August 14 1999
Unaware of Duo's presence behind him, Ryoga sank to his knees, cradling the sign against his chest. "The world..." he gasped, "is a dark and lonely place..."
Duo backed up as he saw a bright blue aura starting to glow around the Lost Boy. With a shriek of "Akane-san!" so tortured it sounded like it had been ripped from Ryoga's soul, the blue light coalesced into a shimmering sphere and tore off into the distance. Where the light landed, a huge explosion followed. Duo's eyes widened fearfully. The enemy would undoubtedly notice a blast of that size.
"We have to get out of here!" Duo called. The blue light was starting to form around Ryoga again, but as Duo reached out and placed a hand on Ryoga's shoulder, it stopped. "Hurry, before they find us!"
Duo had to all but carry Ryoga to the motorcycle, he was weeping so hard. They climbed on, and Duo put one hand on the handlebar and the other against Ryoga's cold fingers, pressing them against his belt and hoping the Lost Boy wouldn't lose his grip in the excess of his grief.
"Hold on!" Duo cried, and pushed his motorcycle to its limit in his haste to get away from the blast site.
"Akane..." Ryoga whimpered. Duo winced. What was it about him that drew him to men like Ryoga and Heero? Men who were so painfully fixated on women like Relena... He wondered if Akane had been like Relena. He wondered if Ryoga had had an admirer panting at his heels the way he did after Heero.
He had to take a roundabout route home. Duo grinned as he realized that Wufei would consider this to be evidence of Ryoga's treachery. Wufei would probably accuse himself of treachery, if he didn't know any better. He was second only to Heero in his capacity to mistrust others. Duo knew that Wufei's argument would be that Ryoga had deliberately set the blast in order to reveal their location to the enemy... but with what? How could he possibly create a bomb out of light? And aside from that, this mysterious Akane had existed, and Ryoga's sorrow had been all too genuine. His hot tears were even now trickling down the back of Duo's neck.
It was with a deep sigh of relief that Duo finally returned to his temporary home. He was certain they hadn't been followed. He carefully parked the bike, then led Ryoga back upstairs by the hand.
"I'm sorry, Ryoga," Duo said softly as he closed and locked the door behind them. "You did ask to see it." Ryoga nodded, still crying so hard he couldn't speak. Duo went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of brandy. It was far from his favorite drink, but it would do in a pinch.
"Here, have some of this," he offered gently. Ryoga shook his head, sniffled weepily and sank down onto the couch.
"Just give it a try," Duo urged. Ryoga dashed his tears away and took a swig from the bottle, swallowing quickly and grimacing.
"That's terrible!" he gasped.
"Yeah," Duo answered, taking some himself. "But sometimes the best thing you can do is take the edge off the pain and wait for it to get better." Ryoga gazed at him intently for a moment, then took the bottle back and took a long pull from it, trying to swallow it without having to taste it.
"It still tastes terrible," Ryoga said, feeling the liquor's false warmth thaw out the cold knot of sorrow in his throat.
"The last drop in the bottle'll taste terrific," Duo promised with a wink. Ryoga mustered up a weak half-smile and finished off the rest of the bottle in a matter of a few minutes. Duo stared in astonishment.
"Sorry," Ryoga mumbled self-consciously. "Did you want more?"
"No, that's Ok," Duo answered, grinning broadly and traipsing off to the kitchen for another bottle. This was going to amount to one world-class hangover in the morning, but he hoped it would at least help Ryoga get through the night. He was glowing again when Duo walked back into the room, and once again the simple contact of Duo's hand on his shoulder snuffed the deadly light.
"There's lots more where this came from," Duo announced happily.
"That last drop really didn't taste good, either, y'know," Ryoga said with a soft smile. Duo grinned back, delighted to see him loosening up a little.
"Do you want any lunch?" Duo asked as Ryoga tilted the second bottle up in the air. "It's usually not such a good idea to drink on an empty stomach."
"I couldn't eat," Ryoga mumbled. "You go ahead, though."
"That's Ok, I'm not really hungry either," Duo said, leaning back on the couch uncomfortably. Relena, Relena, Relena...
"Here, have some more of this, then," Ryoga offered. Duo shrugged and took the bottle, taking a light sip from it before handing it back. Ryoga drank deeply for a moment, then abruptly put the bottle down on the end table.
"I need to find my own clothes," he said, and floundered awkwardly on the couch for a moment before struggling to his feet.
"Ok, I'll help you find something else. You look like you could use some rest, though. Are you tired?" Duo asked. Ryoga nodded mutely, and Duo led him to one of the two adjoining bedrooms in the suite.
"This is where Heero, Wufei and I sleep," he explained. "The other room's for Trowa and Quatre."
"Maybe I should sleep on the couch..." Ryoga mumbled. "I mean, Wufei-"
"He won't care if you sleep here. He left you here, remember? Besides, this is my room, too, and I have some say in who stays here. You can go ahead and sleep in your boxers, if you want. I'll do the same." The two boys quickly undressed and climbed in from opposite sides of the bed.
"You're sure they won't mind?" Ryoga asked again.
"They won't," Duo asserted.
"And Wufei won't- I mean..."
"He won't search you again."
"You sure?"
"Very sure," Duo sighed. "Go to sleep." Duo normally had no trouble at all getting to sleep. Part of his training had involved sleep deprivation, and he had learned early on that it was always good to catch up while he had the chance to sleep safely. Today, though, he was having a hard time settling down enough to lie still, staring up at the same ceiling as this incredible, gorgeous young man. After a few minutes of silence, he realized that Ryoga was crying again. He turned toward the Lost Boy, intending only to comfort him, and reached out to lay a hand on one brawny shoulder.
"Hey," Duo said softly. Tears were streaming from Ryoga's closed eyes and trickling down along his ears. He turned to look at Duo, wiping the tickling streams away and trying to give his new friend a brave smile.
"Sorry," Ryoga whispered around the lump in his throat.
"S'okay," Duo mumbled, pulling Ryoga closer to him. "C'mere." Ryoga turned onto his side facing Duo, and allowed the slender boy to pull him into a loose embrace. The simple human contact broke down the last of Ryoga's barriers, and for a long time he buried his face in Duo's shoulder and wailed like a baby, his sobs shaking his whole body.
"She's gone, and I never even- I never even told her how I felt about her-" Ryoga gasped between sobs.
"Shh... It's Ok, Ryoga. It's Ok," Duo whispered gently, stroking the boy's thick, silky hair. He knew it wasn't Ok, and that it might not ever be Ok for Ryoga. But he wanted so much to ease this pain... and Ryoga's hopeless longing for the dead girl struck a deep chord in Duo, whose love for Heero was still, as far as he knew, totally unrequited. Without planning to do it or really even thinking about it, Duo reached out and planted a delicate kiss on Ryoga's salty lips. Ryoga froze after a moment, and opened tear-blurred eyes to stare at Duo in confusion.
"Duo..." he whispered, amazed to find that it all seemed right and natural somehow, being here in the arms of his beautiful friend... male or female was irrelevant in the face of Duo's good-humored zest for life and his radiant sensuality. Ryoga found that that life, that *fire* was irresistible to him, that he longed to touch it and share in it, to be part of a life that burned so brightly. His love for Akane remained pure and unsullied in the depths of his heart as a new, desperate need for love and companionship, for Duo, surged to the fore. And he knew that Duo would understand.
"Sorry," Duo said softly, and tried to extricate himself from Ryoga's embrace, only to find that loosening Ryoga's grip was no easy task. Ryoga merely held onto him and waited for the long-lashed amethyst eyes to meet his again.
"Please don't be sorry," Ryoga murmured. "I'll be sorry enough for both of us, later." And with that, the Lost Boy returned the kiss, just as gently and with just as much longing. Duo moaned and raised both hands to the sides of Ryoga's face, trying to capture the boy's dizzyingly responsive mouth with his own. He knew he had succeeded when he heard Ryoga's answering, husky moan, and felt iron-strong arms pulling him in closer.
"Oh, Duo," Ryoga moaned. "Please..."
"It's Ok, Ryoga," Duo whispered in between Ryoga's earnest, urgent kisses. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." Duo pushed gently on Ryoga's shoulder, encouraging him to lie back. He took a long moment to just look at the Lost Boy, his deep brown eyes cloudy with the beginnings of passion, his lower lip caught between his teeth in a gesture of uncertainty.
Ryoga gazed up into Duo's brilliant amethyst eyes with almost guilty longing. Duo was leaning over him, smiling that delighted smile, his long bangs falling forward into his eyes. It occurred to Ryoga that he had never had a friend before, not like this. Not someone he could drop his guard with. It was a liberating and frightening thing, Duo's easy smile. Duo seemed to notice the brief shadow that flickered in his eyes, because his own expression became more serious.
"Ryoga, we don't have to do anyth-" Duo was interrupted by a desperate kiss, Ryoga's hands rising to gently rub his shoulders.
"Please..." Ryoga whispered. "I want to do anything you want..."
"You sure?" Ryoga's solemn nod was all the permission Duo needed. With an impish grin, Duo bent down and kissed him again, his hands caressing down the length of Ryoga's arms until he held the Lost Boy pinned flat against the huge mattress. "Just lie still, then, Ryoga, and let me be good to you," he whispered against Ryoga's feverish lips. Ryoga nodded, and Duo kissed him deeply. He had to grin at Ryoga's disappointed moan when he pulled away and began kissing along his jawline. Ryoga had smooth, smooth skin and such silky hair...
"You're beautiful," Duo whispered directly into a perfect ear before attacking it with his mouth, driving his tongue into it and teasing the lobe with his teeth. Ryoga shivered violently, whimpering as Duo's nibbling teeth traveled along the length of his neck. It was the oddest sensation, Duo's mouth loving him. He hadn't been touched anywhere but his face and neck, yet already it was the most erotic experience of his young life.
Duo paused to see that Ryoga was absolutely caught up in the web of sensations he was weaving. The Lost Boy's eyes were squeezed tightly shut, a slight frown of concentration creasing his brow; his hands, still where Duo had placed them, were now balled into fists. Duo grinned and kissed Ryoga's brow, caressing the silky locks that tumbled down over the checkered bandanna. As soon as Ryoga had relaxed a little, Duo resumed his knowing assault, kissing and nibbling at the column of Ryoga's throat and working his way down to his collarbone. He traveled with his lips down to one sensitive nipple, gently sucking and teasing it with his teeth. Ryoga gasped sharply, and his hands rose to pull weakly at Duo's hair.
"D-Duo..." he moaned. Duo merely smiled and treated the other nipple the same way, savoring Ryoga's moans and whimpers like a gourmet. Ryoga started to writhe beneath him, and Duo paused for a moment, wondering if he were hurting him somehow.
"Are you Ok?" he whispered. Ryoga nodded after a brief pause.
"It all just feels so..." Ryoga trailed off, unable to put the experience into words.
"Haven't you done this before?" Duo had to ask. Ryoga's wide, trusting eyes rose to meet his, a little insecure as he shook his head. Duo smiled at him again, one of those infectious smiles that Ryoga just had to mirror.
"I'm honored," Duo said, "I've never been anybody's first before." And he had to stop for a long, long kiss before he continued. "Just tell me if anything hurts, Ok?"
"It doesn't hurt, it just feels so..."
"New?"
"Yeah," Ryoga answered with a shy smile. Duo smiled back at him, gently and affectionately, then returned to his task with a will. Ryoga reached back and grabbed hold of the headboard as Duo continued his loving assault on his nipples, pinching and nipping at them lightly. Duo pulled his braid down over his shoulder, using its serpentine length to trail across Ryoga's stomach, tickling him with its silky ends. Ryoga giggled as the hair brushed just above the waistband of his boxers.
"Ticklish?" Duo asked, deliberately brushing his hair across the sensitive spot again.
"Yeah!" Ryoga laughed. Duo moved on and trailed the braid over Ryoga's thighs, noticing as he did that Ryoga was definitely responding to the stimulation. Duo gently tugged at the waistband of Ryoga's boxers, placing his fingertips just under the elastic and caressing the skin there.
"You wanna take these off?" he asked gently. Ryoga froze, and for a moment Duo thought that was the end of it right there. The Lost Boy quietly nodded and lifted up his hips as both he and Duo slid the garment off. He shyly covered himself, and Duo kissed him again, gently pressing him back against the pillows. He waited until Ryoga had relaxed again before moving on, his lips trailing back down Ryoga's broad chest, then across his flat belly. Ryoga muffled a giggle as Duo passed over the ticklish spot, then the giggle stopped as Duo's mouth went a little lower. Duo positioned himself and gently kissed his way up one of Ryoga's thighs, finding himself finally facing Ryoga's erect manhood. It was a little bigger than Duo had expected, but his surprise didn't show on his face. He gently ran his tongue up the length of its underside, stopping at the tip and savoring the salty drop of fluid there.
"D-Duo," Ryoga whimpered, struggling to remain still. His manhood twitched involuntarily as Duo took just the tip into his mouth, flickering his tongue along the small ridge that joined the tip to the shaft. "Duo, Duo, Duo..." The Gundam pilot tried not to smile at Ryoga's sharp gasp of pleasure as he finally drew the shaft into his mouth, as much of it as he could take, and slowly started to build an irresistible rhythm with his lips and tongue. It had been a long time, too long, since Duo had had the chance to do this, and he loved it. He loved the feeling of Ryoga's shaft filling his mouth, loved knowing the kind of pleasure he was giving him. It was over all too soon, as with a sudden groan of warning Ryoga came, unable to hold off any longer. Duo swallowed the hot fluid that coursed into his mouth, and smiled at Ryoga when he finally lifted his head.
"That was good," Duo whispered, moving to lie beside Ryoga and kiss him, letting him take in his own taste and scent.
"B-but you didn't-" Ryoga mumbled, blushing. "I mean..."
"Did Wufei hurt you, earlier?" Duo asked seriously.
"Ah..." Ryoga blushed even darker at the memory. "He... Uh... it hurt, at the time, but..."
"Do you want to stop now?"
Ryoga looked at Duo and considered the question seriously. This was his friend, his precious friend, who had already given him so much pleasure and taken none for himself. He was offering to leave it at that... but that didn't seem fair... and Ryoga's body was already recovering from the sudden pleasure, and ready for more.
"I don't want to stop unless you do," Ryoga answered sincerely. "I want to do anything you want to do."
"Do you understand what you're saying?" Duo asked. Ryoga blushed again, and nodded. He had a pretty good idea what Duo was asking. It might hurt, but it would make his friend feel good...
Duo smiled gently and reached across Ryoga's body to the nightstand, where the small drawer held a tube of lubricant. "If you're sure..." he said, showing Ryoga what he held. Ryoga nodded again. "Roll over," Duo suggested, and Ryoga complied. With Duo nudging him, Ryoga got up onto all fours with his head resting against his folded arms, his knees braced wide apart.
"Now, I want you to tell me if any of this hurts," Duo said, smiling gently as Ryoga nodded again. He was tense and obviously nervous, but his manhood was already hard again. Duo gently caressed the upturned buttocks, feeling Ryoga flinch at the first contact and then finally start to relax a little. Duo squeezed some of the lubricant onto his fingertips, and slowly rubbed them together, warming the lube a little before reaching out to caress Ryoga's tight opening. Ryoga gasped, but remained very still as Duo pushed just the tip of one finger inside.
"Am I hurting you?" the pilot asked, smiling gently. Ryoga shook his head again. It didn't hurt, not like when Wufei had done it. It just felt... weird. New. Duo slowly pushed his finger in a little farther, then just as slowly withdrew it all the way and pushed it in again. Ryoga found that the weirdness was starting to feel sort of good... and then Duo hit a spot on his inner wall that felt incredible! Ryoga jumped up, cracking his head against the headboard. Duo struggled not to laugh as the Lost Boy cradled his head in his arms again. That was definitely a reaction.
"Are you Ok?' Duo asked gently. Ryoga was actually moving his hips now, hunching backward against Duo's hand. He nodded in answer to the question, though Duo already knew the answer by then. Slowly and carefully, Duo inserted a second finger. Ryoga moaned a little, but pushed back against both fingers, prolonging the contact with that incredibly good, good spot as long as he could. Duo spread his fingers apart just a little, even adding a third, and Ryoga felt his body opening in response. It was a burning, achy sensation, but it felt so good when he hit the right place!
Duo finally moved away long enough to remove his own boxers and quickly lubricate his aching shaft. Ryoga was moaning in supplication, his upturned rear waving invitingly... and Duo had never been one to pass up a generous invitation. He quickly crawled onto the bed behind Ryoga and positioned his eager manhood right at the Lost Boy's virginal entrance.
"Are you ready?" Duo asked, and Ryoga pushed back against him in reply. Duo's eyes rolled back as his manhood sank into Ryoga's body, the tight ring of muscle caressing his shaft. He could just stay this way and let Ryoga do all the work - already the Lost Boy was thrashing his hips, trying to keep Duo's manhood in constant, moving contact with that sweet spot deep inside him. Duo placed his hands on Ryoga's hips and started to thrust purposefully, and Ryoga howled in response, his back arching as he threw his head back.
"Uh! M-more!" Ryoga gasped, and Duo gave it, slamming himself into Ryoga's body again and again, his own cries of pleasure mingling with Ryoga's. He reached one hand around to stroke Ryoga's eager shaft, and Ryoga whimpered gratefully, his manhood sliding easily through Duo's still-slick fingers as he pumped his hips up and up...
Ryoga came in a blinding rush, his seed spilling out through Duo's fingers as his whole body convulsed with pleasure. Duo groaned, thrusting a few more times into Ryoga's still-thrashing body as his own orgasm overtook him. For a long moment he stayed there, his body still joined with Ryoga's, then at last he withdrew, the sensation of his manhood pulling out giving them both one last little jolt of pleasure.
Duo flopped down beside Ryoga, both of them still panting and wide-eyed. Ryoga started blushing again, and Duo grinned at him.
"Thank you," Duo said, reaching out to brush Ryoga's bangs out of his eyes.
"I was just going to thank you," Ryoga answered with a bashful smile. "I've never..."
"I know," Duo said with another grin. "You're incredible." Ryoga looked as though he were mulling something over, so Duo quietly stroked the Lost Boy's hair, giving him some space to think.
"I... I don't want to hurt you," Ryoga mumbled sincerely, though obviously he also meant that he didn't want to be hurt.
"It's Ok," Duo answered with a quick kiss, moving a little closer to embrace Ryoga because he looked like he needed some reassurance. "You won't hurt me. You love Akane, and I love... well, I..."
"Love your Heero," Ryoga interrupted, almost ignoring the sharp stab of pain at the thought of Akane. This time it was his turn to smile and steal a kiss. Dear, precious Duo. It was such a frightening thing to be defenseless. It made it so much easier to know that he wasn't the only one. Duo's expression was vulnerable and almost lost for a moment, then he nodded.
"Yup, I love him," he confessed. "I don't know why, but I love him. And I'm starting to grow terribly fond of you," he added with another kiss. "I think you and I will be very good friends."
"I'd like that," Ryoga grinned.
"So would I," Duo said, his own infectious grin springing back to life. He had not forgotten that he was being held in the arms of a beautiful man, who was more or less passively letting him do whatever he wanted. Ah, life was good. Life was very, very good. Still smiling, he bent to kiss Ryoga once again, slanting his mouth across Ryoga's soft lips. Ryoga growled low in his throat, and Duo slid his hands down along the Lost Boy's stomach to find... he was already hard again.
"Wh-?" Duo muttered, pulling his mouth away from Ryoga's to verify what his hands had told him. "Wow, that was fast." Ryoga blushed and started to back away, but Duo held on to him. "I mean, it's great for you to be able to recover so quickly."
"You think so?"
"Why on Earth would that be a bad thing?"
"I dunno," Ryoga admitted shamefacedly. "I... uh... thought you were going to call me a pervert or something."
"Oooh, I hope you ARE a pervert!" Duo cried, his eyes all wide and starry at the prospect. "We'd have so much in common!" He started to laugh, and Ryoga couldn't help but join him.
End Part Two
Yoiko ^__^
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