Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Overboard ❯ Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The door to Howard’s Furniture Emporium and Gift Shop flew open with a frenetic jangle of bells, and slammed shut in a gust of Duo Maxwell energy as Duo blew in the door. Howard looked up from his broom as Duo barged in backwards, impatiently bumping the door out of the way with his hip, his hands filled with two wooden drawers.

“Heya Howie.” Duo spun around in a flurry of drawer and whipping braid, and grinned at him exuberantly, placing the drawers tenderly onto the counter. “You sweeping again??! Here!” He grabbed the broom from him and thrust a drawer at him, pressing it into his hands. “I’ll do that. You look at this!!” He looked from the drawer to Howard expectantly.

Howard peered at him quizzically over the top of his sunglasses. “Mornin’ Kiddo. You’re bright ’n breezy today. ’Bout time you stopped mopin’ around.” He stared meaningfully at the broom, until Duo jerked into action.

“Oh…yeah.” He swept fitfully in one spot, eyes still glued to Howard.

Howard turned the drawer over and over in his hands, admiring the patina. “So watcha got here?” He pushed his sunglasses further down his nose, squinting through the smooth, finger-sized hole in the centre of each drawer that Heero had made instead of a handle, running his fingers critically over the dovetailed corners, and around the inside joins, testing the finish.

“Hmm.” He blew out around the cigar clenched in his teeth, wreathing himself in bluish coils. “Nice.” He picked up the other drawer, scrutinising it closely, then held it beside the other, examining them together, the light and the dark. He raised an eyebrow at Duo. “Different colours. Same piece?”

Duo nodded, grinning.

“Nice contrast. What’s the rest of it?”

“Australian red cedar.”

“Mm hm.” Howard nodded thoughtfully. “Kinda art deco. All the go right now. Who made it?”

“Heero!!” Duo grinned at Howard proudly. “For me!!! Top stuff huh?!” He stroked the drawer possessively.

“Heero. Ahh.” Howard glanced sidelong at Duo, who was slightly pink around the ears. “Hmm. Bit of work in this. Must think a lotta you kid.” Duo whisked the broom back and forth, scrutinising the floor minutely, and Howard’s lips twitched. He decided to stop teasing the kid and ran an appreciative finger around the top of the drawer. “Hm. Nice.” He straightened and looked shrewdly at Duo. “What?”

Duo immediately stopped sweeping and stared at him innocently, eyes wide, ruining the effect slightly by shifting from foot to foot in the small pile of dust.

“What what?”

Howard removed his cigar and glowered at the tip. It had gone out. Carefully, he examined the chewed end carefully, pinching off a minute piece, then replaced it between his teeth and relit it, taking a leisurely puff. And another. He folded his arms comfortably across his chest and eyed the jiggling Duo thoughtfully, running his hand over his chin and smoothing the end of his pointy, brown beard into an even pointier point. “Whatcha want me to do about it what. Is what.”

“Well...” Duo slung the broom carelessly against a desk, where it slid to the floor with a clatter, and dragged a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket, smoothing it onto the counter. “See I had this idea…”



+++



Adrift on the greasy brown Amgen River, that bisected the jungle wilds of West New Britain, North and South, Duo’s Uncle Gerald battled with paper and breeze, wishing for a desk or something to spread his notes on. He eyed the nubile young woman before him with bird-like curiosity, as he searched distractedly for the pen that was floating in the bilgewater somewhere inside the canoe. Despite the fact that she was being brought to the bush hospital, it was difficult to see at first glance what was wrong with her. The bushy grass skirt that was her only clothing didn’t conceal much, so it quite obviously wasn’t elephantiasis or polio, or that pernicious and highly contagious ringworm, so endemic amongst the bush tribes. Although not so much amongst the beach people. Odd that. He would make a note if he could just find his pen. He stirred water absently. This young lady seemed to be in the very best of bouncing good health, from her fuzzy, bleached, white-blonde mop of hair, striped ball-point-pen blue and green, to her thick-soled, bare feet. She smiled shyly at him, revealing a dazzling array of blunt, white teeth, and offered him a pen from the distended hole in her earlobe, instantly captivating him.

He beamed at the young lady, and borrowed her pen to jot quick notes in his diary. Beach tribes. Ringworm. And Otto Richter was flying back home in the morning, and was, apparently, moving upstate. He must remember to give him young Duo’s address.

“…two hunnerd kina na dispela sumping emi bilong u.”

The old gentleman with the charming young girl seemed to be trying to sell him something. He was gesticulating broadly towards the front of the canoe, where the delightful young lady was sitting. Uncle Gerald smiled apologetically. His Pidgin English still wasn’t quite up to scratch. It was probably his canoe he was selling. People were always trying to sell him things. Two hundred kina wasn’t that much really. Uncle Gerald supposed that he might be able to use a canoe. Often much easier to reach remote villages that way. And maybe he could take it home for a souvenir. He’d be the only one on the harbour with an outrigger canoe.

He beamed happily at the old gentleman and settled down to bargain.



+++



Duo expected to have to bargain with Heero for hours to convince him about his idea, but on this particular day Heero seemed happy to agree to whatever Duo suggested. Which he was. Anything, to keep that excited smile on Duo’s face.

Duo had his piece of paper out on the kitchen table, one sheet amongst a whole sheaf of designs and sketches, and was explaining his idea, whilst under the table, Fez fought his sock in a vicious duel to the death, with his foot still trapped inside it.

“Howard said that he’d take it on consignment. Which means he gives us the money when it sells.” He curled up his toes absentmindedly, gripping onto his sock, which was half off.

“If it sells.” Heero was dubious.

“It’ll sell. Trust me. I know about this stuff.” And somehow, Duo was sure that he did. It wasn’t just from working in Howard’s shop. The longer he sanded and polished and pushed furniture around, the more he discovered an ingrained knowledge of what piece was what. What would sell. What wouldn’t. Knowledge that that barley-twist table was original Jacobean, whereas that other one with the thinner tabletop was early-Georgian reproduction, still of some antique value, but only one tenth as much. Somewhere, somehow, he must have learned this stuff. He was convinced of it. The same way that he knew that that small, blue patch of unpainted wall behind their fridge was Eau de Nil paint, circa 1920s, lead-based, and needed painting over so that the boys didn’t develop behavioural problems.

And he knew, without even thinking about it, as if two keyed halves were locking together to form a whole, that his own furniture designs, coupled with Heero’s craftsmanship, would sell like hotcakes. Probably far more than the two of them could produce. Could probably command their own price. And then, his Heero could spend his entire working life doing fine joinery, if that was what he wanted. No more pre-fab.

Duo’s finger tapped confidently on the paper. “Just this console to start with. Beech. You have some. I checked. Ouch!” He glared under the table. Fez had bitten his toe.

Heero’s eyes followed Duo’s finger across the sketch. It was an excellent technical drawing; a three-dimensional view, with side and front plan sections underneath, all dimensions shown. He would have no difficulty in following it at all. The difficulty lay in the construction. The legs were unusual, curving outwards in a delicate convex bow, open downwards and tapering to the floor. That would require some thought. Difficult, but not impossible. Rather wasteful of timber though. Maybe he could get two opposing legs from one piece by mirroring them. Hmm. Difficult, but undoubtedly beautiful.

He glanced up from the plan to Duo, who was balling up his sock and tossing it into the corner for that blasted ferret to kill. Duo turned back to him and grinned mischievously, his violet eyes sparkling, almost as if daring him. They both knew that he’d deliberately chosen a difficult piece, one that Howard should find irresistible. Suddenly Heero itched to test his skills against the challenge of Duo’s vision. His fingers longed for wood. To feel the satiny grain, to see the curls of timber falling smoothly away, to smell the aromatic shavings, to watch it taking shape under his hands. To see Duo’s admiring face as it did. He twitched the paper out from under Duo’s finger, holding it up challengingly between them.

“Let’s go.”



+++



Suddenly it was a game. A race with the clock in a competition with a non-existent deadline

Quickly, they sorted through the stack of timber in Heero’s Glory Box, dragging out pieces, measuring dimensions, checking grain. The grain needed to be completely straight and regular, so that the only curves were in the delicately, arching legs. Contrast was the key. The curve of delicate grasses bending under frost against a straight, silvered fence post. Circuitous bending against upstanding rectitude.

Together they dragged the timber into Heero’s shed and set to work.

Heero put on earmuffs and protective glasses, offering a set to Duo, and picked up the first piece of timber. Looking up at Duo, he stared into the intent violet eyes that followed his every move, feeling as if he was holding his breath. With an effort he looked away and started the saw spinning, sliding the first piece of timber smoothly towards it. Duo moved forward to steady the end of the timber so that it wouldn’t fall and splinter, watching the blade closely.

The saw screamed and sliced, and the first piece dropped into Duo’s waiting hands.



+++



Whenever they had a spare moment they worked on the console together, and it grew rapidly with the shared effort. Together they solved the problem of the legs, chose the perfect piece for the top, added a narrow, rectilinear inlay. And soon, it was nearly ready for finishing.

A few days later, Heero pulled into the driveway in the gathering dusk, and climbed out of the pickup. He collected his backpack from the passenger’s seat, shoved his thermos back into it, from where it had slid out, and straightened up, glancing across to the back of the house as he did so. No light in the kitchen. They must all be in the shed. His eyes lingered on the back of the house, and narrowed, scrutinising the verandah woodwork in the fading light. Now that the leaves were nearly all gone from the creeper you could see how much the posts and eaves needed painting. Have to do that before it started leafing up again. And then maybe get onto the re-roofing. He’d been putting it off, having a morbid dread of twins, ladders and large sheets of tin, exacerbated by dogs and ferrets, but it would be a lot easier with Duo helping. A Spring job maybe, when the weather was finer, but before it got too hot and glary on the roof.

Somewhere, deep inside his head, a little, nagging voice with an annoying Latin accent, pointed out that by Spring Duo would be gone, muchacho, or maybe sooner, but Heero quashed it ruthlessly. He would talk to Duo and convince him to stay. Somehow. Everything would be all right.

Nodding firmly, he turned away from the house and headed up to the shed, the crunch of gravel beneath his shoes loud in the crisp, still air. As he neared the shed, laughter rang out into the evening, and he opened the door quietly, standing in the shadows to peer into the bright pool of light beneath the single, powerful light fitting.

Duo and the boys were all inside, sanding.

At least, Duo and Joe were sanding. The twins were working on Zac’s penguin project, landscaping the enclosure with tiny pieces of gravel from the driveway, and small bits of timber, all evenly spaced and arranged in frighteningly straight lines, such as were never seen in nature, and glued with industrial quantities of wood glue. As was their technicolour hair. Tyler and Cody were making useful piles of sawdust.

Heero’s eyes found Duo automatically, and lingered, focussing intently as Duo stretched, reaching his arms high over his head, a sanding block in his hand. His shirt rode up with the movement, exposing a hand’s-width of smooth, lightly tanned skin, and Heero moistened dry lips, his breath whispering between them in a sigh of longing, imagining his own hand resting there.

They all had their backs to the door and appeared to be staring intently at something on the floor. Heero dragged his eyes from Duo and squinted down at the floor, but all that he could see was long, pale curls of wood shavings, clinging together in mounded heaps on the floor. And moving. Heero blinked. One of the piles of shavings was sliding jerkily across the floor.

Heero’s lips twitched as the boys roared with laughter. Ferret power. The pile started to spin in confused circles and he chuckled, putting his pack down. Rex, whined and bounded towards him, and Duo spun to look.

“Heero!”

A radiant smile lit Duo’s face at the sight of him, and Heero’s heart skipped a beat, then pounded madly. Duo extended a hand in welcome, gesturing insistently.

“Come and see if you think we’re ready to start putting the polish on. We’ve got half an hour until tea. Just steak, baked potatoes and salad I’m sorry.”

“Just salad?!? And steak…? Ugh!” Loud groans from the floor. “No dessert??!”

Heero frowned at Tyler. “You like cucumber. And potatoes.”

A grin from Duo, softening the blow. “Dessert if you eat some proper dinner buddy! Promise.”

His hand closed around Heero’s, warm and welcoming, and Heero was dragged into the circle of light to help sand.



+++



As it turned out, there was dessert.

Rex found a cake sitting on the front porch, and was narrowly stopped from Retrieving it by Cody, who had taken him out after dinner for a roller blade, at a time carefully chosen so as to be when Trant Clark was most likely to be out, although Cody didn’t feel that anyone needed to know that detail.

The cake, skulking in a white, cardboard, patisserie box and wrapped in clear, plastic clingwrap, was accompanied by a pink, folded note, and the words Heero Yuy in large, rounded handwriting, written with pretty, pastel, impossible-to-read gel pen.

Cody snatched the cake from Rex in the nick of time, and showed it excitedly to Joe, who gave it to Heero, who carried it into the kitchen, not needing to look at the pink note to know that it was from Relena. For some reason Duo seemed to find that even more irritating than the cake.

“A chocolate cake.” He glared at Heero in frustration, making a conscious effort not to ball his fists. He drummed his fingers furiously on the tabletop instead. He’d promised himself to trust Heero, but this freaking cake was making it hard. “Why would she leave you a freaking chocolate cake? Does she think that we don’t freaking well feed you or something??”

“Don’t know.” Heero shrugged dismissively, not very interested in Relena. Maybe it was an apology for the goat, although that was unlikely. Who knew? “How would I know? I don’t even like chocolate.” And why did Duo care anyway?

He eyed the cake dubiously and raked his fingers up through his hair in confusion, both at Relena, and at Duo’s peculiar reaction. Dismissively, with the air of someone who didn’t even like chocolate, he turned away to fill the kettle.

I like chocolate, thought Duo sadly, as the long, chocolate spikes of Heero’s hair flopped back down over Heero’s eyes, with total disregard for the passage of his hand. Chocolate was fast becoming one of his favourite colours. Especially when teamed with cobalt blue eyes…

Zac was in agreement. “I like chocolate! Cut it up Duo. Let’s fang into it!”

Judging by the sudden increase in noise it seemed that everyone else liked chocolate too.

Duo sighed. At least that would get rid of the freaking cake.

“Don’t sweat it Duo. She’s always doing stuff like that.” Joe looked up helpfully from an enormous mouthful of cake, whilst not being particularly helpful, to Duo’s way of thinking.

Duo looked sharply at Joe then frowned at Heero’s back, not liking the sound of that at all. Stuff??

“Like what?!”

“Like…” Silas chewed and shrugged. “… leaving soup and stuff.”

“Lentil patties!!!” Zac’s contribution.

“Ugh!!! Yeah!!! Lentil patties!!! Gross!!!” There was a general outcry of disgust.

“The hens like ’em.” Joe the Unhelpful, being grown-up and looking on the bright side.

Duo wasn’t sure that there was a bright side. Stared doubtfully at Heero, who was rummaging for mugs obliviously, and helped himself defiantly to a large slice of cake, to prove to anyone who was interested that he wasn’t in the slightest bit worried about Heero having a stalker who left gifts of food. Was not mollified to discover that it was rather delicious. Triple layer with cream and cherry filling. Flaked chocolate on top.

He chewed and swallowed determinedly, refusing to like it. Or the second piece.

He was not going to worry about Relena, even though he could recognise a determined pursuit when he saw one, and even if Heero was an oblivious dumbass. Heero’s gift of the chest of drawers had told him that Heero wanted him to stay, at least for now, and he had to trust that Heero would not do that if he really wanted Relena instead. He was going to believe in Heero.

He just had to trust that Heero wouldn’t lie to him.



+++



Hilde rubbed her eyes tiredly. She just couldn’t seem to sleep properly, wondering if Duo was out there somewhere. Somehow. Something… Maybe now that she’d decided to advertise for information she’d sleep. If a full-page ad running in all the National dailies didn’t get results, then maybe…

Think about that later. Alcohol first.

She closed her office door firmly and stepped out into Reception then stopped in surprise. A man stood at the end wall, scrutinising Duo’s artist’s impression of the Chrystelle Nightclubs fit-out, that Duo had hung after the job was completed. Beautiful, rich colours, like a Renaissance tapestry, glowing against the Peaceful Dove walls.

Hearing the door close, he turned, hand rising to greet her.

She had a fleeting instant to absorb darkly-European good looks, a tanned face, longish, dark hair swept back from a high, thoughtful forehead, and then he was striding towards her with easy assurance, taking her hand in both of his.

“Hullo.” He smiled down at her. He was quite tall, she realised. “Otto Richter. And you must be Hilde.” Dark eyes. “Sorry I didn’t ring first, but I just flew in.” He smelled nice. Spicy. “I’m looking for Duo. Duo Maxwell?”



+++



It was a beautiful evening. The hens murmured sleepily from the hen house. A dog barked in the distance and Rex replied politely from somewhere beside the house, a gruff, deep sound.

After dinner, the boys curled up on the couch watching television before bed, and Heero and Duo wandered back to the shed to start the first coat of polish, grass crunching frostily underfoot.

They moved from the bright patch of light outside the kitchen window into the darkness, idling companionably shoulder to shoulder, arms brushing occasionally together. Heero fingers tingled and twitched with the knowledge that a single small movement and he could be holding Duo’s hand.

Into the darkness, and the diamond stars spilled across the velvet sky, the Milky Way a swathe of fairy dust, like magic in the night.

“Look! Scorpio!” Duo stopped to stare, spellbound, never able to resist that constellation that was so magnificently big, and looked just like the creature it was supposed to. “See? There! Upside down. Those’re the claws…look…and that’s the tail way-y-y down there… It’s really big...” His fingers mapped the jewelled swirl of tail, tracing a path in the cold air.

Heero looked up, letting his eyes be guided by the sweep of Duo’s hand, and admired Scorpius fleetingly, found Antares, reminding himself absently about red supergiants, binary stars and X-ray disseminators, searched briefly for Scorpius XR-1then looked back down to Duo, so much more fascinating than the stars. Brighter. More mysterious.

Duo, lips parted in delight, warm breath a puff of mist in the frosty air. His eyes, brighter than the jewel stars, sparkling with starlight, even in darkness, skin pale as the fairy dust nebula, stray tendrils of his hair escaping from its braided rope like clouds spun from spider silk. Heero watched Duo secretly, from the safety of the darkness, his gaze drawn to those warm, softly parted lips, and his heart started to pound fiercely in his chest

Duo’s lips. Just a moment away.

Duo shivered, wrapping his arms around his chest.

“C…” Heero, immediately concerned, swallowed his dreams and managed to choke out a word. “Cold?”

“Mm. A bit.” Duo nodded his reply vaguely, still gazing upwards, then glanced a sideways smile, in appreciation for Heero’s concern. “It’ll be okay inside.”

“Here…” Heero tentatively wrapped his arms around him from behind. “Let me…” He had missed Duo’s constant touches desperately during those long, strange days when Duo was so upset, and he didn’t know what had hurt him. Still hadn’t been game to ask him. Tightened his hold, resolving not to think about it, gaining confidence as Duo relaxed into his arms with a contented sigh.

“Mmm… that’s better…” Duo snuggled his arms over Heero’s, entwining their fingers warmly together. “Ooh… warm hands…nice…”

He tilted his head to nuzzle his cheek against Heero’s shoulder, murmuring appreciatively, and Heero felt a surge of warmth that had nothing, and everything, to do with the warm hands holding his. His face flamed and he buried it into Duo’s hair, suddenly overwhelmed with longing for the happy boy in his arms.

Savoured the hard, sinewy warmth of Duo’s slim body pressed back into the length of his, tight-muscled curve locked to curve. Battled the overpowering desire to drop his hands to Duo’s hips, and beyond, to press himself tightly against him and…

“Ohh…! Heero! Look! A meteor shower! We should get the boys.” Duo tensed in his arms as if to run for them and Heero held him possessively tighter, unwilling to move for meteor showers, hurricanes, or anything short of nuclear war, his voice muffled in Duo’s hair.

“No…stay…watch… It’ll be gone by the time you get them anyway…” At the same time, he thrilled at Duo’s concern for the boys and the fierce, possessive heat in his body was joined with something warmer, deeper. A gentle, sustaining glow that warmed his heart. Duo really cared. About the boys. About him. Surely he wouldn’t leave them.

He’d wanted to tell Duo the truth for days now, but it never seemed to be quite the right time. He had to tell him now. He just had to. He couldn’t stand to keep his distance any more. Duo would rant and rave, probably, but then he’d get over it, he always did when he was angry, and they could be together properly. He lifted his head, and pressed his cheek to Duo’s hair, eyes closed, gathering his courage.

“Duo… Duo…I…” His voice was a hoarse croak. Gaah! He swallowed hard, willing words to magically appear on his tongue. “…I have to…”

The screen door slammed and small feet thundered across the verandah towards them.

“Duo! Heero! I brought you a torch. The big one. It’s really dark outside!”

A shocking beam of light skittered across the garden towards them, skewering everything in its path, chasing away starlight and fairy dust, and startling Heero away from Duo in a panicked flinch.

“Here! I’ll hold it for you.” Tyler waved the torch importantly and grabbed Duo’s hand. “Come on! Why’re you stuck out here?! It’s cold!” He tugged him impatiently towards the shed.

Leaving Heero alone and aching in the dark, finding his voice at last in a desperate growl.

“Isn’t there Simpsons on or something?!”



+++



The Simpsons was still on.

After lighting their way with the torch, Tyler skipped back to the house, sped on his way by a furious glower from Heero, and taking the torch with him, but, unfortunately for Duo, not Fez.

Duo was bent over the console, carefully applying varnish to the underside, while the ferret lurked beneath, attacking Duo’s swinging rope of hair with all the enthusiasm of an amateur bell-ringer.

“Gaah! Damned ferret! Shit! Damned hair!” Duo leapt to his feet, the ferret still dangling tenaciously from his braid. He batted it away with his elbow, sending braid and ferret swinging in a graceful arc, at the apex of which the ferret reluctantly let go and tumbled to the ground, to circle his feet and eye his hair with an acquisitive gleam in its beady, pink eyes. Duo looked pleadingly at Heero, hair tumbling around his face, holding his sticky hands up helplessly. “Heero…could you please do something with my hair? It’s getting into everything and I have stuff all over my hands.”

“Mm hm.” Heero put down the drawer he was working on, lips twitching at the sight of bedraggled Duo beset by evil-eyed ferret.

“Shove off you!” He kicked the ferret firmly away and shoved the abused braid safely down the back of Duo’s shirt, then gathered the loose strands of hair from around his face and piled them hopefully on top of his head, where they immediately spilled back down. He collected the ends together again, looking at them dubiously, then, in a fit of inspiration, twisted them together into a topknot and stretched down to the floor for a thin spill of wood from The Penguin Project. Skewered the untidy snarl triumphantly.

“Ow! What the heck are you doing?! That’s scratchy!” Duo turned his head quickly to glare at Heero, and the misshapen knot disintegrated around his ears. Duo blasted hair out of his eyes with an irritated huff of breath. “Gaahh!”

“Damn. Uhh…” Heero glanced around. “Where’s your cap?”

Duo looked around helplessly “Dunno.” He shrugged in irritation. “Shit. Think it’s in the kitchen. Cody wore it when he took Rex for a walk.”

“Oh. Well…” Heero scrutinised the flyaway mess in his hands doubtfully. “This won’t stay out of the way without your hat. Do you want me to re-do your plait? Or I could try another bun thing…”

“No! Just a plait!” Duo recoiled at the thought of another bun thing. “Thanks man. Just be quick okay? Or the brush’ll dry out.” Duo held up the sticky brush for inspection, then placed it back on the tin and stood, patiently waiting.

Heero dragged the dishevelled rope back out of Duo’s shirt, pulled the band from it and quickly unravelled it, raking his fingers through the strands. The sticky strands. He glared at it in disgust.

“Duo! You’ve got varnish in it! It’s on me now!” He swiped his hand on his old work pants.

“Ahh shit. Thought I probably did. There’s enough freaking hair in the varnish. I had to pick it all off the console. That’s how I ended up with so much varnish on me. I’ll wash it out as soon as I finish up. Hopefully it won’t’ve dried.”

Heero held a handful of hair up in front of his face, scrutinising the ends critically. “Hm. It’s not so bad really. Just a bit on this side.” He glanced around. “Here…”

“Hey!!! Ow!!! That’s attached you know!”

Heero ignored the outraged yelp, hauling Duo flailingly backwards by his bunched hair towards a pile of timber, and seated himself comfortably on it, then dragged Duo down to sit between his straddled thighs. “Sit. There…that’s better.” He spread Duo’s hair out carefully across his back, and then combed his fingers gently through the frazzled lengths again and again, methodically getting the snarls out.

Rather unnecessarily, Duo thought. His hair didn’t need to be combed for Heero to plait it. He was going to have to wash it as soon as he went inside anyway. He jiggled. Glowered critically at the half-varnished console, as if it was its fault that it came with ferret attached.

“Hee-e-e-ro… Get a move on! The brush’ll dry!”

Heero stopped combing and glowered at the back of Duo’s head, not quite singeing hair with the force of his glare. “Do you want me to do this or not?!”

“Ohh…well all right then. Thanks Heero. Really!” Duo hastily stopped fidgeting and relaxed into Heero’s hands, giving himself a mental slap. What the heck was wrong with him?!! Why on earth was he arguing when Heero wanted to play with his hair?!! He could always soak the brush in turps. And it was Heero for Heaven’s sake!.

“Mmm…” He sighed with pleasure, and shivered voluptuously, closing his eyes and draping his arms companionably across Heero’s thighs, hands resting on Heero’s knees. “Mmm. Feels nice...”

It felt very nice.

Outside, beyond the closed door, evening settled comfortably into star-brushed night. Inside, in the circle of light, it was quiet in the shed. Peaceful. The ferret abandoned Duo, who was sitting boringly still, and curled up against Rex, to fall comfortably asleep in a pile of shavings, twitching minutely with small, bloody dreams, basking in the heat from the strong, overhead light. The warm glow striking fiery glints from the mass of hair in Heero’s hands. It clung to his fingers with a life of its own, full of static electricity and he lifted it to the light, suddenly fascinated. Turned the brown flood this way and that, catching warm chestnut tones, rich auburn, the glowing leaf tints of autumn. Marvelled at the weight of it. Spread it out carefully again, to rake his fingers through it once more.

His fingers wriggled and tugged their way gently through the flyaway mass again and again, gradually slowing, as snarls disappeared, in no hurry to finish. He wanted to stay here forever, just like this, with Duo relaxing against him, caught between his knees. He fussed over a small tangle. Picked out minute shreds of sawdust, revelling in the guilty pleasure of touching Duo. Not as much as he wanted, but still… His fingers stroked surreptitiously over Duo’s back through his hair. Feathered over strong pads of muscle, finding them even through hair and shirt, secretly learning each small bump of spine. Lingered at the nape of his neck to work on a miniscule knot, the backs of his fingers caressing the silky skin hidden beneath the hair, and Duo quivered with pleasure, pressing minutely back against him, a warm, suddenly-demanding presence between his legs, his voice grown husky and low. “Mmm… Heero…’snice…” His hand moved on Heero’s knee, rubbing the inside gently.

Heero shivered in response, and tried not to groan, forcing his legs not to clamp tightly around Duo, his thumbs suddenly running on autopilot, making gentle circles on Duo’s neck, his wilful fingers sliding up to massage his scalp gently, completely of their own accord.

The swift hitch of Duo’s breath was loud in the silent shed and Heero was suddenly hot all over, his heart beating wildly.

Oh God… He fought the fierce urge to throw his arms around Duo, to bring their bodies together and bury his face in his neck, licking and biting. Duo would squirm and wriggle against him… He could smell Duo’s warm and spicy smell, feel the heat of Duo’s body burning along the length of his. If only Duo was really his. If only…

He had to do it. He was going to tell him now. Duo would forgive him. He would. And then… His heart pounded fiercely in his chest and his fingers shook, suddenly entangled in the smooth strands of hair.

“Duo…I…”



+++



Duo sighed gently. Heero’s hands felt so nice in his hair. He felt warm, and lethargic, and not the least bit inclined to varnish a piece of furniture.

The lazy warmth grew. Became a delicious tingle in the pit of his stomach, as Heero’s fingers feathered down his neck, stroking, ever so gently, and then slid upwards into the hair on his head, making him shudder with pleasure. His hand moved on Heero’s leg, almost without him willing it, to stroke the hard strength of his thigh where it pressed against him. He trembled, feeling Heero’s heat behind him, anticipating the next touch. Longing for it.

Just like they’d been on the futon that time, before Tyler interrupted them. Except that this time it was almost better. This time Heero was touching Duo. As if he wanted him. He shivered with delight.

He wanted Heero so badly. If only he could be sure that Heero wasn’t secretly in love with that Relena.

Suddenly he couldn’t stand it any more. He had to know, one way or the other. The delicious warmth vanished in a fit of determination, as Heero’s fingers tangled in his hair. Another knot, probably.

“Duo…I…”

Duo barged ahead. Whatever Heero was about to say about his messy hair could wait. This was important.

“Heero…what’s the deal with that Relena chick?” He glanced back over his shoulder. “I really want to know. Please?”

“…I have to… What?”

“Rel-ena!”

“Uh̷ 0; She’s a friend. I guess.” Heero stared at him, his blue eyes dazed and confused as if he was a million miles away. “Kind of. Why?”

“Because she leaves you cakes!” Duo’s voice climbed alarmingly, not reassured. “Because she rings you up all the time! Because you drop everything and go running off to her in the middle of the night! Any other reasons that I should know about?!!!”

He turned and glared over his shoulder at Heero.



+++



Heero stared at Duo in shock. Was Duo jealous of Relena?! For a moment he wanted to laugh, but Duo’s serious expression stopped him. Suddenly Heero felt a huge surge of relief. At last, Duo’s hurt absence made sense. It had all started after he left to help Relena that night. Duo wasn’t planning to leave him after all! Duo was jealous! Of him! He peered at Duo hopefully.

“So…so is that why you were so upset?”

Duo turned away in embarrassment and nodded mutely, his head bowed, hands fisted on Heero’s thighs.

Heero rushed to reassure him. There was nothing going on with Relena. “There’s nothing going on with Relena. You’re my boyfriend. Not her!” Or something. Anyway. Here it was! This was his opening to tell Duo everything. He took a deep breath, his stomach churning, and stuttered into speech. “At least…” Another big breath. “Duo…I…”

“Heero…” Duo heard Heero’s hesitance with a sinking feeling, and turned back to stare at him pleadingly, his eyes over-bright. “…you wouldn’t lie to me about her would you? I couldn’t stand it if you lied to me. It’s too important. I have to know I can trust you. I could never have a relationship where there wasn’t honesty.” He looked at him seriously.

Heero’s mouth snapped shut and he stared back at him, Duo’s words striking into his heart like hammer blows, smashing it into tiny pieces and all his hopes with it. He had known how Duo felt about lies, and honesty, Duo had told them often enough, but hadn’t really applied it to himself. In his own mind, what he had done to trick Duo wasn’t so much a lie, as a necessary evil. But it was a lie. A huge lie. And Duo was deadly serious. He wouldn’t tolerate liars. There was no way in the wide world that Heero could ever tell Duo about this horrendous lie that he'd involved him in. That he’d tricked him and used him and lied and lied and lied… Duo would hate him. And he…

Duo was still staring at him fearfully.

“Heero…?”

“There’ ;s nothing going on with Relena. Nothing. Really.” He cleared his throat, forcing the words out past the sudden tightness there that made it difficult to speak.

“Promise?!”

“Promise.R 21; Stared down at the hair in his hands, in a world gone oddly blurry.

“Cross your heart?” Duo gave him a hopeful smile over his shoulder.

“Cross my heart.” His hands working automatically, starting to plait, hand over hand over hand.

“And hope to die?” Duo’s smile sparkling into an impish grin.

“Duo!!! Yes already!!!” Too late. He’d already died.

…he knew it now. He was completely and utterly in love with Duo Maxwell. Who, apparently, felt somewhat the same.

Heero should have been ecstatic.

He didn’t think that he’d ever been so miserable in his life.