Title: The Quest for Nagifar - Part 6
Author: Emily
Rating: PG-13
Couplings: 1x2, 3x4, 11+13
Warnings: action, adventure, language, angst, yaoi
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Don't own Indiana Jones, either. Both belong to something bigger than I could ever comprehend.
Comments/Lyrics/ and emphasis and 'thought' and flashback, some may not be used in this fic...it's just a heads-up. Sequel to "Heero Yuy and the Eye of Horus". Starts up maybe two or three months after its epilogue. You don't need to have read "HYatEoH" in order to understand this fic, but it would be nice.
Cuzco, Peru
Duo sighed deeply, collapsing back on the mattress of his rented room. It was lumpy and much too hard, but that wasn't what upset him. In the past few months, he had gotten used to sharing his bed again, and the expanse of the mattress just made him feel lonely. He closed his eyes, imagining the musky scent and gentle embrace of his lover. During the years they had been apart, Duo had forgotten how gentle Heero could be; he was relieved when he realized that part of Heero hadn't changed over time, and that the archaeologist's rough exterior wasn't his only side.
It hadn't been as difficult getting used to each other again as Duo thought it would be. Once Duo got over his initial fear of waking up one morning to find Heero no longer around, they got into a routine. Duo had to spend the first few weeks back in New York at Heero's place until he found one of his own near the school campus, and even in that period they never slept in the same bed. After the first month, though, it wasn't uncommon for either to wake up in an apartment that wasn't their own. This had been their first time apart since Duo's enprisonment by OZ back in Egypt, and he missed his lover greatly.
'I wonder if Doctor Lowe is missing anyone at home.' Duo frowned at the thought of the older man. He certainly was a mystery, not allowing Duo to be privy to any of his non-archaeological thoughts. The longhaired American didn't know if he was being paranoid or not, but it seemed that Doctor Lowe liked him more for his skills than as a person - almost as if he would despise Duo entirely if it wasn't for his knowledge with different cultures.
Duo shivered involuntarily at the thought of the other man's gaze when focused on him. His eyes were so intense, much like his lover's, but Heero's intensity was fueled from a far different source than whatever motivated Doctor Lowe.
His thoughts jumped to earlier that day when they reached their night's lodging. The older archaeologist had seemed to be watching his every move, as if he were waiting for Duo to do something. What that something was, however, Duo had no idea. He just wondered why Doctor Lowe kept insisting things stay on a purely professional level. The man definitely did not have a knack for conversation, so Duo had found his amusement in some of the local people, content to satiate their curiosity about his travels.
Duo rolled over, groaning outloud. He could tell he wasn't going to get much in the means of sleep this particular night. There was simply too much on his mind. The mugginess in the air wasn't helping much, either. He grinned nostalgically. It reminded him a little of Egypt, although with a lot less sand.
An image of Treize Khushrenada, his mouth twisted into a malicious sneer, flashed into his mind, and Duo had to force the memories away. That had been one of the larger struggles in his and Heero's relationship. What the former OZ general had put him through made Duo feel extremely insecure when his thoughts meandered back to that time. He wished it was something he just could have forgotten about, but no matter how hard he tried, the sound of Treize's voice - his face - always seemed to be right around the corner.
Duo hated the vulnerable side Khushrenada created in him.
But, he realized, Heero had given him a vulnerable side, as well. Where the general formed it through his abusive nature, Heero formed it through love. Duo didn't think much about the years they had been apart anymore. They were a little older and knew how to deal with a relationship in a more mature manner, but everything else seemed to be the same. Heero made him afraid of being abandoned again, but his lover seemed to understand this, and did everything in his power to make Duo feel like they were a part of each other's lives for good.
A faint breeze blew in through the window, briefly relieving Duo of the unrelenting humidity. 'I wonder if Heero's having problems sleeping, as well,' he thought, knowing that his lover was an hour or two ahead of him. He smiled to himself, remembering the first night he spent time in Heero's arms, surprised at the Japanese-American's fondness of cuddling. 'I doubt we'd stand to be within three feet of each other in this heat,' he sighed, rolling over onto his side. 'But at least he'd be someone to talk to, unlike Doctor Pole-up-my-ass in the room over.'
Duo stood to look out the window, thankful of the netting placed behind the glass for better protection against insects. The last thing he needed to get was malaria or smallpox. He caught a glimpse of the moon, dozens of myths rushing through his mind faster than he could blink, some cultures proclaiming it a separate deity while others thought it was an eye of their sole god. Duo's childhood in a church orphanage exposed him early on to Christianity, and while he didn't necessarily believe in that God, it did give him the desire to learn about what people all over the world believed in. He volunteered his teenage years at a local library, spending more time reading the books than shelving them, teaching himself the languages of the world while committing legends to memory. He had scored well enough on his tests to get a decent amount of money towards tuition at a university with a good human history department, most notably archaeology, anthropology, and mythology, which was where he met Heero Yuy - younger, brasher, but just as arrogant.
The longhaired American had to hold back the urge to snicker as he remembered their first encounter being entirely competitive as they were the highest ranking students in the class but knew that only one could be the best. Soon they got stuck together on a research project - the professor thinking she had a sense of humor - and they realized that they worked well together, becoming good friends. 'And a little more,' Duo added mentally.
He looked back at the moon, resigning himself to the idea that he should try and get some sleep whether he felt up to it or not. Duo turned, the moonlight reflecting off of the gold panther he had purchased from the boy peddler. He did feel that he was accurate in its symbolism to his lover, and just couldn't resist - no matter what garbage it turned out to be.
Duo slipped under the sheets, laying his head on the pillow before glancing out the window one last time. "Goodnight, Heero," he whispered softly. "I love you."
End Part 6