Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Overboard ❯ Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Any good campaign started with Intelligence gathering.

Duo leaned against the kitchen doorway, flipping the end of his braid against his fingers and eyeing Joe thoughtfully. Joe was in the kitchen, supposedly cleaning up, but in actuality pouring a glass of milk, his back to the door. And Joe might know, although it was a heck of a thing to ask a thirteen year-old. Still.

“Hey Joe? Um…I’ve…I’ve got kind of an embarrassing question. Were…um” He looked down at his shoes for a moment, chewing his lip, then back up to Joe’s back, soldiering on. “Were Heero ’n me happy? I mean before. Do you think?”

Joe’s hand jerked and the half-full glass fell to the floor and exploded in a slurry of milk and glass. “Oh shit! Oops…I mean.... Oh man! I gotta clean this up before someone steps in it.” He grabbed the dustpan from the pantry and swept the milk around industriously, avoiding Duo’s gaze, his thoughts dithering in panicked circles. Heck heck heck…damn Heero anyway. This sucked big-time. Why did Joe have to lie to Duo? He didn’t want to lie to Duo.

Duo ignored the milk, eying the interesting colour of the parts of Joe’s face that he could see around the hair and the waving brush. Damn. He had embarrassed Joe. He hadn’t actually expected Joe to cough up details of their sex life, but Joe obviously thought that he had. He wracked his brain for a way to ask Joe without embarrassing him into destroying the kitchen. “Like…I mean …did we get on okay or did we fight? Stuff like that.”

The dustbrush slowed. “Nooo....” Joe heaved a silent sigh of relief. He could answer that. And without lying. “Nope. Haven’t seen you guys fight once.”

“Oh. Okay.” Duo supposed that was good, but it wasn’t quite what he wanted. He decided to take a gamble. “Umm. What about kissing and cuddling and stuff?” He looked hopefully at Joe. “Holding hands maybe?”

Joe gazed back up at Duo from his crouch on the floor, his blue eyes limpid pools of guilelessness. “Naaah…” He was starting to get the hang of this. “Not where the kids could see.” Yeah. That was good. He stood up, dumping the dustpan and milky brush into the sink with the lunch dishes, and rinsed-off one milky hand. The other had ‘Mari was here’ written on it in blue ballpoint with a teeny weeny heart dotting the ‘I’ and was never touching water again.

He started to edge towards the door.

“Oh. Okaaay.” Duo decided to try one more time. “So you’d say that we lo…” No. Better not. “…liked each other then?”

Joe looked at Duo firmly. “Yeah.” He was almost at the door now. “For sure. You guys have definitely liked each other as long as I’ve known you. SeeyaDuogottago.” And he slid past Duo and out the door, and was gone. Duo heard the screen door slam, a single thud at the bottom of the steps, and then the faint sound of running feet in the backyard.

Oh. Well that went well. Sort of. Except that it looked like he was washing up again.



+++



It had turned into a rainy afternoon.

The sort of misty, coastal, Autumn rain, that was hardly there, but dripped down your neck from yellowing leaves, and beaded on hair and jumpers, until suddenly, without realising it, you were drenched, and the dog smelled of wet feathers, and inside the house was a warm and friendly place to be. Heero was back home again, working on a pile of accounts at the enormous, old, wooden desk against the window, with his laptop open and a cup of coffee nearby. A good rainy-day job. Joe had unaccountably disappeared, probably to a friend’s place, and the younger boys were all sprawled warmly on the rug in front of the fire with Rex the Retriever and Fez, eating chocolate-chip cookies and watching television. Fez had eaten half a chocolate chip cookie, nipping Tyler in the process, and Rex had Retrieved six.

The telephone rang, quickly cut off, before the boys had a chance to ignore it. Duo must have answered it somewhere else.

Duo came into the living room, his hair damp from outside, with a pile of wood, and a concerned expression. “Zac? Silas? School wants a note because one of you was missing from class yesterday. Any ideas?”

Oops. The twins sat up guiltily, and glanced across at Heero, who lifted his head and glared at them with distaste. They quickly decided that they would rather explain to Duo, and turned back to him, both speaking at once.

“It was Zac!”

“It was Silas!”

Duo blinked, then narrowed his eyes at them. “You mean you guys don’t remember? Come on…it was only yesterday! You must know which of you it was.”

Of course they did. It wasn’t their fault if that dumb Missus Beeswax-Duhbrain couldn’t tell them apart.

“Uh huh. I remember. It was Zac!”

“Nuh uh. It was Silas!”

Heero rocked back on his chair and watched Duo sympathetically, as he swept his fingers through his damp bangs doubtfully, ruthlessly quelling the sudden urge to fetch him a towel and dry his hair for him. The further he kept away from Duo the better. If Duo wanted to deal with the twins he was welcome to the little ratbags. Especially if they were going to play tag teams. It was a nice change for someone else to be in the hot seat for once. The twins were on a roll.

“Nuh uh. It was Zac!”

“Nuh uh. It was Silas!”

“Nuh uh!”

“Uh huh!”

“Nuh uh!”

“Uh huh!”

“Nuh…”

“ENOUGH!!!! ”

The twins were stunned into shocked, open-mouthed silence, and Heero’s coffee splashed itself all over several of his accounts, which washed off the table and squelched damply under the couch.

Duo tumbled the wood into the fireplace, then fisted his hands on his hips and glared at the twins, suddenly incensed. “It doesn’t matter who it was! Nicking off is one thing. Maybe you guys…guy…one of you…had a good reason. I dunno. But lying about it just makes it ten times worse. A zillion times worse” He looked at them seriously. “Lying sucks! It’s just about the most cowardly thing you can do.”

The twins shrank into their seats. Maybe they’d rather talk to Heero.

Duo glared at them both, then huffed out a frustrated breath of air and sat down between them, turning them to face him with a firm hand on each shoulder. “It’s true! When you lie to somebody…you deny them the facts. And that takes away their ability to choose properly. Not fair. Just imagine…” He paused for a moment, thinking hard, gazing absently at the television. They were watching The Simpsons, the one where the littlest Simpson turned into an alien. Duo chuckled suddenly, and grinned down at the twins, back to his normal, cheerful Duo self. “Hmm…just imagine…whoever wasn’t in school yesterday got exposed to some kind of deadly, alien virus. An invisible one,” he added hastily. “Because you lied, I might end up giving the antidote to the wrong person. And Zac’d end up like a big pool of slime!!! Or Silas. And pus!” he added for good measure.

“Eww!!” The twins shuddered in delighted horror.

“Or supposing…” Duo’s gaze roved the room in search of further inspiration and alighted on Heero, distractedly mopping coffee in the corner. “Supposing that Heero had a terrible accident and needed a blood transfusion from Zac. And because you guys lied they gave Heero Silas’s blood instead. And Heero got…umm…Wrong Blood Disease and died!” He twinkled mischievously at Heero. “Or ended up as a big pool of slime and pus!!”

The twins giggled, and Heero stared at Duo in appalled and horrified silence. How did he end up getting dragged into this?

“So…” Duo stood up, pulling the twins with him. “No more twin stuff!” He gazed down at them for a moment, staring thoughtfully at their red hair, then ushered them towards the door. “And no lying. You two can stay in your room ’til tea.” He glanced across at Heero for confirmation, who nodded bemusedly, in the manner of a person who had just lived through a hurricane.

“But Duo…” Silas looked desperately back over his shoulder at Heero, who shrugged. They’d been well and truly out-gunned. And who was he to argue with deadly, alien, Wrong Blood virus disease?

“But Duo…it’s nearly time for Yugioh!!!”

Duo bit his lip, manfully suppressing a grin, and propelled them out of the room with a hand on each shoulder. “Nuh uh!!!”

Blankly, Heero stared at the empty doorway, damp bills and invoices suddenly crushed beyond recognition in his clenched fists, feeling a terrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. So. Duo thought that there was nothing worse than a liar. Duo was not going to be happy when he found out that his entire new life was a lie.

And, the person that he was not going to be happy with, was, almost certainly, Heero Yuy.



+++



11:30 that night found Duo tiptoeing out of the twins’ room.

Heero eyed him sleepily from the bathroom door. “Duo. What are you doing?”

He grinned impishly. “Aww…nothing much. Go back to bed Heero. You’ll see in the morning.”

The next morning dawned bright and clear, yesterdays rain evaporating into today’s early morning mist. Heero was jerked from the depths of sleep, in the very early, misty morn, by twin howls of shock, modulating swiftly towards delight.

“Aggghhh! Your hair!!! It’s green!!!”

“Woah!!! Dude!! Purple!!”
And then together, “Coooool!!!”

Heero thought that the twins would have learned to lock their door by now.

Pulling the quilt over his head, he decided that delight was infinitely worse than horror. After three minutes of unfettered, twin glee he gave up and struggled out of bed, and went downstairs and poked Duo, pointlessly, because Duo could sleep through an earthquake, but determinedly, because if he had to be awake then Duo should too, especially seeing as, whatever it was, it was almost certainly his fault..

Duo stirred, grinned sleepily, “…Heero…” and rolled over, going back to sleep.

Heero poked him again. “Wake up.”

“…’m awake.”

“Duo!” He poked him again, under the ribs, harder this time. “If I have to be awake then you have to be awake.”

“Ow! Nope. Nuh uh…”

Defeated, Heero sank down onto the edge of the couch and listened to Duo’s contented snores.

The slamming of an upstairs door warned that the twins had shut themselves in the bathroom, with the mirror and Joe’s secret jar of styling gel.

All was quiet.

Heero yawned and slumped, just a little, against Duo’s shoulder. Duo was nice and warm. Two hairstyles later, Heero was fast asleep again.



+++



Heero, sleeping, was luxuriously cosy and comfortable, cocooned safely in pleasurable warmth, like loving arms embracing him. As he swam upwards through befuddling layers of sleep, a tingling grew, a luscious itch, a warm coiling in his belly, and he dreamed; delicious, lubricious dreams. Moaned softly, wantonly, in his sleep, and fancied warmth trailing over his skin, phantom touches that stroked and warmed his willing flesh to tingling acceptance. Slid reluctantly towards waking, his body heavy with a seductive languor that held him entranced. In his dream, his heart raced, wanting more. Wanting…

There was an annoying tickle, a wriggle from somewhere beside him and he was jolted rudely awake. His nose twitched. Gah. Ferret whiskers. Flushed and breathless, his heart still pounding, it took him some moments to realise that he was stretched out full-length on the futon, under the covers, with Duo’s arm snugged around his waist from behind in a warm embrace.

How…?

Just like his dream.

A gentle exhalation stirred the hair at the nape of his neck; a murmur, a sigh, a tiny breath of warmth. “Mmm…Heero…”

Duo.

H olding him…and…

Heero lay transfixed, still drowning in dream sensation. His treacherous body was filled with a heavy heat. Wanting to move. Desperate to. Aching to. And yet, terrified to move, lest Duo notice. He struggled to control his ragged breaths, pretending sleep. If he was asleep then he could lie here for just a little bit longer, pretending that it was...

…it was…

…Duo’s hand, exploring gently beneath his t-shirt.

Ohh…oh god…it was real!

Heat exploded in his belly burning away dream clouds with ready desire and spread outwards, suffusing his entire body with warmth.

Duo’s sleepy fingers drew lazy circles of delight on his stomach, small ones around his navel, shivery-ticklish ones on his hip, growing larger, finding sensitive places that made him shudder in response, his heart pounding a fierce rhythm.

Fingers, grown bold, feathered across his ready nipple, and lingered, gently teasing, and Heero quivered helplessly at the touch, moving at last under Duo’s hand. Ohhhh…ohh...

Duo nuzzled against him, moist breath on his neck, and Heero tilted his head obediently, silently begging for more; more mouth, more fingers, more Duo, feeling teeth gently graze the angle of his shoulder and neck, making him shiver and press back against him. Ohhh…

Completely forgetting why he couldn’t do this, why he wasn’t going to do this. Just feeling…

Duo’s thigh sliding between his…

Heero stretching out under his hand, rolling slightly onto his back against Duo’s chest, legs parting in silent invitation...

Duo’s hand sliding downwards, Heero arching up blindly to meet it, wanting more, wanting...

Duo’s fingers grazing the waistband of his pyjama pants, hesitating….

Oh… oh god… ohhhh…please… Duo…

“…’ve you guys seen Fez?”

Tyler.

Holy Hell! Heero convulsed with shock and tumbled gracelessly out of the bed in a tangle of sheet, blindly grabbing the ferret by the scruff of its neck on the way.

“Here take the rotten thing outside it gets into everything and I suppose you want breakfast in the kitchen in a minute I’ll be there just hang on a second we were just talking I’ll only be two ticks just take the ferret out-side…”



+++



Bac k in the kitchen, his new favourite hiding place, after his bedroom, the bathroom with the door locked, and the shed, Heero splashed cold water again and again over his flushed face while Tyler rummaged loudly for breakfast cereal, and settled for a banana, or failing that, toast please Heero, and he didn’t want a sandwich in his lunch today, just cookies.

Heero stared miserably at his reflection in the window and said all right then and okay good and yes if that’s what you want, all without hearing a word.

Oh hell. Hell and damnation. It was official. He was completely and utterly screwed.

Duo wanted him back.



+++



That afternoon, after school, they all gathered in the kitchen, talking to Trowa, who had dropped by, yet again, prompting Heero to ask caustically why he didn’t just move in, and Duo to say why not, although he’d have to share the futon because of Heero’s bad back, and Trowa to grin at Heero and Heero to glare and accidentally break a mug, and drinking tea and endless cups of chocolate, with marshmallows and a spoon for Joe, and potato crisps, dipped, for Zac. Silas thought that was just gross, but Duo, who had tried it, said it wasn’t too bad. Although he preferred chocolate-coated cream cookies. He dunked, to prove it, then grinned at Heero, locking eyes with him and licking melted chocolate with long, slow swipes of his tongue. Heero spilt his tea and swore, in Japanese, blissfully forgetting the fact that the twins knew Japanese. Duo knew better.

Trowa admired the twins’ colourful hair, and was told the long, sad tale of Heero’s recent attack of flu. Heero had obviously been quite sick. Was still quite pale. Trowa wondered how they’d managed to get him to stay in bed. Heero never stayed in bed. Was convinced that it was his duty to save the world single-handedly.

“Who rang all your clients?”
“I did.” Duo, carefully twisting the two halves of his cookie apart. “I went through the client files and found ’em all in Current Jobs. Oh…” He looked back to Heero. “I paid Coates’s for the timber too. And Dellabosca’s gave me some money. I banked it for you. It’s all on your laptop.”

“Hm.” Heero was intent on Duo’s cookie, and its surroundings.

Trowa, who was not quite so interested in Duo’s tongue, was not. He was intent on Heero. Heero let Duo handle his clients? On his laptop? The same hawk-quiet and fiercely independent Heero Yuy who didn’t trust anyone, not even his best friend, and especially not near his laptop? Hmm. Interest-inger and interest-inger.

“Oh. By the way.” Trowa tried to distract the interesting Heero Yuy. “I was in Reddings today. They want to know when you’re bringing the pickup in so they can check out the carbie.”

Ouch. Heero winced, with the fraction of his attention that he could spare from Duo. That meant money.
“Oops. Better ring ’em. I already fixed it.” Duo again. Duo, who was able to talk whilst slowly licking the filling from one half of his chocolate cookie, eyes fastened to Heero’s over the top of the cookie, while Heero squirmed in fascination. “Just needed reseating. Didn’t seem worth paying a mechanic to do that.” He grinned at Heero, over the cookie. “You’ve gotta check it out man. It goes like a bomb!”

The pickup as well? When Heero wouldn’t even let his aforementioned best friend, Trowa, even drive his truck? And interest-inger. Somehow the impossible had happened. Heero Yuy trusted somebody.

More chocolate licking, and squirming. Trowa wondered where on earth Heero had got the idea that Duo didn’t like him. Duo seemed to have a very serious case of like indeed.

There was a faint scratching from the verandah and Fez, who was on Duo’s knee, where he usually ended up by some sort of slithery, ferretine osmosis, abandoned Duo’s braid, his not-so-secret obsession, and rose up onto his hind legs, cocking his head towards the door. Heero, who was still watching Duo, noticed, and listened, and then sighed heavily.

“Cody could you open the door please? You’re closest,” he added, as Cody’s mouth opened.

“Here…take this with you.” Duo shoved a chocolate cookie into Cody’s open mouth and grinned after him as he roller-bladed towards the door, then blinked in surprise as a small, golden cat darted down the hallway in front of Cody, to wind sinuously around Trowa’s ankles, purring loudly, like a miniature lion.

Heero grimaced at Duo’s look of enquiry. “Mrs. Kostiki’s cat,” he muttered and glowered at the table, wiping spilt tea. He might as well give up and just pour the whole lot out on the floor.

Duo’s eyebrows lifted enquiringly. It seemed like a pretty cute sort of cat.

Joe grinned at Heero. “It lo-o-o-o-ves Trowa.”
Duo could see that. All animals loved Trowa. Tuna probably leapt into the trawler just to be near him, smiling adoring, fishy smiles and trying not to hit him with their tails as they flopped and gasped their last. Trowa grinned and shrugged, in an expansive sort of way that meant ‘what can I say…I’m a lovable sort of guy,’ in Spanish. The flute trilled and the cat purred, looking up at him and rubbing its cheek against his shin. Maybe Trowa was a snake charmer in a previous life. Trowa picked up the besotted cat and fussed over it. Ecstatic purrs filled the kitchen, while Heero wrang the dishcloth’s neck

Heero was jealous of a cat? Maybe Duo could buy him one for his birthday. After he remembered when Heero’s birthday was. After he remembered when his own birthday was. Although… He frowned. Geez Louise… they already had a ferret, The Retriever, hens and five kids. Plus whatever lived in that fish tank of Cody’s. How many animals did one family need?!?

“Mrs. Kostiki’ll be over…”

“…in ten minutes to get it back.” Silas and Zac smirked evil, green- and purple-haired grins at Heero, who glared furiously back.

Duo looked from face to face enquiringly. What was going on with the cat?!! They were all grinning at Heero now, who was concentrating furiously on the dishcloth. Duo stood up and moved protectively closer to him, glaring indiscriminately. Poor Heero. All right! Duo would get him a cat. Maybe a Siamese. They were cute. And had blue eyes just like his. And the glare. Duo quickly turned his grin into a smile of sympathy for Heero, but just a little too late. Yep. That was the glare all right…right there.

Tyler was jiggling with glee, rolling his eyes and gurgling his Rs. “Mrs.Caustic calls Heero my poorrrrr lamb.”

Cody chimed in. “And pinches his cheek!!!”

The doorbell rang.

They all looked at Heero’s stricken face, and then the kitchen exploded with laughter. Even Heero smiled, a small twitch of the lips, although that may have been because Duo was hanging from his shoulder, almost helpless with laughter.

The doorbell rang again.

“Your turn.” When they could speak again, Duo and Heero turned towards Tyler as one, Heero hoisting him off the floor, where he was rolling with giggles, and out of the kitchen, with a firm hand on his shoulder.

From the kitchen they heard the door opening again, and a nervous voice.

“Uhh…hello?”

And suddenly Joe was down the other end of the hall, elbowing Tyler out of the way and flinging the door wide. “Mari! Hi. Uh. Come in. Umm. Hi!”

Joe’s mysterious Mari! Duo glanced up at Heero, his eyes sparkling with amusement, and already gleaming with an idea. Heero couldn’t help it. He had to smile back.



+++



Mari lived with Mrs Kostiki, who was her Great-Great-Aunt on her father’s side or something. Her father had a business up-state, somewhere, but didn’t want to take Mari out of school. Maybe. Her mother was around somewhere but there had been an acrimonious divorce, or an illness, or something, and her father hadn’t been able to stay in Darke’s Cove or something, and the upshot was that Mari lived with Great Aunt Josefina, while her parents both had access visits. Possibly. This much Duo gleaned, in a loud whisper, from Zac and Silas, who were a fount of information, but seemed to be missing a few vital pieces of the puzzle. Like Mari’s name, Mari’s mother’s name, Mari’s father’s name, or why Mari’s father had had to leave Darke’s Cove. From what Duo had gathered from Howard, Iria, Old Duke Dermail and assorted other friends, although not from Heero, who didn’t gossip; pretty much the only things frowned upon in Darke’s Cove were homosexual love triangles, and lobster duffing. Maybe Mari’s dad was a restaurateur, specialising in shellfish.

That didn’t really matter. What did matter was that Joe was madly, passionately, in thirteen-year-old love, and Duo intended to do something about it.

“Mari…have you ever had your picture painted?”



+++



Heero didn’t know that Duo could paint.

For that matter, Duo didn’t know that Duo could paint either, but that didn’t stop him from grabbing a primed off-cut of MDF from Heero’s shed and quickly sketching a fantastic confection with Mari, poised on the verandah rail turned tree branch, a youthful warrior maiden, gazing into the distance, her auburn hair a fiery corona, with Joe, her faithful spear carrier at her feet. Joe had to be in it too. Duo was quite insistent.

And insistent that Mari needed to present herself every afternoon after school to sit for the great artist. But for now, he said, she looked tired, because modelling was hard work, and maybe Joe should get her some juice, and they should go sit on the porch swing together for a rest.

Heero watched in silent wonder over Duo’s shoulder, as Mari’s hair flowed from the pencil and onto the white board in confident lines and pre-Raphaelite whorls, and Joe’s rare smile peeped out delightedly from beneath his messy, brown hair. Another piece of the puzzle that was Duo Maxwell.

Duo was very, very good.



+++



Acrylic paint and long braids didn’t mix. Or possibly, mixed a little too well, as Tyler and Fez discovered. Once the ferret had been washed to within an inch of its life, Duo wandered into the kitchen after his own shower, almost dressed in a towel and drying his abused hair vigorously with another. Heero took one look at a wet, semi-naked, and hair-draped Duo, risen from the shower like a soggy Boticelli’s Venus, and abruptly decided that he was going to wash the saucepans after all, firmly turning his back to the room and running water over-briskly into the sink.

If he had been just a fraction slower, he might have caught a very un-Venus-like grin, one that the twins might have recognised. As it was, he remained in blissful ignorance, for half a minute longer.

Duo abandoned his hair and caught his towel, almost in the nick of time, as it slid from his hips, re-wrapping it several times to get it just right, and tucking it firmly, then slung his bare arm damply over Heero’s shoulders. Heero didn’t need to glance sideways to know that Duo’s chest was bare and pinkly flushed from his shower, and beaded with crystal droplets of water, that pooled, and overflowed, to slither voluptuously downwards over smooth skin. But he peeked anyway. Traced the droplets’ path beneath the towel. Thought about the smooth skin beneath the towel. He couldn’t help himself. Looked firmly back down into the sink, just as the basin started to overflow. Hell.

“Watcha doing Heero? Ugh… The grill huh. Yuk.”

Heero was tongue-tied in the face of all those tantalising little drops.

Trowa wasn’t. He saw water every day, oceans of it. “That’s a nasty scar Duo.”

“Huh?! Oh! Trowa! You still here!”

Trowa was still there, obviously not having a home to go to, and propping up the bench in the corner drinking coffee, sailor-strength.

So much for seducing Heero Yuy at the kitchen sink.

Duo turned to face Trowa, moving around so that his back was to the sink, but not letting go of Heero, so that his arm slid over Heero’s shoulders and around to Heero’s chest, resting there comfortably, his hand caught affectionately around the back of Heero’s neck, playing with his hair. One step to the right and they would have been embracing chest-to-chest, and straight on ’till morning, just like the fairy tale.

Trowa shoved off from the bench and fronted Duo, tracing the slick, white line with a curious finger. “Hmm. Must have been a nasty accident.”

With his free hand he lifted the damp tangle of Duo’s hair, tracking the scar down his shoulder and across his chest. “Ouch! Very nasty.”

Duo stared thoughtfully down at the scar, frowning in frustration at this new mystery. His finger joined Trowa’s, mapping the scar.

“I guess. I don’t remember.”

Heero glared out of the corner of his eye at Trowa’s trespassing finger, at the familiar hand in Duo’s hair, and turned rapidly in Duo’s embrace, suddenly uninterested in dishes. His movement brought his arm to rest naturally behind Duo’s back, his hand on Duo’s hip, and he glowered at Trowa. “Didn’t you want a shower too???”

Trowa blinked and stared thoughtfully at them, at Heero’s arm suddenly tight around Duo, Duo’s fingers still twined in Heero’s hair.

Was Heero jealous?? A smile scudded across Trowa’s face then hid itself carefully away beneath his overlong bangs.

“Uhh…yeah. I’ve got a change of clothes in my car.” The smile broadened into a grin and he turned away with an airy wave of his hand. “I’ll just leave you guys to get on with…um…it.”

With Trowa gone Heero abruptly became aware of Duo standing pressed against him. Of his arm wrapped tightly around the warm, damp skin of Duo’s waist. He thought that he should probably let go, but wasn’t quite sure how to do it without drawing undue attention to himself. He stood rigidly still, hardly daring to breathe.

Duo had a similar problem, except that he had absolutely no intention of letting Heero go.

And since their interruption by Tyler that morning, Duo’s plan for Heero’s seduction had grown some additional objectives, involving a lockable door and a proper bed. Preferably Heero’s.

Slowly and carefully, as if approaching a wild animal, he turned again in Heero’s arm and snuggled up against him.

Both arms around his neck.

His lips only a moment away, parting gently.

For the sixty million dollar question…

“How’s your back Heero?” He tilted his head and peeked up at him through lowered eyelashes.

There was a husky undercurrent to his voice that Heero hadn’t heard before. It made all of Heero’s hairs stand on end and take notice. He could feel the heat from Duo’s flanks that were pressed against him through two layers of towel and jeans. Breathe the warm and spicy smell of him. Duo’s fingers teased the short tendrils of hair at the nape of Heero’s neck, and Heero quivered in response. Ohh…

…Hell.

Abruptly he shoved himself away from the sink, and Duo, and bolted from the kitchen.

Moments later, a door slammed upstairs.

Duo stared at the empty kitchen doorway in disappointment. So much for the direct approach. Or… Maybe he needed a more direct approach. More direct than draping himself half-naked over Heero… Maybe he should paint a sign…Boyfriend - apply within and stick it on his chest…



+++



Locked in the still-steamy bathroom, Heero Yuy wrestled with his conscience, and other interested parts of his body, ignoring Trowa, who knocked determinedly on the door for a while, then chuckled and went away.

It didn’t help that the bathroom still reeked of that same, warm and spicy, Duo smell. Or that there were water droplets on the clouded mirror. Heero groaned. More wrestling, about fifteen minutes worth.

He would not take advantage of Duo. No matter how much Duo might want to be taken advantage of. It would be like tricking him into bed. Or tripping him into bed. He toyed wistfully with that idea for a while, not easy considering all the wrestling that had gone before. But no. Unforgivable. Apart from anything else, Duo wasn’t gay. At least, Duo hadn’t thought that he was. Once. And to explain that, to the now quite-determinedly gay Duo, would involve describing the whole sordid Welfare-boatthrough-his-teeth saga. Couldn’t be done. Heero knew that. But it was just wrong to take advantage of Duo, when he didn’t know who or what he was. He knew that too.

The difficulty seemed to be to stop Duo taking advantage of Heero, when he didn’t know who or what he was.

If only he could tell him.

He’d been worried that Duo would leave, but…

Exhausted from all the wrestling and toying, Heero collapsed onto the edge of the bath, resting his hot forehead against the cool edge of the vanity, ignoring the bits of fluff in the corner, and Zac’s Bite Me badge, which had unaccountable gone missing a few days ago, causing considerable amounts of pain and suffering, in favour of myriad visions of Duo.

Duo on a mattress on his floor, waking to feed him painkillers and sympathy. Duo smiling sleepily and letting the boys and even that blasted ferret into his bed. Ringing his clients. Fixing his truck. Duo, bringing that heart-warming, shy delight to Joe’s eyes, as he went to sit with Mari on the swing.

Duo was a kind, caring person. There was no doubt that the boys loved him. And he seemed to really care for them. Surely he wouldn’t abandon them, if only for the boys’ sake.

Heero raised his head, staring into the mirror. The mist had cleared away and his own blue eyes stared determinedly back at him. It was decided.

He was going to tell Duo.



+++



The Seduction Of Heero Yuy stalled for the rest of the day, due to the interested presence of Trowa, who’s boyfriend was still away, and who had stayed for dinner, the basketball game, the late-movie, and the late-late movie, eventually getting dragged away from the shopping channel, and man-handled out of the door, by Duo, who said that it was his futon and he was jolly well sleeping on it, thank you very much, because he had to get up in the morning, unlike certain other dumbasses, who were catching a late tide and could sleep in.

The next day, seeing as Heero was working all day and unavailable for seduction, Duo decided that the first step on the way to a man’s heart would be dinner, seeing as it was his turn to cook anyway. He told that boys that they were making a special dinner for Heero, because he worked so hard and was tired.

They all helped.

Zac and Silas sliced vegetables, as if they were wielding a katana, and ate bits of carrot, while Duo deciphered the mysteries of the gravy packet, and chocolate self-saucing pudding, one of the one-chef’s-hat recipes from Susannah Klein’s Easy Cooking for Beginners. Cooking a romantic dinner, whilst one small step for mankind, was an enormous, mechanised-robot-sized step for Duo, who had no recollection of ever cooking a roast dinner.

Duo had discovered himself to be expert at steak, chops and 5-minute spaghetti bolognese, but, surprisingly, at least to him, not very good at child-friendly things like 2-minute noodles, macaroni cheese and sausages. Or complicated things like cakes. Fairy bread had had him choking on his tea and rolling around in gales of rude laughter, until Joe had pityingly explained to him that there was such a thing, involving bread and ant-attracting quantities of 100s and 1000s sprinkles, and that it was Tyler’s staple diet.

Heero, on the other hand, having had a surrogate mother for the first sixteen years of his life, and having been one for the remaining four, was fairly impressive in the kitchen, especially at stir frys. And vegetables. Particularly vegetables. Lots of them, especially anything green or orange. Not so good at desserts. If Duo mastered chocolate self-saucing pudding tonight, that would give him a definite edge in the child-friendly stakes.

Cody set the cutlery on the big cedar table in the dining room, forks on the left, knives to the right, his face a mask of concentration, then explained to Duo that it just went to show how really useful roller blades were, because they helped him to reach. Tyler fetched the juice, putting Fez down first, and using both hands. Joe remembered a long-forgotten anniversary and dug out a white, damask tablecloth, from some mysterious drawer, then smiled at Duo and climbed up into a top cupboard and found candles. Duo grinned. The candles were a bit girlie, pink ones, but they looked pretty cool, in the centre of the table, and nobody cared that the tablecloth was un-ironed.

Duo checked the time then rushed to shower and change, emptying the black, plastic bag out all over the floor and dragging on loose, black jeans, that hung off his hips, and the tight, lace, body shirt with the splashy orange and purple flowers. He couldn’t imagine where he would ever have bought such a thing, but he loved it anyway. No time to plait his hair. He quickly dragged it back into a ponytail then went to check the pudding.
.
The chicken was starting to smell like Christmas and the boys were all hovering in the doorway hungrily when Heero arrived home.

He flopped down into a kitchen chair, eyes widening appreciatively as he admired the bits of Duo that he could see through his lacy shirt. “Mmm. Something smells good.” Duo looked good enough to eat. Tonight he would tell him. Somehow. And maybe… His voice was low and husky with desperate hope. “Looks good too.”

Duo turned to face him, eyes like saucers. “Uh... Mmm…’specially for you. Hungry?”

Heero smiled tentatively and looked straight at Duo, his blue eyes soft and warm. “Mm hmm.” And then, to make sure that Duo knew that he meant it, “Yes.”

Duo stood spellbound in the centre of the kitchen, mouth slightly open, staring at Heero, a spatula forgotten in his hand. Did Heero mean…?

The phone rang.

“Heero! It’s for you!” Tyler pushed the phone at him.

“Say he’s not here!!!” Duo snapped out of his bemusement, waving the spatula frantically at Tyler. “Quick!!”

Heero shrugged apologetically and stood up, rolling his eyes at them as he reached for the receiver. He had a business to run. He had to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

A huff of breath.

“Relena.”

Silas and Zac made fingers-down-their-throat vomiting motions and Heero shoved them away with his free hand, turning his back on them all.

Duo stirred the gravy slowly, listening hard from the stove.

“No I can’t right now. What?” Heero moved the phone to his other ear. “ I know we did but I’m just about to… The boys have… Relena I never promised…I just said that…Yes I know you need me but… You what? Where??? Oh. Oh. I see. All right then. Ten minutes.”

He put the phone down and took in the ring of expectant faces, sighing apologetically. “Sorry guys. That was Relena. I have to go.”

There was an outraged clamour from the boys. Only Duo was uncharacteristically silent, stirring harder.

Heero huffed with irritation, at whom, it was unclear. “I really have to go. She needs me.”

“Well we need you too!!!” The twins were indignant. Chopping carrots was hard work. Missus Peabrain-dingbat was a royal pain in the butt.

Gravy leapt from the stove onto the floor, and all over Duo’s pants. “Shit!” He hurled the spatula into the sink, grabbing the cloth and swiping at his legs. “Shit shit shit!”

“Duo…are you okay?” Joe stared at him with concerned blue eyes, the image of Heero’s, except that Joe’s, who knew that this was a special dinner, were full of sympathy, where Heero’s, who didn’t, just showed tiredness and unfocussed irritation.

“Yeah! Fine! Just freaking dandy!” Duo’s voice wobbled alarmingly and he spun around and busied himself tidying up the mess by the stove. When he turned around again his face was calm. His fingers worked automatically, soothingly, putting his hair away into its braid.

He looked across at Heero, smiling brightly, his busy hands and hair in front of him like a barricade. “It’s all right Heero. I understand.”

And he did.

He understood everything now. Understood why Heero didn’t want to share a bed with him. Understood why Heero flinched away every time Duo flung his arms around him or tried to hug him. Understood finally, maybe, why Duo had been out on that boat at Whale Banks in the first place. He’d never been able to work that one out before.

Relena.

He snapped the band onto his hair with finality. “You have to go. But you’ve gotta eat. Here. Sit down.” He pushed Heero firmly into a chair. “I’ll make you a sandwich. It’ll only take a second.”

Six pairs of eyes watched as he silently pulled chicken from the oven and sliced off the breast, making Heero two large, warm, chicken sandwiches. Wholemeal bread, salad, mayonnaise with a smear of wasabi, a little pepper. Heero liked wasabi mayonnaise. No salt. Silently wrapped them in clear plastic wrap, sliced roughly with a knife when it wouldn’t rip off straight, the rejects wadded into clear balls and hurled haphazardly at the bin. Pressed the sandwiches into his hands. He rummaged in the bowl for an apple and polished it on the festive lace shirt, then added it to the pile, speaking at last. “Okay. There you go.”

Heero had the sinking feeling that something terrible had happened and he wasn’t quite sure what. The warm feelings of anticipation that had filled the kitchen moments ago seemed to have disappeared. He clutched the unstable mountain of food, the sandwiches warming his fingers. It was just dinner. He’d missed dinner before, working late. “Duo I…”

“It’s okay Heero you’ve gotta go. See you when you get back. Don’t worry about us.” Duo pushed him gently towards the door.

After Heero had gone, Duo sat the boys down around the kitchen table and served up dinner. Poured juice, wiped up spilled gravy, won hearts with chocolate pudding and cleared away dishes. Joe said that they could save the dining table for tomorrow, when Heero was home, and Duo hmmed non-committally in reply. When Silas asked him tentatively when he was going to eat he said that he’d get something later, maybe when Heero got home. He just didn’t feel real hungry right now.



+++



Heero didn’t get home until after midnight.

When he finally arrived back home, cold, wet, and reeking of goat, to a house still smelling warmly of roast chicken and chocolate pudding, Duo had gone to bed, balled up on the futon, his back to the door, and the house was darkly silent and growing cold.

Heero dripped in the open, living room doorway and stared longingly at the vague Duo-shape on the futon, in the warmth that lingered near the fire. His eyes traced the dim outline of Duo’s braid, embroidering the covers in soft coils. “Duo?” he called softly. “Duo?” But there was no answer, and after a little while he turned away and went up to bed.

Duo rolled over and stared at the empty doorway, listening. To the tired drag of Heero’s footsteps on the worn stair carpet, to the snick of a door eased shut, and to the shudder of pipes as the hot water ran. Listened and then lay, miserably chasing sleep long after the sounds had died away.

Upstairs, showered and warm at last, Heero Yuy lay on his back in the dark and stared at his invisible ceiling. Oh well. He’d talk to Duo in the morning. Satisfied, he rolled over and went to sleep.



+++



In the morning, Duo was running around like a mad thing organising school lunches, with a chicken salad roll for Joe, chicken and tomato white bread sandwich, no seeds, no lettuce, for Silas, chicken and lettuce brown bread sandwich, no tomato, for Zac, fruit salad in a tub for Cody and fairy bread, no crusts for Tyler, and when the boys climbed on the school bus, Duo unexpectedly leaped aboard too, saying that he had things to do in town.

He did. He had to wander the hard-packed pewter sand beside a sea that was pale as milk, bare-toed in the freezing ripples, like the crying gulls and the tiny, feather-light crabs that ghosted, weightlessly sideways, across the wet sand. He had to walk and think.

How could he have been so dumb? He had really thought that Heero loved him. Was just avoiding him until he got his memory back to be chivalrous and polite, in a peculiarly Heero manner. Now he understood. Heero was just being kind to him. Just waiting until he got his memory back, before sending him away.

Was that why there were no photos of him anywhere? Nothing of him that he recognised, anywhere in the house? Had Heero wanted him gone? Got rid of all memories of him, before he’d even properly disappeared?

The wind was making his eyes sting. He rubbed them hard.

He had to go. It didn’t matter how much he loved Heero, how much he ached for Heero with every fibre of his being, from his frozen toes to the tip of his bedraggled braid, he couldn’t stay if Heero didn’t love him back. He wouldn’t live a lie.

And it wasn’t fair to Heero. He wanted Heero to be happy. Almost more than anything. If that meant this Relena person…well…

Freaking wind.

Child Welfare were still a problem, but he’d stay in touch with Joe, and if they needed him, he could come back just for the day. Of course he’d stay in touch. They were his boys too, and the thought of losing his family was making his heart ache, but the pain was consumed in the terrible soul-tearing pain of Heero not loving him. He knew that he’d feel the loss of the boys much more later. He didn’t want to leave them. Maybe when they were older they’d understand, and not hate him too much. Maybe they’d visit in the holidays.

His nose was running again and he swiped at it roughly with the back of his hand. It was the cold. Must be.

It was Joe’s birthday in two weeks time, and he really had to be there for that. He’d already bought Joe’s present, a top-of-the-line mobile phone. He would stay to wish Joe a happy birthday, and then he would go away. Somewhere. After that, well, he’d sort that out when he got there. Wherever there was.

As the day wore on, he let the stiffening on-shore whip his hair into tangles and suck the warmth from fingers, toes and heart, until he was completely numb, and then, he wandered townwards, to find himself at last in the softly-gleaming, beeswax-smelling, Alladin’s Cave of Howard’s Fine Furniture and Gift Emporium, where Howard was sanding-back desks. To warm his hands with two cups of strong, milky coffee and his heart with gossip and genial silence, whilst golden curls of timber fell in pine-scented heaps about his feet from the shussing plane, and plumes of rum-soaked cigar smoke wreathed in bluish coils around him, until finally he was able to twist his face into a smile and go back, to live out his last few days as part of Heero Yuy’s family.