Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Dawn ❯ Chapter 25 ( Chapter 25 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

As promised, Chapter 25!!



I really hope you enjoy!!





Standard disclaimers apply: I don't own Gundam Wing or its bishounen, nor am I making any monetary profit from this fic whatsoever.


Author: Michalyn (darling_162002@yahoo.com)
Pairings: 6x1, 13+5 ( possible 13x5 later), 3+4
General Warnings: AU ( the pilots are 18, Zechs and Treize are 23) yaoi, angst, sap, lemon
Archive: http://angelfire.com/gundam/asanctuary, http://raygunworks.net, http://www.gundam-wing-universe.net/
Rating: NC 17


Warnings for this chapter: Not much; shorter than the last two chapters it's more of a transition chapter than anything else. I just wanted to explain Duo's past etc more than anything else. Things will definitely start heating up again in chapter 26.


Feedback: craved ^_^






Beautiful Dawn 25/?
by: Michalyn












Du o tossed his bag onto a nearby chair and looked curiously around Zechs' living room. He wandered about, taking in the distinctive style and obvious marks of affluence. Well, at least that much had not changed, he thought wryly.

He smiled faintly at the pictures of the other men from his past. Trowa and Quatre had changed little in four years. He shook his head amusedly. From their obvious closeness in the photograph it seemed that they had finally admitted their feelings to each other. He had been wondering when they would come to their senses… And there was Treize - and ol' Wu… He smiled to think of the serious Chinese. Ahh, what fun he used have pricking the intense youth's emotions to life. He'd always had a soft spot for the acerbic scholar. It would be good to see Wufei again, he vowed.

Passing one of the tables, he was startled to find that Zechs had kept the old picture they had taken together. Staring at the two smiling figures, he was amazed at the sudden sharp pain twisting through him - the unmistakable pangs of an old wound reopening. It had been a long time …a long time in which he'd told himself that he'd mastered these feelings-Convinced himself that he had gotten over Zechs. Running his hands over the simple frame, he examined it carefully before putting it back in its place.

Perhaps he was not so wrong in coming back here after all.

His mysteriously sullen host had disappeared upstairs to take a shower and Duo was contented to amuse himself in the meantime. After all, his arrival had not exactly been anticipated and he would be a fool to expect an enthusiastic welcome from the large blonde. But even he had been shocked by the older man's state of disarray. The dark circles around Zechs' eyes - the lines of strain around that pretty mouth - had little to do with anything he had done. Whatever happened must have been something major Duo guessed - and quite recent - for its toll on the older man to be so apparent. Zechs had always been a master of concealing his emotions behind a disaffected façade. What could have happened to so disorient the normally controlled aristocrat?

As he circled round to the couch again, the soft glint of glass caught Duo's eye. He bent, picking up the discarded liquor bottle. A cinnamon eyebrow rose. So that explained it… But Zechs drinking himself into a stupor? Something was seriously wrong here…

The braided youth plopped into an armchair and put his feet up.

Well, he guessed he'd just have to wait.


~~~


Zechs slumped back on the couch, staring disbelievingly at the young man opposite him. After his brutal separation from Heero, this was almost too much. The last thing he needed right now was the reappearance of an old lover - or the resurgent feelings that might accompany him. He had spent a long time trying to get over the violet-eyed youth. He had almost failed, but slowly, slowly, the pain had dulled - dwindling to a kind of resigned acceptance. --Even if occasionally he'd experienced a twinge of-- Hurt? -Regret?

And then had Heero walked into his life - and everything changed.

Did he still feel anything for Duo?

All of the old impressions returned of the impish young musician who had captured his heart. Duo had been new in town - a gifted inner city youth with a magnetic voice and a startling, improbable beauty. Zechs had been drawn by that beauty and by the younger man's fascinating, irresistible mix of jaded cynicism and innocence. It was the first time the large blonde had ever met someone - apart from Treize - who accepted everything that was Zechs.

Duo was a realist, someone who had learned early on that the world was cruel and unfair - and made no apologies for the things he had done to survive in it. And yet, there were things he had not experienced - things that Zechs found inexpressible joy in giving him. Like the simple luxuries of a lovingly prepared meal, of ice cream, and amusement parks, and days simply spent in wonderful idleness. He had shown Duo other things too. Like tenderness and affection - and that there *was * a difference between having sex and making love…

Then it all unraveled.

At first they had celebrated: Duo's talent had been recognized. An influential and deeply religious man, touched by Duo's determination - and himself raised from humble beginnings - had agreed to sponsor the youth's education. There was already talk of a place at Julliard - of recitals and dress rehearsals and a thousand other things the violet-eyed beauty had only dreamed of…

They were never sure exactly how it happened: through a wagging tongue or an indiscretion on their part-But in the end it hardly mattered. Their relationship was discovered. Duo's sponsor was deeply enraged - but convinced that the young man was reformable. An ultimatum was given: sever the "unholy" relationship with Zechs - or forfeit his scholarship.

Duo was torn - wrangled with the decision for many days - but he was always practical…

They said their goodbyes.


And now here he was. Familiar and oh so changed. The heart-shaped face was more defined - the soft cheeks and pointed chin having given way to the heavier, stubborn lines of masculinity. The chestnut braid was longer and thicker, the sensual lips fuller-And in the violet eyes, always playful and knowing, was the teenager of the past. But a sharpness also resided there now. Easy to miss, but present all the same.

--The same yet different.

Now only one question remained: Why had he come back?






Even so demoralized, Duo couldn't help but admire the beauty of the tall blonde. How could he have forgotten that tawny skin, the sleek muscles and all that pale, sexy hair? The years had only made Zechs more beautiful. All that grace and power… Now forever beyond his reach? The younger man wondered sadly.

Zechs' deep voice interrupted his musings.


"I hate to be rude Duo…but what are you doing here?"

What could he say? Duo wondered. That he'd done nothing but think about the man he had left behind four years ago? That now that he'd finally gained his independence he was hoping for another chance?

Instead, Duo smiled. He rested his feet on the low coffee table with deliberate negligence. "Well, I happened to be in the area, so I decided to stop by," he explained blithely.

Zechs' eyes narrowed impatiently. "Duo--"

The chestnut-haired man raised a slender palm. "Okay," he interrupted, "Not exactly the truth, but I'm beginning to think it's a good thing I got here when I did." Duo lifted the empty bottle. "I've never known you to go heavy on the liquor Z. What's wrong?"

Zechs rubbed his eyes wearily. "It's nothing-Nothing anyone can help me with anyway," he amended.

The other man frowned. "I doubt it. You know I always--"

Zechs rose abruptly. "I don't want to discuss this Duo. If you want to stay here, there's food in the fridge - and the guest room is yours. I'm turning in."

Duo stared open-mouthed at Zechs' broad back. His lips closed to a determined line. He * would * get to the bottom of this.








~~~



Heero turned restlessly in his bed. Everything was bathed in silence. Occasionally, the groans of the old house settling on its foundations disturbed the stillness, but no other signs of life stirred within. He was utterly alone.

After a day of cleaning out J's room, and returning the rented medical equipment that he had impossibly hoped would save the old man's life, he was exhausted. And yet, he still could not find sleep.

Just when he thought there was nothing left, hot tears burned behind his eyelids. J's face rose to greet him, mingling with Zechs': bitter, bitter reminders of betrayal. His own and the man's who had seen into the very heart of him - and tossed it away… But he had no one but himself to blame for it - and that was most painful of all.

Even now the traitorous yearning of his heart and the heat in his loins compounded it. He still wanted Zechs…

Disgust flooded him as he stumbled to the shower. Roughly he stripped and stepped under the icy spray. It stung his skin, beat down on his head and battered against his shoulders in a punishing rhythm.

And still he burned.

Of its own volition his hand eased between his legs, stroking the pulsing length there. His movements were deliberately hard - quick and mechanical. Nothing at all like Zechs' slow, teasing strokes that tortured and inflamed.

Still he could not banish the image of long blonde hair, of knowing fingers - and caring azure eyes…

Heero came abruptly, his release spattering against the tiles. With a stifled sob, he sank to his knees, clutching desperately at his sides. --Helpless, confused and unable to see for the tears that clouded his vision.




~~~



Heero was hovering over his bed, silky chocolate locks surrounded by a fuzzy halo of lamplight. His eyes were pained - heartbreakingly so - and Zechs vowed to erase the sadness he had put in those blue depths. It was a miracle that the dark beauty had even come to him amidst his sorrow. He would not waste this chance, Zechs swore. He would show Heero how much he meant to him - how much he loved him…

Slowly the blonde pulled his love towards him. Heero resisted, mumbled a protest, but not so much that Zechs wasn't able to tug the petite beauty onto the bed with him, rolling until Heero was lying beneath him - masculine and fragrant and just as beautiful as he remembered. Heero's clean familiar scent teased his nostrils. --Soap and skin and the spicy hint of musk that betrayed the younger man's arousal.

Intoxicated, the large blonde buried his face against the soft skin of his young lover's neck - inhaling the brunette's very essence. Heero squirmed, and twisted, but slowly, determinedly Zechs stoked his fires. He covered the lush mouth with his own, nibbled on the delicate hollow of his throat and softly Heero arched and moaned for him, losing himself to the intense passion that he fought so hard against.

Yes, Zechs thought heatedly as he unbuttoned his lover's shirt. This was how it was supposed to be between them….

He kissed the delicate indent between firm pectoral muscles. Nipped, the fleshy pads with his teeth then licked a soothing line along the firm muscle. Heero shifted restlessly, each lick and graze causing his flesh to jump.

Zechs grinned as Heero's tiny nipples puckered sweetly, knowing that they were his lover's weakness. So sensitive they were that he was almost positive that he could bring Heero to culmination with those dark peaks alone. Perhaps tonight he would prove it…

He showered the tender buds with attention - teasing with the calloused pads of his fingers then suckling lovingly on each until the brunette whimpered and quivered like a bow too tightly strung.

Overcome by the younger man's passion, Zechs pulled away, breathing Heero's name like a prayer. Husky and breathless it tumbled from his lips. He moaned.

"Heero…"

Lovingly his fingers moved to tangle in the Heero's dark, unruly hair…

Something was wrong. Instead of the short, silky strands he was expecting, he met long, heavy thickness, twisted at the top like a braid half unraveled.

Braid…

Immediately the older man awoke. Lying beneath him he found not a flushed and passionate Heero, but a half-undressed, desperately struggling Duo. Quickly he rolled away from the other man, breathing heavily as he struggled to control his own desire.

"Duo," he gasped hoarsely. "What are you doing in here?"

The indignant youth sat up and tossed the blonde an angry glare. "What am I doing here?" he sputtered heatedly. "After your warm welcome I decided to have a snack and then to turn in for the evening. --Maybe curl up with a good book or something," Duo explained. "I was walking past your room- heard mumbling and moaning and decided to check it out."

He shrugged derisively. "Remembering how bad you looked this afternoon I wanted to help. So I came over to the bed and tried to shake you out whatever nightmare you're having. Next thing I know, you're pulling me onto the bed--" Duo paused in his tirade.

" And calling me by another man's name."

Duo's long lashes lowered. When Zechs had tugged him onto to the bed and begun to stake a full out assault on his senses, he had been shocked to say the least. It had been a long time and Zechs was a skilful lover… He couldn't help responding to the other man's touch. But then he realized that the aristocratic man didn't know it was * Duo * he held so lovingly in his arms…

He was yearning for someone else.

When Zechs called out his dream lover's name it was enough. Duo Maxwell did not play second fiddle. He had pushed at the larger man with all the force he could muster, until finally, Zechs' hands in his hair seemed to bring the tall blonde to his senses.

He had suspected that Zechs might have moved on. In fact, he * knew * it was more than likely, but damn it he had * hoped*… For what, he wasn't sure. Maybe that the older man was dating sporadically…even perhaps involved in a semi-serious relationship…but what he had seen in Zechs eyes was not simple lust, nor even just tenderness. He * loved* this man in a way that Duo never hoped to experience… Not now.

Zechs was staring at him with a mixture of disbelief, embarrassment, and a painful regret buried in his eyes. Slowly regaining his composure, Duo settled into a sitting position next to the stunned blonde. He treated Zechs to a piercing look.

"Now do you want to tell me what's going on?"





~~~





Duo suppressed the painful tightening in his throat as Milliardo finished his tale. He knew the older man had held back, but what he had revealed was more than enough. And he couldn't help the surge of anger at the unknown man who had rejected what he so badly craved. But he was a big boy. If there was one thing Duo Maxwell knew how to do, it was survive. He could deal with this - and whatever else life tossed at him - he swore stubbornly.

He turned to Zechs with a fiery determination in his eyes. "So that's it?" he asked incredulously. "You're just going to give up without a fight?"

The blonde shook his head slowly, looking up at Duo with pained eyes. "You don't understand, Duo," he said mournfully. "Heero is-different. What I did hurt him a thousand times worse than it would have hurt somebody else. Getting him to open up to me was almost impossible. He fought so valiantly against it. But when he finally did--" Zechs closed his eyes - remembering Heero's heat and passion. A shudder raced through him. His eyes opened slowly.

"I destroyed his trust Duo," he explained bitterly. "And I don't think he'll ever be able to forgive that."

It was the braided youth's turn to shake his head exasperatedly. His eyes hardened with concealed pain. "So you made a mistake - now fix it," Duo demanded. " I won't lie to you Zechs," he said tightly. "I came back here hoping that there could still be something between us--"

Zechs opened his mouth to say something, but Duo silenced him with a raised hand.

"I was wrong," the singer said dully. "Whatever you felt for me is gone. Even I can see it--When you thought it was * him * lying beneath you, I saw the look in your eyes." Duo laughed bitterly. "You have never looked at me that way Zechs. Not even then--"

"Duo--"

"No, no," Duo laughed softly. "There's nothing no be sorry for. I should have known better anyway." His eyes locked with Zechs'. "I still want you Zechs," he admitted evenly. "Even after the complete bastard you've been today I would come to your bed if you asked me to." He continued, ignoring the other man's shocked expression.

"You might not love me," Duo grinned sensually, "But there was enough heat between us that I think you could want me again." He paused significantly. " In fact - I know it." The chestnut-haired beauty stood.

"So don't insult me by telling me that you don't want me - and then refusing to do whatever it takes to get this Heero back. If you love him then you damn well better do everything in your power to prove it." The long-legged brunette turned to walk jauntily away. He tossed his long braid over his shoulder.

"Because the next time you pull me into bed with you, you can bet that you'll know it's me."

He saluted the open-mouthed blonde. "Goodnight Zechs."