Author's Notes: This is a fusion with the book: So Worthy My Love by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. While there will be no text reproduced here, the story line will follow the book's almost exactly, any changes made not too drastic.

Category: Yaoi, AU, Gundam Wing, fusion with a book
Pairings: 1p2, will be 1x2, vague hints at 3x4, beginnings of 5p2
Warnings: shonen ai
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com
Website: www . geocities . com / arigatomina

Bonds of Love

Part 11

Since Trowa and Quatre had elected to spend the day fixing the hole in the roof over Heero's room, Duo found himself at a loss as to what he should do to pass the time. He'd wanted to get in there so he could remove the thistles before Heero slept, but it seemed that fate was determined to conspire against him.

He found himself wandering around and he eventually went to his room. He absolutely despised being bored, and he'd just made up his mind to make his room more comfortable when he noticed a draft. It wasn't that bad, but he followed it, and he found himself facing the large tapestry that hung over his wall.

He hadn't tried the hidden passageway, having discovered that it no longer opened, and he was certain he had Trowa to blame. The man had noticed it, after all, and it wasn't surprising that he'd blocked it off.

Duo pushed the tapestry aside, fingering the place where his lock had been as he wondered why the man had bothered removing it. If he couldn't get inside the passage anyway, he really didn't see a point in taking off the lock.

He couldn't think of a reason, and he slowly let the tapestry go. Then he let out a curse as the heavy cloth promptly fell onto him, knocking him to the floor.

Coughing from the dust that remained on the underside of the thing, Duo shoved it off him, brushing his bangs out of his face as he looked upwards. The hinges that had held the heavy cloth had come loose, and he could see the holes where they'd been inserted into the wall. Pulling the thick tapestry off the floor, he searched for them, and muttered as he found that they were hooks rather than hinges. It didn't really matter though.

He stood on his tiptoes as he quickly screwed them back into the wall. They held rather well, and while he wondered if they would come loose again, none of his pulls ended with him on the ground, so he figured they would hold. It wasn't until he tried to put the tapestry back up that he met a problem.

"Ugh! Damn thing..."

Heero halted sharply at the muttered curse, and he raised an eyebrow at the boy's language. Then he glanced through the open doorway and his eyes widened at the sight.

Duo was leaning against the wall, the tapestry held up over his head, and he almost managed to hook one of the two rings when he suddenly overbalanced and stumbled back, nearly falling over. It was too much, and Heero couldn't help himself.

Blinking at the bark of laughter, Duo turned and glared when he saw Heero. He was not the least bit amused. But those cobalt blue eyes sparkled in a way he'd never seen before, so he wasn't that angry.

"Why don't you help me instead of laughing?" Duo sniffed. "This thing's heavy."

Smirking, Heero moved forward, pausing a bit when Duo again shoved the thick cloth against the wall. He stepped behind the boy, reaching over him to hook one of the rings while Duo held the tapestry.

It was as he was doing the same to the second one that he found himself stilling, his body very aware of the lithe form he was pressed against. His arm moved slowly as he let his hand fall, and his fingers brushed Duo's hip. His breath sped up.

Duo froze abruptly, his eyes widening as he felt that muscled body moving closer and he leapt away before he could be pinned against the wall.

"You cad!" he accused, his outrage tangling his tongue even though he knew there were worse things he should be calling the man.

Those eyes were intense as they turned to him, and Duo swallowed at Heero's expression, taking another step back.

"You do need a wife," he said quickly, managing to glare at the man. "You're like stag or something!"

"Are you proposing yourself?" Heero asked smoothly. His blood was still burning from the contact, and he longed to pull the boy back to him, Duo's flushed cheeks making him lick his lips. "Are you, Duo?"

The boy turned red and sputtered, seeming to choke at his question and Heero stepped a bit closer to him, his eyes dark. "I would be a better husband than Wufei, I can assure you. You'd never go un...satisfied."

If anything, the boy choked even more, and Heero smirked when Duo suddenly turned his back on him.

"You're impossible," Duo muttered, grateful his tongue was working again. "I have better things to do than stand here and listen to your nonsense."

Silence met him, and he turned warily. He frowned when he found the man gone. He looked around, but the room was empty, and he folded his arms over his chest, scowling at the doorway.

The man's behavior confused him. While he was certain Heero was mocking him, he had a lingering doubt, especially since the man obviously was attracted to him. He'd felt that much.

Duo blushed as he remembered. Cursing under his breath, he stalked to the door and shut it firmly.

Lunchtime found him still in his room, and Duo didn't so much as get up from where he sat, cross-legged on his bed. Calling through the door, he told Quatre that he didn't feel like eating, using a headache as an excuse.

It was true that his head was aching, but this was mostly because he'd managed to humiliate himself earlier. Living with Relena had taught him the excuse, and he was relieved when Quatre left quickly, the man not prodding him.

He really didn't want to see Heero, not when the man would undoubtedly make fun of him. It wasn't that he thought he was the one who'd acted out of order. Heero had been the one pushing the lines of proper conduct. But Duo still wanted to slap himself.

'I practically did offer myself up. Saying he needed a wife. But not me. No way in hell.'

Heavy knocks landed on his door, and he glared, glad he'd put the bolt on it earlier.

"Go away," he muttered, wondering what would lead the man to return. He'd thought Quatre was more understanding than that.

"Are you sick?" asked Heero.

Blinking sharply, Duo was caught off guard by the tone as well as the identity. Heero sounded both worried and angry. He quickly glared again.

"I just have a headache," he called. "I want to be left alone."

"Open the door."

Duo sneered at the order and got off the bed. "What about alone don't you understand? Don't you have anything better to do than to bother me? Just go away, Heero."

"I'm not leaving until you open this door," Heero said coldly, his low voice not holding any room for compromise. "Unless you want me to break it."

"God!"

Heero raised an eyebrow as Duo threw the bolt back and the door was yanked open. He looked over the boy carefully, taking in every angry inch of him as the longhaired boy glared.

"Here," Heero said, handing him a tray.

Having done that, he turned and walked down the hall without another word. He hadn't really been worried, but Quatre's message that Duo was too sick to eat had struck a nerve, and he'd been compelled to check. As little time as he'd known the boy, he had noticed that Duo had a great appreciation for food.

"Uh..." Duo said intelligently.

He stared down at the tray, blinking quickly. Then he leaned into the hall and looked after Heero's retreating form.

"Thanks!" he called, his confusion making him a bit slow.

He couldn't help but give a small smile when he moved back into his room, shutting the door but not bothering to bar it. Obviously, he didn't need to worry about facing Heero. The man hadn't said anything about their confrontation.

'And he brought me my lunch...'

It was with a wide smile that Duo sat on his bed again. His head didn't seem to hurt at all when he quickly began eating.

'I don't know what to make of him. But sometimes...he's sweet...'

- - -

Heero smirked when Duo came down the stairs the next morning, noting that the boy was once again nervous.

'I wonder how long it will be before he just asks me about the bed.'

Duo boy glanced at him, and he stood, not sitting again until the boy had taken a chair across from him.

"I see your headache is gone," Heero murmured, smirking when he received a disgruntled look. "I'm afraid I'm the one who has one now, along with a crook in my neck. This storm is bad."

Duo nodded, and Heero quickly rid himself of his smirk when he saw the boy's hopeful expression. "With the repairs on my roof, the room was much too hot to sleep in."

Wondering how long his luck would hold out, Duo hid a quick smile. He was relieved that Heero still hadn't found the burs in his bed, but he couldn't help but wonder at his luck. It wasn't natural for him to be so lucky.

"The storm is pretty bad," he commented, smiling when he took a bite of the breakfast the cook set before him. The man was truly wonderful at his job. "It's snowing hard out there."

"Yes. I suppose it will take Wufei a while to get here in this weather." Heero's eyes glinted when the boy looked surprised.

"That would be stupid," Duo said, frowning at the man. "He wouldn't risk coming all the way out here in this storm. There's no way he'd do something like that. No, we won't be seeing him today."

The boy seemed convinced, and Heero raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slowly.

"Oh really?" asked Heero. "Would you like to make a wager on that?"

Duo blinked sharply, and Heero smirked at him. "Well?"

"What kind of wager?" asked Duo.

He was convinced he was right, but the man's tone sounded odd to him, and it wasn't like the Heero he thought he knew to play games.

"I'll bet...a night in my bed," said Heero.

"You're probably right," said Duo.

Heero let out a sharp laugh at that quick agreement, enjoying the flush that passed over Duo's cheeks. He'd known the boy would back down from his taunt, but it was still nice to envision what would have resulted if Duo had taken the wager. His lips curled into a small smile at the thought. "I knew you'd see it my way."

"Whatever," Duo said quickly, focusing his entire attention on clearing his plate as quickly as he could without being rude. When he was finished, he quickly thought of an excuse to leave the table.

"So Wufei is coming, is he?" he asked. "Well, I suppose I might as well prepare for his visit. After all, if he goes to the trouble to brave this storm, the least I can do is greet him when he gets here."

Heero's expression darkened a bit, and Duo gave him a sweet smile.

"I think I'll just ask Trowa to bring me some water for a bath. I wouldn't want Wufei disappointed."

Glaring as the boy quickly escaped to his room, Heero stood. Then his eyes caught on the two men as Quatre and Trowa brought the water up. He waited, leaning against the wall, until they'd finished and he heard the sound of Duo's door being shut.

The loud thud of the bar falling into place made him smirk, but even he was surprised to hear a scraping sound. He fought the need to laugh as he realized Duo must have placed a chair against the door for added protection. Obviously the boy hadn't taken his threat to break the door lightly.

'But I don't need to go through that door if I want in...'

Heero's eyes glinted suddenly, and he stopped Quatre, who was carrying an empty pail.

"I need that," he said sharply, not explaining.

- - -

The hot bath was a luxury he'd never get enough of, and Duo sighed as he sank lower until his shoulders were beneath the water. His long hair was tied around his head since he didn't want it to get wet, and he made a pleased sound, closing his eyes.

It was the feel of something cold hitting his nose that made his eyes snap open. He spotted a pail of water held over his head and let out a startled cry. Leaning forward, he threw his arms up and waited for the icy downpour.

"I threw the thistles into the fire two nights ago," said Heero.

Duo blinked at the low voice, and he slowly peeked up at the man, confused when Heero simply stood there. Then he realized the man wasn't looking at his face.

Duo turned red, drawing his knees up to his chest and he glaring furiously at the water.

"If you're going to do it just do it!" he cried, "Hurry up and get the hell out of here!"

Heero didn't move, his eyes hot from the sight he'd seen. The boy had a body that he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life, and his own body was so tense he felt a physical pain. He let his gaze sweep over the curve of the boy's smooth back, dipping down to his bent legs and marveling at the clearness of the water as it failed to hide anything at all.

"Duo..."

The boy didn't speak, but he did look at him, and the absolute fury in those violet eyes made him smirk.

"I'll spare you the full pail," Heero said softly. "Feel free to use it if your bath gets...too hot..."

Holding the boy's gaze, he set the pail beside the tub, his eyes dropping again as his lips curled into a lustful smile.

"You lech!"

Duo grabbed the bar of soap and flung it at Heero, furious when the man ducked so the projectile missed him by a good foot. Then the chair was tossed to the side, and Heero pushed the bar away. He jerked the door open and disappeared through it.

Duo glared after him, his chest heaving with his angry breaths as he picked up a jar of lotion, just in case. And it came in handy, as the door was pushed open again.

"Thanks for the view," Heero said quickly, jerking his head back out and laughing as glass broke against the door.

Duo cursed for a good minute before he grabbed the towel he'd set a foot or so from the tub and wrapped it around himself quickly. He crossed the room and shoved the bar back down, unwilling to let the man have a chance for another shot at him. It wasn't until his eyes fell on the chair that he realized Heero had shoved it aside on his way out of the room.

His back straightened, and he slowly turned, his eyes blazing as they fell on the tapestry. "That bastard!"

- - -
TBC