Strange Bedfellows 2/2
Dentelle_noir
2x4. Humans feared what they didn't understand. And no human had ever really understood him. After being chased out of town, there is no room for another in Quatre's heart, or in his bed, but a Minstrel is determined to open his eyes and force his way in if necessary. Part 2 of 2.
Written for aquerna, who was the winning bid on a fic by me for the Help Haiti auction on livejournal. My first 2x4, so, be gentle with me?
Chapter Two
It wasn't even a full day after his trip to the market that he heard the name Duo Maxwell again. He hadn't even gotten around to setting up the new bed yet when there was a knock at his door and one of his neighbours-a girl of about 10 with a bright smile, sunny disposition, and the beginning of spots on her arms- popped her head in, "Hello there healer Winner!"
He smiled back warmly, "Hello Mari. What can I do for you?"
"Momma said I can't go see the music-man without an adult, and she won't go because she's making dinner and daddy is out in the field still. Will you take me?"
Quatre's stomach sank just a little...it COULDN'T be... "What Music Man?"
"Duo. Duo Maxwell. He's got a lute, and he's sitting by the inn telling stories. Will you take me? PLEASE?"
It couldn't get any worse than this. If there was one thing Quatre could not deny it was his soft spot for innocents: namely children, elderly, or the sick. And a child who was giving him the big puppy dog eyes? No matter how closed his heart was from the betrayal, he could not say no to that.
He could still feel the residual shock in his hand from their contact, and he could still see that laughing, smiling face when Quatre closed his eyes. The man just wouldn't go away!
But, perhaps he could use this... "I will take you, but, we'll play a game, okay Mari? We're going to try and convince the Music Man that you're my daughter? Sounds like fun?"
Naturally –since she was getting her own way—she agreed, grabbing Quatre's hand and yanking him off towards the inn where most of the town was crowded around the fire to hear the tales of the strange visitor. But something told him that no one was going to buy his last-ditch attempt at getting rid of the minstrel.
Duo strummed his lute every few lines just to add to the tone, singing out a soft, low sort of ballad that lulled children to sleep and made the older girls sigh romantically. Maia tugged him into the inn and forced him to go as close to the front as they could. Which he didn't much want to do at ALL.
It was crowded, but Quatre's looks made him stand out in any crowd, but he didn't expect the minstrel to stop his song to grin brightly, "Hey! Healer Winner!"
Oh NO. Quatre groaned inwardly. Maia jumped up and down excitedly, "I didn't know you were friends with the Music Man!"
"I'm not." Quatre grunted, not wanting to snap at the child, but hating how everyone's eyes had turned to him in question. Some even thanked him for bringing a minstrel to their boring little town.
Duo feigned hurt, "Not friends? Sure we are! Good old friends! So old, I met him this afternoon!" that garnished a laugh from the patrons, "Maybe I can sing you a ballad of how we met?"
"No."
"Maybe you'll finally tell me your story?"
"No."
"What about, as a show of good faith! To repay me for entertaining all of these fine people in your sleepy little town," a cheer went up and drinks slammed together, "that you let me stay at your house tonight? I have nowhere to rest my head."
"Certainly not!" Quatre was turning red in the face now, trying not to look too embarrassed. He needed these people to respect him! He wanted to live a quiet, single life! Why couldn't that minstrel leave him alone? It was like he was haunting him. And even when he wasn't directly in sight, Quatre couldn't seem to get his mind off the shock that had passed through them, or the smile in his eyes, or the smell of that apple snapping as he bit into it and licked the juice... his lips and tongue and smirk invaded his thoughts.
Duo grinned, his eyes discretely flicking up and down Quatre's body. "How about explaining why you brought a little girl with you who isn't yours? Going to pretend she was your daughter so I'd stop asking about you? Just tell me, and I won't ask anymore!"
"He's good!" Maia cheered, clapping, "How'd he know?"
Quatre grit his teeth by now, glaring just a little (although he looked about as intimidating as a kitten).
Suddenly, Duo's look turned serious, and he put down his lute "Okay, look. Let me be honest with you. I am in training to be a Healer, and I heard that there was a good one in the area. I was hoping to show you my abilities, and see if you will take on an apprentice. I can see a lot of spots around here. Measles outbreak? You could use the help..."
Suddenly everyone in the pub was looking at each other's hands and arms and faces, and Quatre could have slammed that lute overtop of his head for that! He was going to start a panic! He had to stop this man before he began to manipulate the whole town! This was almost a repeat of Alex! That man had been charming, and gorgeous, and oh so terribly popular. Quatre had fallen so fast; fallen fast in love, and fallen fast from favour when his lover turned on him. He didn't want to make that mistake again. He had no room for another! Not in his heart, and certainly not in his bed.
But this minstrel was not letting him go easily. He was fighting. He was following him like a lost puppy! Or WORSE a lovesick fool!
The man grinned again, "I think I'm seeing more spots...."
Oh NO! People were going to get frantic, and his clinic was going to be full of people who didn't really need any help. Quatre glared, "You're mistaken."
"Am I?" Duo parried, smirking brightly, "I think they're buying it..."
"You're tired, and seeing things."
Duo GRINNED.
Oh NO, he'd walked himself right into that. There was really only one choice now... "Perhaps you should spend the night and rest. I have room on the floor." Ooooh, he was going to KILL that man for this. And he was just grinning like an idiot, thrilled to be offered to sleep on Quatre's floor. It was despicable. But... well, if offering the floor for one night would satisfy the Minstrel, then perhaps relenting wasn't too bad of an idea. Perhaps it would appease him for a while.
Duo strummed his lute once more, "You know, Healer Winner... I'm feeling better already, just knowing that I'll have a place to sleep tonight. And I think you're right... I'm seeing spots all over now... Must have been my eyes. How about another song?" he said to the crowd, and they all cheered, bringing the minstrel more food and wine, and he played for hours more without the slightest hint of seeing spots. Mari sat on Quatre's lap and bounced excitedly to the songs until her father and mother joined the group and took her, and then after a few more hours she was asleep and being brought home in her father's arms.
Duo played the last song, and then put his lute back over his shoulder. A few people still awake tried to barter one more song from him, but he politely refused, then he walked over to Quatre and smiled down at him kindly, "Thank you for your offer." He spoke to Quatre gently, a different sort of tone to his voice. He sounded thankful, not... teasing or superior or cocky for once.
Quatre was surprised. But he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He stood and beckoned Duo to follow, walking from the inn to the humble home of the healer.
There was only one bed in his house, since he had yet put together the cot, but Duo didn't seem to mind. He took off his heavy things and left them near the door, kicking off his boots and leaving the lute hanging from the coat-peg. It looked nice there, Quatre had to admit... He only had one cloak hanging there, since he lived alone, and there were at least four pegs. It looked fuller with two pegs in use, it looked happier and more complete.
Duo saw Quatre noticing the lute there and he gave him a warm sort of smile, "Not so bad, is it now? It looks kinds good there."
"Why me?" Quatre finally asked with a sigh, kicking off his own boots and getting ready to go to sleep. It was well past dark and the moon loomed large above them. He wasn't about to let the annoying minstrel keep him from a good night's rest.
But that was not to be. He should have known it wouldn't be easy. Relenting had only bought him peace for a few hours at the tavern. Now the minstrel was moving into Quatre's bedroom.
Wanting the handsome man gone, he scooted to the edge of his bed so that he didn't try to sit there. Duo smiled wryly at that and shook his head, then sat himself down on the floor beside Quatre's bed, leaning against Quatre's stomach just a little. Then, Duo was pushing his hair back from the side of his face.
A little ear poked out from his hair; it looked quite human.... except for the slight point at the tip that betrayed his heritage.
Quatre gasped, quickly moving back, "You're an elf."
Duo turned to him and nodded, leaning onto the edge of Quatre's bed, "I am. My magic is through music. I can calm people, or make children sleep. Make people fall in love, or sinners repent and all that fun stuff. I got sick of being run out of town after town, so, I took to being a minstrel. No one notices that I don't age like they do. But I wasn't lying at the inn. I have been a healer from time to time, but I'm not talented at it like I assume you are. That's why I wanted to sleep here. If you found out what I was, I doubted that you'd tell. I can sense that you're like me."
Quatre sat up in bed, pulling his legs up from underneath him and looking at Duo, "What do you mean that you could sense it?"
"My gift," Duo shrugged and leaned back, his shoulders resting on the side of the bed and his hair nearly falling into Quatre's lap. "You were calling to me. I've only ever been able to feel a calling from other elves."
Quatre frowned a little, "I wasn't calling."
"Sure you were," Duo snorted, leaning his head back and plopping it right into Quatre's lap, smiling up at him. The healer was too polite to toss him off, or do anything more than frown. Then Quatre's hand began to twitch towards his hair, and before he knew it, he was stroking the other man's hair, touching him gently. He had missed having a companion so very much...
A content hum came from the minstrel's throat, and he leaned into the touches, "You're doing in right now. Calling for me. Some elves are the kind that like to be solitary. They take up residence in a tree or a bog and stay there for hundreds of years and scare travelers for fun. But you? You aren't like that. You help people. You love people. You need people. That's why you ended up at my performance tonight."
Quatre wanted to deny that. All of that... but he just couldn't. "My heart is full. I have no room for another. There's no room for you." His body betrayed him, though, and continued to touch his hair and his face gently, as if memorizing it.
Duo turned towards him thought, getting up from the floor, and he pushed Quatre over, "I will make room if I have to. I'm a very stubborn sort of guy." He sat down on Quatre's bed. It was a tight fit, but, if they both tried just a little it could work. "See. I found room in your bed."
Quatre sighed, "And what about my heart?"
"I'll keep working on that" Duo replied with a cocky grin, and then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Quatre, forcing him to open his lips and let him in. Just a little at first, then a little more and more as their kiss deepened and that small sort of shock from earlier seemed to branch up their bodies, sending tingles down their spine and pushing them a little closer still.
Quatre supposed that he could deal with this. He could always pull in the cot to make a little extra room. And he didn't really have to fear Duo outing him to the town. Not with Quatre knowing that Duo was just like him. And then Duo's hands were sliding into his hair, pulling a moan from the blonde healer and making Duo smile. He supposed he could deal with that too. Not to say that he would take Duo into his heart, but, he supposed he could find room for him in his bed. Especially when Duo's hands began to work their way skilfully down his arms...
Unfortunately, Quatre wasn't able to see just how skilful Duo could be at anything else, because there was a knock at his door. Before he could answer the door (or tell them to go away), Mari's mother popper her head in, "Healer Winner?"
She sounded half-frantic, so, Quatre pulled away from Duo's lips with a sigh. He slipped out of the bed and ran to the door, trying to fix his hair on the way in hopes of looking normal, "Uh, yes?"
The woman took a moment to raise a brow at the healer's unusually flushed appearance, but then she dismissed it in favour of more pressing concerns. "Mari has a fever... And she is starting to get spots on her arms just like the minstrel said."
From the other room Duo emerged, snickering, "I told you so." He too was dishevelled, but he was grinning and making a point of looking at the Healer's ass. Mari's mother bit her tongue and just hoped he would come and help her daughter already!
Quatre turned to look at him, glaring, "I knew very well that the measles were coming, but I knew better than to panic anyone about it!" He scolded Duo. The minstrel didn't even try to look repentant. He just grinned and pretended not to notice the woman at the door. He started poking around Quatre's cupboard and pulling things down, looking like he was going to make something.
Quatre turned away from the potential disaster to look at the woman at his door, "I'll run over there and see her. She should be alright. Don't worry yet."
Duo stretched and then set to work putting up the cot-bed that Quatre hadn't gotten to, and he grinned knowingly, "You're going to be glad that you agreed to keep me around!"
Quatre rushed out the door and over to Mari's bedside, giving her some herbs in water to drink and a cold cloth for her forehead. That was about all that he could do right now. But as he sat there, watching her, he couldn't help but look forward to going back home to see what mess Duo had gotten himself into. Quatre had a feeling that elf was going to be mischief. But exciting mischief.
Perhaps Duo was right... Perhaps he could make room for him in his heart.
But at least for now, he wouldn't have to wake up to cold bed anymore. And that was something to look forward to.
~End~
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