero's heart fluttered as he thought about what she said. "Um, sorry, but what do you mean by this? You liked what we were doing? Then why weren't you dancing like that with me?!" Misha looked away.

"Well, then what about Duo? Do you find him `very attractive' too?!" Heero was starting to get angry. He disliked being jerked around. How come Misha was able to be closer with Duo than with him? Misha met his gaze full on. "Yes I do," she said. "I find you all very attractive. I don't know- Duo is just special that's all! I feel safe around him, like I know he'd never hurt me. Not that I think any of you would ever do anything like that- it's just that I've never really been around men who I didn't have to be afraid of…and I'm not sure what to do," she turned away at this, and looked at the floor.

Heero sighed. "So you had some bad experiences, and now you're all confused about love and stuff. Well, excuse me if I don't exactly agree that this is the most tragic story I've ever heard! We've all been through rough stuff, and we've managed to come out all right! You can't use that as an excuse to play around with us-" Heero's words were interrupted when Misha's palm came across his face full force. He looked away, hurt and ashamed. Misha glared at him angrily. "How dare you! You have no idea what I've been through! I have been through HELL, and I think that if just having trouble getting close to people is the worst thing to happen, then I'm pretty fucking lucky!"

Misha gasped when Heero suddenly threw his arms around her and pulled her close. Her face was pressed against his chest, and he stroked her long, loose locks. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I had no right to speak to you that way. I was just frustrated. I didn't like the thought of you so… well… close with Duo, but not with me. I care about you, a lot Misha. I want you to be happy. But if you can't be happy with me like that, then there's no one better than Duo." Misha stood, stunned by his words. No one had ever spoken so passionately towards her. She looked up at him and kissed his cheek. "Heero, you are a true friend," she whispered. "Oh great," he said jokingly, "The old `let's just be friends' routine!"

"Shutup, you! I was talking about Duo!" Misha laughed. Heero looked at her and sighed.

"You are certainly special, Misha," he said with a smile.

"I do hope you aren't suggesting that I rode the short bus to school as a child, Heero!" Misha poked Heero in the stomach as they started towards the kitchen. "Hehehe, `short-bus Misha' has kind of a nice ring to it!" he replied, receiving a swift pinch on his arm.

Moments later the pair returned to the rec room with some goodies. Duo eyed Heero anxiously. However, his fears were put to rest when Misha came over and handed him a bottle of water. "To wash some of that alcohol out of your system," she winked. "So, is this seat taken?" Duo looked around. He was sitting in the only chair around them. Duo smiled in understanding when Misha patted his thigh, implying she meant his lap. He uncrossed his legs and made room for her to sit down. Once seated, Misha took great joy in fiddling with the end of Duo's braid, absently humming some unknown melody.

"What is that?" Duo asked. "Oh I dunno… just one of those tunes that always gets stuck in your head, I guess!" Misha answered. Duo put his arms around her waist and rested his head against hers. The two of them cuddled as such well into the wee hours of the night.