A/N: Inspired by just about any supernatural sci-fi/fantasy thing I've ever read. In particular, a shout out to Jim Butcher's Dresden Files… 1x2, 3x?, 5x?, 4x? Expect multiple pairings, some het and some not, and also some breakups and…changes.
Warnings: Language, violence, sex, language. Angst. AU. Gore.
A/N #2: Thank you for the reviews! And as a reminder, if you aren't logged in and if you don't accept PMs I can't respond to your reviews. So… just know that I appreciate them!
A/N #3: Yar! Lemon-ish ahead!
Umbra
Chapter Eight
Duo groaned in pain. His entire body ached with pain and every muscle felt strained. He blinked awake and winced at the bright light streaming through his windows. He judged it to be after noon from the amount of light.
At some point in the night they had shifted, and Duo was lying on his stomach with Trowa draped across his back, his head pillowed between Duo's shoulder blades.
Duo twisted his head to the side and saw that he and Trowa weren't the only ones in his bedroom.
Sitting on a chair that he had clearly pulled in from the living room was Heero. He was looking straight at Duo, and the look in his dark blue eyes was not happy.
"Hi," Duo said after a brief staring contest.
"You look like shit."
"How does he look?" Duo asked, deciding not to take offense at what was no doubt a very accurate statement.
"He'll live." Heero's eyes were narrowed, and his voice chilly as he looked at the man draped over Duo's back.
Duo's own eyes widened at the tone.
"You're jealous."
"Of course I am. You're in bed with another man and both of you are naked."
"And one of us is nearly dead. What do you think I did last night?"
"Clearly you weren't spending the time with your human."
"This is my human."
Heero stabbed a finger in Trowa's direction.
"That is a shape shifter."
Duo frowned. "How do you know?"
Heero gave him a patronizing look. "Eight hours ago his wounds were still open, but by now they've begun to close. Clearly he's an Old One. Since the sun doesn't seem to be affecting him, he's not a vampire."
"So he could be a faery or a dryad or –"
"He's been branded."
Duo scowled. "You mean the tattoo."
"Yes. The Kashmir slave markets used that brand a few thousand years ago – he's a lion."
"How do you know that?"
"It's my job to know my enemies."
Duo arched an eyebrow. "You're telling me that you showed up here – what, at four in the morning, saw him, and decided he was your enemy so you started researching shape shifter slave brands?"
"No. About fifteen years ago I was contracted to kill a tiger shape shifter, and he had been sold as a slave in Kashmir about twelve hundred years ago and had a tiger brand in the same place. I did research on him."
"Hm. Well, that would have been handy to know a few days ago."
"You lied to me. You told me you were dating a human."
Duo glared at him, infuriated by the anger in Heero's voice.
"I didn't lie to you," he ground out.
"Then why is there a shape shifter smothering you right now?"
"Why do you care?" Duo challenged.
Heero glared at him for a moment, but then drew in a deep breath and looked away.
"If he was just a human it wouldn't matter. You would enjoy him while he lived and then move on. But now – now you're cuddling with a several thousand year old shape shifter. You've always hated shape shifters, so clearly this one is special. I care because he's a threat and because I came back to – " Heero shook his head. "It doesn't matter now."
"Of course it fucking matters!" Duo struggled to pull himself free of Trowa's dead weight, and eventually managed to squirm free only to fall off the edge of the bed and onto the floor.
He rose to his feet, ignored the look of smug humor Heero's face, and stretched, feeling every muscle in his body protest at the movement. Duo looked down at Trowa's back and winced.
Each of the twenty five lash marks were raised violet gashes, surrounded by skin that, even though it was in the process of healing, was still pulled back and red. Duo swallowed hard and looked away.
"I need a shower – and then we're continuing this conversation," Duo said to Heero. "So don't even think about disappearing again."
"Fine." Heero sounded cranky but resigned.
Duo fled to the bathroom and allowed himself the luxury of thirty minutes under a scalding hot flow of water. It felt like heaven against his skin, burning through his exhaustion and pain, but it did nothing to ease his inner turmoil.
In the light of day Duo was even more furious at Trowa, and at himself. This entire situation never should have happened in the first place. To make matters worse, Duo wasn't even sure what, exactly, the situation was. All that he knew was that Trowa was a lion shape shifter who belonged to Treize and that they shared a partially complete bond as Soul Mates.
A thousand years was a long time, and Duo had always had issues with being alone. He wouldn't go so far as to label himself as dependent – because he liked being alone – but he craved companionship. He had had many lovers in his life, but never had he shared his bed with a shape shifter – not out of desire, coercion, or necessity – until now.
Duo had no issue with shape shifters as a species with a right to exist, but he absolutely drew the line at their right to be independent and autonomous, and he had never trusted one enough to even become friendly. Sleeping with Trowa was in fundamental opposition to everything that Duo believed in – even liking him was.
The fact that Duo had slept with him, had actually started to develop strong feelings for him, when he thought Trowa to be human wasn't much of a consolation.
Eventually Duo dragged himself from the shower and tried to make himself presentable. He braided his hair while it was still wet and decided not to bother with shaving.
When he entered the bedroom he saw that Trowa was still sleeping, and Heero had left his post, hopefully to retreat to the living room and not from the condo altogether. Duo dressed quickly, pulling on boxers, jeans, and a long sleeve black t-shirt before wandering into the living room.
Heero was in the kitchen, and it smelled like he was cooking. Duo joined him and started a kettle boiling.
"What are you doing?" Duo asked as he leaned against the counter and watched Heero methodically dice potatoes.
"I'm making omelets – there's steak in the fridge, I need it."
Duo rolled his eyes, but complied with the request and opened his fridge. It was full of food.
"What the hell happened to my fridge?" He demanded.
"It was empty."
"Yeah, it's not anymore."
"You needed groceries."
"I didn't need you to get them."
"Do you have a maid service I don't know about that gets groceries for you? Or do you have another lover who handles those? Because you never keep food in your house."
Duo opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it. He grabbed the package of steak and tossed it in Heero's direction. It irritated him that Heero managed to catch it before it collided with the side of his head.
He noticed that, unless Heero had suddenly developed the ability to eat for four, he was making enough food to feed all three of them. Duo sighed.
"It matters," he repeated, returning to their earlier argument. "Why did you come back?"
Heero was working on the opposite counter, and Duo had a lovely view of his back that allowed him to see as Heero's shoulders tensed at the question.
"I didn't want to," Heero said eventually. He continued to dice. "I never want to."
"Why Heero, that's one of the most romantic –"
"Shut up, please."
"Sorry."
"I always try to stay away. I hate having to come back to you. I hate needing you."
Duo swallowed at the raw emotion in Heero's voice.
"It would be so much easier if this was just sex – but even that." Heero laughed mirthlessly. "Every time I'm with another man, all I can think about is you. I've only ever wanted you. You're the only thing that makes sense in my life. You know me. You know exactly who I am. And you don't – before now – you've never pushed me. I don't want this, I don't want you. If I had any choice, I'd walk away and never come back to you."
"Heero, knowing you as well as I do, I know that your self-control is unreasonably extreme. You could walk away."
"Not when it comes to you!" Heero slammed the knife down on the cutting table and spun around to glare at Duo. "I think about you every day. I dream about you. And I don't want to."
Duo cautiously closed the space between them so that he was standing in front of Heero, close enough that their noses bumped.
"You don't have to fight it," he said softly.
"Yes, I do."
"Why?"
"Because you'll die. One of these days, I'll show up and you won't be here."
Duo frowned. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, you do realize that. As a faery I've got at least another two thousand years before I even reach middle age."
"Old age isn't the only thing that can kill you."
"I'm not some delicate fucking flower, Heero. I'm a trained killer – and I've been doing this a lot longer than you have."
"Which explains why you didn't even realize you were fucking a shape shifter." Heero stepped back and returned to his dicing.
Duo flinched. He had hoped that Heero wouldn't make that connection so easily.
"I would really like to leave him out of this for now," Duo muttered.
"Who is he?" Heero asked.
" Trowa Barton. He's a shape shifter. A lion."
"And?"
"He belongs to Treize Khushrenada."
"You've been fucking the Head of the Council's pet?" Heero didn't cuss often, and the fact that he was using the term 'fucking' instead of anything else made it crystal clear to Duo just how pissed off he was.
"Looks like it."
Duo's water finally started to boil, and he poured it through his tea strainer, letting the steaming water wash over the loose tea leaves and unleash a soothing aroma. Duo could appreciate coffee, but he truly loved tea, and he liked to start off his days with a cup when he had the time. He added honey to it and then took his mug – very unfortunately the Chippendales mug featuring Trowa's name and signature – around to the other side of the counter and sat down on one of the bar stools so that he could face Heero.
"That's incredibly stupid, even for you."
"Thanks, I love you too."
Heero stiffened at the words and Duo felt like biting his own tongue in half.
"Heero – I need you too, okay?" He sighed. "You said that relationships are something that I do, but that's not really true. I've outlived everyone I've ever loved – and that isn't because they were all mortals. Literally everything I love dies. What we have – I don't know what the hell it is. It's always been more than sex, but it's never been love. I haven't let myself feel that much with you. I can't. I don't want to bury you, too." Duo's fists clenched almost involuntarily. "Do you have any idea how fucking empty my life is when you aren't around?" He shook his head and laughed bitterly. "Sometimes I'll come home – wherever that happens to be – and I'll just sit there in the dark, waiting for you to show up. It's so pathetic. Because you never do. Never when I – " Duo swallowed and forced the flow of words to stop.
"Never when what?" Heero demanded.
"Never when I need you! My life is dark and depressing as hell, Heero. All I've got are memories of pain and torture and death. You make that go away. I don't understand how or why – but when I'm with you none of that shit matters. And then you just leave. Every single time."
Heero looked up at him.
"So yeah, I pushed you. Sue me, okay? But why the hell wouldn't I? It was a rough week – and finally– there you were, as if you knew how much I wanted you to be there, to help me forget about Anthony and the Council and every other fucking terrible thing that I have nightmares about. So yes, I pushed."
There was a long, angry silence.
"I hate your apartment," Heero said. He put the diced potatoes into a skillet and started to slice the steak.
Before Duo could formulate a response to the complete change of subject, Heero continued.
"It's completely unsecure. There's only one entrance – no alternate escape. You have windows everywhere and you share two walls with neighbors. It's a deathtrap."
It took him a moment, but Duo finally deciphered what Heero was trying to say.
"I'm not going to live in a shack in the middle of the desert," he protested.
Heero shrugged one shoulder. "Vegas has a lot of empty houses. The suburbs have entire streets without anyone living in brand new houses."
"It would be nice not to have any neighbors," Duo agreed. "But I don't have any furniture – all of this came with the condo."
"We can buy furniture."
Duo shook his head and then laughed.
"Okay, then. We'll…get a house in the suburbs."
"I'm still going to maintain my other safe houses. But this can be my base of operations."
And just like that, without actually saying anything explicit, their seventy year relationship of casual sex turned into a commitment and a promise to move in together.
"Um… so that guy in my bed," Duo began.
"The shape shifter."
"No, the other guy."
Heero glared at him.
"Kidding, kidding." Duo ran a hand through his bangs. "He's ah… well, it's really complicated."
"Everything with you always is," Heero muttered.
"Quatre Winner set us up on a blind date. He introduced Trowa as a friend – a null. Trowa and I hit it off… we went hiking… and then we had sex two nights ago."
"I don't need a blow by blow account of your relationship."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But this part is kind of important. It turns out…we're Soul Mates."
Heero stopped slicing through the steak and looked up at Duo, his expression blank.
"The bond isn't complete – we haven't shared blood."
"Your Soul Mate is a shape shifter who belongs to the man you hate."
"Yep – but I didn't know that until last night when I went to Treize's Summoning. Before I left he asked me to discipline his favorite lion. This lion happened to be five thousand years old and claims to have been descended from some kind of god."
"Discipline him – what was his crime?"
"He formed a pack."
"That's punishable by death." From Heero's tone Duo could guess that the other man wished that had been the punishment.
"Yes, it is. But Treize really likes this pet, and wanted him to be punished so harshly that he gave up on doing anything but obeying him. So, he had me use Deathscythe on him. I agreed – and then he brought out Trowa. So, I had to basically beat the shit out of someone whose heartbeat is practically in sync with my own. It was lots of fun. Also, I'm pretty impressed by the fact that I can hate my own Soul Mate enough to want to kill him."
Heero frowned. "What does he want from you?"
"Trowa?"
Heero nodded.
"No fucking clue. He was pretty out of it last night, what with nearly dying from the loss of his magic and blood. As soon as he wakes up, you can bet I'll be asking him just that question."
"An FBI agent was here a few hours ago."
Duo groaned.
"Man or woman?"
"Woman. Her name was Hilde Schiebeker."
"What did she want ?"
"She wanted to make sure you were alive – she said she'd been calling you since midnight last night – and also to let you know that there have been additional crimes."
"Fucking hell." Duo went in search of his cell phone. He found it in the pile of clothes by the bed, and sure enough, there were eight missed calls from Hilde. He called her back.
"Thank god! Your pool boy wouldn't let me into your apartment – he actually made me talk to him through the door! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." It amused Duo that Heero had kept Hilde outside, but he also appreciated it – having a parade of people in his home while he was unconscious wasn't something he wanted to think about.
"Fine? It felt like you were dying last night!"
"You could feel that?"
"Yes! I was at a party and suddenly it felt like my back was being ripped open! I made a complete fool of myself – and embarrassed my date. So I did not get laid last night, and I'm also pissed about that."
"Shit. I'm so sorry. I thought I was blocking you out but –"
"But what? When you were attacked by an army of goblins who ripped your skin off you kind of forgot about me?"
"That's not what happened. And I'm sorry."
She sighed. "There were three more murders last night."
"Three? Our same guy?"
"Yes. But two of the vics were Ephemerals."
"Fuck."
"Yeah. As soon as you can get here, please do, we've still got one of the crime scenes fairly well preserved, and I'd like you to look at it."
"Okay, yeah, I can be there now."
"Duo – the two Ephemerals. They were from my coven." Hilde's voice was neutral, but Duo knew that she had to be panicking.
"It doesn't necessarily mean anything," Duo told her. "It's not like there are that many covens in Las Vegas –"
"There are seventeen."
"Seventeen? How the hell did that many get started so fast?"
"There are a lot of Ephemerals out here. Not all of them live here, but they'll drive here from the desert for meetings."
"Did you know them, the two Ephemerals?"
"Not well. But I knew them, yes."
"Okay. I'll be at the gas station in fifteen minutes."
He hung up the phone and went back to the kitchen.
"I need to go to work," Duo told Heero.
"What do you want me to do about that?" Heero asked, nodding towards the bedroom.
"Don't kill him. And don't let him leave. I think he'll be fine – hell, I don't even know if he'll wake up before I get back." Duo sighed. "I'm sorry to give you babysitting duty, but he's got a lot to answer for, and I do not want to have to track him down."
"He'll still be here when you get back," Heero promised.
"And you too."
"I thought we already worked that out."
"We did – I was just checking."
Duo grinned crookedly and kissed Heero quickly, but the other man grabbed the back of his head and deepened the kiss. When Duo pulled away they were both breathing heavily.
"Here." Heero dug into his pocket and held out a pair of keys.
"What's this to?"
"My apology. I didn't know how angry you would be with me, after I left. I wanted to make amends."
"So you bought me a gift? You know I hate cars."
"It's a motorcycle."
Duo smiled.
"No way?"
"Yes. I know you used to have one – I don't know what happened to it."
"Same thing that happens to everything else in my life," Duo muttered.
"It's parked on the second floor of your parking garage."
"Thanks. But you didn't need to. Especially considering that I went out and found myself a Soul Mate while you were gone. I should be the one apologizing."
"I agree," Heero deadpanned and went back to making his omelets.
Duo pulled on a pair of boots, waved goodbye, and then headed out the door. When he reached the second floor parking garage he anticipated having to go on a hunt for the bike, but it was parked just across from the elevator.
It was a beautiful machine of black and red, a Ducati Diavel Carbon, and Duo fell in love with it instantly. He ran one hand over the smooth, solid body and shook his head. Heero had really gone out of his way with this, and Duo felt insanely guilty that he was about to hop on this beauty while Heero was stuck babysitting a man that neither of them wanted much to do with.
Even the helmet was gorgeous, sold black with this silver swirls of lightning on the sides.
The ride over to the gas station was amazing. Duo had forgotten just how much he enjoyed riding a bike. It had been twenty years since the last time he owned one, and for the life of him he couldn't imagine how he had functioned without one all this time.
He had woken up horribly depressed, but Heero and now Heero's bike had brightened Duo's day to the point where he felt confident he could interact with Wufei without immediately threatening to kill him.
Of course, Wufei put that to the test as soon as he walked inside.
"Catharine Bloom has been calling my phone every hour since dawn. What did you find out?"
Of any of the fights Wufei could have picked, that wasn't one Duo had counted on.
"Her brother is alive. For now."
Wufei scowled. "That's it? I thought you had some sort of in with the Council – was that really all you could find out? What about the other shape shifters? Any chance you figured out how we can charge the Council with murder?"
"You know what, Wufei, if you care that much – why don't you use your in with the Council and call up your wife?"
Wufei's fist caught him just below his right left eye, and Duo felt the skin split at the force of the blow.
"Well, if you've got that out of your system, maybe you can remember that you are a professional and that your subordinates are watching," Duo said calmly.
He swiped at the cut, catching a trickle of blood on the back of his hand.
Wufei continued to glare at him and he was breathing heavily.
Hilde finally showed up and stepped between them.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" She demanded as she dragged both of them into her cubicle.
"He started it," Duo pointed out.
"I – you're the one who can't –"
"I don't care," Hilde interrupted. "I do not fucking care. Get over yourselves. We have a serial killer on the loose and he's getting bolder and more powerful. And we have the murder and assault of several shape shifters to investigate. So, if the two of you can find some room in your busy schedule of pissing matches, I could use some help."
Duo arched an eyebrow at Wufei, waiting for him to give in. Wufei just glared back at him. Hilde flung up her hands in defeat.
"Fine. Whatever. Duo, you're coming with me and we're going to the scene of the latest murder. Wufei, since you're so friendly with Catharine Bloom why don't you call her and see if you can convince her or any of the others to press charges or at least make an official statement."
Before either man could protest, Hilde dragged Duo out of her office and out of the gas station. Once out in the sunlight she turned on him.
"Stop acting like a five year old!"
"What – I'm not –"
"Yes, you are. You know that he hates you and so you're just goading him. But you are a thousand years old. You should know better." She held his gaze until he was forced to sigh and nod.
"Okay. I'm sorry."
"Good. Apology accepted. Let me get us a car and we can be on our way."
"Actually, you should grab a helmet." Duo jerked a thumb at his new motorcycle. "Now that I've got this baby, I am not getting back into one of those moving coffins unless I have to."
Hilde looked on the verge of fighting, but the shrugged and retreated back into the gas station. A moment later she came out holding a solid black motorcycle helmet.
Duo climbed onto the bike and waited for her to get on behind him and wrap her arms around his waist before he started the clutch. They were instantly off in a roar of sound, and Duo had to strain to hear Hilde yelling directions at him over the sound of the wind.
After twenty minutes try arrived at a very rundown apartment complex and Duo regretted having to leave the bike unattended in such a neighborhood. To ensure that it was still there when they were done, he threw up a quick set of very nasty wards around the machine that would shock anyone who touched it. Hilde shook her head at his behavior but let it pass without comment.
"So, what did happen to you last night?" She asked as she led them up a flight of stairs.
"Remember that Soul Mate of mine I told you about?"
"The one who stood you up."
"Yeah, well, apparently he didn't choose to stand me up. See, at the time, he was in the loving care of Treize Khushrenada, who was torturing him for trying to start an illegal pack."
It took Hilde a moment to make the connection.
"Holy shit."
"Yeah. I know. So last night, I go to Treize's party, and on my way out he asks me to punish his favorite pet. I agree, and then I get to spend the rest of my night whipping Trowa. What you felt last night was his pain, which, because we're sort of bonded together, I got to feel. I'm sorry that it kept going down the line to you."
"You – you tortured your own Soul Mate."
"Yes."
"That's – "
"Trust me when I say that I didn't torture him nearly enough. As soon as he's conscious again I'm really going to kick his ass."
"But he's your Soul Mate."
"He's also a liar and he could have gotten me killed."
"I don't understand."
Duo shrugged. "I don't either."
"So who was the guy guarding your door this morning?"
"My pool boy?" Duo repeated with a smirk. "He's an old friend – and – I guess he's my boyfriend?" It felt bizarre to describe Heero in that sense. Their relationship went far beyond simply dating, but at the same time – it didn't. He sighed. "It's complicated."
Hilde shook her head and gave another angry sigh but she opened a door that had been literally covered in yellow police tape.
As soon as he stepped inside Duo could feel the magic in the air. It was hovering like a dark, cold toxic cloud.
"Son of a bitch. This just got a lot worse."
"No kidding. You haven't even seen the circle yet."
Judging from the residual magic in the air, Duo was pretty certain that he did not want to see the circle at all, but he followed Hilde deeper into the apartment.
The ritual circle had been set up in the living room, and even now, hours after the circle had died down, there was a faint ring of magic that marked the spot. That, combined with the blood soaked carpet, made it pretty hard to miss.
"Holy shit." Duo approached the circle and looked at the naked body that was spread eagle in the circle. There wasn't a single cut on her skin anywhere, but her skin was a pasty blue white, and the blood around her had to be hers.
"What did this?" Hilde asked him.
"The hell if I know. I haven't see a spell like this used in centuries – not since the Inquisition."
"How was it used then?"
"A few of the priests were Ephemerals, and they used to use this spell to try and force demons out of people. They didn't really understand what they were doing – they thought that their magic came from God, and that any Ephemeral who wasn't a priest was inhabited by Satan or a Demon. So they used this to exorcise the spirit. Usually – obviously – it just killed the victim." Duo shook his head as he surveyed the girl. "How powerful was she? Do you know?"
"Not as powerful as me, but she wasn't the weakest member of the coven, not by a lot. She had also been practicing magic for years – she was a Wiccan."
Duo frowned. "What about the other woman? From your coven? Was she a Wiccan too?"
"Um – yes. Yes she was. But where's the connection? The other women weren't Wiccan, or Ephemerals."
"No, I know. But they were prostitutes, right?"
"Yeah. But these two weren't."
"But they were still sinners."
"I don't understand."
"All of this – the circles, the bodies, the choice in female victims – ALL of this is just like it was before. Even now, with this Ephemeral. He didn't cut her up, he just exorcised her magic and absorbed it into himself. The others – the nulls – he just needed their souls, he wasn't looking for magic yet. He was just trying to build up his strength."
"Duo, what are you talking about?"
"All of this has happened before! I worked with an Ephemeral who did this. All of this – it was his hobby."
"That's twisted. Wait, you mentioned this before. You said he was trying to save their souls."
"Yeah. But this – this isn't him. It can't be."
"Why not?"
"Because he died five hundred years ago. This has to be some kind of copy cat or someone who knew him."
"Okay, so… who knew him?"
"Me and a handful of the Council." Duo ran a hand through his bangs. His burgeoning good mood was completely gone now. "I just don't understand WHY. This started before I got to town, so it can't be someone fucking with me. There's got to be more to it."
"Why did you friend do it? Aside from saving their souls, obviously?"
"He absorbed their power, if they were Ephemerals, and the nulls – they made him younger and stronger. It's how he managed to live for so long."
"Yeah, sounds like a real winner there."
Duo frowned, but decided not to argue the point. His head was a swirl of emotion as he tried to fight off memories of the past.
"So we need to know what Ephemerals in the area have recently started to get stronger," Duo instructed Hilde. "Very carefully, question Sylvia's servant – and Zechs', whoever that is – but do not question Noin's or Treize's."
Hilde shrugged. "I can do that. Margaret talks enough for everyone else anyway."
"Please be careful – and do not mention the shape shifters. Let Wufei take the heat for that."
Hilde sneered. "He'll be happy to. Now that his new girlfriend needs help."
Duo arched an eyebrow at her tone.
"Catharine Bloom – he won't shut UP about her! Ever since yesterday afternoon in Quatre's office. It's so pathetic!"
Duo patted her on the shoulder.
"Cheer up. She's a self centered, devious bitch and he deserves her."
Hilde frowned. "I don't think she's that bad."
"Yeah well, her brother is…" he sighed. "I'll give you a ride back to the gas station."
When Duo dropped Hilde off, he cautioned her again about questioning the Council servants.
"You be careful too," Hilde told him. She tugged on his braid. "Try to stay out of trouble for twenty-four hours, will you?"
"Yeah, I'll try," Duo grumbled.
When he arrived back at the condo he parked the bike and carried the helmet up with him. Outside his door he paused, and then cursed himself as a coward.
He unlocked the door and strode inside, projecting as much confidence as he could.
Heero was sitting on the living room couch reading a book, and Duo realized that he had never seen the assassin relax before. He had never seen Heero read, watch television, anything that wasn't work related.
"Hey," Duo greeted him.
Heero looked up, his face closed and cautious.
"How was work?" Heero asked.
Duo shrugged. "There's some serial killer who has been killing prostitutes with magic but just murdered two Wiccan Ephemerals last night. And whoever it is is killing people just like Solo used to."
"Solo – your partner in the Brotherhood who died five hundred years ago?"
"Yeah. Him." Duo sat down on the couch beside Heero. "How was babysitting?"
Heero scowled. "The wounds are still healing – he should be able to function in another day or two."
"Is he awake yet?"
"What happened to your face?" Heero asked instead of answering.
Duo rubbed at his cheek where Wufei had punched him. The cut had scabbed over, and by tomorrow would be nearly gone.
"Gift from a friend."
"And you think I have bad friends," Heero muttered. He reached out and ran his thumb over the cut.
"Thanks for the bike, by the way. She's a beauty."
Heero smirked and pulled Duo to him.
"You're welcome," Heero said just before their lips met.
Duo was starting to enjoy this new side of Heero – gone was the moment of hesitation, gone was the tension and underlying anger that Duo always had to soothe away before Heero would start to feel comfortable.
Duo crawled onto Heero, straddling his hips and pressing against his chest, eager for the contact of Heero's warm, hard body beneath his own.
Heero's hands worked their way under Duo's shirt, and Duo momentarily broke away from the kiss to lean back so that Heero could pull off his shirt.
Duo grinned at the look of desire in Heero's half lidded eyes.
"You've got to admit, this is a lot more fun when we don't beat the shit out of each other first."
He kissed Heero again, tasting the other man and delving into the warm cavern of his mouth. Heero moaned into his mouth and ground their hips together.
Duo started to reach for the fly of Heero's pants, but the other man pushed him backwards until Duo was laying on his back on the couch. Above him now, Heero started to undo his jeans. He jerked first the jeans and then Duo's boxers down.
"Heero – fuck!" The other man took Duo's entire length into his mouth and Duo groaned at the incredible feeling of Heero sucking on him.
In almost no time, Duo's hips were arching up to meet Heero's mouth, and he could feel his climax building. The pleasure was intense, and after so many days of pain and tension, Duo desperately needed the relief.
Heero ran his teeth gently over the underside of Duo's cock, and that finished him. He exploded into the other man's mouth with a relieved, satisfied gasp. His head fell back on the couch and Duo closed his eyes, enjoying the way his entire body felt boneless.
"That was amazing," Duo said. He sat up and kissed Heero again, tasting himself on the other man's tongue.
As he pulled away, he noticed that they were no longer alone.
"Heero, when I asked you if Trowa was awake yet, and you didn't answer me. Would the answer have been yes?"
"He got up once," Heero agreed. He turned to follow Duo's gaze.
Trowa was standing in the doorway. He looked incredibly angry and incredibly aroused.
"Twice," Heero corrected.
Up Next: Trowa's got some explaining to do!
Definitions:
Council: the body that presides over magical creatures and users in the US. The Old Council refers to the European Council.
Dryad: A nature spirit, like a Sprite. Another Old One. Usually associated with a tree, and different 'families' of Dryads are associated with different trees.
Ephemeral: a human who can use magic. Used interchangeably with witch.
Old Ones: the powerful magical races. Vampires, Shape shifters, Faeries, and a few more to be named later!
Old Ways: reference to the way that the European Council ran things or the way things were before magic was legal. Sally Po refers to the old ways – a reference to the practices of Native American Shamans, and NOT the Council.
Null: a human without magical ability.
Shaman: A Native American mystic or holy person. Used in this context to mean an Ephemeral.