Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Curse of Dark Shadows ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three:

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By the time Duo took care of his animals - he dropped a one-week feeder tablet into the goldfishes tank- and packed his bags along with a scant but un moldy lunch, the day was half gone.

Of course, he wouldn't or rather couldn't admit to himself that spending thirty minutes in the shower was what really did him in. The culprit behind the extended cleansing ritual was, Heero Yuy.

He conjured up Heero of six years ago. Duo could still see the man as he was; his hair dark and thick and unruly, teeth whiter than the girl who advertised tooth polish. And it was just such an image that chose to appear to Duo in the hot shower.

Tall and gangly, not nearly as filled out then as he was now. Both of them were secreted in the library of the Preventers New York division. The lights were a cliched' low, so that just the bright glare of the computer screen illuminated the men. Duo had turned and caught his partner in a quiet moment of contemplative thought. Heero's face was relaxed and his large blue eyes, made prussian by the electronic lighting, stared unblinking into the screen.

Duo, under the safety of the hot spray, stroked his nipples until they stood erect. Then he drew his soapy finger-tips down his chest, imagining that they were Heero's fingers touching him.

He recalled the conversation that the two had had that day in the library. How husky Heero's voice was. Duo had noticed that Heero was sitting close, too close, and his cock had stirred to a semi-erection. Duo, instead of leaning away from him, had leaned closer and made an inane comment about whom they should seek out next.

Duo gently fondled his testicles. They were low hanging from the warmth of the shower and when he kneaded them, they instantly turned hard and tightened up. He held his own erection in one hand as he stroked his balls, pretending that Heero was on his knees before him licking him on the underside of his testes. Duo pulled on his cock furiously and switched from stroking his sack to squeezing it. Now Heero was deep throating him, and Duo pretended that Heero's eyes were wide open and staring up at him…warm water gently trickling down the man's temples, cascading over his long lashes like warmed icicles melting in the afternoon sun….

At that image, Duo yelled "Heero" and came. The soap dish and a half-empty shampoo bottle the only witnesses to his lusty absolutions.

~O~

Now finally, he was on the road again and headed for Collinsport for the third, and hopefully final time.

Duo turned his overactive brain away from his former partner to the legends that were told about the mansion. While driving, Duo's mind slowly meandered from the legends to the ghosts who were supposedly to be haunting the elderly grounds. Over the years, he'd heard many tales.

One ghost story that never failed to intrigue him was the one about Jamison Collins and his mysterious lover. Forbidden to be together, Jamison and his lover would sneak away from their rooms at night to meet for clandestine rendezvous. So passionate, so loving was the secret romance, it was said that the night stars in the heavens above twinkled high over head only for them, in celebration of their love. The rumors ran rampant as too actually *who* this secret paramour of Jamison's could be, Duo suspected that rather than a woman, like most assumed, that it more likely a male lover, thus all the secrecy. Which would also explain why a perfectly eligible bachelor was not courting a known young woman from the town.

The secret woman, was a man. No doubt a lovely male, and of considerably `less' good breeding.

Duo smiled at that, Jamison's lover sounded very much like Heero Yuy. At the thought of Heero, Duo's insides twitched and he felt a `rush' in the center of his belly. He was glad that Quatre was not with him right now, for he would have asked him all sorts of questions. Starting with the most obvious, `Why are you blushing Duo?' and then followed with a `Why is your cock tenting your khaki cargoes?'

Switching on the radio in a determined effort to get the man out of his head, Duo found an all news station and tuned it in. The miles were ticking off rapidly and with them, the daylight hours. According to the weather report, a storm was expected to hit the coast of New England. The residents of the many villages that stamped the coastal regions of the state, Collinsport included, could expect thunder, lightening and winds up to fifty miles an hour.

Duo sighed, he was in for a dark and stormy ride.

He only hoped that this time he made it to the mansion with out any `unexpected' rising up to bite him in the ass, like the other times he had tried, and failed to make it.

~O~

COLLINWOOD MANSION:

After a full day of exploring the mansion and its vast grounds, Heero experienced a quiet dinner with just Virginia -or Ginny as she asked Heero to call her and the very sullen Cristoff. It had been along time since he had sat down and experienced the very `normal' routine of eating pot roast and partaking in idyll talk.

Now, near midnight, he sat alone in the mansion's large, mostly unused sitting room, before a blazing hearth sipping hundred year-old whiskey. He stared into the fire, and as his thoughts of what to do first on a list of countless tasks that would need to be taken care of at the mansion, his thoughts gradually cycled back to Duo.

He stared unblinking into the bright orange flames wondering where and what Duo was up to. He knew that he should *not* be wishing to see the preventer agent again, especially since the business between them was unpleasant and unfinished. But Heero could not get his mind off of his violet-eyed, former partner. The depth of Heero's feelings for Duo went beyond the his good-looking outer shell. Duo's seeming scattered yet brilliant mind had never failed to amaze Heero.

Heero secretly thrilled that Duo was always able to allude Treize's henchmen; himself included into that ragged bunch.

Of course, later on, when the mystery became more shrouded and the plot around the conspiracy thickened, Heero had jumped the fence and did all that he could to protect Duo. Though neither Duo nor Quatre knew it. And if they did, would the duo even appreciate it? That was the question.

The romantic in Heero dreamed of the day that the two of them could put aside all of the shit that had gone on between them and let bygones be bygones. Once that was done, they would be free to explore a relationship. A romantic relationship, not a professional one like they had right now, if that's what you could even call it. The practical side of him knew however, that when that day actually came to pass then pigs would fly and the rain in Vancouver would cease.

In other words never.

Heero snorted sarcastically then swallowed the last of his whiskey. Duo Maxwell couldn't bear to look at him, let alone ever make love to him. He placed his snifter on the small table next to his chair and shook his head, knowing notions of romance and love were for other people, good people, not scum-sucking bastards with no morals like himself.

Heero sighed heavily and stood, the hour was late and it was time to turn in. He had a full day ahead of himself. Judging by the piss-poor weather outside, Heero figured he'd be doing most of his chores in the pouring rain. He took a few minutes to squat down front of the large fire, where he removed the heavy antique screen. As he was banking the coals, he felt a cool breath of air across the back of his bare neck. It sent a sudden shiver trickling up his spine and all of the hair on his arms stood up. Heero was positive that Cristoff was behind him, he could feel a presence. But when he suddenly stood and whirled, there was nothing but the empty room.

Thinking that he was letting his imagination get away from him, Heero smiled and turned his attention back to what he had been doing.

Just then, lightening streaked across the dark night sky, lighting up the mansion and a split second later deafening thunder roared directly over head. Another bolt of lightening shot out and suddenly, the mansion was enveloped in darkness. Heero shivered again, he never did like power outages. Turning to the safety of the fire, Heero pulled a large candlestick, which was mounted in a large, ornate brass holder and lit it with a hot coal. For some reason, he was nervous, not only for himself, but for Duo too.

At that moment, he felt like he had been in this room before, doing the very same thing, standing in the dark during a noisy storm and lighting a candle, worrying about the man whom he loved deeply.

Heero shook of the eerie sense of Deja'vous, and started for the dark stairwell that led to his room. He still could not shake the feeling that he was being watched, and when the steps behind him creaked loudly, Heero, not usually one to be spooked, ran up the wooden steps two at a time then turned the corner and speed walked to his bedroom.

Cristoff stepped out from the shadows, a leering grin crossed his handsome mouth. He had been observing the grounds keeper/handy man closely. He could see that despite what the blue-eyed man said, he was in fact freaked out by the mansion. A large smile broke out on Cristoff's face, and softer than a whisper, he soundlessly followed Heero and watched his assent up the stairs, not needing any form of light to see the man.

Cristoff liked this new guy-- a lot.

~O~

Duo, tired, hungry and about two hours behind schedule pulled up the bottom of the drive of Collinwood manor. He could see a light on in the window, so someone was up, that much he knew for sure.

But who?

That he couldn't tell. Duo wondered if he should just drive up and knock on the door or turn around, go back to the pub and then return in the morning. He didn't know what the hell he would say to Heero anyway. The light in the window went out and that seemed to be the deciding factor for Duo. Obviously who ever was up, had turned out the lights and gone to bed. Duo figured he could get a room in town for the night and come back in the morning.

He turned the key over to start his car and was greeted with a grinding, clicking noise instead of the quiet hum of his sensible sedan.

-TBC-