Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Winning Duo ❯ Chapter 18
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Calic0cat 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.28.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.28.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
*****************************
Title: Winning Duo
Chapter: 18/?
Author: Calic0cat <calic0cat@fastmail.fm>
Story Started: Jan. 2003
Genre: Yaoi, Romance, Humour, Angst
Pairings: Working towards 1x2x5; 3x4; 6x9; others may be implied
Rated: NC-17
Warnings: OOC, Swearing, Shifting POV, Threesome
Archives: At Mediaminer.org under Calic0cat. Anyone with archive permission for my other fics can help themselves; anyone else, please ask.
Disclaimer: Duo and Heero and the rest of the GW gang aren't mine. This story is. Nuff said.
Notes: Starts one year after Endless Waltz. POV changes frequently.
'Thinking'
"Speaking"
*** Time passing or scene change
Author's Notes: I usually write 1x2x1, so a 1x2x5 is a first for me (well, writing one is - I've been reading them for quite a while now, that's the *only* threesome I actually *like*). Feedback is appreciated.
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"Hey, look! Bumper cars! Cool!" Duo exclaimed. "Let's go on those!" He turned and directed a hopeful look at Heero and Wufei who were close behind him. He grinned from ear to ear as they nodded in willing agreement. For once, all three of them were content to be the teenagers they still - just barely - were. He could hardly believe how much fun they'd been having. A small part of him kept insisting that things were going far too well, something would *have* to go wrong soon, but the rest of him was determined to enjoy this time for all it was worth. To just let himself live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow or the end of the week or anything else.
The Santa Monica Pier's Pacific Park was tiny compared to the amusement park they'd been at - god, was that only *yesterday*? no wonder he'd been so damn tired - but the few rides it had were supposed to be pretty good. Duo carefully stuffed his braid down inside his shirt before climbing into the bumper car; he had no desire whatsoever to get it caught on something. He couldn't keep a grin off his face as the others climbed into cars as well. This was just so much *fun*! 'And the guys aren't just tolerating this - they're having fun too!' he thought happily.
Heero fought off a grin for several moments. 'To hell with it!' he decided abruptly. J wasn't around anymore to tell him emotions were a weakness and punish him for showing any sign of them. Why was he still letting that nasty old man control his life? He let go of his control and allowed the grin to spread across his face. It had slipped past his guard a few times already, but this was the first time he'd consciously *decided* to let it show. It was silly that someone who'd flown a *Gundam* would get so excited over playing around in some silly bumper cars. But that didn't change the fact that he was.
Glancing across the ride, he saw the delighted grin on Duo's face and the eager look on Wufei's. He corrected himself, 'It's silly that *we're* so excited over playing around in some silly bumper cars... But that doesn't change the fact that we *are*!' Maybe it was just the fact that this was such a typical teenage thing to do and yet at the same time was something that they'd never had the *chance* to do before. Or maybe it was because Duo's happiness and enthusiasm was contagious.
It was hard to believe that he was enjoying himself so much. But he *was*. There was no question that Duo was having fun either. And Wufei seemed to be having a good time too. Heero felt a surge of warm gratitude towards the Chinese youth that so frequently partnered him on Preventers missions. 'He was certainly a wonderful partner today!' he thought. If Wufei had not been there to prod him into hugging Duo then coach him through attempting to comfort him, Heero would probably have been still standing there trying to explain himself long after Duo had given up on even listening. 'I didn't have a clue what to do - thank god Wufei did and was willing to help!'
That willingness had been a bit surprising. After all, they were supposed to be rivals. Sure, it could be argued that Wufei had helped him in order to keep Duo from being hurt. But Wufei could have stepped in and comforted Duo himself, leaving Heero out of the situation entirely and quite possibly eliminating any chance of losing Duo to him. But he hadn't, and for that Heero was extremely grateful.
Settling into the bumper car and fastening the safety harness, Wufei was surprised at how much he was looking forward to this bit of silliness. And it *was* silly - not at all the sort of thing that a scholar of the Dragon clan should be looking forward to. But he was.
Just then, Duo caught his eye and pointed from himself to Wufei, then motioned towards Heero with a mischievous grin before raising one eyebrow in inquiry. Wufei laughed and nodded in reply. Obviously Duo wanted to team up against Heero... Of course, the moment they cornered him, Duo would probably signal Heero to go after *him* next. Unless, of course, he teamed up with Heero against Duo first... Wufei grinned in anticipation and slammed down the pedal the instant that the starting bell sounded. This was going to be fun.
***
"Just a sec," Duo called back over his shoulder as he darted off. Heero wondered what he was up to. So far, they'd been on every ride in the park other than the ferris wheel, and that was supposed to be their next stop.
"He's having such a good time," Wufei observed softly. "We *all* are, are we not?"
Heero nodded in silent agreement. They were. This afternoon had gone much like they had originally hoped yesterday's abortive amusement park visit would. He had a sneaking suspicion that the difference today was that both he and Wufei were focussed on making Duo happy, *not* on "winning" him.
Wufei threw a glance towards the arcade area. The small plushy from the previous day was hidden away in his suitcase back at the hotel. Duo hadn't mentioned the prizes again and he hadn't dared offer it to Duo after how badly things had gone. He suspected Duo did not really want a reminder of that day. He had been tempted to simply dispose of the small furry bat with the huge leathery wings, but had ended up keeping it as a reminder to himself of the mistakes he had made both that day and in previous years where Duo was concerned. And he suspected that the small Snoopy wearing a bright red scarf, aviator goggles, and imitation leather cap and jacket that he had seen Heero tuck carefully away was being saved for the same reason. But he thought that perhaps Duo would not mind having a keepsake or two from *this* day.
He wasn't entirely sure it was a good idea, but he thought it was worth the risk. Taking Duo to the arcade area here and winning him a single, carefully chosen item might help soothe the sting of yesterday's debacle. Or it could upset him again. Wufei thought it was important to try though. 'He needs to see that we won't repeat the same mistake. And perhaps if we get him over there with the excuse that we want *him* to win something for *us*, it will be okay.'
Duo came bouncing back just before Wufei could broach the subject with Heero. Instead, he asked Duo, "What are you hiding behind your back?"
With a triumphant grin, Duo produced a pink and blue cone of spun sugar. "Cotton candy!" he proclaimed proudly. He'd had it before at Trowa's circus and knew that while he *did* like it, he didn't want very much of it. It was far too sweet to eat an entire cone. But he thought one cone shared three ways might be about right. 'Especially when shared the way I intend to do it...'
Heero gave the fluffy mass a suspicious look. The name seemed to imply that the brightly coloured stuff was edible, but frankly it didn't look like it.
"Try some!" Duo insisted, holding it out towards Wufei. He waved the cone slightly and ended up misjudging his distance and getting some on the end of Wufei's nose. "Oops, sorry," he laughed. "Just try a tiny taste..."
Mischievously, Wufei caught the waving cone and pushed it back towards Duo, getting some on *his* face.
Heero snickered. Then started to retreat as *two* mischievous looks focussed on *him*. Too late. "What *is* this stuff?" he asked suspiciously after wiping the cotton candy off his chin with his finger.
"Pure sugar," Duo grinned. "Just try it. You won't want much, it's too sweet - that's why I just got one cone for all of us - but it's traditional for amusement parks and circuses and so on." Duo pulled a tuft off with his fingers and offered it to Heero.
Unable to resist Duo's pleading look, Heero started to reach for the bright blue fluff.
"Just open your mouth," Duo instructed.
Heero's eyes widened. That stuff was sticky. How would Duo get it off his fing... Ohh... He opened his mouth obediently, letting Duo put the candy in his mouth before closing his lips gently around Duo's fingers to keep the candy in while Duo pulled his fingers out. As the sickeningly sweet stuff dissolved in Heero's mouth, he decided that he could manage to eat his share if Duo intended to keep feeding it to him that way.
Duo switched hands before pulling another piece off the candy and offering, "Fei?"
Wufei willingly followed Heero's example, then reached out and pulled a bit of the fluffy stuff off and offered it to Duo. He was careful to only take about half as much as Duo had given him. After all, if Heero and he were both going to feed it to Duo, that would give him the same amount as each of them.
Duo grinned in delight before letting Wufei feed him the cotton candy. He'd seen Quatre and Trowa share a cone like this once and he'd thought it would be kind of fun. He'd *hoped* Heero and Wufei would cooperate, but he hadn't been sure. This was the closest thing to flirting that he'd been comfortable trying. He was just glad they were willing to participate.
It didn't take very long for the cone to dwindle down to nothing when it was shared out that way. Duo shivered slightly as Wufei licked the last traces of sugar off of his fingers. They had all gradually gotten a little bit bolder as they went. Simply closing lips around fingers had gradually changed to lightly sucking or licking the candy off. His little cotton candy experiment had been even more successful than he'd hoped. Of course, now they all had sticky fingers and needed to go wash up, but he didn't think any of them would complain.
"Ferris wheel next?" Duo asked brightly once they had washed up.
Wufei said, "Actually, I would like to make one other stop first..."
"Okay. Where to?"
Wufei caught hold of Duo's hand and pulled him along, simply saying, "Over here."
Duo stiffened and tried to drag Wufei to a stop once he realized where they were heading. 'Not the arcade area!' "No! Wufei, *no*!" he insisted, bracing his feet firmly.
"What, you don't want to win your dates any souvenirs?" Wufei asked archly.
Startled, Duo lost his balance and ended up being pulled along again, unresisting this time. He wasn't sure which part surprised him more - Wufei referring to himself and Heero as Duo's dates, or Wufei's suggestion that *he* win something for *them*.
Heero wasn't sure what Wufei was up to at first. He was just about ready to intervene on Duo's behalf when Wufei had made his comment about Duo winning something for *them*. As Duo abruptly stopped resisting, Heero realized that Wufei was trying to replace yesterday's bad memory with a better one. Immediately, he started scanning the booths, looking for just the right prize.
In no time at all, Duo had won a cartoonish owl wearing glasses for Wufei and a falcon wearing aviator goggles for Heero. Neither was exactly what he would have preferred, but virtually all the prizes seemed to be wildlife related. Not a dragon or a pegasus in the lot.
After accepting his souvenir, Wufei asked, "Duo, will you let us win you one thing each?"
Duo hesitated. He didn't *really* think they'd do the same thing again, did he? No... not really... "Alright."
By the time they headed off towards the ferris wheel, Duo had a very silly cartoonish sea urchin in his hand and an amazingly lifelike sea otter tucked under his arm. Heero had actually *apologized* that the sea otter was so large, but there was only one size of sea otter available and he'd thought it was so perfect for Duo that he couldn't resist. Wufei had just smiled before winning him the silly sea urchin despite the fact that it was much smaller.
The large ferris wheel seat easily accommodated all three of them. As the ride slowly moved, Duo relaxed against the two arms behind his back. Heero's arm was around his shoulders while Wufei's was around his waist. All of their plushies were piled in his lap for safe-keeping. Despite his current happiness, Duo fought off a touch of panic at the thought of losing this when he finally confessed his past to them. Maybe... just maybe... they really *did* love him? Maybe even enough that they could overlook his past? He hoped so.
***
They had spent so much time at the Ocean Discovery Centre and Pacific Park that Heero didn't think they should try to make it to Venice Beach. Instead, they headed down to the Ocean Front Walk. It didn't have everything that Venice Beach did, but it *did* have plenty of foodstands and cafes as well as rental booths.
"Close your eyes," Heero instructed Duo.
Wondering just what Heero was up to, Duo obeyed.
"Keep them shut," Heero said as he took possession of the plushies before taking hold of one of Duo's hands while Wufei took the other. Together, they led him along the paved walkway to a rental booth. "Okay, you can open them," Heero said.
"Roller blades?" Duo grinned. Somebody had obviously been listening after all on at least one occasion during the war. He'd thought roller blading looked fun and had happily agreed to go on a dorm floor trip to a rink. Except that the mission they'd been waiting for had come in early and they'd been gone before the trip took place. He gave Heero a happy grin and said, "Cool."
By the time they rented a locker to store their plushies in and got all the safety gear as well as the actual roller blades on, the first faint hints of dusk were beginning to appear. Then they still had to actually learn basic starting and stopping before they could head off down the path, laughing at each other's wobbles and stumbles.
Finally reaching a hotdog stand along the path, they decided it was long past time to get something to eat. If they sat at one of the picnic tables to eat, then headed straight back, they would be back in time to return the equipment before having to pay for another whole hour of use.
Noting how busy the tables were, Heero suggested, "Wufei, why don't you wait here and save a table for us? Duo and I should be able to handle carrying our order back."
Wufei nodded in acknowledgement before turning to look at the tables. Yuck. They were definitely *not* very clean. Making a disgusted face, Wufei perched gingerly on the edge of the table's bench seat. 'I think that I will simply hold my meal in my lap,' he decided. The table was *far* too filthy to consider setting food on it, regardless of how well-wrapped the food might be.
There were quite a few people eating at nearby tables. Someone carrying a half-eaten hotdog sat down at the table next to Wufei's. After a few moments, Wufei's nose twitched. There was a very - pungent - odour in the air. Where was it coming from? A few cautious sniffs narrowed the source down. Turning, he took a good look at the person sitting at the next table. 'He hasn't washed in *days*,' he thought with revulsion. There was absolutely *no* excuse for such poor personal hygiene.
Duo arrived back at the table, wobbling slightly since he had his hands full and couldn't balance as well. "Hey, Fei. Here's yours," he said, handing Wufei a footlong hotdog. "They didn't have enough ready, so Heero waited for his and sent me on back."
Sitting down, Duo casually set his things down on the table. It was pretty dirty, but the food was all covered and it wasn't like he hadn't eaten off of worse surfaces before.
Wufei gaped as Duo nonchalantly sat his food down on the filthy table. "Duo, don't sit your food there! Didn't you look at it? This table is disgusting!"
Suddenly, Duo wasn't too sure he was hungry anymore. His fears regarding Wufei's and Heero's acceptance of his past came back with a rush.
"Got a light?" someone asked from behind Wufei.
Duo looked up to see a dirty, shabbily-dressed man holding out a half-used cigarette. "Sorry, man. I don't," he answered apologetically. 'Guess some things aren't much different wherever you go,' he thought grimly. 'So much for peace fixing everyone's problems. How the hell is L2 ever going to get straightened out when even Earth can't take care of her own homeless?'
The man coughed and staggered as he turned away, lurching and catching himself against Wufei's back. Duo watched closely to make certain that the stumble wasn't a cover for a little sleight-of-hand, but it wasn't.
Wufei cringed as that filthy *person* actually *touched* him. He couldn't even *breathe* with that pungent odour so close to him. As the man finally left, he let out the breath he'd been holding in a rush. "How could you even *breathe* with him there?" he demanded. "And he *touched* me - ugh. How can anyone stand being so *dirty*?"
Duo's eyes dropped to the table. Each word Wufei uttered sent a sharp stab of pain through him. 'He'll never understand...'
Keeping an eye on the man wandering down the path, Wufei was horrified to see him stop and lift something out of a *garbage can* and start *eating* it. "Oh. My. God," he breathed in shocked disbelief. "Duo, did you *see* that? He's eating something out of the *garbage*!! That is absolutely the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my *life*! How could anyone *do* that?!"
Snatching up his untouched food, Duo hastily rose from the table, stumbling in his hurry. "Yeah, well, not everyone has a *choice*!" he spat out before skating off towards the man. Thrusting his food into the man's hands, he said, "Here. Enjoy it," before dashing back along the path towards the rental booth. The only thought in his mind was to get away. Away from Wufei before he blurted out that the same mouth that had licked cotton candy from his fingers mere hours ago had eaten a great many meals out of garbage cans. Before he had to watch Wufei's caring gaze change to one of disgust.
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Title: Winning Duo
Chapter: 18/?
Author: Calic0cat <calic0cat@fastmail.fm>
Story Started: Jan. 2003
Genre: Yaoi, Romance, Humour, Angst
Pairings: Working towards 1x2x5; 3x4; 6x9; others may be implied
Rated: NC-17
Warnings: OOC, Swearing, Shifting POV, Threesome
Archives: At Mediaminer.org under Calic0cat. Anyone with archive permission for my other fics can help themselves; anyone else, please ask.
Disclaimer: Duo and Heero and the rest of the GW gang aren't mine. This story is. Nuff said.
Notes: Starts one year after Endless Waltz. POV changes frequently.
'Thinking'
"Speaking"
*** Time passing or scene change
Author's Notes: I usually write 1x2x1, so a 1x2x5 is a first for me (well, writing one is - I've been reading them for quite a while now, that's the *only* threesome I actually *like*). Feedback is appreciated.
#################################################
"Hey, look! Bumper cars! Cool!" Duo exclaimed. "Let's go on those!" He turned and directed a hopeful look at Heero and Wufei who were close behind him. He grinned from ear to ear as they nodded in willing agreement. For once, all three of them were content to be the teenagers they still - just barely - were. He could hardly believe how much fun they'd been having. A small part of him kept insisting that things were going far too well, something would *have* to go wrong soon, but the rest of him was determined to enjoy this time for all it was worth. To just let himself live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow or the end of the week or anything else.
The Santa Monica Pier's Pacific Park was tiny compared to the amusement park they'd been at - god, was that only *yesterday*? no wonder he'd been so damn tired - but the few rides it had were supposed to be pretty good. Duo carefully stuffed his braid down inside his shirt before climbing into the bumper car; he had no desire whatsoever to get it caught on something. He couldn't keep a grin off his face as the others climbed into cars as well. This was just so much *fun*! 'And the guys aren't just tolerating this - they're having fun too!' he thought happily.
Heero fought off a grin for several moments. 'To hell with it!' he decided abruptly. J wasn't around anymore to tell him emotions were a weakness and punish him for showing any sign of them. Why was he still letting that nasty old man control his life? He let go of his control and allowed the grin to spread across his face. It had slipped past his guard a few times already, but this was the first time he'd consciously *decided* to let it show. It was silly that someone who'd flown a *Gundam* would get so excited over playing around in some silly bumper cars. But that didn't change the fact that he was.
Glancing across the ride, he saw the delighted grin on Duo's face and the eager look on Wufei's. He corrected himself, 'It's silly that *we're* so excited over playing around in some silly bumper cars... But that doesn't change the fact that we *are*!' Maybe it was just the fact that this was such a typical teenage thing to do and yet at the same time was something that they'd never had the *chance* to do before. Or maybe it was because Duo's happiness and enthusiasm was contagious.
It was hard to believe that he was enjoying himself so much. But he *was*. There was no question that Duo was having fun either. And Wufei seemed to be having a good time too. Heero felt a surge of warm gratitude towards the Chinese youth that so frequently partnered him on Preventers missions. 'He was certainly a wonderful partner today!' he thought. If Wufei had not been there to prod him into hugging Duo then coach him through attempting to comfort him, Heero would probably have been still standing there trying to explain himself long after Duo had given up on even listening. 'I didn't have a clue what to do - thank god Wufei did and was willing to help!'
That willingness had been a bit surprising. After all, they were supposed to be rivals. Sure, it could be argued that Wufei had helped him in order to keep Duo from being hurt. But Wufei could have stepped in and comforted Duo himself, leaving Heero out of the situation entirely and quite possibly eliminating any chance of losing Duo to him. But he hadn't, and for that Heero was extremely grateful.
Settling into the bumper car and fastening the safety harness, Wufei was surprised at how much he was looking forward to this bit of silliness. And it *was* silly - not at all the sort of thing that a scholar of the Dragon clan should be looking forward to. But he was.
Just then, Duo caught his eye and pointed from himself to Wufei, then motioned towards Heero with a mischievous grin before raising one eyebrow in inquiry. Wufei laughed and nodded in reply. Obviously Duo wanted to team up against Heero... Of course, the moment they cornered him, Duo would probably signal Heero to go after *him* next. Unless, of course, he teamed up with Heero against Duo first... Wufei grinned in anticipation and slammed down the pedal the instant that the starting bell sounded. This was going to be fun.
***
"Just a sec," Duo called back over his shoulder as he darted off. Heero wondered what he was up to. So far, they'd been on every ride in the park other than the ferris wheel, and that was supposed to be their next stop.
"He's having such a good time," Wufei observed softly. "We *all* are, are we not?"
Heero nodded in silent agreement. They were. This afternoon had gone much like they had originally hoped yesterday's abortive amusement park visit would. He had a sneaking suspicion that the difference today was that both he and Wufei were focussed on making Duo happy, *not* on "winning" him.
Wufei threw a glance towards the arcade area. The small plushy from the previous day was hidden away in his suitcase back at the hotel. Duo hadn't mentioned the prizes again and he hadn't dared offer it to Duo after how badly things had gone. He suspected Duo did not really want a reminder of that day. He had been tempted to simply dispose of the small furry bat with the huge leathery wings, but had ended up keeping it as a reminder to himself of the mistakes he had made both that day and in previous years where Duo was concerned. And he suspected that the small Snoopy wearing a bright red scarf, aviator goggles, and imitation leather cap and jacket that he had seen Heero tuck carefully away was being saved for the same reason. But he thought that perhaps Duo would not mind having a keepsake or two from *this* day.
He wasn't entirely sure it was a good idea, but he thought it was worth the risk. Taking Duo to the arcade area here and winning him a single, carefully chosen item might help soothe the sting of yesterday's debacle. Or it could upset him again. Wufei thought it was important to try though. 'He needs to see that we won't repeat the same mistake. And perhaps if we get him over there with the excuse that we want *him* to win something for *us*, it will be okay.'
Duo came bouncing back just before Wufei could broach the subject with Heero. Instead, he asked Duo, "What are you hiding behind your back?"
With a triumphant grin, Duo produced a pink and blue cone of spun sugar. "Cotton candy!" he proclaimed proudly. He'd had it before at Trowa's circus and knew that while he *did* like it, he didn't want very much of it. It was far too sweet to eat an entire cone. But he thought one cone shared three ways might be about right. 'Especially when shared the way I intend to do it...'
Heero gave the fluffy mass a suspicious look. The name seemed to imply that the brightly coloured stuff was edible, but frankly it didn't look like it.
"Try some!" Duo insisted, holding it out towards Wufei. He waved the cone slightly and ended up misjudging his distance and getting some on the end of Wufei's nose. "Oops, sorry," he laughed. "Just try a tiny taste..."
Mischievously, Wufei caught the waving cone and pushed it back towards Duo, getting some on *his* face.
Heero snickered. Then started to retreat as *two* mischievous looks focussed on *him*. Too late. "What *is* this stuff?" he asked suspiciously after wiping the cotton candy off his chin with his finger.
"Pure sugar," Duo grinned. "Just try it. You won't want much, it's too sweet - that's why I just got one cone for all of us - but it's traditional for amusement parks and circuses and so on." Duo pulled a tuft off with his fingers and offered it to Heero.
Unable to resist Duo's pleading look, Heero started to reach for the bright blue fluff.
"Just open your mouth," Duo instructed.
Heero's eyes widened. That stuff was sticky. How would Duo get it off his fing... Ohh... He opened his mouth obediently, letting Duo put the candy in his mouth before closing his lips gently around Duo's fingers to keep the candy in while Duo pulled his fingers out. As the sickeningly sweet stuff dissolved in Heero's mouth, he decided that he could manage to eat his share if Duo intended to keep feeding it to him that way.
Duo switched hands before pulling another piece off the candy and offering, "Fei?"
Wufei willingly followed Heero's example, then reached out and pulled a bit of the fluffy stuff off and offered it to Duo. He was careful to only take about half as much as Duo had given him. After all, if Heero and he were both going to feed it to Duo, that would give him the same amount as each of them.
Duo grinned in delight before letting Wufei feed him the cotton candy. He'd seen Quatre and Trowa share a cone like this once and he'd thought it would be kind of fun. He'd *hoped* Heero and Wufei would cooperate, but he hadn't been sure. This was the closest thing to flirting that he'd been comfortable trying. He was just glad they were willing to participate.
It didn't take very long for the cone to dwindle down to nothing when it was shared out that way. Duo shivered slightly as Wufei licked the last traces of sugar off of his fingers. They had all gradually gotten a little bit bolder as they went. Simply closing lips around fingers had gradually changed to lightly sucking or licking the candy off. His little cotton candy experiment had been even more successful than he'd hoped. Of course, now they all had sticky fingers and needed to go wash up, but he didn't think any of them would complain.
"Ferris wheel next?" Duo asked brightly once they had washed up.
Wufei said, "Actually, I would like to make one other stop first..."
"Okay. Where to?"
Wufei caught hold of Duo's hand and pulled him along, simply saying, "Over here."
Duo stiffened and tried to drag Wufei to a stop once he realized where they were heading. 'Not the arcade area!' "No! Wufei, *no*!" he insisted, bracing his feet firmly.
"What, you don't want to win your dates any souvenirs?" Wufei asked archly.
Startled, Duo lost his balance and ended up being pulled along again, unresisting this time. He wasn't sure which part surprised him more - Wufei referring to himself and Heero as Duo's dates, or Wufei's suggestion that *he* win something for *them*.
Heero wasn't sure what Wufei was up to at first. He was just about ready to intervene on Duo's behalf when Wufei had made his comment about Duo winning something for *them*. As Duo abruptly stopped resisting, Heero realized that Wufei was trying to replace yesterday's bad memory with a better one. Immediately, he started scanning the booths, looking for just the right prize.
In no time at all, Duo had won a cartoonish owl wearing glasses for Wufei and a falcon wearing aviator goggles for Heero. Neither was exactly what he would have preferred, but virtually all the prizes seemed to be wildlife related. Not a dragon or a pegasus in the lot.
After accepting his souvenir, Wufei asked, "Duo, will you let us win you one thing each?"
Duo hesitated. He didn't *really* think they'd do the same thing again, did he? No... not really... "Alright."
By the time they headed off towards the ferris wheel, Duo had a very silly cartoonish sea urchin in his hand and an amazingly lifelike sea otter tucked under his arm. Heero had actually *apologized* that the sea otter was so large, but there was only one size of sea otter available and he'd thought it was so perfect for Duo that he couldn't resist. Wufei had just smiled before winning him the silly sea urchin despite the fact that it was much smaller.
The large ferris wheel seat easily accommodated all three of them. As the ride slowly moved, Duo relaxed against the two arms behind his back. Heero's arm was around his shoulders while Wufei's was around his waist. All of their plushies were piled in his lap for safe-keeping. Despite his current happiness, Duo fought off a touch of panic at the thought of losing this when he finally confessed his past to them. Maybe... just maybe... they really *did* love him? Maybe even enough that they could overlook his past? He hoped so.
***
They had spent so much time at the Ocean Discovery Centre and Pacific Park that Heero didn't think they should try to make it to Venice Beach. Instead, they headed down to the Ocean Front Walk. It didn't have everything that Venice Beach did, but it *did* have plenty of foodstands and cafes as well as rental booths.
"Close your eyes," Heero instructed Duo.
Wondering just what Heero was up to, Duo obeyed.
"Keep them shut," Heero said as he took possession of the plushies before taking hold of one of Duo's hands while Wufei took the other. Together, they led him along the paved walkway to a rental booth. "Okay, you can open them," Heero said.
"Roller blades?" Duo grinned. Somebody had obviously been listening after all on at least one occasion during the war. He'd thought roller blading looked fun and had happily agreed to go on a dorm floor trip to a rink. Except that the mission they'd been waiting for had come in early and they'd been gone before the trip took place. He gave Heero a happy grin and said, "Cool."
By the time they rented a locker to store their plushies in and got all the safety gear as well as the actual roller blades on, the first faint hints of dusk were beginning to appear. Then they still had to actually learn basic starting and stopping before they could head off down the path, laughing at each other's wobbles and stumbles.
Finally reaching a hotdog stand along the path, they decided it was long past time to get something to eat. If they sat at one of the picnic tables to eat, then headed straight back, they would be back in time to return the equipment before having to pay for another whole hour of use.
Noting how busy the tables were, Heero suggested, "Wufei, why don't you wait here and save a table for us? Duo and I should be able to handle carrying our order back."
Wufei nodded in acknowledgement before turning to look at the tables. Yuck. They were definitely *not* very clean. Making a disgusted face, Wufei perched gingerly on the edge of the table's bench seat. 'I think that I will simply hold my meal in my lap,' he decided. The table was *far* too filthy to consider setting food on it, regardless of how well-wrapped the food might be.
There were quite a few people eating at nearby tables. Someone carrying a half-eaten hotdog sat down at the table next to Wufei's. After a few moments, Wufei's nose twitched. There was a very - pungent - odour in the air. Where was it coming from? A few cautious sniffs narrowed the source down. Turning, he took a good look at the person sitting at the next table. 'He hasn't washed in *days*,' he thought with revulsion. There was absolutely *no* excuse for such poor personal hygiene.
Duo arrived back at the table, wobbling slightly since he had his hands full and couldn't balance as well. "Hey, Fei. Here's yours," he said, handing Wufei a footlong hotdog. "They didn't have enough ready, so Heero waited for his and sent me on back."
Sitting down, Duo casually set his things down on the table. It was pretty dirty, but the food was all covered and it wasn't like he hadn't eaten off of worse surfaces before.
Wufei gaped as Duo nonchalantly sat his food down on the filthy table. "Duo, don't sit your food there! Didn't you look at it? This table is disgusting!"
Suddenly, Duo wasn't too sure he was hungry anymore. His fears regarding Wufei's and Heero's acceptance of his past came back with a rush.
"Got a light?" someone asked from behind Wufei.
Duo looked up to see a dirty, shabbily-dressed man holding out a half-used cigarette. "Sorry, man. I don't," he answered apologetically. 'Guess some things aren't much different wherever you go,' he thought grimly. 'So much for peace fixing everyone's problems. How the hell is L2 ever going to get straightened out when even Earth can't take care of her own homeless?'
The man coughed and staggered as he turned away, lurching and catching himself against Wufei's back. Duo watched closely to make certain that the stumble wasn't a cover for a little sleight-of-hand, but it wasn't.
Wufei cringed as that filthy *person* actually *touched* him. He couldn't even *breathe* with that pungent odour so close to him. As the man finally left, he let out the breath he'd been holding in a rush. "How could you even *breathe* with him there?" he demanded. "And he *touched* me - ugh. How can anyone stand being so *dirty*?"
Duo's eyes dropped to the table. Each word Wufei uttered sent a sharp stab of pain through him. 'He'll never understand...'
Keeping an eye on the man wandering down the path, Wufei was horrified to see him stop and lift something out of a *garbage can* and start *eating* it. "Oh. My. God," he breathed in shocked disbelief. "Duo, did you *see* that? He's eating something out of the *garbage*!! That is absolutely the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my *life*! How could anyone *do* that?!"
Snatching up his untouched food, Duo hastily rose from the table, stumbling in his hurry. "Yeah, well, not everyone has a *choice*!" he spat out before skating off towards the man. Thrusting his food into the man's hands, he said, "Here. Enjoy it," before dashing back along the path towards the rental booth. The only thought in his mind was to get away. Away from Wufei before he blurted out that the same mouth that had licked cotton candy from his fingers mere hours ago had eaten a great many meals out of garbage cans. Before he had to watch Wufei's caring gaze change to one of disgust.
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