26-Aug-2007
Title: Seasonal Drift Fifteen
Author: Ebonydove
Archived: www.gwaddiction.com
Pairings: 1+2
Warnings: sappy, sappy, sappy. Slight ooc
Rating: pg13
Notes: In the next chapter the plot is revealed, promise. This time I really know what it is! Thanks to all of you who have been supporting me for so very long...and sorry for the sloppy posting!
He was holding my hand so tightly as we moved silently up the staircase. All you could hear was the soft pad of my bear feet on the worn wood and an occasionally creak or two. I was so tired, but knew that he was going to tell me the secret that he was keeping. Finally I would know how it was we came to be here and just were it was that we were running towards. When we reached the door to the bedroom he turned and without a word kissed me; slowly, deeply and with so much tenderness that I forgot to breathe. He broke the kiss and led me into the room, closing the door quietly behind us and releasing my fingers that had somehow become entwined with his. He pulled of his shirt and stripped out of the pants and without a word slipped into the small bed, keeping the covers back so I could do the same.
I just had been standing there watching him like a voyeur until he smiled at me from the bed. It was small and sweet and a little bit shy, enough to make my heart race and get me out of my clothes as quickly as possible. I got into bed with him and pulled the covers over us, feeling awkward as I tried to relax.
It was not the first time I had been in a bed with Heero Yuy. Or with Trowa, Quatre or Wufei for that matter. Although it didn't happen frequently, it was not uncommon, especially during A ranked missions when speed, stealth and lack of credit cards are all applicable. All of those times had been well, work related in some way, shape or form. And despite that I have always lusted after Heero, I hadn't acted upon those feelings until this series of unfortunate events began. The guy has a way of driving you to the breaking point. Now feeling the warmth from his body as he lay next to me and listening to his soft, steady breathing, I realized it was the first time I was in a bed with Heero Yuy and it was not entirely work related. "Heero?"
"Hm?"
I turned my face to look at him. His eyes were closed, his mouth was slightly open and he seemed to be completely content. "I'd like to..." I cleared my throat and shifted slightly closer to him. "Can I...hold you?"
With his eyes still closed he smiled that small shy smile again and quietly spoke. "I'd like that."
I rolled onto my side, slipped my arm under him, and wrapped the other around his back pulling him close to me. He tucked his head under my chin with his cheek pressed to my chest and we just didn't breath for a moment or two. "Thank you." I whispered into his hair. And as sleep finally began creeping in I let the words slip out. "I love you Heero." And after a few more moments of not breathing heard him reply just as softly.
"I've always loved you. Always."
The words buzzed around in my head for a few moments, registered, and then were tucked away somewhere deep inside me as exhaustion finally, blessedly, took over and I slept.
We were still wrapped around each other when we woke to the soft rap at the door. "Are you two alive?" Butch asked in his loud booming voice. "It's damn near close to lunchtime and I figure you ought to be getting on the road."
I shot upright as Heero rolled over on his other side. "Shit. Heero wake up, we have to go." I tossed back the sheets and was glad to see Heero simply open his eyes and sit up.
"It's late."
"Yeah, I wanted to leave at dawn, not noon." Sure enough my damp hair had dried into a tangle during the night and was now a mess to be reckoned with. "We're up and will be right down!" I called through the door and gathered up our meager belongings. I dressed quickly, this time in the jeans and t-shirt and grabbed the gray hoodie from the closet as well. As Heero dressed I rifled through the chest of drawers for socks and then back to the closet for something we could put on our feet without luck. "No shoes Heero. We're going to have to find something though or this will be a real short trip."
"Tennis shoes."
"Huh?"
"There's a pair under the bed. I can wear those."
I bent down and sure as shit there was a pair of worn out old tennis shoes. They looked a little big, but we weren't in a position to be picky. "Good, well at least we have you covered."
I gave up on the quest for footwear and opened the door. Butch was no-where in sight and I was suddenly engulfed by the rich smell of fresh coffee and bacon drifting its way upstairs from the kitchen where he was sure to be. "Coffee" I mumbled more to myself than Heero.
"That should make you happy." Heero said as he strode from the room and down the stairs.
I quickly followed and was about to ask him if he thought we had enough time to eat something as I rounded the stairs to go into the kitchen and promptly froze. Heero was standing like a deer in headlights and I imagine I looked about the same.
"It's about damn time." Wufei grumbled from the table where it appeared he had just finished a plate of ham, eggs, bacon, and toast.
"Wufei and I were getting nervous that you two had gone into hibernation." Trowa added pleasantly as Butch refreshed his coffee.
"I was going to wake you when they arrived, but your friend here suggested that I let you boys sleep some more." Butch nodded to Trowa and frowned deeply. "After what little you said last night I wasn't sure if I could believe them, but they did a damn good job of describing you and what kind of state you were in so I let them in." I felt my jaw working, but no sound came out. Heero had gone into full blown pissed-off mode, glaring hard at everyone in the room, including me.
"We're lucky we didn't get shot by your new friend, Duo." Trowa said as he picked up a slice of rye toast and spread some kind of fruit preserve on it and took a healthy bite.
"How..when did you...?" I finally managed.
"You do a lousy job of covering your tracks when your tired, Duo." Wufei said simply.
"Impossible...last I heard you were two full days behind us and that we were all going to meet up at some damn lab." I groused. I was more than a little annoyed at the jab from Wufei given the circumstances and that I had no doubt that we had been tracked somehow. Not because I failed to cover my tracks. Avoiding a tail was something I prided myself on and everyone in that room, with the exception of Butch knew it.
"Well." Butch stated before anyone could say another word or Heero could melt something with his glare. "I got chicken to feed and horses to let out so you boys can sit down eat somethin' and work out whatever it is you all need to work out."
Trowa and Wufei half stood as Butch gathered up a pan of something from the nearby countertop and a mug full of hot coffee and left out the front door. No-one said a thing until we all heard the front screen door slam.
Trowa sat back down and finished his toast as if nothing about the situation was odd and Wufei took another sip from his mug. "We don't have much time." Trowa said simply. "I suggest you eat something now. I'm not sure when we'll have the next chance to."
"For pity sake, Heero, stop glaring at me and sit down." Wufei folded his arms in front of his chest and frown at us from where we were standing in the doorway.
I gave him a little nudge from behind and was relieved to see him comply. "It's not like we're not happy to see you, but for shit's sake Wu. You can understand why we're a bit edgy." I sat down between Heero and Trowa and filled an empty mug with coffee, not letting it cool before I took a big swallow. "We've been running for what feels like months and it's only been a few days. You also mentioned something about helicopters if I recall correctly."
"Where's my car?" Trowa asked and it made me do a double take.
"You're worried about your damn car?" My stomach was growling but I refused to eat anything until I knew just what kind of ground I was standing on.
"Not really. It's just that it has a chip on the undercarriage."
"You said it was in the phone!" I snapped.
"Had one in there too." He shrugged.
"Thus Trowa's point about not having much time. They'll be here soon."
"Look, I don't want to make any more trouble for this old guy than I already have. So lets stuff of faces and get the hell outta here so they will leave the poor man alone." I immediately loaded a plate full of eggs and ham for Heero, who wordlessly began to eat. Once I saw them both nod in agreement I did the same. "And I need supplies." I said around a mouthful of eggs.
"Here." Wufei slid a nine millimeter auto across the table to me. "We have more in the car."
"Shoes." Heero said quietly.
"Oh yeah. I need some boots or shoes too."
Wufei frowned at that. "How did you lose your shoes, Maxwell?"
I knew he was annoyed when he called me by that and just smiled. "Too long a story for me to explain. We short on time after all."
"I don't think we have anything suitable." Said Wufei looking to Trowa for help, but who only shrugged and frowned.
The front door creaked back open and we all froze. Butch's steps were pretty easily recognizable so we all began moving again once we heard the heavy pace up through the front room. "I dunno, maybe we can stop somewhere and get a pair." I proposed as I took a big bite of ham.
"Pair a what?" Butch asked as he rinsed out his mug in the sick.
"I, ah...need something to wear on my feet." I explained quietly. I had the same vague feeling of remorse I had back when I needed to explain to Father Maxwell that I had lost something particularly important, like shoes or a shirt and could feel the slight blush as my ears got hot just thinking about it.
"My boy had some things in his room."
"Yeah, I uh...helped myself to some things along with the sneakers for Heero." I felt bad. Here I was stuffing my face and stealing from his dead son on top of it.
"Well, I still might have something you could use." He left the room and obviously wanted me to follow. "I'll be right back, Heero."
Heero nodded and I followed the old man into the back of the house. He led me into a small dark room that smelled of oil soap and leather. He gruffly pulled a large trunk out from under a table and pushed away the heavy yarn blanket that covered it. I recognized it immediately. It was a foot locker. The Oz insignia was still polished and stood out proudly on the top of the lid. My stomach flopped and I felt the need for a little more air than what the small room was providing just then.
Butch flipped up the metal lock and dug around inside for a few moments, finally producing a worn pair of black military issued combat boots. "These ought to fit you. May be a bit big, but he was taller than you and probably a few years older too."
I took them and humbly. "Thank you."
"Ain't doin' no good sittin' in some damn old locker." He said and pushed the trunk back under the table where it was before.
When we returned to the kitchen, Wufei and Trowa had made quick work of putting things away and placing the rinsed dishes and mugs in the sink. They stood near the door to the front of the house and when we appeared, left Heero and I to give our thanks and say good-bye. Butch didn't say anything as we walked off his porch into the sunny afternoon and it wasn't until we had pulled Trowa's car out of the barn and stripped all the bugs from it did I notice the picnic basket in the back seat. It was just too much emotion for me in too short a time, so I ignored it. We gathered what few things we had left and followed Wufei's black sedan out the drive and out onto the highway. I gave one last look behind me at the little farmhouse as it disappeared behind the grove of pines and sighed. I had no idea what was in front of us and knew that whatever it was, was going to be darker than what I had just left.
Heero; sitting beside me, reached over and held my hand. "They're good boots."
"Yeah."
End Part 15
(:./ebony/drift15)
