17-Mar-2002
Title: Street Of Dreams
Author: Lasha Lee
Disclaimer: I don't own the G-Boys.
Pairings: 1x2, 5xOC, various OCXOC
Part: prologue/??
Warning: Some bad words.
Notes: Well, here's the next one in the series. This one takes about six months after Two Divided By Zero cuts off.
We are genetically programmed to enjoy sex.
Granted there are people who don't. I know people who claim to actually hate sex, to which I always respond "You're not doing it right" followed by some helpful tips. All the while thinking what losers they are.
But me? I love sex. I live for sex. I dream about it, think about it, wait for it, beg for it, demand it, wash, rinse, and repeat.
I'm a pathetic romantic, so of course I enjoy long, slow, movie-style lovemaking. Kissing and licking every inch of his gorgeous body, making it last for hours. There's a lot said for that.
But I also enjoy SEX. I mean, sex in the middle of the living room floor because we were both too horny to make it to the bedroom. Carpet burn sex, on my hands and knees with him behind me grunting like he's some kind of animal and drooling on my back. Sex where he holds me flat and whispers in my ear that I'm not getting one more inch until I ask nicely, knowing I will.
Or him on his back with me on top of him, my hands digging into his shoulders, and those long legs of his scissored around me, his heels burrowing into the small of my back so hard they'll leave bruises the next day. Grinding into him so deep that he's lucky he doesn't choke. Sucking on his neck or his pecs so hard I leave a trail of wet, red spots, branding him as mine.
I like the kind of sex you sneak in someone else's house, in their closet or in their transporter or on top of their table when they aren't home. The fact that you could be caught any second adds just the right amount of spice. Sex with his hand over my mouth as he pumps into me, keeping me from yelling out and announcing that we're only three feet away from our unaware hosts. Sex where I bite down on that hand when I come, drawing blood, and he lets out a yelp and gives us away anyway.
The last time we were caught was in the middle of a rain storm, when we got the bright idea to do it in Jazz's fields in a mud puddle. Talk about dirty sex! And squealing like a pig and meaning it! We were having the romp of our lives until Jazz happened to come by and catch us.
"Aren't you two just a little old for this?" He asked, his hands on his hips, not at all embarrassed. It was not, after all, the first time he'd ever caught us and I doubted it would be the last.
"You're never too old." I told him with a wink.
You are never too old to enjoy sex. I suppose that eventually you get to the point where your body is too weak to do it any longer, but that doesn't mean you stop enjoying it. And I happen to be looking forward to plenty more years of heart-attack-causing, hip-breaking, kidney-rupturing, denture-locking sex. I tease my mate about getting old all the time (his first grey pubes were an object of intense delight: I counted every single one and named them) but I really don't mind as much as I thought I would. I just like making him think I'm bummed about it, because he usually wants to screw to cheer me up.
Being married to Heero is the next best thing to having a priapism. He can say "Pass the coffee" and I get hard. Hell, he could be reading out loud to me from "Deran Laws Concerning Livestock Quarantines For Dummies" and it would go up. And he knows it too. Because he's the same way around me, and all I can say is that he's lucky he gave up those stupid spandex shorts or he'd be pretty damn embarrassed when we have company.
Now, excuse me. I'm off to earn more Frequent Boner Miles.
"You're up late." Duo sat down on the couch next to Heero and put an arm around his shoulders. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Just thinking." Heero leaned against him, absently stroking his hair.
"About what?"
"Nothing in particular. I just couldn't sleep."
"I'm losing my touch. Used to be I could wear you out so much you'd be dead to the world until noon." Duo sighed mournfully. "I hate getting old."
"We're not old. We're mature." Heero corrected, laughing. "There's a difference. And you can still wear me out, don't worry in that area."
They were quiet for a while, snuggling. "Duo, do you ever think about your parents?"
"Sometimes. You know I don't know anything about my father, and I wasn't much bigger than Nadia when my mother died, so I barely remember her."
"Tell me about her again, what you do remember."
Duo thought. "Her hair was the same color as mine, but short. And she had blue eyes. I must get mine from my father. And she was very nervous, edgy. She wasn't the cuddling type, and she was always telling me to be a man, stop crying, stuff like that. I think maybe she knew that the time would come where I'd have to learn to get by without her. And she wanted me to be ready for that."
"Did you miss her? When she was gone?"
"Heero, I don't remember. I think I did. I suppose I did. She was my mother, after all. But it was so long ago. Why do you want to know?"
"I don't know. I've just been thinking about my own parents lately, wondering about them. I realized for the first time that if they are alive, they're both at least in their 70's now. That if I ever want to find them, I'd have to do it soon, or it's going to be too late."
"Do you want to find them?" Duo asked gently.
"Yes. No. Maybe. I want to know how I ended up with Odin, most of all. Did they give me to him, or did he take me? If they gave me away, I can deal with it, but if I was stolen from them, then they have a right to know that I survived, that I grew up and raised kids of my own."
"Maybe once upon a time we could have traced them, but Heero, it's been too long. Any records about them will have long since been destroyed."
"There's one that hasn't." Heero tapped his head.
"True, but you don't seem to have the password. You said yourself how many times Sheld tried and failed to jog your memories."
"I want to try again." Heero stretched his legs. "Maybe this time something will come through. If not, I've got nothing to lose by the effort."
Duo exhaled, his breath tickling Heero's bangs. "If this is what you want, then I'm behind you 100%, you know that. We'll call Rosie tomorrow. It's been too long since we've seen her, anyway. And she'll flip over the challenge of maybe succeeding where Sheld couldn't."
"What would I ever do without you?"
"You'd be a bored, miserable old fart who spends his days chasing kids off his lawn."
"Probably." Heero agreed, and yawned. "Up to wearing me out?"
Duo moved on top of his lap, locking his arms around his neck and licking it. "Always."
They had been traveling for the better part of two days now, and Shan's body ached with every single movement of the horse. He searched the road ahead of him eagerly, looking for an inn or a tavern, but there was nothing but a long span of hot dust.
He wasn't used to traveling; he'd only done it a few times in his life. He was used to his soft bed and the comfort of the keep. He supposed he was spoiled; the last few years had done that to him, but he considered the life he lived now a blessing; one he had never expected to receive, and he treasured every second of it.
And it was the man riding next to him who had made it possible, had rescued him from a life of toil and misery, had given him a position he executed with pride. And his Master had insisted that he accompany him on this journey. He could not tell him no. His Master simply liked having him around far too much to leave him behind.
His Master glanced at him now, and gave an understanding smile, veering his horse off the road and into the soft grass beyond. Shan followed close behind.
They dismounted with speaking, unsaddling and bridling their horses to allow them to graze in comfort. A small creek ran down the middle of the field, and both men helped themselves to the cool water gratefully, washing the taste of the dust out of their mouths.
"We'll be at my cousin's keep by nightfall." His Master said, drops of water glistening in his white hair. "It's not too much further."
Shan nodded, stretching his sore limbs out in the soft grass.
"I promise, no sleeping on the road tonight. You'll have a nice warm bed." He leaned closer and Shan smiled, lying back as his Master's body covered his. "I'll do my best to keep it that way for you."
Shan raised a hand, running his fingers down his Master's face, loving the softness of his skin, the fine bone-structure, loving everything about him. His Master kissed his fingers, and then captured his lips. In spite of how tired he was, Shan responded, his arms locking around his Master's neck, moaning a little.
Their eyes met in understanding, and the field and creek faded. A moment later, they were lying in their bed, naked and interlocked.
During their years of forced celibacy, the VR program was their only chance for sexual release, and they had used it for that as often as they could. However, as fun and realistic as VR was, it was no where nearly as emotionally satisfying. Now that there was nothing keeping them apart, they very rarely had sex in the artificial environment.
Gage leaned forward and kissed Shan's nose. "So? Is my cousin a traitor, a lecher, a religious maniac, or incredibly stupid?"
"What about a combination?" Shan suggested. He moved one hand lower, his fingers pressing Gage's back in the places he knew his maclen adored.
"Interesting. But we can definitely pull it off. Enough talk. Let's just fuck."
Gage reclaimed his lips, and moved one hand between them, rubbing their erections together.
The transporter chimed.
"Nooo." Shan rolled his eyes. "Not NOW."
Gage rolled off of him and grabbed his jeans off the floor, pulling them on, throwing Shan his own pants. "Come on. We'll get rid of them."
They made their way to the transporter and Gage hit accept. A moment later Meishel stepped out. "About time!" she greeted them.
"Well sorry, we were kind of in the middle of something." Shan returned.
Meishel glanced at his state of near nakedness, and then Gage's. "Oh, you screw anytime. I need to talk to someone. And what is with you guys anyway? I mean, I know you're still newlyweds and all, but do you ever do anything BUT have sex?"
"Yes we do!" Gage said indignantly. "We go to school, we go dancing. We go over to your parents house. To the best of my knowledge, we have never disrobed and engaged in fellatio in the middle of dessert!"
"Still, it's just not... normal."
Shan knew he was going to regret the next words, but they were out of his mouth too quickly. "'Shel, you've never tried it. If you knew how good it was..."
The girl's eyes flashed. "At this rate, I'm going to die a virgin!"
"Luke." Shan sighed, understanding. "Come on, sit down."
"I don't want to sit. I want to break something." She looked around their living room. "How come you don't have any of those cheap knickknacks? Those kids with the big eyes or the dogs playing ball?"
"We thought they'd clash." Gage flopped down on a couch next to Shan.
Considering that none of the boys' living room furniture matched, and the thick purple carpet looked a little odd next to the pale orange wallpaper, Meishel came close to smiling, but stopped herself.
"So? What's Red done now? We know what he hasn't done."
"He canceled our vacation."
College students on Dera got a week break in the fall, and it was coming up next week. Shan and Gage had discussed going somewhere, but had opted instead to stay at home. Meishel had convinced Luke to go to Seta with her.
"But you've been planning that for a month now." Shan was surprised.
"He says he has too much work to do and he just can't take the time off." Her tone was sarcastic. "It's ALWAYS something. I want to have dinner with him, he's busy. I want to go dancing, he's busy!" She glared at her brother and brother-in-law. "What is wrong with men, anyway?"
"Hey!" Shan was wounded. "We have dinner. We go dancing. Don't lump us all together."
"And we fuck." Gage offered. "Every chance we get. Unlike Red."
"Don't even get me started on that." She paused. "Okay, you got me started. I told him that our trip to Seta was supposed to be for that, so we could... um... get to know each other better. He told me that until his business is up and running, he just can't take that kind of chance, the risk of a baby."
"There are ways to make sure that doesn't happen." Gage looped an arm around Shan.
"He doesn't trust birth control."
"That's not what I meant." Gage gave her a wink.
"Oh no. We aren't even going to walk down that street."
"Why not?" Shan asked. "I'm not complaining."
"I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING PROSTATE, THAT'S WHY!" Meishel screamed.
"Now put that on the list of top ten things your parents never expected her to say!" Gage howled.
Shan managed to pull himself together a moment later, and even Meishel was laughing. "Okay, so you probably wouldn't enjoy it." Shan admitted. "It was just a suggestion."
"Who says he has to be on top?" Gage shrugged. "Get a strap-on and do him. He's got a prostate."
Both twins stared at him. "So what? I believe in equal rights for women!"
"'Shel, what would Mom say if you told her that you were moping around over a man instead of enjoying yourself?"
"That he's not worth it, that I should go out and have a good time, and he can go fuck himself if he's not willing to go along."
"That's exactly what she would say."
"That's exactly what she did say. I talked to her earlier. She likes Luke, but she offered to have him mounted and stuffed for me."
Shan didn't even have to ask what their father would think. Luke was working hard to build a career and refusing to have sex with Wufei's daughter. Wufei would probably have a parade in Luke's honor.
"Well, Mom's right. I don't mean go to Seta alone. That's boring. But if Luke isn't willing to make the time to be with you here, then you don't need him. You were raised better than this."
"I know. And I hate myself when I get like this." She bit her lip. "I want what you guys have, I guess. I want Luke to look at me the way you two look at each other. I mean, I know he loves me."
"He takes you for granted." Gage stretched. "No matter what he says or does, you've always been hanging around waiting for him, and he thinks you always will be." He glanced at the clock. "Go home and get dressed. We're taking you out tonight. There's a new club in Lyona. It's pretty cool. You're going to have a good time, and go dancing, and forget all about Red for the evening."
"And we're not taking no for an answer." Shan held up his hand to wave away her protest. "You're going to have fun if I have to force it down your throat."
"Thank you." She hugged them both. "For men, you're not so bad."
"Ahhh, you're gonna make me cry." Gage wiped his eyes.
"Be back here in an hour." Shan told his twin. "We'll leave then."
The girl stepped into the transporter, and Gage moved closer into Shan's arms, his lips against his mate's neck. "I know that the two of you grew up with Luke, and how much you love him. I love him too. But sometimes I wonder..."
"If he's right for Meishel."
"Yeah. I mean, just because they love each other doesn't mean they're compatible. Your sister loves to go out and dance and have fun. Luke wouldn't leave the house if he didn't have to."
"Everyone expects them to Pledge, though. My father has been making plans for their Pledge ceremony for years now. Heero and Duo can't wait for it either."
"Then..." Gage ran a hand over Shan's chest. "Your sister and Luke better sit down and decide if that's what they really want. Because getting married to make your parents happy went out of style at least ten years ago."
"We've still got time before she gets back. Wanna go not make a baby?"
"Do you need to ask?"
My favorite game when I was three years old was Candy Land. I really don't think that's so strange. Considering that my father and I always ate a ton of candy when we played to set the mood. Three year olds are supposed to like games like that.
My three year old played chess. And she was good at it. I mean, very good at it. Even when I did manage to beat her, I was never sure if I won on skill, or if she let me win because she felt sorry for me.
But that's Nadia. My father used to call her T'Pau until I got mad and told him to stop. My daughter is not a Vulcan. She can be very emotional about the things she cares about, but she doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve like I do, or like my father does. She keeps her thoughts and feelings very close, only sharing them with the people she loves, and only then as much as she wants them to see.
We joke that she's like Wufei, but I see a lot of Ojisan in her as well, and Luke, and even Shan. And if it's a little bit of a sting sometimes that I don't see more of myself or her mother, I try not to let it get to me. I know she loves us; and sometimes I think she desperately wishes she could look at Linra and I and see herself.
But I'm getting way ahead of myself here. At the time of our telling, Nadia was three. She'd been born in early summer, and it was the middle of fall now. She was neither short nor tall for her age, which considering that she was a preemie was a good thing. She'd been so small at birth I'd worried about her, but then again I was a regular runt until I hit my teens, and now I tower over everyone else in the family.
Where was I? Yes, that year Nadia was three, and Wufei had just taught her to play chess, and she was a maniac for it. Shan and Gage had been married for a little over six months, and were kind enough to check in with us every now and then to assure us that they were still alive. They were attending the local college; Shan majoring in computer architecture and Gage studying teaching. They lived in a large house Shan and Meishel had designed, set off in the middle of nowhere a few miles from my farm. They had a huge fence around the whole thing to dissuade reporters from bothering them, and mostly they kept to themselves.
Meishel was studying architectural design, and she was engaged to my brother Luke. Luke was 20 now, and had graduated from college early, and was in the middle of getting his software design business up and running. My parents had offered to help him get started; hell, they would have paid for the entire thing but he refused. He wanted to do it on his own. It consumed most of his time and energy, and left very little for anyone else in the family, including Meishel.
Meishel has never liked being second place to anyone or anything. It's simply not in her nature. And it wasn't in Luke's to be able to understand just how badly his neglect was hurting her.
Milliardo Peacecraft was still alive, and he certainly didn't look like a dying man, although I had steeled myself to the fact that the end for him was probably very near. During his time on Dera, I had grown to love him like another godfather. He had a keen mind and a surprising sense of humor, reminding me very strongly of Gage. Or maybe it was being around Gage that was bringing it out in him. Gage had that effect on people; he was totally honest about himself and it was hard not to be honest in his presence. If he was still hurt about Milliardo's actions toward him as a child, and he had to be, he had not let it color their relationship now and father and son were very close, a closeness tempered by the fact that they both knew any meeting could be their last.
Wufei and Denea were adjusting to the nest being empty. Shan was with Gage, and Meishel had broken their hearts by moving into a dorm at school. Wufei, raised with the belief that a proper Chinese daughter lived with her parents until her marriage, was still sulking.
And my parents were doing what they always did. Writing together, working on the next issue of Justice Skunk (Wufei had threatened to sue to stop them from publishing the first issue of that, but had eventually caved in), and just as in love as ever.
But life for my family can't be peaceful very long. Sooner or later, it's just in our blood to go stir things up. That was the year that Heero decided to learn about his past once and for all. That was the year that Rosie and Rylan came back to help him, and that was also the year we met a man by the name of Joey Mercer.
But I wasn't thinking about any of those things that fall day, when my little girl had just beaten me at chess.
"Who won?" Linra asked, standing in the doorway.
"She did. Again." I rolled my eyes.
"His gambit didn't work." Nadia explained to her mother.
Linra laughed and sat down next to us. Her clothing, as usual, was covered in fur, and there were red marks from something's claws on her upper arm. My maclen was one of the best animal doctors on the continent, and she never minded getting down and dirty with her patients. Respectable adult or not, she was still the same little girl at heart who had raced her hoverboard with me all those years ago, and who had later flown a fighter plane at my side in a war, and who had nearly died bringing our child into the world. And she was looking smug now, like she knew something we didn't.
"What's up?" I leaned over and kissed her quickly.
"Nothing." She said innocently.
"Mom, you're lying." Nadia scolded.
"Nadia, you don't call your mother a liar." I said automatically. "Even if she is being one."
"I'm giving you another chance." Linra winked at me.
"For what?"
"To beat your child at chess."
"We were going to go have lunch before a rematch." I was a little confused.
"I don't mean Nadia."
My jaw dropped and she laughed again. "Your gambit may not be working, but something else apparently was."
I grabbed her and swung her around. "Are you sure? I mean, is it okay? Is it safe?"
"Very safe. What happened with Nadia was just a fluke. I went to the doctor today. He did all the testing. Your son is perfectly healthy."
"Nadia, did you hear that? You're going to have a brother." I reached down and picked her up, kissing her cheek. I was nearly beside myself with joy.
"No thank you." She said politely.
"Sorry, but it's not an option." Linra explained. "He's on the way."
"Call him and tell him to go somewhere else."
"Sweety, he's already here. He's inside of Mom's tummy, just like you were. Remember?" Linra took our daughter and put Nadia's hand on her flat belly. "He's really small right now, but he'll get bigger, and then he'll come out, like you did. Well, not exactly like you did, but when he's big enough he'll be born and live with us. And you'll love him."
Nadia put her mouth close to Linra's belly. "Go away."
"Nadia!"
I knelt to look in her eyes. "Sweetheart, just because we're having another baby doesn't mean we're going to love you any less. My parents didn't stop loving me when Luke showed up. And your grandparents still loved your mom after your Aunt Rosie was born."
"I know." She shook her head. "But he still can't come live here."
She took off up the stairs, and her bedroom door slammed.
Linra looked at me and sighed. "We always said what was weird kid she was. I guess we can't complain when she starts acting normal."
"Were you jealous when Rosie was born?"
Linra considered. "I was older when Rosie came along. I don't think I was jealous. I felt a little left out; babies need a lot of attention and it was a little lonely, but I was never sorry that she was there. I couldn't get enough of holding her or looking at her. I loved her right from the start. I'm go glad she's coming to visit, even if it's just for a little while. I really miss her."
"Nadia will adjust. She'll be fine, and she'll be bonkers over the baby by the time it gets here."
In her room, above where her parents were talking, Nadia sat in her window seat, staring outside. She could just make out her grandparents' house in the distance, over the brown stalks of the recently harvested plants.
The plants came up green every spring, and then every fall died again. Her father said that was the order of everything, to be born and to die and then be reborn again. But she didn't believe him. The plants were dead once they were dead. New plants might be born, but that didn't mean they were the same plants. They weren't.
People were like that. They were gone when they were gone, no matter how many new babies came along.
She closed her eyes, and began to shudder, remembering crushing pain and loud voices, and overwhelming terror. And then cold and light. No one had to tell her that she'd come very close to dying that day, like the plants did. No one had to tell her that her mother had almost died too.
Her mother didn't need to have any more babies to hurt her. At first she'd thought they'd meant they were adopting a brother for her, and that was simply a case of not wanting a messy baby around the house. But this was different. This baby was going to have to come out of her mother.
And her mother was probably going to die.
End Part 1
(:./lasha/street1)
