Author: aomurasakiai
Warnings: AU, Angst, Sap, Shounen ai/Yaoi
Pairings: 2+1, 1+2, 2x1
Spoilers: None
Rating: PG-13
*Everything above may be
subject to change*
Fragile Faith: Chapter 05 – Beautiful
Once Duo set his foot inside the room he was staring straight into furious cobalt blue. He swallowed again and let out a nervous laugh.
"Hi again Heero." he said, waving cautiously.
"*What*… do you want?" Heero growled out.
"I brought you lunch." Duo grinned, trying to dispel the tension.
"I'm not hungry." Heero grew angrier and Duo dared himself to move closer to the other teen.
"Skipping meals isn't healthy for a growing boy like you." Once Duo got close enough he didn't miss the clenched fist of Heero's as if he was about to lash out. Whether the target was the plate or Duo himself, the braided boy didn't wait to find out.
"And here. I also bought you a present," he said in a rush while holding out the paper bag. The fist stilled and loosened a bit as curiosity flickered through Heero's eyes.
"What?" he demanded, eyeing the bag warily as if something might jump out and attack him.
"Open it and find out." Duo watched in trepidation as Heero snatched the paper bag from his hand and peered into it. He saw the cobalt blue eyes widen before a slender hand cautiously reached in, grabbing both the Walkman and the CD.
"Wh… wh…" Heero seemed to have trouble voicing his perplexity so Duo beat him to it.
"I was just thinking you know, if you were bored, you can listen to some music and I wasn't sure what kind of music you like to listen to but I sampled the CD and it is really relaxing and I just thought that perhaps maybe it'll help wi--"
"Why?" The one word question cut through Duo's tirade so abruptly that it almost made Duo choke on his own tongue.
"Because…" Duo paused, trying to think of the consequences his intended answer might bring forth. Duo closed his eyes briefly as his mind supplied him with the images.
//"I don't need your pity." Heero gripped them tightly before hurling them out the window with all his strength. They hit the soft grass outside but the damage was done. Turning his attention to the braided boy once again, Heero growled out in a dangerous voice. "Come near me again… and you'll regret it…"//
Letting out a shuddering breath, he opened his eyes to see Heero still fixated on him. Duo hesitated a bit longer for he was afraid of the potential damage his answer may cause to them. He may never have the chance to get close again.
"Because I wanted to." Duo lowered his head, bracing himself.
"Why?" Heero questioned again, not fully believing the reason Duo provided. The other teen looked up and tried to work his jaw.
"W…Well… It's just…" Duo looked into the intense eyes and saddened. He didn't want to see them like this. So dead with indifference and yet burning with anger. He turned his head away.
"I just want to be your friend," he whispered, repeating the same words he used on their second meeting. Not hearing the bitter laugh like he did before, Duo peeked through his bangs at Heero. The Japanese teen was silent and seemed to be contemplating while holding the Walkman and the CD on his lap. Duo thought that it was best to leave Heero alone so he could think. He backed away quietly and made it to the door. Glancing back one last time, he stepped outside and shut the door with a soft click.
It wasn't until then that Heero looked down and lightly brushed his fingers over the CD cover depicting a setting sun in the horizon… over the myriad of warm colors pouring into the cold blue ocean like liquid heat.
~~~That evening~~~
Duo had volunteered to make dinner and did so after a long argument with Lady Une. Within 15 minutes, smells of fried rice floated through the air and Duo scooped more than enough for each stomach, with some leftover. As Lady Une enjoyed her dinner and watched over the kids while they ate, Duo took his bowl as well as Heero's down the familiar hallway. Upon reaching the door, Duo let out a groan as he realized that he had no way to open it without laying one of the bowls precariously in the nook of his folded arm. The bowl itself was quite large and the rice was making it uncomfortably warm for his arm to bear. He didn't want to risk breaking it. Taking a deep breath he kicked the door lightly with his foot.
"Heero? Could you open up? I got our dinner and whether or not you ate the pasta you still need to eat again." After a long moment of silence, Duo sighed deeply and tried to think of another way of getting the door opened when surprisingly he heard the doorknob turn. There stood Heero, holding the door open. Duo gave a small smile as he stepped in. He waited until Heero closed the door again before following him back to the window seat.
Sitting down six feet away on the opposite side and setting the bowls down between them, Duo folded his legs Indian-style and leaned back against the wall while Heero had only one leg folded and the other dangling off the side. They were silent for a while before Duo pushed Heero's bowl towards him.
"Hope you like. Made it myself," Duo said, smiling a bit. Heero looked up and gingerly picked up the still warm bowl. Scooping a spoonful, he blew on the rice lightly before taking a bite. Heero chewed slowly and was unconsciously savoring the flavor of rice, eggs, shrimp, Chinese sausage, some soy sauce, and a bit of green onion. Duo smiled more and proceeded to eat in comfortable silence.
After a while Duo set his empty bowl down next to Heero's (who had finished much quicker than he did, even though Duo considered himself a fast eater). Taking a chance, Duo stole a glance at Heero again. He was leaning back against the wall with his eyes slightly closed as if he was tired.
"Hey Heero, I can leave if you are sleepy." Not hearing a response, Duo prepared to get up when the other's voice stopped him.
"I listened to the CD." Duo looked back at the Japanese boy. "It was… nice."
"Really?" Duo said in surprise. When Heero pressed his lips together and nodded slightly, Duo grinned. "I'm glad Heero. Well, I'll just go and wash these and let you sleep." He quickly picked up the two empty bowls and restrained himself from dancing out the door and to the kitchen.
The dishes took longer than expected to wash, but that didn't bother Duo since his mind was preoccupied with Heero. Duo still felt a bit giddy as he thought of Heero's approval in his choice of music. As he dried the dishes, he hummed "Afternoon" to himself. When he finished with that he took a rag and wiped the dining table clean before sweeping up. Lady Une walked in while he was taking the mop from the hall closet, but seeing him so happy, she decided to leave him be.
It was after 9 and almost time for Duo to leave when he finished. Smiling to himself he was about to head to the front door when he decided to check on Heero one last time. Slowly opening the door, Duo peeked in and his violet eyes widened in surprise. Heero was asleep, that much of it was certain, but what caught his eye was the pillow. It was *huge*. Not only was it cushioning his head but a good portion of his back as well. There was a soft blanket under him that provided some sort of comfort against the hardwood while another thinner blanket lay on top of Heero's legs.
Duo crept closer and saw that Heero was holding the Walkman close to his chest. It was still playing from the looks of it, at a low volume. Duo could barely make out "Flower" emanating softly from the headphones in Heero's ears. He jumped back a bit when a hand came up to relieve an itch on the slender neck that the headphones' wires caused.
Duo smiled as he could no longer see indifference or anger marring the sleeping boy's face. He pulled the thin blanket up to Heero's chest, draping it over his arms.
'He looks so peaceful.' One of his hands came up as if on its own accord and brushed a lock of hair on Heero's forehead.
'He looks… so…'
//Beautiful…//
His inner voice snapped him back into reality. That single word echoed in his mind and Duo found himself stumbling out of the room. After saying a rather hasty goodbye to Lady Une, he made his way to his car and immediately buried his face into his hands.
'Beautiful. Dear God, I thought he was beautiful. What is wrong with me?'
tbc…