Author's Notes: This is a reposting of a fic that I wrote four years ago under a different account. In an effort to consolidate my two accounts, I am taking my fics off my other account and putting them on my new account. I want it to be in my new account so I don't ever lose it again! I'd forgotten how devoted I was to this pairing and how much I loved Gundam Wing! I hope that you enjoy!
Looking back on it, I see some OOC-ness, and I tried to fix it, but...well. We'll see. I think it's pretty accurate.
Pairings: 212
Parts: 1/1
Warnings: Shounen ai, sap? ; This is a sequel to Learning to Laugh. It's the second fic, but it can stand alone.
Confession
Duo flung an arm over his face to shield his eyes from the blinding sunlight and shifted on the grass. "So Heero, what made you decide to bring Kami home in the first place? Not that I'm complaining of course, am I girl?" Duo reached down to pat the panting dog's head. Kami sighed in utter bliss and collapsed bonelessly on Duo's chest. They were resting in the park after a long run.
Beside him, Heero thought. He was sitting with his back against a small boulder. He couldn't bring himself to be as relaxed as Duo. "I don't know."
"Aw, c'mon. There has to be a reason. 'Specially considering it's you we're talking about. Ya know, Yuy the Perfect Soldier, emotionless, cold..." Duo almost rambled, his eyes searching the sky. 1
"I am not cold."
"Yeah, whatever. Obviously you need to hang around yourself more often." Duo chuckled dryly. "So what was it? You decided to see if dog really tasted as good as the Chinese say or did this cute face just call out to you?" Duo said as he reached down and angled Kami's head towards Heero's.
"Hn."
"C'mon."
There was a lengthy pause after which Duo was sure he wasn't going to answer..."She reminded me of someone."
"Really?" Duo said, surprised. "Who?"
He could have sworn he heard Heero's breath catch in his throat. "Someone I...killed a long time ago, by accident."
Duo knew when it was time to drop a subject. "Oh."
But Heero continued. "And...she looked sad."
Duo smiled fondly at the golden retriever on his chest. "So you pulled that lady charm on him, did ya Kami? Wow. I never would have thought it possible!"
"...And she looked happy when I told her to come," Heero said thoughtfully.
"Unconditional love," Duo said quietly. "That's what Sister Helen used to say about dogs. She used to say how much she wished the orphanage could have a dog. She thought it would be good for the children to have some unconditional love." Duo's voice was sincere as he spoke, his eyes closed. "She never realized that she gave us all the love we could ever want. And I never told her."
"Unconditional love?" Heero asked flatly.
"Yup." Duo sat up and hauled the startled Kami off of him and planted her in Heero's lap. "Look at her, Heero." And sure enough, when Heero looked down, those brown eyes were gazing at him with complete and total adoration.
"Hn," he said and smiled. He scratched her behind her ears and chuckled when she groaned and closed her eyes.
"Who knew?" Duo asked nobody in particular. "Who knew that all it would take was a little love to crack the Perfect Soldier."
"But you said that's what dogs are for," Heero reminded him. Suddenly he found himself pinned to the boulder by serious blue-violet eyes.
"Heero. If that was what you needed, you didn't have to get a dog." Suddenly realizing the multiple meanings of his words, Duo struggled to keep himself from flushing. Looking up, he met blue eyes that were gazing at him with a puzzled intensity. Oh great. He's confused. And he is oh so cute with that look on his face! He should be confused more often! And then, the dreaded question...
"What do you mean?"
Dropping his head in his hands Duo took a deep breath. Please let me do this right! He pleaded. With butterflies in his stomach, he let his hands fall and looked at Heero with a nervous smile on his face. "I like you, Heero."
"I like you too, Duo," Heero said, his eyebrow quirked in confusion.
"No...I like you," Duo said, trying to get his point across. "I...aishiteru," he finished softly.
At Heero's blank look, Duo hastened to add, "But don't worry. I know you don't...feel that way..." Standing up and brushing the bits of grass from his jeans, Duo smiled cockily at Heero, who was still sitting on the ground with a perfectly bare expression on his beautiful face. "So I'll just be your friend, okay?" Duo said quietly, looking for some sign of confirmation and reaching out his hand to help the Japanese boy up.
Heero nodded dumbly and looked at the hand before him. Carefully, he placed his palm into it, and, keeping his eyes firmly on the violet ones before him, he let the taller boy haul him to his feet. After carefully assessing the American in front of him, Heero nodded. "All right." Letting out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, Duo smiled at him.
Turning to the dozing Kami, Duo whistled, and laughed as she bounded over. They walked home together.
That night, Heero Yuy didn't sleep. And two weeks later, he was ready to kill somebody or something. That thing ended up being the steak he was preparing for dinner. When they had first moved in together, it was decided that Heero would cook dinner and Duo would clean up and make dessert. Duo likes making dessert, Heero thought as he tenderized the steak and then frowned.
In the two weeks following Duo's confession their friendship had changed drastically, or so it seemed to Heero. Duo's comfort with casual touching had always made Heero uneasy. For someone who had never been touched in any way except in violence, it took a sharp mental reminder to keep himself from shrugging off a friendly arm flung around his shoulders, or hand in his, hauling him somewhere. Lately, however, Duo had been very cautious about physical contact with the Japanese boy. Sometimes Heero would catch him reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder and say something, only to have the hand yanked away and stuffed in a pocket and the mouth clamped shut. And the most astounding part of all was that it was Heero himself who was finding that he missed those easy touches. It was driving him crazy.
That baka! Heero thought as he pounded the meat viciously. It irritated him to no end that the American boy had been able to get so far under his skin. But if I miss him touching me...does that mean I like him? I would miss him if he left...if he died. At that thought, Heero felt an almost physical pain lance through his chest. He winced. I'll protect him. I'm his backup. Punching himself mentally, Heero returned to pounding the steak with increased intensity. But do I love him? The meat tenderizer dropped from numb fingertips, and clattered to the counter. Do I?
More and more Heero noticed the almost touches, and more and more he craved them. Finally he resorted to glaring at Duo whenever the other boy didn't notice. Lying on the couch, Heero contemplated what he was going to do. He was pretty sure that indeed he did at least like his former partner, maybe loved him. But...isn't there supposed to be some sort of physical attraction in love? Am I attracted to Duo? Honestly, he didn't know. He'd never given any thought to those sorts of things. When one suppressed their feelings on a continual basis, something as primitive as physical attraction was easily contained. Heero decided to experiment.
He brought images of Relena to mind. She was pretty but...he didn't want her
Next he brought forth memories of Duo and was astounded at the sheer amount of them. Duo working on Deathscythe, sleeping, playing with Kami, smiling, talking. There were hundreds of them. Sorting through his mind, Heero reviewed each one. He's attractive...iie...he's beautiful... And suddenly there it was...the missing element in his equation. Breathing hard, Heero stared at the ceiling, millions of thoughts whirling inside of his head.
His thoughts were interrupted by a thud in the kitchen followed by a curse. "Damn all lemon bars to hell!" Duo yelled as Heero got up and walked to the kitchen doorway. Peering into the small kitchen, Heero struggled to keep from laughing. There was white powder everywhere. Despite his efforts, a small chuckle escaped.
"Nani?! Oh, so you think this is funny, do you?" Duo cried indignantly as he thrust his powder-covered hands onto white-dusted hips. "That was powdered sugar! You wait until the Ant Marine Corp. marches in! Then you'll be sorry!"
There was sugar in his bangs and as Heero moved closer he saw dusts of sugar on the beautiful face. That's what he is...beautiful... Heero thought as he stepped closer.
Looking around the now white kitchen he glanced questioningly at the other boy, who sighed. "I had butter on my hands from buttering the pan and I went to grab the powdered sugar...The damn bag slipped out of my hands and poof." Duo made a whirling motion with his arms to accentuate his words. Heero thought that he never looked so cute. "Well, I think we've got some work to do," Duo said ruefully as he surveyed the kitchen. Reaching to put a hand on Heero's shoulder, Duo suddenly blanched and snatched it away.
"Why won't you touch me?" Heero asked suddenly and Duo found himself the subject of a cobalt-eyed glare. He squirmed uncomfortably.
"Ano...I thought you wouldn't want me to...now that you know..." Duo fiddled with the tip of his long braid.
"That you like me?"
"Iie. That I love you," Duo shot back, violet stare shooting sparks as it met Heero's. With an unreadable look on his face, the shorter boy stepped forward.
"...I like powdered sugar," Heero said as he swiped a finger across Duo's chin, ignoring the gasp he elicited and brought it to his lips. "Duo?"
The American blinked a question.
Stretching up, Heero put his hand behind Duo's head, pulling the taller boy's lips down to his own. I never knew four inches could seem like such a long distance. He thought as he gently brushed their mouths together in a butterfly of a kiss.
Removing his hand and stepping away, Heero gauged Duo's reaction, watching as the violet eyes widened and fingertips were raised to brush where moments before Heero's mouth had briefly rested, watched with satisfaction as the wonder turned into hunger. The braided boy smirked gently. "One thing, Heero."
"Hn?"
"Always finish what you start," was the only warning he got before he was wrapped tightly in the American's arms, Duo's mouth on his own, exploring his. Heero buried his fingers in long brown hair and pulled their mouths even closer.
Duo was in heaven. He could taste the sweetness of the sugar on his tongue, could feel Heero's mouth tugging gently on his own. He could feel himself trembling. God, how he'd waited for this moment. His imagination was no substitute for this, the teeth softly nibbling his lower lip, the tongue intertwining with his own, the smell of his shampoo, strawberries and something unidentifiable, but sweet. Nothing could compare.
Finally pulling away, Duo moved his lips to the shorter boy's ear and whispered lightly. "Love you." He expected no reply, content with what Heero would give him. Heero lightly rested his head in the crook of the other boy's neck. Then a gruff whisper muffled by skin warmed and trembling from contact...
"I think...I might...love you too."
Owari
1 Thank you Gala-chan! glomp
Notes: Sap sap sap...yadda yadda yadda. Tell me what you think! EMAIL ME DAMNIT!!! Eh...heh heh...; gomen, maybe I shouldn't have drank that last coke...
