"The fox has many tricks, the hedgehog only one. A good one."
Archilochos
Okay…that has nothing to do with this chapter really…but I love Greek philosophers.
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Solo sat on the uneven couch, his back propped up against the higher arm. He was staring out the back door, watching the colors in the glass fade from white to orange as the sun began to set. He could feel the cool air begin to blow through the tarp as night was coming, and it felt good on the hot bandages around his body. Then he looked back down at the sheet of paper in his lap. It was the results of Heero and Duo's final compilation of suspects. The unsocial one had delivered it just an hour before that, telling him that they would need his help to find the best ways to the suspects houses the next day and to familiarize himself with their locations.
"Maybe I should buy us a door?" He said flippantly at Trish who sat down on the floor, her back against the side of the couch.
"Nah. Dun need it. This way its nice and fresh in here."
Solo just hummed back at her, leaning his head farther back off the couch. The could see the clouds through the holes in the skylight, purple bottoms with orange plumes on top. It must have been a beautiful sunset tonight.
"Solo?"
He let his head loll to the side to meet Trish's intense green stare.
"Why d'ya let him get to ya? Is he really that important?" As she spoke, she let a hand slide along the couch to Solo's chest. She made sure not to press too hard on the bandages across his chest, and slowly stretched herself towards Solo's face.
"He is Trish. Hell if I know why. Half the time I hate the little shit. But, I just can't seem to stay away," he laughed and hung his head, "Maybe I really am becoming a masochist."
The feeling of a soft hand running through his hair calmed him, until the hand started to ease his head forward. He felt lips that were far too soft press to his, slick with lip gloss. After a second Solo pulled away and let his head hang off the arm once more. He could practically feel the anger radiating off of Trish.
"You know, der are people in da world who wouldn't treat ya like shit Solo."
Solo didn't watch as she stood up and walked angrily away. He just sat in the dying light of the sun and tried not to pick at his scabs.
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"So is this our boy?" Duo leaned over Heero's shoulder, never quite having kicked the old habit from his days of pestering the other pilot.
"Could be. Him or one of these three. They're the only ones that fit all the descriptions we have, and who had bought supplies for developing their own film in the last six months."
"Of course, he might have had the supplies already," Duo walked over and sat on the bed, looking out of the window. The sun had just set, and the lights on L2 were blinking on, like fireflies.
"No, the chemicals won't stay for more than six months. He has to have bought new supplies in that time frame."
"Hm," Duo grunted. Heero looked over at the man who sat on the bed. His face was blank as he stared out the window. Even with his level of social skills, he knew when someone had something on their mind.
"What's wrong?" Duo jumped from the voice suddenly behind him and the firm grip on his shoulder. He looked around guiltily, making sure not to blush.
'It's not like you haven't kissed him before. It's not like Heero doesn't know you've kissed. He just doesn't know about that specific one…'
In response he merely sighed and leaned back against Heero's embrace.
"I can tell something's bothering you. For once why don't you make this easy and just tell me."
Again Duo smirked at his lover's sudden sense of humor. He brought his hand up and held tightly to the one wrapped around his shoulders. They stayed that way for a few seconds, enough that Duo could gather his courage, and that Heero could urge him on.
"I…I need to talk to Solo about something. That's all…" Duo finally whispered.
"Hm."
Duo felt Heero let go of him and he turned to see him taking off his clothes.
"I'm going to sleep," Heero pulled the covers as far as he could with Duo still sitting on them and crawled into the bed, "Just promise me one thing."
Duo looked over but Heero had his head on his pillow and was staring blankly off into space as he spoke.
"You'll be here before I wake up."
Duo understood what Heero was getting at. He also felt like he knew why Heero couldn't come right out and say it. That would be pointing out that he knew what Duo really wanted; and the fact that it certainly wasn't him.
"I will."
On his way out Duo leaned down and kissed an unresponsive mouth before heading out into the increasing cold.
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It was easy to sneak into the crumbling apartment. There seemed to be someone on guard, but he was snoring loudly on the couch. Duo was tempted to do something to prove that the guard had fallen asleep on his watch, but decided that he didn't have time for it. He needed to be back before sun-up.
Sneaking up the creaky stairs was a far more daunting challenge, and each time his foot pressed on a stair the ancient wood moaned. He was positive that the guard was going to wake up at any time, but his snoring neither lessened nor changed.
At the top of the stairs, Duo walked down the hall to the door he remembered Solo leaving. He had assumed that it would be locked and fished a lockpick out of his hair.
'Old habits die hard.'
The click of the lock was a calming sound to Duo as he began to open the door. He stopped though as he saw something move off to his side. He left the door closed as it was and sprung up, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow, trying to find who was there.
"You know…he never used ta do that."
Duo relaxed as he heard Trish's now-familiar voice. She stepped out of the doorway next to Solo's room, looking like she hadn't even gone to sleep yet. But on the other hand, she didn't exactly look thrilled about being disturbed anyway.
"Do what?"
"Lock the door. Specially on the cold nights like tonight. We all used ta share da room, keep each other warm. Now he locks us all out."
Duo caught the stress on the word all but was unwilling to take the hint. He said a quiet goodnight to the girl before slipping into Solo's room. As he turned around he shut the door, turning the knob beforehand so it wouldn't make any sounds. Then a knife embedded itself in the door next to his head.
"What the fuck? Duo? Holy crap man, I coulda killed you."
"Not with that aim you couldn't," Duo grinned as he pulled the knife out of the door and started walking towards Solo. The blond was lying on a mattress on the floor, covered in ragtag blankets. He was wearing a white wifebeater that had definitely seen better days. His room was almost entirely empty, small odds and ends spread about and a pile of clothes next to an empty set of drawers.
As he came closer to the bed, Duo began to make out Solo's face in the darkness. He didn't look pleased to see the younger man, and Duo hoped he could change that. Flipping the knife in his hand so he was holding the blade, he held it out to Solo. The streetrat gripped the handle tightly and returned the knife to its place next to his mattress.
"What are you doing here anyway?"
Duo kneeled down on the floor next to the mattress. Solo sat up, the blankets still pulled tightly around his waist, keeping out the cold chill of the desert-like night. Thinking back to all the things he had planned to say, Duo then made the stupid decision of looking into Solo's eyes. He could barely make them out in the darkness, but he knew his ex's body language enough to know that they were soft and questioning, battling against the hope that was trying to fight its way out.
"What do you want me here for…" Duo shuffled closer and was hurt as Solo flinched back.
"No Duo. I told you already. No more games. This is my place this time, so I can kick you out."
"Look Solo. There's something going on here, I know there is. Something you're keeping from everyone. Even Trish mentioned that you've been acting weird."
Solo suddenly seemed to realize something and gasped. Duo hoped it was a reaction to what he said.
"How did you get in? Mako was supposed to be on shift right now!"
Duo just shook his head. Hopeless. Giving up on putting it off any longer, Duo got into a crouch and then crawled on top of Solo. The blond spluttered something incoherent and tried to push him off but Duo held onto his wrists and held them tightly, despite their recent injury.
"Solo, do you still love me?"
Oh crap.
Solo felt his chest seem to close in at this. He didn't want to think about things like this, not right now, not ever. He thought once he was over Duo, and he may have gotten to that point had he not shown up again. Turning his head to the side, Solo refused to look at the pleading face in front of him. He would not give in.
"You do…" Duo whispered, letting go of Solo's wrists. He had somehow always known that the blond really did love him, but he had done such a good job of convincing himself otherwise that it still came as a shock.
Reaching forward, Duo pulled Solo's head to his, and kissed his mouth more fiercely than Solo could ever remember him doing. His mouth pressed hard and hot against his. The moonlight of the cold night seemed to rise as Duo pressed Solo against the mattress. He fought his way out from beneath the blankets until he could feel Duo's body against his.
They ignored the cold nipping at their flesh as they threw their clothes to the side. In the soft moonlight that wavered in and out of the room, their hot breath came out in puffs of silver smoke.
The room was silent, except for the smacking of kisses on flesh. The only noise either of them made was a surprised squeak from Duo as Solo flipped him over, leaving the predatory blond pressing down against him. Everything was lost in a flash of movement that seemed slow and all too fast at the same time.
Duo felt the silence pressing in on him as Solo began to move achingly slowly against him. They rocked back and forth and Duo gave up and let out a groan as he was pressed against the crumpled blankets piled underneath him. Solo just clenched his fists in the heavy blankets, trying to get traction as he poured everything he had into thrusting into Duo.
His hands gripping tightly to Solo's shoulders, Duo didn't even notice the soft pink that bled through the bandages. Solo could care less. He took Duo's mouth in his as he pushed harder and harder into the boy beneath him.
Duo could feel the sweat on Solo's flushed body as it cooled in the night air, making him shiver. That sight alone, Solo shivering as his eyes blanked out in pure pleasure almost made him come right there. When they climaxed, the moon went behind a cloud and their shadows disappeared as they collapsed with each other into the blankets.
Duo could feel the cold sweaty body panting above him. He smelt like sex, his hair was coming out of his braid, and he had just cheated on his boyfriend of two years. But he couldn't move. Couldn't stop this. Didn't want to leave him.
Solo just rose up, getting off the body beneath him. Duo looked up, confused, as Solo quickly grabbed his clothing and began to get dressed in the dark pre-morning light. He wobbled slightly on unsteady legs.
"How you do that is beyond me," Duo let out with a smirk and a sigh. "I can't feel my legs, let alone use em."
Sensing the apprehension through his joking, Solo knelt down and kissed Duo chastely on the lips. This seemed to please the boy as he snuggled down into the warm blankets that smelled like his lover.
"I have to run an errand Duo, I'll be back soon."
"I," Duo paused as he yawned, "I have to be back to Heero by sunrise."
Solo nodded, "I'll be back by then. You should sleep though now, okay?"
The boy curled up on himself against the cold. Solo grabbed the piece of paper on his empty set of drawers, and quickly strapped his knives to his wrists. As he left, he looked back one more time at the satiated boy lying on his bed.
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Duo opened his eyes, the sharp slanting morning light boring into them. He winced, but forced them open, looking around as much as he could without actually moving his head from where it was nestled in Solo's pillow. Only then did he seem to realize that the sun was up, and judging by the brightness of it, it had been for some time. He stretched out, feeling the worn out sheets brush against his chilled skin. The bed had been cold for far too long.
Then he rolled over, and saw Heero standing in the doorway, watching him. Duo's eyes flicked from the door, to his clothes, to the bed he was in. He couldn't raise his eyes to Heero's, even if he tried.
Instead he stood up, crawled out from under the thin covers, and began to get dressed. When he eventually looked up, Heero was gone. Duo tried to ignore the dull feeling of sore muscles and his overexerted body.
Only when he brushed across a love bite that Solo had left on him the night before did he realize that the blond had not returned. When he checked his watch it was ten in the morning. Solo said he would return by sunrise, which was a good three hours earlier.
Running out of the room, Duo tore down the stairs to find Heero standing in the middle of the lobby, looking uncomfortably at the man that Duo now knew as Mako. The black haired man stood with his huge arms crossed over his chest, emitting a sense of strength that seemed out of place on a man barely as tall as Duo himself.
"Where's Solo?"
The question wasn't meant for anyone in particular, and both Heero and Mako looked at him in response. But no one has seen hide nor hair of the blond since he left early in the morning.
"We don't have time for that now anyway Duo, we got a call this morning."
"What about?" Duo tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in his gut when he looked at Heero.
"Murders."
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I think my Greek professor is trying to kill me. Sorry if the updates will be a while…college sucks, and unfortunately this is about as far as I've gotten in the fic…I only have bits and pieces from here on. Sorry…please stick with me. Thanks all:is afraid to respond to reviews because of rumors that FFN is cracking down on it:
Oh, and anyone who thinks they know what's going on, feel free to leave a comment with your theory. I'd love to know what you all think. Oh, and the story is getting into the final act. Be prepared for all the best parts. Hehe.