9 Sep 2001 (Written: July 31, 2001)
Okay... it's been three weeks since my last attempted post... Hopefully this works well, ne? Unfortunately, I can't get to my address book (the ufl server is "under construction" >.<) but I promise to get a copy of this to Lev and P-Chan just as soon as I get everything up and running again.
For those who have been faithfully following, "In the Pale Moonlight" was completed in August. Work on "Promise of the Rings", the fourth and final story in A Matter of Heart: Dance of the Heart Arc I, has already began. Progress, however, is slow due to the wonders of something known as "graduate school". >.< Who knew I'd actually have to do *homework* this year... {shakes head sadly}.
Standard Disclaimer Applies.
One of the first rooms they cleaned out, they took for their own. Fifth floor, apartment 12. They didn't know what it was about the apartment--after all, one was just the same as another--but they'd both agreed to take that one over all the others. It was a six-story building, twelve rooms to a floor. In the center of the building was the elevator; to each end of the hallways was a staircase.
They cleaned out the staircases first and then heading for the top to work themselves down. It took almost a full two weeks to clean out all of the left-over junk from the building, and it was just one out of many on this street--let alone in the district. They'd earned many curious looks, a few of the more bolder people actually approached them to ask what they thought they were doing. Some of the more frightened residents tried to threaten them into leaving.
By the beginning of the third week, they'd managed to gain a group of workers whose payment was food and a clean place to live. They whitewashed all the walls and scrubbed all the floors until the building looked like new, inside and out. Duo hired some local "artists" to decorate the hallways and outside walls.
There wasn't much in way of furnishings, but it was clean and now, it was home--to themselves and currently fifty other "families". Heero--at a loss with old cars-- was actually pretty handy with a hammer. With some help, he was able to fix up some beds, tables, and chairs. Not nearly enough for every room, but it helped. Most 'tenants' were still using boxes for furniture--including Duo and Heero.
Their apartment was no hotel suite, but as first apartments go, the two young men were rather proud of themselves.
As pre-dawn light began to filter through the sheer-cloth curtain, light, feathery touches ghosting over the smooth stretch of back, idly tracing the crisscrossing pattern of white scars. Face smashed into the pillow beneath him, violet-blue eyes cracked open to blurrily focus upon his bedmate. The creaking fan overhead continued to rock back and forth with the weight of its revolutions, and he could feel the tiny stir of air it created, teasing loose strangled wisps of hair, tickling him. The top sheet was riding low over his hips, hinting to the fact he was wearing absolutely nothing, and seemed quite comfortable with the fact. It also allowed the other plenty of free skin to touch, which he was taking great advantage of.
Duo stretched beneath those feasting, admiring, wonderful fingertips, arching into them with a lazy grin tugging at his lips. When those worshiping touches became more bold, daring to slip beneath the flat sheet and caress one firm buttocks, he gave in and rolled over, pulling Heero with him.
Propped up on his side, his one hand now caught beneath Duo, Heero smiled down at the god of his existence.
"Morning," Duo mumbled as his half-slit eyes did some worshiping of their own.
The dark clumps of rich mocha-colored bangs fell forward in total disregard of any effort of styling, and Duo ached to bury his hands into what he knew to be thick threaded silk. He ached to pull his angel's face close, to shower devoted kisses over those intense blue eyes, over the high cheeks and the pointed little nose-- over those straight lips that curled down into a tiny unconscious frown-- He wanted--
"Morning," Heero replied, his voice equally as soft in the pre-morning shadows. He watched his love, his life, come to wakefulness, eyes drinking in the sight. He hadn't intended on waking Duo up--knowing how the other boy preferred to sleep in late in the mornings, and, in truth, they *had* had a rather late night-- But Heero had always been an early riser and, watching Duo sleep, he couldn't help but touch him. He was always fascinated by the other boy's skin--especially the lithe firmness of muscles and the hap hazardous pattern of scars that only titillated the picture for him.
He remembered the first time he'd seen his lover shirtless. He'd been stunned. Somehow, someway, over the last year he'd know this young man, he'd managed to fail to notice the lacework of scars Duo possessed.
'Pretty ugly, huh?' Duo had remarked, and Heero realized he'd been staring.
Not knowing what else to say, Heero had answered back, 'I've seen worse.' Which was the truth. He only had to look in the mirror.
They never asked each other about their scars. It was the one thing they never discussed. No matter how much they touched, traced, teased, tormented the stark white marks. They never questioned. Heero was grateful.
Duo gave in and slid his fingers through Heero's dark man and tugged. Heero, already leaning over to maintain his grip on Duo's backside, eagerly fell forward into the offered kiss, covering Duo's chest with his body, tasting Duo's smile on his lips and growing heady from the flavor.
Duo, for his part, was feeling all the more better about the early-morning wake-up call. After all, who in their right mind would complain when they had an angel for a lover?
Duo braved a peek at the outside world. Yep. It was as he feared. Morning.
Groaning--contemplating rolling over and just dipping back down into sleep--he forced his sleep-blurry eyes to focus on the nightstand clock, and groaned again in loader protest.
The bathroom door opened somewhere in the room behind him--bare feet padding along the bare floor, muffling when they reached the thick throw rug near the bed, and then--
"HEY!" Duo cried out, raising his arms to ward of the shower of water drops that rained down over him as Heero shook his head.
"Shower's all yours," the Japanese boy answered, smirking down at his lover.
Duo pouted, eyeing the skimpy white towel wrapped and hanging low over Heero's hips. "I'd rather have you," he replied with a smirk of his own.
Heero leaned over, one thick-muscled arm barring down to either side of Duo's face--careful not to catch any loose strands of the long golden brown hair spilling out all over the pillow. He brushed over Duo's all-too-willing lips before pulling back, his deep blue eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Later," Heero replied, crossing over to the closet. "We'll be late for work."
Duo blinked, and then sat up, staring after him. "Gah! We're the *bosses*! We *can't* be late!" he protested, watching Heero's back as the other studied the interior of the closet.
"Hurry up and I'll make some breakfast," Heero compromised.
Grumbling, Duo managed to convince his body to get out of bed. Unabashed, he crossed the room, naked.
"Eggs or pancakes?" Heero called after him, pulling a blue tee shirt from the closet.
Duo leaned back out the bathroom, his long hair brushed against the floor. "YES!"
478. 479. 480.
"Heee~ro--" Duo whined from the bed.
482. 483. 484.
"It's *Sunday*."
487. 488. 489.
"You know? 'On the 7th day he rested?'"
493. 494. 495.
"So come back to bed already!"
"500."
Flushed, a light sheen of sweat covering his entire body, Heero sprang up from the floor and pounced on his lover, grinning.
"And what will you give me?"
Duo's surprise lasted only a second before, grinning also, they rolled and he pinned the other teen beneath him.
"A whole different kind of workout," he teased, his braid falling over his shoulder. He leaned in for a kiss. "A much more *enjoyable* one--"
Heero growled, a hand sneaking around Duo's neck and gently squeezing as he 'helped' bring the braided-teen's lips closer. "Is that a promise or a threat?"
"Oh, that's most definitely a promise," Duo replied before proving true to his word.
OWARI
Andrea Readwolf
Please send comments to: andrea_readwolf@hotmail.com