Part Five - Duo
I woke up with a deep sense of hope, and a raging hard-on. The muffled noise of Heero cooking in the kitchen probably inspired both. I tried to take slow, even breaths and think calm thoughts. Of course I could just take care of the problem quickly before Heero realized I was awake, and the thought of that illicit little thrill was enough to undo all the progress I'd made. Now that there was a very real possibility that some of my fantasies were about to come true, I felt an irrational need to wait. I sighed and started over.
Finally I gained enough control to toss a robe on and go out to the kitchen. Seeing Heero moving through my previously unshared sanctuary inspired a strange sensation composed of equal parts optimism, excitement, lust and a deep contented peace.
"Hey," I greeted him, "what's for breakfast?"
"Lunch," he countered, without turning around.
I moved in to perch on one of the bar stools I kept in the kitchen. I'd liked them in the store, and the fact I had nowhere to put them was irrelevant to me at the time, so they ended up lining the wall. "Hey, I work late, so I get up late," I protested. The silence may have lasted all of a minute. "Yeah, and speaking of work, I've got to leave in about an hour. I'll leave you with the code for the lock, if you want to go out and do something until I get off," I added, suddenly seized with a deep fear that when I got back he would be gone, and this would all turn out to be some desperate hallucination.
He did turn at that, and I melted at the look in his eyes. "Duo, do you really think I need you to tell me the code?" A long moment later I emerged from my blissful thoughts enough to realize what he'd said.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Shockingly enough, a small grin played around his lips, making me loose my focus once again. I'll bet he has no idea what he looks like when he does that. "I'll make you a bet," he said, sounding amused. "I'll bet I know you well enough to get inside within five attempts."
"You're on." I hadn't bothered to make this place secure the way we used to back in the war, but that was arrogant even for him.
He thought out loud as he moved to the door. "This type of lock has a preprogrammed code of six numbers but you'll have changed that." He stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind him. There were a few long moments of silence, then I heard the soft beeps of a combination being entered. Nothing happened. Another sequence was met with silence. Then a third time, and the door slid open for him to enter. I could only stare.
"I knew you'd have made it a word." He sounded smug. I wanted to be upset but I think stunned was closer.
"What did you try first?" I really, really wanted to know.
"Maxwel. Then, Gundam. Which led me to Scythe." The fact that I really had used the first two at one time both elated and disturbed me.
The flush of triumph on his face, combined with the power in his eyes drew me towards him on a wave of desire so intense I could barely breathe. In the shadow of a second he changed, stepping back toward the door and closing down every sign of emotion. Ice water couldn't have done a better job of stopping me.
"Not yet," he said impassively. "Not without a plan."
"Right." There would be a plan by tonight. Come hell or high water, there would be a plan if I had to sell my pride to get one. I fled to the shower, not looking back.
I was very glad the shower was on the cold side when the answer came to me. I'm sure I was wearing a maniac grin as I toweled off quickly and dressed. Heero was very definitely not going to like it, but if he gave it a chance, I'd be a very happy man. I almost skidded into the kitchen in my enthusiasm. But looking at Heero waiting for me at the table, two plates of food ready, my nerves went into deep cover. Time for some of that hiding I claimed to be so good at.
Heero looked amused as I ate, which was better than the dispassionate way I'd left him. He only picked at his own meal. "You didn't have much food." He still sounded amused, which relieved me.
"I don't really spend too much time here. This is only for..." I trailed off, not really knowing how to finish that without sounding ridiculous. "This place is special to me so I don't come here often." Alright, that was worse, it sounded completely inane. Heero just looked at me curiously. I could feel myself flush. Suddenly I wasn't hungry anymore.
I put the plate on the counter and went into the living room. Heero followed me, moving to sit on the couch while I paced around. Now would be a wonderful time for a distraction. It took a minute to regain the excitement for my solution to our mutual problem. It didn't take long.
"Wait right there," I ordered, and at his nod I slipped down the hall to snatch what I wanted from the bedroom and put it in behind my back. After all, presentation is half the fun, and maybe if I presented it right he'd be more willing to consider it.
"I've been thinking," I said, reentering the room. "The way I see it, you need to feel like you can't get too far out of control, and still keep that passionate lust that I would really like you to keep." I had to stop for a moment and swallow hard at the memory. "So here's my idea."
I pulled the handcuffs from behind my back and let them thud on the coffee table. Heero looked at them for an immeasurable moment.
"Where did you get those?" he asked faintly.
"And why were they in my bedroom? Really." I gave him my best look of amused disbelief, throwing in a raised eyebrow for good measure. He flushed and looked away. It would have ruined the effect if he'd known I'd never brought anyone else here, and only had them because they were a gag gift from Trowa.
I couldn't afford to tease him too much. "Heero." He looked at me, and I noticed the way his eyes carefully avoided the table. Suddenly this wasn't so amusing. "You don't have to. If you want to wait, maybe we can think of something else."
"Duo...no." I'm not sure either of us knew what he was protesting. After an ageless moment he continued. "It's not like you're probably assuming. I don't have any deep, psychological issues with it." And oh, the sarcastic bitterness in his voice hinted at a story I wanted to hear some night. I kept very still. "It's just..." he sighed, a sound of puzzled frustration.
"Look," I said, "I have to go to work now. Just think about it, OK, and we can talk when I get back." Please be here when I get back, I added in my mind. He nodded.
It was going to be a long, long shift.
I woke up with a deep sense of hope, and a raging hard-on. The muffled noise of Heero cooking in the kitchen probably inspired both. I tried to take slow, even breaths and think calm thoughts. Of course I could just take care of the problem quickly before Heero realized I was awake, and the thought of that illicit little thrill was enough to undo all the progress I'd made. Now that there was a very real possibility that some of my fantasies were about to come true, I felt an irrational need to wait. I sighed and started over.
Finally I gained enough control to toss a robe on and go out to the kitchen. Seeing Heero moving through my previously unshared sanctuary inspired a strange sensation composed of equal parts optimism, excitement, lust and a deep contented peace.
"Hey," I greeted him, "what's for breakfast?"
"Lunch," he countered, without turning around.
I moved in to perch on one of the bar stools I kept in the kitchen. I'd liked them in the store, and the fact I had nowhere to put them was irrelevant to me at the time, so they ended up lining the wall. "Hey, I work late, so I get up late," I protested. The silence may have lasted all of a minute. "Yeah, and speaking of work, I've got to leave in about an hour. I'll leave you with the code for the lock, if you want to go out and do something until I get off," I added, suddenly seized with a deep fear that when I got back he would be gone, and this would all turn out to be some desperate hallucination.
He did turn at that, and I melted at the look in his eyes. "Duo, do you really think I need you to tell me the code?" A long moment later I emerged from my blissful thoughts enough to realize what he'd said.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Shockingly enough, a small grin played around his lips, making me loose my focus once again. I'll bet he has no idea what he looks like when he does that. "I'll make you a bet," he said, sounding amused. "I'll bet I know you well enough to get inside within five attempts."
"You're on." I hadn't bothered to make this place secure the way we used to back in the war, but that was arrogant even for him.
He thought out loud as he moved to the door. "This type of lock has a preprogrammed code of six numbers but you'll have changed that." He stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind him. There were a few long moments of silence, then I heard the soft beeps of a combination being entered. Nothing happened. Another sequence was met with silence. Then a third time, and the door slid open for him to enter. I could only stare.
"I knew you'd have made it a word." He sounded smug. I wanted to be upset but I think stunned was closer.
"What did you try first?" I really, really wanted to know.
"Maxwel. Then, Gundam. Which led me to Scythe." The fact that I really had used the first two at one time both elated and disturbed me.
The flush of triumph on his face, combined with the power in his eyes drew me towards him on a wave of desire so intense I could barely breathe. In the shadow of a second he changed, stepping back toward the door and closing down every sign of emotion. Ice water couldn't have done a better job of stopping me.
"Not yet," he said impassively. "Not without a plan."
"Right." There would be a plan by tonight. Come hell or high water, there would be a plan if I had to sell my pride to get one. I fled to the shower, not looking back.
I was very glad the shower was on the cold side when the answer came to me. I'm sure I was wearing a maniac grin as I toweled off quickly and dressed. Heero was very definitely not going to like it, but if he gave it a chance, I'd be a very happy man. I almost skidded into the kitchen in my enthusiasm. But looking at Heero waiting for me at the table, two plates of food ready, my nerves went into deep cover. Time for some of that hiding I claimed to be so good at.
Heero looked amused as I ate, which was better than the dispassionate way I'd left him. He only picked at his own meal. "You didn't have much food." He still sounded amused, which relieved me.
"I don't really spend too much time here. This is only for..." I trailed off, not really knowing how to finish that without sounding ridiculous. "This place is special to me so I don't come here often." Alright, that was worse, it sounded completely inane. Heero just looked at me curiously. I could feel myself flush. Suddenly I wasn't hungry anymore.
I put the plate on the counter and went into the living room. Heero followed me, moving to sit on the couch while I paced around. Now would be a wonderful time for a distraction. It took a minute to regain the excitement for my solution to our mutual problem. It didn't take long.
"Wait right there," I ordered, and at his nod I slipped down the hall to snatch what I wanted from the bedroom and put it in behind my back. After all, presentation is half the fun, and maybe if I presented it right he'd be more willing to consider it.
"I've been thinking," I said, reentering the room. "The way I see it, you need to feel like you can't get too far out of control, and still keep that passionate lust that I would really like you to keep." I had to stop for a moment and swallow hard at the memory. "So here's my idea."
I pulled the handcuffs from behind my back and let them thud on the coffee table. Heero looked at them for an immeasurable moment.
"Where did you get those?" he asked faintly.
"And why were they in my bedroom? Really." I gave him my best look of amused disbelief, throwing in a raised eyebrow for good measure. He flushed and looked away. It would have ruined the effect if he'd known I'd never brought anyone else here, and only had them because they were a gag gift from Trowa.
I couldn't afford to tease him too much. "Heero." He looked at me, and I noticed the way his eyes carefully avoided the table. Suddenly this wasn't so amusing. "You don't have to. If you want to wait, maybe we can think of something else."
"Duo...no." I'm not sure either of us knew what he was protesting. After an ageless moment he continued. "It's not like you're probably assuming. I don't have any deep, psychological issues with it." And oh, the sarcastic bitterness in his voice hinted at a story I wanted to hear some night. I kept very still. "It's just..." he sighed, a sound of puzzled frustration.
"Look," I said, "I have to go to work now. Just think about it, OK, and we can talk when I get back." Please be here when I get back, I added in my mind. He nodded.
It was going to be a long, long shift.