Chapter 10: Scoperta dell'oceano perfetto

(ch rewritten)

:male:

Camping. What a strange way to bond with one's roommates. Wufei watched the smoke from the dying fire lift into the early morning sunshine. Breakfast done (a breakfast he'd not made) and sitting on a log that Heero had placed on the ground for him, with a cup of coffee that Duo had drawn for him out of a percolator coffee pot, he should have felt at ease. If it just weren't for the state of confusion and discomfort from what had happened over the last two days, he'd be having a wonderful time.

They'd come to the top of the cliff that first evening. When he'd finally managed to join the other two, they were already repartitioning out his pack. He'd sputtered, complained, even threatened in his best mock-Heero manner, but nothing had stopped his two friends from lightening his own pack and making their own heavier. No matter what he said, Heero or Duo would merely smile, pat his shoulder or touch his arm or tousle his hair and say "You know the deal, Wufei" or "Chang" or "Wufei-bear."

He didn't know the deal. The confusing turn of events didn't help his feeling of unease. When they'd packed their gear down the ridge for another five miles before they'd stopped just as the sun was setting against the eastern range and hadn't allowed him to set up camp or start a fire or make the dinner. Always it was the touch on the arm, the half hug, the smile, the words.

Hell, he wouldn't have minded the words much, or the smiles. But the touching was driving him insane. For two days, he'd been in constant contact with one or both of them. Once, he'd merely sat down on the side of a stream during a quick break. And apparently because he didn't have anything better to do, Duo had come behind him, fitted arms around him and watched the water tumble by. Wufei put an end to that quickly enough, it didn't do to want something so badly and have it… so close. Or later that same evening, when they'd made camp and Duo was making dinner, Heero had taken Wufei's leg and drawn it over his own knee, rubbing Wufei's arch, sending his tense body into shivers.

The touching thing was part of the deal too, apparently. And he, poor dumb guy that he was, had to act like this was all normal. He had to keep his mouth shut, to pull away like he didn't give a damn, and had to mostly try to act stoic. Maybe he'd been succeeding. He was scared to death of being found out, that one of them would hug him too tightly and he'd sag into their embrace, or someone would trace his leg and he'd show signs of finding it something other than disgusting. The fear made his face pinched and pale, his body ready to bolt at any move on their part that was even slightly friendly, and yet that too seemed to be accepted by the other two, as if this were normal. So maybe…maybe abject terror was almost the same thing as stoicism?

A crunch of boots on the ground behind him gave him a warning before Heero rounded his sitting place with a canvas bag full of water. The blue eyed pilot poured it over the campfire, using the toe of his shoe to stir the ashes then poured the remaining water for good measure. Wufei let himself gaze over his friend, this new Heero, as he stood, shaking out the canvas bag.

Heero's form hadn't changed. He was still fluid in motion and statuesque when he stilled, a counterpoint between water and stone. It was an enigma when Heero had been aloof. Now it was a mystery with lines that tantalized, clues as to what was going on under the unbroken surface Wufei was familiar and yet unfamiliar with. That was, if the two Heeros were any much the same? Wufei wasn't sure how this alternate reality thing worked.

Wufei smiled slightly, ignored for the moment, he could take note of the slim, tense, balanced form of the other ex-pilot. Heero had filled out since their teens, his shoulders far more broad, his hair grown out some, so that while it remained mussed, it didn't stick up so much, but hung, heavy and thick around his scalp, down to his collar. And here, where they'd not had a shower for days, it had clumped in a way that shone and moved, but wouldn't go over well at the office. The look suited this more gentle, alive Heero.

"Wuffers with a smile," the soft voice in his ear made his body shiver. Gods, but he wanted to lean back into that voice so badly! Wufei closed his eyes as Duo's breath touched his cheek. "What could possibly be amusing our dear Chang-alang?"

"Chang-alang?" Wufei chuckled, for the moment forgetting in the quiet of the morning and the fact that he couldn't see Duo, nor Heero now that his eyes were closed, that his personal space wasn't quite… invaded.

"I think it fits," Duo's laugh was on the other side of his shoulder and he thought he could hear the slight shifting of rock as Duo moved his weight to his other foot. "Let me in on the joke, Wuffers?"

"Heero," Wufei sighed and his smile returned.

"Hmmm?"

"He looks like a mountain man. And it suits him." Wufei always talked to Duo. She'd have laughed and wrapped her arms around him, made it a joke between the two of them. He missed her… missed… "Duo?"

"Yes?" a whisper. So intimate. Like it was with her, only this intimacy carried a different weight and taste in its touch.

"I…" Wufei breathed and then blinked when the sun came out from behind one of the sparse clouds and hit his face, reminding him to open his eyes. There, before him, Heero stood, watching Wufei, hand on his hip, the bag dangling from his fingers and dribbling water down his jeans, making a dark line in amongst the dirt from camping.

And in those brilliant blue eyes, was something that seemed more like a question, or an answer, as if it was finding something beautiful to gaze at. For a moment, Wufei's breath caught. Heero… looking at him like that?

A chuckle behind him and he turned, finding Duo's face close to his. At the same time that his pulse leapt upon finding the object of his affection so close, his heart also did a nose dive off of the nearest pine tree and smashed upon the rocky ground.

No. No it wasn't him Heero looked at with that painfully sweet gaze. It was Duo. And Wufei, caught in the crossfire of their gazes, like a child with runny nose pressed to glass, watched the food being laid out on a table he would never be asked to attend.

"I.. have to go.." Wufei stood, knocking Duo backwards on his hind end with an audible 'oof!' Wufei ran his hand through his loose hair, it had come out of a tie and neither of the other young men had helped him to find his packet of bands. "I mean… I… "

Duo laughed. "You don't have to make a public announcement every time you have to use the bushes, Wuffers.. go ahead."

Wufei turned and all but ran for the woods.

:-:-:

Sometime later, Wufei had picked up a small stick during their wanderings down the ridge. He'd cut two notches in it, then cut in a third even though the third day was not yet half gone, because he wanted to imagine that it was over. That it was beyond this point. Only two more days, well, two and a half. They'd have a full day home without anything to do but laze. He ran his fingers over the notches as he walked, keeping his eyes on the white flesh of the tree showing through the rough grey bark.

He felt like he stood on the brink of something new, astounding, a discovery that he wasn't sure would be of any help to him, but might relieve some pressure he felt under. So he went over it all in his head as he walked. Duo and Heero. They were definitely in love. They'd been together, how long? The diary hadn't really said. But if it was anything like his world, Duo would have told Heero about two years before this. So two years at least. Not too long, yet not too new either. Duo had told him that he loved him. And Heero knew.

Knowing Duo, as he'd known her, he would have wanted to say it just to have it said. For the Duos, either sex, the concept of secrets between friends could be almost painful. So just to be able to say it was going to be a relief to the braided pilot.

But Wufei had always assumed that if Heero chose to love someone like he did Duo, that Yuy would have felt jealous of any attempts to infiltrate his relationship. Heero had too few of them, making each relationship precious. If so, then why wasn't Wufei presenting a danger? Was Heero that confident of his hold upon Duo? Or Duo's hold upon him, perhaps. An unbreakable bond held the two of them together. Wufei would have to be blind to not see it.

"Chang!" as if to break his thoughts to pieces, Heero's voice cut through the quiet.

"Yeah?" he asked, pushing the stick into his pocket and looking up, readjusting himself some onto his path.

"Would you like to go by way of the river?"

Wufei's brow crinkled. He looked around. They were on top of a ridge. They had been ridge walking for two and a half days now. There was no river anywhere near. "Sure." Was that what the other Wufei would have said? He hated this. It would be so much easier if somehow he knew what was going on even half of the time.

"Hn," Heero grunted in the affirmative and the dark haired man turned and followed where a golden brown braid rounded a bend. Wufei stopped to watch Heero disappear as well and then remained where he was, listening to the silence.

The world was silence. He smiled.

"WELL?"

He blinked in amazement, staring at where a pinkish bubble just popped out in front of his nose. Suddenly something resembling a rather ticked off piece of cotton candy was floating in front of his nose.

He shrugged, having gathered his composure. "Well what?"

Under his shoe soles, the earth heaved and he was forced to move his foot as a grungy bear like figure with crumpled wings (was it his imagination or did they look worse than last time?) clambered out of the dirt in the center of the path, stood pudgily on the edge of the grass and brushed his nose with a dusty paw before it sneezed and looked up at the man. "Well, what about how things are going? Seems to me that if you're going to be putting our jobs on the line, you'd best be doing it with better intention."

"Better intention?" Wufei gaped.

"Oh you dear," the cotton candy fluff ball flitted down to the bear and hugged him tightly. Somehow, she came away without a single speck of dust upon her person. "Don't you think he's doing his best? But my goodness, you are turning scared. What is wrong? You seem to be running from them rather than toward them, sweetie," she blinked up at him and he felt nauseous.

"Look," Wufei grimaced. "I don't expect either of us are making a very good job of this. Think you might consider swapping us back?"

"Back?" the cotton candy fairy thing screeched. "Back?" Then she suddenly decided this wasn't too serious and began to laugh. "Oh isn't that sweet? I think he's worried about the other one of him. Well, not that the other one is doing altogether so well, but we're making progress, don't you think?"

"Progress toward losing our jobs forever," the bear grumbled and then shook a paw at Wufei so that small puffs of dirt flew off at each shake. "Now listen you. Start putting some effort into this. They're going to start sending an inquiry into this mess in a short while. And you've got to show at least some improvement in your status."

This time the cotton candy girl didn't disagree. Instead she nodded. "Yes… a kiss or two? Do you think you might do that? Oh it would be so romantic! I think that would be nice."

"Kiss? Duo?" Wufei stared at them both in terror.

"Of course, sweetie. I think a kiss would be more than adequate." She nodded and smiled.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry.. I… I just think that this might be a big mistake."

"No no no," she beamed at him and patted his shoulder, then gently on his cheek. "No, you silly lover boy. You'll see. I think if you just.. you know, make a move or two."

"But.. Heero?" he asked in a strangled voice.

"But Heero what?" An amused tone asked, and a hand remained on his cheek.

Wufei opened his eyes, not having realized that they were closed. There, over him, Duo was staring at him with an amused amethyst gaze. "Heero what?" Wufei heard himself parrot stupidly.

"That's what I was asking you, buddy." Duo leaned back and Wufei realized that he was laying on the ground, staring at the sky with Duo crouched beside him and Heero on the other side, the latter with a look of concern on his face. "You okay? Don't know how long we were gone before we figured you weren't with us anymore."

Wufei sighed. "I'm sorry…"

"No, that's okay, bud. Maybe a nap was a good idea. This is a vacation after all," Duo chuckled.

Nap. Was that it? Wufei sat up slowly and found to his consternation that two pairs of hands went to his shoulders. Fear flooding him, he shrugged their combined touch off. "I.. I'm okay," he quickly assured them and found himself feeling both relieved and keenly disappointed that they didn't find anything amiss in his shrinking from them.

It was going to be a long road home.