|
"Halfway to Sublimity"Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, male/male pairings, language Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: When Duo moves to a new town on the river,
he meets a young man running the river and a rich boy who seems nice.
Maybe he'll settle down for awhile, or maybe not. "Halfway to Sublimity" Chapter Eight (Heero and then Duo share the chapter POV duties) His heart pounded in his ears and his finger twitched, searching for the trigger of his Colt 47. He wanted to be done with this day, done with the work, and done with the needling. Heero mostly wanted the irritant to shut up. The cause for Heero's anxiety smiled in his self-satisfied manner and laid it out plain and simple. "About Maxwell, that man you can't share airspace with without sighing? (Heero knew who he meant) Miss Hilde said the dead man, the one you shot, (Heero knew which one that was, too) had turned Duo down. That means Duo pursued him. And thatmeans he is attracted to men, like you. Oh, and please don't pretend you haven't noticed." But what if I'm wrong, he wondered? Heero brushed aside the important parts of what Wufei had said, and attacked what he could. "He might have turned down a business deal." "Dear Buddha above, you can't possibly believe your own tripe! Maxwell wouldn't have run away from that, and you know it. He might run away from a failed love affair, though. I think you have all the confirmation required to make your move." He had come to consider Wufei Chang a friend after all the hours they had worked together on the house, but he didn't appreciate him meddling in his affairs. Heero did not easily confide his personal secrets, especially when he hadn't revealed the secret to the party involved-in this case, Duo. The last time he'd unburdened his heart it had been to Relena, and she had abandoned ship like an opportunistic rat. That triggered more unsettling and painful memories, and as he felt his chest squeeze, he stomped down the hurt. "My...move?" "If you want to do more than sleep on that huge mattress you two share, you'd better secure his affections immediately. The Cajun oozes charm." Heero's jaw dropped and he felt the blood pumping dangerously hard and fast to his extremities, drain instantly from his face. "You think Trowa likes men-er-Duo...romantically? Wait! You think I do?" "Don't you?" Heero wanted nothing more than to wipe off that pleased expression on Chang's face. He clenched his fists in preparation to do just that, when Wufei tipped his head in a carefree shrug. "Well, if I was wrong, my apologies. Perhaps having Trowa around won't be so bad then." "What?" Heero, dizzy with the heady return of blood flow, could not follow that logic. "You do realize you have to take Trowa back with you," Wufei said, adding a blade-thin smile and, "don't you?" No, he wasn't going to offer Chang ammunition to shoot him down with later. His feelings for Duo were, well, private. If he dropped the topic, maybe Wufei would understand and leave it be. But now Chang had given him something new to worry about-- the Cajun. He clenched and unclenched his fists mustering his self-control. Heero hadn't noticed the gambler looking untowardly at Duo. Of course, he'd been so wrapped up in guilt over killing that Solo character he had hardly paid the quiet, lanky guy any mind at all. He thought Trowa had shown courage in the fight, had taken a hit for him, and had been forthcoming about his motives. Yeah, he had ties with Dekim Barton. Yeah, that was the guy who killed Odin, who'd been like a father to him. Yeah, he had more explaining to do, but Hilde knew him and trusted him, and she was a woman to be reckoned with. Wufei obviously knew more about the man than he did, or suspected the worst from him, but Yuy owed the guy for saving him, and folks on the river paid their debts. Heero sighed. He owed Trowa for saving his life, and now that his leg was injured, he wouldn't be able to do for himself. Heero sighed again. He couldn't leave the man in the lurch. Still, if the Cajun had an eye for men, he'd best stay with Winner or--. "He could stay with you," Heero suggested. "What makes you think I have room? I don't. My place is smaller than yours. Really just a room above the school," Wufei said. "Hardly even a room. Closet." "He could stay here with the Sweepers." "And leave a skulker like him on the loose? You'd risk losing the source of valuable information as well." "Good point. Dekim Barton shared his name with him, so he must have had high expectations and big plans," Heero agreed. "And if Barton shared his plans and confidences with the Cajun--." "Then the villain must be desperate to get his hands on our little sneak. If the Cajun has been telling the truth and is on the run from him, then his disability leaves him in a very vulnerable position. No, I think you'd best take him home with you." Absolutely not! "And what if Barton's mercenaries come looking for him at our place, and with Duo an invalid as well? No. He can stay with Winner. He can hire an army of bodyguards if he wants. Besides, he has plenty of places to put the man." "Wellput, Yuy." "I didn't mean--," Heero felt intense heat as the blood rose up his neck, coloring his cheeks. He hadn't meant to insinuate sexual contact might occur between the two men. It was not a topic of conversation he felt comfortable discussing with anyone. "I don't know what to do about Trowa. I'll talk to Duo. It's his decision, too," Heero said. "For now, we got work to do, before it's too hot." Already, he sweltering. Then it occurred to him that he hadn't denied his unnatural attraction to other men. To Duo. And it was too late to return to that subject without drawing more attention to it. Chang didn't seem to care, anyway, and he kept Quatre's confidences. Duo. That brought up far more pleasant images of flashing teeth, glittering eyes, toned muscles, and an ass that beckoned him to explore. "Ugh." Groaning didn't help relieve the need. He hoped Duo was healing well. What would he do without his strong arms and laughter? Heero was suddenly struck with the realization of how indebted he was to be to Wufei. First Trowa and now Wufei! It was simpler being a loner. No, it wasn't. It was god-awful. "I appreciate you filling in for Duo. You don't have to, but-" "Physical work is invigorating. Much better than being closed up with the invalids." Heero wasn't sure if he heard correctly a whispered, "and that tantalizing woman," tagged onto the end, but Wufei picked up his pace to hide his burning cheeks. For almost a century, the fur trading post of Tallgeese served the Southern terminus of Serendipity along the Rogue River area well. The post acted as a collection depot for the pelts delivered by inland trappers. But the inland penetration of the rival White Fang Company, and the resulting loss of revenues, forced the Tallgeese Company to move upriver to Serendipity. Seven years later, the White Fang Company countered with a trading post of its own in North end of Serendipity, brazenly blocking the northern trappers' path to its rival's post. A fire, deemed accidental, burned the White Fang post to the ground. And now only the pub of the same name remained, which featured the local pale ale Heero and Duo had enjoyed before. It wasn't long before Heero found the towering Tallgeese warehouse and they entered. Pallets of furs skins, and pelts stacked ready for loading reeked in the warmth and humidity. Wufei coughed and complained about the stench, while Heero scanned the space for a merchant ignoring the smell. Once the paperwork was located, the order found, the items were sorted, ticked off, and carted away to Heero's waiting boat. Along the short route to the boat, Heero re-read the work order. "It doesn't say here when the order is expected at the tannery." Heero pointed out. "After that storm, if the order gets there at all, they'll be satisfied," he was told. He looked up and met the dockworker's grey eyes. The man dropped his gaze and shifted on his feet. "Word's probably made it that far about the pirate attack. Tough luck. I heard Sweepers are taking care of you?" "Yes. They have been generous." Heero dipped his chin in a single crisp nod. He was relieved not to have a timetable. It meant Duo could rest up before having to travel. The Cajun, too. His stomach knotted. Another day to think about what to do. "I'll leave you to unload, then. Just tie up the mule cart when you're done. I come for it inna bit." The workman tipped his hat and left. From his ever-present knapsack, Heero pulled out his gloves and Duo's. He was about to offer Duo's to Wufei, but didn't. He hesitated. He slipped his right hand into Duo's right glove and felt their differences in well-worn creases, but it felt good. Like holding his hand, he thought with warmth. He decided to trade gloves and keep Duo's. "Here." He tossed Wufei his gloves. "Save you from more blisters." Wufei pulled them on with a polite, tight bow. "Yours? Our hands are similarly narrow." "Yes," Heero answered. With a rush of embarrassment he hoped Wufei hadn't been thinking the same thing he had. He'd never thought about the intimacy of glove-sharing before. Heero hid his expression and moved with haste. He grabbed some furs off the top of the stack and heaved them onto the dry, tarp-covered spot he'd prepared on his boat. After they hefted piles of pelts and what felt like untold numbers of furs and skins, Heero showed Wufei how to wrap them securely with oilcloth to protect them from the elements. "More rain is due to pass through at any time." "Oh, joy," Wufei muttered. "Keep the gloves," Heero said. "We have an order of tobacco to pick up next." "Joy upon blessed joy." Wufei stretched his back and shook out his weary arms. "I haven't been getting enough exercise. I used to spar regularly and fence." "Yeah?" Heero stripped off his sweaty shirt and wiped his face. He felt Wufei's eyes sweep his chest like a cool breeze, but the glance didn't linger. Heero thought it was more appreciative than hungry. "I'll be short-handed for a few weeks. I could use your help. If you're interested, that is." "You're not worried Maxwell will object?" "I'll give him no reason to," Heero said, hoping Wufei read the intended meaning into his words. He would tell Duo how he felt this day and secure his affections. That way, Duo would have no reason to be jealous of Wufei taking his place. It was temporary anyway. Until Duo was strong again. "Good. Make certain you clarify that to him. Then I accept." "You know the pay's not much. I can only offer you Duo's half." "Don't insult me. You'll pay me no such amount. I do this out of friendship. It would bring dishonor to my ancestors if I took money for what is for my own good and for aiding a comrade in need." "The way of the river is... different, Chang. I must give you something in return." "If you insist, you may pay for my food and drink. That would be honorable." "To me as well." "Then it's agreed, and you'll talk to Maxwell." "Ah, yes." Heero grumbled the last bit. He needed no reminding. (o) The wind and rain had left the air refreshed, but that was yesterday. Today, with the warming sun bearing down, it steamed. They were hot and sweaty from the hot work and ready to go for drinks by the time they were done loading furs and had finally located the tobacco warehouse. Wufei, even Heero, seemed relieved, when they discovered the boat delivering the tobacco from the Deep South, never made it in because of the storm delay. "So, loading's done for the day?" Wufei asked. "Yes. Disappointed?" "No." Wufei broke out into a weak smile. "Me, neither," Heero said, and nearly grinned with relief. He guided the flatboat back to the Sweeper's dock, where the freight would be watched over and safe. "Food all right with you?" "I could drink my weight," Wufei said. "Good. I know a place. Not far." Despite the heat, Heero wasted no time finding the nearest eatery. He yanked his damp shirt back over his head and power-walked into town, Wufei running to keep up. On the way into the bar, Heero tracked down the waitress and made it absolutely clear they were ready to place their orders. "Two beers and two special plates." "Same for me," Wufei tossed out. "I was ordering for the both of us." "Not enough." Heero scanned the slender young man. "Where do you put it?" "Where do you?" Wufei cast him a wicked little smile and pushed by him, worming his way into a booth at the back. After a couple of drinks, Heero's tongue loosened. He leaned across the table, arms folded, eyes burning. "I don't know." "That's what I like about you," Wufei said. He ran a finger over the condensation causing the droplets to run together and puddle on the table. "You aren't afraid to start a conversation in medus res, a presentation I've always admired, for it means that small talk is dispensed with, given that you began the conversation in the middle, and in the middle of something you feel strongly about. Now, as to what you said, I think that's an honest assessment." Heero snorted a sharp little laugh and then pressed his lips into a thin, hard line. "How did you know?" "Know what? Oh... you mean..." Wufei leaned in, lowered his voice, and said, "How did I know you were attracted to your cabin mate? Dear Lord, everyone but Maxwell can read your body language, and he would, too, if he wasn't so worried about me enticing you away." Wufei laughed. Heero's discomfort level rose. "You--?" "I don't care what your proclivities are." Wufei snorted. "My interests lie elsewhere and as faraway from Maxwell as possible; at least, that would be ideal." "Hn." At least Wufei was not in competition for Duo, but Heero didn't want to discuss his feelings for another man. For some reason, men could laugh about their "women problems," but not their men. That had to remain private, or would, if Wufei didn't insist on meddling. "Don't worry. Buddha told us: 'Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.'" "That mean I should share my candle?" Wufei laughed. It was a silent, suppressed, shuddering type of laugh. He laughed so hard he shook and hid his face on his arms folded on the table, unable to look Heero in the face. "Yesss," he hissed. Heero glanced away and caught the eye of the woman toting bottles of beer to the table next to his. She trundled over. "More?" "I want three orders of these. Can you wrap those for me to take away?" "No problem." She wrote up the bill and handled the totaled list to Heero, which he took with a cropped "hn." Heero felt ill at ease with Wufei's relaxed demeanor, and hated himself for feeling anything. He liked the man serious and remote-- snooty. Heero didn't like being Wufei's source of entertainment, and when he dug a little deeper and faced his feelings honestly, Heero was afraid of the growing closeness. Quatre and now Wufei. Duo was something else. Who knew about the Trowa guy? The last time he'd had a group of chums, they'd all died. Wufei gathered himself together and finished his meal. The tables were closely packed and the place grew noisy as more patrons clamored inside. Heero said nothing more and neither did Wufei. When a paper sack containing his order arrived, Heero paid the bill, and stood. "My treat," he said when Wufei reached for his coin purse, "for the work you did, and... all." "Understood." Wufei still wore a bemused look. "Are you especially hungry?" "Extra sandwiches to take back to Duo, and possibly Hilde, if she is in, and Trowa, if I still feel so obliging." Wufei smiled and Heero didn't like it. Not at all. It was as if he knew something Heero didn't, which now he couldn't possibly. Wufei muttered something incomprehensible, and Heero asked, "What was that?" "I said I jotted a note to Winner. He's probably worried to death about the outcome with the pirates. Also, I added that we'll be delayed getting back another day." "There're mail boats along the way," Heero told him. They located a small skiff about to depart with "MAIL" painted on the prominently displayed strong-box. Heero shouted to the official-looking man at the helm, "Hold on! One more!" The boatman held out a long-handled pole with a basket attached to the end. Wufei dropped two coins and his envelope into the basket and secured the loose lid. "Very good!" shouted the mail man. He set to his oars and Heero and Wufei watched as he slipped away from the dock. The mail wouldn't get into Sublimity until late evening. Poor Quatre having to worry so long. (o) The doctor had stopped by very early to check on the condition of his two patients. Both of them, he declared, had been "very lucky" not to have damaged any internal organs or broken any bones. He rebound the dressings, pronounced them "very, very lucky indeed", and left. His visit had exhausted them both, but Duo was first to vocalize how he felt. "Why don't I feel fuckin' lucky right now, sitting here, IN PAIN, while Wufei and Heero and Hilde, shit, all the Sweepers are out there whoopin' it up?" Duo groused. Trowa just replied, "Yer alive and had a mighty sexy guy watchin' over you all night, an' dass fo' a fack." "Watching--? Shit!" he hissed. Duo choked on his own spit, coughed, nearly died at the burning pain from his bruised ribs. Afterwards, Duo and Trowa slept the morning away. When they awakened, Hilde couldn't be found to help, so Duo half carried the taller man to the bathroom to relieve himself, and then took a turn himself. When they returned, they traded places with Trowa now stretched comfortably on the couch and Duo occupying the chair and log footrest. Trowa didn't look like he was able to or wanting to run off anytime soon. Hilde flounced into the room in a flurry of activity. "Just in and out!" With a clatter of dishes, she left them with tea and toast. "Too busy, too busy to entertain y'all!" "'Sokay." Trowa had his own healing herbs, one being a willow tea for pain, which he added to his cup and then Duo's. The air felt too warm already for hot tea drinks, but thirst overrode comfort. After a sip, Trowa dug out a pack of cards from his bag. "So," Duo began. He studied the card shark's shuffling technique with interest, feeling marginally better. His injured and bound arm reminded him not to move, and his bruised ribs wouldn't let him. "How'dya know we were floating gold bullion?" "Word travels fast. W'en gold's involved, it travels faster." "Networking the thieves?" "I still got a friend or two from de ole gang. Not all 'em agree wid Dekim's plans." Trowa dealt a hand. "Five-card stud?" "Okay," Duo said keeping his eyes on the quick fingers. "You know who made the transaction?" "'Course. Winner company business." Duo checked his cards and swallowed back a groan. Jacks and sevens, ugh. He tossed a coin onto the upturned crate they were using for a table. "He's a bud of mine, ya know?" Trowa took the pot with a pair of Queens. "Who? De blue-eyed iceberg wi't the hots for you, I t'ink?" "Who? Ah, Heero? Um, we're just buds, really. Nothing going on like that. Nothing. Nada, nada, nada. Um, no. Ahhhh, I was meaning Quatre Winner, head of the company's my buddy. It was his idea, this tea party-- setting up the payment, spreading the word, luring the pirates out." "Ha!" Trowa laughed, but whether it was because Duo had diminished the attack to a mildly harrowing event or called the head of the Winner company his "bud" it wasn't clear. He shuffled and dealt new hands, which Duo didn't expect to be any more favorable than before. How Trowa cheated, he hadn't guessed, yet. "Oh, yeah. I'm renting my cabin from him, me an' Heero. We're fixin' it up. Wufei's even giving us a hand. You'll like him, maybe." "Wufei? He seems all right." "He ain't no limpdick, for sure, even though I just piss him off. He gives me a bad rap hands down all the time. But, shit, I didn't mean the school teach. I meant Quatre." Duo lost another hand. "Fuckit! Luck like mine shouldn't happen to a dog. You should let me win once, just for giving you the couch." Trowa chuckled. "Dis one will be good. So, Heero, he was broken up 'bout shootin' dat no good Solo." Duo stared at his cards. "Was de pirate your beau, perhaps?" "Beau? What the...? No, Bro! As in brother! He called mebro. We grew up together on the streets. No other family." "Not a lover then?" "No! Fuck! I nearly got us killed just saying I wanted ta... Oh, damn. Nothing between us, like I said." "Ah... ha. Dat's okay. An' den? You ran away. Like Solo were no mo' den a bad climate you wanted to get away from." "Something like that." Duo groaned. "Ugh, I outta know when to clam up." Duo shut his mouth. Trowa laughed. "Don worry, Duo. It's not my business, but I watch folks a lot. I learn to fit in, blend in, so I notice t'ings-like how de blue-eyed man guards his territory." "No, he don't." Duo sniffed and studied his hand. He looked up from his cards, frowning. "You gave me these cards on purpose." "Are dey not good enough fo de pretty boy?" Trowa smiled and hid his eyes behind his long overhanging bangs. "All the fuckin' aces, you Cajun card shark!" "Guess you win dis time." Duo liked Trowa for the most part. He was funny, clever, not terribly honest, and not too nosy a know-it-all, but a sneaky one. "Yeah, guess I win. Say, you're not gonna be good for much until your leg's fixed and you got no place to stay, so how about you come back to the cabin and stay with us?" Duo thought this was a brilliant idea. So did Trowa. They were so pleased with themselves, that they nearly missed Heero and Wufei's entry. (o) Heero did not like the look of Duo sitting on the chair, instead of on the couch stretched out like he should be. The chair was too close to Trowa, and Duo's feet shouldn't be on the couch nearly touching the Cajun's. That's what the log was for! Trowa was shuffling cards, probably taking every hard-earned penny Duo had, and Duo needed his rest. "Duo." "Hey, 'Ro! You're back. What smells so good? Is that food? You brought me FOOD? Yes! Man, gotta love ya for that! I don't know where the hell Hilde's gone to." Trowa interrupted the report. "She said she was going over de pirates' boat looking fo de goods. Duo tol' her to look fo de guns he lost." Heero nodded. "That is acceptable. Duo, ah-." "I thought so too. Here, Tro." Duo handed him one of the sandwiches in the bag. Wufei snatched the remaining one "to save for Hilde." "This is good. Anyway, so I told Tro he could hang at our place a day or so until he's on his feet, so to speak. Yeah, sure, I'll have a beer." "That could take weeks. How generous you are," Wufei said before Heero could start yelling something stupid. This turned out to be a good call. Heero needed the extra few seconds to re-think his position. He made up his mind to bear the responsibility of Trowa's care, and to get Duo alone as soon as possible. "We can't leave," Heero said. "That is, we don't have to go tomorrow. I can drop the pelts at the tannery the next day, and then we go home. And...Trowa can stay on the couch." "I'm in your debt," Trowa murmured. "Call us even. For the leg," Heero added. "There's plenty of work to be done. You'll earn your keep." Heero turned to Duo and asked abruptly, "Are you well enough to take a walk?" "A walk? Uh, yeah." Duo winced as he stood, but he was damned if he was going to show unmanly weakness in front of Heero. He didn't know how he was going to do his job, though. Heero led the way out the door and around the corner to a narrow space between Hilde's place and the rest of the Sweepers warehouses and shacks. He tried to get his thoughts in order after his first attempts had been scrambled by seeing Trowa with Duo being too cozy. Now he had to formulate intelligent conversation off the top of his head. He must have taken too long, because Duo began toying with the tip of his braid. Then he lost the moment to the quicker thinking, faster talking young man with the beautiful eyes and outrageous hair. "If you're pissed about me inviting Trowa like that without talking to you first- and I'd be pretty bent out of shape I you pulled something like that on me-I'm sorry, but I gotta blame it on the meds. He's got some serious pain killers you smoke and others you drink. You might wanna try some yourself and see--" "Duo, it's your house. You don't have to consult with me," Heero said sounding colder than he meant. But before he could correct that impression, Duo broke in. "Oh. Well, I mean, I ain't gonna be worth jack-shit to ya hauling freight for awhile and Trowa's just more dead weight hanging 'round. An' I feel like crap laying that all on ya. So, I figure the least I can so it take care of him-" Like hell you will! "He took a bullet for me. I owe him." "Oh." Duo drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But someone's gotta work! You gotta business to run." Heero's hands opened and he flexed his hands impatiently. The conversation was not going as he wanted. This was not what he wanted to discuss! "It won't be long. Winner got us into this; he can help with the invalid." "In-val-ids. There's two of us. You planning on dumping me off on him, too?" "No!" Heero shouted, making Duo jump backwards, and ramming his head into the building behind him. He hit the wood paneling hard enough to knock flakes of faded blue paint into his hair. "Ah, jeez!" Heero reached out to steady him, swallowed, and lowered his voice. "No, I'd never dump you like that." He liked the feel of Duo's hard shoulder muscle, but when Duo grimaced and tried to pull away, he discovered he'd been tightening his grip on the damaged one. "Fuckitall, 'Ro. Let up!" Another mistake! This was not going right at all! "I don't want Trowa around you." Duo's expressive eyes narrowed and he spoke as if he were biting glass. "Me? I was thinking how the four of made a nice little foursome." Foursome! NO! Heero did not know how the conversation had taken this unfortunate turn, and had no idea how to chart a course for safer territory. On the river, brute strength served him well, but here on land it was all about words. Relena had been good with words. Duo was a master, far better than he. Heero was at a loss. "I have no idea what you mean. Duo, I'd didn't want to start an argument with you or insult you or-" "There you are!" Heero growled and had his gun out and shoved up into the weather-worn face of a wild-eyed, older man. Just as he registered the familiar face, though, Duo slammed his good shoulder into Heero's side, bowling him over. As Heero crumpled to the ground under Duo, the gun fired into the air. "You asshole!" Duo shouted. "That's Howard! He saved our asses and now you shove artillery in his face?" "How...ard?" Heero shook his head and swore he could hear his shrinking brain rattle. "Uh." Duo had Heero pinned at the legs, but was holding his bad arm close to his side and was breathing hard. "Oh, damn... that hurts." "If you boys are finished with the foreplay, I got some things of yours here you might wanna look over." Howard's eyes glittered with humor and he laughed like some people sneeze, an "ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha" that segued into a brief explosion as he turned away. Heero skittered out from under Duo, and eased the injured, wheezing boy onto his knees. He felt terrible for overreacting and humiliated that Howard had implied he'd attempted some sort of sexual contact.All he'd wanted to do was tell Duo he liked him in a special way, and now this mess. He helped Duo to his feet with gentle hands. "Sorry. I'm not good with surprises." "Guess not." "Can you stand?" "'S just the ribs." Duo gasped with pain as he strained to stand straight. "Juss get me inside." Heero dragged Duo's good arm over his shoulders, wrapped an arm around his waist, tested the placement, and then lowered his arm to Duo's hips and away from the tender ribs. He trembled at the feeling of Duo's warmth so close, his distinctive smell, and the heavy rope of hair slithering over his arm. "This good? I can carry you." "'S'all right. Just go slow. Fuck, I hate being such a wuss." "You are not a...'wuss'," Heero said. He let a little smile creep into his voice, too. Heero liked the way it felt to have Duo wrapped around him. He liked it so much he didn't move. Once inside, it would be too late to say anything. He had to do it now. Now or never. Right... now. A soon as Duo gave him a sign. Some kind of sign. Any time. "Um, we going in, or what?" Duo asked. "I, ah, like your eyes." There. He said something. Duo, he felt, should be able to take it from there. Duo, however, stiffened in his arms. Those eyes were staring up at his, wide and blue, blue with a touch of violet, a little stormy. Say something! "Say something," Heero echoed aloud. "Ah... Yours are nice, too," Duo said. What else? Hair. Duo already knew he liked his hair. He'd told him before. Why was it so hard to say something like that now? "Your hair... needs washing." Those big eyes blinked shut, but moments later Duo was staring back at him, a coy look on his face. "There's a big tub out back. Private." "Room for two?" "It'd be tight." Heero thought "tight" was right. "I thought I was too late." From the curious look on his face, Heero could tell Duo was lost even without saying a word, so he talked faster. "Then I saw him with that knife at your throat. I just reacted, but it was to protect you. I, uh, I don't know what I would have done if you'd died back there." He knew he'd said it right, because Duo smiled with the lights in his eyes. Heero no longer felt like they were children holding back a secret. Duo liked him, too, he was sure, especially when Duo asked, "You gonna kiss me?" "Ah, I think so." They might have stood there smiling at each other a while longer, when a door slammed and they heard shouting. "We'd better go and break them up, huh?" "Not until I get that kiss." He'd come this far, Heero wasn't going to screw up this part. Relena had kissed him before. He knew the mechanics, but he wasn't prepared for the heat of his first kiss with Duo. Duo's lips felt chapped, but pliant as they pressed into his. It only lasted one, two, three heart beats, but when they pulled apart, his world had changed permanently. He was sure. "What did I tell you?" Heero asked. "No wuss would have done that." That earned him a blush and shy smile. "That was ... so hot," Duo said, sighing breathlessly. "How 'bout we skip to the bathing part and let them settle their own fight?" "Five minutes. I want to recover your guns. Then we go." Heero led Duo inside the room where Trowa and Wufei were yelling about whether or not the honorable Governor Treize Khushrenada would stoop to dealing with the dirty, rotten Dekim Barton group of mercenaries. "I have studied the letters and essays," Wufei asserted. He wore his man-of-letters face. "As a military leader, Treize Khushrenada inspired loyalty and devotion in his soldiers. He still stands as a symbol of the noble warrior in an age when glorified warfare grows obsolete." "Mebe so, mon professeur, but dat was den, now he's using de mercenaries to fight on de northern borders. Dekim supplies him men and in return he wants to control de river trade. An' sat's juss de beginning!" "Hi, guys," Duo said, trying to get their attention. He was ignored. "I find that impossible to believe. I have met the man, fenced with him. The effect he has those around him is one of a kind. He has generals and military willing and able enough to conduct any wars he wants. What would he need with mercenaries?" "Hey, how about dinner? What's to cook?" Duo asked, to no avail. "To do w'at his men won't, perhaps? W'ere one powerful personality shapes the course of an era, dere will be dos ready to corrupt him to dere own purposes." "He's... incorruptible! And what's more--." Hilde breezed into the room and greeted them with a cheerful, "Hiya!" It was as if she had one foot in the house and the other in a better world altogether. Wufei's eyes glazed over, his mouth hung open. "Hilde." "Yeah, let Hilde chill them out." Duo tugged on Heero's sleeve. "Time's up."
|
