That's Amore, GW, for stagesoflove
Title: That's Amore
Author: Ellie Biel
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Characters/pairing: Heero Yuy/Duo Maxwell
Rating: PG
Warnings: AU, bad song references, humor
Notes: Written for Stage 4: Intimacy, for stagesoflove
Part 1 (Attraction): Wrong Number
Part 2 (Romance): Zen Pizza
Part 3 (Passion): Two's Company
"You ever sing that song when you were little?" Duo asked, gesturing toward the sky with a sweep of his arm. "The Twinkle Twinkle Little Star one?"
"The one that has the same melody as the ABC Song."
Duo tapped Heero with his foot. "The very same."
"I have, but don't think that means I'm going to now." The rolling of the boat was peaceful and it sounded to Duo as if Heero was stifling a yawn.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Duo protested. "I happen to like having my eardrums intact, thank you."
Heero returned the tap Duo had given him earlier, only a little harder. As far as Duo was concerned, that meant the stakes had just been raised, and he sat up just enough to reach over the side of the boat and splash some water toward Heero.
In retaliation, Heero pushed himself up onto the bench and held onto the sides of the boat. "I guess that means it would be a shame if you got swimmer's ear," he said. The shiver down Duo's spine wasn't due to the implied threat, not even when Heero began rocking the boat, but because of the husky timbre in Heero's voice.
It was no wonder he'd been hooked from the moment he'd dialed that wrong number.
"You're forgetting who has the oars," Duo said, rattling them against the side of the boat. "Getting cuffed on the ears by one would probably put a damper on the evening."
"I've had worse dates," Heero said. One of his feet slid over until it was touching one of Duo's. "How about you?"
He and Heero had only been dating, and it was weird to think of it in those terms, for a couple of weeks. Dating, with a capital D, was one of those social rituals that Duo had found either relaxing and fun, or awkward and uncomfortable, and it was why he made it a rule to never allow anyone to set him up on blind dates. He'd rather lie in a bed of his own making.
That wasn't to imply that he'd slept with many of them, and he wished he'd not thought about it in those terms, because the moonlight was putting Heero's shoulders in sharp silhouette and Duo had to admit, the man looked fine.
He laced his hands behind his head and leaned back so he was again lying on the bottom of the boat. The boat rocked again as Heero pushed himself off the bench and they were both in the same position they'd been in before Duo had insulted Heero's singing.
"Star light, star bright..."
"First star I see tonight," Heero continued. Duo could hear the smile in his voice even if he couldn't see his face.
"Did you? Ever, I mean?"
"Wish on a star?" Heero sounded surprised at the question.
"Yeah."
"Of course. Didn't everyone, at least once?"
"If not, they should have. So, Heero, any of them ever come true?"
"I don't know. I suppose so. I don't think I ever wished for anything impossible. You?"
Duo opened his mouth to reply and realized he had no idea, either. Whatever he might have wished for back then had probably seemed important to him at the time. Although he knew he'd made wishes, not a single one came to mind.
"When you wish upon a star," Heero prompted from the other end of the boat.
"Makes no difference who you are," Duo replied. He gave Heero's shoulder a nudge with his foot. "So what do you think, Heero. Jiminy Cricket - wise advisor or boring pain in the ass?"
"I don't know. I can't think of Pinocchio anymore without remembering that joke."
"What joke- oooooh. That joke." It took Duo a moment to realize Heero was laughing at him. It was silent, but he could feel the shaking of Heero's shoulders against his ankle. "Ha ha." He bit his lip, thought of and discarded a few other songs, and finally settled on the next one.
Cautiously, Duo said, "To reach the unreachable star..."
He thought maybe it wasn't a song Heero was familiar with. It wasn't exactly in the same league as the others, and then Heero's voice carried quietly over to him.
"This is my quest. To follow that star, no matter how hopeless."
"I'm impressed, Heero." It was an understatement. He was more than impressed, he was suddenly scared to death.
"My turn?"
"Your turn, Heero."
"Would you like to swing on a star?"
Duo frowned. He would swear they sang that in school once. "Is that the one with the line about the donkey?"
This time Heero's laughter wasn't silent. "Or would you rather be a mule."
Duo kicked him again.
Heero grunted. "How about a do over?"
"A do over? Did you just ask me for a do over? I thought that was only for games like freeze tag and Simon Says."
"There's no do over in Simon Says. If you ask for one out of turn you're automatically out."
"See, that's where you're wrong. You ask for the do over because you're already out of the game."
"Knock knock."
"You've got to be kidding me."
Heero ignored him and repeated, "Knock knock."
"Okay, I'll bite. Who's there?"
"Jose."
Duo didn't remember this one, but he rolled his eyes anyway. "Jose who?"
"Jose can you see."
"By the dawn's early light? Heero, that is awful. Really, truly, awful." It was awful, and it was almost cheating to work in the theme of "star" that way. Duo laughed anyway. He hadn't really been paying attention to the sky but somewhere in the past few minutes it appeared, the first star in the night sky.
Heero obviously noticed it, too. "You making a wish?"
Duo rotated his class ring around his finger as he contemplated what he would wish for, if he believed in that "wishes really do come true" malarkey. He stretched his arm in front of him, toward the star above. It really was an unreachable star. There was probably a song out there about reaching for a star and getting burned in the process. Or maybe he was thinking of pop stars burning out too early, but he liked the first idea better.
"Duo?"
"Yeah, Heero?"
"It's your turn."
"That it is, Heero. That it is." He dropped his arm across his stomach. "How about Burn, baby, burn?"
"If that's the song I'm thinking of, I don't know if it has the word 'star' in it."
Duo didn't think it did either - but it should.