Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Into the Light ❯ Chapter 2
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: deathangel125 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Hentai / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.21.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 273 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Hentai / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 11.21.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 273 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: The G-boys and Gundam Wing don’t belong to me.
Warnings: Located in the first part. Be sure to look or you might be surprised.
Special note to TanithNight, I changed something in here, you should recognize it.
INTO THE LIGHT – PART 2
Opening the door, Duo studied the man on the other side intently. Polished shoes and a dark blue tie matched the grey suit perfectly. Blue eyes looked back at him through long lashes. The man’s sandy blonde hair was perfectly styled in a popular haircut. All in all, the man was drop-dead gorgeous, coiffed perfectly, and well-put together from his outfit to his golden tan. Duo hated the man on sight.
His hatred didn’t lessen any when the man spoke in cultured tones that spoke of private schooling in his background. “I’m looking for Trowa Barton? Is this the correct address?”
Concealing his extreme dislike, Duo held out a hand, fighting a smirk when there was a hesitation before it was shaken gingerly. “You must be Josh. Trowa’s told me a lot about you.”
“That’s good to know. You must be his roommate, Duo. I’ve heard a lot of you, as well.”
Wondering if Josh had asked about him, Duo made himself remember the few manners he had and performed the duty Trowa had done for him more than once. “It’s good to hear he doesn’t forget about me as soon as he leaves the house. Trowa will be down in a bit. He’s getting ready.”
“I am a few minutes early. The meeting I was in ended earlier than expected.”
There were many things Duo would do for Trowa’s sake, asking about that meeting didn’t come close to making the list. “Would you like a drink while you wait?”
“A glass of wine would be nice, if you have some.”
“Sure. Come on back to the kitchen. Trowa keep a supply of different wines. I prefer beer.”
“Yes, I’m sure you do.”
The comment was said softly and with a disdainful snort. “I beg your pardon?”
Josh flushed when Duo faced him in the kitchen. “Trowa told me you were a carpenter. I suppose I assumed you are a man of simple pleasures.”
Wanting nothing more than to punch Josh in his perfectly proportioned nose, most likely created with the help of a plastic surgeon, Duo clenched his teeth. He would do nothing to ruin the first real date Trowa had gone on in the two years they had lived together. “I guess I am, at that,” he saluted with his beer, setting it down to get the wine Trowa had been drinking earlier. “Is this okay? I don’t know anything about wine, to be honest. It’s one of Trowa’s favorites.”
After reading the label, Josh smiled, revealing perfectly straight teeth. “This will do nicely.” Once he had a glass in his hand, he swirled the liquid before smelling it, sighing before taking a tiny sip. The whole routine seemed pretentious to Duo, but he didn’t comment. “Do you have any hints for me?”
Duo blinked, “Huh?”
“About Trowa; is there something special to make the date go well? You should know some of the things he likes. You are his roommate, his straight roommate, but you should know something.”
He said the first thing that came to mind. “He likes to talk, but he’ll have to be drawn into a conversation. You’ll have to ask questions that need more than a yes or no answer or he’ll avoid them and let you do all the talking.”
“He likes to talk, but he doesn’t like to talk?”
Josh seemed baffled by the idea, though it made perfect sense to Duo. “Pretty much, yeah. He likes wine, so you could talk about that. He also likes old movies and he reads a lot. Try to avoid asking about his work, ‘cause you’ll just get a run-around. That should be enough to get you through dinner,” he nodded, pleased with himself. Not only had he kept himself from punching the man, he had given Josh several tips to ensure the date went well.
“There is one more thing I’d like to ask,” Josh smiled coyly over his glass, oozing charm that made Duo want to gag. “How do I put this delicately? Do you plan to be home tonight?”
Face set in stone, Duo raised a brow, hoping he was mistaken about what the man was insinuating. “I don’t have any plans for tonight,” he said flatly.
“That’s too bad. I was hoping to bring Trowa back here. I assumed he would be more comfortable at home the first time.”
The beer bottle almost slipped from Duo’s numb fingers, “More comfortable?”
Josh smiled again, this time with a predatory glint in his eyes, “Yes, but since you will be home, I can take him to my place.”
“Exactly what do you want to take him there for?”
“The usual reasons; even you know the outcome of a date if it goes well, but I dare say your dates have less class than Trowa does.”
“You want to take Trowa to your home so you can have sex with him?” Duo ignored the insult Josh aimed at him, but he couldn’t let the matter slide entirely. “Don’t you think he has more class than to sleep with someone on the first date?”
“You may be right, but I can be very convincing when I want to be. I wouldn’t waste my charm on someone like you, but I believe Trowa will appreciate it.”
The bottle crashed to the counter as Duo let it go, wrapping his hands around the granite surface so he didn’t gouge Josh’s superior eyes out of his tanned face. “After dinner, you will bring Trowa home then you will leave. He will not be sleeping with you.”
“I believe that decision is mine to make, Duo, not yours,” Trowa said softly from the doorway. Green eyes turned to his date, offering a smile of apology. “You’ll have to excuse my roommate. He can be protective at times. I’m sorry you had to wait.”
“It was well worth it,” Josh left his glass on the table, walking over to Trowa and skimming a hand down the sleeve of the slate-gray silk shirt. “You look fabulous.”
Duo had to agree. The shirt made Trowa’s eyes seem more brilliant and the black slacks clung to the muscled legs nicely. In order to get that out of his head, Duo waved a hand at Josh, “You’re really going to go out with him?”
Eyes on Duo, Trowa spoke quietly, “Josh, do you mind if I take a moment to talk to my roommate?”
“I’ll wait for you in the car. Hurry or we’ll be late.” Josh sent a smug expression to Duo as he breezed out of the kitchen.
Trowa waited until he heard the door close before demanding, “What the hell is your problem, Duo? First you play twenty questions and then you insult my date.”
“He insulted me, too,” he argued, hurt by the accusation. “I don’t like him.”
“I didn’t like a great deal of your dates, but I’ve always been polite.”
“I know and I’m sorry I wasn’t polite…sort of. He started it.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Duo came dangerously close to pouting. “Didn’t you hear what he said? He wants you to sleep with him. He actually thinks you will after dinner.”
“Who said I wouldn’t?”
Jaw in danger of hitting the floor, Duo stared at the other man in shock, “You don’t mean that.”
“Contrary to what you seem to believe, I am not a monk. I happen to enjoy sex as much as any other man; I just don’t have as many opportunities as you do.” Something on Duo’s face had the tall man hissing in irritation. “I don’t know if I’ll sleep with him, Duo. The choice is mine and mine alone. What exactly is it about Josh you don’t like?”
“He’s too perfect. His teeth are too white, his hair to styled, his speech too polished…I don’t like a damn thing about him. He’s judgmental,” Duo’s nose crinkled as he recalled the insults. “But I’m just a simple person of simple pleasures.”
Trowa blinked, “He said that?”
“Among other things; it’s true, so who am I to argue? He’s just…wrong for you, Trowa. You need someone else, someone…” he trailed off, the words ‘someone like me’ almost coming from his mouth. “Someone that’s not so uppity,” he amended lamely.
“Duo, it’s only dinner. I’m doubtful there will be anything afterward, but I can’t guarantee it. Josh may not be exactly what I would ask for in a perfect date, but he is breathing and interested in me. Gay beggars can’t be choosers.”
“You deserve better.”
Trowa smiled at the petulant reply. “I’ll take what I can get. There’s some leftover stew in the fridge you can heat up for dinner. I have to go.”
Duo stayed where he was even after Trowa left before going to the fridge. He took out the stew Trowa had made for dinner the night before and then replaced it, realizing his appetite was non-existent. He wanted to hope Trowa had a good time, but couldn’t force himself to and he didn’t think it was all because of Josh.
Closing the fridge, he went for another beer, only to put it back in the chiller as he admitted to himself he would have despised anyone that had come to the house. Josh had been too polished in his opinion, but even if the man had been a better fit for Trowa, Duo would have hated him. Recalling the words that had nearly slipped out, he shook his head and made his way to the liquor cabinet, always kept stocked for company.
Pushing the more expensive bottles aside Quatre and Wufei seemed to prefer, Duo grabbed the unopened bottle of Jim Bean and eyed it. Making his decision, he carefully replaced the unwanted bottles in the cabinet and went to his room, prepared to spend the evening alone, drowning his sorrows.
Not bothering with a glass, he broke the seal and turned the bottle up, coughing as fire burned a line from this throat to his stomach. Going to his phone, he checked the messages, letting them play as he stripped his clothes and tossed them into a pile of dirty laundry in the corner of the room.
“Duo, this is Cheryl, from LaPaz? I haven’t heard from you in a while and was wondering if you wanted to get together again sometime. You have my number if you do.”
“It’s Madison. I don’t have to work this weekend after all, so if you don’t have any other plans…” Duo erased the message, going to the next.
“Carly here. My boyfriend’s out of town and I was hoping…”
“Hello, Duo. This is Alexis. I’m going to the club tonight with some friends if you want to tag alone. We’ll be at Gemstone around seven-thirty. Hope to see…”
“It’s your Destiny, Duo. I’m all alone and bored…”
There were more messages from other women he had briefly dated, or just went out as friends a few times, all of them more than willing to spend an evening, or a full weekend, entertaining him in a variety of ways. He had taken some of them up on similar offers before, but the idea didn’t appeal to him at all tonight.
It was ironic, really. He had grown tired of the women he dated lately, finding them easy to be with, yet not interesting. He had been stunned when his last date had ended badly the weekend before, the woman telling him he was more interested in talking about his roommate than paying any attention to her. At first the notion had been appalling. The more he thought about it, however, he had discovered she was right. That night after taking her home, he had vowed to take some time off from the constant carousel of women that spun through his life, hoping to learn what he really wanted from a partner.
The seemingly never-ending bad luck had struck again while at work as he was listing properties and traits he would look for, from then on, in a possible mate. He had been detailing a high-backed chair with his signature scrollwork, something that had gotten his furniture written up in a number of magazines, when he had realized every characteristic he was planning to look for described his very own roommate perfectly. The shock had him jerking the scroll saw and he had barely managed to avoid destroying the seat with his surprise.
That entire day he had forced himself to closely examine the way he felt toward Trowa, comparing it to his feelings about other people. First, he thought about the other pilots before discarding them as a comparison tool, he was still working hard to trust them after their careless abandonment and though they remained friends, each interaction between him and Heero, Wufei, and Quatre was strained and often awkward.
He tried to use Hilde for only a moment before realizing that wasn’t a good idea. Hilde had been his closest friend and confidant before she had turned on him, leading to the most horrific night of his life. There was a lot of resentment there, so that wouldn’t work. It had also been a shock to understand their relationship had been based on give-and-take. He had given everything and Hilde had taken it all and demanded more.
Contemplating his friendship with Howard had been pointless, as theirs was much more of a family connection, the older man considering Duo and Trowa as sons instead of friends. Digging farther into his past he had thought of other friends he could use as a baseline, giving up when he figured out how different he was now.
Fearing what he could learn about himself, he had dismissed the idea entirely, willing to wait as long as possible before he had to interpret how he felt toward the tall man that had been there in his darkest hours, willing to bear any burden Duo heaped on him without complaint.
Seeing his own face in the mirror, Duo abruptly realized he was brooding. For a few seconds, he debated calling one of the women he knew, shaking his head when the idea still wasn’t appealing. Watching TV held no interest, either, when he was alone. It was more fun to watch shows with Trowa so they could comment on the acting, characters, or plot.
The idle thought had him going to the bathroom, where he filled the tub with water, hoping that soaking in hot water would help ease the ache in his shoulders. Since the silence of the house was threatening to drive him insane, he turned on the small radio in his bedroom, letting recent hits fill the air. Taking the bottle with him, he settled into the bath with a sigh, letting his eyes fall shut and enjoying the buzz from the alcohol.
Several more gulps from the quickly dwindling whiskey and Duo was pleasantly drunk. Staring at the rubber ducky Trowa had gotten him as a joke, he snickered drunkenly, “What you starin’ at, Tro-ducky? Never seen a man wallow in self-pity and denial before?” Understanding his own words had him frowning, “Denial? What am I denial-ing about?”
When Tro-ducky grinned back at him, blue eyes twinkling evilly in his little yellow head, Duo decided he’d gone completely nuts, upgrading his condition to bonkers when the duck spoke in a squeaky voice, “That doesn’t even deserve an answer. Not too many things for you to hide from these days.”
“So what? I’m real good at hiding.”
He swore the duck rolled its eyes at him. “You can’t hide from yourself, you moron. You can’t hide how you feel from yourself.”
Duo pouted, sticking out a lip and gripping the neck of the bottle tightly. “I can, too. Just watch me.”
“You don’t feel anything for Trowa?”
“Of course I do. He’s the only person I can count on. He was there for me when I did this,” he lifted one arm to expose the long scar he had refused to have fixed, wanting the reminder.
“So, it’s simple gratitude you feel. That’s no big deal.”
Forgetting he was supposed to be agreeing, Duo slumped in the tub, water covering his shoulders. “That’s not all. I’m glad he helped me, but it’s more than that. It’s hard to explain.”
“Tell me what you think about him?” Tro-ducky asked, a small pair of glasses appearing on his beak, like Duo had always imagined a psychiatrist would wear during a session.
“He’s got a great sense of humor. It takes some work to make him use it, but when he does…he has a great laugh,” he added, falling silent as he recalled the low laugh in his mind.
“Um-hum. What else?”
“We like a lot of the same things and he’s great at sports. He can play a mean game of basketball. Whooped my ass last time we played. I’ve seen him play soccer with the Preventers league team, too. Those longs legs move like hell down a field. Nobody else has a chance of keeping up with him.” Duo frowned, “Betcha Josh doesn’t play normal sports. He probably plays tennis and racquet ball.”
“Basketball is for simple people that can’t appreciate the subtleties of a rousing rugby game,” Josh sneered down at him from behind Tro-ducky’s place on the shelf.
“What the hell do you know about it? You’re too good to play regular sports, right? Never worked a full day in your life, have you?” he demanded, sitting up.
“I work every day, but not your type of work. I’m too smart to have a common job the way you do; a carpenter, of all things.”
“At least I earn my paycheck doing actual labor. Can’t imagine you with a callous on your pretty, manicured hands.”
Tiny Josh looked at his hands, apparently horrified at the very notion. After a moment he beamed a smile at Duo, his teeth almost blindingly white. “Everyone has their own talents and places in life, I suppose. People like you are necessary to people like me so we don’t have to get our hands dirty. Is it my job that makes you feel threatened by me, Duo?”
“You don’t threaten me.”
Tro-ducky made a small sound of disagreement as Josh sat on its broad yellow back. “Are you so sure about that? You aren’t intimidated by Josh at all?”
“He doesn’t bother me. He’s nothing but a pampered priss-ass that had the proper schooling. What could be intimidating about that? His perfect hair and manicures are nothing to me.”
Josh began to laugh at his denial, wrapping his arms around Tro-ducky’s short neck. “It doesn’t bother you that while you marinate in your own filth I’m out with Trowa, having a conversation over dinner; unless, of course, we decided to skip dinner all together.”
Feeling smug, Duo shook his head and drank deeply from the bottle. “I know Trowa and he won’t sleep with anyone on the first date. He’s not like that.”
“I’m sure he believed the same thing about you,” commented Tro-ducky, raising eyebrows that weren’t there before. “And you’ve slept with a number of people on the first date, haven’t you?”
Now unsure, Duo tried to cross his arms, stopping when he nearly hit himself in the face with the bottle. “I haven’t slept with as many as everyone thinks, you know. There’ve been a lot of times when we just hang out.”
“That may be true, but you’ve let everyone assume you sleep with all those women, including Trowa. Is it because you need to affirm your masculinity?”
“That’s stupid,” he muttered, wondering the same thing. After what had happened to him, he had needed to prove those men hadn’t taken more than his beloved hair, the symbol of his own independence and freedom.
“Well dear, simple, Duo. I’ll make you a deal,” Josh simpered as he leered at Duo from over Tro-ducky’s head. “You bed all the women you want and I’ll take care of Trowa. I’m sure he won’t mind the arrangement.”
“You stay away from Trowa, you pompous wind-bag. He doesn’t need you when he has -” his lips clamped shut, holding the last word in, afraid what it might mean.
The duck shook its head sadly while Josh broke into laughter, “Someone like you?” he squealed in delight, leaning on the duck for support. “Why in the world would he choose you over me? I have schooling, money, charm and a taste for the finer things in life. You? You’d rather sit around with a burger and a beer, watching a ballgame on TV than go out and treat him to the things he deserves.” Josh’s laughter disappeared abruptly, eyes pinning Duo coldly, “Why would you think he wanted you?”
Shaken more than he wanted to admit, Duo swallowed hard, “He told me he did.”
“Pffft. That was two years ago. He never said anything about it after you moved in, did he? Not once did he treat you differently or say anything that could be misleading. He probably said all of that just to make you feel better, if he even said it at all.”
“It didn’t make me feel better,” Duo remembered. He had been confused and sad when he had understood the depth of the other man’s feelings, but he hadn’t felt better.
“He probably just felt that why while he was with you. After getting away, he changed his mind when he figured out you were damaged goods.”
“Don’t say that,” Duo warned, frowning when the words came out shaky. “He wouldn’t think like that.”
“What explanation do you have, then? That’s he’s been in love with you all this time and simply forgot to bring it up? That’s foolish, even for someone like you.” Josh studied his fingernails, “Besides, he never actually said he loved you, did he? You just assumed that’s what he meant. He never said those three little words. Is that what has you so upset? Are you afraid he’ll say them to me instead of you?”
“It’s not like that.”
Tro-ducky gave him a look of understanding, ignoring the way Josh lounged against his side. “You can’t hide from yourself, Duo.”
“You go right ahead and deny it. I’ll make sure Trowa is occupied while you do that.”
Unable to take anymore, Duo slung the bottle at the shelf Tro-ducky sat on, who gave him a surprised look. Josh, the little blonde bastard, disappeared with an evil laugh the instant before the bottle smashed against the tiled wall, exploding into a hundred pieces that rained back down on him with the little remaining liquid. His body numb from the whiskey, Duo could only watch as the thick glass bottom aimed right for him. His head snapped back on impact, briefly feeling his skin get torn apart before he blacked out.
< br>
Warnings: Located in the first part. Be sure to look or you might be surprised.
Special note to TanithNight, I changed something in here, you should recognize it.
INTO THE LIGHT – PART 2
Opening the door, Duo studied the man on the other side intently. Polished shoes and a dark blue tie matched the grey suit perfectly. Blue eyes looked back at him through long lashes. The man’s sandy blonde hair was perfectly styled in a popular haircut. All in all, the man was drop-dead gorgeous, coiffed perfectly, and well-put together from his outfit to his golden tan. Duo hated the man on sight.
His hatred didn’t lessen any when the man spoke in cultured tones that spoke of private schooling in his background. “I’m looking for Trowa Barton? Is this the correct address?”
Concealing his extreme dislike, Duo held out a hand, fighting a smirk when there was a hesitation before it was shaken gingerly. “You must be Josh. Trowa’s told me a lot about you.”
“That’s good to know. You must be his roommate, Duo. I’ve heard a lot of you, as well.”
Wondering if Josh had asked about him, Duo made himself remember the few manners he had and performed the duty Trowa had done for him more than once. “It’s good to hear he doesn’t forget about me as soon as he leaves the house. Trowa will be down in a bit. He’s getting ready.”
“I am a few minutes early. The meeting I was in ended earlier than expected.”
There were many things Duo would do for Trowa’s sake, asking about that meeting didn’t come close to making the list. “Would you like a drink while you wait?”
“A glass of wine would be nice, if you have some.”
“Sure. Come on back to the kitchen. Trowa keep a supply of different wines. I prefer beer.”
“Yes, I’m sure you do.”
The comment was said softly and with a disdainful snort. “I beg your pardon?”
Josh flushed when Duo faced him in the kitchen. “Trowa told me you were a carpenter. I suppose I assumed you are a man of simple pleasures.”
Wanting nothing more than to punch Josh in his perfectly proportioned nose, most likely created with the help of a plastic surgeon, Duo clenched his teeth. He would do nothing to ruin the first real date Trowa had gone on in the two years they had lived together. “I guess I am, at that,” he saluted with his beer, setting it down to get the wine Trowa had been drinking earlier. “Is this okay? I don’t know anything about wine, to be honest. It’s one of Trowa’s favorites.”
After reading the label, Josh smiled, revealing perfectly straight teeth. “This will do nicely.” Once he had a glass in his hand, he swirled the liquid before smelling it, sighing before taking a tiny sip. The whole routine seemed pretentious to Duo, but he didn’t comment. “Do you have any hints for me?”
Duo blinked, “Huh?”
“About Trowa; is there something special to make the date go well? You should know some of the things he likes. You are his roommate, his straight roommate, but you should know something.”
He said the first thing that came to mind. “He likes to talk, but he’ll have to be drawn into a conversation. You’ll have to ask questions that need more than a yes or no answer or he’ll avoid them and let you do all the talking.”
“He likes to talk, but he doesn’t like to talk?”
Josh seemed baffled by the idea, though it made perfect sense to Duo. “Pretty much, yeah. He likes wine, so you could talk about that. He also likes old movies and he reads a lot. Try to avoid asking about his work, ‘cause you’ll just get a run-around. That should be enough to get you through dinner,” he nodded, pleased with himself. Not only had he kept himself from punching the man, he had given Josh several tips to ensure the date went well.
“There is one more thing I’d like to ask,” Josh smiled coyly over his glass, oozing charm that made Duo want to gag. “How do I put this delicately? Do you plan to be home tonight?”
Face set in stone, Duo raised a brow, hoping he was mistaken about what the man was insinuating. “I don’t have any plans for tonight,” he said flatly.
“That’s too bad. I was hoping to bring Trowa back here. I assumed he would be more comfortable at home the first time.”
The beer bottle almost slipped from Duo’s numb fingers, “More comfortable?”
Josh smiled again, this time with a predatory glint in his eyes, “Yes, but since you will be home, I can take him to my place.”
“Exactly what do you want to take him there for?”
“The usual reasons; even you know the outcome of a date if it goes well, but I dare say your dates have less class than Trowa does.”
“You want to take Trowa to your home so you can have sex with him?” Duo ignored the insult Josh aimed at him, but he couldn’t let the matter slide entirely. “Don’t you think he has more class than to sleep with someone on the first date?”
“You may be right, but I can be very convincing when I want to be. I wouldn’t waste my charm on someone like you, but I believe Trowa will appreciate it.”
The bottle crashed to the counter as Duo let it go, wrapping his hands around the granite surface so he didn’t gouge Josh’s superior eyes out of his tanned face. “After dinner, you will bring Trowa home then you will leave. He will not be sleeping with you.”
“I believe that decision is mine to make, Duo, not yours,” Trowa said softly from the doorway. Green eyes turned to his date, offering a smile of apology. “You’ll have to excuse my roommate. He can be protective at times. I’m sorry you had to wait.”
“It was well worth it,” Josh left his glass on the table, walking over to Trowa and skimming a hand down the sleeve of the slate-gray silk shirt. “You look fabulous.”
Duo had to agree. The shirt made Trowa’s eyes seem more brilliant and the black slacks clung to the muscled legs nicely. In order to get that out of his head, Duo waved a hand at Josh, “You’re really going to go out with him?”
Eyes on Duo, Trowa spoke quietly, “Josh, do you mind if I take a moment to talk to my roommate?”
“I’ll wait for you in the car. Hurry or we’ll be late.” Josh sent a smug expression to Duo as he breezed out of the kitchen.
Trowa waited until he heard the door close before demanding, “What the hell is your problem, Duo? First you play twenty questions and then you insult my date.”
“He insulted me, too,” he argued, hurt by the accusation. “I don’t like him.”
“I didn’t like a great deal of your dates, but I’ve always been polite.”
“I know and I’m sorry I wasn’t polite…sort of. He started it.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Duo came dangerously close to pouting. “Didn’t you hear what he said? He wants you to sleep with him. He actually thinks you will after dinner.”
“Who said I wouldn’t?”
Jaw in danger of hitting the floor, Duo stared at the other man in shock, “You don’t mean that.”
“Contrary to what you seem to believe, I am not a monk. I happen to enjoy sex as much as any other man; I just don’t have as many opportunities as you do.” Something on Duo’s face had the tall man hissing in irritation. “I don’t know if I’ll sleep with him, Duo. The choice is mine and mine alone. What exactly is it about Josh you don’t like?”
“He’s too perfect. His teeth are too white, his hair to styled, his speech too polished…I don’t like a damn thing about him. He’s judgmental,” Duo’s nose crinkled as he recalled the insults. “But I’m just a simple person of simple pleasures.”
Trowa blinked, “He said that?”
“Among other things; it’s true, so who am I to argue? He’s just…wrong for you, Trowa. You need someone else, someone…” he trailed off, the words ‘someone like me’ almost coming from his mouth. “Someone that’s not so uppity,” he amended lamely.
“Duo, it’s only dinner. I’m doubtful there will be anything afterward, but I can’t guarantee it. Josh may not be exactly what I would ask for in a perfect date, but he is breathing and interested in me. Gay beggars can’t be choosers.”
“You deserve better.”
Trowa smiled at the petulant reply. “I’ll take what I can get. There’s some leftover stew in the fridge you can heat up for dinner. I have to go.”
Duo stayed where he was even after Trowa left before going to the fridge. He took out the stew Trowa had made for dinner the night before and then replaced it, realizing his appetite was non-existent. He wanted to hope Trowa had a good time, but couldn’t force himself to and he didn’t think it was all because of Josh.
Closing the fridge, he went for another beer, only to put it back in the chiller as he admitted to himself he would have despised anyone that had come to the house. Josh had been too polished in his opinion, but even if the man had been a better fit for Trowa, Duo would have hated him. Recalling the words that had nearly slipped out, he shook his head and made his way to the liquor cabinet, always kept stocked for company.
Pushing the more expensive bottles aside Quatre and Wufei seemed to prefer, Duo grabbed the unopened bottle of Jim Bean and eyed it. Making his decision, he carefully replaced the unwanted bottles in the cabinet and went to his room, prepared to spend the evening alone, drowning his sorrows.
Not bothering with a glass, he broke the seal and turned the bottle up, coughing as fire burned a line from this throat to his stomach. Going to his phone, he checked the messages, letting them play as he stripped his clothes and tossed them into a pile of dirty laundry in the corner of the room.
“Duo, this is Cheryl, from LaPaz? I haven’t heard from you in a while and was wondering if you wanted to get together again sometime. You have my number if you do.”
“It’s Madison. I don’t have to work this weekend after all, so if you don’t have any other plans…” Duo erased the message, going to the next.
“Carly here. My boyfriend’s out of town and I was hoping…”
“Hello, Duo. This is Alexis. I’m going to the club tonight with some friends if you want to tag alone. We’ll be at Gemstone around seven-thirty. Hope to see…”
“It’s your Destiny, Duo. I’m all alone and bored…”
There were more messages from other women he had briefly dated, or just went out as friends a few times, all of them more than willing to spend an evening, or a full weekend, entertaining him in a variety of ways. He had taken some of them up on similar offers before, but the idea didn’t appeal to him at all tonight.
It was ironic, really. He had grown tired of the women he dated lately, finding them easy to be with, yet not interesting. He had been stunned when his last date had ended badly the weekend before, the woman telling him he was more interested in talking about his roommate than paying any attention to her. At first the notion had been appalling. The more he thought about it, however, he had discovered she was right. That night after taking her home, he had vowed to take some time off from the constant carousel of women that spun through his life, hoping to learn what he really wanted from a partner.
The seemingly never-ending bad luck had struck again while at work as he was listing properties and traits he would look for, from then on, in a possible mate. He had been detailing a high-backed chair with his signature scrollwork, something that had gotten his furniture written up in a number of magazines, when he had realized every characteristic he was planning to look for described his very own roommate perfectly. The shock had him jerking the scroll saw and he had barely managed to avoid destroying the seat with his surprise.
That entire day he had forced himself to closely examine the way he felt toward Trowa, comparing it to his feelings about other people. First, he thought about the other pilots before discarding them as a comparison tool, he was still working hard to trust them after their careless abandonment and though they remained friends, each interaction between him and Heero, Wufei, and Quatre was strained and often awkward.
He tried to use Hilde for only a moment before realizing that wasn’t a good idea. Hilde had been his closest friend and confidant before she had turned on him, leading to the most horrific night of his life. There was a lot of resentment there, so that wouldn’t work. It had also been a shock to understand their relationship had been based on give-and-take. He had given everything and Hilde had taken it all and demanded more.
Contemplating his friendship with Howard had been pointless, as theirs was much more of a family connection, the older man considering Duo and Trowa as sons instead of friends. Digging farther into his past he had thought of other friends he could use as a baseline, giving up when he figured out how different he was now.
Fearing what he could learn about himself, he had dismissed the idea entirely, willing to wait as long as possible before he had to interpret how he felt toward the tall man that had been there in his darkest hours, willing to bear any burden Duo heaped on him without complaint.
Seeing his own face in the mirror, Duo abruptly realized he was brooding. For a few seconds, he debated calling one of the women he knew, shaking his head when the idea still wasn’t appealing. Watching TV held no interest, either, when he was alone. It was more fun to watch shows with Trowa so they could comment on the acting, characters, or plot.
The idle thought had him going to the bathroom, where he filled the tub with water, hoping that soaking in hot water would help ease the ache in his shoulders. Since the silence of the house was threatening to drive him insane, he turned on the small radio in his bedroom, letting recent hits fill the air. Taking the bottle with him, he settled into the bath with a sigh, letting his eyes fall shut and enjoying the buzz from the alcohol.
Several more gulps from the quickly dwindling whiskey and Duo was pleasantly drunk. Staring at the rubber ducky Trowa had gotten him as a joke, he snickered drunkenly, “What you starin’ at, Tro-ducky? Never seen a man wallow in self-pity and denial before?” Understanding his own words had him frowning, “Denial? What am I denial-ing about?”
When Tro-ducky grinned back at him, blue eyes twinkling evilly in his little yellow head, Duo decided he’d gone completely nuts, upgrading his condition to bonkers when the duck spoke in a squeaky voice, “That doesn’t even deserve an answer. Not too many things for you to hide from these days.”
“So what? I’m real good at hiding.”
He swore the duck rolled its eyes at him. “You can’t hide from yourself, you moron. You can’t hide how you feel from yourself.”
Duo pouted, sticking out a lip and gripping the neck of the bottle tightly. “I can, too. Just watch me.”
“You don’t feel anything for Trowa?”
“Of course I do. He’s the only person I can count on. He was there for me when I did this,” he lifted one arm to expose the long scar he had refused to have fixed, wanting the reminder.
“So, it’s simple gratitude you feel. That’s no big deal.”
Forgetting he was supposed to be agreeing, Duo slumped in the tub, water covering his shoulders. “That’s not all. I’m glad he helped me, but it’s more than that. It’s hard to explain.”
“Tell me what you think about him?” Tro-ducky asked, a small pair of glasses appearing on his beak, like Duo had always imagined a psychiatrist would wear during a session.
“He’s got a great sense of humor. It takes some work to make him use it, but when he does…he has a great laugh,” he added, falling silent as he recalled the low laugh in his mind.
“Um-hum. What else?”
“We like a lot of the same things and he’s great at sports. He can play a mean game of basketball. Whooped my ass last time we played. I’ve seen him play soccer with the Preventers league team, too. Those longs legs move like hell down a field. Nobody else has a chance of keeping up with him.” Duo frowned, “Betcha Josh doesn’t play normal sports. He probably plays tennis and racquet ball.”
“Basketball is for simple people that can’t appreciate the subtleties of a rousing rugby game,” Josh sneered down at him from behind Tro-ducky’s place on the shelf.
“What the hell do you know about it? You’re too good to play regular sports, right? Never worked a full day in your life, have you?” he demanded, sitting up.
“I work every day, but not your type of work. I’m too smart to have a common job the way you do; a carpenter, of all things.”
“At least I earn my paycheck doing actual labor. Can’t imagine you with a callous on your pretty, manicured hands.”
Tiny Josh looked at his hands, apparently horrified at the very notion. After a moment he beamed a smile at Duo, his teeth almost blindingly white. “Everyone has their own talents and places in life, I suppose. People like you are necessary to people like me so we don’t have to get our hands dirty. Is it my job that makes you feel threatened by me, Duo?”
“You don’t threaten me.”
Tro-ducky made a small sound of disagreement as Josh sat on its broad yellow back. “Are you so sure about that? You aren’t intimidated by Josh at all?”
“He doesn’t bother me. He’s nothing but a pampered priss-ass that had the proper schooling. What could be intimidating about that? His perfect hair and manicures are nothing to me.”
Josh began to laugh at his denial, wrapping his arms around Tro-ducky’s short neck. “It doesn’t bother you that while you marinate in your own filth I’m out with Trowa, having a conversation over dinner; unless, of course, we decided to skip dinner all together.”
Feeling smug, Duo shook his head and drank deeply from the bottle. “I know Trowa and he won’t sleep with anyone on the first date. He’s not like that.”
“I’m sure he believed the same thing about you,” commented Tro-ducky, raising eyebrows that weren’t there before. “And you’ve slept with a number of people on the first date, haven’t you?”
Now unsure, Duo tried to cross his arms, stopping when he nearly hit himself in the face with the bottle. “I haven’t slept with as many as everyone thinks, you know. There’ve been a lot of times when we just hang out.”
“That may be true, but you’ve let everyone assume you sleep with all those women, including Trowa. Is it because you need to affirm your masculinity?”
“That’s stupid,” he muttered, wondering the same thing. After what had happened to him, he had needed to prove those men hadn’t taken more than his beloved hair, the symbol of his own independence and freedom.
“Well dear, simple, Duo. I’ll make you a deal,” Josh simpered as he leered at Duo from over Tro-ducky’s head. “You bed all the women you want and I’ll take care of Trowa. I’m sure he won’t mind the arrangement.”
“You stay away from Trowa, you pompous wind-bag. He doesn’t need you when he has -” his lips clamped shut, holding the last word in, afraid what it might mean.
The duck shook its head sadly while Josh broke into laughter, “Someone like you?” he squealed in delight, leaning on the duck for support. “Why in the world would he choose you over me? I have schooling, money, charm and a taste for the finer things in life. You? You’d rather sit around with a burger and a beer, watching a ballgame on TV than go out and treat him to the things he deserves.” Josh’s laughter disappeared abruptly, eyes pinning Duo coldly, “Why would you think he wanted you?”
Shaken more than he wanted to admit, Duo swallowed hard, “He told me he did.”
“Pffft. That was two years ago. He never said anything about it after you moved in, did he? Not once did he treat you differently or say anything that could be misleading. He probably said all of that just to make you feel better, if he even said it at all.”
“It didn’t make me feel better,” Duo remembered. He had been confused and sad when he had understood the depth of the other man’s feelings, but he hadn’t felt better.
“He probably just felt that why while he was with you. After getting away, he changed his mind when he figured out you were damaged goods.”
“Don’t say that,” Duo warned, frowning when the words came out shaky. “He wouldn’t think like that.”
“What explanation do you have, then? That’s he’s been in love with you all this time and simply forgot to bring it up? That’s foolish, even for someone like you.” Josh studied his fingernails, “Besides, he never actually said he loved you, did he? You just assumed that’s what he meant. He never said those three little words. Is that what has you so upset? Are you afraid he’ll say them to me instead of you?”
“It’s not like that.”
Tro-ducky gave him a look of understanding, ignoring the way Josh lounged against his side. “You can’t hide from yourself, Duo.”
“You go right ahead and deny it. I’ll make sure Trowa is occupied while you do that.”
Unable to take anymore, Duo slung the bottle at the shelf Tro-ducky sat on, who gave him a surprised look. Josh, the little blonde bastard, disappeared with an evil laugh the instant before the bottle smashed against the tiled wall, exploding into a hundred pieces that rained back down on him with the little remaining liquid. His body numb from the whiskey, Duo could only watch as the thick glass bottom aimed right for him. His head snapped back on impact, briefly feeling his skin get torn apart before he blacked out.
< br>