A candlelight dinner for two (and five)

Duo sunk back into the bed with a sigh and glanced over at Heero's empty bed. Heero, Trowa and Quarte had just left on a mission; He and Wufei were the only ones left in the house. 'What to do? What to do?' Duo wondered and put his hands behind his head.

The braided pilot played the end of his braid in his fingers and remembers the new Mangas he had bought before his last mission that he had not gotten around to yet. He bounced over to the closet, throwing out t-shirts, soiled sheets, CD's and other assorted unidentifiable objects. He came up with the Sailor Bishoujo Senshi Mangas and smiled bouncing into the living room to read them in front of the fire.

Wufei stood in the living room, silent figure. He was stripped down to his pants while he did his morning exercises. A red blindfold was drawn across his eyes so that his sight did not cloud his practice. He heard the steps of not-so-careful feet almost skipping up the hall and sighed to himself. 'That Braided Baka! He will no doubt interrupt me. I may as well call that finished.' Wufei quickly gathered his swords and other implements of destruction and headed quickly into his room. He deposited them in various hiding places and picked up his book.

Returning to the living room he sat in a comfortable chair and opened the book, reading the characters quickly but efficiently. Duo as he had already guessed walked from the kitchen with a cup of hot coco and a cup of Wufei's favorite Green tea. He handed Wufei the green tea and stood before him.

"Thanks." Wufei mumbled as he sipped the tea, eyes never leaving the finely printed Chinese text in his hands.

"What-cha reading Wu?" Duo asked dropping to his knees and propping his elbows up on Wufei's crossed legs.

"Nothing of concern to you." Wufei replied shortly pulling his legs from under Duo unsuccessfully, causing Duo to tumble foreword face first into Wufei's lap.

"If you wanted to play all you had to do was ask Wu-man." Duo said muffled by the fabric slightly. He raised his arms and wrapped them around Wufei's Waist, pulling himself up slowly he grinned evil and walked over to a chair plopping down in it so his legs were over one arm and his back was against the other. He pulled one of his mangas out and began to read. That same bright smile still plastered on his face.

'Why did that please me so much?' Wufei thought looking up over the top of his book at the strange braided enigma that lounged on the other chair. 'Why has he floated in and out of my thoughts all morning?'

"I'm out, want more?" Duo asked Wufei holding up his class to the Asian Pilot.

"Hai." Wufei whispered to caught up in his own thoughts for the other pilot to realize he had answered in Japanese. Heero had been teaching him Japanese in his spare time.

"Ne." Duo said his usual smile broadening. He bounced from the room; Wufei watched him go and wished for a moment that he'd stay and maybe that he'd lean against him again.

'Wonder why Wu-man was looking at me like that? I hope he didn't find out about… but he couldn't know, could he? I thought that when I'd gone into his room last night to watch him sleep. He had been asleep… maybe not? No it was probably just because of how I 'fell' into his lap earlier.' Duo shrugged to him self; no way for him to know what the object of his secret affections was thinking just then…

'Duo, where did you go?' Wufei wondered, he had stopped reading a while ago. The braided ball of energy had not noticed when he had started turning pages backwards. Wufei was counting on him not realizing it and just taking it as the book being in English or something to that extent. 'Why was he in my room last night? Did he not realize I was almost up and out of my bed to kill him before I saw his reflection in the window? Such a stupid boy…

Wufei was almost asleep, but had not drifted away on cloud 9 quite yet; when Duo came into the room, padding on the balls of his bare feet soundlessly. Wufei glanced into the window to see if it was a pilot before he took his sword from it's hiding place and killed the intruder. When he saw that it was Duo he had pretended to be asleep, but he did not know why. Duo snuck around to the other side of the bed and watched Wufei's chest rise and fall.

Wufei lay on his back on the futon, blankets pulled up over his chest, arms resting over the covers. He appeared to be in nothing but boxers; but Duo could not tell. He stood over him for a long time then pulled the blanket back over his feet. Duo leaned close and kissed his cheek whispering, "Sleep well my friend." He had wanted to say 'Ai shiteru Wufei Chang.' But he could not make himself say it, he was scared of how his partner would react, so he had bitten his lip and mumbled to his friend to sleep well.

Duo was unsure of how he would react if Wufei asked him why he had done it, but then Duo did not know of Wufei's many hours spent sleepless standing over duo's sleeping form. Once Wufei allowed his hand to reach out and stroke his hair, but he was afraid of what he would do if he stayed there longer so he left as quickly as he could. He had never been stupid enough to go to Duo's sleeping form when he was sharing a room with Heero; he was more afraid that the other pilot, the machine of a man Heero would see Wufei's weakness, love. Love for Duo, another boy, a person he could be nearer than anyone else.

If he could tell him how he felt.

Wufei knew what a romantic Duo was, he had made it a job of his to find out Duo's favorite books were all of them were romance, (even if they were mostly mangas). And he had planned a candle lit dinner. Duo was a bad cook so Wufei knew he would be cooking. He planned that a few hours before dinner he would send Duo to go pick up some groceries and then prepare dinner for them, he had already gotten candles, roses, steaks and greens for salad. He had even gone to the trouble of getting some wine illegally for the occasion. It was all hidden well, now he only had to wait.

Duo bounced back into the room, handing the other pilot his drink, then plopped down in the chair he had been in and went back to reading his Sailor Moon Manga. He thought for a second he had seen Wufei watching him over the top of his book, but when he looked up all he saw was Wufei reading his book to himself. He turned a page and Duo almost laughed, he was turning pages the wrong way. "You Wu-man, way to read a book backwards, only you man!" Duo bubbled and went on reading. He was trying to feign a certain callous sarcasm for Wufei so he wouldn't find out until dinner. He was going to go shopping and pick up a package ha had ordered online at the post office.

It was a knife. Not just any knife, it was a hunting knife, with a arm band so he could wear it in a holster like a gun. He knew how much Wufei hated guns and wanted to get him something special, he could not see his dear Wufei wearing jewelry, or having any use for a romantic gift such as flowers of candy so he had gotten the warrior at heart a weapon.

He had once read that there was nothing more intimate to a man than his sword. Wufei took that to new heights.

Wufei standing up and reading the clock brought duo out of his thoughts. "Duo, I have some things I need in town, would you go and picking them up? There is a list on the refrigerator. Be back by six o'clock for dinner." With that he strode from the room into his bedroom.

'Why was that so hard?' Wufei thought slumping against the door of his room. He heard Duo pick up his keys and open the door.

"Wear a coat Duo!" Wufei called out to duo knowing he had not picked up his jacket from the hook by the door.

"Can I take your bike?" Duo called out to his friend as he stood in the doorway.

"Yes but it better come back whole or it'll be your head!" Wufei called back to the reluctant pilot. "And tuck your braid in you don't want it ripped off!"

Duo clutched the end of his braid protectively as he stood in the doorway. "All right! Where are the keys Wu-man?"

"I've got them." Duo walked towards Wufei's room just as Wufei opened the door. "I thought I said you should wear a jacket." Wufei scolded him, Duo turned and took a jacket from the peg, pulling it on and leaving his braid tucked in. Wufei turned to his closet and came back with his spare helmet. "Here. Don't want to see your brains splattered across the road anytime soon, Quarte would kill me." Duo smiled and Wufei wondered why he was being so quiet.

"Thanks mom!" Duo smiled and hugged Wufei awkwardly, kissing him on the cheek dangerously close to his lips. He giggled as Wufei melted in his hands and tried to pull himself together.

"DUO!"

"Bye!" Duo peeped and rushed out the door pulling the helmet over his head and straddling the bike with a hop.

Wufei went to work quickly putting the food on, tossing the salad, setting the table, he let the meat simmer on low as he showered and dressed, then finished it quickly making plates up and setting them in place at the table.

It was almost 5:45 he had to wait. He tried to read, then he tried to straiten the table more; after some time he gave up and paced.

It had to have been an hour, he looked up at the clock and only 10 minutes had passed. He sighed just as the door opened and Duo came in.

"Duo." Wufei allowed himself one of his rare smiles and took Duo's bags, setting them on the counter and led him to a chair pulling it out for him. He walked around the table and sat at the other side. Dinner is served.

'Duo is being uncharacteasticaly quiet today;' Wufei thought as he lit the candles in the middle of the table.

'All of this for me, what did I do to deserve all of this?' Duo wondered as Wufei smiled at him and lit the candles.

"I made you dinner Duo." Wufei set a plate before him with a silver cover on it and whisked it away professionally and smiled as Duo's mouth watered.

"Thank you Wufei." Duo smiled and stood. Puzzling his friend he walked over to the shopping bags and removed the package, he had had it wrapped. He took it to Wufei; the silver and red dragon print paper glittered in the candlelight. "You can pretend it's for a late or early birthday present or early Christmas present, but in truth it's just because…" Duo paused unable to make himself say what he had planned, repeating it to himself over and over the whole way home. I love you Wufei. "I can." He finished barely missing a beat.

"Thank you." Wufei balked at the boy standing over him, he looked down at the gift in his hands and smiled softly. Setting to work he sliced through the tape on the paper with his thumbnail, then folded the paper beside his plate on the table.

He looked at the white box before him and smiled softly. He opened the box and almost dropped it looking at the silver thing before him.

The knife shone in the candlelight softly, it's surface reflecting like clear water his surprised face. The blade was inscribed and Wufei had to hold it up to the candles to read the kanji on it.

His voice stumbled over the words as he read it aloud. "To my Wu-man. From Your braided idiot." He stopped trying to find the words. "You are mine Duo? And I am yours?" Wufei looked at him for a second. Duo's face was locked in shock. "Do you know little one why I set this all up?" Wufei motioned to the table set for two and the growing-cold food. Duo wasn't quite sure so he took his chair again, he was sure he'd want to be sitting down for this.

"No Fei why did you?" Duo looked up into Wufei's eyes, looked so deeply that for a moment he did not register what Wufei had said.

"I love you Duo." Duo looked shocked as Wufei stood and knelt before Duo. "And I want, more than anything, for you to love me too."

"Oh Fei, I've always loved you, but how was I suspos'd tell you. I almost did so many times…"

"Like when you were in my room last night?" Wufei asked. He moved doing like Duo had earlier and leaning his arms on Duo's legs.

Duo blushed and looked at the boy before him, his boy. "Yes like last night, I couldn't make myself say it; but Fei I do love you so much."

"I feel better Duo."

"Me too Fei." Duo smiled "you worked hard on this meal, why don't we finish our food?"

"All right, under one condition."

"What's that?" with that Wufei picked up his chair and set it next to Duo's, and then he moved his plate and smiled at the boy next to him beaming.

"I get to feed you." Duo blushed and sighed nodding.

They spent the meal giggling between mouthfuls of steak and salad, and holding hands under the table, like their mothers were watching, which would be quite impossible in either case.

As the meal finished Wufei stood only long enough to retrieve two wine glasses and the wine. He smiled as he asked if Duo would like some.

"No." Duo said looking at his feet." Wufei frowned. "But you can have some if you'd like Fei, I won't stop you." At this Duo seamed unhappier saying the later. Wufei sat the bottle in some ice conveniently near the table (he had thought of everything.) and sat down again next to Duo.

"Duo dear, why don't you want any wine?" Wufei asked pulling him into his arms. Duo blushed but would not lie.

"I want to spend, tonight with you, nor nesceaceraly with you, but in your arms, close and I would not want alcohol to cloud our judgement and have either of us do anything we would regret." Wufei had never seen the careful side of Duo and realized how well he didn't know his friend.

"Alright, I will not make you do anything you don't want to do." Wufei smiled and put the wine back away and smiled at the other boy softly taking his hand.

"Follow me?" he asked. Duo nodded and stood following the smiling Asian pilot. Wufei asked Duo to close his eyes, he trusted his love so he did and allowed himself to be lead.

After a moment Wufei stopped and picked Duo up with an excuse of not wanting him to hit his foot or trip. 'He feels so nice against my chest." Wufei thought pulling the other boy closer again.

He took him to the balcony and set him down. He stepped up behind him and circled his hands around his waist, chin resting against his shoulder. "Open your eyes." Wufei whispered, lips dangerously close to his ear.

Duo opened his eyes, the city sparkled below him like glitter thrown allover the world by an unseen little girl in the sky. Allover the city lights glittered; it was early December so the Christmas lights only added to the affect. It was hard to tell where the earth met the sky the sky glittered with stars. A shooting star flew past and Duo pointed up at it.

"Quick make a wish love."

Duo closed his eyes. 'I wish this love we share to be pure and last our whole lives;' he wished it with all of his heart to himself, eyes clenched tight.

'I wish my love to be strong and for the love we share to be flawless.' Wufei thought looking up at the night sky.

Duo turned to Wufei and kissed his cheek, unsure of himself around him still. Wufei took his chin in his hands and brought their lips together, barely touching – a light brush of the soft skin together. "Is that alright?" Wufei asked holding their lips inches apart.

"Don't stop love." Duo whispered to him, moving to kiss him softly. Their arms fell into place perfectly around each other, coiled loosely and possessively as they looked up at the stars together.

After a while it got cold and they retreated inside. Duo's bed lay in disuse that night. They lay in each other's arms until sleep claimed them. And there they lie though the night.


Duo woke to the warmth of a body pressed to his; he opened his eyes to Wufei's eyes looking into his face.

"Good morning love."

"Good morning Fei." Duo smiled and snuggled up against Wufei's chest. "I see you are neglecting your exercise for me." Duo said looking up at the clock.

"I guess I have. Would you care to join me?"

"Mmrgph" said Duo.

"Now you may be beautiful Duo, but there's no need to be rude." Wufei giggled smiling down at the sweet boy in his arms. Duo smiled back and neither of them moved wanting the moment to last forever.

(should I go on?)