Travelling in Circles: Chapter 2
By Blue Roses.
Warnings and disclaimers in chapter 1.
***
In the morning, Duo woke to the smell of cooking. He walked downstairs and found Quatre making scrambled eggs. He was looking more cheerful, and had obviously decided to ignore the conversation of the night before. Duo didn't mind. He was sure this couldn't continue for long.
They sat on the porch to eat their breakfast where a little bird with a yellow breast shared their table and tried to share Duo's breakfast. He had looked so sweet sitting there cocking his head at them that they had been please to see him, until he grabbed the nearest piece of toast, which happened to be on Duo's plate.
Quatre was very amused to hear Duo's cry of "Thief!" and watched him chase the offender to a nearby tree where he sat enjoying it as Duo looked on helplessly, unable to reach him.
When Duo had admitted defeat and come back to the table, Quatre outlined his plan for the day, to go to the nearest village to get more food and some things that they needed. Duo agreed, not mentioning their earlier conversation or that he wanted to continue it. He knew they would talk, but it had to come on Quatre's terms.
They wandered down to the beach where Quatre's boat was. They pulled the bright blue fishing boat out into the water and waded out barefoot to get into it, throwing their shoes into the boat in front of them, and getting quite a lot of water in the boat with them as they climbed in.
The water was a clear blue, and the sand below it was bright yellow. They bobbed along, Quatre steering and Duo trying to spot tropical fish in the water. He saw quite a few whilst they were going along, and at one point, Quatre was afraid that he would put them both in the water with his excitement.
The village was a small, brightly painted place, and the local shop was well stocked and staffed by a very helpful and relaxed rasta man, who had reggae music playing in the background. They bought their food and had a look around the place. Duo was enchanted with it. He loved the fact that they saw chickens running in peoples' gardens. "Look!" he said to Quatre, "fast food!". A cow looked at them with a deep stare from where it was tied to a house, and they watched the fishermen going out to sea.
Once they had left the village they discussed what they thought life must have been like there. Duo thought he'd like to live there among the palm trees, and fishing nets, but Quatre disagreed.
"Did you see how small their houses were? Not that you need a big house, but they're probably quite poor, and it must be difficult to survive. You can be unhappy even in paradise."
Duo looked at his friend for a moment, then decided to risk it. "Like you are?" he asked.
"I'm not poor." said Quatre, missing the point.
"No, but you are unhappy."
"I suppose so."
They left it there for the while, as Duo was worried that if they started talking about anything too important that Quatre would forget he was driving the little boat and drive them into some rocks. Duo preferred to know when he was going swimming - he was still getting used to the sea, because they didn't have seas on the colonies, water was too precious for it not to be controlled. He liked the sea, but he didn't quite trust it yet.
When they had returned, and Quatre had packed away all of the things they had bought they went to sit on the beach. Watching the waves breaking on the sand and sitting there, Duo decided it was time for their 'little talk'.
"So, Quatre, tell me what's bothering you."
"Well, it's not much really."
"Come on, it must be pretty important for you to give up on civilisation. However lovely this place is, it's not exactly buzzing with people."
"I like the quiet."
"Stop avoiding the question. Tell me what's wrong. It's to do with Trowa, isn't it."
"Yeah."
"Well, what's wrong?" Duo asked more gently.
"Well, umm, you see..." there was a pause "I think I'm in love with him."
Duo sighed inwardly. Finally they had reached the point of this. He'd always guessed that that was the case. "And you can't tell him that?"
"Well, I don't know what his reaction will be."
Duo nodded. He wished he had a good answer, but he knew how difficult it could be. He didn't think Quatre would have too much of a problem, though. "This is Trowa we're talking about. Quatre he's your best friend, and I've seen you together. He's not going to chuck you out, or ignore you. He's not the sort of perfectly arrogant bastard who would do a thing like that."
"Sound like you're talking about someone specific there, Duo."
"Who, me? No. Just talking about Trowa, no one else."
"You know asking your advice about this wasn't the only reason I asked you here to talk about, Duo."
"Really?" Duo was surprised slightly. He couldn't think of anything else that Quatre would be worried enough about to ask him all the way out here.
"No. I asked you here because I wanted to know if you felt that way about Heero."
Duo almost fell off his chair. "Heero?" he stuttered.
"Yes" said Quatre
Duo stared at Quatre and then sighed. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.
Quatre looked slightly startled. "No Duo, I didn't know. I couldn't tell what you were feeling. I only wanted to ask because I know Heero feels that way about you."
This time Duo did fall off his chair. He was unable to speak except to murmur "Heero?" so Quatre decided to fill him in.
"I saw him in London, I was there to see a business contract. We just bumped into one another in a coffee shop. I'm not sure why he was there, he didn't say, but we started talking about you. Duo, I'm sure he feels something for you."
"Did he say that?" Whispered Duo.
"Well no, not exactly."
"Then how do you know?"
"Well, I had a very strong feeling. Heero is usually really difficult to read, you know, but he talked to me about you a lot."
"You almost gave me a heart attack over an unconfirmed feeling? I thought he'd told you or something. I can't believe you did that to me Quatre!"
"But I'm sure he feels something for you, Duo."
"Yeah, hatred and annoyance probably."
"But you love him..."
"Well, I'm an idiot. Only someone as stupid as me would fall for a rock like Heero Yuy. I don't think he has human feelings except for duty and suicidal tendencies."
"Then why do you love him?"
"I don't know. Because he's gorgeous probably. I can't help it. When he's around everything else just fades into the background, and it doesn't really matter what he does, it's enough that he's there. I could put up with his moods and his seriousness if I thought that he felt something for me apart from annoyance though. It would make it all worth it, that I'd touched him in some way."
"You have, Duo. You're his main topic of conversation, believe me. He wouldn't talk that way about you if you just annoyed him."
"He might. You don't know Heero like I do."
"Exactly. No one knows him like you do. No one's managed to get as close as you have."
"I don't know." Duo looked doubtful.
"Believe me, Duo, you should tell him how you feel. If you love him it's worth taking the chance."
Duo looked at his friend and grinned suddenly. "I'll only tell him if you tell Trowa." he said.
"Blackmail?" Asked Quatre.
"Of course! We could make a trip of it, go together and find them both. I have to make sure you hold up your end of the bargain." The teasing, laughing note was back in Duo's voice, but Quatre took his suggestion seriously.
"Good idea! We'll get the plane to come tomorrow." he jumped up, "I have to pack!"
"Hey! Does it have to be that soon? Can't we think about it or something first?"
"This is important Duo." said Quatre who was already grabbing things he thought he would need from around the house. "Anyway, if I left it, you'd manage to think of an excuse to get out of it. We have to do this sometime, it might as well be now."
"So much for my holiday in paradise." sighed Duo.