Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ The Dance ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

 

Title: The Dance

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam wing universe or any of the Gundam Wing characters. I'm doing this for fun.

Pairing: Main 1x5 Mentions of 3x4 and 2xHilde

Warnings: Yaoi, Romance, humor, spoilers to Endless Waltz

Rating: NC 17

Archive: www.fanfiction.net, http://www.mediaminer.org, my lj under aidannwn

Betaed :by Stray (grey_hunter)

Summary: There's only so much you can do as friends. How do you know when to overstep that boundary?

Request: Crystal asked me to write a 1x5 and since I had this plot inside my head, I thought I'd give it a shot. This may not be what you expected, but this is the best I can do. Hope you like it.

P.s. I'll hop back to Insecurities once this plot bunny is out of my head.

 

a/n - Sharine is a sort of common name where I come from which was why I picked it. It's a westernized version of a local name. I thought it made an interesting combination.

 

The Dance -1 / 2 (I hope)

 

Wufei wasn't sure if the smell came from the rotting body at his feet or from the putrid mud around it. He scowled, tasting the foul odor in the back of his mouth and fought the urge to spit. It would not do to act so unprofessionally at a crime scene, no matter how contaminated it was. He looked at the body, partially exposed from beneath the green plastic warp, in the process of being secured for transportation with all the drippy bits intact, and then looked around, narrowing his eyes against the wind.

 

The price of real estate had gone up within the city and construction companies were snapping up land wherever possible, even those that had been considered unsuitable for human habitation a year ago. This had led to the Reclaiming of Land project, which had been a great success, despite the protests from the environmentalists. The draining of the polluted lake in the middle of the city had been the direct result of this new campaign to increase the accommodation for the masses. The end result was to be a high rise tower for an excusive neighborhood. But half way through the process of dredging the bottom, one of the machines had brought up a body, head partially caved in, warped in more metal chains than one could find in an S&M shop.

 

Wufei looked around as Sharine walked up to him, grimacing at the sound of suction made by her boots as the mud refused to let go of them. She was his last chance as a field agent. Lady Une had given him an ultimatum after he had gone through eight partners in four months. Either he stuck with someone or he was going to be assigned to a desk with a computer terminal. After his the disastrous accident in the subway, there was no way he was going to be allowed to operate alone.

 

It was not as if he could complain. Sharine was female but she was also an orphan like him and did not have any attachments to the real world. She pulled night shifts without a word of complain though that could have been because they had dated before becoming partners and she still entertained the possibility that they might get back together eventually. She flirted with him in their free time but it was non-obtrusive and she was perfectly professional during business hours, so he did not have much to complain about. Though the time she had shown up at his apartment in a slinky dress had been far from amusing…

 

“Anything?” Wufei asked briefly, hoping the medical team would get over with it. The man was obviously dead (if the body was that of a man and not a partially decomposed woman - you could never tell with these people and sex-change operations nowadays) and had been dead for some time - being placed little too roughly on the stretcher was not going to hurt it. The heavy machinery going over the site had obliterated any clues unless it was the size of a Gundam and the rain from the previous day had done the rest.

 

“Two more sets of bones,” she answered with a scowl, as she regarded her mud-spluttered Preventer uniform. “I think dogs… or they had large cats thrown in for fun. One even has a collar but the end result is, there's going to be dozen people crawling in the mud looking for more bodies.”

 

“We are going to have a couple of pissed off contractors on our hands,” Wufei said philosophically. “Make sure to give them Lady Une's number. I don't want to deal with this bureaucratic red tape any more than necessary.”

 

“Already done,” Sharine said with a small smile. “They seem to be wrapping up things so how about we head out?”

 

“Fine,” said Wufei, though by then, his nose had grown insensate and he did not want to appear too eager to leave the place. Being able to order the juniors to comb through the mud was a relief but he feared that they might miss out on some vital bit of information in their hurry to get indoors before the next downpour. He gave the body one last glance and then looked at one of the junior officers who had been hovering close by. “What is it?” he asked the boy (amazing, he had been that age not long ago) who was looking slightly green around the edges.

 

“The recordings from the questioning, Sir,” the boy said, holding out the data collected that day. “The questioning is still underway, but people around here don't want to talk to us and…” Typical of this type of neighborhood; here the law was the enemy “…and since it seems as if you're leaving, I thought you'd like to go over what we have so far.” At least the kid was enthusiastic if a little kiss-ass type. Wufei could remember the time when someone calling him `sir' had sounded strange. Now, after five years at Preventers, he no longer cringed but he wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it.

 

The kid handed the file and recorder to Sharine -- a part of the protocol which said you did not hand over anything directly to a superior officer. Though it was a rather stupid rule, it had saved quite a few lives of the senior staff. Then the kid did a close turn fit for a military parade ground, slipped on the mud and grabbed Sharine as he went down. She in turn grabbed hold of the closest thing for balance, which happened to be Wufei's leg.

 

1111111111_____________111111

 

“Just like old times,” Sharine said with a teasing smile and Wufei had to smile at the familiar tone. They had dated briefly - the expected single guy and girl in the office hook up thing. They had gone on a couple of dinners, drinks and there were good night kisses. It had been nothing spectacular; no fireworks, no irresistible urge to grope each other all the time and definitely no sex. Kissing her was like any other kiss Wufei could remember - slightly warm, wet and squishy. She had felt too soft and vulnerable in his arms and he had been afraid to hold her too close in case he hurt her. It was ridiculous, he knew, Sharine was a tough cookie who could outrun, out-gun and out-kick most of her male colleagues. But she was also five feet tall, blond and slender - a combination which made her look more fragile and delicate.

 

When he had called the whole thing off after five dinners, two lunches and three coffee dates, Wufei had been relieved. Being friends with her was easier than trying to get into her pants - not that he was sure he wanted to. He knew she still liked him and she would not say no to a quick fuck but now that they were partners, Wufei drew a line between work and pleasure. He was just grateful they were friends - he did not need any in-office affair complicating his life.

 

But they were used to each other after working together for three years and so used to crashing into each other's apartments add odd hours that Wufei did not even think for a second before letting her in. His one bedroom apartment was on the fifth floor of a small condo, which was not too expensive, but roomy and had an excellent view of the city. It was also closer to the bog than her apartment.

 

“I call the shower first,” Sharine said with a laugh.

 

“My apartment,” Wufei said with a wry grin knowing he had lost already. “And might I remind you, it was your fault I'm covered in mud.”

 

“Uh,” said Sharine with a playful grin. “You clean the mud out of the records. Some of it might be salvageable. I'm going to borrow your clothes, ok?” And then she was gone.

 

“There's an extra toothbrush in the cabinet behind the mirror,” he shouted, in case she mistook one of the two sitting in the clear glass holder as a spare. Wufei shrugged, put aside his bag and the mud-covered material, then proceeded to take off his boots. They were covered in mud up to the rim and even his socks were brown; at least he didn't have a carpet. He dropped his boots onto the floor and grimaced at the sight before him- his entire living room floor was covered with mud tracks form Sharine's boots. He was going to kill that woman the moment she was out of the shower.

 

He stood in his living room, stripping off his clothes one by one and tossing them onto the odd wooden bowl on the side of the coffee table. He wasn't sure what it was intended for originally- he kept it to collect odd ends he needed in the middle of the living room. It was made of wood and therefore was unsuitable for the bathroom and the holes in the middle made it inappropriate for the kitchen. But Wufei did not believe in throwing away the one and only gift he had received from Heero Yuy.

 

-------------111111111111111111---------

 

The first time Heero had shown up at his apartment had been three days after Wufei had moved into it. He was despondently going through the motions of tiding up his new home (which wasn't much since his meager belongings did not even make a dent in the space) when the front door had sung open and there stood Heero Yuy holding a ridiculous looking wooden bowl.

 

“House-warming gift,” said Heero, trusting it into Wufei's hands as if it was going to bite.

 

“Thanks,” Wufei said automatically, glad of the company even if it was Heero. He was still embarrassed over the whole I-worked-for-Barton Foundation-thing but lonely enough to feel grateful for Heero's gesture. The fact he was now working for the Preventers and wearing a uniform did not mean he had all his problems squared away and was getting around to being a regular guy overnight.

 

“I was going to get it wrapped but thought it would be better not to,” Heero said when Wufei did not say anything else.

 

“It's …fine,” Wufei said at a loss of anything else to say. `What is it' and it's interesting' were not far behind but seemed inappropriate at the moment. He knew the lift was out of order and Yuy must have carried the heavy -er -thing up five flights of steps which was a feat in it self. He looked for a place to keep it and deposited it in the center of the coffee table which was free of any packing material. He now had to turn around and face Heero, something he did not want to do..

 

Wufei could not get over the feeling of dread that had gripped his stomach when he had shot Wing into the sea. A part of him had been shocked by his actions while another had screamed at the loss. When Heero had miraculously emerged from the sea to shoot down the shelter where Relena was being held, Wufei had mentally cheered him on. He had wanted to say he was sorry, but the chance had never come up and now it seemed too late. Heero seemed to have forgotten the incident and Wufei was not going to bring up unpleasant memories when he was trying to put the past behind him.

 

“How are you?” Heero asked suddenly making Wufei spin around.

 

“Fine,” he said shortly then stopped. This was Yuy trying to have decent conversation with him. “You all right?”

 

“Hn,” Heero said walking into the apartment. Wufei realized he hadn't actually invited Heero in - had left him standing in the threshold like some unwelcome guest - but Heero did not seem to mind his rudeness. He looked around then fixed his blue eyes intently on Wufei and said abruptly. “Is it alright if I stay here a couple of days? I could go looking for a hotel but until our IDs get processed I'd rather…”

 

“You can stay as long as you want,” Wufei said quickly. Perhaps shade too quickly since he was getting lonely. He was not wanted at the Preventer office until the following week and he was still adjusting to a life without missions, Gundams and mobile dolls. It was actually a little boring -surprising how much he had thrived on adrenaline and two-hour cat naps.

 

But Heero had not questioned his invitation, taking it at face value. They had fallen into an easy routine; take outs, moving stuff upstairs and simply sitting there facing the window which over looked the city. They did not have a TV to watch so they occasionally went jogging and Heero read most of Wufei's poetry collection -or rather he flipped through the pages while Wufei read. During the war, Wufei had been too self-conscious to bring out his reading glasses and pick up a book. It was a side of him which he did not want others to see -but with Heero, he was able to relax enough to dig out a long forgotten volume of Chaucer and read Wife of Bath out loud for fun. It had even made Heero crack a smile- especially since Wufei made appropriate comments about women to punctuate certain lines.

 

The day before Wufei was to start working at the Preventers Heero announced he was leaving.

 

“Where're you going?” Wufei asked surprised by the sudden shift. The odd sensation in his chest was something he did not want to examine closely.

 

“You have work,” Heero said shortly. “And I don't think I'm a house wife.”

 

The odd comment had Wufei blinking for a moment, then he nodded. “Where will you go?” he asked instead.

 

“Somewhere,” Heero shrugged. “I'll be back.”

 

Wufei did not ask when. It was not his place to ask such things. Heero usually kept his promises and `I'll be back', though it sounded like something from a bad movie, was all the reassurance he needed.

 

“You have the Preventer issued bike don't you?” Heero asked, changing the subject. “Think you can give me a lift to the airport on your way to work?”

 

-------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11----

 

“Shower's free,” Sharine said as she emerged from Wufei bedroom, dressed in a long white shirt. It reached her knees and made her look like a little girl dressed in her father's clothes. He only wore those around the house now since he was no longer a child. It did not look right for him to dress like a Chinese bell boy at an expensive hotel just because he felt like flaunting his nationality or his own brand of fashion sense.

 

“Here,” said Wufei, thrusting the case folder towards her. “Go over it if you can but clean up the damn floor woman.”

 

“You are a slave driver,” Sharine said as she pulled the folder out of his grip with a scowl. She had been partnered with him for almost a year so his insults were as effective as a machine gun against a Gundam.

 

“You'll get used to it,” Wufei said with a smile as he had walked through his bedroom into the shower. Sharine had left his side of the clothes drawer open; he knew that the small collection of odd ends he kept in the other side puzzled her but so far she had never questioned the side reserved for Heero. In a way it was reassuring even if the articles of clothes left behind were nothing more than a shirt and a trouser. It meant Heero would be coming back- the same as the spare toothbrush in the bathroom.

 

Wufei removed the rest of his uniform, stepped into the cubicle and smiled. The stupid woman had actually left him some hot water. Perhaps she wasn't too bad after all. As Wufei washed himself, he smiled at the mirror's reflection, a memento left behind by the previous owner. He was taller than he had been at 15, hovering around 5 foot 11, his hair was longer and he had more scars on his body. He fingered the most distinctive one, a seven inch gash across his stomach resembling a half smile drawn on a cartoon face.

 

It had been no smiling matter when he had gotten it, an unexpected present from a low down pick pocket he had apprehended on the subway. The sorry-looking individual of some questionable breeding, rats nest of a hair-do and track marks down his arms, had been threatening an elderly man when Wufei had knocked away his hand gun with a well placed kick, then broken his nose for good measure. He had confiscated three knives, one tazer and knuckleduster when the man had produced a flick knife from under his hair and stabbed Wufei in the middle. The perp had also wrestled the knuckleduster off Wufei and given him a wallop on the head before taking off faster than Sonic the hedgehog.

 

-----!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1----

 

When Wufei walked into his apartment afterwards, a hand protecting his middle, Heero had been tapping away at his lap top in a corner.

 

“It's been almost a year,” Wufei said in a rough voice.

 

“I was busy,” Heero replied evenly without looking up. “You need to change your locks.”

 

“I'll take notice of that,” Wufei said, walking in gingerly and lowering himself on to the sofa. Suddenly, Heero had been there, hiking up his shirt and frowning at the plaster.

 

“You need a partner,” Heero said with a scowl.

 

“I am fine,” Wufei said abruptly. The local anesthesia was wearing off and Heero's fingers against his bare skin over his belt sent a jolt of …something. He inhaled sharply and Heero withdrew his had swiftly.

 

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

 

“Your hands are cold,” Wufei said defensively. “The nerves are coming around after the anesthetic patch,” he added. “You staying for long this time?” He always promised himself he'd never ask Heero to stay and he still did.

 

Heero was the only one of them who did not have steady home base. Duo was, as the long-haired pilot himself had said once, living in sin with Hilde, and they were even considering adopting some children. Trowa performed a lot on L4 with and without his circus and Quatre, it seemed was always there to see his performances.

 

None of them ever knew where Heero went or what he did. It was almost as if Heero did not want to settle down - instead he seemed to wander the world, occasionally stopping for a quick visit. However, Duo had once pointed out, Heero did drop in on Wufei a little more often than on anyone else, and Wufei had joked that it was because Heero found it easier to tap into his computer and hack in to the Preventer database. In reality, they never talked about what they did - Heero never questioned Wufei about work and Wufei never asked Heero where he had been.

 

“Until you are back on your feet,” Heero replied.

 

“Two days,” Wufei felt slightly disappointed. It was going to be a short visit.

 

“A week at least,,” Heero corrected.

 

“We'll see,” Wufei argued for the sake of saying something. He was not going to let Heero dictate his life just by showing up once in a blue moon.

 

Heero stayed much longer, almost a month that time, doing some freelance computer work for Lady Une. Wufei's injuries had healed faster than expected and was on his feet in no time. He was on his bike sooner.

 

He always gave Heero a lift to work on his bike. With his seniority he had been offered a car but he preferred the feel of the powerful machine between his legs. It was almost sexual, the smoothness, feeling the machine respond to his smallest nudge, knowing that the slightest mistake on his part at his speeds could mean instant death. But the feel of wind in his hair was addictive (he did not believe in helmets) and Heero's arms around his middle…

 

It was rather strange that Heero needed to hold anything when he was on the bike with Wufei. The first time the arm had snaked around his waist, Wufei had jumped. He never took anyone else on his bike and only Heero dared to be so …intimate with him. They always reached the Preventer office in fifteen minutes, a record in the rush hour traffic, and as they were within sight of the building the hand around Wufei's waist would leave to rest casually on Heero's knee. The process of transferring the hand was always unsettling, the brush of those fingers as they caressed across his abdomen, feather-light and tingling, before leaving altogether. It made Wufei want to shout at Heero to make up his mind to either hold on to him or let go…that grip was almost teasing, something which did not compute since it was Heero Yuy.

 

Wufei almost always hopped off his bike in the underground garage, intent of facing down Heero about it, but each and every time Heero's face would be as blank as formatted hard disk, leaving Wufei with the feeling that he had overreacted.

 

“I don't suppose you like slow dancing,” he'd said once as he had dismounted. “You hold you partner and spin her around.” He remembered holding Sharine around the waist at one of the office functions he had attended. Dancing had come naturally to him and he had enjoyed himself.

 

“I prefer ballet, myself,” Heero said blankly.

 

-----------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!---

 

Wufei switched off the shower and stepped out in his towel when he heard the door bell ring. He hastily put on a pair of white pants -- the pants for the white shirt Sharine was wearing -- and made his way into the living room. His heart was pounding slightly but that was due to nervousness, not excitement. He did not get many visitors and only three people had ever visited him in the apartment.

 

He did not think Sally was in the habit of making night visits, it being close to midnight and Sharine was already in the house, which left Heero. It was too soon, his commonsense told him, Heero did not make such frequent visits and his last stay had been barely two months ago. Wufei blushed at the memory of that incident, though it really was nothing to blush about since… well…it was …nothing…

 

He was an adult; and he had a job, a nice partner who was trying to get into his pants and was probably sitting on his sofa in his shirt, and no underwear. Most importantly, there was also an unidentified, decomposed body (though how that counted as anything he wasn't sure) so he did not go into the living room expecting to see Heero Yuy

 

There was no one there except Sharine, looking slightly puzzled.

 

“Wrong number?” he asked casually, pushing back a wet strand of hair.

 

“Uh,” said Sharine with a shake of her head. “It was that guy from the office.”

 

“What did he want?” Wufei asked curiously. There had to have been a major break in the investigation for the office to send someone over to his apartment. He'd have to deal with the gossip when it got around that the person who had answered his door had been his partner wearing nothing but a men's shirt but still…”Did they get a lead on the chains?” The chains on the body had been the only solid clue and…

 

“No,” Sharine said. “That guy…um…you know…I don't think he's really a Preventer…”

 

“The coroners' office?” Wufei prompted.

 

“That part-time computer guy Une hired,” Sharine said finally. “Sort of messy hair, blue eyes…”

 

“Heero!” Wufei felt the words burst from his lips before he could help it. “Where is he?”

 

“He just left,” Sharine said in a slightly vapid way which made Wufei annoyed. “I asked him if he wanted something but he sort of turned around and walked off.”

 

“Shit,” said Wufei rushing to the door. He pulled it open, cursing when the security chain forced him to shut it again to flick it off and then he was out in the corridor, looking at the lift. It was out of order so he rushed to the stairs and looked down the spiral. Far below, he could see a dark spot which could be Heero's head …or a large spider …his eyesight was not as reliable as the rest of his body. He ran down the steps two at time until he reached the second landing then vaulted over the railing to the next and finally reached the ground floor in record time. He ran through the glass revolving door cursing his bare feet.

 

“Heero!” Wufei reached the open lobby, feeling stupid now that he had reached the person he was running after. Heero had stopped walking the moment Wufei had burst out of the building calling his name and Wufei felt pretty silly about running the rest of the way. But when he reached Heero he wondered if Heero had also run down to cover such a distance in so little a time. With the lift out of order there was no way Heero could have reached the lobby let alone the outside enclosure unless he had taken the steps three at a time. Waiting for Heero to explain his abrupt departure, Wufei stood patiently trying to see if there was any indication that Heero had been running all the way down. Heero wasn't out of breath but then again, neither was Wufei.

 

“I thought you'd be…busy,” Heero said stressing the last word to imply something else.

 

“That's Sharine,” Wufei said stupidly, feeling the first of the rain drops fall on his head. “She's my partner.”

 

“She's not…what I expected,” Heero said with a frown.

 

“Your fault,” Wufei said childishly. “You were the one who told Une either I get a partner or I be re-located to paper pushing.”

 

“I was hoping they'd pair you up with someone other than a…” Heero said searching for the proper word to describe the blonde upstairs. “…woman.” He'd finally found the perfect word to describe Sharine.

 

“Who were you hoping for?” Wufei asked, slightly snidely.

 

“Someone like Craver, maybe,” Heero said after thoughtful consideration as if Wufei had asked a serious question and not made a sarcastic comment.

 

“That man is a total slob,” Wufei said, remembering his partner number three who had lasted four days with him. “He had - still has bad breath and with that pot belly of his, he'd never be able to keep up with me.”

 

“A pot belly is the least of your problems,” Heero said, letting his gaze sweep over Wufei's body making the Chinese Preventer aware of his hastily dressed state.

 

Wufei was wearing his white trousers, drawstring pulled but not tied so they hung dangerously loose on his hips. That was the only bit of clothing he wore since his shirt and shoes were back in his apartment. He did not even have his underwear on. And his hair, still wet from the shower, was getting a second sluicing in cold rain water. He was starting to become aware of his body in the cold as goose bumps started to rise, the after-effects of dashing into a cold downpour after a hot shower.

 

Feeling his nipples harden into tiny nubs, he crossed his arms across his chest defensively. Suddenly, there was a weight around his shoulder and he was not as cold as he had been before. Startled, he looked up to feel Heero draping his overcoat over his shoulders.

 

“I'm not some stupid woman you need to practice your chivalry on,” Wufei snapped self-consciously.

 

“I'm warm,” said Heero pointing out his own long sleeved jumper underneath. “You were wet when you came out”

 

“I was in the shower,” Wufei said grumpily, enjoying the warmth created by the inner layer of the coat around his shoulder. It was a semi-long, reaching to mid thigh on Heero, and in Wufei's case -his knees. “Otherwise she would not have answered the door. Come back in.”

 

“I do not want to intrude on your time together,” Heero said, looking away.

 

“She's my partner,” Wufei said a little wryly as Heero picked up his traveling bag, he had deposited on the ground to take off his coat. “I see her everyday.”

 

“Does she wear your clothes everyday?” Heero asked dryly.

 

“Hers' are muddy,” Wufei explained. He put out a hand, gripped Heero by the upper arms and tried to steer the human shaped block of concrete back towards the staircase. “Let's go in before I catch a cold,” he finally said. Heero seemed to accept that since he let Wufei lead him towards the building, though he seemed to falter as they reached the stairs. “We are not screwing, despite rumors,” Wufei bit out forcefully and Heero stopped short.

 

“There are rumors?” he asked. “I know you two were dating briefly but I thought you'd broken off.”

 

Wufei did not question how Heero knew since it was pretty useless. Heero seemed rather up to date on whatever happened around the former Gundam pilots -- even the petty gossip which mostly passed off as trivial.

 

“We are not together,” Wufei repeated evenly. It was very important that Heero understood that, though he wasn't sure why.

 

“So now you simply have casual sex?” Heero pursued.

 

“That's big of you,” Wufei snapped back before blushing at the memory of their last meeting. “I'm sorry…” he said looking away as they started up the stairs. “It's not my place to bring up such things.”

 

“Don't get so formal,” Heero said with a shake of his head. “You didn't say anything to offend me.”

 

“I know but…” Wufei said struggling to express the feeling that had emerged the last time Heero had visited him.

 

“Is she going to spend the night?” Heero asked, changing the subject evenly.

 

--------------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11--------------

 

Sharine looked for the world as if she was going to spend the rest of her life in Wufei's apartment. She was still dressed in the white shirt; her hair was swept back into a bun and looked as if she had been padding around on bare feet in his shirts forever. She had started dinner in their absence and looked up, slightly annoyed when Heero stepped into the room.

 

“Is he staying for dinner?” she asked as if she was a wife who was annoyed her husband had brought unexpected guests at the last moment.

 

“He's not a guest,” Wufei ground out, feeling annoyed, when he saw Heero stiffen. In his mind, his apartment was as much Heero's as his and he did not like the fact his partner was making his friend feel uncomfortable. “He lives here.” It was all he could do to stop himself from picking her up and throwing her off the balcony. Her flirting had been nice, he would be lying if he did not like a beautiful woman focusing all her attentions on him. But with Heero around, her attention was starting to border on downright annoying.

 

“Go wash up,” Wufei said to Heero, noting that Sharine had brought out his dinner set, a house warming present from Sally, again making Heero shift a little. When they had spent time together, they had always ordered takeout and eaten it sitting on the sofa. Neither one of them had been into cooking, though at the times Sharine had come over he had tossed up something.

 

“If you can mix the rice and the salad,” Sharine suggested, making Wufei grit his teeth. True, when together, they did cook and Wufei was starting discover that he did really like to cook up something on his own instead of eating food that tasted like cardboard out of Styrofoam boxes. But she didn't have to act as if they did it every day of the week, as regularly as brushing teeth.

 

“Uh,” said Heero.

 

“Your clothes are still there,” Wufei said ignoring Shrine for the time being. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.”

 

Watching Heero's retreating back, Wufei wondered if he should tell Sharine to put some clothes on but then again decided that it just might provoke her into doing something more drastic. He noticed Heero had deposited his bag on the coffee table and tried hard not to blush at the memory of the previous visit which was still fresh in his mind. This time, unlike before, he did not try to move it.

 

The previous visit, Wufei remembered, had been different. He had been sorting his paper work on the sofa when Heero had knocked on the door and Wufei had left most of the files scattered on the cushions as he'd stood up to let his (occasional) flat mate in. As usual Heero had dropped his bag in its usual spot only that time, the edge of the Preventer case file, which was also occupying the same spot, had gotten caught underneath the bag. Wufei had picked up the bag, intending to move it on to the coffee table when the contents had spilled out of it.

 

“Yuy,” said Wufei, startled as a handful of clothes and other articles landed on the carpet. “I didn't know the zip was open.” He looked up at Heero who was staring at the contents on the floor with something close to …embarrassment. Wufei frowned; he was clearly mistaken since there was nothing in the Universe that could make the unflappable Yuy to feel uncomfortable over. Then he followed Heero's gaze toward the floor and saw the reason. Scattered on the floor like small disks were condoms.

 

“Oh,” said Wufei feeling strange. He slid off the chair onto the floor and started to collect them one by one, picking them up with one hand placing them on the palm of the other- counting them in his head. He knew the brand very well, advertised to be super thin, super-strong, durable, washable but also dissolved if it is put into the right solution- and had been indirectly a part of one of his recent investigations.

 

The last time he'd held such a thing in his palm had been the week before when the local airport customs officers had called them after one of their passengers had dropped dead of an overdose. The medical examination that followed showed that the man had been trying to smuggle drugs, wrapped in condoms and swallowed, just prior to the flight. Unfortunately, the man had been greedy and had stuffed them with far too much, and one the condoms had burst inside him. Which meant Wufei had had to follow up every lead available to locate the origin of the contraband. The condoms, he'd found out, were freely available in any and every drug store and came in special discount packs of ten. He counted seven condoms that had fallen out of Heero's bag.

 

Since Heero was unlikely to be moonlighting as drug mule,, though Wufei had no idea what he did for a living, the only other reason for him to have such a thing in his bag was that he was using it for its intended purpose. And he'd done it at least three times. Unless there were extra condoms inside the bag …or unless Heero really did believe in washing and reusing…in which case he'd done it more than three times. Or he could have bought three packs and then he had used it 23 times.

 

Wufei had come to the conclusion that his own sex life had ground to a halt somewhere between him joining the Preventers and the time he started to date Sharine, not that he had much of a sex life to boast about before that. He had gone to a couple of clubs with his fellow workers in the beginning, when he'd been under the impression that to fit in, he had to partake in some group activities. He had even tried to discover the pleasures of casual sex with a couple of nameless, faceless females who frequented such clubs. In the end, he'd given up on it, preferring to return home after work to wash his socks. It just wasn't him - it left him feeling cheapened and dirty.

 

But to imagine Heero with a sex life - was almost impossible. It made him feel betrayed though why he could not justify. When he thought about his fellow Gundam pilots, he accepted they had normal lives with normal (again, that was something he did not want to think too deeply about) sex. He did not feel - the word to describe what he felt was - jealous, he reasoned, by the discovery that Heero had a sex life. He did not, really, he simply felt hollow. He could not understand why - perhaps because he identified more with Heero than any of the others, and the thought of Heero doing something ordinary like that was unsettling. Perhaps, if Heero found someone whom he liked, maybe he would settle down - not drop in on Wufei at random intervals. That made Wufei pause, even as he stuffed all of Heero's belongings back into his backpack and handed it over.

 

He looked up, from his semi-kneeling position on the floor at Heero and then blushed when he realized Heero had been watching him handle the condoms.

 

“Hope you're not putting too much trust in those things,” Wufei said, to cover the uncomfortable silence. “They burst when you least expect.”

 

“Uh,” said Heero looking as if it was one conversation he'd rather not be having. “I'll…remember that,” he'd finally said before disappearing into Wufei's bedroom.

Wufei had been left wondering if things had changed irrevocably between them until Heero had shown up at the doorway to ask if he was coming to bed.

 

-------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_---------------

 

“You are sleeping… where?” Sharine asked in a high pitched whisper which was far more audible than normal speech. Wufei looked over his partners' shoulder, through the open kitchen door, at Heero who was standing stiffly by the mantle over the fake fireplace, his back to them. An ordinary person might not have heard the conversation being carried out in the next room in low voices, but Wufei was sure his friend could hear every word they were saying.

 

“My bed,” Wufei repeated himself. “I'm going to sleep in my bed.”

 

“With him,” Sharine said as if Wufei had said something utterly ridiculously and she wanted him to dispute it.

 

“Yes, unless he prefers to sleep in the shower cubicle,” Wufei said a little sharply. “You can have the sofa like you always do -unless you'd prefer I call you a taxi home.”

 

“And he always sleeps in your bed when he comes over?” Sharine asked in disbelief. “Not on the sofa?”

 

“He's close to six feet,” Wufei replied. “He wouldn't fit into it.”

 

“But you would,” Sharine said pointedly. “Barely, but you would.”

 

“So you want to share the bed with Heero?” Wufei snapped irritably. “While I sleep on the sofa.”

 

“No!” Sharine said forcefully. After the cold glances exchanged during dinner, Wufei would have been surprised if either of them would have been willing to be in the same room without supervision. Anyway, it was not a genuine offer, just something Wufei had said in sarcasm. Heero always slept in his bedroom, in his bed, with him. It was a longstanding tradition he did not believe in changing.

 

It had been something that had been established when Heero and he had been sharing the apartment in the beginning. Then, there had been no floor carpeting and definitely no sofa, so they had settled to sleeping in the same bed. Afterwards, it had become commonplace for them to share the bed, even after Wufei had brought the sofa. The king-sized bed had been a housewarming gift from Quatre and Trowa - which spoke volumes about the relationship those two were in - and it was far too large for one person.

 

Not that Wufei had ever shared it with anyone other than Heero and he had no intention of doing so either.

 

“Is that your final word?” Sharine demanded. “Let him sleep on the sofa …or better yet, get a hotel room somewhere. We hardly get any time to ourselves…” Wufei overrode her last comment, not even wanting to dwell into that territory.

 

Turn out Heero as if he was some unwelcome house guest… “Most certainly not,” Wufei said before he realized he had said it far too loudly and Heero was looking at him over the shoulder. “No,” he said in a lower voice. “End of conversation.” He stormed into the sitting room just as Heero turned around fully to face him.

 

“Maybe I should leave,” Heero said, confirming Wufei's fear that the conversation had been overheard.

 

“Of course not,” Wufei said hastily. “Sharine always gets a little touchy during certain times of the month.” He was not stupid enough to say the last bit loud enough to be overheard. He wanted to stay on as a field agent as long as possible and he did not have a death wish.

 

“Hn,” Heero's lips twitched. “She's rather overwhelming isn't she?”

 

“She's the best partner I've had,” Wufei said truthfully. “She is persistent about all aspects of life - a very strong person.”

 

“Does she always get what she wants?” Heero asked looking straight into Wufei eyes.

 

“I think she always wanted to grow an extra inch, height-wise,” Wufei said with a shrug, avoiding the real question. While he did not want Heero to think he and Sharine were going at it like rabbits, he was not over the whole "Heero might be having sex with someone else" issue. Not that Heero shouldn't or anything like that, but yet…It was still a persistent thorn inside him - that someone else might be entertaining Heero in her bed, sharing…

 

“I was on L2 for a while,” Heero deftly changed the subject. Wufei looked up startled; Heero hardly ever said where he'd been, which meant…

 

“How's Duo?”

 

“He's adopted two kids,” Heero said, moving towards the bedroom and Wufei followed. “A girl and a boy - they seemed rather nice. Called me Uncle Heero…” those lips twitched again, this time in a fond smile and Wufei frowned. Heero actually liked kids, now there was a surprise. Did that mean he planned on starting a family of his own?

 

“How long were you there?” Wufei asked. He was feeling slightly curious as though whether Heero had spent more time with Duo and his family than with him. Perhaps the children and everything was more of a lure to someone weary of wandering than Wufei's sterile apartment.

 

“Two weeks,” Heero said as he sat on the corner of Wufei bed. “I ran into Trowa and Quatre at a relay station, on my way back,” he added with a smile.

 

“How are those two?” Wufei asked as he took off the loose t-shirt and flopped back into bed. He was still dressed in his white pants and was not going to change into anything else.

 

“Quatre wants Trowa to stop doing the high wire act,” Heero said, dropping the nugget of information as if it was nothing. “Trowa thinks Quatre is putting on weight.” Then he leaned back and turned towards Wufei. “They all sent you their love and were hoping you'd be there for our get-together next month.”

 

“As if I'd miss that,” Wufei said with a smile. Despite their busy schedule the five of them always met once in two months at various locations. Those meetings never lasted longer than two days or so but it was something they all looked forward to. It made them all feel close. Though -- Wufei reflected -- they were also bounded through Heero who, like an invisible thread, helped them keep in touch. “I wasn't expecting you back so soon,” he said sleepily. Then he continued quickly in case Heero thought he meant he was not welcome. “It's a pleasant surprise.” Now, did he sound too eager? “You usually stay away longer between visits.” Now, would Heero think he counted days between those visits like some love-sick teenager? He had to change the subject fast. “How's Relena?”

 

“Trying to convince her brother that Mars Colony isn't all it's cracked up to be,” Heero said dryly.

 

“No more job offers,” Wufei said before he could help it.

 

Heero shook his head. “Even she knows when to give up.”

 

“That's nice,” said Wufei then cursed his tongue. Why was it that around Heero he always said twice as much as he meant to?

 

“So, ready for the surgery?” Heero asked casually.

 

“Uh!”

 

“You are planning on going through with it this time, aren't you?” the gentle admonition wasn't lost to Wufei who blushed then looked away. His eyesight had been a much-talked-about topic at the Preventers office and when the conventional laser correction method had failed, he'd agreed to undergo surgery to correct his vision. He knew that he was really pushing it; though field agents did not need to have 20 /20 vision he was not operating at 100%, and both Sally and Lady Une had been pressuring him to take time off for it.

 

“I've got a dead body fished out from Central Lake …what was Central Lake once, and …” Wufei said hastily. The surgery called for his eyes to be covered 24 hours and another three days of rest, something he could not afford in the middle of an investigation. Plus, the thought of anesthesia and someone cutting into his eyes made him - uncomfortable.

 

“Let your partner handle it,” Heero said. “You've postponed it six times already.”

 

“But…” Wufei started to protest. His eyes fluttered close as Heero hand hovered over his face, far too close. Then he felt those calloused fingers brush over his eyelids and almost groaned at the sensation. It was something he'd started to notice, whenever Heero touched him, he seemed to lose control and …

 

“I've asked about the surgery and they say it's quite safe,” Heero said, still touching Wufei eyes. He traced the outline of one eye gently, making Wufei's toes curl. “Sally is really good you know …I don't think she'd change the shape of your eyes.”

 

“Yes,” Wufei said weakly as his body seemed to melt.

 

“Good.” The self satisfied tone made Wufei snap open his eyes as Heero rolled off the bed. “I've made an appointment for the day after tomorrow at the Medical center.”

 

“You …” Wufei sat up hastily but by then Heero had already left the room into the bathroom. A split second later Sharine walked in demanding a spare pillow and sheet forcing Wufei to get up as well

----!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!----

 

Wufei snapped his eyes open, the last of the dream dissolving into wisps of nothing. His heart was pounding and his breathing was erratic; a fine film of sweat covered his upper torso. He sat up slowly or rather tried to sit up but was held down by the weight of Heero arm over his middle. He stiffened instantly, not wanting to disturb his sleeping companion.

 

“I'm awake,” Heero said softly.

 

Wufei rolled over and lay facing Heero in the dark. There was a five inch gap between them as they lay and the light from the outside balcony was enough for Wufei to make out the dark hair and the faint outline of the face, eyes half closed, looking relaxed.

 

“Sorry,” Wufei mumbled sleepily, feeling more relaxed. “I didn't mean to wake you.”

 

“I woke up when you started tossing,” Heero said blandly. “Nightmare?”

 

“Something like that,” said Wufei dismissively, shaking his head. He shivered a little as the sweat cooled on his bare chest. He was dressed in his white cotton trousers while Heero was wearing his shorts and t-shirt - thankfully, it was not just Wufei's fashion sense that had improved over time. Heero never wore his spandex shorts any more.

 

“Is it the surgery?” Heero asked softly. “I know you've been avoiding it for some time.”

 

“Most certainly not,” Wufei said indignantly. “I have been busy…”

 

“Chicken,” Heero said in a low, teasing voice.

 

“What!” Wufei said loudly. “Yuy, did you just imply that I was some kind of coward?”

 

“Hn,” said Heero and even in the semi-darkness Wufei could see that Heero was grinning from ear to ear. He leaned forward so his lips almost brushed Wufei's ear and hot breath tickled him. “Wimp.” Heero had used Wufei's shampoo and it had an entirely different effect on Wufei than it did when he used it himself, or when he smelled it off Sharine.

 

“I…” Heero hadn't moved back, he was hovering just over Wufei and the expectation that Heero was going to lower his body on top of his was overwhelming. A feeling which had been dormant inside him was now adamant to break free. While part of his mind was searching for the proper response, the other part was just reacting the body next to him as if he was drugged on some aphrodisiac. Almost as if in a dream, Wufei rolled onto his back, as Heero drew back, but did not return to his side of the bed. “Yuy.” His voice sound odd to his own ears, almost as if he was breathless. His heart was pounding hard in his rib cage and he felt slightly nauseated.

 

It was all too new to Wufei; he and Heero had shared a bed all too often; they had awaken in the night lying far too close to be comfortable and each and every time, they'd drawn apart. Come morning, such an incident might as well have been a dream. But now, Wufei was trying to understand why Heero did not simply obey their unwritten rules and drew back like he usually did.

 

Wufei's body was reacting to Heero's presence, the entire situation of bedroom, large bed, warm body reminding him that he had the sex life of a devoted monk. His nipples were hardening, and this time his cock was hardening with it. He was pinned to the bed by the shear presence of Heero above him, not three inches away, as he struggled to say something rational. Something to diffuse the situation… perhaps a joke. What if Heero noticed he was semi-erect or that his face was as red as the carnation Lady Une wore on her lapel. What if…

 

Heero pushed himself up using his arms, and then carefully straddled Wufei, sitting on his heels, pinning Wufei to the mattress by placing a palm on either shoulder. Wufei looked up into Heero's face, so intent it was almost scary.

 

“Yuy.” Wufei was sure had he been a woman, he would have called his voice a squeak.

 

“Heero,” Heero said softly. “My name is Heero. Say it.”

 

Technically, it wasn't as if Heero was holding him hostage. Wufei knew more about close combat hand to hand moves than a dozen people put together. His entire body was a weapon…he was not some damsel in distress pinned to the bed by a hulking male…but he was….Wufei's bones were made of hot wax which was melting under the heat. He could feel the fine hairs of Heero's thighs brush against his sides and as Heero carefully lowered his body weight onto Wufei's stomach…his arousal.

 

“Heero,” Wufei gasped out, almost in protest. “What are you doing…?”

 

His protest was cut in half as Heero descended on him, claiming his lips in one smooth move. They were surprisingly gentle and non-demanding; the grip on his shoulders slipped away as Wufei's own body relaxed into the touch and in fact, the only part of him Heero was touching was his lips. He was giving Wufei a chance to reject the kiss, Wufei realized as Heero gently licked the outline of his lips. He chose not to take it.

 

“Oh,” Wufei gasped, arching up a little as Heero used the opportunity to push his tongue into Wufei's mouth through parted lips. Wufei lifted his right arm and grabbed Heero's bicep …and pulled him closer. He wanted….wanted…to feel Heero's chest on his own…he wanted to feel…

 

Heero rolled off him so suddenly Wufei gasped. Feeling confused, he struggled to sit up only to be held down. Had Heero been dreaming and thought him to be someone else? Mortified by the thought, Wufei was about to push off the restraining arm when Heero leaned forward and mouthed “shh” to his ear.

 

Wufei lay back perfectly still as he heard the same thing Heero had heard…the familiar sound of bare feet on the wooden floor as Sharine walked up to their bedroom. The door swung open noiselessly and the female Preventer padded through to the bathroom.

 

“Your partner's got worse timing than you do,” Heero hissed as his hand slid up and pinched one of Wufei's nipples, hard.

 

Wufei gasped loudly and arched upwards…”Heero.” He tried to control his breathing as the hand slid over his chest with each breath, brushing against his nipple teasingly. It was more erotic than the entire kissing incident a few minutes ago.

 

As the hand started to creep down, Wufei held his breath, unwilling to submit to the torture. The toilet flushed and the door opened. Heero stiffened immediately and Wufei cursed as Sharine padded out of the room as silently as she had come.

 

“That sure killed the mood,” Heero declared in a low voice as his hand stilled. He pulled Wufei close to him as if he was some rag doll and sighed. “Get some sleep…you have work tomorrow.”

 

Wufei didn't know whether to thank his partner or to curse her. He was horny, he had an erection and Heero was going back to sleep.

 

To be continued in Part 2