03 Feb 04 : REVISED & REPOSTED


These fragile bodies of touch and taste
This vibrant skin, this hair like lace
Spirits open to the thrust of grace
― Bruce Cockburn

Heero woke up at the click of the apartment door being latched. Smiling to himself, he stayed drifting on the edge of sleep, listening to Duo's quiet movements around the space: get a drink, check email, take a shower. Sometime later Duo slipped into bed, and his fingers automatically reached out. Heero came awake at the touch, his eyes opening to see Duo's profile. There were lines of exhaustion on the young man's face, and his braid lay across his chest.

It won't really be tomorrow until it's dawn, Heero told himself. Until then, I can still pretend.

As silently as he could manage, he slid through the sheets until he was next to Duo, sitting up halfway to look down at his roommate. There was a pause, and Duo's eyes opened. The deep blue was shadowed in the streetlamp's light arcing through the window.

"Heero?" Duo sounded mildly suspicious.

"Long day at work?" Heero kept his voice soft, but conversational.

"Yeah." Duo groaned. In the dark, Heero could just see Duo rolling his eyes. "Had a twelve top from hell. Nothing was right. Lettuce was cut too big, the steak was too rare, the carrots were too soft. The only thing they liked was the wine, which meant they were so toasted when they gave me a ten percent tip they didn't realize it was on top of the hotel's twenty percent gratuity for large groups." A puzzled note entered his voice. "Heero? Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Duo brought a hand out from under the sheets and touched Heero's bare chest. As his slim fingers ran over Heero's nipple, the Wing Zero pilot's skin shivered. Duo's hand continued, running down Heero's stomach to his bare hip. Duo's eyes widened.

"You're not wearing any―"

Heero silenced him with a kiss.


[SCENE INCOMPLETE DUE TO REMOVAL OF NC-17 MATERIAL. For complete version, go to www. sweetlysour. net/ sol/ drums39.htm - remember to remove spaces]

Heero sat up, confused, and wiped his hands on the futon. Crawling over Duo, he held himself above Duo as he looked down. "Are you okay?"

"That was..." Duo's eyes opened, sluggishly, then closed again as a smile twitched at the edge of his lips. "Ticklish afterwards...sensitive, I guess." His face was flushed lightly, and Heero watched, amused, as Duo's breathing slowly became more even. Duo opened one eye, looked at Heero, then closed his eye. "Stop staring at me."

"You look goofy after you've come," Heero told him.

"Yeah, well, fuck you," Duo mumbled, sated. Faintly he waved one hand, but didn't otherwise move.

"That wasn't quite what I had in mind," Heero replied, and rubbed his hips against Duo's stomach. His stiff erection was weeping, and the motion smeared it on Duo's belly, making it easier for Heero to grind a little harder. Duo's eyes opened again, and he glanced down, then grinned.

"Round two," he announced. "Let me up. I'll be right back."

Heero frowned and sat back on his heels to let Duo sit up, but caught the other man by the wrist before Duo could stand up. He hesitated, and asked his question in a rush. "Wh-why do you leave?"

"Cleaning up," Duo muttered, adding something else Heero couldn't make out.

The Wing Zero pilot had developed a theory, but suspected the problem wasn't the act but the crassness of stating it out loud. Heero tugged at Duo's wrist until Duo looked at him. "Duo...I appreciate it. But you don't have to...I like...I don't have a problem with any part of your body."

"I do," came the soft reply. Duo fidgeted, uneasy, then sighed. "When I was a kid, the other kids used to...tease me. They said I...smelled like a sewer." His eyes were lowered, and Heero twisted his lips as he thought about what to say.

"I...think you smell like...curry," Heero finally whispered. Duo's eyes flew up, looking at him quizzically, and Heero shrugged, an almost-imperceptible movement. "And...engine oil. And leather...and mint."

"That's the toothpaste," Duo replied, but his shy smile was genuine. Carefully he disengaged from Heero's hold, and stood up. "I'll be..." His legs buckled, and he laughed nervously as he regained his balance. "Rubber knees. Be right back."


[SCENE INCOMPLETE DUE TO REMOVAL OF NC-17 MATERIAL]

After a few minutes, Duo stirred, raising his head up to kiss Heero softly on the lips. "Let me up," he whispered. "I'll get us something to clean up."

Heero sighed and let his head fall back on the pillow. "No...stay here."

"What?" Duo made a face. "We're all...sticky. And I'm leaking."

The Wing Zero pilot blinked, then chuckled suddenly.

"It's not funny." The other man narrowed his eyes, mildly annoyed. "I am."

"I know, I know." Heero released Duo, who sat up, a little wobbly. "I was remembering how upset you got that time Deathscythe was leaking fluid."

"Well, if some bastard hadn't stolen parts, it would've been just fine."

Heero had the grace to flush, even as he feigned a long-suffering air. "Are we going to be eighty, sitting in some nursing home for Gundam pilots, and you'll still be getting on my case about that? What do I have to do? Let you..." Heero trailed off, noticing the odd expression on Duo's face. "Duo? Is something wrong?"

"No," Duo said, ducking his head as he got up. "Just...never mind. I'll go get a towel."

Heero's brow creased as he watched his friend leave. Duo's expression had seemed to be a mix of surprise, fear, and a little bit of hopefulness. Duo returned with a damp cloth, and Heero filed the observation away. After wiping himself, he handed the towel to Duo, who tossed it to the side.

"I am not folding it," Duo told him imperiously as he lay down on his back to stare at the ceiling.

"In that case, get over here," Heero replied. Exerting the strength he'd held back even during sex, Heero sat up long enough to catch Duo under the arm, pulling Duo to the middle of the bed.

Duo squeaked in surprise, and Heero laughed softly, burying his face in Duo's hair as the two got comfortable, spooning back-to-front. Heero raised his head, supporting it with a fist as he put his other arm across Duo's chest. Under his chin, Heero could just make out the dark shape of the tattoo on Duo's left shoulder blade.

"What's your tattoo?" Heero leaned over, ghosting his lips across the dark shape. Duo's skin shivered under the touch.

"An Irish wolf," Duo replied quietly.

"What's that?"

"It's an old thing. Came across it in a book while I was in school." The Deathscythe pilot shrugged, a slight movement against Heero's lips as he kissed the tattoo a second time. "You probably can't see it in the dark, but it's wearing a broken collar and is stepping on a broken crown."

"What does it mean?" Heero pulled away from Duo, squinting at the shape on Duo's shoulder blade. Duo's body was in shadow, and all Heero could make out was the general outline, and that it was some sort of intricate knot-work.

"It has a phrase that goes with it that I can never remember...but the translation is 'neither collar nor crown.' It stands for the way the Irish people refused to consider the British Empire their masters," Duo explained patiently. "It...just...I really liked it."

"That fits you very well...Did you draw it?"

"No. I kept copies of the different versions, and showed them to Jeet. He did several drawings for me. I picked the one I liked the best, and got it done by this guy in Sector 1 who's really good."

"Ah." Heero draped his arm over Duo's chest, who pressed himself backwards until there was no space between their bodies.

"I didn't..." The longhaired man swallowed, then moved his head and winced. "Ow, my hair." Heero shifted, and Duo pulled his braid out from between them.

"You didn't what," Heero prompted softly. His left hand played across Duo's arm, and back down to pull the thief closer.

"Didn't think you liked...this," Duo finished. His voice was soft, and a little forlorn. "You never did, before."

Heero's heart froze. He was careful to make sure his fingers never paused in their path of running gently up and down Duo's abdomen. "Before?"

"During the war." Duo shrugged casually. "It seemed to bother you whenever I touched you, back then."

"I didn't have a lot of practice." Heero's voice was perfectly neutral, and he placed a kiss on Duo's shoulder, then ran his tongue across the thief's shoulder to suckle at the back of Duo's neck. His left hand continued to run in circles on Duo's stomach.

"You..." The word turned into a purr at the sensation of teeth and fingertips. "You...seem to be fine with it now."

"That's entirely your fault," Heero informed him, pausing to speak before going back to open-mouth kisses on Duo's shoulder.

"If it is," came the reply, edged with the beginnings of a whimper, "I take full blame, and am perfectly happy with any punishment." Duo shifted in place, rolling over on his back to stare up at Heero. "I...like you, the way you are now."

Me too, thought Heero, closing his eyes. I just wish it were truly who I am.

He was startled at a touch on his cheek, and opened his eyes to see Duo looking up at him. The man's face was in shadow, blocked from the street lamp's light by Heero's body, but his touch was gentle, and his voice was low.

"Heero? Does that...bother you?"

"Bother me?" Heero put his own hand up against Duo's, and leaned into the touch. "No..." he said, leaning down for a kiss, then pulling away to whisper. "I...like you, too...I just wish it could stay like this...I wish morning would never come."

"We don't need to freeze time. It's not like we're still at war." Duo's retort was playful. "Or maybe you're just sick of waiting tables?"

"Ah," Heero said, pretending to agree, and Duo tugged him down for another kiss. Heero sighed, sadness washing over him.

Duo nibbled at Heero's lower lip. Heero responded, running his tongue across Duo's top lip, and felt Duo's smile as their mouths met again. His fingers were buried in Duo's hair, and Duo purred as Heero's tongue met his.

I don't want morning to ever come, he told himself. When it does, everything will change...and I don't want to lose this.


In case you're wondering...I don't own the pilots, nor anything else remotely Gundamian. I do, however, own a Santo. This is a small wooden statue of a saint, often seen in Mexican churches. The problem is that our saint is missing its hands, so the hands have recently been replaced with little scissors a la Edward Scissorhands, only in this case it's Edward ScissorSanto. Weirdness.

Extra thanks this chapter go to Presser, who dutifully read, shredded, and encouraged me sweetly despite pointing out some mistakes that still have me curious as to what I was thinking. Writing a sex scene while thinking of something else is a fast track for some crazy typos. But my buddy prevailed, and what you see is in great part thanks to his suggestions (and good humor). Any subsequent errors in the scene are my own, as I deprived him of seeing the final draft. (Yes, I'm evil.) Also gratitude goes to Arithion (Arithkenshin) who let me ramble through tattoo options, and argued eloquently for the final choice.

If you want to see a picture of Duo's tattoo, fanart by Duo Priest is now up. Go to gwaddiction dot com, click on Fanfiction, then scroll down to Sol 1056. From there, look for "Sol's Gallery" in the table header, and click on it. Click on 'Drums of Heaven' and ta-dah! Fan art. Happy author. ;D

AlyRain: Just wait until...*cough* Hehe...naw. I'll let you just stew. But here's a tip: things don't always work quite like you think they will. Actually, that statement covers a lot of the way Drums has worked out as a story.

Lainwyn: You interpreted 'sayonara' just like I meant – Bernie, being a huge representation of Heero's post-war life, is therefore the one to carry the burden of Heero's departure with the use of that word. I didn't want 'goodbye' since it has colloquial usage in English that's a bit more light-hearted. Besides, 'sayonara' is a term you'll hear in America, so it's not a completely foreign word. (It's also the term Heero used with Relena, when heading out to fight Zechs.)

Nlp: You did a huge review and I didn't get to see it? Oh, please repost and try again! I've missed your reviews. *sniffle*

KatsyKat: Well, Heero's, uh, not quite had a good rest yet. Had a good something, but it didn't appear to involve sleeping. The decision to not only pick up a gun again, but to use it specifically for the purpose of ending lives...that's a huge decision, and I didn't want to cheapen it. Hopefully I succeeded in showing just how hard it would really be, and the factors Heero would consider before going forward.

Asuka Kureru: Yes, Heero negated his earlier statements, but he also said that to Duo the night before. He didn't make up his mind until the following night, and his note to Bernie was an indication of the change over the previous hours. The real stupidity, IMO, was buried in this chapter, when Heero starts believing...well, I'll let you figure it out. Hackers, next chapter, I think! ;-)

Firefaery: Oh, you're a Calic0Cat fan too, eh? She asked me way back: is this going to have a happy ending? To which I said: uh, yeah! And now I'm thinking, oooh, Cal, don't kick my ass if someone dies. Heh. Not saying anyone will, but it's not exactly a cheerful bedtime story, y'know?

Hieislover1985: Glad you're enjoying it. Heero's getting easier to write, but the situations I'm throwing at him seem to be getting progressively harder to deal with. I'm almost feeling sorry for the guy. Almost. Hm. Naw. I'm not. More suffering! Must have more suffering! ;-)

Maldorer: You have time to read only 'cause you finally finished Two Halves, right? (Which I enjoyed greatly, btw.) The blinking clock...heh. It's strange, how when I describe something, I throw in these little details and figure no one really notices them but me. And then later to find out that there are folks who still like Sammy because of that gold tooth. Strange, what sticks in readers' heads.

Shinimegami82: First, take down your incomplete story. It'll only make you feel guilty for leaving it up, unfinished! Then, sit down and start writing from a different character's POV. Say, if the story is from Heero's POV, try free-writing the scene from a bystander's POV – and better yet if it's an original character, done in first-person. This will let you a) continue the same plotline, b) explore your abilities characterizing an original character, and c) give you insight via the twist on perspective. Then go back and see what this tells you about the story. It might be that part of the reason you can't go further is because the story just isn't there. In that case, set it aside as a learning experience, and try something else. I recommend 'what if' scenarios. Drums started as a 'what if Heero had to go undercover as a prostitute to find out why Duo was in the syndicate?' ...and see what happened? Sheesh. Remind me not to do what-if scenarios! ;-)

Also many, many thanks to those who have taken the time to email me with their interpretations, comments, questions, and encouragement: Moffit, RadicalThief, Morgan, Okaasan, Kiya Sama, CZ, Morgan, DHNightshadow, Arithkenshin, and RurouniTriv.

Getting feedback just makes my day! ;-)