Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of it's characters, so please
don't sue me!
Notes: Another oldie, I still kinda like it though, if I took time I could re-write it and it would be good. So lets see, pairing of HeeroxDuo, my first little experiment with yaoi, it could be a lot better, forgive me, I was 13. I made some slight edits, just so things made more sense.
Past Emotions
Duo paced back and forth for a while before spinning around and kicking the tire of his old-beater motorcycle. As the broken-down bike toppled over, he cursed out loud. He was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a dead motorcycle and his destination at least eight miles away.
"Might as well start walking." He sighed. Duo hadn't been into space or seen his fellow pilots since the Marimeieh incident. He was twenty now and was making a very good life for himself. His current job was a bartender at a club in the city of Yorkshire. Luckily for him it was his day off. He picked up his backpack and guitar and began to make his way toward the city limits. It was terribly hot that day; the road up ahead was distorted and wavering. Duo's long braid was coming apart slightly; awkward pieces of hair fell across his shoulders and fell down his back. He wiped away the sweat that was beginning to form on his brow and sighed once again.
"I don't think I should have worn black." He muttered, and it was very true. He was wearing a shirt with ripped sleeves and a pair of leather pants that fit him very well, both of which were black as coal. Every once and awhile, a car or truck would buzz by, each time Duo would use pleading gestures to try and get a lift to town. After about a mile of doing this, he was feeling a little more than hopeless.
"One more car." He puffed, "then I give in." he then noticed an old silver Camero headed his way. He once again signaled, but this time the driver pulled over about fifty feet ahead. Duo gratefully sprinted the distance and skidded to a stop by the door, then he proceeded to peer into the open window.
"Need a lift?" another young man asked from the driver's side.
"Can you take me to Yorkshire?" Duo asked breathlessly.
"That's where I'm going, get in and I'll take you." the man replied. Duo took a seat in the passenger side and set his pack and guitar between his knees.
"Thanks for the ride, I broke down always back and I thought I would have to walk all the way to Yorkshire!" Duo said earnestly.
"No problem." the young man answered and pulled the car back onto the road. Something about this man was familiar to Duo; he had wild dark hair and crystal-blue eyes. Duo could tell he had a strong physique, and matched with his dark features, he was in a way irresistible. Duo tried to keep himself from getting too swept away by snapping his attention to the black roadway before them. Duo snapped his neck back to rest his weary head upon the seat. Every now and then he would notice the stranger glancing at him, which didn't bother him all too much. At that point in his life, Duo was used to people staring at him and he really didn't care anymore. This stranger was no exception, but he was not glancing at Duo in a bad way, more like with curiosity. Duo smiled to himself, having known this too.
"So where are you from?" the stranger asked abruptly.
"Well, I live in Yorkshire," Duo began, "but if you really want to know where I am from, I came here from L2."
"Humm, a colony, huh?" the man replied, "I had a feeling you did."
"How so?" Duo asked, loosing his cool demeanor a little.
"You seem different from the people I have seen around here," the stranger explained, "all of them seem to blend in with the dim desert colors. You, however, stand out; like a raven in the arctic." Duo was taken back by this man's words, he did not know whether to take them as an insult or flattery. He could not think of a good reply to save his life, so he just countered it with another question.
"Why do you say that?" he asked with a rather annoyed tone.
"Don't take me wrong," the man replied, "I did not mean that in a harsh way whatsoever, I am just saying that you seem much more unique then the people around here. You seem a little out of place, but I am sure you probably don't mind that, do you?" he finished turning his head to look at Duo for a moment, and letting his accusatory eyes break him down a little. Duo blushed, he was right, Duo did kind of like the attention he got everywhere he went on Earth, it seemed.
"Well, in some ways, you're right." he answered defiantly, not wanting to show how embarrassed he was. The stranger chuckled a little and focused his vision back to the road. Duo still could not shake the feeling that he knew this man. His voice and that laugh! It connected the fact that he knew this man, but he could not recollect who he was. Duo was dying to ask this stranger for his name, but he felt far too embarrassed to do such a thing! The rest of the ride only took a couple minutes, and Duo was ready and willing to leave as soon as possible.
"Where can I drop you off?" the stranger asked kindly, still rather amused over how flustered Duo had became.
"Here is fine, right as we enter town." Duo replied.
"That would not be very kind on my part," the man said, "now c'mon, where in town did you need to go?"
"Well, I don't want to be a bother, so-" the man cut him off.
"You are no bother," he replied, "besides, I feel bad for putting you on the spot like that, and I don't even know you! Now tell me, where do you need to go?" Duo sighed in surrender.
"48th Street Inn, I have to pick up something there." the silver Camero turned onto Lakeland Street and stopped in front of the club.
"Thanks for the ride." Duo said half-heartedly as he exited the car, lugging his pack and guitar behind.
"That's perfectly fine." the young man replied, "now you have a good day, all right?"
"Yeah." Duo said as he shoved open the doors the club. The young stranger smiled and laughed again, satisfied in the manor of making his old friend uncomfortable.
"See you tonight, Duo," he mumbled as he drove off. **********************************************************
"Duo!" Marie, another bartender called out as she sprinted over, "Happy birthday!" she said, flinging her arms around him and holding on tight.
"I see you remembered." Duo laughed.
"How could I forget my best friend's birthday?" she pulled away to look at him, "And anyway, where the heck have you been?"
"I have been on vacation, you know that, Marie." Duo answered.
"Well you have some stuff to pick up." Marie said and she walked over to the employee's office. She came back with a fist-full of mail and a check.
"So, Balis still wants to pay me, huh?" Duo chuckled. He had been off for a week, yet his boss still gave him a check.
"I guess he likes you enough to." Marie answered in a light tone. She was a pretty girl, twenty years old, like Duo, tall with long blonde hair and crystalline aqua eyes. Duo had learned that she was Quatre's closest sister about three weeks after they met. They sat down in a booth and he began to rifle through the letters until he came across one from Quatre.
"Do you know anything about this?" he asked Marie.
"No, I was a bit curious about it," she began, "I talked to my brother about it and he said it was a surprise. All I know is he is coming to town tonight."
"Really? It would be great to see him again," he answered as he ripped open the letter. It began as usual; a warm greeting and so on, but then the announcement was made. Quatre had planned a reunion of sorts for all of their old friends, at 48th Street Inn, on that very night. Duo had no idea about this at all, and now all of his old friends were going to be there at his workplace that night!
"Are you sure you didn't know anything about this?" Duo asked Marie.
"Yes, I am sure!" she defended herself, "I thought my brother was the only one coming tonight. But this is great!"
"How so?" Duo asked, not seeing her logic.
"Now I get to see Quatre and all of his friends that he is so proud of!" she beamed, "I can't wait!"
"I'm glad you're happy about this." Duo muttered.
"Aren't you?" Marie asked, leaning her chin on her folded hands.
"I guess so, but this is really short notice for me." he replied.
"Oh yeah," Marie said sarcastically, "you have to make yourself perfect whenever your friends come to town to hang out!"
"Hey, that's not true, Marie!" Duo shouted, Marie just giggled.
"Ok, I am sorry, that was kinda harsh!" she said suppressing her laughter, "Let's get out of here and relax for awhile, you don't have to be here 'till seven."
"All right." Duo answered and they left the club together, "By the way, we have to take your car."
"Why? Where's your bike?" Marie asked.
"It broke down about eight miles outta town."
"Did you have to get a ride here?"
"Unfortunately."
"What's so bad about hitch-hiking?" Marie asked as they reached her car.
"Many things, if the circumstances are right." ********************************************************
After three hours of talking and hanging out at Duo's apartment, he and Marie drove back to the club. Seven was the hour when things would always pick up at the club, and there was already a long line along the sidewalk. Duo and Marie entered through the employee's door and were quickly hit with the atmosphere that they were bombarded by almost every night. Within a couple moments they found Balis, the owner of the club. He was a middle aged, good-looking man with fair hair and eyes.
"I see you have the skylights open tonight." Duo said over the loud music.
"It is the meteor shower tonight, everybody is coming down to watch." Balis replied. Duo walked over to the railing that looked over the dance floor a level down, Marie quickly followed. The dusty colors of the sunset washed in sending it's beams of gold, red, pink, lavender, and orange over everything. To Duo, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen was a desert sunset. The way the dust took on a new life when kicked up by a soft evening wind, and how that dust seemed to blend with the colorful beams of light and snow-white clouds was so ethereal.
"Hey, Duo," Marie asked, "did you know about the meteor shower tonight?"
"Sure I did," he replied, "I was not expecting to spend my time watching in here, I even had my telescope ready at home."
"I never knew you were into astronomy!" Marie marveled.
"Oh, well, I guess it is kind of a hobby." Duo told her, but he was lying. He only had gotten an interest in space since he became friends with a certain someone. After that he studied space in his free time, which was very often, he even kept a college textbook behind the bar for slow nights. His silent thoughts were shattered a moment later.
"You know," a voice sounded from behind, "I could find you from space because of that braid!" Duo spun around, about ready to make a derogatory remark to whoever was making fun of his hair, but stopped himself as he laid eyes upon the man.
"Quatre! How have you been?" Duo exclaimed. Before they could greet, Marie ran up and hugged her brother, not having seen him for a couple years.
"How are you, Marie?" he laughed.
"Great! And I see you are just the same!" she answered.
"What do you mean by that?" Quatre asked.
"You're as handsome as ever!" she smiled. After seeing Quatre dressed so nicely, Duo was thankful that he at least put on a classy shirt.
"She's right, you know," Duo said, "you have always managed to look better than me! And you should be proud of that!" Quatre laughed.
Well, maybe you should stop neglecting the rest of us," Quatre gestured to the rest of the group over on the other side of the room, "you're late as usual."
"Well at least I am consistent!" Duo joked as the three began to walk over to the other side of the room, dodging waitress and patrons alike. Duo could see their little group; they all seemed so ecstatic to be with one- another again. Wufei was the first to notice their approach.
"Hey baka!" he called, "You're late!" he ended his sentence with a slight smirk.
"I am glad we are still on good terms, Wufei!" Duo called back with a smile as he saw the rest of the group turn to face them. As Quatre, Duo, and Marie reached the table, a relatively shorthaired Relena Peacecraft gave him a warm hug.
"It's so great to see you again Duo!" she exclaimed.
"You too." he replied, a little taken back by how glad she was.
"Now the only one missing is Heero," she continued, "but I doubt he will be coming at all!"
"Oh yes he is," Trowa cut in, "I saw him earlier today, he told me he would not miss this for anything."
"So who's the girl, Maxwell?" Zechs asked abruptly. Marie blushed at Zechs.
"I thought Quatre would have told you guys." Duo replied putting his hands on her shoulders, "this is my best friend and co-worker, Marie Winner."
"Winner as in Quatre's sister?" Trowa asked.
"Yeah," Marie replied, "and he has not come to visit in two years!" she said in an accusatory tone.
"Well I am here now, right?" Quatre defended.
"Well, if you weren't, how could I see you?" Marie smiled. Duo was allways a little humbled by her personality. He hardly ever saw her angry or upset, and to be honest, he was a bit jealous.
"So when is Heero supposed to show up?" Duo asked.
"Within a few minutes," Trowa answered, "he told me he would be kinda late, but for some reason, I think he wants to be on purpose."
"Why is that?" Duo was a bit confused.
"All he told me was that it had to do with something that happened earlier today," Trowa shrugged, "so your guess is as good as mine." Duo groaned.
"You guys wanna hear about a bad experience," he rolled his eyes, "then listen to what happened to me today." Duo then went off on a tangent about his bike breaking-down and how this guy gave him a lift back to town, and how he was being totally strange.
"And I swear, guys," Duo went on, "I could not shake the feeling that I knew the guy! It was so weird, but I felt as if I knew him well, and vice- versa."
"Well how could a stranger that picks you up off the side of the road know about you?" Zechs argued.
"I don't know, but he sure did ask some questions that only people who really knew me would ask." Duo replied, folding his arms across his chest.
"So what did this guy look like?" Trowa asked, looking over Duo's shoulder slightly.
"Well, my guess is he was average height, maybe twenty years old, dark hair, blue eyes," Duo explained, "and he was kinda intimidating." Trowa was smiling now. Duo looked at him really strange, but before he could lift a finger, another voice sounded from behind.
"So I am intimidating to you now?" it asked, "you never thought that in when we were in space." Duo spun around and locked with those piercing eyes from before. Duo was taken back, but before he could ask the guy who he was, Trowa spoke for him.
"Find the place all right, Heero?" he grinned.
"With ease." he replied, returning Trowa's smile. Needless to say, Duo was in shock, but soon regained his senses. As soon as he did, he grabbed Heero's shirt collar and pushed him up against the wall.
"What in the world was that for?" Heero asked forcefully, ending his last syllable with a wicked smile.
"You know damn well what that was for, Heero!" Duo yelled.
"I was only having a little fun with you, Duo." he replied.
"That's bullshit!" Duo fumed, "Do you know how embarrassed I was?"
"Well, you shouldn't have been," Heero replied, "nobody was around to see you blush." that set Duo off. He raised back his fist, but Marie caught him before he could break Heero's jaw.
"Duo, stop it!" she whined, "you guys are supposed to be friends!"
"That's right," Relena the peacemaker chimed in, "you have no reason to kill each other from a misunderstanding." Duo shifted his gaze from Relena to Marie, and then to Heero. He stared into Heero's eyes for a moment before sighing and releasing his prisoner. Duo then walked over and slumped into the chair next to Wufei.
"I give up," he mumbled as he fixated his violet eyes to the ceiling. Heero smiled at him in the usual blatant way, satisfied in the fact that he could still get to Duo. Heero had allways found it hard to get Duo that riled up. It was strange to him, but he loved to see Duo flustered at times. He allways dismissed it as his playful nature recovering form years of battle. Although seeing him again, he had a feeling that he would not be able to blame his playful nature anymore. ********************************************************
The evening continued on in well spirits. Everyone was catching up on one another's lives and what not. Duo was being himself by trying to dance to every song with Marie. The others marveled at the pair's energy.
"You know," Relena commented, "they'd be a really good couple if they were not such great friends." Heero chuckled in reply. Duo stopped and walked over to a pillar to lean against. Unbeknownst to him, Heero had slipped around to the side of the pillar.
"How much energy do you really have, Duo?" he asked curiously. Duo nearly jumped ten feet, but kept his temper.
"I'm not sure." he replied. Duo was happy to see Heero again, but he was leery of his feelings. To Duo, getting hurt was something he did not want to do, but everything seemed to be tempting him. The song playing over the loudspeakers didn't help his situation much either. I never felt alone Until I met you. I'm all right on my own, And then I met you...............(Third Eye Blind)
Matching those lyrics with Heero's irresistible stature was really getting to him.
"You know I'm not a dancer," Heero began abruptly, "but as soon as that meteor shower begins, I am going to stand in the middle of dance floor and stare up, no matter who gets in my way."
"I hear ya," Duo smiled at him, "and I'll stand there with you, deal?"
"Deal." Heero nodded in reply. They kept their word and for fifteen minutes stood on the dance floor, staring at the falling space debris and commenting to each other. The pure white streaks of light stained their vision and seemed to be a living piece of artwork. *****************************************************
At eleven, everybody was ready to go home.
"So Heero," Duo asked, "did you find a place to stay in town?"
"No." he replied simply.
"Really?" Duo was a bit surprised, "You could stay at my apartment."
"I don't want to bother you." Heero replied.
"Well, I guess you can stay with Relena, then." Duo shrugged as he began to walk towards the exit. He soon felt a hand upon his shoulder.
"Maybe I will stay with you." Duo laughed, knowing Heero would change his mind.
"I need a lift though."
"I know you do, so lets go." Heero replied. They said their goodbyes to the group, and then Heero led the way to his car. On the way to his apartment, Duo was beginning to ponder the logic in inviting Heero to stay at his apartment if he didn't want to get hurt. Upon reaching the apartment, he shoved those thoughts into the back of his skull dismissing them as simple worries. He kicked open the door in the usual way and led Heero in.
"You called this place an apartment?" Heero asked, looking around. It was true; his apartment was more like the Taj Mahal than anything else.
"Well, if you want to be technical, call it a studio." Duo smiled, "I will give you my room and I'll just sleep on the couch."
"I can't let you do that." Heero replied, not wanting to be rude.
"Sure you can, you are a guest." with that, Duo seized Heero's baggage and headed towards his room, Heero was following him in protest. Duo opened the door to his room and set Heero's bags under the windowsill and laughed in his mind at Heero who was completely confused by the concept of saying that the place was an apartment. Heero went off to the main room to just look around, giving Duo the chance to collapse on the bed. He was way too tired; he was amazed how nobody had noticed it either. Now he lay on his stomach, eyes closed and using his crossed arms as a pillow, he felt as if he was going to fall asleep. He was lying crosswise on the bed when he felt a shift of weight. Dammit, Heero. He thought to himself. Heero was lying crosswise to him now and Duo could tell he was smiling slightly. Whatever you are thinking, Heero, forget it! Duo kept repeating in his mind over and over.
"You know, you are a great actor." Heero laughed.
"Why do you say that?" Duo replied sleepily, giving no indication of how excited he was that Heero was lying next to him in his bed.
"I know how exhausted you are." Heero smiled again. Duo had this feeling that he had something up his sleeve. Heero continued on thinking that Duo was not listening to any of what he was saying, but Duo was taking every word in. No matter how he tried to deny it, Duo was falling in love with this man again; in fact, he was head-over-heels.
"I guess I didn't have to go to the club," Heero commented, "I could have watched the meteor shower through your skylight." Duo turned onto his back sluggishly and stared up. It was true; the skylight over his bed had a perfect view of the stars. Heero shifted and leaned on his side and watched Duo along with the stars that made Duo even more flighty inside. He closed his eyes to maintain his composer, but soon those eyes were far to piercing to stand. He stood up.
"I'm going to get something to drink," he lied, "want anything?"
"No." Heero said with a strange smile that crept across his face. Duo turned on his heel, something about that sly little smile of Heero's that did something to him. Duo hurried out and stepped into his neglected kitchen. He grabbed a soda and jumped onto the counter. Resting against the refrigerator, he took off his leather jacket and rested the cold soda can against his forehead to soothe his lingering headache. After a couple minutes, he left his half drunken soda on the counter and headed back towards his room and leaned against the doorframe. Heero had propped himself against the headboard, his head was down and his eyes closed. Duo walked in to see if he was awake, but all indications said he was not, so Duo lowered himself onto the edge of the bed for a moment and sighed. He soon felt a sharp tug at his braid. Dammit Heero. He thought again as he met that smile once more. Heero had gotten hold of his braid now, and Duo could not get away.
"Duo," Heero inquired, "did you really think I was asleep?"
"Well, you're a good actor too, I guess." Duo replied uncomfortably, he did not like anybody messing with his hair.
"How long is your hair, really?" Heero changed the subject.
"I'm not sure," Duo replied, "I never really paid attention to that."
"Shall we find out then?" Heero laughed. Before Duo could properly protest, Heero had removed the band at the bottom of Duo's braid and began to take it apart.
"Heero," Duo took a shot at protesting anyway, "why are you torturing me."
"You call this torture?" he laughed, "You are not that weak."
"Now you sound like Wufei." Duo surrendered slightly when Heero laughed at his lame excuse for humor. Heero had dismantled Duo's entire braid a couple minutes later. Duo was about ready to doze off when he felt Heero running his fingers through his hair. By then, Duo started to retreat; the situation was getting far too weird at that point. He stood up, but felt pain instantly. He sat back down and turned to Heero who had a fistful of Duo's chestnut brown hair in his fist.
"Let go, Heero." Duo sighed.
"Why?" Heero mused.
"Because I need sleep." Duo was getting a little annoyed.
"Sleep then." he replied.
"What?" Duo was confused.
"I'm not stopping you," Heero smiled, "go ahead and sleep."
"Here?"
"I don't care."
"Heero, that's not helpful," Duo said, "besides, this is your room tonight."
"Well, it can be our room tonight." there it was, the words Duo didn't want to hear. He turned to Heero who still had a firm grip on his hair, and he had that quirky smile on his face as well. Duo felt as if he could not move an inch, his eyes had locked onto Heero's and refused to move away. Heero repositioned himself and stared straight into Duo's violet eyes, he could feel his breath quicken, which made him smile even more.
"So what's your answer, Duo?" Heero whispered to him.
"I don't know." Duo answered weakly, his will power failing him.
"Maybe I can make up your mind for you then." Heero whispered back huskily. He then lowered his head onto Duo's shoulder and trailed kisses down his neck. Duo tried not to get too phased by Hero's seduction, but it was so hard not to. Enough was enough, he had to stop this madness before it was too late, and so he pushed Heero away.
"What's wrong?" Heero asked, looking rather dejected.
"Heero," Duo sighed, "I don't know."
"You don't care for me anymore, do you." Heero asked looking into Duo's eyes.
"Well, no, I." Duo fumbled for words, he was no good at stuff like this.
"I'm sorry, Duo," Heero replied, "that was completely wrong on my part and, well I was-"
"Don't say you were wrong." Duo cut him off, "You were right, and I was just being foolish." he ended his sentence with a tinge of bitterness in his tone. Heero was slightly confused by Duo's actions.
"Duo, what is wrong with you?" Heero asked, "You are not being yourself." That got to Duo. Not being myself! He protested in his mind. If I'm not being myself, then who the hell am I? He looked back at Heero, who seemed very confused and slightly concerned. Maybe I am not being myself, but I can fix that. To hell with this! He is in my house, my room, and he was ready to have me, and what do I do, I push him away! I swear, I can be a real dumbass sometimes. With that final thought in his mind he glanced at Heero again, who was staring off in space, probably embarrassed for coming on so strong. He turned to him and ran his fingers over Heero's strong jawbone, thankful that he decided not to break it earlier. Heero turned back surprised; he thought that Duo had made up his mind. The truth was, he did, and at that moment he leaned over and gave Heero the sweetest, most full kiss he had ever received.
"What changed your mind?" Heero asked.
"Well, I realized something."
"What's that?"
"That you're too good to let go." Duo ended his sentence with his own quirky smile and kissed Heero again. The rest of the night progressed in the predicted way, and Duo was just thankful that he didn't push Heero away. ******************************************************
The next morning Duo found himself as he had fallen asleep, in Heero's arms. He had awakened to a slight pulling and found his lover twisting a section of Duo's silken hair around his fingers. Duo pulled his vision up to Heero's and they greeted in their own way. The pair lay with each other for most of the morning reluctant to leave each other's sides after being apart for so long.
Notes: Another oldie, I still kinda like it though, if I took time I could re-write it and it would be good. So lets see, pairing of HeeroxDuo, my first little experiment with yaoi, it could be a lot better, forgive me, I was 13. I made some slight edits, just so things made more sense.
Past Emotions
Duo paced back and forth for a while before spinning around and kicking the tire of his old-beater motorcycle. As the broken-down bike toppled over, he cursed out loud. He was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a dead motorcycle and his destination at least eight miles away.
"Might as well start walking." He sighed. Duo hadn't been into space or seen his fellow pilots since the Marimeieh incident. He was twenty now and was making a very good life for himself. His current job was a bartender at a club in the city of Yorkshire. Luckily for him it was his day off. He picked up his backpack and guitar and began to make his way toward the city limits. It was terribly hot that day; the road up ahead was distorted and wavering. Duo's long braid was coming apart slightly; awkward pieces of hair fell across his shoulders and fell down his back. He wiped away the sweat that was beginning to form on his brow and sighed once again.
"I don't think I should have worn black." He muttered, and it was very true. He was wearing a shirt with ripped sleeves and a pair of leather pants that fit him very well, both of which were black as coal. Every once and awhile, a car or truck would buzz by, each time Duo would use pleading gestures to try and get a lift to town. After about a mile of doing this, he was feeling a little more than hopeless.
"One more car." He puffed, "then I give in." he then noticed an old silver Camero headed his way. He once again signaled, but this time the driver pulled over about fifty feet ahead. Duo gratefully sprinted the distance and skidded to a stop by the door, then he proceeded to peer into the open window.
"Need a lift?" another young man asked from the driver's side.
"Can you take me to Yorkshire?" Duo asked breathlessly.
"That's where I'm going, get in and I'll take you." the man replied. Duo took a seat in the passenger side and set his pack and guitar between his knees.
"Thanks for the ride, I broke down always back and I thought I would have to walk all the way to Yorkshire!" Duo said earnestly.
"No problem." the young man answered and pulled the car back onto the road. Something about this man was familiar to Duo; he had wild dark hair and crystal-blue eyes. Duo could tell he had a strong physique, and matched with his dark features, he was in a way irresistible. Duo tried to keep himself from getting too swept away by snapping his attention to the black roadway before them. Duo snapped his neck back to rest his weary head upon the seat. Every now and then he would notice the stranger glancing at him, which didn't bother him all too much. At that point in his life, Duo was used to people staring at him and he really didn't care anymore. This stranger was no exception, but he was not glancing at Duo in a bad way, more like with curiosity. Duo smiled to himself, having known this too.
"So where are you from?" the stranger asked abruptly.
"Well, I live in Yorkshire," Duo began, "but if you really want to know where I am from, I came here from L2."
"Humm, a colony, huh?" the man replied, "I had a feeling you did."
"How so?" Duo asked, loosing his cool demeanor a little.
"You seem different from the people I have seen around here," the stranger explained, "all of them seem to blend in with the dim desert colors. You, however, stand out; like a raven in the arctic." Duo was taken back by this man's words, he did not know whether to take them as an insult or flattery. He could not think of a good reply to save his life, so he just countered it with another question.
"Why do you say that?" he asked with a rather annoyed tone.
"Don't take me wrong," the man replied, "I did not mean that in a harsh way whatsoever, I am just saying that you seem much more unique then the people around here. You seem a little out of place, but I am sure you probably don't mind that, do you?" he finished turning his head to look at Duo for a moment, and letting his accusatory eyes break him down a little. Duo blushed, he was right, Duo did kind of like the attention he got everywhere he went on Earth, it seemed.
"Well, in some ways, you're right." he answered defiantly, not wanting to show how embarrassed he was. The stranger chuckled a little and focused his vision back to the road. Duo still could not shake the feeling that he knew this man. His voice and that laugh! It connected the fact that he knew this man, but he could not recollect who he was. Duo was dying to ask this stranger for his name, but he felt far too embarrassed to do such a thing! The rest of the ride only took a couple minutes, and Duo was ready and willing to leave as soon as possible.
"Where can I drop you off?" the stranger asked kindly, still rather amused over how flustered Duo had became.
"Here is fine, right as we enter town." Duo replied.
"That would not be very kind on my part," the man said, "now c'mon, where in town did you need to go?"
"Well, I don't want to be a bother, so-" the man cut him off.
"You are no bother," he replied, "besides, I feel bad for putting you on the spot like that, and I don't even know you! Now tell me, where do you need to go?" Duo sighed in surrender.
"48th Street Inn, I have to pick up something there." the silver Camero turned onto Lakeland Street and stopped in front of the club.
"Thanks for the ride." Duo said half-heartedly as he exited the car, lugging his pack and guitar behind.
"That's perfectly fine." the young man replied, "now you have a good day, all right?"
"Yeah." Duo said as he shoved open the doors the club. The young stranger smiled and laughed again, satisfied in the manor of making his old friend uncomfortable.
"See you tonight, Duo," he mumbled as he drove off. **********************************************************
"Duo!" Marie, another bartender called out as she sprinted over, "Happy birthday!" she said, flinging her arms around him and holding on tight.
"I see you remembered." Duo laughed.
"How could I forget my best friend's birthday?" she pulled away to look at him, "And anyway, where the heck have you been?"
"I have been on vacation, you know that, Marie." Duo answered.
"Well you have some stuff to pick up." Marie said and she walked over to the employee's office. She came back with a fist-full of mail and a check.
"So, Balis still wants to pay me, huh?" Duo chuckled. He had been off for a week, yet his boss still gave him a check.
"I guess he likes you enough to." Marie answered in a light tone. She was a pretty girl, twenty years old, like Duo, tall with long blonde hair and crystalline aqua eyes. Duo had learned that she was Quatre's closest sister about three weeks after they met. They sat down in a booth and he began to rifle through the letters until he came across one from Quatre.
"Do you know anything about this?" he asked Marie.
"No, I was a bit curious about it," she began, "I talked to my brother about it and he said it was a surprise. All I know is he is coming to town tonight."
"Really? It would be great to see him again," he answered as he ripped open the letter. It began as usual; a warm greeting and so on, but then the announcement was made. Quatre had planned a reunion of sorts for all of their old friends, at 48th Street Inn, on that very night. Duo had no idea about this at all, and now all of his old friends were going to be there at his workplace that night!
"Are you sure you didn't know anything about this?" Duo asked Marie.
"Yes, I am sure!" she defended herself, "I thought my brother was the only one coming tonight. But this is great!"
"How so?" Duo asked, not seeing her logic.
"Now I get to see Quatre and all of his friends that he is so proud of!" she beamed, "I can't wait!"
"I'm glad you're happy about this." Duo muttered.
"Aren't you?" Marie asked, leaning her chin on her folded hands.
"I guess so, but this is really short notice for me." he replied.
"Oh yeah," Marie said sarcastically, "you have to make yourself perfect whenever your friends come to town to hang out!"
"Hey, that's not true, Marie!" Duo shouted, Marie just giggled.
"Ok, I am sorry, that was kinda harsh!" she said suppressing her laughter, "Let's get out of here and relax for awhile, you don't have to be here 'till seven."
"All right." Duo answered and they left the club together, "By the way, we have to take your car."
"Why? Where's your bike?" Marie asked.
"It broke down about eight miles outta town."
"Did you have to get a ride here?"
"Unfortunately."
"What's so bad about hitch-hiking?" Marie asked as they reached her car.
"Many things, if the circumstances are right." ********************************************************
After three hours of talking and hanging out at Duo's apartment, he and Marie drove back to the club. Seven was the hour when things would always pick up at the club, and there was already a long line along the sidewalk. Duo and Marie entered through the employee's door and were quickly hit with the atmosphere that they were bombarded by almost every night. Within a couple moments they found Balis, the owner of the club. He was a middle aged, good-looking man with fair hair and eyes.
"I see you have the skylights open tonight." Duo said over the loud music.
"It is the meteor shower tonight, everybody is coming down to watch." Balis replied. Duo walked over to the railing that looked over the dance floor a level down, Marie quickly followed. The dusty colors of the sunset washed in sending it's beams of gold, red, pink, lavender, and orange over everything. To Duo, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen was a desert sunset. The way the dust took on a new life when kicked up by a soft evening wind, and how that dust seemed to blend with the colorful beams of light and snow-white clouds was so ethereal.
"Hey, Duo," Marie asked, "did you know about the meteor shower tonight?"
"Sure I did," he replied, "I was not expecting to spend my time watching in here, I even had my telescope ready at home."
"I never knew you were into astronomy!" Marie marveled.
"Oh, well, I guess it is kind of a hobby." Duo told her, but he was lying. He only had gotten an interest in space since he became friends with a certain someone. After that he studied space in his free time, which was very often, he even kept a college textbook behind the bar for slow nights. His silent thoughts were shattered a moment later.
"You know," a voice sounded from behind, "I could find you from space because of that braid!" Duo spun around, about ready to make a derogatory remark to whoever was making fun of his hair, but stopped himself as he laid eyes upon the man.
"Quatre! How have you been?" Duo exclaimed. Before they could greet, Marie ran up and hugged her brother, not having seen him for a couple years.
"How are you, Marie?" he laughed.
"Great! And I see you are just the same!" she answered.
"What do you mean by that?" Quatre asked.
"You're as handsome as ever!" she smiled. After seeing Quatre dressed so nicely, Duo was thankful that he at least put on a classy shirt.
"She's right, you know," Duo said, "you have always managed to look better than me! And you should be proud of that!" Quatre laughed.
Well, maybe you should stop neglecting the rest of us," Quatre gestured to the rest of the group over on the other side of the room, "you're late as usual."
"Well at least I am consistent!" Duo joked as the three began to walk over to the other side of the room, dodging waitress and patrons alike. Duo could see their little group; they all seemed so ecstatic to be with one- another again. Wufei was the first to notice their approach.
"Hey baka!" he called, "You're late!" he ended his sentence with a slight smirk.
"I am glad we are still on good terms, Wufei!" Duo called back with a smile as he saw the rest of the group turn to face them. As Quatre, Duo, and Marie reached the table, a relatively shorthaired Relena Peacecraft gave him a warm hug.
"It's so great to see you again Duo!" she exclaimed.
"You too." he replied, a little taken back by how glad she was.
"Now the only one missing is Heero," she continued, "but I doubt he will be coming at all!"
"Oh yes he is," Trowa cut in, "I saw him earlier today, he told me he would not miss this for anything."
"So who's the girl, Maxwell?" Zechs asked abruptly. Marie blushed at Zechs.
"I thought Quatre would have told you guys." Duo replied putting his hands on her shoulders, "this is my best friend and co-worker, Marie Winner."
"Winner as in Quatre's sister?" Trowa asked.
"Yeah," Marie replied, "and he has not come to visit in two years!" she said in an accusatory tone.
"Well I am here now, right?" Quatre defended.
"Well, if you weren't, how could I see you?" Marie smiled. Duo was allways a little humbled by her personality. He hardly ever saw her angry or upset, and to be honest, he was a bit jealous.
"So when is Heero supposed to show up?" Duo asked.
"Within a few minutes," Trowa answered, "he told me he would be kinda late, but for some reason, I think he wants to be on purpose."
"Why is that?" Duo was a bit confused.
"All he told me was that it had to do with something that happened earlier today," Trowa shrugged, "so your guess is as good as mine." Duo groaned.
"You guys wanna hear about a bad experience," he rolled his eyes, "then listen to what happened to me today." Duo then went off on a tangent about his bike breaking-down and how this guy gave him a lift back to town, and how he was being totally strange.
"And I swear, guys," Duo went on, "I could not shake the feeling that I knew the guy! It was so weird, but I felt as if I knew him well, and vice- versa."
"Well how could a stranger that picks you up off the side of the road know about you?" Zechs argued.
"I don't know, but he sure did ask some questions that only people who really knew me would ask." Duo replied, folding his arms across his chest.
"So what did this guy look like?" Trowa asked, looking over Duo's shoulder slightly.
"Well, my guess is he was average height, maybe twenty years old, dark hair, blue eyes," Duo explained, "and he was kinda intimidating." Trowa was smiling now. Duo looked at him really strange, but before he could lift a finger, another voice sounded from behind.
"So I am intimidating to you now?" it asked, "you never thought that in when we were in space." Duo spun around and locked with those piercing eyes from before. Duo was taken back, but before he could ask the guy who he was, Trowa spoke for him.
"Find the place all right, Heero?" he grinned.
"With ease." he replied, returning Trowa's smile. Needless to say, Duo was in shock, but soon regained his senses. As soon as he did, he grabbed Heero's shirt collar and pushed him up against the wall.
"What in the world was that for?" Heero asked forcefully, ending his last syllable with a wicked smile.
"You know damn well what that was for, Heero!" Duo yelled.
"I was only having a little fun with you, Duo." he replied.
"That's bullshit!" Duo fumed, "Do you know how embarrassed I was?"
"Well, you shouldn't have been," Heero replied, "nobody was around to see you blush." that set Duo off. He raised back his fist, but Marie caught him before he could break Heero's jaw.
"Duo, stop it!" she whined, "you guys are supposed to be friends!"
"That's right," Relena the peacemaker chimed in, "you have no reason to kill each other from a misunderstanding." Duo shifted his gaze from Relena to Marie, and then to Heero. He stared into Heero's eyes for a moment before sighing and releasing his prisoner. Duo then walked over and slumped into the chair next to Wufei.
"I give up," he mumbled as he fixated his violet eyes to the ceiling. Heero smiled at him in the usual blatant way, satisfied in the fact that he could still get to Duo. Heero had allways found it hard to get Duo that riled up. It was strange to him, but he loved to see Duo flustered at times. He allways dismissed it as his playful nature recovering form years of battle. Although seeing him again, he had a feeling that he would not be able to blame his playful nature anymore. ********************************************************
The evening continued on in well spirits. Everyone was catching up on one another's lives and what not. Duo was being himself by trying to dance to every song with Marie. The others marveled at the pair's energy.
"You know," Relena commented, "they'd be a really good couple if they were not such great friends." Heero chuckled in reply. Duo stopped and walked over to a pillar to lean against. Unbeknownst to him, Heero had slipped around to the side of the pillar.
"How much energy do you really have, Duo?" he asked curiously. Duo nearly jumped ten feet, but kept his temper.
"I'm not sure." he replied. Duo was happy to see Heero again, but he was leery of his feelings. To Duo, getting hurt was something he did not want to do, but everything seemed to be tempting him. The song playing over the loudspeakers didn't help his situation much either. I never felt alone Until I met you. I'm all right on my own, And then I met you...............(Third Eye Blind)
Matching those lyrics with Heero's irresistible stature was really getting to him.
"You know I'm not a dancer," Heero began abruptly, "but as soon as that meteor shower begins, I am going to stand in the middle of dance floor and stare up, no matter who gets in my way."
"I hear ya," Duo smiled at him, "and I'll stand there with you, deal?"
"Deal." Heero nodded in reply. They kept their word and for fifteen minutes stood on the dance floor, staring at the falling space debris and commenting to each other. The pure white streaks of light stained their vision and seemed to be a living piece of artwork. *****************************************************
At eleven, everybody was ready to go home.
"So Heero," Duo asked, "did you find a place to stay in town?"
"No." he replied simply.
"Really?" Duo was a bit surprised, "You could stay at my apartment."
"I don't want to bother you." Heero replied.
"Well, I guess you can stay with Relena, then." Duo shrugged as he began to walk towards the exit. He soon felt a hand upon his shoulder.
"Maybe I will stay with you." Duo laughed, knowing Heero would change his mind.
"I need a lift though."
"I know you do, so lets go." Heero replied. They said their goodbyes to the group, and then Heero led the way to his car. On the way to his apartment, Duo was beginning to ponder the logic in inviting Heero to stay at his apartment if he didn't want to get hurt. Upon reaching the apartment, he shoved those thoughts into the back of his skull dismissing them as simple worries. He kicked open the door in the usual way and led Heero in.
"You called this place an apartment?" Heero asked, looking around. It was true; his apartment was more like the Taj Mahal than anything else.
"Well, if you want to be technical, call it a studio." Duo smiled, "I will give you my room and I'll just sleep on the couch."
"I can't let you do that." Heero replied, not wanting to be rude.
"Sure you can, you are a guest." with that, Duo seized Heero's baggage and headed towards his room, Heero was following him in protest. Duo opened the door to his room and set Heero's bags under the windowsill and laughed in his mind at Heero who was completely confused by the concept of saying that the place was an apartment. Heero went off to the main room to just look around, giving Duo the chance to collapse on the bed. He was way too tired; he was amazed how nobody had noticed it either. Now he lay on his stomach, eyes closed and using his crossed arms as a pillow, he felt as if he was going to fall asleep. He was lying crosswise on the bed when he felt a shift of weight. Dammit, Heero. He thought to himself. Heero was lying crosswise to him now and Duo could tell he was smiling slightly. Whatever you are thinking, Heero, forget it! Duo kept repeating in his mind over and over.
"You know, you are a great actor." Heero laughed.
"Why do you say that?" Duo replied sleepily, giving no indication of how excited he was that Heero was lying next to him in his bed.
"I know how exhausted you are." Heero smiled again. Duo had this feeling that he had something up his sleeve. Heero continued on thinking that Duo was not listening to any of what he was saying, but Duo was taking every word in. No matter how he tried to deny it, Duo was falling in love with this man again; in fact, he was head-over-heels.
"I guess I didn't have to go to the club," Heero commented, "I could have watched the meteor shower through your skylight." Duo turned onto his back sluggishly and stared up. It was true; the skylight over his bed had a perfect view of the stars. Heero shifted and leaned on his side and watched Duo along with the stars that made Duo even more flighty inside. He closed his eyes to maintain his composer, but soon those eyes were far to piercing to stand. He stood up.
"I'm going to get something to drink," he lied, "want anything?"
"No." Heero said with a strange smile that crept across his face. Duo turned on his heel, something about that sly little smile of Heero's that did something to him. Duo hurried out and stepped into his neglected kitchen. He grabbed a soda and jumped onto the counter. Resting against the refrigerator, he took off his leather jacket and rested the cold soda can against his forehead to soothe his lingering headache. After a couple minutes, he left his half drunken soda on the counter and headed back towards his room and leaned against the doorframe. Heero had propped himself against the headboard, his head was down and his eyes closed. Duo walked in to see if he was awake, but all indications said he was not, so Duo lowered himself onto the edge of the bed for a moment and sighed. He soon felt a sharp tug at his braid. Dammit Heero. He thought again as he met that smile once more. Heero had gotten hold of his braid now, and Duo could not get away.
"Duo," Heero inquired, "did you really think I was asleep?"
"Well, you're a good actor too, I guess." Duo replied uncomfortably, he did not like anybody messing with his hair.
"How long is your hair, really?" Heero changed the subject.
"I'm not sure," Duo replied, "I never really paid attention to that."
"Shall we find out then?" Heero laughed. Before Duo could properly protest, Heero had removed the band at the bottom of Duo's braid and began to take it apart.
"Heero," Duo took a shot at protesting anyway, "why are you torturing me."
"You call this torture?" he laughed, "You are not that weak."
"Now you sound like Wufei." Duo surrendered slightly when Heero laughed at his lame excuse for humor. Heero had dismantled Duo's entire braid a couple minutes later. Duo was about ready to doze off when he felt Heero running his fingers through his hair. By then, Duo started to retreat; the situation was getting far too weird at that point. He stood up, but felt pain instantly. He sat back down and turned to Heero who had a fistful of Duo's chestnut brown hair in his fist.
"Let go, Heero." Duo sighed.
"Why?" Heero mused.
"Because I need sleep." Duo was getting a little annoyed.
"Sleep then." he replied.
"What?" Duo was confused.
"I'm not stopping you," Heero smiled, "go ahead and sleep."
"Here?"
"I don't care."
"Heero, that's not helpful," Duo said, "besides, this is your room tonight."
"Well, it can be our room tonight." there it was, the words Duo didn't want to hear. He turned to Heero who still had a firm grip on his hair, and he had that quirky smile on his face as well. Duo felt as if he could not move an inch, his eyes had locked onto Heero's and refused to move away. Heero repositioned himself and stared straight into Duo's violet eyes, he could feel his breath quicken, which made him smile even more.
"So what's your answer, Duo?" Heero whispered to him.
"I don't know." Duo answered weakly, his will power failing him.
"Maybe I can make up your mind for you then." Heero whispered back huskily. He then lowered his head onto Duo's shoulder and trailed kisses down his neck. Duo tried not to get too phased by Hero's seduction, but it was so hard not to. Enough was enough, he had to stop this madness before it was too late, and so he pushed Heero away.
"What's wrong?" Heero asked, looking rather dejected.
"Heero," Duo sighed, "I don't know."
"You don't care for me anymore, do you." Heero asked looking into Duo's eyes.
"Well, no, I." Duo fumbled for words, he was no good at stuff like this.
"I'm sorry, Duo," Heero replied, "that was completely wrong on my part and, well I was-"
"Don't say you were wrong." Duo cut him off, "You were right, and I was just being foolish." he ended his sentence with a tinge of bitterness in his tone. Heero was slightly confused by Duo's actions.
"Duo, what is wrong with you?" Heero asked, "You are not being yourself." That got to Duo. Not being myself! He protested in his mind. If I'm not being myself, then who the hell am I? He looked back at Heero, who seemed very confused and slightly concerned. Maybe I am not being myself, but I can fix that. To hell with this! He is in my house, my room, and he was ready to have me, and what do I do, I push him away! I swear, I can be a real dumbass sometimes. With that final thought in his mind he glanced at Heero again, who was staring off in space, probably embarrassed for coming on so strong. He turned to him and ran his fingers over Heero's strong jawbone, thankful that he decided not to break it earlier. Heero turned back surprised; he thought that Duo had made up his mind. The truth was, he did, and at that moment he leaned over and gave Heero the sweetest, most full kiss he had ever received.
"What changed your mind?" Heero asked.
"Well, I realized something."
"What's that?"
"That you're too good to let go." Duo ended his sentence with his own quirky smile and kissed Heero again. The rest of the night progressed in the predicted way, and Duo was just thankful that he didn't push Heero away. ******************************************************
The next morning Duo found himself as he had fallen asleep, in Heero's arms. He had awakened to a slight pulling and found his lover twisting a section of Duo's silken hair around his fingers. Duo pulled his vision up to Heero's and they greeted in their own way. The pair lay with each other for most of the morning reluctant to leave each other's sides after being apart for so long.