17-Apr-2006
Title: Plain and Simple
Author: tkmaxwell777
Fandom: Gundam Wing AC
Category: Shonen Ai/Yaoi
Pairing: 2x1
Rating: R
Warnings: Slight Angst, Slight Lime, and Slight Sap *grins*
Archived: Yep! www.gwaddiction.com AND
Bittersweet_Haven ML at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/tkmaxwell777bhml/
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing AC or its characters. They are the property of Shin Kidousenki, Bandai, Sotsu, Sunrise, and any other affiliated parties. This story is a parody of that defined universe, written for GW fans, without profit or compensation, and is in NO way an official continuation of the original anime series. All underage characters engaging in sexual activity are considered Emancipated Minors or the equivalent under Military Service. This story is for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as a realistic representation of actual romantic and/or sexual relationships in the lifestyles portrayed. This story was inspired by the interesting dynamics between character personalities, without regard to age, gender, or preference. This story is not intended to expound upon the virtues or hardships of being asexual, bisexual, heterosexual, homosexual, or transsexual... just GW-sexual.
In other words, this story depicts fictional characters in fictional relationships under fictional circumstances.
"You make me smile every day, giving me a reason to get out of bed when the rest of the world isn't enough."
The regular white piece of paper with those words on it was taped up on his computer screen, making Duo blink in surprise. He'd expected the mushy cards and little boxes of candy he'd already received that morning from a few of the giggly interns, but this was different. The message was typed with black ink in a normal font without any fancy background, graphics, or signature. Although he never would have expected pink paper or swirling script from any of the female Preventer agents due to them being more practical than that, he couldn't picture any of them leaving this for him either. In fact, he couldn't imagine anyone leaving this for him.
Maybe some of the guy agents were playing a trick on him? Now that was more likely. He wasn't dating anyone at the moment, so perhaps they thought it would be entertaining to make him think that someone was interested, only to show up at the end of the day with the classic 'Got ya!' before going home. Duo had played his own fair share of practical jokes since joining their team, so it wouldn't be out of the question. If that was the case, then he needed to act like it didn't even faze him, ignoring the declaration as just another part of the day.
Duo shook his head and removed the obstruction from his monitor, but instead of crumpling it up and tossing it into the trash he placed it on top of the pile of memos on his desk. As he worked, he would glance over at it, trying not to take it too seriously, even if it did make him feel warm every time he read it. At least, it kept him from feeling lonely since he was without his usual targets -- his former comrades. Heero had taken the day off, apparently not wanting to deal with the aforementioned giggly interns, and Wufei was finishing a mission, so that left Duo in the rare mood to actually behave himself instead of being in normal aggravation mode. Most of the time, he did what he did just to get his friends to lighten up. Without them there, he didn't feel inclined to pester and annoy anyone else.
If Heero and Wufei had been there, Duo would have been all over the office by now, investigating what other people had gotten from their significant others, sweethearts, or secret admirers, reporting it with mischievous glee to Wufei, just to get him riled up enough to go buy Sally something nice, leaving Duo with Heero to laugh about it over lunch. Since they weren't there today, Duo didn't feel like doing any recon. His inbox wasn't full, so he could probably get it cleared out completely before quitting time if he stayed put, so he decided to stay put.
It wasn't until mid-morning he found another not-frilly note in the next incoming file folder.
"You help me when I get frustrated, giving me a friend to talk to, fight with, and be less than perfect in front of."
Duo furrowed his brows. Fight with? He could count on one hand the people he even dared argue with. He could be rather volatile when confronted with someone else's temper, so he usually stayed clear of it. There were two people he 'bearded in their dens'. Wufei would storm out when Duo got too agitated, and Heero would seethe silently until Duo calmed down. The three of them had indulged in some rather rough 'training exercises' when things got a little too aggressive, but they didn't actually fight... well, not where anyone could see them anyway. The 'being less than perfect' part went without saying though since they'd been around each other during their worst. That could support his practical joke theory too though. Wouldn't it be funny to make him think that Wufei or Heero would tell him this stuff? They would both rather swallow glass than admit that kind of thing, especially to Duo.
Duo wasn't amused at the possibility.
The braided man sighed and tried to focus on his work, but when lunch came around, he hadn't gotten a whole lot of it done. After reading the notes again, he put them under the folders on his desk to keep them away from prying eyes and headed to the cafeteria. One good thing about the day; the commissary served lasagna. How Italian food played a role in the holiday, he didn't know, but he wouldn't complain. There were some cupcakes on a table, arranged into three hearts, and he happily took a chocolate one as he moseyed over to a table in the corner, ignoring the women in their little groups, chatting about their respective gifts. Funny how a couple complex sentences could throw him so off balance that he didn't even feel like teasing them like he usually would; those notes weren't even romantic! That thought made Duo frown. Was he that starved for affection that something like this could stir up those feelings?
The whole thing was beginning to make him angry. No one felt that way about him, and it sort of hurt to have his nose rubbed in that fact. Why would someone do something so... mean-hearted? Sure, they would think he'd take it all in stride, but he viewed the depth of friendship expressed on those pieces of paper very seriously, and he'd never messed with people's emotions when he'd played his tricks, no matter how mischievous the joke, so this just wasn't right. On the slight chance that it wasn't a hoax, he was trying to not let his feelings be negative, but not knowing just tied him up in knots. If someone really cared, they wouldn't make him feel this way, right?
Duo pushed his half-filled plate across the table and viciously undid the fluted paper around the cupcake. "To love," he intoned sarcastically before taking a huge bite of chocolate comfort. He'd noticed several people looking at him, but no one seemed to be giving him an undue amount of attention. A few of the women waved at him, but Duo just smiled wanly and kept to himself. Once the cupcake was gone, he took his tray and dumped it forcefully, just to let everyone know that Duo Maxwell was not a happy camper. If he was getting curious stares, good. Maybe the idiot responsible for doing this would notice that he wasn't playing along and quit torturing him.
It wasn't to be though. When he went by the interoffice mailroom to check his box he gritted his teeth as he encountered another note.
"You fill the empty place inside me with your laughter, giving me comfort even when you feel like crying."
That was too much. Absolutely too much. He didn't let anyone get that close to him. No one knew about the nights he'd lain awake, alone and longing for someone warm to hold him as they whispered reassurances and promises they could never keep. No one knew about the dreams that left him waking in tears as he hid them in his heart for fear of getting his hopes up that they might come true. He glared at the paper, wanting to erase the cruelly wonderful words, but something wouldn't let him crumple the note; instead, he stalked off to his office, flinging the new paper to join its fellows. As the afternoon wore on, his eyes kept raking over the three innocuous-looking notes spread out on his desk, making him feel more upset as time passed. What hurt the most was knowing that it wasn't true...
Quitting time couldn't come soon enough. Duo's inbox hadn't been emptied, but he didn't care at that point. He sat in his chair and waited for someone -- anyone -- to show up so he could get rid of the sick feeling he had. When no one came by his office to confess or gloat, he felt let down; he'd wanted to at least yell at the person responsible for his crappy holiday. He now had a rather depressing evening ahead of him. That made him think of Heero, and Duo felt his spirits lift as he decided to go by the other man's place on his way home. Maybe he would feel better if he talked to Heero about the notes. The former Wing pilot might tell him how stupid he'd been for getting upset over nothing, but he wouldn't let Duo leave until he was feeling better. Heero really was a good friend that way.
Smiling, Duo picked up the three pieces of paper, leaving the frilly cards in the bottom drawer to be tossed at a later date and the candy in the top drawer for when the munchies would strike, and then made his way to his car. It didn't take long to get to Heero's apartment since it was close by Preventers HQ. Duo paused as his eyes fell on the papers lying on the passenger seat. Picking them up, he read them one more time before getting out with them in his hands, heading for the apartment complex. Once at Heero's door, he stopped, feeling his heart thud painfully in his chest. There, taped on Heero's door, was a familiarly-styled note.
"You've changed my life -- mostly for the better -- always making it worth every minute of what I have to go through to get to where you know I need to go. I never have to ask you for that, but it's time for you to ask me for what you want. I think I can give it to you. If you want to find out, knock on the door. I'm waiting for you."
Duo read the note twice more. He couldn't believe Heero had done something like this. He was still angry, but that was tempered with shock and something he didn't want to name at the moment. He took a deep breath, and instead of ringing the doorbell, he pounded on the wood frame. It didn't take long for Heero to open the door, and the look on his face was a mixture of relief, wariness, and anticipation. It was the final straw for an emotionally overloaded Duo Maxwell. Before Heero could open his mouth to explain, Duo punched him, knocking him to the floor.
"Don't you ever do something like this again!" The braided man yelled, ripping the note down to shake it with the others at his friend. "I have been on the verge of homicide and hysterics all day because of these!"
Heero gazed up at him in surprise. "I didn't mean... why would you... it was supposed to make you feel good!"
Duo sighed and reached down to help Heero up, anger subsiding some. The former Deathscythe pilot then glared at him. "It's a joke, right? To get back at me for stuff I've done... Heero, you could never feel this way about me... "
His assertion was interrupted by lips pressing against his, tentatively but firmly. That one sensation overwhelmed everything else -- the feeling of disappointment, the fear of rejection, the anger of deception -- nothing mattered but the mouth moving against his, and Duo pulled Heero closer, allowing the contact to deepen and heal. It could have been minutes or hours for all the braided man knew, but when lips parted, Duo felt the hurt lessen. He looked into passionate blue and knew this was for real.
Then he noticed the bruise forming on Heero's jaw. "Sorry about that, man. I didn't mean to clock you like... "
Another interruption via kiss, but Duo wasn't complaining. He decided to take the Scarlet O'Hara approach and think about it tomorrow. He kept on kissing Heero while moving them towards the bedroom. There was no way he'd pass up celebrating this exciting new development in an exciting new way. It was a holiday tradition or some such thing, he mused, as they began losing clothes. By the time they reached the bed they were both naked and throbbing. Duo took a moment to pull away and look at the man who would soon be his lover.
"This isn't going to be some one-night thing or 'Omae o korosu' won't describe what I'll do to you," he warned.
Heero smirked and pulled back the covers... revealing one last note to the man he obviously wanted completely.
"I could only hope to get you into my bed, but if you get this far, maybe I can get into your heart as well."
Duo laughed, feeling all doubts disappear as he tumbled them on the comforter, letting the paper flutter to the floor. They kissed and touched, tasting each other's skin, feeling each other's desire. Things progressed, and soon Duo was thrusting into the supple and strong body beneath him, seeing the pleasure in dark blue eyes as they moved together. It was awkward only for the moment it took to discover each other's rhythm, and then it was like they'd always done it. Groaning and pleading sounded through the bedroom, and then shouts of completion echoed through the hallway to where the last note joined its brothers in a pile of dreams and promises.
Much later, lovers lay in a haphazard tangle of limbs, and one whispered to the other, "Happy Valentine's Day."
The End
(:./tk/plain)
