Archive: http://www.fanworkrecs.com
Disclaimers: I don't own the characters from Gundam Wing, I just play with them for non-profit fun until they run screaming back to their creators.
Warnings: AU - AAAAAAAAAAAU. Some yaoi, lemon, violence, language. You should be a legal adult to read this. Open-mindedness helps, too.
Pairings: all over the map; Duo-centric. yaoi and het.
Author's Notes: A huge helping of "suspension of disbelief" would be appropriate before you read this. I'm sure J or G could explain the science behind it, but they're kinda dead right now...
Part 7 ~ Premeditation (cont'd)
Duo dropped his gaze to the bedspread, silently cursing himself for having made his hidden knowledge obvious. "I fell in the shower, Quatre, and I'm not planning on taking another one, so that can't happen again - well, not for a day or so, anyway."
He risked a glance at the screen, only to see Quatre frowning intently - evidently he could sense the guilt Duo felt at leading his friend astray. Duo studied the bedspread again, worried that Quat would insist on an explanation. He felt his stomach lurch as he contemplated telling his sensitive friend about the misery of the last universe.
He shuddered, remembering. He wasn't that hopeless, helpless person, he *wasn't*...
Duo heard a soft moan, and glanced up to see Quatre's expression twist as if in pain, the blond's hand rising to rub at his chest again. "I'm sorry," Quatre gasped, "I'm not trying to pry, but the shock of whatever happened has made me a lot more receptive to you - I can't help feeling what's in your heart right now. I-" He broke off, shaking his head. "Never mind. I'm sure I'll be better after a few hours rest."
Quatre paused, then continued in a steadier tone. "I'll see you tonight on the way to the reception. Perhaps we can talk then."
Duo nodded his acceptance of Quatre's plan, knowing that his friend wouldn't let the topic drop otherwise. Polite he might be, but the slender Arabian could be very tenacious, especially when he was concerned about someone.
But what was that about a reception? He'd have to worm the details out of Wufei.
The worry lines around Quatre's eyes eased somewhat, and he sighed. "I'm sorry I'm making such a fuss. You get warmed up, Duo. And let Wufei pamper you a bit - I think he needs a little reassurance, too."
Duo couldn't help the surge of anticipation he felt, and Quatre positively smirked. "Have fun, Duo. I'll see you tonight." Before Duo could think of a witty reply, Quatre had cut the connection.
Wufei must have been hovering in the hall waiting for the sound of voices to cease, for he appeared in the doorway almost as soon as the call ended. He had shed his Preventer uniform and was clad only in a deep blue robe, his hair falling loose about his shoulders. An eager little voice in the back of Duo's mind pointed out that if Wufei had looked good before, now he looked positively delicious.
Wrenching his eyes away from their happy perusal of the finely- muscled form so faithfully outlined by the silky robe wrapped around it, Duo's gaze fell to the steaming mug Wufei was carrying. "Oh, hey, the tea! Thanks, Wufei, something hot would really go down well right now."
As soon as the words left his lips, Duo began to blush furiously, the little voice in his mind crowing that Wufei was certainly hot, and he probably would go down very well indeed...
Wufei raised dark eyes to his, one slender brow winging upwards in amusement. "Truly." From the tone of his voice, the double entendre had not escaped him.
Duo almost snatched the mug from Wufei's hands, burying his nose in the fragrant steam and hoping the heat would explain his flushed face. Then he almost inhaled the tea when the pillows behind his back were tossed aside and replaced with a firm, warm body.
"I have something you'll enjoy even more than tea," Wufei murmured suggestively in his ear. Duo's eyes widened, and he groped for something to say, unsure if he should be protesting or cheering. Then Wufei's arms wrapped around him from behind, holding up two items for Duo's inspection: a hairbrush, and a blow dryer.
"You're never going to warm up unless your hair is dry." The words were laced with an undercurrent of humour - no doubt Wufei had a good idea what he had been thinking.
Disappointment and relief swirled through him, until Duo saw the funny side and let himself relax with a laugh. "You know, you're absolutely right." Tiny shivers raced across his bare shoulders as an answering chuckle wafted across his neck and earlobe.
Twenty minutes later, Duo was happily convinced that he was in heaven. He was snuggled under several blankets, leaning back against a very comfortable shoulder with his hair cascading down over his chest, revelling in the comforting wash of hot air. Occasionally he sipped at his tea while Wufei alternately dried and brushed his hair, deftly working apart the tangles without tearing the strands.
He was warming up well, now, both inside and out, and finally relaxing. Almost regretfully, he allowed his mind to wander to the tangle of emotions the last universe had stirred in him, wanting to lay them to rest.
He had always thought of himself as a tough survivor, able to take any crap life could dish out and still keep grinning, determined to do his best. To discover that there was a side of him that could come so close to giving up entirely was... more than disturbing - it was downright scary. Wasn't he strong? Wasn't he sure of himself?
Had he really loved Heero so much that the loss of him would make life unbearable? Or was that just pride, refusing to admit that maybe he'd given his heart to someone who wasn't the love of his life after all?
He'd assumed, from watching Quatre and Trowa fall head-over- heels in love so effortlessly, that somewhere, somehow, there would be someone like that for him, too. It was foolish, really... he had seen enough before the age of twelve to know that most people's dreams don't even come close to coming true. Maybe his against-all-odds success as a gundam pilot had let him believe that he was... special.
He almost laughed at the image - Duo Maxwell: street rat, terrorist, and closet romantic.
Smiling, he leaned back on Wufei's shoulder. Wufei now, he was strong and fairly quiet, like Heero, but he was much less of a pragmatist, and more of an idealist. Duo had always enjoyed yanking 'Fei's chain, getting him all riled up just to witness his explosive reaction, but there was real affection between them for all that. Idly he wondered if getting Wufei 'all riled up' in a more intimate way would lead to a similarly passionate reaction...
He could clearly remember the look on Wufei's face in the last universe when his counterpart had started to breathe again. If that Duo managed to survive, he would bet that Wufei would be right there by his side, doing everything he could to help. Even if he weren't Duo's one-true-and-everlastingly-perfect- dream-partner, wasn't his love still worth living for?
Wufei started to press gentle kisses against his shoulder, working up to his neck.
And as an inadvertent traveller through multiple universes, if Duo's one-true-love didn't pan out, or didn't even exist, did that mean that he couldn't take - and give - comfort where he could?
No, Duo thought, it didn't mean that at all; and he tilted his head to give Wufei better access.
Duo let his eyes drift shut as Wufei began to nibble on his earlobe.
"Duo..." The words were interspersed with nips and kisses. "Ever since we came to Sanq... we've been miscommunicating... arguing... misinterpreting each other's motives... Being away from you... on this mission with Wind... I've had a lot of time to think..."
Duo frowned. Although the attention being lavished on his neck and shoulder felt like an invitation, the murmured phrases sounded more like vid-show dialogue leading in to the scene where the main couple parts company. "And...?" he prompted a little uneasily, straightening up a bit.
"And..." Wufei leaned his head against the back of Duo's shoulder, and sighed. It didn't sound like a happy, contented sigh - more like a frustrated, steeling-himself-to-break-bad-news type of sigh.
"As I said, I had time to reflect on things - Zechs, me, you... us. And we... well, the mission took almost three weeks, and Wind and I were alone together for most of that time, and I..."
Duo felt his heart sink at the words. Was this the point where Wufei confessed that he had started a torrid love affair, and that, though they would always be friends, it would be for the best if he and Duo split up? Was this how it had felt for his last counterpart, when he began to suspect that Heero was in love with Trowa?
"I watched him carefully all the time we were gone," Wufei said, beginning to part Duo's hair into sections, "and I... I will admit that I think Zechs is - what did you call it? - 'crushing' on me?"
Duo stayed silent, remembering the obviously amorous feelings between Wufei and Milliardo-the-Emperor two realities ago. It wasn't at all surprising that this Zechs might be attracted to Wufei as well. The question was, what had the two of them done about it? What should Duo do about it? What would his counterpart do?
"He was... that is, I noticed... He looked... Well, you were correct about that part." Despite his anxiety, Duo almost smiled at how flustered 'Fei sounded. If he glanced back, he would surely see an embarrassed flush on those high cheekbones.
Wufei began to braid the sectioned hair swiftly, and Duo recognized a practiced touch - firm, but not pulling too tightly or unevenly.
Wufei sighed again. "What I am trying to say is that you were right about Zechs' feelings for me, and I was wrong, and I'm very sorry I made light of your concerns about us being partnered together. I should not have dismissed them without considering them fully, nor should I have left for the mission without at least trying to resolve things between us."
Duo blinked.
Wufei cleared his throat and hurried on. "On the other hand, I could find no evidence that Wind pulled any strings with Relena to get us assigned together - we were just the logical choices to go reassure the leaders of F5265 about the security for the conference. They place a high value on ancient bloodlines, and since both of us could trace our ancestors back for many genera-"
"Wait," Duo interrupted, "back up a second... You're admitting you were wrong?
Silence fell behind him, but Duo couldn't bear to wait for the reply that might blight the sudden hope growing in his heart, and he took refuge in familiar mockery. "All this build up, making me think you were maybe returning Zechs' interest, and all along you were just nerving yourself up to apologize?"
A disgruntled huff of air, and the irritated snap of the elastic around the end of his braid told Duo that he had once again successfully pushed 'Fei's buttons. "I was not building anything up," the Chinese man retorted, "and if you thought I was in any way returning Merquise's infat-"
Duo peered back over his shoulder. "So you're not leaving me?" The question popped out and lay there between them, serious and unadorned. Duo tried to summon a grin, a quip, a laughing taunt, anything to salvage his pride, and failed dismally.
Wufei stopped in mid-word, the expression in his eyes going from annoyance to genuine concern in less than a second. "No, I'm not," he said softly.
"Well, that's good," Duo turned to face the end of the bed again, "'cause I probably couldn't find another roommate who'd put up with my messy habits, and besides, I hate moving, and..." His voice tightened and cracked and he shut up, blinking furiously at the treacherous moisture rising in his eyes. It was stupid to be so wound up, and so relieved, really. He was just glad he hadn't screwed it up for his alter ego, that was all.
Wufei reached around and took the teacup from his shaking hand, setting it on the bedside table, then shifted on the bed to face him.
"Love..." Wufei's tone was gentle, his hands warm on Duo's shoulders, but Duo still couldn't raise his eyes from the bedspread, he just couldn't. "Zechs is intelligent, honourable, and worthy of respect, not to mention well-read, good company, and handsome... very handsome."
"There'd better be a 'but' in there, 'Fei," Duo said warningly, frowning at the bedspread.
"But," Wufei said obediently, a trace of humour in his voice, "he is not you. Perhaps if you and I had not met, he might have had a chance..." Wufei's hands slid down Duo's back, pulling him forward into a comforting hug. "My heart is ever here, safe in your keeping."
Duo relaxed into the embrace, wrapping his arms around Wufei's waist.
'Fei pressed a kiss against Duo's hair and chuckled. "There I was, virtually secluded with one of the most eligible bachelors in the universe, and all I could think of was how long it would take to get back to you, and how I would apologize when I got here."
Duo smirked a little and finally looked up, feeling greatly daring. "And how we would make up?"
"Oh, most definitely," 'Fei breathed, and bent to capture Duo's mouth in a passionate kiss.
End Part 29
(:./wingnut/alter29)
