A/N: Don't know where my Beta has gone, so this is Unbeta'd. Hope you enjoy it anyway :D
Chapter 7
Quatre struck true to his word and followed Heero the next time he left the camp. The petite blonde kept his distance from the other as he continued to spy on him from within the foliage.
The Arab kept hidden and as quiet as possible, hoping the other teen wouldn't notice him.
Ten minutes into his secret mission, Quatre began to think that Heero knew he was there and was leading him on a wild goose chase… That was until they came upon a small clearing with a pool of water that was created by a steady trickling waterfall.
Quatre silently gasped in awe at the beauty of the place. Wild colourful flowers were dotted around the area, tufts of grass spread out between them all. The sun shone through the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees, its rays danced across the still pool that was continuously being filled by the small waterfall.
A sudden noise came out of the bushes near by. It startled Quatre and he quickly dove behind the tree he was standing next to. Only when he heard two voices and laughter, that certainly was not his own, did he poke his head out and take a peek.
The blonde was amused and shocked at what he saw. There standing in front of Heero was another boy, with his arms wrapped around the Japanese teen in a friendly hug. Quatre noticed that the boy had rear length chestnut hair that had been bound into a braid. Quatre frowned. So this was Heero's secret. This boy was the reason Heero had been sneaking off and acting differently.
Quatre wanted to know why Heero thought this was a good idea, weren't they all friends? And what was this strange boy doing on the island? Were there other people near by, or was he on is own? He wanted to know!
Over the way, Duo was actively talking with Heero. His face and arms were animated as he told the taller teen something exciting. The Japanese took it all in and laughed where appropriate. He then set about telling the other, with a smile on his lips, what had been happening with him and his friends.
As Quatre continued to watch, he spotted a monkey approach the two in front of him. He saw the stranger crouch down and pick the animal up before showing him to Heero. Heero petted the monkey for a while before the other boy put it down for it to run off and do monkey things.
Quatre's eyes followed the chimp as it made its get away. He silently chuckled before turning his attention back to Heero and the new guy. He decided to chance his concealment by quietly sneaking forward to hide behind another tree, closer to the unknowing two. He wanted to hear what was being said.
"Duo…" Heero started. "My friends are starting to get suspicious of my whereabouts. I might have to tell them about you sooner rather than later like you wanted."
The stranger, now known to Quatre as 'Duo' pouted and began to fiddle with the end of his braid.
"But Hee-Chan… I-I'm nervous…" He bit the inside of his cheek before continuing. "I've been without human contact for ten years… I-I wont know how to act around them…"
"Duo, that's fine. I promise you, you will love my friends." Heero's smile turned into one of reassurance.
The long haired brunette returned the smile. "I-I suppose I could give it a shot." He then grinned. "As long as the leave my hair alone we'll be fine."
This caused Heero to chuckle a bit before looking about the place.
"So, What shall we do today Duo?"
"Lets go swimming! We haven't done that in daaaaaays!" Duo squealed in delight as his young self took over for a few moments. The boy reached out and grabbed Heero's hand before pulling them over to the waters edge. "Take your clothes off Hee-Chan!" Duo ordered as he took off his own.
Heero just stood there in shock as he watched Duo undress. The younger male was pretty toned for his age. It also wasn't just his face and arms that were tanned. Duo's chest, thighs and rear were amply so too. He tried not to look but his curiosity was just too great. Heero discovered that Duo was a natural brunette and was well endowed. Island life had been good to him.
"C'mon Heero! Duo grinned unabashedly at the Japanese man before jumping into the cool water. "Hurry up! The water is awesome!" He chuckled as he waded further out into the pool so the water just reached above his butt.
Heero sighed softly and steeled himself and his teenage hormones before stripping and quickly getting into the water. Duo may not have had any qualms, but Heero had a little bit more modesty. After all, living on his own all this time could mean that maybe Duo didn't know what modesty was.
Heero swam over to Duo and started to let himself float there, relaxing and enjoying himself.
From his hiding place Quatre watched the two obvious friends get along 'swimmingly' with each other. He was surprised when the two both shed their clothes to go swimming naked. He wondered, now that their guard was down, maybe he could make himself known to the unsuspecting pair. He made a noise to alert the others of his presence before stepping out from behind the tree.
"Heero?" Quatre had the decency to look confused and at the same time only creep towards the edge of the pool.
The aforementioned boy's head shot up in utter surprise.
"Quatre!" He yelled out suddenly and spun around to look at the intruder.
Duo saw Quatre and yelped at the sight of the other, and in a moment of unclear thought he threw his naked self into Heero's arms, he held on tightly and hid his head in the crook of the others neck.
"H-Hee-Chan, who is he?" Duo whispered against Heero's skin. His hands were gripping onto Heero's broad shoulders for safety.
Heero blushed slightly at the sudden close contact. One arm automatically wrapped around Duo's waist and held the boy to him protectively. Why he did it… He had no clue.
"Quatre…" Heero growled out again. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you not to follow me!" Heero was pissed. Yes Quatre was his friend but that didn't mean he wouldn't smack the other stupid for not obeying his wishes.
"I wanted to know where you were going Heero. You've been so distant and secretive these past two weeks… it was driving us mad. One of us had to follow you and find out what was going on because you wouldn't have told us anytime soon!" The blonde rebuked and folded his arms in an boss like manner.
"I don't give a shit about what you guys wanted. I had a perfectly good reason not to tell you guys and you couldn't even respect that!"
"Heero be fair! You wouldn't tell us anything! We're your friends. Why would you hide something like this from us?" Quatre's arms fall to his side in resignation.
During the brief argument Duo's hold on Heero tightened slightly. He wasn't used to people arguing, he didn't like It one bit.
"Hee-Chan." Duo mumbled again. "Don't argue with your friends." He pulled his head back and looked up to Heero. "It was my fault after all…. I was the one that asked you to keep the secret."
Heero looked down to Duo and sighed. The boy was right, but Quatre still disobeyed his wishes. Heero's thumb subconsciously rubbed at the small of Duo's back as he thought about what to do next.
From Duo's perspective, the thumb massaging his back felt oddly wonderful, it was also very new. Duo had gotten as much of a good look of Heero as he could before Heero stepped into the water. Duo never knew anyone could look as handsome as Heero did without clothes on. The half-Japanese man had amazing endless blue eyes that Duo just loved to look in. He had never seen eyes so deep before. Duo was also fascinated at how unruly Heero's hair was. He found it funny when Heero told him he couldn't do anything with it, even after it had been cut.
Duo's eyes wondered from Heero over to Quatre. The blonde boy looked to be just a bit shorter than him, and maybe the same age, but Duo couldn't quite tell for certain.
"Duo…" Heero continued to look down at the naked boy in his arms. "would you come with me to meet the rest of my friends?"
Duo turned his attention back to Heero. His friend was asking something of him, something he should be able to say yes too…
"You promise they're not gunna hurt me or laugh at me Heero?" Duo's voice sounded like a timid child. He looked like one too.
Heero shook his head in a negative manner, he hadn't realised just how much Duo was actually frightened by meeting new people.
"I promise you Duo, my friends are nice people and will make you their friend too. Plus, just in case you get frightened, I'll be there with you." The blue eyed teen smiled reassuringly.
All it took for Duo to agree was one look into Heero's sapphire orbs to see the honesty that resided within them. A feeling of warmth and safety washed over Duo before he nodded his head in agreement, thus giving Heero and Quatre the answer they both wanted. Duo had agreed to meet the remainder of Heero's friends. He hoped things would go well.
A/N: So how was that? Was it ok for now? Lol. Will get to work on the next chapter soon :D
