Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light
--- W. B. Yeats

Heero said nothing during dinner, too busy getting second helpings to bother with conversation. The action of cleaning his plate was enough to make Duo beam.

"I got cake," Duo said, when Heero set the plate on the floor. "Are you hungry now, or did you want to wait?"

"Your choice," Heero replied, then shrugged half-heartedly as he pushed his fork across the empty plate. "I've...never had Black Forest cake."

"Really?" Duo's eyebrows shot up in mock-amazement. "You've lived a truly deprived life, and I know what I'm talking about." He took both their plates and got up, returning in a minute with a knife and a plastic box. Opening it, he pushed it towards Heero. "Looks good, doesn't it."

Heero dutifully looked, then frowned. "It looks...black."

"Wait 'til you taste it." Duo grinned, a mischievous look in his deep blue eyes. "Close your eyes."

He shot Duo a suspicious glance, and then closed his eyes with a sigh. "Don't you dare smash that in my face."

"Relax, that's only for people getting married."

There were quiet sounds of plastic rubbing against plastic, then a soft swoosh, and muffled giggles of Duo's quiet excitement. A second later something touched Heero's lips and he jumped, not expecting the contact. He could feel Duo's hand immediately bump against his nose as a result of his skittish movement. Heero opened his eyes to see Duo's face contorted as the other man struggled to keep from laughing.

"Duo. I warned you."

"Shit, Heero, I didn't plan it," Duo whined, but the defensive sound was drowned in the giggles stuttering out between the words. "It's on your nose, now."

Tentatively Heero stuck out his tongue and licked at the base of his nose, then tasted. It wasn't bad, even if it was richer than the chocolate Quatre had given him once during the war. Scowling, he wiped his nose and licked his fingers carefully, surprised to find himself giving Duo a crooked smile. "Not bad."

"Not bad?" Duo grinned and ate the rest of the smashed piece still in his hands. "It's great. Hilde got me hooked on this stuff."

"Including the way you eat it?" The words were out of his mouth before he realized the implication, and Heero schooled his face into innocent indifference as Duo shot him a narrowed look. Heero kept his eyes on the cake, however, and the moment passed as Duo laughed.

"No, she believes in forks. Here, have some more."

"Maybe later." Heero stood up.

"Where are you going?" Looking up from his cross-legged seat on the floor, with his fingers in his mouth, Duo's indigo eyes only accentuated his suddenly young appearance.

Heero smirked, and leaned over. "Let's have dessert after dessert."

"Have what?" Duo's eyes went even wider, and Heero's lips twitched into a genuine smile. Duo tilted his head, sucking the last chocolate off his fingers. "What are you planning?"

"Come on, Duo," Heero said, his voice dropping to a rasp. "You know exactly what you're doing to me." He tugged at Duo's sticky hand, smiling crookedly as he drew the longhaired man to his feet and pulled him gently towards the bedroom.

The kiss seemed endless, tongue against tongue, teeth nipping on lips, the heat and wet swirling until lights flashed behind Heero's eyes. Carefully and slowly he had pressed Duo down on the bed, until they knelt facing each other. Duo's hands were shaking, but Heero held them in his own, then took both in his right. With his left hand, Heero began to run his fingers down Duo's cheek, down his neck, playing at the edges of his shirt to run along the collarbone. The longhaired man shifted slightly, trying to pull away.

Heero broke the kiss and placed his forehead against Duo's, watching the deep blue eyes in the colony's dimming daylights. "Shh, Duo, I let you...this time, let me."

Heero scratched a nail down Duo's neck, and the young man whimpered a little. Heero exhaled slowly through his nose, a controlled exhale, trying to force the fire in his groin down to a manageable level.

"But..." Duo's face scrunched up. He looked uncertain.

"Be quiet, already," Heero growled softly. Waiting until Duo's eyes seemed to acknowledge the request, however reluctantly, Heero ducked his head and began kissing Duo's neck. He held the other man by the back of the neck, pulling Duo close as Heero suckled and bit where shoulder meets neck. Duo struggled for a second, his hands still trapped, but stopped moving when Heero didn't release him.

It took another fifteen minutes of murmured reassurances before the dark-haired man felt comfortable releasing Duo's hands long enough to remove Duo's black shirt. Even then Duo curled away a little, not quite covering himself. Heero was torn between rolling his eyes at Duo's self-conscious reaction, and sniggering at the way Duo was instinctively acting like a virgin.

Even I can't claim virginity, Heero thought, and decided to go with the third option: ignoring Duo's blush.

Heero put his hands behind his own head, yanking his own shirt off in one smooth move. Tossing it aside with little thought, he quickly reached for Duo, who had started to shrink back. Once again he had to coax Duo with light touches and kisses, until the longhaired man was softly moaning under the caress of fingers on a nipple and a tongue running across his ear.

When he plucked one of Duo's nipples, though, the other man stiffened under his touch. Heero bit back an exasperated snarl. His cock was too hard, throbbing painfully inside his jeans, and now the braid-wearing idiot wanted to play hard-to-get. Before he could say anything, Duo's whisper reached his ears.

"It'll...it'll be better..." Duo sighed, a soft caress of breath across Heero's shoulder. "I can..."

It was as though he were sitting back in Wing Zero, and Heero nearly blinked in astonishment, the way his mind could still unfold and separate the threads of the future. Duo wanted to take over again. If he responded by dominating Duo with strength, Heero risked either a backlash, or the creation of a new pattern that would be difficult to undo. If he gave way, he would merely repeat the pattern Duo was already trying hard to continue. Again he realized and accepted the best option, all in a matter of a single second.

Heero settled back on his heels, and took Duo's hands with both of his, clasping them loosely. For a long moment he let his gaze travel across Duo's body, up the slim waist, past the ribs barely showing, to the light brown nipples standing proud, to the collarbones curving under the pale flesh. Heero's eyes traveled back down, to the black jeans loosely cradling Duo's groin, the bulge at the crotch signifying Duo's arousal, the fine down of chestnut hairs just barely visible above the waistband of the black jeans. Sighing, he pursed his lips and massaged Duo's palms lightly with his thumbs.

Heero's voice was barely a whisper. "Duo, do you know what you want?"

"What I..." The longhaired man tilted his head, confused.

"Tell me what you want to do to me."

"I'd rather?" His words were cut off as Heero shook his head once, a curt movement.

"No," Heero replied. "Tell me."

Duo licked his lips nervously, and then raised his eyebrows in a gesture of amused surrender. "Alright, Heero...I..." His voice dropped to a soft mumble. "I want to kiss your nipples...and...bite an' suck on them..." Duo's words trailed off as he ducked his head, embarrassed.

"Ah." Heero didn't wait for Duo's response, but leaned forward. He let go of one of Duo's hands to wrap his arm around Duo's waist, and pressed his lips against the longhaired man's chest. Licking softly, Heero nuzzled his way to the right nipple, kissing it open-mouthed before running his tongue around the aureole and biting down. Duo hissed, arching his back. His free hand scrabbled at Heero's shoulder, but he didn't say anything.

Heero grunted. He recognized the action as merely a symbolic gesture, signifying Duo's protest and yet a reluctant acceptance at the same time. He clasped Duo's hand tighter, holding it away from their bodies, and continued planting kisses across Duo's chest, nibbling at points until he came to the other nipple. Latching on, he suckled until he could feel Duo pressing against his mouth, the braid sliding against Heero's arm as Duo leaned his head back. Heero smiled around the flesh, and kissed once more before pulling his head away.

"What else," he prompted softly. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he watched Duo's face, the lips open and panting, the eyelids heavy with pleasure. "Tell me, Duo, tell me," he coaxed.

A memory - of being pinned to the wall as Duo cajoled him into speaking – flashed into Heero's head. He ducked his head rather than let Deathscythe's pilot see the smile tracing across his lips.

Duo swallowed hard, lifting his head a little even as his eyes slid shut. "I...I want to run my hands down your back, slip them inside your jeans, and feel your ass against my hands."

Heero released Duo's hand, letting it rest against the futon, and ran his fingers down Duo's spine to where his arm was still wrapped around Duo's waist. Slipping his free hand down farther, he pushed his fingers under Duo's jeans, slipping them down until his palm was against Duo's ass. Lifting Duo just a bit, Heero watched the other man's face contort slightly as Heero's forefinger brushed down the crevice. Massaging gently with his hand, Heero leaned forward to place butterfly-light kisses along Duo's jaw.

"And then? Tell me," he said, a soft whisper against Duo's skin. He could feel Duo swallow hard, his adam's apple bobbing.

From here, the chapter becomes NC-17. If you want to continue with that version, you will need to go to www. sweetlysour . net / sol / dr-34.htm ... again, remember to remove the spaces. It's a definite NC-17 chapter, and as such doesn't fit ff.net's guidelines for acceptable posting material.

I understand that ff.net has its rules; everyone does. And frankly, I'd prefer to write shonen-ai, and not explicit yaoi, because I think a story works much better when the reader has to use a little imagination. The problem is that Drums is a brutally honest story, tracing Heero's path from reclusive introvert to someone with a relationship who's regained and rebuilt his friendships. I've shirked nothing else of the story, and what occurs in this chapter is pretty emotionally intense, and an important step on the way. So after some extremely lengthy discussions with myself, I've decided the explicit sex scene is justified in terms of the story I'm writing. Don't expect it for every story, but this one... yeah. It needs to be in here.

However, I just didn't have the time or energy – nor could I really justify – doing another 'variant' just to make it past the R-rating. Much of the point of the chapter is Heero's learning process, so you get the truth of it in spades. If, however, you aren't comfortable with this kind of thing, that's cool. If you want to skip over this chapter, you're welcome to, but I'm not willing to write a second chapter of lower quality that would diverge from the story just to fit a rating. A general summary of the chapter is below, if you don't want to skip to the other version. If you do want to read the full version, hopefully the white space will protect anyone from spoilers if they want to be surprised. ;-)

Heero and Duo have dessert, and Heero is introduced to chocolate cake. Watching Duo clean his fingers gives Heero ideas, and he drags Duo off to the bedroom. In a nutshell, it's a struggle – of willpower, not strength – to get Duo to let Heero take an active role. Heero manages this by having Duo tell him what Duo wants to do, and then doing it to Duo. Heero makes it as far as he can in foreplay before admitting he doesn't quite know what to do next. Duo skitters for the bathroom, returns, and the next scene opens with more foreplay for the actual sexual act. By the end of the chapter, Heero's spoken dirty to Duo during sex, while Duo pretty much turns into putty. At the immediate end of the sex act, Heero gets to hold Duo as they both recuperate. (I don't mean post-coital extensive cuddling, just remaining within the sexual embrace for a little longer than the first time.)


In case you're wondering... I don't own the pilots, nor anything else remotely Gundamian. I do, however, own a five-gallon bucket of Semi-Transparent Wood Stain, in Golden Oak. And any minute now I am going to get my duff out on that stupid wooden deck and start sealing it in time for winter. And then I am going to spend the rest of the day in an alkaloid high, thanks to the oil fumes. Say, what is it with me and fumes this past week? Vicious. Anyway...

First, I've got to say that I completely forgot last chapter to thank the two people who so graciously beta'd the Intense Emotional Conflict part. Sometimes a writer just needs a second opinion, y'know? Fortunately, CleverYoungThief and Casey Valhalla were kind enough to step into the breach, point out issues, and generally thwack me for being nervous. Boy, if that chapter made me nervous, it was nothing like writing this one, I tell ya! But this chapter I went to Okaasan, who is probably still fanning herself. (But she did have constructive recommendations, which have made this chapter much better, IMO.) W00t, I did in an experienced lemon-reader! Go me! ;-)

Aryl: So much lemony fresh scent, you're probably on the floor gasping for air, eh? Heh. Although it occurred to me, after posting the chapter, that I should've made Duo a bit more skittish about being approached, but I think it's okay. It's not like he's got a phobia about it, but it's a hard balance to create without making him seem like an overly nervous nutcase... which he definitely isn't. He's just protecting himself while trying to do as good a job in a relationship that's also new to him.

Shinimegami82: Writing fast doesn't mean I avoid writer's block. I've been struggling with another story for several months now, and I think most of the fans of that series are giving up and going home. *sigh* But I do recommend writing when you're in the mood, and going with it for as long as possible. Writing is very much a mood-induced and –influenced thing. I also recommend daydreaming about the story, playing out possible endings and permutations, and filler scenes. That helps me visualize, and then it's just a matter of being disciplined enough to sit down and write. I also type fast. I think that helps, too.

Maldorer: Heero got past several hurdles *cough* this chapter, eh? Hope it meets with your approval... ;-)

Nlp: I've been wondering where you've been! ;-) Yes, communication is key, but it's hard. I didn't want everything to be solved in one Big Talk, full of the empty resolutions like what you see in movies. These two characters have a lot of history, and I suspect even as they work out one part, there will be other things to trip them up. And, of course, they are still on a job...

SeYa: Aww, you're too kind. I'm always happy to hear I've captured the characters and can write them believably – this fandom is so massive it's hard to not be intimidated by some of the writings that already exist. I mean, really, I think Duo-and-Heero has been written in just about every way possible. Writing something that people think stands out, then, is even more cool.

Kaori: Hah, I love it when people say they're dying to know what comes next: so am I! I think I know what's going to happen, but I'm not sure. Here's a hint: there's a rumor that the mission is about to take a big step to the left... but I guess by now, having seen so many plot twists already thrown at you, that you knew to expect that, didn't you?

GoldenRat: As long as you don't start calling it Dawson's Heaven again, I think we'll get along fine. Heh. Yeah, I think Heero's got potential even in the original series to be a good friend (or more), because he is a staunch kind of ally. He stands by people, once he knows where they stand. And he's passionate, if a little unbalanced about it sometimes (psychotic laugh per episode, anyone?). At least, that's all potential I could see in him.

Asuka Kureru: Hey, see my note to Shin. I type fast! And by the way, I think the hackers are going to show up in the next chapter. They've been working so hard, they deserve a little time in the spotlight. Besides, I think it's been a few chapters since Mike the Hand has been kicked out of the forum for disrespecting elite hackers.

Also, many thanks to the rest of the peanut gallery corresponding with me elsewhere: Sevenall, Morgan, CleverYoungThief, Casey Valhalla, Okaasan, Presser, Koyote, and Porcelain. Thanks, everyone! ;-)