Trick or Treat
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, the Sotsu Agency, and Sunrise. We're making no money off of this; please don't sue.
2+H, 3+4, 1+?
This fic is part of a story arc From Childhood's Hour.
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"I don't know why you encourage him," Sister Helen clucked fondly as Father Maxwell helped their charge braid his knee-length hair and tucked one of her own blonde locks beneath her habit. Duo was practically vibrating in place. "It's a pagan holiday, Father." "Oh, hush. They're not going to go out and sacrifice virgins and drink ram's blood. It's Halloween. And we did promise."
"That's right," Duo flashed her his mischievously charming grin. "B or better on the history exam and the night is mine! Mwahahahahaaaa!"
"Young man, hold still! There." The white-haired priest stepped back and folded his arms. "What do you think, Sister?"
Sister Helen regarded the teenager. He was in black from head-to-toe, as usual. The additions of a black, hooded cloak, a scowling kabuki-style mask, and a plastic scythe, whose blade had been spray-painted silver and that stood nearly a foot taller than the boy himself, didn't make him look any more cheerful. There was no denying that Duo was a good boy, especially when compared to the untrusting little pick-pocket they'd taken in years ago, but he still managed to perplex her utterly most of the time. "Who is he supposed to be?"
"I am Shinigami! I think Heero'll get a kick out of it... uh..." Realizing that explaining about the Japanese god of Death probably wouldn't be the best thing at the moment, Duo grabbed his pillowcase and darted for the door. "Don't wait up!"
Duo saw Quatre and Trowa were waiting for him outside, holding treat-bags of their own. A pair of furry black ears poked out from Quatre's wind-tousled blonde hair, and glimpses of a gray-and-black body suit were visible through his bulky winter coat (it was chilly for an October evening, and Iria had insisted).
"Hey, guys! You make a good cat, Q-man."
"I'm a raccoon," Quatre replied, grinning. "See the tail?" He turned around, displaying a pert little ringed tail stitched the back of his costume.
"Coolness." "Thanks. You make a good Shinigami, Duo."
Privately wondering how Quatre "I'm so innocent" Winner knew so much about death-gods, Duo lifted his mask for a moment to grin at them. "Thanks! And Tro, you make a great, uh... what are you?"
"I... am at a loss." Trowa admitted, looking down at himself. The dark-blue, pinstriped zoot suit actually fit his lean body quite well. The broad-brimmed fedora succeeded in shading what parts of his face his long forelock left uncovered. "I think your father said that I'm supposed the be some sort of gangster?"
"You're supposed to be Al Capone." Quatre reminded him.
"Sorry." Trowa said with a small grin. "My brain's full for the week. I guess that's why Iria wanted me to carry the machine gun."
Duo did a double-take.
"A plastic one, Duo. But I don't like having my hands full. That and I've been warned about Quatre."
"Lies! Slander! Well, OK, maybe not," Quatre sulked. "But I'm a whole year older now. I will carry my trick-or-treat bag for the whole night now. Who else is coming, Duo?"
"I got Heero to agree, believe it or not. Wufei said no, though. He's got to study... no, scratch that. He *wants* to study. I think he'd have a stroke if he ever made a 'B' in anything."
Quatre was almost skipping to keep up with the longer strides of his two friends. "He's very dedicated," the blond remarked. "Dedicated's one word for it," muttered Duo. "Anyway, we're meeting Heero at his house, which is just a few blocks away. Are we gonna hit all the houses on the way there, or wait until we've collected short, dark, and spooky?"
"Let's wait for him," said Quatre, clinging unselfconsciously to Trowa's arm.
"Aww, you're no fun," laughed Duo. They made their way up the street as their fellow trick-or-treaters-- most of them within the age-range of eight to eleven- raced past them, giggling and talking loudly. Some of them paused to glance appreciatively (and maybe a little nervously) at Duo's scythe, which, though just plastic spray-painted silver, was surprisingly realistic. "Aren't we a little old for this?" Trowa remarked as a trio of Pokemon that didn't even reach up to his waist pelted by, a harried-looking older girl hot on their trail. He noted with quiet surprise that it was Meiran, Wufei's wife.
Quatre grinned up at him. "I like it! For once, I'm not the shortest person on the street."
"I thought Christmas was the traditional time for miracles..." Trowa grinned and skittered away as Quatre pretended to punch him. When it became clear that Quatre was going to have his revenge, Trowa abandoned his dignity like an empty soda can and sprinted up the street. Duo laughed at the sight of the lanky older boy retreating from a kid a good four inches shorter and ten pounds lighter than he was. And there was something about that fussy-looking little tail poking out from under Quatre's coat and bouncing with each step that made him want to fall over howling. "Look out! Rabid raccoon! Shinigami will put him out of his misery!" Brandishing his scythe, the God of Death gave chase.
Heero blinked once at the procession careening up the street at breakneck speed and reconsidered the night's activities. He'd enrolled in school in order to lie low and hopefully blend in with the scenery for a time.
"I said that I was sorry!" Trowa called over one shoulder, skidding to a halt on the gravel drive and panting. Quatre-- looking as if he had two black eyes for some reason-- ignored the tall boy's apology and tackled him. Trowa's feet went in separate directions and he went down under Quatre, who was savagely mock-biting his boyfriend. Then Duo caught up and began whapping them both with a plastic scythe. There was another figure in black trailing them.
"You're dead! Stop moving!" Heero tossed his "Uncle Odin" a resigned look and started out to meet them. Blend in. Right.
"Hi Heero!" Quatre chirped. He was sitting on top of a struggling Trowa, pinning him in place with his smaller frame. "I'm a rabid raccoon. What are you?"
"A stick," Heero replied flatly. He was wearing a brown shirt and matching slacks.
"Oh, uh... I like it! Very original." Quatre stood up, freeing Trowa, who rose to his feet in one smooth, fluid motion. "Uh-oh, I got your suit all wrinkled." Quatre began busily smoothing it out and patting it back into place.
"You're just using that as an excuse to paw me," Trowa declared, a faint smile hovering about his lips.
Quatre nodded, grinning.
"Something wrong, Duo?" Heero asked, noting the long-haired boy's slightly drooping posture.
"Well, yeah." Duo pushed up his mask again. "Hilde was supposed to meet me outside of the church with Trowa and Quatre. I don't understand where she would have gone..." Just then a stick... a real one... made contact with Duo's posterior. He turned around to see Hilde, in a black body-stocking over a black-on-white striped crop-top, standing behind him. There was an angry flush on her face that could be clearly seen, even through her white face-paint. The little strip of exposed skin at her hairline was well on its way to matching the bright red of her beret.
"Hilde?" Duo blinked. "Babe, where have you been?"
Now Trowa and Quatre blinked. "Um... she's been with us ever since we got started, Duo."
Hilde was now tapping the ground with her slender black walking-stick, radiating an air of dangerous impatience.
"Uh... really? Why didn't you say anything, Hilde?" Hilde's eyes rolled upward in a 'Lord, give me strength!' gesture a half second before she decided to just try and beat some sense into her boyfriend.
"Maybe this holiday has gotten too violent," Quatre observed as Duo showed how quick he could be on his feet. "One gangster, one death-god, one rabid raccoon..."
"You weren't supposed to be rabid," Trowa reminded him.
"...a psychotic mime, and a guy that speaks softly and *is* a big stick. Someone's going to get hurt tonight, I can sense it."
"Ow! HILDE!"
Heero raised one eyebrow. "That's not much of a prediction."
Quatre tried to squirm his way in between the vengeful mime and her boyfriend, creating a living barrier. He offered them both a rather strained smile. "So, ah... shall we get started?" Various nods and murmurs of assent greeted this question, and the small procession made their way up the sidewalk, stopping at a largish house. Quatre, who had somehow found himself leading the group, rang the doorbell.
The door opened, revealing a stout middle-aged woman wearing more make-up than Hilde. "Trick-or-treat!" the group chorused... all except Hilde, who just held out her bag. The woman's eyes settled on Quatre. "Oh, how cute!" she exclaimed brightly. "Irv, come look at the cute little kitty-girl! Oh and look at you! I know who you're supposed to be-- you're Calvin Coolidge!" This directed at Trowa. "My heavens, but you're all so CUTE! Where do you kids find these cute costumes? Irv, come look!"
"Next house," Heero muttered, turning to go, but Duo reached out and caught hold of his arm.
"Hee-man, this is part of the game," he whispered, "We suffer being cooed over, then we get candy." Fortunately, Quatre and Trowa seemed to be at the front lines at this house; Trowa being given the lecture by Irv about the historical inaccuracy of his costume while Quatre was having his adorable little cheeks pulled out of shape by the lady of the house.
"We could buy our own candy," Heero retorted.
"But that wouldn't be fun!" Hilde nodded in agreement, apparently having forgiven her unobservant beau. "Just play along, OK?"
Finally, the sought-after sugary grail was presented and the soldiers of the night helped themselves.
"You realize, Duo," Quatre muttered, massaging his aching cheeks, "that if we'd gotten apples after that, I would have had to borrow Hilde's cane."
"Lighten up!" said Duo, reaching out to playfully scratch Quatre behind his furry ears. "We got the candy, didn't we?"
Heero spent the next few minutes of walking sifting through the contents of his bag, apparently searching for something. "I didn't receive an Almond Joy. Why did the rest of you get one?"
"Maybe she didn't understand your costume," Trowa replied, a smile twitching at one corner of his mouth.
"I'd give you mine," Quatre said, "but I already ate it." His racoon-ears seemed to droop a little, as if to express the sincerity of his regret.
"I don't want one anyway," Heero replied, his countenance a model of indifference. "I just wondered why I didn't receive one." A pause. "Hilde, did you eat yours already?"
She smiled and opened her mouth, revealing the gooey remnants of the candy bar, and Heero recoiled as if struck.
Trowa silently passed his Almond Joy to Heero. Duo might have given his friend his candy bar, but, for Duo, parting with sugar seemed to be an actively painful experience. Trowa liked sweets as much as the next kid but, as he'd watched Quatre attack a monstrous brownie, a dawning horror had robbed him of his appetite. He'd gotten the idea of trick-or-treat down just fine, but his mind had somehow glossed over the part where Quatre would actually consume all of that candy. Quatre-- sweet, enthusiastic, borderline-hyper little Quatre-- on a sugar-high...
"Quatre," Trowa piped up casually, "would you like me to carry your bag for you?"
"No, that's okay," Quatre replied cheerfully through a mouthful of brownie.
...along with Duo and Hilde. The tall boy paled and tried to fall back to Heero's side, on the assumption that *he* at least would stay reasonably sane. Heero, meanwhile, had murmured a barely-audible thanks to Trowa and was consuming his Almond Joy in slow, mechanical bites. To Trowa's knowledge, this was the first time anyone had ever seen the efficient Perfect Student actually savor anything. By the time they had covered the next few blocks, their bags were considerably heavier; the people in this neighborhood seemed to be particularly generous with their treats. Quatre, already feeling the effects of the sugar, practically bounded along the sidewalk, holding Trowa's hand and towing him along like so much luggage.
He was still bouncing restlessly up and down when they reached the next house and rung the doorbell. The door opened. "Trick or treat!" they chorused-- and froze like cattle in the headlights of an on-coming train.
It was Treize Kushrenada who greeted them, but that was not what evoked the surprise. The librarian was wearing a pair of pink, fuzzy bunny-ears, and a suit to match. In front of him, hanging from twin straps slung over his shoulders, was a huge drum. "Good evening," he greeted, cool and refined as ever. A long pause. "What? I'm the Energizer Bunny."
"He keeps going and going and..." Five pairs of adolescent eyes tried to escape their sockets as Principal Une-- sans glasses and with her hair falling down over her bare shoulders in soft waves-- poked her head out from behind Treize. She too was wearing a pair of pink bunny ears... and not much else. A black-lace "not much else". She seemed to be a little surprised to see them. "Oh. Hello, children."
"We were expecting guests," Treize supplied helpfully.
Finally, Duo managed to get his jaw unstuck. "Sorry," he managed to squeak, "wrong house." He grabbed Hilde's hand and ran like hell for the safety of the sidewalk.
Trowa followed their example with Quatre.
Heero, mindful of the night's mission, waited around for candy to be doled out before ambling out to meet them.
"I think..." Duo panted, "that was our scare for this year."
"I am forever going to associate the color pink with mind-numbing fear," Quatre agreed, clinging to Trowa for comfort. "So... next house?"
They continued on their rounds. Less than two hours later, their bags were so full of candy they were ready to rupture. "Um... I think we should head back," said Duo. "To drop off our current supplies, if nothing else."
"Wanna go to my house?" Quatre piped up.
"Hey, yeah! We could rent horror-movies or something and watch while we gorge ourselves on candy," Duo grinned. "Mmm... gore and sugar. The perfect mix."
"What do you say, Heero?"
"Thanks, but I think I'll turn in for the night." He turned to go.
"You know..." Quatre casually tucked a lock of blonde hair behind one furry ear. "I think I have a few bags of Almond Joys in my pantry..."
Heero turned back toward them.
They started back to Quatre's neighborhood. They'd gone a few blocks when Quatre noticed his boyfriend looking down at him with a with a faintly amused expression.
"What?"
"If that remark about the color pink is true, then you're going to have to convince your father that you need a whole new wardrobe. And you'll either have to redecorate your room or start sharing mine..." "I don't hear a problem so far," Quatre stated, reestablishing ownership of Trowa's right arm. The scrape of his bag against the sidewalk caused the small blond to look down. "Umm... Trowa?"
Without an "I told you so" or even a sideways look, the taller boy hefted the bag.
Their little group displayed their usual calm comradery once assembled in the Winner home:
"OK, what are our choices... Oooo! Classics! Friday the 13th!"
"Seen it. Not scary."
"'Pet Semetary'?"
"Quatre, I don't see any Almond Joys in here."
"Ow! Hilde, I SAID I was sorry!"
"What the hell is 'Exit to Eden' doing on this list?"
"Rosie O'Donnell in leather. Are we scared yet?"
Quatre squealed in mock-terror and wrapped himself around Trowa again, who was starting to look resigned about his fate.
"Let's watch 'Pet Semetary'," Hilde suggested. She had already washed off her make-up and declared herself officially out-of-character for the evening. "Anything by Stephen King can't be ALL bad." Kneeling, she slid the tape into the VCR, then climbed back onto the couch. There was just barely room for all four of them (Heero was still rummaging through the pantry) and their loot, so they were forced to squeeze in tight. Quatre-- who liked nothing better than snuggling and was squished between Trowa and a bag whose contents were two degrees away from being pure sugar-- looked as though he were in heaven.
From the kitchen came Heero's annoyed voice. "Quatre, there are no..." "Shhh!" hissed Duo. "It's starting."
"Well, the previews are starting."
"Those are the best parts!"
"Even when the movie was made ten years previous to viewing?"
Trowa quickly offered up his loot to Heero as the dark-haired boy made an appearance. "There are bound to be at least two in there." Quatre was getting to be something of a handful; he'd begun to investigate under Trowa's jacket and was having far too much fun plucking the taller boy's suspenders. Out of desperation, Trowa scooted over as far as he could and yanked an unsuspecting Heero down between himself and the blond when Yuy came forward to examine the contents of Trowa's bag.
"I'm going to get you for this," the Japanese boy growled.
"Oooo... lookit the happy people," Hilde exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "Enjoy it while it lasts because..." She and Duo yelled in unison. "YOU'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
"Trowa, come back to me!" whimpered Quatre. "I'll stop plucking your suspenders, I swear..." He tried to crawl across Heero's lap to get at the other boy, causing Heero to let out an exclamation of shock, pulling backwards. "Sorry, Heero..." "Hn. Lure me into your house with a false promise of Almond Joys, then come within a hair's width of crushing my genitals..."
"Oh, I did not!"
"Guys, shut up! I can't hear the movie!"
"Sorry..." "OH, look! A wise old man... guess what! You're gonna die too!"
Starting to sink down from the sugar-high that had sustained him over the full length of three streets, Duo giggled almost drunkenly and sprawled out across Hilde's lap, legs hanging off of the sofa's end. "Yup... you're in the view of Shinigami, all you poor actor-types... you're all gonna die, die, die for our amusement..."
Heero snorted. "Maxwell, you are a disgrace."
"But you love me anyway!"
"Hn."
Quatre finally managed to crawl onto Trowa's lap and curled up there, looking up at the other boy with his best wounded-puppy expression, which was somehow made even more pathetic by the raccoon make-up.
Trowa looked down at Quatre, who looked horribly and sincerely sorrowful. The tall boy caved wordlessly-- he couldn't deny Quatre much-- and began feeding Quatre tidbits from his bag of treats, laboriously searching the brands and flavors that he knew the blond liked out of the rest of the sugar-laden chaff.
Hilde grasped at her throat and pretended to gag. "Gah! Insulin, insulin..."
"You're just as bad as he is," Heero growled.
"See, babe? We're destined for each other."
Quatre delicately accepted a Tootsie-Roll from Trowa's fingers, licking the traces of sugar from his skin. He smiled up at the older boy. "See? I promised I'd behave." Eyes sparkling, Quatre lifted his furry tail in one hand and used it to tickle Trowa's nose... while in the background, Duo and Hilde continued to shout out comments at the movie, and Heero silently, determinedly searched through Trowa's treat-bag.
That was as calm as things got for most of the night.
"Trowa, have you even had any candy tonight?"
"I'm fine. I'm getting my sugar through osmosis."
"YES!" Duo and Hilde cheered and threw candy corn into the air as the movie's lead scraped a half-frozen dead cat off of his lawn. "First victim of the night! Rejoice minions!"
Heero was starting to show evidence of his sugar-high in odd ways. Firstly, he was almost talkative. "That broken neck didn't look very realistic."
And then there was the choice of subject matter.
Trowa looked mildly interested. "Oh?"
Heero nodded and tried to use Quatre to demonstrate the proper angle, but the blond was too quick.
"I wouldn't really let Heero break your neck, Quatre," Trowa assured the wide-eyed little raccoon attempting to squeeze between his back and the couch-cushions.
"Oh, you say that, but I think you're still mad about the suspenders."
"Here." Hilde flopped over into Heero's lap, making exaggerated goo-goo eyes at him. "Use me, Heero."
Duo sprang to life. "You have touched the property of Shinigami! Prepare to die!"
"Property?"
"Um... I meant that in a good way, Hilde! Oh, poop..." Duo Maxwell ate couch cushion.
"Is it over?" Quatre's voice was somewhat muffled. Speaking into his boyfriend's chest did that. "Can I look yet?"
Trowa shook his head. "Not yet.
"Now?" "Not now," Hilde whispered.
"Now?"
"Now you can look."
Quatre peeked out, getting an eyeful of the partially eaten octogenarian on the TV. "AIGH! Damn you, Yuy!"
"Now we're even."
Quatre hopped to his feet, marching into the kitchen. "I'll show you even!" He re-emerged with a water-pistol, filled with just-above-freezing ammo.
"Omae o... *sputter!*"
Trowa took cover as the free-for-all started.
"Happy Halloween, you guys," Quatre managed from somewhere in the vicinity of Hilde's knee-pit.
From elsewhere in the tangle of stupored teen-agers, ugly proof that the greater the sugar-high, the harder the crash, there was an answering groan.
"It's almost one in the morning," Trowa observed from his perch on the back of the couch.
"Mmmm-hmmm..."
"Shouldn't you be calling your mom, babe?"
Hilde stretched, almost choking Quatre in the process. "She's at Kelly's tonight... she won't be home."
Duo snorted. "And she thinks I'm irresponsible. Whose ass is this?"
When one cheek of said ass was poked, the owner let out a sleepy-sounding "Hn."
"Question answered. Mind if I use this for a pillow?"
Trowa was debating the merits of fetching a broom and simply sweeping the lot of them into a corner for the rest of the night when Iria, Quatre's older half-sister walked into the room from her own evening's revel. She was wearing an amazing amount of costume jewelry over her yellow scrubs and a dark purple eye-mask sporting a gaudy array of feathers and sequins.
Startled brown eyes took in the pile of youngsters and the wasteland of candy-wrappers in front of the television and then flicked to Trowa for answers.
"I'm being good," Trowa responded simply. "Turncoat," Quatre mumbled. "'ria, help me up... Trowa's bein' mean." "From the looks of it, Trowa's being kind to his pancreas." All the same, she proceeded to haul the half-conscious masses to their feet. Heero staggered against Quatre's sister and peered up at her with drowsy eyes that were as dark and placid as the sea on a calm July night, complete with moonlight glow.
"Iria, ai aisheteru," he mumbled, leaning his head on her shoulder and snuggling.
Iria blinked. "What has he been eating?"
Trowa and Quatre, both looking slightly confused, and pointed to the blue-and-white mountain of Almond Joy wrappers.
Hilde was speechless again, character be damned.
Duo fell over, laughing so hard that he thought he was going to upchuck the night's haul. "Oh God... oh god," he gasped, rolling around on the floor, arms and braid wrapped around himself, "Oh good God, *thank* you for this opportunity!"
"Uhh... Duo?" Iria peered at the giggling boy over Heero's head. "Would you like to share the joke with the rest of the class?" "Hee-hee... Oh, that's right. You guys don't watch anime, you wouldn't know what that... bwa-hahaha! I just never woulda suspected! Oh, Hilde, babe, I'm gonna be sick! Help me up, please!!!" Hilde obeyed. Duo didn't stop laughing, but he did manage to get it down to controllable levels. "Sorry, guys, but this... heh... Oh, Quatre, I think Heero-- Heero 'I can crawl over broken glass and barbed wire without changing expression' Yuy-- has a crush on your sister." It was too much; Duo began cackling again. "Oh, take me home... someone please take me home. I've had all of the treats and shocks I can take for one night."
Quatre smiled dreamily. "That's sooooo sweet! Don't you think that's the sweetest thing you've ever heard, Trowa?" Trowa, however, folded his arms over his chest and *glared* at the mostly-inert boy being held up by Iria, which only set Duo off again.
Iria shook her head, bemused by the whole situation, particularly by the notion of having slender, withdrawn Trowa protecting her honor from a boy eleven years her junior. "All right, you three," she said with a smile, tucking one lock of hair back behind her ear, "come on. Pile into my car; I'll run you back home." In truth, she really preferred to take Quatre's friends home herself. There were too many weirdos and faux-Satanists that came out on this night, making Halloween a lot scarier than it should be.
"Thanks, Ree..." Hilde guided a red-faced, teary-eyed, and gasping Duo outside. "See you at school tomorrow, guys!" "Byyyyy-eeeee!" Quatre waved to them cheerily, apparently getting his second wind of the night. "We'll see you too! Won't we, Trowa?" Without waiting for answer, he pounced his boyfriend, still waving like a deranged beauty queen. Trowa waved once, glaring daggers at Heero's back.
"See if you can get him into bed before dawn, OK, Trowa?" Iria called over one shoulder as she half-steered, half-dragged Heero outside.
Trowa nodded as Quatre squeezed him tighter, giggling against his shoulder.
The door closed.
Quatre sobered. "Trowa?"
"Yes, Quatre?"
"That was a scary movie."
Trowa half-smiled. "Sort of." A pause.
"Trowa... can I sleep with you tonight?"
Laughing softly without quite knowing why, Trowa picked up his boyfriend and headed towards the stairs. "I suppose that could be arranged."
Duo dragged himself up the stairs and into the kitchen, stopping occasionally to giggle weakly into his hand. "Heero has a crush..." He blinked as he spotted the figure of Father Maxwell seated at the table. "Aw, I thought I told'ja not to wait up." All the same, Duo's grin broadened and he plopped down into the chair across from his guardian. It was nice to know that someone was cared about you sometimes.
"Hmph. Maybe I'm not waiting for you. Maybe I'm just sitting here contemplating the scriptures."
"Except that you have no Bible on hand and you're drinking coffee."
The priest chuckled and helped himself to M&M's from Duo's still-bulging bag. "Did you enjoy yourself?"
With almost anyone else, in Duo's experience, the question would have meant 'How much trouble did you get into?' The fact that they both knew that there was no hidden meaning made Duo much more relaxed about answering honestly.
"I'm gonna be queasy for the next one or two days, Heero probably won't talk to me tomorrow, Hilde might not talk to me for a week, and I'm never going to be able to look at the school librarian or my principal the same way again... I had a blast! And now I'm gonna go collapse and have really weird-a..." Both priest and hellion grinned as Duo caught himself. "Ah, odd dreams." Duo stood, stretched until his back creaked and headed for his room. "G'night!"
The next morning, Heero's alarm buzzed him awake at the usual time. As usual, Heero's left hand reached out to swat it silent. As he sat up, however, he noticed that he had his right hand clenched protectively around something: a tiny clip-on hoop earring with a paste diamond dangling from it.
Blinking, he vaguely recalled Quatre's sister dropping him off the night before. It must have come from her costume. Yes, it even smelled like her perfume: violets. He'd have to be sure and return it the next time he saw her.
Heero put the bit of costume jewelry on his bureau and went about showering and dressing for school with his usual efficiency. Still, as he paused to grab his wallet from the top of his dresser, he found himself studying the bauble again. After a moment's thought, he tucked the earring into his pocket and pushed his wallet down on top to make sure that it wouldn't fall out. He was just keeping it safe, after all.
Without giving it another conscious thought, Heero grabbed his booksack and headed for the door. His subconscious however, noted that it felt very good to be carrying that little reminder of Iria around. END
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