Disclaimer: It's probably a good thing that I don't own Gundam Wing, 'cause
just look at how mean I am to my favorite G-boys. (gestures to the story)
But I can still dream about it. Sigh.
Summary: After being experimented on, Heero and Duo have a few things to work out. 1+2. 3+4. Language. Sap. TWT. Comments are desperately wanted. ^__^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter Six, Working Things Out
Duo pleasantly awoke from his slumber with a loud yawn, stretching his arms above his head and extending his toes as far as they could go. He winced slightly when his wings spread wide in reflex, but it was a distant cry from what the pain had been before. When he opened his eyes to the bright morning light streaming in through the bedroom window, he found the white sheets balled up at his feet where he'd kicked them while he slept. For modesty's sake, he was glad he'd worn his boxers to sleep. With a tired smile Duo moved his leg, shoving the wad the rest of the way onto the floor to land with a satisfying thump.
When he turned over onto his side, he saw the sheets on Heero's vacated bed tucked so tightly under the mattress that he couldn't have pulled up a single square inch if he'd tried pinching it. Duo sat up, briefly wondering why Heero clung to military protocol when they were all alone. He stood and picked up the bundle on the floor, then flung it back onto the bed in his version of tidying up, figuring that his bed was now made. With his wings nestled comfortably behind his back, he made his way downstairs on his search for Heero.
His first thought was that he'd be in the kitchen eating breakfast (okay, maybe it was his stomach's first thought). Duo poked his head around the corner of the doorframe, but saw no one sitting at the wood table. He frowned and continued down the hallway, looking in the living room, the bathroom, even Wufei's vacant room. With an exasperated sigh Duo finally turned the handle of the door that led down to the basement and made his way down the shaky, dilapidated wood stairs while clutching the handrail in a death grip. //Damn, someone needs to fix these. Maybe I'll do that later.// His descent wasn't quiet, so if someone was down there it'd give them enough time to yell at him to go away. Or shoot him, if you wanted to be pessimistic.
"Yo, Heero, you down here?" he called. He heard the clank of metal and a small grunt of acknowledgement. "Okay, I'm comin' down!" He took the final steps off of the stairs and turned the corner, then stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded by what he saw.
Sure, he hadn't known what to expect, but this . . . //Yep, this could definitely give me some . . . pleasant dreams.// Heero was lying on his back on a bench clad only in his Spandex shorts, his knees toward Duo and his feet planted firmly on the ground as he lifted a weighted bar, his muscles straining taut as his arms stretched and contracted. His whole abdomen tightened with the effort and his chest rippled alluringly as a fine sheen of sweat covered him. The beautiful white wings were held rigidly out beside him, as involved in the work out as any other part of his body.
Duo snapped his mouth shut when he realized he'd been gaping for far too long. He watched in stunned silence as Heero gave one last push, then settled the bar onto a catch above his head. He sat upright to look in Duo's direction, with his arms and wings hanging limply at his sides.
Duo, uncomfortable in the silence, thought that maybe he should say something. "So, umm, what're ya doin'?"
Heero cocked an eyebrow at him. "Getting ready for our next mission." He stood to grab a towel that Duo hadn't seen lying on a stool across from him. He mopped up the sweat on his face, ran it roughly over his body, tousled his hair, then set it over his shoulders.
Duo had to give himself a mental shake. //Geesh, don't let him see you drool, for Pete's sake!// "Uh, what mission is that?" he asked intelligently.
In answer Heero looked pointedly at Duo's own wings. The look said enough for Duo to comprehend what he was saying.
"Why the weights?"
"Because we need to strengthen our muscles enough to use these." Heero fluttered his wings, sending a cool wash of air in the other boy's direction.
Duo flapped his own wings and knitted his brows slightly as sore muscles protested, but still he grinned at seeing the movement and knowing it was his own. The soft fur covering the leather softened the sound, making it a muffled beating of air. He felt the tug of resistance as the air pressed against his moving wings. "You mean we can't already?"
Heero shook his head and moved back over to the bench, wiping it off with this towel. "No, we're still too weak. Try some bench pressing; it'll help make you stronger." Heero's hands moved skillfully over the makeshift bar, removing weights made out of scraps of metal from both ends and placing them on the floor. "This should be light enough."
Duo approached the bench cautiously, as though it might bite. He lay down on his back, carefully spreading his wings to the side, and reached up to grasp the bar. He was somewhat surprised when a third hand joined his and shot a questioning look up at Heero. Or at least he would have if he hadn't been met with Heero's crotch almost right above him. His black Spandex left almost nothing to the imagination. "Uhh, Heero, what are you doing?"
"I'm spotting you, idiot."
//Now _why_ was I attracted to him again? Okay, okay, other than _that_,// he thought while looking at Heero's groin. Heero helped Duo lift the weights off the catch, then mostly left him to work on his own. His thought process was temporarily halted and it didn't take long before he was covered in sweat and panting heavily when he was at rest. His muscles were wearily screaming in abuse and he vaguely heard Heero's voice telling him to do just three more, two more, last one, then felt his strong hand helping him lift the bar back up.
Duo lay in exhaustion while Heero fanned him with his wings, then rolled his eyes up to meet Heero's gaze. "I think my arms are gonna fall off."
He was expecting some slashing remark like he usually would have gotten, but all he got was a grunt in response. "Sit up."
Duo groaned and lifted his tired body upright, hanging his head and dangling his arms off the sides of the bench. He was taken by surprise when he felt gentle hands lifting his braid out of the way and putting a towel around his shoulders to soak up the sweat. Then he saw the opportunity to execute his plan. "You know, Heero, a towel's not gonna cut it. We need a shower."
Heero gave him a blank stare, then said, "The towels are in the dryer over there." He pointed with his chin to the far corner of the basement, where two old, junky machines were located.
"In case you haven't noticed, I can't even reach up to undo my braid. How am I supposed to wash it?"
Heero turned to face him fully, his eyes questioning. "Are you asking me to help you shower?"
"Uhh, yeah," Duo replied and blushed slightly, smiling inwardly. //Heh heh heh, perfect. Oh, I'm so evil.//
Heero shrugged in answer and walked over to the dryer. The door with a loud creak and he bent at the waist to take out a couple of towels, giving Duo a nice view of his pert derriere, then clanged it shut. Without waiting he started up the stairs, leaving Duo to hastily stand and clamber up after him. He was glad that the others didn't seem to be around. They were probably out working on their Gundams.
Heero marched into the bathroom, turned on the lights, then let Duo in through the door before shutting it behind them. Duo barely had time to take a deep breath before Heero said, "Turn around."
Duo grinned. "Bashful, are we-- ack!" Duo was grabbed by his shoulders and spun around till his back faced Heero, then felt his braid being tugged. Before he could protest, he heard the band snap and felt his hair being unwound with surprising gentleness.
Gradually Duo relaxed as Heero's sure hands pulled apart the ropes of chestnut hair, loosening the knots and combing it with his fingers. Duo watched in the large mirror positioned over the sink as Heero softly ran his hands through the smooth, thick waves that cascaded of his back and tickled his wings. He couldn't help but smile at the look of sheer innocence and wonder on the other boy's face as he continued combing it even after he was finished, but all too soon his face became hard and passive again, the look of a soldier.
Duo quickly averted his eyes when Heero glanced up in the mirror and caught him watching, but all he said was, "Strip."
Duo's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped, watching in the mirror as Heero promptly peeled off his shorts, turning them inside out in the process. He stood there in all his nude glory, crossing his arms and waiting for Duo to do the same, for all the world looking like he was waiting for a show to start. "Well?"
"Uhh, yeah, I'm getting to it," Duo protested. He dropped his gaze from the mirror to stare at the floor as he pushed his boxers down over his hips and dropped them over his ankles. After he stepped out of them he just blushed and stood for a minute, then chanced a look up at Heero. His flush deepened as he saw that Heero was curiously looking him up and down, and despite his self-consciousness, Duo thought the expression was cute as hell on him.
Duo thought to alleviate his embarrassment by changing the subject. "Won't these get wet?" he asked, flapping his wings slightly. As soon as he said he thought, //Geesh, what a dumb question.// He snorted inwardly.
The other pilot walked over to the sink and turned on the hot and cold faucets, then stuck his hand under the running water and spilled some over his wing; the water rolled off the feathers in beads onto the floor. Duo joined him at the counter and did the same with his own wing. The fur covering it seemed to be water resistant, and the water dripped off harmlessly.
"Huh. Well there's one problem solved," Duo said while scratching the back of his head with one hand.
Heero walked past him to the tub and pulled aside the curtain, then ran the water until it was the right temperature before turning the shower on. The warm spray tapped against the curtain and coated Heero's hair in a fine mist. Without further adieu he stepped over the edge of the tub and got in, waiting expectantly for Duo to follow. "Hurry up, we don't have all day," he complained.
"I'm comin', I'm comin'. All good things come in time," Duo teased before unabashedly following suit and getting in under the showerhead. With his front side turned shamelessly toward Heero, Duo closed his eyes and tilted his head back under the spray, soaking his long tresses thoroughly. The water pattered softly against his wings, feeling like a hundred warm, wet kisses across the expanse of leather, and Duo was hard put to suppress a moan at the delicious feeling. He let the warm water relax sore neck muscles as his hair was soaked and automatically tried to reach up and back to comb through it with his fingers. With a grimace he was forced to stop as his shoulders decided not to cooperate. He heard the click of a bottle being opened, then felt warm hands on his upper arms, lightly turning him to face the cascade of water, then a gentle massage as shampoo was rubbed into his scalp. "Mmm, Heero, that feels good," Duo said lethargically. He grinned as the other pilot grunted in response.
Duo held his wings away from his body as the rubdown moved from the top of his head to follow the drenched locks downwards. His anticipation grew as Heero's skillful fingers swept down his lower back, his buttox, past his thighs, till he reached the end of Duo's hair. Almost against his will he felt himself beginning to harden by just visualizing what erotic things the other's hands could do while worked, but Heero frustratingly stuck to the task at hand, efficiently shampooing all of Duo's hair.
He opened his eyes when all sensation stopped, wondering what Heero was doing, when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder trying to turn him around. //Oh, shit, I'm still hard.// On the verge of panicking, Duo tried to buy himself some time by stalling, but the hands became more insistent.
"Duo, turn around so I can rinse out your hair," Heero growled. They struggled a little more forcefully, wings flapping and entangling, before one last shove spun him around to land flush with the other pilot, chests touching and faces inches apart. Duo closed his eyes in utter humiliation as his partial erection pressed into Heero's thigh, then went bug-eyed in shock as he felt Heero's answering arousal digging into his flesh.
Duo stuttered in an attempt to say something, an excuse or apology or anything, but nothing intelligible came out. They stared at each other for a long moment, the water beating on Duo's back and wings. The long-haired boy found himself drowning in twin pools of deep blue, marveling at the pure innocence he saw buried in them. //This is it. This must be why I care for him,// Duo thought in awed wonderment. He knew that the boy before him had killed hundreds of people in his brief lifetime; had been killing since he was very young. But there was still so much untouched innocence in him, something that Duo felt he himself lacked.
He realized he'd been staring for far too long and hastily backed away, his wings bumping into the wall behind him. "Uhh, sorry about that, really. Here, I'll just wash my hair out on my own," he offered. He expected Heero to angrily storm out of the bathroom or give him the cold shoulder, but instead Duo was surprised when he was quietly told to shut up. Heero placed a hand over Duo's eyes to protect them, then placed his head under the shower, gently letting the warm spray to rinse away the last remnants of shampoo from his hair. Duo was tilted back up and allowed to open his eyes. For a while they stared at each other again, then Heero took him by the shoulders and switched their positions.
"What, no conditioner?" Duo asked, slightly miffed that he wouldn't be getting any more of the wonderful treatment.
A small look of amusement passed over Heero's perfect features as he maneuvered his body under the shower. "It was a two in one shampoo and conditioner," he calmly stated as though nothing had happened and closed his eyes and mouth to drench his entire head.
Duo admired the sight, watching the rivulets of water course down his slim, fit body, before reaching for the shampoo bottle. He tried to read the label, but it was in a foreign language, so he looked at the pictures and gathered that what Heero said was true. //Damn.//
Heero pulled his head out of the stream and blinked water out of his eyes, then reached for the bottle in Duo's hands. Duo snatched it away before asking, "What are you doing?"
Heero frowned. "Washing my hair, what's it look like?"
Duo looked puzzled. "I thought we were doin' a 'you scratch my back, I scratch yours' kinda thing."
The Japanese pilot snorted, but his eyes softened as he said, "You can't even do your own hair. What makes me think you could do mine?" He silently took the bottle from him as Duo frowned in displeasure.
"Fine, but at least I get to watch the show." He put his hands on his hips and looked on as Heero smirked and vigorously lathered shampoo into his tangled mop of hair. His wings didn't seem to hinder his movements, so Duo had an unobstructed view of his lean chest working in tandem with his finely muscled arms and shoulders. Heero dunked his head under the spray again and washed out the residue, and Duo, finding his show cut short, again cursed the two in one shampoo. Heero turned his back towards Duo, trying not to bump him with his wings, and turned off the water. With only a single backward glance he pushed open the curtain and stepped out of the tub.
As soon as he got out, Duo grabbed a towel off of the toilet seat and started rubbing himself down. He was still embarrassed about their little "incident" and wanted to cover himself up, then sink into a crack in the floor and disappear. As he was toweling himself off he encountered a small problem: how to dry his wings. The skin underneath wasn't wet, but the water seemed to cloy to the soft fur, dripping constantly onto the floor and his lower back. He frowned at them for a while, as though scowling at the limbs would make the water vanish, when an idea hit him. With a manic grin he spread his wings wide and gave a powerful flap, spraying water everywhere and knocking himself back a step from the air resistance. The mirror was covered and dripping, as were the walls, the ceiling, and a slightly pissed Heero. Said boy scowled at him, all of his careful drying undone and his naked body dripping from head to toe. Duo smirked and did it again, ridding himself of the water and transfering it to Heero.
Duo shrugged and smiled innocently as Heero gave him a mild death glare. "Just drying off, buddy ol' pal," he said sweetly. He half thought that the other boy was going to come after him and do him bodily harm, but he just stayed where he was and closed his eyes in concentration. Duo barely had only just asked himself what the heck he was doing before the short-haired boy started ruffling the feathers of his wings in an elegant rise and fall, shaking the water off in a fine mist. It looked so simple, but he wondered how much control that small movement had taken. "Show off," he muttered.
Heero smirked, dried the rest of himself off again, then wrapped his towel around his waist. "You need help with that?" he asked, indicating Duo's wet tangle of hair.
Duo had tried toweling dry the lower locks that he could easily reach, but by the time he'd squeezed enough moisture out to dry it, more water seeped down from the top part of his hair and dripped down his back and legs. He nodded and grinned, saying, "Guess you get to play with my hair some more, angel boy."
Heero's face registered shock, then a slight, genuine smile played at the corners of his lips. As Duo wrapped a towel around himself and opened the bathroom door, Heero followed into the chill air, up the stairs and into their room, where Duo planned to execute second phase of his little operation and figure out what the hell was going on.
End Chapter Six.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note: Okay, when I wrote this I was trying really, really hard not to throw up, so please excuse the poor quality of writing. Man, I didn't even get to put in everything I wanted to! More plot development next chapter. Anyway, you likey? You no likey? Do tell, yes, do. I need feedback desperately! (goes into rabid dog mode) Must (twitch) have . . . REVIEWS!!!! (twitch twitch, drool) ^__^
Post Script: Gomen nasai, mina-san, but I'm going to be out of town this whole next week. I'll try very hard to get computer access, but I can't guarantee anything. Kudasai sumimasen!
Summary: After being experimented on, Heero and Duo have a few things to work out. 1+2. 3+4. Language. Sap. TWT. Comments are desperately wanted. ^__^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter Six, Working Things Out
Duo pleasantly awoke from his slumber with a loud yawn, stretching his arms above his head and extending his toes as far as they could go. He winced slightly when his wings spread wide in reflex, but it was a distant cry from what the pain had been before. When he opened his eyes to the bright morning light streaming in through the bedroom window, he found the white sheets balled up at his feet where he'd kicked them while he slept. For modesty's sake, he was glad he'd worn his boxers to sleep. With a tired smile Duo moved his leg, shoving the wad the rest of the way onto the floor to land with a satisfying thump.
When he turned over onto his side, he saw the sheets on Heero's vacated bed tucked so tightly under the mattress that he couldn't have pulled up a single square inch if he'd tried pinching it. Duo sat up, briefly wondering why Heero clung to military protocol when they were all alone. He stood and picked up the bundle on the floor, then flung it back onto the bed in his version of tidying up, figuring that his bed was now made. With his wings nestled comfortably behind his back, he made his way downstairs on his search for Heero.
His first thought was that he'd be in the kitchen eating breakfast (okay, maybe it was his stomach's first thought). Duo poked his head around the corner of the doorframe, but saw no one sitting at the wood table. He frowned and continued down the hallway, looking in the living room, the bathroom, even Wufei's vacant room. With an exasperated sigh Duo finally turned the handle of the door that led down to the basement and made his way down the shaky, dilapidated wood stairs while clutching the handrail in a death grip. //Damn, someone needs to fix these. Maybe I'll do that later.// His descent wasn't quiet, so if someone was down there it'd give them enough time to yell at him to go away. Or shoot him, if you wanted to be pessimistic.
"Yo, Heero, you down here?" he called. He heard the clank of metal and a small grunt of acknowledgement. "Okay, I'm comin' down!" He took the final steps off of the stairs and turned the corner, then stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded by what he saw.
Sure, he hadn't known what to expect, but this . . . //Yep, this could definitely give me some . . . pleasant dreams.// Heero was lying on his back on a bench clad only in his Spandex shorts, his knees toward Duo and his feet planted firmly on the ground as he lifted a weighted bar, his muscles straining taut as his arms stretched and contracted. His whole abdomen tightened with the effort and his chest rippled alluringly as a fine sheen of sweat covered him. The beautiful white wings were held rigidly out beside him, as involved in the work out as any other part of his body.
Duo snapped his mouth shut when he realized he'd been gaping for far too long. He watched in stunned silence as Heero gave one last push, then settled the bar onto a catch above his head. He sat upright to look in Duo's direction, with his arms and wings hanging limply at his sides.
Duo, uncomfortable in the silence, thought that maybe he should say something. "So, umm, what're ya doin'?"
Heero cocked an eyebrow at him. "Getting ready for our next mission." He stood to grab a towel that Duo hadn't seen lying on a stool across from him. He mopped up the sweat on his face, ran it roughly over his body, tousled his hair, then set it over his shoulders.
Duo had to give himself a mental shake. //Geesh, don't let him see you drool, for Pete's sake!// "Uh, what mission is that?" he asked intelligently.
In answer Heero looked pointedly at Duo's own wings. The look said enough for Duo to comprehend what he was saying.
"Why the weights?"
"Because we need to strengthen our muscles enough to use these." Heero fluttered his wings, sending a cool wash of air in the other boy's direction.
Duo flapped his own wings and knitted his brows slightly as sore muscles protested, but still he grinned at seeing the movement and knowing it was his own. The soft fur covering the leather softened the sound, making it a muffled beating of air. He felt the tug of resistance as the air pressed against his moving wings. "You mean we can't already?"
Heero shook his head and moved back over to the bench, wiping it off with this towel. "No, we're still too weak. Try some bench pressing; it'll help make you stronger." Heero's hands moved skillfully over the makeshift bar, removing weights made out of scraps of metal from both ends and placing them on the floor. "This should be light enough."
Duo approached the bench cautiously, as though it might bite. He lay down on his back, carefully spreading his wings to the side, and reached up to grasp the bar. He was somewhat surprised when a third hand joined his and shot a questioning look up at Heero. Or at least he would have if he hadn't been met with Heero's crotch almost right above him. His black Spandex left almost nothing to the imagination. "Uhh, Heero, what are you doing?"
"I'm spotting you, idiot."
//Now _why_ was I attracted to him again? Okay, okay, other than _that_,// he thought while looking at Heero's groin. Heero helped Duo lift the weights off the catch, then mostly left him to work on his own. His thought process was temporarily halted and it didn't take long before he was covered in sweat and panting heavily when he was at rest. His muscles were wearily screaming in abuse and he vaguely heard Heero's voice telling him to do just three more, two more, last one, then felt his strong hand helping him lift the bar back up.
Duo lay in exhaustion while Heero fanned him with his wings, then rolled his eyes up to meet Heero's gaze. "I think my arms are gonna fall off."
He was expecting some slashing remark like he usually would have gotten, but all he got was a grunt in response. "Sit up."
Duo groaned and lifted his tired body upright, hanging his head and dangling his arms off the sides of the bench. He was taken by surprise when he felt gentle hands lifting his braid out of the way and putting a towel around his shoulders to soak up the sweat. Then he saw the opportunity to execute his plan. "You know, Heero, a towel's not gonna cut it. We need a shower."
Heero gave him a blank stare, then said, "The towels are in the dryer over there." He pointed with his chin to the far corner of the basement, where two old, junky machines were located.
"In case you haven't noticed, I can't even reach up to undo my braid. How am I supposed to wash it?"
Heero turned to face him fully, his eyes questioning. "Are you asking me to help you shower?"
"Uhh, yeah," Duo replied and blushed slightly, smiling inwardly. //Heh heh heh, perfect. Oh, I'm so evil.//
Heero shrugged in answer and walked over to the dryer. The door with a loud creak and he bent at the waist to take out a couple of towels, giving Duo a nice view of his pert derriere, then clanged it shut. Without waiting he started up the stairs, leaving Duo to hastily stand and clamber up after him. He was glad that the others didn't seem to be around. They were probably out working on their Gundams.
Heero marched into the bathroom, turned on the lights, then let Duo in through the door before shutting it behind them. Duo barely had time to take a deep breath before Heero said, "Turn around."
Duo grinned. "Bashful, are we-- ack!" Duo was grabbed by his shoulders and spun around till his back faced Heero, then felt his braid being tugged. Before he could protest, he heard the band snap and felt his hair being unwound with surprising gentleness.
Gradually Duo relaxed as Heero's sure hands pulled apart the ropes of chestnut hair, loosening the knots and combing it with his fingers. Duo watched in the large mirror positioned over the sink as Heero softly ran his hands through the smooth, thick waves that cascaded of his back and tickled his wings. He couldn't help but smile at the look of sheer innocence and wonder on the other boy's face as he continued combing it even after he was finished, but all too soon his face became hard and passive again, the look of a soldier.
Duo quickly averted his eyes when Heero glanced up in the mirror and caught him watching, but all he said was, "Strip."
Duo's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped, watching in the mirror as Heero promptly peeled off his shorts, turning them inside out in the process. He stood there in all his nude glory, crossing his arms and waiting for Duo to do the same, for all the world looking like he was waiting for a show to start. "Well?"
"Uhh, yeah, I'm getting to it," Duo protested. He dropped his gaze from the mirror to stare at the floor as he pushed his boxers down over his hips and dropped them over his ankles. After he stepped out of them he just blushed and stood for a minute, then chanced a look up at Heero. His flush deepened as he saw that Heero was curiously looking him up and down, and despite his self-consciousness, Duo thought the expression was cute as hell on him.
Duo thought to alleviate his embarrassment by changing the subject. "Won't these get wet?" he asked, flapping his wings slightly. As soon as he said he thought, //Geesh, what a dumb question.// He snorted inwardly.
The other pilot walked over to the sink and turned on the hot and cold faucets, then stuck his hand under the running water and spilled some over his wing; the water rolled off the feathers in beads onto the floor. Duo joined him at the counter and did the same with his own wing. The fur covering it seemed to be water resistant, and the water dripped off harmlessly.
"Huh. Well there's one problem solved," Duo said while scratching the back of his head with one hand.
Heero walked past him to the tub and pulled aside the curtain, then ran the water until it was the right temperature before turning the shower on. The warm spray tapped against the curtain and coated Heero's hair in a fine mist. Without further adieu he stepped over the edge of the tub and got in, waiting expectantly for Duo to follow. "Hurry up, we don't have all day," he complained.
"I'm comin', I'm comin'. All good things come in time," Duo teased before unabashedly following suit and getting in under the showerhead. With his front side turned shamelessly toward Heero, Duo closed his eyes and tilted his head back under the spray, soaking his long tresses thoroughly. The water pattered softly against his wings, feeling like a hundred warm, wet kisses across the expanse of leather, and Duo was hard put to suppress a moan at the delicious feeling. He let the warm water relax sore neck muscles as his hair was soaked and automatically tried to reach up and back to comb through it with his fingers. With a grimace he was forced to stop as his shoulders decided not to cooperate. He heard the click of a bottle being opened, then felt warm hands on his upper arms, lightly turning him to face the cascade of water, then a gentle massage as shampoo was rubbed into his scalp. "Mmm, Heero, that feels good," Duo said lethargically. He grinned as the other pilot grunted in response.
Duo held his wings away from his body as the rubdown moved from the top of his head to follow the drenched locks downwards. His anticipation grew as Heero's skillful fingers swept down his lower back, his buttox, past his thighs, till he reached the end of Duo's hair. Almost against his will he felt himself beginning to harden by just visualizing what erotic things the other's hands could do while worked, but Heero frustratingly stuck to the task at hand, efficiently shampooing all of Duo's hair.
He opened his eyes when all sensation stopped, wondering what Heero was doing, when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder trying to turn him around. //Oh, shit, I'm still hard.// On the verge of panicking, Duo tried to buy himself some time by stalling, but the hands became more insistent.
"Duo, turn around so I can rinse out your hair," Heero growled. They struggled a little more forcefully, wings flapping and entangling, before one last shove spun him around to land flush with the other pilot, chests touching and faces inches apart. Duo closed his eyes in utter humiliation as his partial erection pressed into Heero's thigh, then went bug-eyed in shock as he felt Heero's answering arousal digging into his flesh.
Duo stuttered in an attempt to say something, an excuse or apology or anything, but nothing intelligible came out. They stared at each other for a long moment, the water beating on Duo's back and wings. The long-haired boy found himself drowning in twin pools of deep blue, marveling at the pure innocence he saw buried in them. //This is it. This must be why I care for him,// Duo thought in awed wonderment. He knew that the boy before him had killed hundreds of people in his brief lifetime; had been killing since he was very young. But there was still so much untouched innocence in him, something that Duo felt he himself lacked.
He realized he'd been staring for far too long and hastily backed away, his wings bumping into the wall behind him. "Uhh, sorry about that, really. Here, I'll just wash my hair out on my own," he offered. He expected Heero to angrily storm out of the bathroom or give him the cold shoulder, but instead Duo was surprised when he was quietly told to shut up. Heero placed a hand over Duo's eyes to protect them, then placed his head under the shower, gently letting the warm spray to rinse away the last remnants of shampoo from his hair. Duo was tilted back up and allowed to open his eyes. For a while they stared at each other again, then Heero took him by the shoulders and switched their positions.
"What, no conditioner?" Duo asked, slightly miffed that he wouldn't be getting any more of the wonderful treatment.
A small look of amusement passed over Heero's perfect features as he maneuvered his body under the shower. "It was a two in one shampoo and conditioner," he calmly stated as though nothing had happened and closed his eyes and mouth to drench his entire head.
Duo admired the sight, watching the rivulets of water course down his slim, fit body, before reaching for the shampoo bottle. He tried to read the label, but it was in a foreign language, so he looked at the pictures and gathered that what Heero said was true. //Damn.//
Heero pulled his head out of the stream and blinked water out of his eyes, then reached for the bottle in Duo's hands. Duo snatched it away before asking, "What are you doing?"
Heero frowned. "Washing my hair, what's it look like?"
Duo looked puzzled. "I thought we were doin' a 'you scratch my back, I scratch yours' kinda thing."
The Japanese pilot snorted, but his eyes softened as he said, "You can't even do your own hair. What makes me think you could do mine?" He silently took the bottle from him as Duo frowned in displeasure.
"Fine, but at least I get to watch the show." He put his hands on his hips and looked on as Heero smirked and vigorously lathered shampoo into his tangled mop of hair. His wings didn't seem to hinder his movements, so Duo had an unobstructed view of his lean chest working in tandem with his finely muscled arms and shoulders. Heero dunked his head under the spray again and washed out the residue, and Duo, finding his show cut short, again cursed the two in one shampoo. Heero turned his back towards Duo, trying not to bump him with his wings, and turned off the water. With only a single backward glance he pushed open the curtain and stepped out of the tub.
As soon as he got out, Duo grabbed a towel off of the toilet seat and started rubbing himself down. He was still embarrassed about their little "incident" and wanted to cover himself up, then sink into a crack in the floor and disappear. As he was toweling himself off he encountered a small problem: how to dry his wings. The skin underneath wasn't wet, but the water seemed to cloy to the soft fur, dripping constantly onto the floor and his lower back. He frowned at them for a while, as though scowling at the limbs would make the water vanish, when an idea hit him. With a manic grin he spread his wings wide and gave a powerful flap, spraying water everywhere and knocking himself back a step from the air resistance. The mirror was covered and dripping, as were the walls, the ceiling, and a slightly pissed Heero. Said boy scowled at him, all of his careful drying undone and his naked body dripping from head to toe. Duo smirked and did it again, ridding himself of the water and transfering it to Heero.
Duo shrugged and smiled innocently as Heero gave him a mild death glare. "Just drying off, buddy ol' pal," he said sweetly. He half thought that the other boy was going to come after him and do him bodily harm, but he just stayed where he was and closed his eyes in concentration. Duo barely had only just asked himself what the heck he was doing before the short-haired boy started ruffling the feathers of his wings in an elegant rise and fall, shaking the water off in a fine mist. It looked so simple, but he wondered how much control that small movement had taken. "Show off," he muttered.
Heero smirked, dried the rest of himself off again, then wrapped his towel around his waist. "You need help with that?" he asked, indicating Duo's wet tangle of hair.
Duo had tried toweling dry the lower locks that he could easily reach, but by the time he'd squeezed enough moisture out to dry it, more water seeped down from the top part of his hair and dripped down his back and legs. He nodded and grinned, saying, "Guess you get to play with my hair some more, angel boy."
Heero's face registered shock, then a slight, genuine smile played at the corners of his lips. As Duo wrapped a towel around himself and opened the bathroom door, Heero followed into the chill air, up the stairs and into their room, where Duo planned to execute second phase of his little operation and figure out what the hell was going on.
End Chapter Six.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Note: Okay, when I wrote this I was trying really, really hard not to throw up, so please excuse the poor quality of writing. Man, I didn't even get to put in everything I wanted to! More plot development next chapter. Anyway, you likey? You no likey? Do tell, yes, do. I need feedback desperately! (goes into rabid dog mode) Must (twitch) have . . . REVIEWS!!!! (twitch twitch, drool) ^__^
Post Script: Gomen nasai, mina-san, but I'm going to be out of town this whole next week. I'll try very hard to get computer access, but I can't guarantee anything. Kudasai sumimasen!