Chapter 4
Duo lay on his bed, head dangling off the side. He had been reading a manga, but he finished it and was too lazy to get up and get another.
Why me? Why does this always happen to me? Genetic altercations aren't unheard of, but on this scale? Jesus! This has got to be a dream.
So thinking, he pinched himself…and regretted it. Nope. Not a dream. What is Heero doing? He's been in there for at least an hour! Duo sighed and flopped over onto his stomach, nibbling absentmindedly on the end of his braid. Suddenly the shower was turned off, and shortly after,
"Duo? Where do you keep the towels?"
"In the cabinet below the sink!" Duo shouted back.
"Arigatou." Heero muttered, just loud enough for Duo to hear.
Duo about fell off the bed for a second time that day, but managed to grab the covers and stay on. Did Heero just say thank you? What the hell is going on here?
The American flopped his head onto a pillow and covered his face with his manga. He was almost asleep when he heard Heero returning from the shower. Pulling his manga down so he could see, Duo's muddled vision cleared instantly.
A towel flung around his waist Heero stepped from the bathroom. Wings that were formerly a muted white, were now pristine and sparkling. Damp hair clung to the contours of Heero's face as he asked
"You said I could borrow some clothes?"
"Er…um…oh yeah. Gimme a sec." Duo mumbled and rushed for the closet where he could bury his overheated face in the cool darkness. What the hell was that? It was almost like…like I was…attracted to him. Nah. It couldn't be. Duo took a deep breath and began rummaging through his clothes. Socks and underwear. Slacks? Nah. Sweats. Duo wrinkled his nose. Definitely not. Jeans? Yes!! Now for the shirt. Nope. No. Ick, hell no! Why do I even have this in here?! Nope. Nope. Ha HA! I have just the thing! Duo emerged triumphantly from his closet.
"Okay Heero, try 'em on and tell me how they fit!" Duo grabbed Heero by the shoulders, propelled him back to the bathroom, and threw the clothes in after him.
Duo sat down on the bed to wait. Two minutes later Heero appeared still shirtless.
"Duo, the shirt is not manufactured to clothe the contours of my bodily peculiarities."
"Jeez man! Couldn't you just have said it didn't fit?"
Ignoring the glare he was receiving, Duo took the shirt from Heero's hands and examined it carefully.
"I think I can do something about that. Gimme a sec."
Duo dashed out to his living room, grabbed his sewing kit and raced back to his bedroom. Using the scissors he carefully cut two slits from the collar to about halfway down the back of the shirt.
"Duo?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you sure you don't mind ruining your shirt?"
Duo flashed him a dazzling smile. "Of course not Heero! It's for a good cause anyway." He went back to his work.
"Oh..um…alright then." Heero answered a bit dazedly.
After cutting the slits Duo rummaged through his bag and came up with two sets of fasteners. After selecting a thread he began to carefully sew them on.
"I didn't know you knew how to sew."
"When you're a bachelor, it's something you learn how to do really quickly."
Duo's single? Maybe…no. Heero didn't allow himself to continue his train of thought and went back to concentrating on Duo's movements.
"Done! Ok, Heero. Step into the shirt and pull it up. Your wings should fall directly into the slits and you can fasten the ends above them!"
"Hn." Heero agreed as he slid the shirt into place.
"Whoo hoo! I knew it would work! I'm a genius!" Heero's hair was now dry, and back to it's usual tousled silkiness, and his color was a little better. And the color of the shirt matched his eyes perfectly! If I was a girl, I would be all over him! Ignoring the flush that was threatening to stain his cheeks Duo asked, "Does everything fit ok?"
"Hai. The pants are a little short though."
"Well we'll just have to go shopping ne?"
Heero raised an eyebrow.
"What? You're going to be a hermit just because you have…wings? C'mon!"
"Duo, how well do you think I would be received?"
"Well…"
"Exactly." Heero folded his arms in front of him, a defensive gesture Duo had never seen from him.
Duo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw hell. I guess I better ask Une for that vacation. You said you wanted to talk to Sally ne?"
Heero nodded.
"I'll ring her up. She's living with Wu on the second floor, Apt. 216. You don't mind if Wu comes too do ya?"
Heero hesitated, then shook his head.
Duo headed for the telephone. Boy am I gonna get an earful! He picked up the phone and dialed. An irritated Chinese accented voice picked up the phone.
"Hello?!"
"Hi Wu!"
"Maxwell!! What are you doing calling me? Do you know what time it is? It's 10:30!" Wufei rattled on not even bothering to let Duo answer.
Duo sighed. "Look Wu, I know you like to go to bed early, but I have a slight er…emergency on hand right now. So would you mind coming up here? Oi! And bring Sally too!"
"Nani?! What happened?"
"Heero's here."
The protests stopped immediately. "I'll be right up, and I'll bring Sally too. Heaven knows what kind of crap Yuy's gotten himself into this time." There was a click signaling Wufei's hangup.
"You have no idea." Duo muttered as he placed the phone in its cradle.
He turned to Heero. "They're coming."
Heero nodded impassively, but Duo sensed some tension in his posture.
"What's wrong?"
Heero shook his head.
"Yeah right. The only time you ever fiddle with the hem of your shirt is when you're nervous."
Heero's head snapped up and he glared at the American who shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's true!"
How does he know me so well? Heero thought as he followed Duo back into the living room to wait for Wufei and Sally's arrival.
Duo lay on his bed, head dangling off the side. He had been reading a manga, but he finished it and was too lazy to get up and get another.
Why me? Why does this always happen to me? Genetic altercations aren't unheard of, but on this scale? Jesus! This has got to be a dream.
So thinking, he pinched himself…and regretted it. Nope. Not a dream. What is Heero doing? He's been in there for at least an hour! Duo sighed and flopped over onto his stomach, nibbling absentmindedly on the end of his braid. Suddenly the shower was turned off, and shortly after,
"Duo? Where do you keep the towels?"
"In the cabinet below the sink!" Duo shouted back.
"Arigatou." Heero muttered, just loud enough for Duo to hear.
Duo about fell off the bed for a second time that day, but managed to grab the covers and stay on. Did Heero just say thank you? What the hell is going on here?
The American flopped his head onto a pillow and covered his face with his manga. He was almost asleep when he heard Heero returning from the shower. Pulling his manga down so he could see, Duo's muddled vision cleared instantly.
A towel flung around his waist Heero stepped from the bathroom. Wings that were formerly a muted white, were now pristine and sparkling. Damp hair clung to the contours of Heero's face as he asked
"You said I could borrow some clothes?"
"Er…um…oh yeah. Gimme a sec." Duo mumbled and rushed for the closet where he could bury his overheated face in the cool darkness. What the hell was that? It was almost like…like I was…attracted to him. Nah. It couldn't be. Duo took a deep breath and began rummaging through his clothes. Socks and underwear. Slacks? Nah. Sweats. Duo wrinkled his nose. Definitely not. Jeans? Yes!! Now for the shirt. Nope. No. Ick, hell no! Why do I even have this in here?! Nope. Nope. Ha HA! I have just the thing! Duo emerged triumphantly from his closet.
"Okay Heero, try 'em on and tell me how they fit!" Duo grabbed Heero by the shoulders, propelled him back to the bathroom, and threw the clothes in after him.
Duo sat down on the bed to wait. Two minutes later Heero appeared still shirtless.
"Duo, the shirt is not manufactured to clothe the contours of my bodily peculiarities."
"Jeez man! Couldn't you just have said it didn't fit?"
Ignoring the glare he was receiving, Duo took the shirt from Heero's hands and examined it carefully.
"I think I can do something about that. Gimme a sec."
Duo dashed out to his living room, grabbed his sewing kit and raced back to his bedroom. Using the scissors he carefully cut two slits from the collar to about halfway down the back of the shirt.
"Duo?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you sure you don't mind ruining your shirt?"
Duo flashed him a dazzling smile. "Of course not Heero! It's for a good cause anyway." He went back to his work.
"Oh..um…alright then." Heero answered a bit dazedly.
After cutting the slits Duo rummaged through his bag and came up with two sets of fasteners. After selecting a thread he began to carefully sew them on.
"I didn't know you knew how to sew."
"When you're a bachelor, it's something you learn how to do really quickly."
Duo's single? Maybe…no. Heero didn't allow himself to continue his train of thought and went back to concentrating on Duo's movements.
"Done! Ok, Heero. Step into the shirt and pull it up. Your wings should fall directly into the slits and you can fasten the ends above them!"
"Hn." Heero agreed as he slid the shirt into place.
"Whoo hoo! I knew it would work! I'm a genius!" Heero's hair was now dry, and back to it's usual tousled silkiness, and his color was a little better. And the color of the shirt matched his eyes perfectly! If I was a girl, I would be all over him! Ignoring the flush that was threatening to stain his cheeks Duo asked, "Does everything fit ok?"
"Hai. The pants are a little short though."
"Well we'll just have to go shopping ne?"
Heero raised an eyebrow.
"What? You're going to be a hermit just because you have…wings? C'mon!"
"Duo, how well do you think I would be received?"
"Well…"
"Exactly." Heero folded his arms in front of him, a defensive gesture Duo had never seen from him.
Duo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw hell. I guess I better ask Une for that vacation. You said you wanted to talk to Sally ne?"
Heero nodded.
"I'll ring her up. She's living with Wu on the second floor, Apt. 216. You don't mind if Wu comes too do ya?"
Heero hesitated, then shook his head.
Duo headed for the telephone. Boy am I gonna get an earful! He picked up the phone and dialed. An irritated Chinese accented voice picked up the phone.
"Hello?!"
"Hi Wu!"
"Maxwell!! What are you doing calling me? Do you know what time it is? It's 10:30!" Wufei rattled on not even bothering to let Duo answer.
Duo sighed. "Look Wu, I know you like to go to bed early, but I have a slight er…emergency on hand right now. So would you mind coming up here? Oi! And bring Sally too!"
"Nani?! What happened?"
"Heero's here."
The protests stopped immediately. "I'll be right up, and I'll bring Sally too. Heaven knows what kind of crap Yuy's gotten himself into this time." There was a click signaling Wufei's hangup.
"You have no idea." Duo muttered as he placed the phone in its cradle.
He turned to Heero. "They're coming."
Heero nodded impassively, but Duo sensed some tension in his posture.
"What's wrong?"
Heero shook his head.
"Yeah right. The only time you ever fiddle with the hem of your shirt is when you're nervous."
Heero's head snapped up and he glared at the American who shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's true!"
How does he know me so well? Heero thought as he followed Duo back into the living room to wait for Wufei and Sally's arrival.
