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Sep. 9th, 2006 07:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_goldenpathTitle: On Safe Grounds
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Characters: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy
Genre: a little angst, sap, fluff
Warnings: None.
Summary: After finally arriving at a safe house, Duo finds it empty and abandoned… just like his heart, simply longing for warmth and a few loving words.
Author’s note: a very belated holiday request, written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shinigami2174. I’m thinking of and praying for you in this difficult time you’re going through. *hugs*
Key: ----- = scene change
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It was cold- no, scratch that… it was freezing. Duo stuffed his hands in his pockets, cursing himself mentally for leaving his gloves, his freakin’ gloves, back in the cockpit of his Gundam. It was of no use retrieving them- Deathscythe Hell was in kneeling position on the bottom of the nearest lake- ten miles from here. Fuck! The biggest disadvantage of the Gundams was their giant size, rendering them impossible to hide. It wasn’t like you could fold them up and tuck them away in a convenient pocket in your pants or something.
Muttering under his breath, Duo kicked at the pebbles on his path, the small stones flying in several directions. He was cold, hungry, and tired. The scheduled meeting better had be good, or else..! He was going to sleep for two weeks straight, the state of his bunk be damned- he felt so tired that he probably could fall asleep standing right up… which he was trained to do anyway.
His chestnut braid tucked away under his cap, Duo broke out in a slow jog, trying to get himself a little warmed up. It was only a mile to the safe house, and he wouldn’t get there any sooner by moping around and slowing down. He was looking forward to meeting the others as well- this would be the first time they’d actually be together, the lot of them. He’d met Heero, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei all separately, and after lots of scheduling and planning, it was arranged that they’d meet up together in this safe house in the far mountains. Apparently, OZ is coming up with a grand plan or something for all of us to gather together.
Duo regretted that everybody worked solo. Strength was in numbers- not only that, but working together was so much more beneficial. He didn’t mind teaming up with someone, though with the exception of Quatre, no one of the other pilots seemed particularly smitten with the idea. Idiots. There was so much you could learn from working together, strengthening weak points and smoothing out the flaws. Really, there were almost nothing but benefits; that, and Duo liked the human contact. He wasn’t a loner like Wufei, or Heero, or Trowa… all three of them had given him the impression of preferring being alone, though he was convinced they hid a turmoil of emotions behind their firm, steadfast mask.
Oh, he’d peel them off, eventually. It would help if he’d see them more often, but in the end, Duo Maxwell would’ve wedged his way between them, and he would’ve taken off their masks to see what was underneath them. Ignoring the own walls he build around himself, Duo was convinced that he’d succeed- after all, the Maxwell charm was undeniable. In any case, they’d simply end up being friends, which was always a good thing. As long as this war was raging on, he’d need all the friends he could get, though he had to be careful- they could turn into an unsuspected enemy, or die because of the fighting. He heaved a sigh.
The safe house wasn’t that far from here, and he sped up a little, longing for something to eat -as long as it was hot and plentiful- and a place to sleep. Furthermore, meeting the others would be fun- he wasn’t that naïve to expect a roaring camp fire and everyone being pleasant and happy, but he was just looking forward to see them. The idea of spending the night together instead on a boring watch, curled up in a pilot’s seat, or somewhere in a rat-infested hellhole that just screamed desperation, was appealing to him. It reminded him of the large dorms in the orphanage of Father Maxwell, and every memory of Father Maxwell brought a flood of feelings back: warmth, melancholy, sadness and grief.
Shaking his head, Duo continued jogging and his feet hit asphalt. Noting a small sign, he knew he only had a few dozen meters to go, until he had to go to the east, crossing a large cornfield before he’d reach the safe house. Who was in charge of finding these things, anyway? He tried to occupy himself with thoughts about why they were all summoned to get together at that particular house. It was not far from the mountains, in a rather deserted village - all right, so barely no chance of being detected -, and just before the winter season would officially start. What did OZ have in mind? An attack with Christmas? Was Romefeller planning a massive offense, after hiding in the shadows for so long? Khushrenada announcing another kind of mobile suit?
When he caught the first glimpse of the house after making his way through the corn field, his heart sank. He’d seen quite the dilapidated buildings in his life, and knew that none of the safe houses were luxurious buildings- but this… this just looked like…
“Crap,” he voiced out loud while he jumped onto the porch, his steel toed boot leaving an impression in the soft wood. Duo reached for the door and immediately broke off the handle. What the hell? He tried to keep from cursing as he forced the door open, his eyes trying to get used to the dark. It was already late in the evening, but this house was dark- it took him some minutes to figure out that the windows were painted black.
“Great, just great,” he said, immediately noticing that none of the others were here. In fact, it seemed like there hadn’t been someone here for quite some time. There was no furniture except for a few broken chairs and a plump couch he’d bet was infested with fleas, and nothing worked- no light, no gas, no water, nothing. He snorted- the house was nothing but a dump, and though he was quite used to spending nights at a dump, he’d never seen such a dump as this one.
“This must be the dumpiest of them all,” he sighed and dropped his duffel bag. There wasn’t much in it, as this was supposed to be one night only- they’d have the whole day to debate their new orders. Duo snorted again- he doubted if any of the laptops would work out here. Well, maybe Heero’s, but that one probably worked when buried in the Earth’s core. Grinning at himself for the small joke, he looked around the house.
There wasn’t much to find; the stairs were broken half-way and he didn’t trust the floor either, the.. thing passing for a bathroom was covered in mold and other organisms he didn’t recognize, the fireplace was completely cluttered and the chimney was clogged with bird nests and leaves. When Duo returned to the living room from his small round, seeing his duffel bag on the floor, it felt like his heart sank again. Had he missed the meeting, had he made an error in the date? He didn’t think so, but he hadn’t expected to arrive first. There was no sign of life, no sign of anyone, not even an animal, not a bird whistling, a cricket chirping, or a wolf howling. Nothing. No one.
He didn’t notice he was hugging himself, even though he was wearing winter gear and he wasn’t really cold; his fingers were already warming up, curling into the thick fabric of his jacket. His face still felt cold and his breathing made soft clouds, but he wouldn’t freeze to death here if he’d fall asleep. It was just so… desolating. Barely any light, no one around, chilling temperatures… and he almost fell on his knees, crushed by the weight of being alone and disappointed, though he couldn’t pinpoint why he was so disappointed. What did you expect, Maxwell? Coffee and cake? A party? There’s a war going on. People don’t have time to interact, to care, to love, to laugh.
“Not true,” he whispered. Father Maxwell had cared, Sister Helen had loved and laughed, and the other orphan kids had shared with him, hugged him, just like brothers and sisters.
It was too much to ask to be on a brotherly basis with the other Gundam pilots- they were fighters, murderers, killers, called together to discuss a new stage of warfare, to develop a new strategy to attack and destroy. Didn’t he claim it himself? Being the God of Death, impersonating the Grim Reaper, taking the souls of thousands, innocent and guilty? What was he expecting here? Mercy? There was no mercy for one who didn’t deal in mercy himself. It was cold, not here, not outside, but inside, in his heart, and he wanted to reach out, but he found his hands cramped, his fingers curved, nails split and crumbly, as if they wanted to claw at his face…
An indignant yelp escaped him, his body shaking, startling, and he was immediately on his feet, hands up in the air to defend himself.
“What!?”
“Take it easy,” the other said, face obscured, holding up hands as well, ready to take him down if he’d lashed out. Slowly, Duo lowered his clenched fists.
“Heero.”
“You’re early.”
Duo didn’t answer, a sudden jolt of pain flaring through his knees and he hopped from one leg to another.
“That was a mighty uncomfortable position to fall asleep in,” Heero commented, a smirk tugging at his lips. Duo lifted up his hand, rubbing over his cheek, feeling strangely numb- he didn’t have to look down to his duffel mark to see the indentation. It hardly happened to him that he fell asleep on the floor- but yet again, he’d been tired.
“I was waiting for you. Where’s Wing?”
“Camouflage net.” A loud ‘thud’ of the other’s duffel bag, immediately snapping a piece of hardboard of the floor. “This is some crappy place.”
“You can just say out loud that it’s a fucking dump,” Duo replied, not knowing whether to feel embarrassed at being caught a sleep or miffed for being disturbed in his sleep.
“Why didn’t you get the fireplace started?”
“The chimney is clogged. Didn’t feel like suffocating myself, you know.”
Was that a smile? A real, genuine smile? Impossible.
“It would be a waste,” Heero said, moving around the room as if he wanted to determine its size. “Painted windows, no electricity, no water, no gas. I’ll thank Dr. J in person when I see him next time.”
“Do you know why we’ve all been called here for?”
Heero simply shrugged. There was hardly a thing that could faze him. “There was something mentioned as Khushrenada being under some kind of house arrest, and Relena has been spotted with some Romefeller officials.”
“What? The Princess of Peace with those old goats?”
“Something like that. I’m sure Dr. J. will brief us extensively when the others have arrived.”
“Yeah, when they arrive,” Duo agreed, feeling already better that at least Heero was around. He wasn’t dependent or clingy, but he just liked having someone around. After all these solo missions, after all this working on his own, he just wanted to see another human, interact with him or her, but it wasn’t exactly some kind of punishment that it was Heero who has turned up first.
“Let’s see if we can get something going here,” the other pilot said, and startled Duo out of his thoughts.
“Whu- what?”
“Get something going here,” Heero pursed his lips, holding up a large rod- probably a curtain rod. “If we can poke at the stuff that’s clogging the chimney and get an opening, we can get at least a fire started.”
“Sure,” Duo was quick to roll up his sleeves. It would take a while to get the open fire started, and it would take a while for the others to arrive as well, so why not make oneself useful? After all, there was someone around now, and even though Duo could well take care of himself, he felt a lot safer. On safe ground.
As he worked alongside Heero, chattering to him about everything that came to his mind, rewarded with an one-liner, a simple grunt or a dry comment, Duo didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, that the remnants of bird nests and other clutter came down with a rattling noise, covering the both of them in dust and charcoal. It felt familiar, working together with Heero, and he was stealing glances at him.
They both were stealing glances at each other, and Duo didn’t imagine the worry in Heero’s eyes when he suddenly cut himself with a piece of splintered wood. The fire would soon be going, roaring flames searching their way upwards and warming this miserable shack… and maybe, maybe there was something else going on as well.
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Title: Simply a Handful
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy
Genre: a little angst, fluff, waffy
Warnings: none
Summary: After five years being together, Duo expects something out of Heero, but he can’t figure out what.
Author’s note: written forsharona1x2, to celebrate the five year anniversary of Moments of Rapture. *throws confetti*
Key: ----- = scene change
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Being in a relationship with Duo Maxwell is… tiring. Tiring, because of the constant noise, which starts when he wakes up, immediately rattling about the dreams or the nightmares he had, seamlessly changing into breakfast talk, with comment on the color of the milk to the warmth of the sun in the early morning. It only ends when he rolls into his bed again, tired from a day of work, of interaction, of talking. Then, there’s the music- from the news with easy listening tunes in the morning, to general radio hits during the day, to his personal preference of horrid opera rock and gothic metal in the evening.
Being in a relationship with Duo Maxwell is… magnificent. He’s caring, friendly, outgoing, gregarious, loving, generous, a hot sexy guy who looks good in everything, a lover who likes it both rough and gentle -depending on his mood-, a partner who can uphold himself in discussion, works hard, is always ready to lend a helping hand, a listening ear, a broad shoulder to cry on. He’s a bundle of energy, a ray of sunshine, touching and warming the heart of anyone he meets.
Are there downsides to being a relationship with Duo Maxwell? I’m sure there are- like his nasty habit to hold grudges. Hold them? He clings to them, cherishes them, nourishes them. It’s not easy offending or hurting him, but when you do… he’ll never let you live to forget it. He can throw hissy fits, temper tantrums, and for the necessary variation, blow a fuse so loud that the whole neighborhood can hear it. That doesn’t happen very often, though- in fact, I can barely recall the last time we had a fight. We’re both very reasonable, we talk about everything like adult people do, and we discuss anything that’s bothering us.
With that said, it annoys me at this very moment that something is bothering Duo, but he’s not talking about it. I know his smiles, I know them all on the back of my hand. The way he’s smiling at me is his “I-am-bothered-with-something-but-not-telling-you-until-you-find-out-yourself”smile. I hate that one in particular. Did I mention I have the tact or subtlety of a brick? Exactly. So, that’s why I invited Quatre over, our resident Gundam psychologist. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the war is over, we’re enjoying more than five years of peace already, but Quatre is the one who holds the best views on everyone, I think. At least an objective view.
“It’s so great to have lunch at your home, Heero,” he tells me, his corn blue eyes following me with every movement, a warm smile radiating off of his face.
Don’t let that face fool you- this is the CEO of Winner Enterprises we’re talking about here- not only has he been elected Businessman of the Year for three consecutive years now, he eats company mergers and fusions for breakfast. Not for lunch. He has stock markets and other shares meetings for lunch, but this time he settled for coming over to our place. Not surprisingly- our farm is much nicer than a cold business building.
Ah yes, the farm. We bought it at Duo’s recommendation, and indeed, I never regretted it for one second. I doubted we could pay for it, seeing the amount of our war pension- it still makes me snort, but we were settled with a war pension after the Eve Wars ended-, and we were jobless for quite the few months. I never mentioned how hard it was to get adjusted to the ‘real’ world, now did I…?
It’s another story all together, and let me tell you that Duo was the main reason I made it through. I wasn’t standing in the bathroom wanting to slit my wrists, but I wasn’t exactly mister Happy Face either. Duo helped me, listened to me, and was silent and talkative at the right moment. It helped considerably that he returned the feelings I had for him- I was afraid at first that I wouldn’t live through a rejection, or that I was going too fast, but Duo accepted my love for him, showing me much love and a warm heart in return.
At the time that I felt ready to deal with the world and accepted a job in the civil society, Duo started showing signs of his past. He’d been so busy dealing with me and my problems that he ignored his own, and I failed to acknowledge he was going through a tough time himself. It was the first and only crisis of our relationship, but we pulled through.
We still have our quirks, though. Duo went to see a professional psychologist for a while, but ended the therapy sessions rather abruptly, not able to convey his feelings and problems and not feeling the therapist was the right one to help him. One observation from the preliminary report was striking, and fitting- Duo wasn’t the one to work a 9 to 5 desk job, and wasn’t the one to adapt to a stuffy environment filled with pencil pushers. It didn’t take long for him to develop a love for restoring old cars, and finding a job at a renowned garage.
Me? I changed some jobs, finally finding my goal in the field of computer technology, developing security systems and software. We share the same love for cars and computers, though at different angles; I like to drive fast cars where Duo loves to wreck them in demolition derbies, I like fiddling around with computers while Duo loves to use them for gaming and Internet business only.
“I’d like to talk to you about something, Quatre,” I say, as serious as I can be. He nods, the sneak- he already expected it. Yes, our blond little psychologist- we have lunch together with all the pilots together, twice or thrice a year, but inviting him alone with me, made alarm bells go off in his mind. I should’ve known this wouldn’t be a surprise to him.
I serve lunch and he smiles at me, waiting for me to start. I clear my throat, suddenly finding it difficult to begin.
“It’s about Duo.”
“Duo,” he repeats, nodding again. His eyes show nothing but genuine concern and interest; if there’s a problem between us, he’d do anything to help us. The same would go for Trowa or Wufei and vice versa, but Quatre is just.. more approachable about matters of the heart.
I stare at my coffee. “I know something is bothering him, but he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
As he remains silent, I continue: “Usually, when I notice something’s bothering him, I ask until he’s ready to talk about it, or I.. eh… use other methods to persuade him. I don’t have to resort to drastic measures, though- we have the rule that we talk and can talk about anything, but we do respect if the other doesn’t want to talk.. we’ll wait until the other is ready.”
“And you’re sure this isn’t a situation that Duo needs time until he’s ready to talk?”
“Positively. I can see it from his smile.”
Quatre stares at me, a little baffled, before he laughs softly. “Well, it’s good to know that you know each other so well that you can notice from the littlest things that something’s wrong.”
“I don’t know exactly if something’s wrong per say,” I hesitate to say, wondering why I took an iced tea out of the refrigerator. That’s Duo’s favorite drink, not mine.
“You said yourself that you respect each other if the other doesn’t want to talk,” Quatre says, the look on his face turning pensive. “That’s good. You should never force your significant other into talking- force is never good.”
“Says the one who squeezes out his every business associate,” I object.
“Hey! I don’t ‘squeeze’,” he protests.
“What about all the stories that you’re such a tough negotiator?”
“That’s something different than squeezing,” Quatre points out, laughing softly. “Anyway, we’re talking about you and Duo. Do you have any idea what could be bothering him?”
“I haven’t got the slightest idea,” I lament. “It’s not his birthday. It’s not that he bought new clothes or got himself a haircut and I forgot to compliment him. I can’t recall our latest fight- we only had a discussion about mud wrestling on TV…”
Quatre hides his laughter politely behind his hand, putting down his fork. “Heero, isn’t there any other thing that could’ve lead up to this?”
“No,” I say, determinedly. “It started about a week or so ago, and he’s just the same, but there’s simply.. something between us. I hoped that you could figure it out.”
Shaking his head, Quatre poked at his food. “Heero, I’m not the expert of your relationship, or relationships in general for that matter. I stopped by the garage as you asked me too, and I spoke briefly with Duo before I headed over here.”
“And, and?”
“I’m sorry Heero, but you have to figure this out for yourself. Duo didn’t exactly confide in me, but I have quite the impression of what’s going through his mind, and what’s bothering him.”
“Can’t you tell me?” I’m quick to ask, cringing at the petulant sound of my voice.
“It has something to do with the amount of time that you’re together,” Quatre says, looking at me as if he’s revealing the Big Dark and Ominous Secret. I gape at him, which elicits a laugh from him.
“I didn’t kill your puppy, Heero, really! Just think about it. Five years since the war ended.. five years that you’re together, hmm?”
“Oh! He expects some kind of anniversary present?”
Quatre purses his lips, then gives me a slow nod. “Some kind of present,” he finally says, but his tone of voice is strangely neutral. I barely notice it, as my mind is already providing me with several gift suggestions for the occasion. Maybe he’s expecting some kind of anniversary party as well?
“Heero,” I hear him say and I cringe again. I must’ve drifted off with my thoughts, as he uses that “Hear-me-General-Quatre” commanding voice, and my eyes snap open.
“Yes?”
“Don’t get carried away now. The… kind of present he.. would like to receive, may be different from what you’re thinking about right now. I know how efficient you are, but also how.. ehm… straightforward you are as well.”
I tilt my head. Not only do I lack any kind of tact or subtlety, I don’t pick up on others using it either.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Think about it,” Quatre nudges me, then continues eating. I know that’s the most I can get out of him, and he leaves me confused and lost in thoughts. What is Duo expecting, and why the difficulties and mystery surrounding it? If he wanted an anniversary party, he could’ve simply asked or organized it himself.
He’s not the one to pass up an opportunity to party, and a five-year anniversary is an excellent occasion to go all over town and invite our friends, call the catering service and a DJ for more of that terrible music and we’re all set to celebrate.
It keeps playing through my mind, long after Quatre has left, thanking me for the healthy and nutritious lunch. I feel like he’s laughing at me, but I can’t imagine that Quatre out of all people would do that- he knows more but didn’t want to tell me. Something I have to figure out for myself, huh? Well, maybe Duo wants to have a private party? A close celebration, with only the intimate of friends..? Or maybe just the two of us together? I leaf through our agenda- for some reason, Duo loves to scribble down all our appointments, instead of using his laptop or any other electronic device for an agenda.
It’s one of those multifunctional ones, full of sticky notes, doodles, commercial ads and… my eye falls on one of the ads. Duo tends to doodle and draw when he’s on the phone, and this ad isn’t an exception- though it has been strangely altered, the message is crystal clear to me. I know what to do now… even if it’s not easy.
When he comes home, I play perfectly gullible, kissing him, informing him that dinner’s almost ready and that he has exactly fifteen minutes to shower and get dressed. He laughs and tells an anecdote from work, limiting his time to ten minutes, and I have to smack his ass before he finally gets going; I can hear him laugh while he’s bustling about upstairs, talking and singing to himself.
I shouldn’t have needed a commercial ad to figure out what was bothering Duo, but if there’s one quirk about him, is that he can be as reclusive as no one else if he really chooses to be. If he really doesn’t want to talk about something, it just doesn’t happen- I can pry, beg, plead, lure, yell and scream all I want, he simply won’t talk. I should’ve figured it out on my own, but well.. subtlety and all that.
It has left me with not much time to prepare, and taking more time would probably just angered or annoyed Duo, and now I can pronounce what I’m thinking and feeling, probing if I’m right or not. We can always go from there… and my thoughts are interrupted as Duo bounces off the stairs, looking preposterous with his wet hair bundled up in a tower rivaling the hair of that Marge Simpson character.
“I’m huu~uungry!” He wails, immediately darting towards the large kitchen table.
“One moment, Duo, please,” I tell him, standing in the kitchen door. He holds immediately still, looking at me, his face changing when seeing my serious look.
“Something the matter?” He asks, concern in his voice. He turns around, closing the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me.
“Yes, something’s the matter,” I say softly, studying his face. He hasn’t changed much over the years- his face has lost a little bit of its original heart-shaped form, giving him a much more pronounced chin and jaw, a much more adult look. His chestnut bangs frame his face with those large violet-blue eyes, sparkling with his lust for life. He examines me, wondering what’s wrong, ready to offer me consolation when necessary.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I press a kiss to his cheek. “I should’ve seen.. no, I should’ve notice much earlier that something was bothering you, something fundamental.”
“H-Heero, what are you talking about?”
“Shh, I know,” I tell him, and I hold up the agenda, my fingers wedged between the paper to flip it open at the right page.
He stares at the ad, and suddenly blushes. “It’s nothing like that,” he murmurs, but he doesn’t sound very serious.
“It’s everything like that,” I say, looking at him. “Duo, why didn’t you tell me you wanted to get married so bad?”
He squirms a little, and for a moment I fear he’s offended somehow, and that he breaks up the hug. He doesn’t, but chews on his lips.
“It’s not that important, Heero. Never mind, mkay? You have more things to worry about..”
“Duo, we get by fine on our own. We can pay all our bills, we can go out if we want to, we can go on vacation if we want to. We have a roof over our head, food in the pantry, friends we can visit and who we care for… this is the only thing missing in your life, right?”
“Not in yours,” he mumbles, but he nods nonetheless. I know he’s thinking about the rings- we gave each other rings years ago, just to show that we belonged together, a token of our bond. Apparently, Duo wants some more confirmation of that bond, something that runs deeper, something that’s official.
“Same-sex marriages aren’t legal in this country,” he says brusquely and now he disrupts the hug, turning away from me. “It was stupid to think about, Heero, forget it.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him again, and I reach for him, grabbing his hand. “I.. I’m sorry that this isn’t exactly the proposal you probably had in mind. You know I’m bad in the romantics department, Duo… but I want to be married to you, make you my husband officially. I know countries where same-sex marriages are legalized, we can go there for a holiday and get married. We can have our friends come over, and have the marriage we both want.”
He turns towards me his smile so dazzling it almost blinds me.
“You’re serious? You want to get married too?”
I simply nod. I’m the first one to admit it never meant that much to me and neither to Duo… until recently, I never heard him even mentioning it before. He’s still smiling, though looks up at me rather coyly.
“I never knew that,” he finally says. “You never hinted at it, never said anything about it. I tried to bring it up before, testing the waters, so to speak, and you were always so very neutral about it. We’ve been together for five years now, and I want to be with you for many, many years to come, but still… I figured this was a great occasion to finally pop the cork, you know.”
“Your cork has long been popped,” I comment dryly, and he finally laughs. It’s his usual laugh, free of worry or any bother, and I heave a sigh of relief, inwardly.
“Duo,” I speak his name as his laughter dies down. “Duo, I love you so much. Five years of ups and downs, five years of love and tears, of joy and sadness, of exuberance and grief. I wouldn’t want to share my life with anyone but you. You’re everything and all to me, my whole world…”
He blushes. The great Duo Maxwell, former God of Death, blushes like a schoolgirl. His smile is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
“I love you too,” he says. “I love you with all my heart and soul, body and mind. You’re everything and all to me too.. I don’t want to be with anyone else but you.”
With that said, he jumps into my arms, the towel falling off his head, and I have a bundle of squirming Duo all over me, kissing me wildly, wrestling me to the ground. He got quite the muscle pack while working and lugging all those car parts and tools around, let me tell you that. That, and I didn’t have good footing. Well, whatever. He has all forgotten about dinner, enthusiastically rattling off a guest list that makes me cringe. He’s such a handful- but he’s my handful, and I groan as he continues to kiss me.
“Duo, Duo!” I finally cry his name to get his attention as he keeps rattling on. His hands have all but torn my shirt off, and the floor is cold.
“What?” he asks, before shifting around in a way that makes me see stars of pleasure. I must know, however…
“That ad… the ad in the agenda…”
“Yeah?”
“That marriage ad… why did you adjust the head of the bride to look like me?”
All I get for an answer is a boisterous laugh, and then I forget, because his hands are all over me, and if there’s still a piece of clothing left on my body I can’t feel it, as his warm body covers me, holding me close, searching for and wanting that particular union, and I can’t do nothing but moan and pant his name, because I want him badly. I want him forever. I want him forever to be mine.
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Title: The Personal Touch
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy
Genre: sap, waffy, a little bit of angst
Summary: Heero ponders about several things while stuck at a dead-end mission, and finds himself longing for a certain person…
Author’s note: written as a very belated holiday request forsharona1x2. ^___________^
Key: ----- = scene change
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“Don’t forget- keep in touch!”
Those were Duo Maxwell’s last words… before he embarked on his travels around the world. Heero Yuy heaved a sigh, placing his hand under his head to support it and stared outside the window. He hated the fall. The colouring and the falling of leaves, the dark grey clouds, the constant rain, the miserable low temperatures. Why the hell was he stationed in this country for two years anyway?
He’d accepted the mission to infiltrate this semi-political society who was preparing for a military coup, and after he exposed the key figures and other involved persons, clearing out their movement efficiently, Heero had accepted the proposal of staying around for two years, time enough to get this new branch of the Preventers started.
This country was godforsaken desolate and deserted… it even hurt to think about it. Food and drink were rationed, the people were moody and grumpy, there was no place at all for relaxation or entertainment, and the dark grey surroundings were bound to make anyone depressed. Jumping off of bridge almost sounded tempting… if only for the short thrill of the fall and the adrenaline rush, Heero presumed. He swirled the stone-cold coffee around in his mug. There was no taste to the liquid- the only way he’d get real coffee was from one of the ‘survival kits’ Quatre loved to send to his fellow former pilots. Good old Quatre… he regularly shipped packages filled with snacks, nifty gadgets or things he thought that would come in handy.
Peace had settled on Earth and the colonies, so there was no need for concealed weapons, money or equipment necessary to engage in warfare anymore, so the blond CEO and renowned businessman packed fancy things like gloves or agendas, books or movies. Heero snorted. Whenever he was, no matter how far from the outside world, Quatre would track his address down and mail him something, and Heero was convinced that he did the same for the others... even though it was hard to get a hold on Duo.
Was it now, really? He tapped against his mug. Duo was always on his way, travelling from whatever backyard place to another, visiting the craziest locations no one had ever heard of before. Duo had seen the most beautiful places, meeting native and undiscovered tribes, experiencing so much in nature and life in general while he, Heero, was wilting away in some stupid, cold hellhole. He frowned. Was he simply envying Duo, or was he ‘just’ fed up with his work? A midlife crisis for someone barely in his twenties? He checked his watch.
His life was pretty much boring right now- maybe he could file a transfer request first thing in the morning. No one at Preventers HQ was going to deny their star agent anything- his reputation would precede him, and neither Lady Une nor Sally Po would doubt his intentions. Sure, they’d probably protests that his time wasn’t served, and that the Preventers post wasn’t running independently… well, they could find someone else to finish the job.
Funny how Duo never had bothered joining the Preventers, not even considering their job offer as soon as the war was over. Wufei was the first one to take up on the offer, becoming quickly the thriving force behind the complete organisation, together with Lady Une and Sally Po. Trowa had signed up as well, but quit after six months and joined Quatre’s workforce. Quatre himself had declined immediately as well, building up Winner Enterprises from the ashes, focusing on rebuilding and continuing the legacy of his father.
That left only Heero, and he had accepted immediately- simply because he wasn’t sure what to do next, and a steady job and income seemed fine to him at the moment. Funny yes, funny how Duo had said “No thank you, I’m fine” and had trotted of, speaking his famous last words…
To him in person.
Heero sighed, again. Duo had sent him e-mails, cards, and telegrams from every corner of the world, telling him of the things he’d seen and done. He had a cell phone with him, but the reception often was bad and the connection difficult to establish in the first place. Heero had tried to leave one or two voice messages, but had to quit out of sheer frustration, as the messages couldn’t be put through.
It’d been so long since Heero had heard his voice… how could he keep in touch when it was so difficult to reach him? Every card, every e-mail, every telegram was safely stored in a box, and he loved sifting through them and re-reading them, as Duo was a wonderful storyteller, sharing his travel experiences with him in such a way that Heero almost could imagine being with him.
Being with him. Gods, he’d kill for some human interaction… some real human interaction. His colleagues here were just… antisocial jerks, and it took a great deal out of Heero Yuy himself to say that. Not that he was the kind of person to socialize and go to dances or parties as Relena would like to do, or even Quatre who was always in the picture when attending a charity dinner, but this… yes, he was definitely putting in that transfer request tomorrow, and then he was going to withdraw all his savings, take a sabbatical and travel after Duo. He widened his eyes- that particular part of his usual train of thoughts was new to him. Nonetheless, it was a very interesting particular part… and he was brusquely interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Who’s there?” He asked rudely, his hand flying to his gun, tucked away in his belt. This was a Preventers’ office, but not many knew the location… and his colleagues were all accounted for, either on a mission or at home.
“Santa Claus,” he heard a familiar, slightly muffled voice.
“Wrong season,” Heero answered, cautiously approaching the door. Was this some kind of prank, a practical joke? Everyone knew he didn’t appreciate them- but on the other hand, no one around here didn’t seem the type of person to pull a prank on him…
“Com’on Heero, I’m freezing my ass off here!”
He no longer hesitated and flung open the door, pulling out his gun and cocking it the next second, placing the barrel right between the eyes of the visitor.
“Typical,” was the short, but not curt answer, and Heero pulled back the gun.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Visiting you,” Duo snorted. “Hey, I’ve got some whisky with me. All the way from Scotland! Let’s get inside and warm us up a little, what do you think about that?”
Heero was baffled, but stepped away from the door to let Duo in. He looked healthy and well, his cheeks tinted red from the cold, and he was wearing the most horrid woollen cap Heero had ever seen- and he looked amazing in it.
Duo went into the office, ‘tsk’-ing loudly. “Who’s your interior decorator?”
“Preventers HQ,” he answered dryly, crossing the distance to the other wall and freeing up a coat hanger for Duo.
“Efficient as ever,” Duo smiled as he gave his coat to Heero to hang it up, and he stripped himself of his gloves and scarf. “So, for how long are you stationed here?”
“Officially for two years, but I was planning on sending in a transfer request tomorrow,” Heero admitted. He went into the small kitchen, putting up water to brew ‘fresh’ coffee. Searching through the cabinets, he found two small shot glasses for the additional whisky. Duo had followed him into the kitchen, curiously looking around, frowning slightly when he saw what Heero was doing.
“You wanted a shot glass of whiskey with your coffee? Something wrong with a real glass?” he joked, pulling out two larger glasses.
“I didn’t know you were such a drinker,” Heero retorted.
“I’m not, I just like to get warm… a good way of warmth only an excellent whisky and excellent company can give me.”
“L-like that,” Heero said and wondered why he stuttered. Turning off the stove, he watched Duo pulling out a bottle from his small backpack.
“Is that all your luggage?”
“Yes, that’s all,” Duo laughed, unscrewing the bottle cap. “I don’t have to tell you how we’ve been trained with the least possible as luggage; it’s really handy when travelling around the world.”
“You must tell me everything about your travels,” Heero nodded, shoving the two glasses towards him. “For example, how did you exactly end up here?”
“Ooh, by coincidence,” Duo answered airily while pouring the alcohol, and laughing rambunctiously when looking at Heero’s face. “Just kidding. A little blond angel appeared to me in a vision and whispered to me where I could find you.”
Heero couldn’t help but laugh at that, though it was mixed with a snort; leave it to Quatre to ‘whisper’ to the right person… he doubted he needed the whisky anymore, as the temperature in the room had already risen considerably, ever since Duo’s appearance. He looked satisfied, content, happy… and so handsome. The large bangs framing his forehead were a little damp from the humidity outside, his large eyes radiated a certain… inner peace, a certain acceptance that Heero couldn’t really describe.
All of Duo’s movements were calm and composed, but still keeping that same old touch of enthusiasm and exuberance he knew and loved in him the moment they met. Well, he got shot then… twice… but still, exuberance. Duo had grown, maybe more than he had… and he’d been wasting his time with this dead-end job stationed at a Preventers’ office in a land he couldn’t even pronounce the name of without having to start over five times.
“Proost,” Duo said while holding up his drink, and taking a swig before Heero could say the same.
“What kind of language is that?”
“Oh, they speak it in a small country, close to the sea, somewhere in Europe,” Duo said, licking his lips. Heero almost spat out his sip, as the liquid burned in his throat- he wasn’t used to it. He coughed, swallowing bravely as his eyes started to prickle. Duo laughed softly. “Maybe I should have taken the coffee with it,” he said, though not mockingly and put down his glass, sitting down at the table. Heero agreed, still coughing, and went to sit down as well.
“How long are you going to stay?”
“I’m not sure,” Duo said, staring at his glass. “It’s been quite some time now that I’ve been travelling and though I’m not really looking forward to settle down into an office job, I do realize I can’t go on like this… I mean, I have to get a job sometime and make something out of my life.”
Heero knew it wasn’t really a financial question- they’d never had much funding to begin with anyway, and during their training and the actual war, they learned how to spend as little money as possible –with the exception of Quatre-, and it wouldn’t surprise him if Duo had spend money on sending the cards and such to his friends and on the barest essentials as food and clothing.
“Feeling a little restless?”
“Sort of. Something I can’t really place.”
“Feeling alone?” Heero suddenly said, not allowing himself the time to wonder why he asked that. Duo looked up at him, glass almost halfway for another sip, the surprise in his eyes obvious.
“No, not alone,” he said, after a brief moment of consideration. “I have my friends… I met a lot of new people during my travels and I think some of those contacts can and will develop into something more permanent, like real friends instead of acquaintances. I have you,” he said, almost matter-of-factly.
“Me?”
“You’re my friend, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am!”
“That’s all I wanted to know. So you wouldn’t mind offering your bed to your tired friend while you spend one night at your couch, would you?”
Heero’s mouth almost went slack, and then he suddenly grinned. “For you, anything,” he said, lifting up his glass as well. “I can survive a night on the couch, as long as you spend the night with me.”
A smile spread across Duo’s face, as he tipped his glass forward to touch Heero’s glass. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“On spending the night with me.”
“On spending the night with you.”
“Forever.”
“Forever.”
“Amen.”
“Amen, Duo. Amen.”
The glasses clanged together, the sound resonating through the office. It was getting warm inside- and the desolation seemed to move away, taking its bland, grey colours with it, as they both sat at the table, picking up where they left off- both grown, both older, and both ready for another chapter in their lives.
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Fandom: Gundam Wing
Characters: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy
Genre: a little angst, sap, fluff
Warnings: None.
Summary: After finally arriving at a safe house, Duo finds it empty and abandoned… just like his heart, simply longing for warmth and a few loving words.
Author’s note: a very belated holiday request, written for
shinigami2174. I’m thinking of and praying for you in this difficult time you’re going through. *hugs*Key: ----- = scene change
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It was cold- no, scratch that… it was freezing. Duo stuffed his hands in his pockets, cursing himself mentally for leaving his gloves, his freakin’ gloves, back in the cockpit of his Gundam. It was of no use retrieving them- Deathscythe Hell was in kneeling position on the bottom of the nearest lake- ten miles from here. Fuck! The biggest disadvantage of the Gundams was their giant size, rendering them impossible to hide. It wasn’t like you could fold them up and tuck them away in a convenient pocket in your pants or something.
Muttering under his breath, Duo kicked at the pebbles on his path, the small stones flying in several directions. He was cold, hungry, and tired. The scheduled meeting better had be good, or else..! He was going to sleep for two weeks straight, the state of his bunk be damned- he felt so tired that he probably could fall asleep standing right up… which he was trained to do anyway.
His chestnut braid tucked away under his cap, Duo broke out in a slow jog, trying to get himself a little warmed up. It was only a mile to the safe house, and he wouldn’t get there any sooner by moping around and slowing down. He was looking forward to meeting the others as well- this would be the first time they’d actually be together, the lot of them. He’d met Heero, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei all separately, and after lots of scheduling and planning, it was arranged that they’d meet up together in this safe house in the far mountains. Apparently, OZ is coming up with a grand plan or something for all of us to gather together.
Duo regretted that everybody worked solo. Strength was in numbers- not only that, but working together was so much more beneficial. He didn’t mind teaming up with someone, though with the exception of Quatre, no one of the other pilots seemed particularly smitten with the idea. Idiots. There was so much you could learn from working together, strengthening weak points and smoothing out the flaws. Really, there were almost nothing but benefits; that, and Duo liked the human contact. He wasn’t a loner like Wufei, or Heero, or Trowa… all three of them had given him the impression of preferring being alone, though he was convinced they hid a turmoil of emotions behind their firm, steadfast mask.
Oh, he’d peel them off, eventually. It would help if he’d see them more often, but in the end, Duo Maxwell would’ve wedged his way between them, and he would’ve taken off their masks to see what was underneath them. Ignoring the own walls he build around himself, Duo was convinced that he’d succeed- after all, the Maxwell charm was undeniable. In any case, they’d simply end up being friends, which was always a good thing. As long as this war was raging on, he’d need all the friends he could get, though he had to be careful- they could turn into an unsuspected enemy, or die because of the fighting. He heaved a sigh.
The safe house wasn’t that far from here, and he sped up a little, longing for something to eat -as long as it was hot and plentiful- and a place to sleep. Furthermore, meeting the others would be fun- he wasn’t that naïve to expect a roaring camp fire and everyone being pleasant and happy, but he was just looking forward to see them. The idea of spending the night together instead on a boring watch, curled up in a pilot’s seat, or somewhere in a rat-infested hellhole that just screamed desperation, was appealing to him. It reminded him of the large dorms in the orphanage of Father Maxwell, and every memory of Father Maxwell brought a flood of feelings back: warmth, melancholy, sadness and grief.
Shaking his head, Duo continued jogging and his feet hit asphalt. Noting a small sign, he knew he only had a few dozen meters to go, until he had to go to the east, crossing a large cornfield before he’d reach the safe house. Who was in charge of finding these things, anyway? He tried to occupy himself with thoughts about why they were all summoned to get together at that particular house. It was not far from the mountains, in a rather deserted village - all right, so barely no chance of being detected -, and just before the winter season would officially start. What did OZ have in mind? An attack with Christmas? Was Romefeller planning a massive offense, after hiding in the shadows for so long? Khushrenada announcing another kind of mobile suit?
When he caught the first glimpse of the house after making his way through the corn field, his heart sank. He’d seen quite the dilapidated buildings in his life, and knew that none of the safe houses were luxurious buildings- but this… this just looked like…
“Crap,” he voiced out loud while he jumped onto the porch, his steel toed boot leaving an impression in the soft wood. Duo reached for the door and immediately broke off the handle. What the hell? He tried to keep from cursing as he forced the door open, his eyes trying to get used to the dark. It was already late in the evening, but this house was dark- it took him some minutes to figure out that the windows were painted black.
“Great, just great,” he said, immediately noticing that none of the others were here. In fact, it seemed like there hadn’t been someone here for quite some time. There was no furniture except for a few broken chairs and a plump couch he’d bet was infested with fleas, and nothing worked- no light, no gas, no water, nothing. He snorted- the house was nothing but a dump, and though he was quite used to spending nights at a dump, he’d never seen such a dump as this one.
“This must be the dumpiest of them all,” he sighed and dropped his duffel bag. There wasn’t much in it, as this was supposed to be one night only- they’d have the whole day to debate their new orders. Duo snorted again- he doubted if any of the laptops would work out here. Well, maybe Heero’s, but that one probably worked when buried in the Earth’s core. Grinning at himself for the small joke, he looked around the house.
There wasn’t much to find; the stairs were broken half-way and he didn’t trust the floor either, the.. thing passing for a bathroom was covered in mold and other organisms he didn’t recognize, the fireplace was completely cluttered and the chimney was clogged with bird nests and leaves. When Duo returned to the living room from his small round, seeing his duffel bag on the floor, it felt like his heart sank again. Had he missed the meeting, had he made an error in the date? He didn’t think so, but he hadn’t expected to arrive first. There was no sign of life, no sign of anyone, not even an animal, not a bird whistling, a cricket chirping, or a wolf howling. Nothing. No one.
He didn’t notice he was hugging himself, even though he was wearing winter gear and he wasn’t really cold; his fingers were already warming up, curling into the thick fabric of his jacket. His face still felt cold and his breathing made soft clouds, but he wouldn’t freeze to death here if he’d fall asleep. It was just so… desolating. Barely any light, no one around, chilling temperatures… and he almost fell on his knees, crushed by the weight of being alone and disappointed, though he couldn’t pinpoint why he was so disappointed. What did you expect, Maxwell? Coffee and cake? A party? There’s a war going on. People don’t have time to interact, to care, to love, to laugh.
“Not true,” he whispered. Father Maxwell had cared, Sister Helen had loved and laughed, and the other orphan kids had shared with him, hugged him, just like brothers and sisters.
It was too much to ask to be on a brotherly basis with the other Gundam pilots- they were fighters, murderers, killers, called together to discuss a new stage of warfare, to develop a new strategy to attack and destroy. Didn’t he claim it himself? Being the God of Death, impersonating the Grim Reaper, taking the souls of thousands, innocent and guilty? What was he expecting here? Mercy? There was no mercy for one who didn’t deal in mercy himself. It was cold, not here, not outside, but inside, in his heart, and he wanted to reach out, but he found his hands cramped, his fingers curved, nails split and crumbly, as if they wanted to claw at his face…
An indignant yelp escaped him, his body shaking, startling, and he was immediately on his feet, hands up in the air to defend himself.
“What!?”
“Take it easy,” the other said, face obscured, holding up hands as well, ready to take him down if he’d lashed out. Slowly, Duo lowered his clenched fists.
“Heero.”
“You’re early.”
Duo didn’t answer, a sudden jolt of pain flaring through his knees and he hopped from one leg to another.
“That was a mighty uncomfortable position to fall asleep in,” Heero commented, a smirk tugging at his lips. Duo lifted up his hand, rubbing over his cheek, feeling strangely numb- he didn’t have to look down to his duffel mark to see the indentation. It hardly happened to him that he fell asleep on the floor- but yet again, he’d been tired.
“I was waiting for you. Where’s Wing?”
“Camouflage net.” A loud ‘thud’ of the other’s duffel bag, immediately snapping a piece of hardboard of the floor. “This is some crappy place.”
“You can just say out loud that it’s a fucking dump,” Duo replied, not knowing whether to feel embarrassed at being caught a sleep or miffed for being disturbed in his sleep.
“Why didn’t you get the fireplace started?”
“The chimney is clogged. Didn’t feel like suffocating myself, you know.”
Was that a smile? A real, genuine smile? Impossible.
“It would be a waste,” Heero said, moving around the room as if he wanted to determine its size. “Painted windows, no electricity, no water, no gas. I’ll thank Dr. J in person when I see him next time.”
“Do you know why we’ve all been called here for?”
Heero simply shrugged. There was hardly a thing that could faze him. “There was something mentioned as Khushrenada being under some kind of house arrest, and Relena has been spotted with some Romefeller officials.”
“What? The Princess of Peace with those old goats?”
“Something like that. I’m sure Dr. J. will brief us extensively when the others have arrived.”
“Yeah, when they arrive,” Duo agreed, feeling already better that at least Heero was around. He wasn’t dependent or clingy, but he just liked having someone around. After all these solo missions, after all this working on his own, he just wanted to see another human, interact with him or her, but it wasn’t exactly some kind of punishment that it was Heero who has turned up first.
“Let’s see if we can get something going here,” the other pilot said, and startled Duo out of his thoughts.
“Whu- what?”
“Get something going here,” Heero pursed his lips, holding up a large rod- probably a curtain rod. “If we can poke at the stuff that’s clogging the chimney and get an opening, we can get at least a fire started.”
“Sure,” Duo was quick to roll up his sleeves. It would take a while to get the open fire started, and it would take a while for the others to arrive as well, so why not make oneself useful? After all, there was someone around now, and even though Duo could well take care of himself, he felt a lot safer. On safe ground.
As he worked alongside Heero, chattering to him about everything that came to his mind, rewarded with an one-liner, a simple grunt or a dry comment, Duo didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, that the remnants of bird nests and other clutter came down with a rattling noise, covering the both of them in dust and charcoal. It felt familiar, working together with Heero, and he was stealing glances at him.
They both were stealing glances at each other, and Duo didn’t imagine the worry in Heero’s eyes when he suddenly cut himself with a piece of splintered wood. The fire would soon be going, roaring flames searching their way upwards and warming this miserable shack… and maybe, maybe there was something else going on as well.
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Title: Simply a Handful
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy
Genre: a little angst, fluff, waffy
Warnings: none
Summary: After five years being together, Duo expects something out of Heero, but he can’t figure out what.
Author’s note: written for
sharona1x2, to celebrate the five year anniversary of Moments of Rapture. *throws confetti*Key: ----- = scene change
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Being in a relationship with Duo Maxwell is… tiring. Tiring, because of the constant noise, which starts when he wakes up, immediately rattling about the dreams or the nightmares he had, seamlessly changing into breakfast talk, with comment on the color of the milk to the warmth of the sun in the early morning. It only ends when he rolls into his bed again, tired from a day of work, of interaction, of talking. Then, there’s the music- from the news with easy listening tunes in the morning, to general radio hits during the day, to his personal preference of horrid opera rock and gothic metal in the evening.
Being in a relationship with Duo Maxwell is… magnificent. He’s caring, friendly, outgoing, gregarious, loving, generous, a hot sexy guy who looks good in everything, a lover who likes it both rough and gentle -depending on his mood-, a partner who can uphold himself in discussion, works hard, is always ready to lend a helping hand, a listening ear, a broad shoulder to cry on. He’s a bundle of energy, a ray of sunshine, touching and warming the heart of anyone he meets.
Are there downsides to being a relationship with Duo Maxwell? I’m sure there are- like his nasty habit to hold grudges. Hold them? He clings to them, cherishes them, nourishes them. It’s not easy offending or hurting him, but when you do… he’ll never let you live to forget it. He can throw hissy fits, temper tantrums, and for the necessary variation, blow a fuse so loud that the whole neighborhood can hear it. That doesn’t happen very often, though- in fact, I can barely recall the last time we had a fight. We’re both very reasonable, we talk about everything like adult people do, and we discuss anything that’s bothering us.
With that said, it annoys me at this very moment that something is bothering Duo, but he’s not talking about it. I know his smiles, I know them all on the back of my hand. The way he’s smiling at me is his “I-am-bothered-with-something-but-not-telling-you-until-you-find-out-yourself”smile. I hate that one in particular. Did I mention I have the tact or subtlety of a brick? Exactly. So, that’s why I invited Quatre over, our resident Gundam psychologist. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the war is over, we’re enjoying more than five years of peace already, but Quatre is the one who holds the best views on everyone, I think. At least an objective view.
“It’s so great to have lunch at your home, Heero,” he tells me, his corn blue eyes following me with every movement, a warm smile radiating off of his face.
Don’t let that face fool you- this is the CEO of Winner Enterprises we’re talking about here- not only has he been elected Businessman of the Year for three consecutive years now, he eats company mergers and fusions for breakfast. Not for lunch. He has stock markets and other shares meetings for lunch, but this time he settled for coming over to our place. Not surprisingly- our farm is much nicer than a cold business building.
Ah yes, the farm. We bought it at Duo’s recommendation, and indeed, I never regretted it for one second. I doubted we could pay for it, seeing the amount of our war pension- it still makes me snort, but we were settled with a war pension after the Eve Wars ended-, and we were jobless for quite the few months. I never mentioned how hard it was to get adjusted to the ‘real’ world, now did I…?
It’s another story all together, and let me tell you that Duo was the main reason I made it through. I wasn’t standing in the bathroom wanting to slit my wrists, but I wasn’t exactly mister Happy Face either. Duo helped me, listened to me, and was silent and talkative at the right moment. It helped considerably that he returned the feelings I had for him- I was afraid at first that I wouldn’t live through a rejection, or that I was going too fast, but Duo accepted my love for him, showing me much love and a warm heart in return.
At the time that I felt ready to deal with the world and accepted a job in the civil society, Duo started showing signs of his past. He’d been so busy dealing with me and my problems that he ignored his own, and I failed to acknowledge he was going through a tough time himself. It was the first and only crisis of our relationship, but we pulled through.
We still have our quirks, though. Duo went to see a professional psychologist for a while, but ended the therapy sessions rather abruptly, not able to convey his feelings and problems and not feeling the therapist was the right one to help him. One observation from the preliminary report was striking, and fitting- Duo wasn’t the one to work a 9 to 5 desk job, and wasn’t the one to adapt to a stuffy environment filled with pencil pushers. It didn’t take long for him to develop a love for restoring old cars, and finding a job at a renowned garage.
Me? I changed some jobs, finally finding my goal in the field of computer technology, developing security systems and software. We share the same love for cars and computers, though at different angles; I like to drive fast cars where Duo loves to wreck them in demolition derbies, I like fiddling around with computers while Duo loves to use them for gaming and Internet business only.
“I’d like to talk to you about something, Quatre,” I say, as serious as I can be. He nods, the sneak- he already expected it. Yes, our blond little psychologist- we have lunch together with all the pilots together, twice or thrice a year, but inviting him alone with me, made alarm bells go off in his mind. I should’ve known this wouldn’t be a surprise to him.
I serve lunch and he smiles at me, waiting for me to start. I clear my throat, suddenly finding it difficult to begin.
“It’s about Duo.”
“Duo,” he repeats, nodding again. His eyes show nothing but genuine concern and interest; if there’s a problem between us, he’d do anything to help us. The same would go for Trowa or Wufei and vice versa, but Quatre is just.. more approachable about matters of the heart.
I stare at my coffee. “I know something is bothering him, but he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
As he remains silent, I continue: “Usually, when I notice something’s bothering him, I ask until he’s ready to talk about it, or I.. eh… use other methods to persuade him. I don’t have to resort to drastic measures, though- we have the rule that we talk and can talk about anything, but we do respect if the other doesn’t want to talk.. we’ll wait until the other is ready.”
“And you’re sure this isn’t a situation that Duo needs time until he’s ready to talk?”
“Positively. I can see it from his smile.”
Quatre stares at me, a little baffled, before he laughs softly. “Well, it’s good to know that you know each other so well that you can notice from the littlest things that something’s wrong.”
“I don’t know exactly if something’s wrong per say,” I hesitate to say, wondering why I took an iced tea out of the refrigerator. That’s Duo’s favorite drink, not mine.
“You said yourself that you respect each other if the other doesn’t want to talk,” Quatre says, the look on his face turning pensive. “That’s good. You should never force your significant other into talking- force is never good.”
“Says the one who squeezes out his every business associate,” I object.
“Hey! I don’t ‘squeeze’,” he protests.
“What about all the stories that you’re such a tough negotiator?”
“That’s something different than squeezing,” Quatre points out, laughing softly. “Anyway, we’re talking about you and Duo. Do you have any idea what could be bothering him?”
“I haven’t got the slightest idea,” I lament. “It’s not his birthday. It’s not that he bought new clothes or got himself a haircut and I forgot to compliment him. I can’t recall our latest fight- we only had a discussion about mud wrestling on TV…”
Quatre hides his laughter politely behind his hand, putting down his fork. “Heero, isn’t there any other thing that could’ve lead up to this?”
“No,” I say, determinedly. “It started about a week or so ago, and he’s just the same, but there’s simply.. something between us. I hoped that you could figure it out.”
Shaking his head, Quatre poked at his food. “Heero, I’m not the expert of your relationship, or relationships in general for that matter. I stopped by the garage as you asked me too, and I spoke briefly with Duo before I headed over here.”
“And, and?”
“I’m sorry Heero, but you have to figure this out for yourself. Duo didn’t exactly confide in me, but I have quite the impression of what’s going through his mind, and what’s bothering him.”
“Can’t you tell me?” I’m quick to ask, cringing at the petulant sound of my voice.
“It has something to do with the amount of time that you’re together,” Quatre says, looking at me as if he’s revealing the Big Dark and Ominous Secret. I gape at him, which elicits a laugh from him.
“I didn’t kill your puppy, Heero, really! Just think about it. Five years since the war ended.. five years that you’re together, hmm?”
“Oh! He expects some kind of anniversary present?”
Quatre purses his lips, then gives me a slow nod. “Some kind of present,” he finally says, but his tone of voice is strangely neutral. I barely notice it, as my mind is already providing me with several gift suggestions for the occasion. Maybe he’s expecting some kind of anniversary party as well?
“Heero,” I hear him say and I cringe again. I must’ve drifted off with my thoughts, as he uses that “Hear-me-General-Quatre” commanding voice, and my eyes snap open.
“Yes?”
“Don’t get carried away now. The… kind of present he.. would like to receive, may be different from what you’re thinking about right now. I know how efficient you are, but also how.. ehm… straightforward you are as well.”
I tilt my head. Not only do I lack any kind of tact or subtlety, I don’t pick up on others using it either.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Think about it,” Quatre nudges me, then continues eating. I know that’s the most I can get out of him, and he leaves me confused and lost in thoughts. What is Duo expecting, and why the difficulties and mystery surrounding it? If he wanted an anniversary party, he could’ve simply asked or organized it himself.
He’s not the one to pass up an opportunity to party, and a five-year anniversary is an excellent occasion to go all over town and invite our friends, call the catering service and a DJ for more of that terrible music and we’re all set to celebrate.
It keeps playing through my mind, long after Quatre has left, thanking me for the healthy and nutritious lunch. I feel like he’s laughing at me, but I can’t imagine that Quatre out of all people would do that- he knows more but didn’t want to tell me. Something I have to figure out for myself, huh? Well, maybe Duo wants to have a private party? A close celebration, with only the intimate of friends..? Or maybe just the two of us together? I leaf through our agenda- for some reason, Duo loves to scribble down all our appointments, instead of using his laptop or any other electronic device for an agenda.
It’s one of those multifunctional ones, full of sticky notes, doodles, commercial ads and… my eye falls on one of the ads. Duo tends to doodle and draw when he’s on the phone, and this ad isn’t an exception- though it has been strangely altered, the message is crystal clear to me. I know what to do now… even if it’s not easy.
When he comes home, I play perfectly gullible, kissing him, informing him that dinner’s almost ready and that he has exactly fifteen minutes to shower and get dressed. He laughs and tells an anecdote from work, limiting his time to ten minutes, and I have to smack his ass before he finally gets going; I can hear him laugh while he’s bustling about upstairs, talking and singing to himself.
I shouldn’t have needed a commercial ad to figure out what was bothering Duo, but if there’s one quirk about him, is that he can be as reclusive as no one else if he really chooses to be. If he really doesn’t want to talk about something, it just doesn’t happen- I can pry, beg, plead, lure, yell and scream all I want, he simply won’t talk. I should’ve figured it out on my own, but well.. subtlety and all that.
It has left me with not much time to prepare, and taking more time would probably just angered or annoyed Duo, and now I can pronounce what I’m thinking and feeling, probing if I’m right or not. We can always go from there… and my thoughts are interrupted as Duo bounces off the stairs, looking preposterous with his wet hair bundled up in a tower rivaling the hair of that Marge Simpson character.
“I’m huu~uungry!” He wails, immediately darting towards the large kitchen table.
“One moment, Duo, please,” I tell him, standing in the kitchen door. He holds immediately still, looking at me, his face changing when seeing my serious look.
“Something the matter?” He asks, concern in his voice. He turns around, closing the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me.
“Yes, something’s the matter,” I say softly, studying his face. He hasn’t changed much over the years- his face has lost a little bit of its original heart-shaped form, giving him a much more pronounced chin and jaw, a much more adult look. His chestnut bangs frame his face with those large violet-blue eyes, sparkling with his lust for life. He examines me, wondering what’s wrong, ready to offer me consolation when necessary.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I press a kiss to his cheek. “I should’ve seen.. no, I should’ve notice much earlier that something was bothering you, something fundamental.”
“H-Heero, what are you talking about?”
“Shh, I know,” I tell him, and I hold up the agenda, my fingers wedged between the paper to flip it open at the right page.
He stares at the ad, and suddenly blushes. “It’s nothing like that,” he murmurs, but he doesn’t sound very serious.
“It’s everything like that,” I say, looking at him. “Duo, why didn’t you tell me you wanted to get married so bad?”
He squirms a little, and for a moment I fear he’s offended somehow, and that he breaks up the hug. He doesn’t, but chews on his lips.
“It’s not that important, Heero. Never mind, mkay? You have more things to worry about..”
“Duo, we get by fine on our own. We can pay all our bills, we can go out if we want to, we can go on vacation if we want to. We have a roof over our head, food in the pantry, friends we can visit and who we care for… this is the only thing missing in your life, right?”
“Not in yours,” he mumbles, but he nods nonetheless. I know he’s thinking about the rings- we gave each other rings years ago, just to show that we belonged together, a token of our bond. Apparently, Duo wants some more confirmation of that bond, something that runs deeper, something that’s official.
“Same-sex marriages aren’t legal in this country,” he says brusquely and now he disrupts the hug, turning away from me. “It was stupid to think about, Heero, forget it.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him again, and I reach for him, grabbing his hand. “I.. I’m sorry that this isn’t exactly the proposal you probably had in mind. You know I’m bad in the romantics department, Duo… but I want to be married to you, make you my husband officially. I know countries where same-sex marriages are legalized, we can go there for a holiday and get married. We can have our friends come over, and have the marriage we both want.”
He turns towards me his smile so dazzling it almost blinds me.
“You’re serious? You want to get married too?”
I simply nod. I’m the first one to admit it never meant that much to me and neither to Duo… until recently, I never heard him even mentioning it before. He’s still smiling, though looks up at me rather coyly.
“I never knew that,” he finally says. “You never hinted at it, never said anything about it. I tried to bring it up before, testing the waters, so to speak, and you were always so very neutral about it. We’ve been together for five years now, and I want to be with you for many, many years to come, but still… I figured this was a great occasion to finally pop the cork, you know.”
“Your cork has long been popped,” I comment dryly, and he finally laughs. It’s his usual laugh, free of worry or any bother, and I heave a sigh of relief, inwardly.
“Duo,” I speak his name as his laughter dies down. “Duo, I love you so much. Five years of ups and downs, five years of love and tears, of joy and sadness, of exuberance and grief. I wouldn’t want to share my life with anyone but you. You’re everything and all to me, my whole world…”
He blushes. The great Duo Maxwell, former God of Death, blushes like a schoolgirl. His smile is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
“I love you too,” he says. “I love you with all my heart and soul, body and mind. You’re everything and all to me too.. I don’t want to be with anyone else but you.”
With that said, he jumps into my arms, the towel falling off his head, and I have a bundle of squirming Duo all over me, kissing me wildly, wrestling me to the ground. He got quite the muscle pack while working and lugging all those car parts and tools around, let me tell you that. That, and I didn’t have good footing. Well, whatever. He has all forgotten about dinner, enthusiastically rattling off a guest list that makes me cringe. He’s such a handful- but he’s my handful, and I groan as he continues to kiss me.
“Duo, Duo!” I finally cry his name to get his attention as he keeps rattling on. His hands have all but torn my shirt off, and the floor is cold.
“What?” he asks, before shifting around in a way that makes me see stars of pleasure. I must know, however…
“That ad… the ad in the agenda…”
“Yeah?”
“That marriage ad… why did you adjust the head of the bride to look like me?”
All I get for an answer is a boisterous laugh, and then I forget, because his hands are all over me, and if there’s still a piece of clothing left on my body I can’t feel it, as his warm body covers me, holding me close, searching for and wanting that particular union, and I can’t do nothing but moan and pant his name, because I want him badly. I want him forever. I want him forever to be mine.
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Title: The Personal Touch
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Pairings: Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy
Genre: sap, waffy, a little bit of angst
Summary: Heero ponders about several things while stuck at a dead-end mission, and finds himself longing for a certain person…
Author’s note: written as a very belated holiday request for
sharona1x2. ^___________^Key: ----- = scene change
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“Don’t forget- keep in touch!”
Those were Duo Maxwell’s last words… before he embarked on his travels around the world. Heero Yuy heaved a sigh, placing his hand under his head to support it and stared outside the window. He hated the fall. The colouring and the falling of leaves, the dark grey clouds, the constant rain, the miserable low temperatures. Why the hell was he stationed in this country for two years anyway?
He’d accepted the mission to infiltrate this semi-political society who was preparing for a military coup, and after he exposed the key figures and other involved persons, clearing out their movement efficiently, Heero had accepted the proposal of staying around for two years, time enough to get this new branch of the Preventers started.
This country was godforsaken desolate and deserted… it even hurt to think about it. Food and drink were rationed, the people were moody and grumpy, there was no place at all for relaxation or entertainment, and the dark grey surroundings were bound to make anyone depressed. Jumping off of bridge almost sounded tempting… if only for the short thrill of the fall and the adrenaline rush, Heero presumed. He swirled the stone-cold coffee around in his mug. There was no taste to the liquid- the only way he’d get real coffee was from one of the ‘survival kits’ Quatre loved to send to his fellow former pilots. Good old Quatre… he regularly shipped packages filled with snacks, nifty gadgets or things he thought that would come in handy.
Peace had settled on Earth and the colonies, so there was no need for concealed weapons, money or equipment necessary to engage in warfare anymore, so the blond CEO and renowned businessman packed fancy things like gloves or agendas, books or movies. Heero snorted. Whenever he was, no matter how far from the outside world, Quatre would track his address down and mail him something, and Heero was convinced that he did the same for the others... even though it was hard to get a hold on Duo.
Was it now, really? He tapped against his mug. Duo was always on his way, travelling from whatever backyard place to another, visiting the craziest locations no one had ever heard of before. Duo had seen the most beautiful places, meeting native and undiscovered tribes, experiencing so much in nature and life in general while he, Heero, was wilting away in some stupid, cold hellhole. He frowned. Was he simply envying Duo, or was he ‘just’ fed up with his work? A midlife crisis for someone barely in his twenties? He checked his watch.
His life was pretty much boring right now- maybe he could file a transfer request first thing in the morning. No one at Preventers HQ was going to deny their star agent anything- his reputation would precede him, and neither Lady Une nor Sally Po would doubt his intentions. Sure, they’d probably protests that his time wasn’t served, and that the Preventers post wasn’t running independently… well, they could find someone else to finish the job.
Funny how Duo never had bothered joining the Preventers, not even considering their job offer as soon as the war was over. Wufei was the first one to take up on the offer, becoming quickly the thriving force behind the complete organisation, together with Lady Une and Sally Po. Trowa had signed up as well, but quit after six months and joined Quatre’s workforce. Quatre himself had declined immediately as well, building up Winner Enterprises from the ashes, focusing on rebuilding and continuing the legacy of his father.
That left only Heero, and he had accepted immediately- simply because he wasn’t sure what to do next, and a steady job and income seemed fine to him at the moment. Funny yes, funny how Duo had said “No thank you, I’m fine” and had trotted of, speaking his famous last words…
To him in person.
Heero sighed, again. Duo had sent him e-mails, cards, and telegrams from every corner of the world, telling him of the things he’d seen and done. He had a cell phone with him, but the reception often was bad and the connection difficult to establish in the first place. Heero had tried to leave one or two voice messages, but had to quit out of sheer frustration, as the messages couldn’t be put through.
It’d been so long since Heero had heard his voice… how could he keep in touch when it was so difficult to reach him? Every card, every e-mail, every telegram was safely stored in a box, and he loved sifting through them and re-reading them, as Duo was a wonderful storyteller, sharing his travel experiences with him in such a way that Heero almost could imagine being with him.
Being with him. Gods, he’d kill for some human interaction… some real human interaction. His colleagues here were just… antisocial jerks, and it took a great deal out of Heero Yuy himself to say that. Not that he was the kind of person to socialize and go to dances or parties as Relena would like to do, or even Quatre who was always in the picture when attending a charity dinner, but this… yes, he was definitely putting in that transfer request tomorrow, and then he was going to withdraw all his savings, take a sabbatical and travel after Duo. He widened his eyes- that particular part of his usual train of thoughts was new to him. Nonetheless, it was a very interesting particular part… and he was brusquely interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Who’s there?” He asked rudely, his hand flying to his gun, tucked away in his belt. This was a Preventers’ office, but not many knew the location… and his colleagues were all accounted for, either on a mission or at home.
“Santa Claus,” he heard a familiar, slightly muffled voice.
“Wrong season,” Heero answered, cautiously approaching the door. Was this some kind of prank, a practical joke? Everyone knew he didn’t appreciate them- but on the other hand, no one around here didn’t seem the type of person to pull a prank on him…
“Com’on Heero, I’m freezing my ass off here!”
He no longer hesitated and flung open the door, pulling out his gun and cocking it the next second, placing the barrel right between the eyes of the visitor.
“Typical,” was the short, but not curt answer, and Heero pulled back the gun.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Visiting you,” Duo snorted. “Hey, I’ve got some whisky with me. All the way from Scotland! Let’s get inside and warm us up a little, what do you think about that?”
Heero was baffled, but stepped away from the door to let Duo in. He looked healthy and well, his cheeks tinted red from the cold, and he was wearing the most horrid woollen cap Heero had ever seen- and he looked amazing in it.
Duo went into the office, ‘tsk’-ing loudly. “Who’s your interior decorator?”
“Preventers HQ,” he answered dryly, crossing the distance to the other wall and freeing up a coat hanger for Duo.
“Efficient as ever,” Duo smiled as he gave his coat to Heero to hang it up, and he stripped himself of his gloves and scarf. “So, for how long are you stationed here?”
“Officially for two years, but I was planning on sending in a transfer request tomorrow,” Heero admitted. He went into the small kitchen, putting up water to brew ‘fresh’ coffee. Searching through the cabinets, he found two small shot glasses for the additional whisky. Duo had followed him into the kitchen, curiously looking around, frowning slightly when he saw what Heero was doing.
“You wanted a shot glass of whiskey with your coffee? Something wrong with a real glass?” he joked, pulling out two larger glasses.
“I didn’t know you were such a drinker,” Heero retorted.
“I’m not, I just like to get warm… a good way of warmth only an excellent whisky and excellent company can give me.”
“L-like that,” Heero said and wondered why he stuttered. Turning off the stove, he watched Duo pulling out a bottle from his small backpack.
“Is that all your luggage?”
“Yes, that’s all,” Duo laughed, unscrewing the bottle cap. “I don’t have to tell you how we’ve been trained with the least possible as luggage; it’s really handy when travelling around the world.”
“You must tell me everything about your travels,” Heero nodded, shoving the two glasses towards him. “For example, how did you exactly end up here?”
“Ooh, by coincidence,” Duo answered airily while pouring the alcohol, and laughing rambunctiously when looking at Heero’s face. “Just kidding. A little blond angel appeared to me in a vision and whispered to me where I could find you.”
Heero couldn’t help but laugh at that, though it was mixed with a snort; leave it to Quatre to ‘whisper’ to the right person… he doubted he needed the whisky anymore, as the temperature in the room had already risen considerably, ever since Duo’s appearance. He looked satisfied, content, happy… and so handsome. The large bangs framing his forehead were a little damp from the humidity outside, his large eyes radiated a certain… inner peace, a certain acceptance that Heero couldn’t really describe.
All of Duo’s movements were calm and composed, but still keeping that same old touch of enthusiasm and exuberance he knew and loved in him the moment they met. Well, he got shot then… twice… but still, exuberance. Duo had grown, maybe more than he had… and he’d been wasting his time with this dead-end job stationed at a Preventers’ office in a land he couldn’t even pronounce the name of without having to start over five times.
“Proost,” Duo said while holding up his drink, and taking a swig before Heero could say the same.
“What kind of language is that?”
“Oh, they speak it in a small country, close to the sea, somewhere in Europe,” Duo said, licking his lips. Heero almost spat out his sip, as the liquid burned in his throat- he wasn’t used to it. He coughed, swallowing bravely as his eyes started to prickle. Duo laughed softly. “Maybe I should have taken the coffee with it,” he said, though not mockingly and put down his glass, sitting down at the table. Heero agreed, still coughing, and went to sit down as well.
“How long are you going to stay?”
“I’m not sure,” Duo said, staring at his glass. “It’s been quite some time now that I’ve been travelling and though I’m not really looking forward to settle down into an office job, I do realize I can’t go on like this… I mean, I have to get a job sometime and make something out of my life.”
Heero knew it wasn’t really a financial question- they’d never had much funding to begin with anyway, and during their training and the actual war, they learned how to spend as little money as possible –with the exception of Quatre-, and it wouldn’t surprise him if Duo had spend money on sending the cards and such to his friends and on the barest essentials as food and clothing.
“Feeling a little restless?”
“Sort of. Something I can’t really place.”
“Feeling alone?” Heero suddenly said, not allowing himself the time to wonder why he asked that. Duo looked up at him, glass almost halfway for another sip, the surprise in his eyes obvious.
“No, not alone,” he said, after a brief moment of consideration. “I have my friends… I met a lot of new people during my travels and I think some of those contacts can and will develop into something more permanent, like real friends instead of acquaintances. I have you,” he said, almost matter-of-factly.
“Me?”
“You’re my friend, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am!”
“That’s all I wanted to know. So you wouldn’t mind offering your bed to your tired friend while you spend one night at your couch, would you?”
Heero’s mouth almost went slack, and then he suddenly grinned. “For you, anything,” he said, lifting up his glass as well. “I can survive a night on the couch, as long as you spend the night with me.”
A smile spread across Duo’s face, as he tipped his glass forward to touch Heero’s glass. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“On spending the night with me.”
“On spending the night with you.”
“Forever.”
“Forever.”
“Amen.”
“Amen, Duo. Amen.”
The glasses clanged together, the sound resonating through the office. It was getting warm inside- and the desolation seemed to move away, taking its bland, grey colours with it, as they both sat at the table, picking up where they left off- both grown, both older, and both ready for another chapter in their lives.
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-09-10 04:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-11 06:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-10 07:12 am (UTC)Let’s see if we can get something going here
That was a lovely phrase and a lovely theme ^_^
And the marriage fic was so sweet. I laughed aloud at Duo making Heero the bride *lol*
I thought the final one was really romantic and you set the scene so well. I could imagine them there, looking at life ahead of the, but together. I hope they enjoyed the Scotch in the end!
Thanks for sharing all this
*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2006-09-11 06:55 am (UTC)*hugshugs*
no subject
Date: 2006-09-11 04:55 pm (UTC)Simply a Handful was a good title. It sounds like Duo is a very big handful, but nothing Heero can't manage. One of things I will always love about Heero and Duo together is the fact that they're so different. Watching them getting through daily living is such a treat. I have to admit that it gives me great pleasure to know that Heero would want to get married even more for Duo's sake than his own. It always makes me happy to see Heero like that.
I think my favorite part in The Personal Touch was when Heero answered the door by putting his gun in Duo's face. Duo's reply to that was great! I'm so pleased they managed to find each other in the end. ♥
I'm glad I waited until I had some quiet time to read these, un-rushed. It was a wonderful way to spend my day off. Thanks, Dirj! I hope you'll let me add the two you wrote for me to Rapture. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2006-09-13 09:34 am (UTC)