Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Ropin' The Wind ❯ Chapter Four: 'Pleasurable' Company ( Chapter 4 )

(Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, folks! I hope you enjoy this chapter of Ropin' the Wind!)

Chapter Four: `Pleasurable' Company

After her puzzled look faded, Quatrina smiled brightly. "Well, Heero, Duo, please come in! I've plenty of time to spare for friends! Especially friends who look like they're freezin'." The woman's accent was identical to her son's, if a little bit more educated.

"Now that's the sentence every person likes to hear," Duo muttered as Quatre's mother ushered them both inside the inn. The nice warm inn, might the doctor add. "How are you this evenin', Ms. Winner?"

"Very well, actually. We have most of our rooms filled. It seems a lot of folks are passin' through, though I don't have any clue why," the middle-aged woman informed them, giving a cheerful shrug as they found themselves seated at a small kitchen table, the one that Quatrina and her children ate at. "Are you two thirsty?"

It was only then that Duo realized he hadn't even drunk a sip of wine this evening, and barely managed to hide his disappointment as he stated, "Actually, could I have some water?" The dusty town always parched his throat.

"Of course, hon, I've even got some lemons to squeeze in a glass, jes' like ya like it."

The student doctor smiled brightly. He had an odd habit of liking lemon juice mixed with his water, but lemons were hard to find in the West, so actually having the lemon water was a rare treat indeed. He turned towards Heero. "Would you like some too?"

"Alright," Heero agreed after a pause, his eyes flickering around to take in the small kitchen, an unreadable look on his visage. "Some water sounds right nice."

Beaming, Quatrina bustled around to get them the lemon water, pouring them large glasses of water and setting them down in front of the two. "By the way, Duo, Solo asked me to tell ya that he's spendin' the night at the brothel again." Of course, the student doctor knew Quatre's mother well enough to detect the hint of sadness in her voice, for they both knew who Solo was always visiting in the brothel.

Duo rolled his eyes and looked apologetic. "Sorry, ma'am. I'll talk to Solo, if you like."

Heero's eyes flickered between the two, but the quiet man said nothing at first, instead taking a sip of his water and continuing to glance around the place. After a long pause, he spoke, his tone emotionless. "There's a brothel in this town?"

"You mean Quatre didn't tell you?" Quatrina looked slightly flustered at the prospect of having to tell Heero, and Duo didn't blame her.

A frown formed on Heero's good-looking features. "Tell me what?"

The middle-aged woman looked down at the table, unable to hide the look of pain on her face, and didn't say a word.

Taking pity on his friend's mother, Duo shifted closer to Heero and murmured the despicable words into the stranger's ear. "Iria's been workin' in the brothel for two years now…."

…

Meanwhile, Quatre and Trowa still rode in the direction of the ranch, chatting about how many people Trowa had locked in the jail. The cowboy found it all very amusing, and that was obvious in his soft laughter.

"What's the most ya have had in jail in one night?"

"Five people. Three of them had gotten into a brawl, one had made inappropriate advances, and the last was Treize." The sheriff's tone was slightly sour at the final name, but Quatre chuckled.

"Treize must get the record for bein' in jail the most times," he commented, smiling at the brown-haired man. Trowa rolled his eyes in response, but had to return a smile, even if the curve of the lips was much smaller than Quatre's grin.

"Of course. I can't imagine anyone else."

…

Cobalt orbs widened in shock, and Duo couldn't help but gaze in fascination at those eyes. "So that's why-" Heero began, because falling silent, a dark scowl marring his face.

"Why what?" The student doctor couldn't keep himself from asking, just as he couldn't help but flinch a little away as Heero leveled an intense glare at him.

"Nothin'." Duo simply shook his head and sipping at his drink. Maybe Ms. Winner would be able to get some information out of Quatre's friend.

Unfortunately for the doctor, Quatrina didn't ask any questions; she simply settled into a chair and began sipping at her own drink, smiling occasionally at the two young men.

…

Trowa's eyes scanned the darkened landscape around them, the duo having lapsed into silence for a few minutes. The sheriff's ears were alert for the sound of anything unusual…but all that he could hear was the light, easy breathing of the cowboy beside him and occasional snort from one of their mounts. The sun was slipping beneath the horizon, and as the sheriff glanced up at the vibrant violet and orange streaks splashing like paint across the heavens, he realized they weren't going to make it to the ranch before it was pitch black.

"I should've brought a lantern," he muttered, more to himself than to Quatre, and startled a little in his saddle when the cowboy replied.

"Milady can lead us home." It took a moment for Trowa to realize that Quatre meant his horse. "She knows the road to the ranch like the back of her…" The cowboy chuckled. "…hoof, I guess."

Trowa smiled, unable to keep from admiring the way the rays of the sun settled on Quatre's features, accenting the delicate bones of the cheeks and causing the pale locks to glow golden. In that moment, the cowboy looked like an angel.

The sheriff turned his eyes away quickly, feeling warmth rush to his cheeks as he blushed. "Well, I'll just have Trigger here follow her then, because neither of us having any clue how to get to the ranch."

…

Duo finished off his glass of lemony water, and set the glass down, smiling politely at Ms. Winner. "Well, I'm tuckered out, so I'll be headin' to bed-" He was cut off by Quatrina's exclamation.

"Duo, what happened to your wrist?" The student doctor glanced down and realized that his left wrist was beginning to bruise, several red marks in the shape of fingers encircling the appendage. Duo mentally grimaced. He hadn't thought Heero had grabbed him that hard.

"Jes' an accident," he mumbled, carefully rotating it and hiding the slight wince as the sore wrist complained with discomfort from the gesture. "The bones are fine. Like I said, I'll be headin' off to bed…."

"You should have one of the other doctors check that out," Quatrina said, still looking worried, even as she accepted Duo's empty glass.

"I will." The agreement came far too quickly, and all three of them knew the assent was false. Duo wouldn't let any of the other doctors near him when he was one of their patients. "Good evenin', ma'am. I'm lookin' forward to breakfast." With a cheerful smile, the student doctor stood and exited the small kitchen without daring to glance at Heero. The student doctor went down a hallway and climbed the stairs to the room which he shared with his roommate, Solo. He fumbled for his key for a moment, and then found it in one of his pockets.

The room was dark and freezing, the shutters drawn and the fireplace empty of any flame save a few smoldering embers. Duo muttered a curse under his breath as he gingerly made his way towards the fireplace, grabbing one of the mental prods and poking the embers with it while shoving a chunk of wood into the red embers. Within a few minutes, he had a quiet, small fire going, the warmth spreading throughout the room. Smiling in satisfaction even as he rubbed his sore wrist, Duo moved towards the closet where he always hung his doctor's coat. He had just hung the white coat up and closed the closet door when he heard the door open with a creak. The student doctor didn't bother turning around.

"Solo, I thought you said you were staying at the brothel," he stated, still rubbing his wrist. "Change your mind?"

"…Who's Solo, exactly…?" a completely unexpected voice questioned, and Duo's eyes widened in shock before he wheeled, his braid whipping to smack himself in the face.

…

Quatre glanced at the sheriff out of the corner of his eyes, musing on how handsome the man was. The skies were darkening even more, and there was no way they'd get to the ranch in time.

"I hope you don't mind the dark," he commented, smiling over at the brunet. Trowa smiled back.

"Of course not." The sheriff immediately fell silent, and Quatre tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. Now, how to use the darkness to his advantage….

…

"Ow…." Duo whined. Great, his wrist was sore, and now his cheek was sore. He folded his arms against his chest and raised an eyebrow at the man who had startled him. "Solo is the fellow who's gonna inherit the bank from Zechs. He's my roommate, even though he spends all his time at the brothel."

Heero gazed back, his visage expressionless. "You're pathetic," he announced in an abrupt manner, causing the student doctor to gawk at him.

"Excuse me?"

Quatre's friend took a step forward into the room and closed the door behind him, leaning against it, folding his arms against chest in an imitation of Duo's position. "I didn't grab your wrist that hard. How can you have a bruise?"

"It's called you /did/ grab my wrist that hard," Duo grumbled, frowning. "I'm not pathetic." He waved his injured appendage at the stranger. "It's not like I have delicate flesh or anything."

Heero muttered something under his breath, and Duo's curiosity got the better of him.

"What'd you say?" This time, when Quatre's friend leveled a glare at him, the student doctor ignored it, letting his arms hang at his side as he stepped forward, closer to the other man. "C'mon, was it a curse word?"

"No."

…

Trowa glanced at Quatre just in time to see the cowboy openly staring at him. The sheriff blushed hotly again, and asked, "What?"

"Excuse me?" The cowboy sounded perfectly innocent, and the smile he gave Trowa was almost angelic.

"You were…starin'…at me." The sheriff shifted uncomfortably on his stead, only then aware of how foolish he sounded.

"Was I?"

"Yes…."

"Well, it seemed to me like it was you who was the one starin'." If Trowa didn't know better, he'd swear the cowboy sounded…coy. The sheriff had to lick suddenly dry lips.

"Um…well, we were both starin'?" he said, rather lamely, earning him an amused laugh from Quatre.

"I suppose you could say that."

They both fell silent, and after a few minutes, Trowa ventured, "Why were you starin'?"

"Well, why were /you/?"

…

"It wasn't a curse word? Are you sure?"

"No, it ain't, and yeah, I'm sure."

"Then what'd you say?"

"I ain't sayin'."

"C'mon!" Heero leveled another glare at him; the student doctor pouted and took another step. Now they were eye to eye, violet meeting cobalt.

"Please?" Duo wheedled, giving the stranger his most pathetic, puppy-dog look that worked like a charm with Quatre.

"Do you really wanna know?" Heero inquired, raising an eyebrow and a faint smirk curving his lips. The student doctor was suddenly quite aware of their proximity and flushed.

"Y-yes…."

"Too bad, `cause you ain't gonna find out," the stranger informed him, uncrossing his arms and reaching out one hand to grab at the injured appendage, the gesture gentle. Duo found himself mesmerized as Heero lifted the wrist and carefully examined it, looking almost thoughtful as his light fingers skimmed the bruises.

….

"I asked first," Trowa stated, sounding for the first time almost stubborn. Quatre raised an eyebrow, barely hiding his smirk. Good thing he liked stubbornness.

"Yeah, true enough. Well…I was starin' because I couldn't help it." Even as the cowboy spoke, darkness began to cover them, shielding their features from the other's view.

"Excuse me?"

Quatre reined in Milady, and the russet mare snorted quietly as she halted, turning her head to eye her rider curiously. He patted her shoulder gently before twisting in his saddle to gaze at Trowa, waiting as the sheriff halted Trigger. As soon as the sheriff did so, the cowboy dismounted, somehow managing it without jostling his shoulder that badly. He tilted his head up towards the dark blur that was Trowa, smiling a smirk that he knew the sheriff couldn't see.

"I ain't blind. I can't stop myself from starin' at a handsome man when he's right in front of me." Although Quatre couldn't see the redness that spread across Trowa's cheeks, he knew that the sheriff was blushing.

"H-handsome? I'm not handsome. You're the one who's-" Trowa paused, but at Quatre's gently urging, continued, "You're the one who's gorgeous."

"Gorgeous?" For a second the cowboy was dumbfounded. No one had called him gorgeous before…. Pretty, sexy, perhaps, but never /gorgeous/. "You think…I'm gorgeous?"

"How could I not?" The sheriff's tone was quiet but sincere, and now the cowboy wanted to blush. He, the /cowboy/, wanted to /blush/. When was the last time he had been that innocent?

"I…. Well…." All of his plans had flown from his head like a dove departing Noah's Ark, and the cowboy watched as Trowa dismounted and stood very, very close to him. "Gorgeous?" The incredulous word was whispered almost bashfully.

"Gorgeous," Trowa agreed before he caught the cowboy's jaw with his strong, gentle hand, tilting it up slightly before his warm mouth closed over the other man's in a long, tender kiss.

…

Duo stared, wide-eyed, at Quatre's friend as he tenderly traced the bruises that same hand had caused. "I-I thought I wasn't allowed to touch you…." The weak words escaped his dry lips before the young doctor could help himself, but Heero didn't seem annoyed.

"You ain't. I never said I wasn't allowed to touch /you/…."

"Oh…." Duo replied weakly, feeling a little weak in the knees.

At last, Heero dropped the hand, and gave Duo one of the oddest looks the student doctor would ever experience. It was a cool, calculating look, one that was measuring every inch of him on the outside and yet seeing through his flesh and measuring every inch within. Duo couldn't help but shiver at the sensation.

"You are pathetic, ain't you?" Duo opened his mouth to respond, but fell silent when he realized that Heero seemed to talking to himself, a queer look on his face. "I'll have to be gentler than usual with you."

"What-" That was as far as the student doctor got, for in that moment Heero leaned forward and kissed him, a kiss that was gentle and yet commanding, bending his mouth to the stranger's commands.

Duo couldn't help but relax into the lip-lock, and didn't protest when Heero pulled him closer even as the stranger deepened the kiss.

Whoever Quatre's friend was, he was a damn good kisser.

(To be continued. If that seemed a bit fast, it wasn't. It'll all make sense in later chapters….)