Stuck In the Middle Of Nowhere

Chapter 5

Another early morning came. Way to early for Duo as usual. He hadn't worked on the ranch for a whole week under the pretence of still being in pain. Reality was that he was addicted to Heero pampering. But guilt started to flood him for not helping out at all. From his bedroom window he could see Trowa tame horses, WuFei herding cows, Bob cleaning and fixing fences and Lee plucking vegetables and watering plants. And all the while he could hear heero downstairs, keeping the house clean.

Wufei had sucked the fun out of his fall and it was now deadly quiet at dinner. And every time he sat lazily on the couch, while Heero nurtured him for no reason and Bob would walk in, he could see in his eyes that he was not pleased with the fact that he sat on his lazy ass all day while the rest was working hard. So today, he forced himself to get out of bed, to stop whining and to be a man! It had seemed like such a good idea last night, but as he sat at the dinner table, at five am, trying to swallow his breakfast, it wasn't the masterplan he had imagined. Especially not when Bob announced that there was no light work for him to do. He never felt this useless in his entire life and he now longed more then ever to go home and to feel needed again. He was what kept his company together. He wondered how they were managing now, without him being there.

'Don't feel bad Duo.' Lee lay her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. 'You can help me water the vegetables.'

She tried, she really did, but that did NOT make him feel any more like a man.

'That's too bad.'

Duo looked up and saw Heero entering the living room, Swift hot on his heels.

'I was kinda hoping he would come ride with me today.'

He admit that the two words 'riding' and 'Heero' made him think of things other then what Heero meant. But his thought surely were more pleasant. He blushed and tried to hide his excitement. Not so much sexually, but the fact that Heero wanted to spend the whole day with him was an improvement yesterday he could only dream of.

'I would love to.'

Heero smiled and packed sandwiches and drinks, stuffing them in a leather backpack. 'I thought I'd show you the ranch and the surrounding countryside.' He turned around with a sly smile 'I promise there won't be any puma's.'

Duo pretended to be hurt and gave him his best pout. Heero chuckled and turned his attention back to the food.

Lee smiled and clapped her hands 'Well, that is settled then!'

Duo felt the same guilt creep through him again. Was he going to leave with Heero and have fun, leaving the sick older woman behind to work? 'I'm sorry Lee, I will stay to help you out.'

She smacked him on his shoulder 'Don't be silly! Go out riding! Have fun, I can handle it on my own.'

Heero smiled and nodded, he was grateful. Watering plants all day was not something he looked forward to. Riding with Heero however, sitting on their horses, imitating the movements he had only done in bed before he came here was something he was eager to start with.

Half an hour later they walked up to the stables. Duo was told to sit down on the bench in the centre while Heero would saddle up the horses. But sitting down made him feel the annoying guilt again, so he decided to remain standing and study Heero's movements, trying to remember how to fasten the saddle and bit so that one day, he could do it himself. But he found it hard to concentrate and after a while gave up trying and fixed his eyes on Heero's body. The long muscles rippling beneath smooth skin. He wore a sleeveless, sky blue, button up shirt and tight faded jeans. For a cowboy he did know how to make himself look good, while still wearing practical clothes. He felt a bit angry when it struck him that Therasias might have thought him that.

He shook his head violently, why was he feeling so possessive over Heero? 'It's nothing.' He said when he noticed Heero looking strangely at him, his hands still in mid air, just reaching for the reins. He looked like he was frozen. When the words left his mouth, he melted again and continued doing his job. Not long after he handed Duo Deathscythe. He did feel a bit uncomfortable standing next to her now. After all, she was the reason why he had to endure such pain.

'Coming?'

He turned to see Heero, already outside the stable, and had already mounted Wing. Wings white fur shone in the early sunlight, making him look like a unicorn from a fairytale.

He gathered all his courage and climbed onto her back, taking a while to steady himself and find a comfortable position.

They headed out, early enough to let the sunrise bless their day.

Duo had been a bit nervous before, not wanting to make a fool out of himself. But after some handy tips from Heero, he really got into it and riding became a lot easier and less painful and he had the time and energy to focus more on Heero. In the beginning they were silent. Unsure what to talk about. But once Duo started, Heero collaborated and they chattered till afternoon, the sun baking the earth, making the last drops of the dawn evaporate. Their chatter was mindless but he learned a lot of thing about Heero, as shallow as they may be. He only liked his tea with three spoonfuls of sugar. He named his horse Wing because he made him feel like he was flying, like the horse was the wing that carried him up to the sky. It was supposed to remain a secret, but Trowa was illiterate, no matter how hard his teachers tried, he could not get the hand of reading and writing. WuFei was once attacked by a crow and was now scared to death of any bird. Heero's favourite colour was sky blue. His favourite food Mexican, that he once ate on the annual cowboy contest. He killed time by writing and reading books. Lee had suffered from cancer, it had been removed, but she never entirely recovered.

The list went on and on. Some facts were funny, other were sad, but no matter what they were, Duo was happy to hear them. All this time, especially the past week, he was hoping to get to know Heero better. No matter how he pried, Heero didn't tell him much, but now it seemed like the gates were open.

'... So Wufei screamed in fright and ran up to his room, not leaving it for three hours. My mother finally lured him out by offering food.'

'What kind of food?' Duo asked, laughing. Heero had some funny stories to tell about his brothers who pretended to be so tough and manly.

'Chicken!' Heero answered and they both burst out into laughing, rolling onto their stomach in the knee-high grass.

It was one pm and they had left there horses secured to tree branches and had a little picknick in an open field. The grass was high and was coloured with blue, yellow and pink flowers. Heero had a blanket rolled out over the grass where they lay on and the remains of food lay next to them.

Their laughter slowly subsided and then suddenly all went quiet except their panting and once in a while a bird would sing a happy tune.

'Don't you miss home?' Heero asked out of the blue. They had turned back and lay on their backs, gazing up at the sky that was the same colour as Heero's shirt, Duo's couldn't help but think of that the entire time.

He thought about the question. He wanted to simply, immediately, say: Yes, but he wasn't sure if that was the truth.

Wondering why Duo didn't answer Heero pushed himself up, leaning on his elbows, looking expectantly at Duo. Duo turned his face towards Heero, studying the boys face, the lines he had memorised by now, after staring at him for the past week whenever he got the chance. Over the past week, his worries about Bob had slowly disappeared as he was attracted more and more to Heero. Thus far it had only been his physical body, but he had to admit he lived for those few rare moments when Heero would speak to him. You must be able to imagine how much he was enjoying himself right now. It felt like they had been lovers for years, he felt so comfortable here on the blanket with Heero. For the first time, being in the middle of nowhere, did not disturb him. Now it was an advantage as no one could step them if things progressed from here.

'I don't think so.' He finally answered, after giving it much thought. He tried to think back of his own life, but realised that the only thing he could summon was he job. He did miss his job, he missed being needed, he missed being important, but his job didn't count as his life. For as soon as he left the office, he was empty, he didn't miss that empty feeling. Not at all.

'No?' Heero looked back at the sky again 'I can't imagine spending my days without my family.' He muttered, looking at Duo, waiting for his reaction.

Duo frowned, Heero looked like he was waiting for an insult, about being weak or something for not wanting to leave his parents. But Heero built himself a life, that made him a strong person, stronger then Duo.

'Yeah, but you HAVE a family. I lost mine when I was just a young boy. My parents died in an accident and I was only child.'

The Japanese boy gave him a sorrowful look 'I'm so sorry.'

'That's okay, I was to young to remember it now. But... it doesn't matter how I feel about my life back in the city. I'm here now...' He was being very bold. Oh so very bold and naughty, he thought as he covered Heero's hand with his own, stroking the palm with his thumb. At first, some one might be able to deny that he was flirting with him, but now even a blind man couldn't. Not with the sexual tension rising between them as Duo gave Heero a flirtatious look.

Heero pulled his hand away and went back to lying on his back, his hands behind his head.

Duo frowned, he could have sworn Heero was into him. Had he been mistaken? Worried he rolled onto his side, now he was closer to Heero and could see his face clearly. It was obvious that he was avoiding his glance, looking up at the sky as if nothing was wrong. Okay, so Heero was avoiding him and he didn't want to know anything of it. He crawled on top of Heero, standing on all fours, now, Heero's had no other choice but to look at him. And look at him he did, with wide open, shocked eyes, much like his mouth.

'W-what are you doing?' He stuttered.

'Trying to get your attention.' He slyly said, 'Now that I have it...' He trailed off and he lowered his mouth to cover Heero's He sighed as finally, after two weeks of lusting, their lips met. He dug his fingers into Heero's thick, soft, hair, anchoring himself as he slowly lowered his body onto Heero's. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue across the pink soft lips. They opened in a gasp and he immediately grasped his chanced and pushed his tongue past them, exploring the cavern. Heero's tongue shied away from him but after a while he was able to coax him into sliding their tongues together.

While his tongue was busy working on Heero's mouth, his hand, resting on Heero's narrow hips, slid upwards, under the sky-blue shirt. As soon as his fingers contacted smooth skin, Heero flinched, as if he had burned himself. In a split second he ended the kiss and pushed duo's larger and heavier body off him. He stood immediately, panting, looking down at Duo who lay on the blanket, looking up at him, confused.

'... sorry...' He breathed out and then bolted. Quickly pacing towards Wing. He mounted him and glanced back at duo one last time, looking ashamed and scared. Then he disappeared into the forest. Leaving Duo and Deathscythe behind.

Duo sighed and rolled onto his back, his arms spread out. He watched some white fluffy clouds drift by. There was no use following Heero, he could hardly ride his horse at a slow speed.

He groaned, defeated and unsure what to do. There was only one thing on his mind right now. He had screwed up, badly. Maybe he had mistaken Heero's signs, the boy was kinda naive. It was hard to believe he ever had sex. He lay his hand on his chest, feeling his heart pound, with his other hand he hit the ground in anger. How could he ever return to the ranch? How could he face the humiliation? Then, he sat upright, suddenly realising: How could he find his way back?

He looked around, Heero was really gone. He screamed at the top of his lungs in frustration. Great, just what he needed, getting lost...

Next chapter will be up soon and will be longer.

Just one question for the audience: Am I going to fast? I skipped a week because I didn't want to make it boring with the same daily routine described over and over again, but now I feel like i did it wrong. They went from barely knowing each other to... well can I call it almost-lovers?

Just give me your piece of mind on this. How should I continue!

Good night, don't let the bed bugs bight... well, at least not too hard

- C.W. with a headache