Heero took a deep breath and loosened his hand from the hilt of his sword, but he didn't remove it. The shadow child remained seated, face hidden behind a black veil, but Heero could feel its eyes on him. He knew, somewhere in the rational part of his mind, that he hadn't been summoned here to be killed, because that wasn't how they worked.
"Come in, have a seat," came its voice from beneath the veil, and suddenly Heero knew he was fucked, because - strange though it sounded - the voice was unmistakably Duo's. He removed his hand from his sword and took an unsteady step into the room.
"You - bring up our dinner now."
Heero stood now almost at the end of the table; he heard the door close as the woman left to follow the orders she'd been given.
"Have a seat, make yourself comfortable," he said again, and gestured at the side of the table where there was another pile of cushions. Heero wasn't sure he liked the way the word 'comfortable' sounded coming from those lips. However, in order to take a seat, he would have to take of his sword; so he hesitated for a few moments, his hands resting on the clasp of his scabbard.
"Need some help with that?"
He didn't have to be asked twice. He unclasped it from his belt and came around the side of the table cautiously, step by step until he reached the cushions and took his seat slowly, never taking his eyes off that veiled face and grasping his scabbard tightly until he had to set it down on the floor next to him, close where he could reach it easily.
The shadow child watched him in silence. Heero refused to believe it could possibly be Duo, even though he recognized the sound of his voice; the shadow child could simply be playing with him. They had strange magic, the ability to play tricks on the mind, and Heero wouldn't trust his ears until he could see the face which went with it.
The shadow child rose slowly, almost lazily, to a sitting position, long, loose hair brushing against the cushions. Heero knew he could not go by that alone; the color was wrong, black, but all shadow children had long, black hair - the longer it was, the more successful assassinations they'd made. There came a knock upon the door, and it opened. Heero still did not take his eyes off that veiled face as four servants entered bearing the meal; they laid it out as quickly as they dared but without sloppiness, and departed just as quickly as they had come.
When the door closed again and the two of them were left alone, the night's game began.
The shadow child took up the bottle of wine and poured two glasses; then picked one up by the stem in his thin, spider-like fingers and held it out to Heero.
He hesitated, but reached out to take it; he tried to avoid touching the pale fingers, but still managed to brush against them - an electric sensation that made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He had expected them to be cold, but they were not.
The shadow child's mouth was just visible beneath the bottom edge of the veil, and it was twisted into a wry smile. "You seem surprised. For some reason, people seem to forget we're still human... now, drink," he said, picking up his own glass and bringing it up to his lips.
Heero finally took his eyes off the veiled face, and turned his attention to the wineglass in his hand. For the moment, he was more afraid of it than of the present company. Was it poisoned? He could not shake the feeling.
"What's the matter?" the too-familiar voice mocked him; the shadow child had already taken a drink of his own wine, lips brighter from the stain. "Drink it," he ordered again. "And if you can't, then get out of here."
The challenge was not lost on Heero; it wasn't "drink it or get out" - it was "trust me or get out." He didn't hesitate, but drank, and the wine was sweet. When he brought the glass back down from his lips, the shadow child reached up and removed his veil. Heero could not doubt any more; it was Duo.
He reached forwards to pluck a grape from off a plate and popped it into his mouth as Heero watched in almost morbid fascination. "This food isn't going to eat itself," he commented, and Heero relaxed a fraction; that was more the Duo he was familiar with.
They ate in silence, and when they were finished Duo put his veil back on and rang for service; the servants came and cleaned off the table with scared efficiency; and once the door had closed behind them Duo once again removed his veil.
"Not very talkative tonight, are you?" Duo asked him with a wry smile, then rose to his feet with slow, fluid movements and approached Heero. He sat, frozen, not even daring to reach for his sword as Duo knelt on the cushions next to him. "I can fix that," he whispered in Heero's ear, his fingers stroking Heero's cheek and sending another warm, electrifying shiver through him.
"We're the same person here and there, but at the same time, there are fundamental differences... and here, when there's something I want, I don't fuck around. I take it," he said, stressing the last little bit; and although it was a whisper, Heero heard it very clearly. Duo didn't give him any time to contemplate it, though, because as soon as he'd said it the only thing in the world which existed for Heero were Duo's hands and mouth, stroking and touching and kissing him, and he surrendered all his fear in return for passion and pleasure and pain.
Heero woke slowly, the experience still vivid in his mind. For a few minutes he simply lay there in bed, staring at the ceiling and touching himself beneath the covers, until he shuddered and closed his eyes before opening them again and getting up to head to the shower.
Afterward, he made his way downstairs warily, alert for any sign of Duo. He scanned the kitchen before descending from the safety of the staircase, but Duo was more crafty than that and was standing toward the end of the hallway sipping his coffee.
"Morning, babe," he said, and leered at Heero over the edge of his mug. At this, Trowa coughed, Quatre giggled behind his hand, and Wufei made a vague noise of disgust as Duo sauntered up to Heero and wrapped his free arm around Heero's waist before taking a drink and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Sleep well?"
"I didn't hear anything..." Quatre ventured as Duo left a very embarrassed Heero on his lonesome and sat down at the table.
"There, not here," Duo replied. "And if you'd been nearby, you would have known. Probably kept the whole damn place up with his screams," he added with a wide grin.
"That's enough, thank you," Trowa intervened.
Duo shrugged. "We'll try to be quieter here... won't we?" he asked as he turned; Trowa and Wufei exchanged glances. "Come on, have a seat," he addressed Heero again, and took a piece of toast for himself as Heero pulled up a chair and sat down in silence, head down.
"I told you I'd make my move soon," Duo told Quatre with a wink. "Now it's your guys' turn. And what about you?" he asked, pointing his half-eaten toast at Wufei. "You need to get laid most of all."
"Leave me out of this," Wufei responded abruptly. "I don't want any part in your fooling around."
"Aw, stop being such a spoil-sport, Wu," Duo replied, and took another bite of his toast. "You're just upset because you're the odd one out."
"That has nothing to do with it," he retorted. "I don't need something as distracting as a relationship to worry about."
"Christ, lighten up a little. Get out and have some fun! Just because we're trying to fight a war doesn't mean we have to give up everything for it -"
"Leave him alone, Duo," Trowa finally spoke up in Wufei's defense. "Let him do what he wants."
"Spoil-sport," Duo muttered again as he leaned back in his chair. "Wanna go to the mall with me later, Quatre?"
"Sure," Quatre replied, and that was the end of the breakfast conversation.
Duo came into the room and sat down on Heero's bed. "Hey, uh... I'm sorry about this morning, by the way," he started, and then fell silent.
Heero paused in his typing, hands resting unmoving on the keys, but didn't answer.
"Pay attention to me when I'm talking to you!" Duo complained. "Get over here." Without a word, Heero rose and did as he was bid. "Have a seat." Duo patted the bed beside him; Heero sat. "Are you mad at me?"
"No," Heero answered, and Duo grinned.
"I didn't freak you out too much there, did I?" he asked. Heero was silent. Duo reached up to slide his hand over Heero's neck and up to his cheek, and turned his face towards him. "I'll be gentle here... unless you want it rough, of course," he added with a cheeky grin as Heero scowled. Duo slipped his other arm around Heero's waist and kissed him on the mouth, slow and sweet.
"Better?" he asked. Heero nodded. "Good. But I'm still on top," he replied with a smirk, and pushed Heero down onto the bed.