Chapter Eleven
Frank awoke at ten O'clock, pushing the curtain aside and stretching lengthily before even opening his eyes and looking at the four boys sitting scattered in his livingroom. He smiled at them but his smile was interrupted by a yawn. 'Sorry 'bout that.' He excused. 'Everyone had a shower and something to eat?'
They nodded.
'Good... Now, I'll be leaving in an hour, you guys can stay here, nice and warm, though I only have two beds and a couch, so you'll have to share, I hope that's not a problem.'
They shook their heads.
Frank grinned 'Not very talkative, are ya?'
They shook their heads again though Duo felt stares coming from every direction as he too denied being talkative.
'Uhm... maybe we should get to get acquinted as you guys will be sleeping in my house and all.' Frank plopped down into the rocking chair which creaked under his weight. He told some superficial things about himself, his job and the family he didn't have, therefor the lack of pictures of his kids or wife. Once done he looked at them in question but none of them voluntered to offer information, since they had to make it all up.
'So, Hailey, right... That's a bit of an odd name.' Frank started, making their pulses rise.
'What, you think it harms my masculinity?' Heero spat.
The forester leaned back and raised his hands in surender 'No, no, that's not what I meant. It's a nice name it's just that... well, it's not an Asian name. You are Asian, right?'
'Yes.'
'So how come the name?'
'Brittish father.'
Frank nodded, content with that answer, he turned to Duo. 'Unlike his name, your hair does harm your masculinity.' He said, though not in an offending way, rather in an amusing one, trying to get a laugh out of them.
'I really don't care.' Duo said, trying to not sound offending himself as he faked a kind smile.
'Good, you shouldn't.'
'Do you care?'
Frank pointed at himself in question 'Me! No! I'm not homophobic or anything!'
02 frowned 'I never said I was gay'
'But you are.' WuFei cut in.
Duo shot a glare at an insanely grinning WuFei.
'You couldn't shut up about your beloved boyfriend Peter.' WuFei lied, his face gloating as he could feel Duo's temperature rise as he was not able to deny this without making them all look suspicious.
'Thank you for pointing that out for me, WILLY.' This man was having too much fun with his revenge, a thing he always said to be ugly and dishonourable. Hn, hypocrite.
'Oh, Duane.'
He almost flinched as WuFei continued with a smug look on his face.
'Tell us more about his golden hair and honest green eyes.' WuFei spoke as a love giddy schoolgirl as he fidgeted in his seat, waiting for 'more'.
He no longer knew wether to laugh or to cry, but he edged toward laughing, seeing WuFei behave like this was totally out of the blue and out of character and if it had been the other way around he would be laughing his ass off, so he guessed it deserved an inward smirk and compliments to WuFei and his newly found talent.
'Uh...' Frank looked rightfully uncomfortable. 'I hate to break your moods, but what happened to your friend, Quin was his name?'
'It happened in the crash.' Trowa lied, sending a haunting look Quatre's way.
'Oh... I'm sorry, it's obviously a tender subject. I should be heading out. I have a little viewing tower not that far from here. If you exit the frontdoor just keep heading straight forward, you can't miss it, in case you need me. There is more bandage in that closet and you can eat all you want, I'm heading to town the day after tomorrow to get new supplies.'
'To town?' Their ears perked up at that word as they spoke in unison.
'Do you mind taking us to town with you, we all need to see a docter.' Duo rushed to say.
Frank shrugged 'Sure, why not, we'll make a road trip out of it.' He put on another sweater for warmth and then a raincoat, much like the one they had stolen. He grabbed a flashlight and a box of cigarettes and with one last cheerful goodbye and a 'I'll be back at seven' he was gone.
'You hear that guys, two more days and then we're out of here. How long is the trip by car you reckon?'
'If he speeds up it's a two day drive.' Heero answered, hope hinting in his own voice at the prospect of getting out of here.
'I say we go to bed and try to convince Frank to leave for the city tomorrow.' Trowa suggested and they all agreed.
'Only two of us have to share.' Heero pointed out.
'What do you mean there are only three 'beds'.'
'Well, Duo, that you decided to trust this guy enough to come with him does not mean I like the idea of all of us falling asleep. We take turns standing guards. It's almost eleven O'clock now and Frank returns at seven. Eight hours, devided by three.'
WuFei stepped up with an angry expression. 'Three? Why aren't you counting me in?'
'...' heero couldn't find a way to subtly put it.
'Oh, don't you '...' me! My hearing is fine and my vision has improved, i can stand guard.'
'Fine, eight devided by four. Each stands guard at the frontdoor for two hours, when done he wakes the next. I'll go first, than WuFei, then Duo, then Trowa.'
'Why that order?' Duo asked, merely to tease.
'Just random, why?' The little bit of teasing already got Heero irritated.
'Just checking, never thought you'd be capable of doing anything in any order than aplhabetically.'
'Ha ha.' He said sarcastically and went for the door 'Goodnight.' He grabbed a chair and placed it next to the frontdoor and plopped down on it, arms crossed against his chest and a fierce gaze settling on a certain spot on the opposite wall.
'So, who will share?'
Trowa and Wufei looked at each other, or at least WuFei tried. Then the Chinese decided: 'I don't want to share with you, you drool and you snore.'
'I do not snore!' The drooling could be true though, Duo always just figured he had cried in his sleep when waking up to a wet spot. But drooling was more logical as a certain rock he fell in love with played the main parts in most of his dreams. 'Why won't you share with Quatre?' It was no secret to Duo that something more was going on between those two than friendship.
'I don't want to end up hurting him in my sleep.' Trowa answered.
Duo glared at the two of them 'You two are a bit too eager to share a bed.'
They rolled their eyes. 'You take the couch.' They said in unison and then crawled into the bed Frank had just slept in, not even caring about that fact.
Grumbling Duo got some extra blankets out of the closet and settled on the cold leather of the couch. 'Heero, kill the lights, would you please?' Had Heero been armed he never would have dared to ask him that.
With an audible switch the lights went off and the room settled in total darkness. Duo felt a bit uncomfortable falling asleep with Heero just staring about, but he couldn't fight the fatigue for long and fell asleep, thankful no nightmares bothered him.
When he awoke he feared it was morning already, he feared it because he was still dead tired but once he realised he still couldn't see, despite the fact that his eyes were wide open reassured him he still had time to catch some sleep. Now what had awoken him? His eyes widened further as he noticed the weight settling down next to him on the large couch. He turned to come face to face with Heero that was just lying down next him him. He could see WuFei head for the frontdoor, going outside, probably in need of fresh air to awaken him for his two hour shift.
Heero's eyes widened slightly as he ownly just discovered Duo had woke up. 'Sorry.' He muttered.
Who Heero would share a bed with never even crossed his mind till he felt him crawling onto his couch with a sigh that was unmistably Heero's. He couldn't help but feel pleased with himself to have Heero chosing him as his bedmate, even though for Heero, lying next to Trowa was never an option. He also felt a bit of pride as he had half suspected Heero grabbing another blanket and sleeping on the hard ground. He had overcome his fears of being close to people for the sake of a goodnight's rest. That was improvement. Feelings were overshadowed by uncertainity as he wondered how the hell he could ever sleep with Heero lying so close, within reach of his tingling fingertops that had been longing to touch for so long. Even though they were lying as far apart as the relatively wide expanse of the seat of the couch allowed he could still feel Heero's laboured breath caressing his skin. Granted, his breath did not smell like a bed of roses but Duo had gotten used to his own stinky breath and he shan't complain. Just the fact that it was Heero's body he brushed occasionally as he shifted was tantilising enough for him to ignore his nose and settle for watching and feeling only.
'I'm sorry for waking you.' Heero said again, looking uncomfortable under Duo's scrutinity.
'That's okay, it would be better to know than waking up next to someone and not realising whom.' He chuckled at his own lame joke.
Heero merely nodded.
'We should change places though, or I'll wake you up when crawling out for my shift.'
Heero nodded again and was about to step out, but Duo made that unnecessary as he pulled Heero closer and then rolled over him, relocating himself to the edge of the couch, Heero captured between him and the back of the couch. Smooth move Maxwell, he thought to hismelf and smiled at Heero who looked as shellshocked as a stone could be. Only his eyes betrayed his emotion but Duo understood those eyes well enough to write a dictionary, English - Heero/Heero - English.
'You know Heero, after my little... episode you said to me I shouldn't forget my part in the group.'
'Hn.'
'Well, you shouldn't forget yours either.'
'Hn?'
'You are the leader, you're not supposed to come back for fallen soldiers.'
Realising he was talking about this day when he thought Frank was attacking Duo Heero answered: 'I wasn't coming back for a fallen soldier. I was coming back for a fallen friend.' After a short silence he added: 'That's what friends do.'
Duo smiled frome ar to ear 'How is it possible, Heero Yuy, for me to hate you one moment and love you the next.'
The word Love had Heero swallowing loudly but Duo wasn't about to let that take back what he said even though he risked disgusting Heero. He didn't seem like the type of guy to be homophobic, just because he had no knowledge whatsoever about social rules and dislikes and prejudice.
'You never seize to amaze me...' he said whistfully and brought a hand up to stroke Heero's undamaged cheek, marveling at it's softness, though he only had a second for Heero pulled away. 'I'm sorry.' He brought his hand back under the cover again and berated hismelf for being so forward.
Heero let out a long sigh which hitched momentarily in the middle of it and he appeared to be in pain.
'How's your chest?' He almost didn't dare to ask.
Heero raised his shirt to show him his black, blue, purple and yellow chest. 'How's your foot?'
'Swollen, not a pretty sight...'
'Like my chest is...'
He bit back his tongue as he threatened to say that Heero was always a pretty sight to see, no matter what state he was in. But he caught his words just in time and merely smiled sadly. He didn't want to scare him off just now they were making such great progress.
'Let's sleep. You only have two hours before it's your turn.'
Duo nodded and watched Heero close his eyes. In mere minutes his breathing evened out and he gone, sucked into morpheus world. Duo crawled a little closer, knowing that falling of the edge of the couch was always an excuse he could use for scooting closer towards Heero's warm body. He felt himself twitch with the need to wrap his arms around him. Normally, Heero did not look inviting enough to hug, no matter how pretty he was. You just knew by looking at them that you get more compassion out of hugging a rock. But in his sleep, Heero was the young adorable boy he was supposed to be. The sort of boy he would have been if not for J, The Gundams, the war, the bloodshed...
Knowing Heero was a light sleeper he didn't dare to touch his lips, no matter how much he wanted.
God, he thought, I'll never be able to sleep. Yet, WuFei had to shake him three times, two hours later before he rolled out, so unknowingly he had caught a few moments of sleep. With tired eyes he scanned the room for the who-know-how-many-th time.
Fifteen more minutes and then I can wake Trowa...
Fourteen more minutes and then I can wake Trowa...
Thirteen more minutes and then I can wake Trowa...
Five more minutes and... He groaned as he realised he had dozed off for a few minutes there.
Four more minutes and then I can wake Trowa.
He ended up waking Trowa three minutes too early but he didn't complain. Not even thinking about joing WuFei in the bed, though the look on his face in the morning would be priceless, he rather slept next to Heero again, who surprisingly didn't even wake up when he setlled next to him again.
'Bed hog.' He said with a smile and, daring as he was, now knowing that Heero wouldn't wake up so easily, he leaned forward and placed a featherlight kiss on Heero's lips, hoping Trowa wouldn't notice any of it. When Heero also didn't notice and apparently so did Trowa he leaned in for another kiss, a little less light then before, but yet it was not enough pressure to wake Heero, thank God. When he went for his third kiss, too enchanted to stop now, he made Heero stir, causing his breath to hitch and his pulse to quicken. But the stir was all, Heero kept on sleeping peacefully. Telling himself that it wasn't worth taking the risk of waking Heero and ruining their blossoming friendship he scooted back as far as he could, the only was to resist temptation and closed his eyes. He encouraged his nose to smell, hoping that Heero's breath would repulse him but he didn't even detect it, that's how madly in love he was...
But for the sake of their friendship, Heero will never know.
Ah yes, for the sake of their friendship, how romantic. Like that's gonna last long! ;)
C.W.