June 18, 2000
Pairings: Established 3+4 but-- can't everybody have a little fun...? Sure they can... (now if I can only figure out how...)
Warnings: Yaoi themes. Sappy in some areas (blame it on the romantic). Angst in other areas. Incoherence and random POV switching throughout. Wet G-boys (gotta luv that!). Hmmm... and... and... is that a lemon fresh scent I smell? Hmm... strange... I can't imagine why...::coughs::
Feedback: C&C is always welcomed.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters belong to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency and are only being used for non-profit entertainment purposes.
Notes: Originally, this was planned to be a one-shot...however, this story has never gone the way it was planned. Hence I am currently working on part 8.
Recap: the boys are on downtime. A mission came in. Heero accepted and left. Duo was not happy. Quatre's curiosity was perked. Trowa likes getting Quatre wet--no, no, no! not like that!...well, actually, yeah, probably like that too, but that wasn't what I meant.
The door slammed shut behind him--but the loud boom didn't do anything to soothe his ragged nerves. He yanked the hair tie free with a savage tug and cursed. Pulling at his long hair, freeing it from the braid, he strode into the bathroom, turning the faucet on with a flip of his wrist--leaving it to warm before striding back into the bedroom, tearing at the knots the chlorine water had fostered.
"You know, if you keep that up... you won't have much hair left," a calm voice said from the doorway.
"Listen, Wu-man, you know I love ya, but now's not the time, kay?" Duo replied--the wet, tangled remnants of his braid whipping around him as he moved about the room. "I just wanna wash my damn hair and then crawl into bed, kay?"
"Hmphf," the Chinese boy replied, watching his comrade from his position--leaning back against the doorframe, arms crossed, head bowed--as if he wasn't watching the American's every move.
"I don't wanna hear it!" the boy snapped--even though the other hadn't tried to say anything. "If he wants to go and get himself killed again I sure as hell don't care! Fine! Let 'im go! Kill 'imself! I don't care! Ruin the first vacation we've had in months! See if I care!"
"You're acting like an emotional woman, Maxwell."
He managed to duck out of the way before a pair of wet swimming trunks smacked him in the face. They hit the wall with a <<THUD>> and slid down the wall--leaving a wet streak trailing behind them--to puddle in a black heap on the floor beside Wufei's feet. Onyx eyes looked up in time to catch a glimpse of pale skin disappearing beneath faded-black boxers.
"I said I don't wanna hear it," the boy answered in reply to the questioning--and was that amusement there as well?--arched eyebrow.
"Hmphf."
The American boy's shoulders slumped and he dug the heels of his palms into his eyes--pushing up and back, letting his fingers run through his chestnut hair with a sigh slowly escaping his lips. "Tell ya what, Wu-man," he said, scratching his scalp. "I'll do your hair if you do mine?" Cue that 100-watt smile that was patented Duo Maxwell.
The Chinese boy found his lips twitching in reply--there was that amusement again!--and stepped away from the wall, pushing Duo into the bathroom ahead of him.
"Oiya, oiya! Gentle, Wu-man! I'm delicate!"
"It's "Wu-FEI! Wu-FEI! Will you please get it right!"
"Sure thing, Wu-man! Ouch! Ouch! Careful! Careful! Not the hair! ACK! WuFEI!!!!"
A satisfied grunt followed as the door slammed shut behind them.
"Wufei?" Duo asked--lying on his stomach as he combed the soft-tooth brush through inky silk.
"Hmm?" The Chinese boy sat cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, head forward as the other boy brushed through the loose curtain of silk that made up his hair.
"Why do you think he's the way he is?" The brush stopped in mid-air, hovering, waiting for an answer that could never satisfy.
"He just is," Wufei replied after a tense moment of indecision. "Here," he said, pushing up from the floor. "Switch." He sat up on the bed and the longhaired American--refusing to relinquish any claim on the bed--scooted into the space between his legs. Taking the brush from the other boy, he began the delicate process of brushing the Shinigami's mane...
"I mean, he acts like it would kill 'im to act normal for a bit," the American grumbled, studying his finger nails as though they held he secrets to the universe--or at least the secrets to the universe known as 'Heero Yuy'.
"Hnm," the other boy replied, non-committedly. The rhythmic hiss of the brush encouraged calm, but the American seemed hard-pressed to let go of his grudge.
"Trowa's relaxed," Duo mumbled, golden-fringed lashes fluttering shut over violet eyes as his head fell forward. The brush scraped over his scalp and neck, chasing shivers down his back to the ends of the thick chestnut hair. "He's not afraid to laugh and have fun...to let his guard down around us..."
The Chinese boy said nothing--just continued to pull the brush through the long, satin hair before him.
"You've loosened up, too," he went on, not really expecting the other boy to comment. "You're not such a tight-ass anymore." The brush came down hard on his poor scalp, and he flinched--wisely not saying anything. "But I mean, why can't he---I don't know... trust us?"
"He trusts us," Wufei said calmly. The American snorted.
"Yeah, he trusts us so much that he doesn´t' tell us where he's going or what he's gonna do!" Duo snapped.
A hand rested down upon his shoulder and reluctantly Duo half-turned and looked at the other boy.
"He trusts us," Wufei repeated. "He would not stay with us if he did not."
Duo stared into the sincere onyx eyes that had never lied to him before. After a moment, he closed his eyes and nodded, turning forward once more. Wufei set the brush down on the bed and slowly began to run his fingers through the waves that cascaded down the American's back. Silence stretched out between them... until knowing fingers began moving over Duo's scalp, massaging the roots. He purred--literally purred, bringing a smile to the Chinese boy's face.
Another moment passed before he sectioned off the thick rope of hair into three portions, quickly weaving it into its customary braid. Picking up the discarded brush, he began to push away from the bed when a hand reach out and held him back. Violet eyes stared up at him, questioningly... and he knew he would not deny them anything.
"Wu--Wufei?" Duo asked hesitantly. "Would you mind... staying... for a while?"
The silence seemed to stretch for kilos. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was sure the other boy could hear it. Silently, he prayed to God---pleading. And then... then the Chinese boy set the brush down on the nightstand and pulled Duo up into his arms, leaning back into the pillows. He curled up into Wufei's arms, safe in the knowledge that--at least for this night--he wouldn't have to face the dark alone...
End of Part Two: A Matter of Hair
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com