Got a genetic warning to push this further...
It's time to begin
World to world,
Mind to mind,
Sleeve to sleeve,
Goin' interstellar...
Time to merge nine...
Heero had fancy taste.
He came to that conclusion the moment they pulled into colony C134's spaceport. It was a nice place, a lot nicer than V08744. There was a real simulated sky here, for one. It wasn't perfect, there wasn't a good way except for paint to hide the colony's outer structure on what should have been a blue horizon, but seeing clouds hovering over a colony was a new sight to behold for Duo. They didn't even bother simulating the water cycle back where he was from.
They shoved the suits into two of the ship's cubbies and abandoned the cargo ship. Their manifest had fake names and the ship wasn't registered to OZ, no one should trace it back to the incident at C102. And if they did, well, they'd both need to make sure they kept a low profile while they were here.
They stole a car from the long-term parking lot at the spaceport. It was an unassuming thing, a white hatchback from an L1 manufacturer he didn't recognize but seemed similar to some of the local brands back home. Heero wasn't bad at hotwiring, but he could have done better. At least, if his hands were at their best he could have. It was a game kids used to play in the L2 cluster, breaking into cars and going on joyrides with 'em. Heero wasn't bad, but there wasn't enough urgency to his actions, too much thinking and frowning that made Duo just know this was something Heero'd been trained to do but didn't get the chance to practice often. He got it running, but it could have been better. One day he'd have to show off his skills. He made a mental note of it.
"Did you steal a car on your way out?"
"I didn't need to. I took public transportation to the spaceport. But your face has been all over the news feeds."
Right. That checked out. Duo went to get in the driver's seat, but a pointed glare from Heero made him roll his eyes and get in beside him instead. Fine. He'd rest up some more. He honestly didn't feel much better than before, but as if he was gonna come out and admit that.
Heero brought him to a building in the very heart of the most urban part of the colony. Duo could see the appeal; it was easy to blend in in a place like this. All it would take to get away from unwanted attention would be turning down a less-traveled street or alley or blending into an unassuming crowd. The signs looked like they'd be real bright at night too, which would look nice when the colony's main lights turned off.
He drove them down into a basement parkade, parking in a stall with the numbers 705 painted in front. Must be Heero's apartment number, which meant they were heading to the seventh floor. The building had relatively few cars in it right now, just a few typical hatchbacks and some fancier makes, including a nice yellow Ferrari that looked like it might even be just barely post-colony (or more likely a replica), but hey, it was the middle of the day. The building's residents were probably mostly at work.
"Hey, Heero."
"Mm?"
He waited for Heero to actually turn his head towards him and look to try to figure out what he wanted before grabbing him by his lavender turtleneck's neck and pulling him over for a kiss. It wasn't complicated, he didn't have ulterior motives; he was thankful for being saved and up until a few days ago he thought Heero was dead. Now not only was he back from the grave, Heero had saved his sorry ass. A kiss was the least he could do. It was the least he wanted to do, but the rest they were gonna have to play by ear. His body was already lightly trembling with how he needed to lean over to reach him, but Duo was stubborn and pushed through.
If Heero was surprised, he didn't show it. He leaned into it and kissed back. But in a shorter time than Duo would have liked, the other pilot pulled away. "You're-"
"I'm injured, yeah. I know, I know."
"Hm." Heero opened the door and stepped out of the car. "And you need a shower."
Any other day he might (okay, would) have been offended, but Duo let out a surprised laugh- And triggered more painful coughing. Alright, he'd better not overdo it, he was still in rough shape. He opened the car door to get out too. Heero was already on his side, and once he was out of the car Heero got an arm around him again to steady him.
"I can walk, y'know." Escaping the OZ facility had been a lot harder than taking the maybe thirty steps it would take to get to the elevator.
"Mm." But Heero made no moves to leave him as is, so Duo took the help he was given. Well, he wasn't so nasty that Heero wouldn't give him a hand, there was that.
As he expected, once they got to the elevator Heero punched in a quick numerical code Duo didn't quite catch the whole of (he'd ask later), then the button for the seventh floor. Duo leaned against the wall again, just like he had in OZ's facility as they'd gone further down rather than up like this time.
There wasn't much to say on the ride up. Normally Duo would have found something to talk about, but for once he just didn't bother. Heero was his typical silent self.
It only took 30 seconds to get them to the seventh floor, and this time Heero left first, then looked back at Duo. He was slower to get up and leave, but he was able to do it himself. He looked around the hall. It was simple, painted a light blue with darker flooring. Nothing special.
"This way." Heero walked to the left. 705 was the last room facing west. Heero placed a card on a pad, just like at a hotel, and with a small chirp the door unlocked.
Duo figured one of Heero's safehouses would only contain the essentials, but what he came into was on the extreme end. It looked barer than a showroom. The place was tiny, painted in only a shade darker blue than the hallway outside. It being small he could understand; no need to waste money on getting a big place if he was the only one who was gonna be there and most of his day was gonna be spent on recon or whatever he was doing here. Still, the kitchen was cramped; a small stove and oven beside a divided fridge and freezer, a single counter with two chairs, a couch squeezed against the remaining space. There was at least a TV built into the wall opposite the couch, so there was that. But otherwise everything was bare. There were no pictures, no plants, no ornamentation. There weren't even knives on the counter in a block. Every kitchen needed those, come on.
Did Heero cook? Maybe not. He would have thought Heero would want to be as self-sufficient as possible, but maybe he was the kind of guy who just picked up something premade at the store every night. So far they'd only been together in situations where food came along with where they were staying.
At least the walls weren't white, or Duo might have gone crazy in here. The walls in the bedroom Heero half-dragged him towards were almost there, but still counted as blue. Was the blue Heero's choice, or whoever owned the place's? Probably not Heero's. He doubted the other pilot would have bothered painting the walls of somewhere he wasn't gonna be long.
There were seams in the walls that Duo was sure were for opening up storage. There was another door on the left and a large window overlooking the city to the right, just above the bed. Duo was heading in that direction when Heero spoke again.
"I need to get rid of the car. Do you need anything while I'm out?"
Yeah, he could use some things. "A toothbrush. And I haven't eaten anythin' in probably two, three days." Anything else wasn't worth bothering Heero with. He'd do it himself later, when he could get himself looking less like a wanted Gundam pilot who'd just run from OZ custody like a bat outta hell.
Heero's eyes narrowed a bit, but Duo wasn't sure what the faint bit of emotion that passed over his face meant. Sometimes he could read Heero like an open book, but this wasn't one of those times. "Understood. I'll get you some water. The bathroom's through that door." Heero tilted his chin towards it. "I'll be back soon. Don't do anything stupid."
As if there was much stupid he could get around to doing in a place like this. Duo shrugged and went to look out the window.
He whistled. For someone who'd said he didn't have a preference, Heero sure knew how to pick a nice view. It was no Earth, but the colony was well-maintained, with grass and plants growing within tidy little parks and parcels of land between the white buildings. It looked like mostly office buildings around them, but some might be other apartment buildings and one looked like it might be a mall. When he looked down he could see decent crowds of people walking along the sidewalk, even though it was the middle of the day. There were shops and what looked like a bakery just down the road.
It was a nice little place. Nicer than someone who really didn't care at all would pick. It wasn't swanky, but it was a lot nicer than a lot of people would have been able to afford back on his colony. He wondered if this was someone's vacation place Heero had broken into or if someone owed him some favors. Or maybe it was neither of those things.
He turned around and saw a glass of water sitting on a small table that had come out of one of the wall panels. Damn. Heero was good. He'd been trained both on the street and by the Sweepers to listen for people creeping up on him and Heero had still managed to get the glass in here without him noticing.
Either that or he wasn't on his A game, but Duo scoffed at that. He pushed off against the window and went for the glass Heero had left him.
The moment that water touched his lips some of the pain he'd barely noticed in his head alleviated and his body craved more. He hadn't eaten but water was a more immediate need of his. He knew he could get sick if he drank too much too quickly, but he ended up rushing anyways, drinking it all in a few gulps. It was tempting to get more, but Duo decided to wait and instead went for the bathroom. He stripped down as he went, deciding to take that much-needed shower.
Just unbuttoning his shirt was a pain in the ass. He'd decided his fingers probably weren't broken, just badly bruised, when it didn't feel like an electric current running through them when he put the slightest pressure on them. It wasn't comfortable, but it was bearable. As he unbuttoned his collar and let his shirt drop to the ground (and yeah, it stank, he needed to get it washed pronto), then unzipped and unbuttoned his pants, he caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror.
... Yeah, he shouldn't have looked. It could have been worse, but those OZ bastards had done a number on him. His whole torso was covered in swollen splotches in deep red, black, and purple, fading in green and yellow on the edges. The worst of it was definitely around that second left rib, but it was bad around his stomach and lower abdomen too. If he looked hard, he could see the edges of those damn boot prints, a nearly full pattern right above his right hip.
He had a bruise on the side of his nose, just barely missing his eye socket where it definitely would have swollen up. There was still dried blood on his face, and Duo frowned before pulling the elastic from his hair, taking out his bag of lockpicks, and fluffing his hair out of its braid. Then he turned away and stepped out of his pants and into the shower.
He could have been having his nails pulled out right now, or had a bag over his head facing a firing squad. Hell, he could have been waterboarded instead of getting cleaned. He owed Heero now instead of it being the other way round. He didn't like owing people. It was dangerous, so so dangerous, to have an outstanding debt. The most stupid stunts he'd ever pulled came from feeling a sense of obligation to someone else and he'd just gotten out of the frying pan. He wasn't eager to jump into a new fire.
It would be so much easier to not care, to not have principles. To be able to say screw it and hightail outta here at the earliest opportunity, or have stayed on Earth and not cared about OZ wreaking havok up here. But lucky him, that wasn't the guy he was. He'd had principles, always had, even back in the days where it was just him and a bunch of other street rats hiding out in a wreck. Someone scratched your back, you scratch theirs. Keep an eye out for the less fortunate. Pay evil unto evil. They were simple beliefs and he'd never managed to grow out of 'em, for better or worse.
His Gundam was in OZ's hands. G was in OZ's hands. Heero didn't have his Gundam. Quatre was gone somewhere out in space, Sandrock had been destroyed as far as he knew. How the hell were they supposed to fight like this? It felt hopeless, desperate in a way he hated. They were always on the back foot, but now their best tools had been taken from them and the colonies themselves were breathing down their necks.
But he was in too deep now. He didn't just want revenge (but he wouldn't lie and say it wasn't on his mind). No, now he owed Heero too, and the second Heero said jump he'd be saying how high.
The shampoo in here was trash. Didn't even smell nice, just like plain soap. But it was gonna have to do. Duo sighed, scrubbing it into the bottom of his hair and working his way up.
How much time did they have before OZ got something out of the Gundam Scientists? Not long, probably. If they weren't dead already it had to be because they were valuable. It was obvious OZ either wanted them to make Gundams or work on those new mobile suits, those Tauruses with the mobile dolls inside. A Gundam with that system in it... No one would be safe. How could a human keep up? He grimaced at the thought. It only took a few of those things to take him out, and before now he would have considered himself one hell of a pilot. Sure, Deathscythe had taken a beating and wasn't tuned for space, but that was barely an excuse. He'd hardly been able to track those things moving, let alone land a hit on them. Sure, they could be exploited now, but for how long? Those kinds of bugs he and Heero had used would get worked out. It was gonna be an uphill battle all the way with those things and time wasn't on their side.
He lathered the shampoo through his hair, then lifted it and combed his fingers through to rinse it out, eyes closed as he breathed in the shower's steam. Every deep breath ached, but with a broken rib the best thing to do was keep breathing steady. If you didn't, it could cause worse problems.
He should have asked Heero for painkillers. Did he have any here? He must. He could figure out where they were after his shower. The conditioner wasn't much better than the shampoo, and neither was the cheap bar of soap on the stand, but they'd work. For now. He just wanted the blood off his face, the bile and sweat outta his hair, and to get something to eat.
Who the hell were they even fighting for anymore? Not the colonies. Nah, they'd gone and stabbed them in the back the second OZ pretended to show 'em an ounce of kindness. Was everyone here really so naive as to think this would last? The second they got hunted down OZ would be back to their same tricks. Forced labour, stripping the colonies' resources, pumping up prices for everything and pocketing the difference. And as soon as the water got hot, the space mines would be back and communications cut off again. Or even worse, they'd use those mobile dolls. Machines wouldn't care they were firing on civilians. Machines would wipe out an entire colony down to the last child. Didn't anyone up in space realize that? Even a street brat like him could figure that out.
Quatre wanted to come to space, so he'd dragged himself up here. He lost Deathscythe for it and Quatre was MIA somewhere out in the void. And Heero, yeah, no way Heero would stop. He wouldn't stop until his mission was done, whatever that mission was in his mind. No way it would stop at killing the scientists. It might mean taking out wherever they were being held, burying it so deep OZ would take decades to dredge it up. He owed Heero, and let's be real he'd follow him into the depths of hell even if he didn't owe him, but he was no fan of knowing they were public enemy number one both on Earth and in space.
He turned the water off more forcefully than he probably needed to and stepped out of the stall, wringing out his hair as he did.
Duo wondered if there were going to be enough towels, but pressing on a panel in the bathroom soon put that fear to bed. There was a whole linen closet with more than enough towels for two. He grabbed two, one for his hair and another for his body, and dried himself off. He was glad Heero wasn't here to see him wince.
He was halfway through rebraiding his hair when he heard the door open. Heero was back, and he heard the ruffle of plastic bags with him. He finished up his braid faster and messier than he usually would, just barely done the last bit when Heero stepped into the bedroom's doorway. Duo had to grab his hair elastic out from between his teeth before he could say anything.
"Hey. I realized I don't got anythin' to wear."
"There's clothes in the closet behind you. Push on the panel to open it." But Heero didn't look away, his eyebrows knit into an all-too familiar frown. He was looking over his bruises, huh. Duo wasn't fond of being stared at like he was an ant under a magnifying glass, but it was too late now to cover up. Might as well let Heero do what he was gonna do.
At least, that was his thought until Heero walked over and jabbed his fingers against the worst of his bruising, right on his rib. He hissed in pain, flinching away from his touch, and grabbed Heero's wrist and yanked it away.
"Hey! What the fuck, man?"
Heero frowned deeper, but he didn't seem angry, just annoyed. He took his hand back depressingly easily, as solid as ever. "I want to see if it's broken."
"Trust me pal, it's broken. Hurts like a bitch, 'kay? This ain't the first time I've had something broken."
"Hm." He didn't look fully satisfied with the response, but accepted it. Heero was silent for a moment, just looking at the bruising, but eventually he looked back up at Duo. "That could take weeks to heal."
"Yeah, I know how broken bones work, Heero. Ow. Jeez."
"There's not much we can do about a broken rib."
"Again, not my first rodeo. I know. And I also know I don't need a hospital unless the bone hit one of my organs, and I know it would hurt a hell of a lot worse if it did, okay?"
Thinking on it, he was really lucky it hadn't. If it had it would have been game over for him. He didn't think he'd be able to walk, much less escape from OZ if he had a rib puncturing anything vital. Heero would have put a bullet in his head and that would've been it.
"Hmm." Heero was still dissatisfied, but at least his gaze softened up a bit. "... I have tylenol IIIs and morphine. You were able to walk and shower alone, so it's unlikely anything else significant was broken."
"Gee, thanks Doctor. I'll take whatever 's long as the pain stops."
"Hm." He didn't know if Heero was ignoring his sarcasm or blind to it. Probably the former. Heero might be quiet, but he wasn't stupid.
"Thanks. And sorry. I'm bein' a jerk, ain't I."
Heero said nothing, just watching him take his pills and swallow down water. He figured that was as good as a yes and Heero just wasn't a complainer. "Heh. Was it this bad for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"When you blew up Wing, Heero." Duo had wanted to ask and this seemed like as good a time as any, since they were kind of on the subject anyways. "I watched the whole thing, OZ had it on a live feed for us. I saw you get thrown off your Gundam. No way you didn't break something, even if it's you we're talkin' about." Even if he was somehow able to bend steel and stick his bones back into place and be able to walk around like nothing happened a few hours later. Even if he'd seemed no worse for wear when they were escaping from OZ.
Heero was silent again. It felt like considerate silence, not angry silence. If it was the angry kind he'd be getting the death glare he used to semi-regularly back on Earth.
Duo broke the silence. "... You don't gotta tell me-"
"No." Heero shook his head after the word for emphasis. "No." He said it again, and Duo shut up. Just as wordlessly, Heero reached for his turtleneck and slowly pulled it up and over his head. His hair got caught in it for a second, and he shook his head a little to get it back into place. Duo watched, but was soon distracted by what Heero was keeping under it.
It had been just over a month and a half since Heero had blown Wing up. There was deep discoloration all over his back, not as nasty as his new bruises but still faded purple and green. Some marks were a deep red; they must be gashes that had healed over on the surface but were still waiting to scar. They went down his left arm, across his shoulder, and all along his back.
Heero turned, making Duo wince- The largest gash on his arm went all the way through, front and back, matching on both sides.
"... My left shoulder was dislocated. The upper arm was broken in two places. A piece of shrapnel five inches in length and three in diameter was lodged through my upper arm and had to be removed while I was comatose. Both my wrists had fractures, as well as three of my fingers; two in the metacarpals of my ring and middle fingers, as well as one in the proximal phalanx of my pinky. Three of my ribs were fractured, here, here, and here." He pointed, showing one on his side and the other two on the front. "Along with miscellaneous puncture wounds across my chest. I was comatose for just over 28 days. It's possible other injuries-"
Duo interrupted Heero's clinical recounting by taking his outstretched arm and pulling him close. He wrapped an arm over Heero's shoulders to keep him there. It wasn't comfortable, and he tensed up a bit with the pain, but Heero didn't try to make him stop. He held Heero there, just breathing in his scent at his neck for a moment before chuckling and letting his grip on his shoulders go. He kept Heero's hand, holding it against his face. The other pilot stepped back, but then twisted around and sat down on the bed beside him. He said nothing, but the his gaze was questioning until Duo spoke.
"... 'm sorry. Shouldn't have asked."
"Why?"
Duo snorted against his hand, at a loss for a moment. "'Cause... 'Cause no answer was gonna make me feel better. No matter what you said or showed me I'd be doin' this." 'Cause I'm an idiot, and losin' you didn't make me any less of one.
Heero looked away, seemingly lost in thought or trying to come up with words. Duo kept talking, filling the silence. "I got off easy compared to you, then... I tried it. I tried self-detonating before they caught me." Heero looked back up at him with an intense frown, but he continued, looking away deliberately. He didn't want to meet Heero's storm-grey gaze right now or he wouldn't get through what he was saying. "Rather die than let 'em take Deathscythe. I ain't a coward, y'know? I was ready. It didn't work. I dunno if G installed it wrong, or I broke it doin' maintenance, or hell, maybe 'Scythe didn't want me dyin' yet. But it didn't work. And they got me." And Heero had come to save him even though by all means he should have either killed him or left him there.
"You would have been killed. I barely survived on Earth. You were in space. You weren't even wearing a normal suit, from what they filmed of the extraction."
They'd filmed the whole damn thing, huh. That was news to him, but he wasn't all that surprised when he thought of it. Just like they'd filmed Heero blowing himself up. "Yeah, well, didn't stop you."
"My life-" Heero cut himself off, looking away with a deep frown. "... I recover more quickly, and even if I did die my life is cheap. I took on this mission expecting nothing."
Duo laughed, and it hurt, but now he was the one staring at Heero with a sharp gaze. "Same thing here, pal. If you're thinkin' I got a home, or people waitin' for me, you're dead wrong. Me surviving this long is one sick joke. No one's gonna care when I kick-"
Lips crashing on his broke his sentence. Heero was fast, faster than he could pull back from even if he'd wanted to. It was an annoyed, harsh kiss, the obviously frustrated kind. Duo pressed back against him, chasing his tongue back into his mouth like it was water and he was parched. Sooner, way sooner than he wanted, Heero pulled away, opening his eyes and giving Duo that same steely look.
The point Heero was trying to make was obvious, but rather than talk about it Duo leaned into him and kissed him back just as fiercely. Heero could think kissing him would get him the last word but Duo was gonna fight that silent point. How dare he. How dare Heero try to imply his life had value then on the same breath say his own life was cheap. He'd pick a fight about this stupid point until the dawn of goddamn time if he had to. The painkillers were already working, taking the worst edge off leaning over to reach Heero. Still hurt, like everything involving moving right now, but he was determined.
It took longer this time, several moments of clashing tongues and changing angles, but Heero pulled back again, his eyes far less focused now. "You're still-"
"Shuddup." He knew he was injured and he'd already decided that wasn't gonna stop him. He'd been without for over a month already. He'd thought Heero had blown himself to kingdom come. If the other pilot made him chase him over and over right now he was gonna get mad for real. Heero, to his credit, did what he was told, plus took the step to bridge the distance between them and seal their lips together again.
He wanted to climb on top of Heero, get in his lap and take control of the situation, but his body wasn't cooperating. Even with the painkillers it ached if he really forced it. Heero must have heard the pain in his breath, because he pressed forward, using his implacable strength to make Duo lie down. It was nice, it took the edge off. He was kinda trying to make a point of his own here, but he could wait to make it if it meant Heero was gonna loom over him and kiss him long and deep enough to make his head start to spin. Duo wrapped one arm around Heero's back, the other finding its way into his thick hair.
It was like he knew Duo needed a break, because that was when Heero finally pulled away and dipped down to Duo's neck, running his teeth along it and nipping him surprisingly hard. Duo flinched, but Heero already mumbled something he couldn't quite make out against his neck, being more careful as he sucked on the spot. His fingers trailed along Heero's back as he sighed. Even when Heero was on the edge of too rough there was more pleasure in it than pain.
Heero had so many scars, he realized. He had them too, he'd been through enough to have some trophies left behind, but not like Heero did. It was like every inch of his back there was some sort of raised skin or different texture greeting him. What the hell had he been through before now? Something that made him super strong, quick healing, and unafraid of blowing himself up for the cause.
Maybe that J geezer really was a mad scientist. He definitely looked the part.
"How are we doing this?"
Oh, Heero was talking. Duo broke out of his thoughts. "Huh?"
"You need to take things easy. Your rib is still broken. You shouldn't move needlessly."
Yeah, it sure was. Hm. Duo considered it, circling his fingers in Heero's hair as he did. He should have been getting a plan together before now, but a certain someone had decided to be distracting. If he didn't do it soon he was sure Heero was gonna take over for him. In the meantime, he kissed Heero's neck and nipped him back. He wanted to leave more marks on him; Heero probably hadn't gotten a chance to notice the last set he'd given him. Luckily, it didn't take too long for something to come to mind, and Duo grinned mid-sucking on the other pilot's skin. When he pulled away, he kept that same grin. No way Heero was gonna keep cool with what he was gonna suggest.
"I don't need to move."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll stay down and tilt my head off the bed. You can do whatever and I'll suck you off."
"What?"
There it was. The single word, the shock and how he even caught Heero biting his lip for a moment. It was all priceless and so worth it. He didn't think Heero actually needed him to repeat what he said, but he did it anyways. "I said I'll stay down and tilt-"
"No, I don't mean- I don't need you to repeat yourself, or to elaborate. I'm questioning your sanity."
Oh come on. Questioning his sanity? Okay, so him being sane was arguable. A sane person probably wouldn't pilot a Gundam, though Duo would have called himself desperate rather than crazy. There was a difference, even if most people wouldn't see it that way. But really, because of this? Wanting sex no matter how bad he was hurt didn't seem all that crazy when compared to what they both did on a regular basis. He had the chance and he was taking it. "Well, you got any better ideas?"
"You don't need to-"
Duo interrupted him by cupping his groin, rubbing at him through the fabric. "You really think I'd suggest sucking your dick upside-down if I didn't want to do it?" C'mon. Really?
It seemed like Heero didn't have a good reply to counter him with except for a soft groan. He shuddered and ground against Duo's palm without any further words. Duo grinned, taking in the rush of getting even just the smallest bit under Heero's controlled shell. He played around a bit, dipping his head in and peppering kisses to Heero's jaw and neck as he kept the pressure on, but he hadn't forgotten his goal. With one last kiss, he spoke against Heero's ear.
"Need ya to get up, bud." Not the sexiest thing he could have whispered, but it kinda needed to happen. Heero was surprisingly fast at it, getting a small chuckle from Duo. Not so unaffected, was he? It was all about learning to read him. The other pilot looked at him, an obvious question on his lips, but Duo answered it first. "'s nothin', bud. Thanks." Now to do his part. Twisting around on the bed should have been no sweat, but with his rib the way it was it was slower and more awkward than he would have liked. He couldn't think of any world where it was appealing, much less attractive, but Heero watched him with those stormy eyes of his until his head was off the bed.
While he was at it, Duo undid the towel around his hips. Might as well show off the goods, since Heero was staring. It had been struggling to stay on anyways.
"Will you... Hm." Heero stopped for a moment, seemingly figuring out what he wanted to say, then tried again. "Are you going to be able to stay hard?"
"Heh." Getting straight to the point, huh. But Duo couldn't really blame him, given his fellow pilot just watched him struggle to move around on a bed. So his reply was honest. "That, buddy, 's a question we're gonna figure out together." He looked up at Heero and gave him what he hoped would be a reassuring grin. "But lookin' at you, I'm optimistic." After all, so far he'd been holding steady.
Heero's breath hitched at his words, his hips twitching the slightest bit before he regained control of himself, and damn if that wasn't the sexiest thing. He was getting an idea of what made Heero tick. Duo chuckled, reaching up to unbutton Heero's pants.
"Duo... I can't guarantee I'll maintain self-control."
"Yeah?"
Once his pants were undone, Heero took the last steps in shoving them down and stepping out of them and his boxers (more spandex), kicking them aside. "We need a safe word, or action. So I know to stop."
"I'll bite ya." Duo couldn't help but chuckle seeing a flash of concern pass over Heero's face for just a moment. "Relax, I'm just joking. But seriously. It's not like I'm gonna be able to talk. I'll smack ya in the leg if I need you to let up, how 'bout that?" Just like last time. No need to fix something that ain't broken.
"Mm. Understood."
"You want a real word too?"
"I'll think of one."
"Alright." There was nothing more to say, and he was facing down Heero's dick. He couldn't say he wasn't at all nervous, but he was damn good at bluffing. "I'm ready. C'mere." He was ready as he was ever gonna be with this probably-stupid idea of his.
"This is insane..." But as crazy as Heero thought it was, he lined up with him. The bed was tall enough, it wasn't hard for him to get situated. His nerves aflutter, Duo still curled his fingers over his left thumb and opened his mouth, prepping for it. But Heero hesitated, and Duo looked up at him.
"... You gettin' cold feet?"
"No." And as Heero looked down at him, he could see his eyes hold that determined squint he'd seen so many times now. He liked it when they were facing death in the face and he liked it here and now. His life was in Heero's hands, both on the battlefield and right now, naked with his throat bared and his head just barely hanging off the edge of the bed.
This was the most out there position he'd ever been in, but he wasn't gonna admit it. Duo opened his mouth again, and this time he quickly felt Heero's cock slide into his mouth. He wrapped his lips around him, pressing his tongue against him, and earned himself a groan.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Heero was staring again, eyes dark under the shadow of his fluffy bangs. "Are you alright?"
"Mhmm." He nodded a little for emphasis. Not much he could say, it was all gonna be sound from this point on. He had to remember to breathe, the painkillers making it less awful and more of an constant annoyance he could ignore. Heero was at the very edge of his throat, just before he needed to focus on not gagging. He appreciated him sticking there for the time being. It wasn't all too different, but the angle was a bit weird upside-down.
"Okay." Heero leaned forward, breaking eye contact, and held on just below his waist, careful not to grab onto any bruised areas. Duo took it as a warning and got ready, taking a (slightly painful) breath in and out. The other pilot's fingers slightly pressed into his side as he pulled back, then thrust into his mouth.
The scary part was having no real control. The speed, the depth, that was all on Heero, with him mostly along for the ride. All he got was the angle and pressure he gave sucking and pressing his tongue on Heero's dick and the sounds that escaped him, plus bobbing his head for a little extra depth. There was still the mental edge to it, getting to hear Heero's ragged breath and groans. He wasn't as loud as when he was when they were outside but there was still the occasional curse that made him chuckle.
He balled a hand in the sheets when Heero took hold of his cock, his hand already slick with spit. He bent one of his legs up, sighing into it. It was enough to take the edge off, and not being able to see what Heero was about to do added to it. He closed his eyes, focusing on his other senses instead. The salt and sweat and musk of him, Heero harshly whispering something he didn't understand between sounds, the thump of a much more solid mattress and bedframe than their last time-
"Hhh... Breathe, Duo..."
He was! Wait- Oh. It took him a second for the cryptic warning to come through, but he bobbed his head in a quick nod and moaned an assenting sound for good measure before taking some shallow breaths, then one long deep one after. It would help him hold his breath longer. His ribs complained with every gasp of air, especially the last one, but not nearly as much as without painkillers.
He felt Heero shifting, adjusting his stance, then oh god what-
Duo moaned, his hips bucking up into the new stimulus. His mind went blank, lost in the heat and wet and it was good, so good, fuck was it good. It took a solid few seconds for him to figure out what the hell was going on and when it clicked he couldn't help but moan again. Heero had pulled a fast one on him, going down on him at the same time as pushing further into his throat.
He hadn't thought of 69ing but god if he didn't like the way Heero was thinking.
"Mmn, mmh, nnh..."
It was one after another, egging each other on in a feedback loop. He couldn't stop any more than it seemed like Heero could. He gripped the sheets, holding onto his thumb to stop from gagging. It was messy, drool slid down his face, but Duo didn't care enough to try wiping it off. He had a moment to breathe when Heero pulled away to catch his breath too, but soon went back down (and thrust back in), earning himself more noise. It went on and on, pleasure pooling in his groin, and it was all Duo could do to not thrash, to keep his hands where they were and not grab Heero's head and move him himself.
After a few laps Heero pulled back in full, and Duo gasped, getting some words out between breaths.
"God, nnh, you catch on fast..."
It was hard to tell with Heero panting and not being able to look him in the face, but he swore he got an amused huff in there. "Hh... I'm close... Can you-"
"Yeah, yeah, c'mon-" He was nearly there too, just a little more. Heero went back down on him, plunged back into his open mouth, and Duo groaned. This time he let go of the sheets, wrapping his arms around the other pilot's lower back. He shuddered as Heero sucked on him, jerking up into his mouth. Ahh, almost, c'mon...
Heero pulled away first, grabbing himself and in in a few quick strokes and wordless moans he came, spilling on his neck and chest and the last dribble running down and hitting him in the face. Duo was way too far gone to care, he grabbed his dick and jerked himself hand and fast.
"Ahh, fuck, yeah- Ahh, ah..."
He quickly followed suit, coming on himself.
For several moments neither of them said anything. Duo caught his breath, enjoying the haze of his orgasm. What was there to say? It was good sex in his books. Heero loomed over him for a while, but with a visible tremble to his limbs, and he finally sank down in the small bit of space at the top of the bed beside Duo, lying against him but facing the opposite way.
It was good for a long while, but with every second the pleasurable fog in his mind rolled out and how much of a mess he was became more of a nagging, annoying thought. Duo decided he'd better get up and clean up, but the second he started to move Heero sat up instead.
"Let me do it." And before Duo could argue, Heero stood and went for the bathroom. Duo turned his head, watching him as he went. Man was he good-looking. Why'd his ribs need to go and get broken? OZ wasn't content with ruining the colonies, they had to limit what he could do in bed too. What a cruel, unfair world.
He wasn't really all that mad. Just horny and getting an eyeful of the hottest guy he'd ever had the pleasure of gettin' to see naked. Maybe if he took enough painkillers he'd be motivated to walk down and find a drugstore. Maybe. He was definitely tempted.
Heero was back in barely any time at all with a cloth. Duo half-expected him to toss it over, but instead Heero sat beside him, starting with the spunk on his face. The cloth wasn't even cold, it was a pretty decent temperature against his warm skin.
"..." It was strange, getting taken care of like this. It had been a real long time since anyone cared enough to patch him up more than necessary. The first time they'd met Heero had insisted on setting his leg back into place and stole parts from Deathscythe to get Wing up and running. Now he was here wiping drying cum off his neck and chest. What gave? Was it just that they were having sex now? That they were friends..?
Heero looked at his face and must have seen the gears turning in his head, because he spoke up. "You should rest."
Nah. Duo took that cue at least to sit up. His chest burned, but he toughed through the pain. It cleared his head, and anyways... "I'm tired of restin'. I need real food." He looked at Heero and had the nerve to wink along with his smirk. "Did ya bring back anything good?"
"Hm."
That wasn't a good enough answer, not even close. But Heero got up, and that placated him.