Title: #25 How *Not* to Paint a Kitchen
Arc: Life With Heero
Author: Calic0cat
Story Completed: Jan. 29, 2003
Genre: Shonen Ai/Yaoi, Domestic, Friendship, Humour
Pairing: None yet
Rated: PG-13
Warnings: AU, OOC, Swearing
Archives: At Mediaminer.org under Calic0cat. Anyone with archive permission for my other fics can help themselves; anyone else, please ask.
Disclaimer: Duo and Heero and the rest of the GW gang aren't mine. This story is. Nuff said.

Notes: The arc begins between one and two years after Endless Waltz. Duo POV in this story.

'Thinking'
"Speaking"
************ Time passing or scene change

Author's Notes: This is part of an arc of stories. I don't know for sure how many stories there will be or how often I'll be posting them. The length of each story in the arc will vary, anywhere from ficlet to multi-part. Warnings will vary from story to story as well, as will the genre. The arc *will* eventually be Shonen ai/Yaoi - but there's only one faintly implied pairing prior to Fic #23. Feedback is appreciated.

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Duo couldn't help himself - he just *had* to laugh. He laughed so hard, in fact, that he ended up doubled up on the floor, clutching his ribs.

"Duo, it's *not* that funny," Heero growled under his breath. "Now stop laughing and help me!"

"Heero, the paint is supposed to go on the *wall*," Duo pointed out helpfully. "*Not* on you."

"Duo..."

'Oops. That tone means he's about had it,' Duo thought, hastily clambering to his feet and trying to bring the laughter down to just a snicker. It wasn't easy, though. How could he resist laughing at the sight of Heero Yuy, Mr. Perfectionist, Mr. Neat, covered in creamy yellow paint?

Standing along one side of the kitchen, Heero was liberally splattered with paint from head to toe. Mostly head, actually. Thick pale yellow paint dripped from his hair. 'Where's the damn camera when you need it?' Duo wondered. He didn't dare go looking for it. If it had been right there, he might - *might* - have survived taking a picture, but if he left Heero in that state much longer, his friend just might make good on those "omae o korosu" threats he issued years ago. Right now, Heero was still too concerned about dripping paint all over the unprotected part of the floor to move, but Duo didn't think he'd better push his luck.

'Good thing we bought acrylic, not oil - that'd be a *major* pain to clean up...' What a mess. He'd only been out of the room for a few minutes to answer the phone. "What happened?" he asked, laying down more plastic to cover the floor from the back door to where Heero was. It would be far easier to rinse off the worst of the mess outside than to try and get him to either bathroom without spreading the paint all over the house.

Heero gave him a pointed glare. "*Someone* left their can of paint sitting on the top of the ladder."

Oh shit. He'd never even thought about the paint when he scrambled down and went dashing off to answer the phone. And just before the phone rang, he'd cheerily informed Heero that he was done this area of ceiling and they could move the ladder and switch areas now...

"Err, oops?" he offered with a nervous laugh. Duo wasn't too sure he liked that gleam in Heero's eyes...

"Oops?" Heero repeated, raising one - yellow - eyebrow. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Uh, sorry 'bout that?" he tried, backing across the room as Heero advanced along the newly-laid plastic.

"Oh, you're going to be sorry alright," Heero promised, pulling his hand out from behind his back to reveal a still partially-full can of paint.

"You wouldn't..."

"Wanna bet?" Heero smirked.

Duo just had time to be glad that he had coiled his braid on top of his head under his ballcap before the contents of that can hit him solidly in the chest, splattering him from head to toe.

"Now *that's* funny," Heero snickered, crossing his arms smugly.