Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Winning Duo ❯ Chapter 22
[ 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: 03.08.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.08.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
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Title: Winning Duo
Chapter: 22/?
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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"Heero, wait!" Duo called, rushing out into the sitting area of the suite.
Heero stopped with one hand on the doorknob, his back still facing the room. "What is it, Duo?" he asked, carefully keeping his voice level. He did not want Duo to think that he was angry with him because he wasn't. He didn't blame Duo for preferring to stay and talk with Wufei rather than go down to the restaurant with him. Wufei was better at casual conversation as well as being more able to give Duo the contact he seemed to crave. 'But I *will* get better at it,' Heero promised himself. 'I *will* learn how to give Duo what he needs to make him happy. I *have* to.' "Did you want me to bring you something to eat when I come back?"
Staring at Heero's back, Duo hesitated. A few moments ago, it had seemed obvious what he needed to do. 'Just run out here, grab Heero's hand, and drag him back into my room to wait while I got dressed. Maybe even get him to do my hair for me while Fei got ready; my wrist hurts enough today that I'd rather not do it myself. But...'
But it wasn't nearly that easy when facing Heero's stiff back. It reminded Duo too much of all the times in the past that he'd tried to touch Heero and ended up getting pushed away, whether verbally or physically or both. Heero had never actually physically hurt him when he pushed him away; but the emotional hurt was hard to forget. "I... I'm not ready yet. Would you mind waiting a few more minutes while I get dressed?" he asked. Hurriedly, before he could completely lose his nerve, Duo added, "And maybe you could help me with my hair while Fei gets ready? My wrist is kinda sore still..."
'Does he really want to come down with me? Or does he just want to get something to eat?' Heero let his hand slip off of the doorknob and turned to face Duo. "You don't have to come down. I can bring something back for you," he said as Wufei entered the room too. "For," he hesitated, uncertain whether to say Wufei or Chang, then avoided the issue by simply saying, "for both of you."
"I'd rather eat together," Duo answered. He wasn't quite sure - did Heero *want* to be left alone right now? Or did he just want to be sure Duo really wanted to come along?
"If you help Duo with his hair, it really won't take us long to get ready, Heero," Wufei added. "I would prefer that we all dine together as well."
"If that's what everyone wants..." Heero said. He didn't really *want* to go down by himself. 'Wufei called me "Heero" this time... Why now and not before? Does he consider me a close friend or not?' He didn't know *what* to think.
Duo grinned in relief and automatically reached out to catch hold of Heero's hand. He nearly let go again when Heero stiffened, but Heero's fingers curled carefully around his before he could. "Come on, then," he urged, tugging Heero towards his room.
'Idiot! Duo actually took your hand and you froze! You almost blew that one, Yuy - he was going to let go and he might not have tried again,' Heero thought as he followed Duo into the bedroom. He was glad he'd managed to unfreeze quickly enough to keep that from happening. He just wasn't *used* to being touched and it usually took him a moment to respond appropriately. But after all the times he'd rejected Duo in the past, there was no reason that Duo would understand the difference.
"It'll only take me a minute to change," Duo promised, releasing Heero's hand and hurriedly locating a pair of jeans and a shirt. He darted off to the bathroom, calling over his shoulder, "I'm not sure where my brush is. It's not in here; maybe you can find it? I think Fei was the last one to have it last night..."
Thinking back, Heero was pretty sure that Wufei had been brushing Duo's hair out in the sitting area. Maybe it was still there. A quick look around located the brush under one of the throw pillows on the couch. He carried it back into Duo's room, arriving just before Duo returned.
"Oh good, you found it," Duo said when he spotted the brush. "Umm, you don't mind doing my hair, do you Heero? 'Cause I *can* do it myself if you'd rather not..."
"I don't mind," Heero answered. As Duo took a seat in the chair, Heero continued softly, "I don't mind at all." He didn't know what or why, but he did know that Duo's hair meant *something* important to him. Duo allowing him to handle it meant a lot to him. 'And that's without even considering the fact that I love the way it feels,' he thought as he slipped the tie off the end of the unravelling braid. Heero hesitated, uncertain how to go about this. He had braided Duo's hair for him the other day, finally getting to make use of a skill he had painstakingly taught himself in one of his more optimistic moments. But he had never brushed it before. And there was so *much* of it. He didn't think that he could just drag the brush through it the way that he did his own...
Duo couldn't help smiling at the half-reverent tone Heero had used. 'I guess he *does* like my hair,' he thought happily. *Most* people did, but he'd been a little bit afraid that Heero still considered it the impractical nuisance he'd called it during the war. 'Wonder why he hasn't started brushing yet? It's been a good minute or two since he took off the tie... He hasn't even finger-combed out what's left of the braid...' Duo twisted to look up at Heero, who had a rather lost expression on his face. "Heero? Is something wrong?" he asked curiously.
"I... I don't know where to start," Heero admitted, feeling very foolish.
'Shit. Of course. Fei knew how to brush it out because his hair's long too. Heero's never dealt with long hair before!' "Yeah, it's a little overwhelming," Duo grinned. "Don't worry about it - I'll talk you through it. Just start by using your fingers to untangle what's left of the braid, then you can start brushing. Make sure to start at the bottom and work your way up. That makes it easier to get the tangles out and causes less breakage too."
Heero followed Duo's directions, being very careful not to pull. It took less time than he'd expected to get Duo's hair completely brushed out. He hated to stop brushing; but he reluctantly set the brush down and started to braid.
Duo was surprised at how gently Heero brushed out his hair. He pulled on it harder when he did it himself. But then, if Heero was unsure of himself, he supposed that he *would* be extra careful. As Heero set the brush aside and started to separate the hair into sections for braiding, Duo said curiously, "When you braided my hair the other day you did a really good job Heero, like you'd had lots of practice at it. How'd you get so good at braiding?"
Heero hesitated before answering, "I used to imagine you letting me do this; so when I finally decided to try and see if there was any chance that you were still interested in me, I bought a book on different types of braiding and found the one that looked like I remembered your braid did. Then I bought some really thin yarn and practised." Heero felt as if his face was on fire with embarrassment. He had hoped Duo wouldn't ask him that question. Practising braiding yarn in hopes that someday the one he loved would let Heero braid his hair just sounded so totally... lame? desperate? "Pretty pathetic, I know..."
Pathetic? Hell, no. Duo's throat closed with emotion. That was so *sweet*. Not caring that he was wrecking Heero's half-finished braid, Duo swiftly turned around, rising to his knees on the seat of the chair to put himself eye to eye with Heero. "No, not pathetic at all. More like - sweet. Wonderful. Touching."
'Sweet?! Wonderful?! Duo thinks my pitiful little braiding practice was *touching*, not pathetic? I did something right?' Heero felt lightheaded with relief. He had been afraid that Duo would laugh; he'd never imagined that he would react like *this*!
Duo smiled gently at the startled look on Heero's face and brought his hands up to rest on Heero's shoulders. A small burst of confidence generated by Heero's confession led him to say, "You know, it seems to me that I owe you something. Something we never quite got around to last night..." As he spoke, Duo slid one hand across Heero's shoulder to curl behind his neck. He brought the other hand up to rest lightly against Heero's cheek as he continued, "I think maybe I should give it to you now, hmm?"
Heart pounding, Heero realized what Duo was referring to. Already heady with delight over the fingers cradling the back of his neck and pressing lightly against his cheek, he managed to nod slightly in response to the question.
Duo let the back of the chair support him as he leaned forward to press his lips against Heero's. He certainly hadn't had much experience at this - just Wufei's kiss last night - but he tried to put all the love he couldn't seem to vocalize into the kiss. All the warmth and tenderness and caring that he wanted to give to Heero but was having difficulty expressing when old, bad memories of the results from past attempts got in the way.
Heero leaned into Duo's kiss, savouring the warmth of Duo's hand cupping his cheek and the touch of the fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck almost as much as the lips moving against his own. His eyes drifted shut as he gave himself up to the sensation, overwhelmed by the contact with the one he loved. With *Duo*.
***
Wufei quickly got dressed and ready to go down to eat. While he did so, he scolded himself again for slipping up and calling Heero "Yuy". 'He wouldn't even meet my eyes out there,' he thought. 'I *did* hurt his feelings. I need to be more careful. To remember that Heero has been changing, opening up and becoming more friendly. Things that would not have bothered him before may do so now.'
Once he was ready, Wufei headed for Duo's room to see whether he was ready to go yet or not. He paused just outside the door, listening to see whether he would be interrupting something if he entered right then. Duo might be trying to get Heero to tell him what had been bothering him. What he heard instead was Heero's hesitant confession about practising braiding. 'Pathetic? Somehow, I doubt that Duo will agree with that assessment...'
When he realized that Duo was about to kiss Heero, Wufei hesitated over entering the room. Both because he felt that they should have a little privacy and because he wasn't at all sure that he *wanted* to see Duo kiss someone else, even if that someone was Heero. 'But we are all going to have to get used to this if we are truly going to make this work. Heero and I will both have to accept the other seeing us together with Duo as well as watching each other with Duo.' Drawing a deep breath to brace himself, Wufei walked into the room.
Duo was kneeling backwards on a chair, leaning against the back of it. A partial braid was in the process of unravelling down his back. One hand cupped Heero's cheek; the other cradled the nape of his neck.
Wufei watched silently, surprised that it *didn't* hurt the way he had expected it to, as Duo pressed his lips to Heero's. And Heero - melted. Wufei didn't know how else to describe it. Heero's entire body relaxed and his arms came up to reach over the chair back and very carefully encircle Duo, drawing himself closer to the chair. Closer to Duo.
Any faint lingering doubts that Wufei may have had over sharing Duo with Heero vanished. 'He truly does love him just as much as I do... Heero may have difficulty showing it because of his unnaturally cold and isolated childhood and the harshness of his training, but the emotions are there.'
As Duo broke off the kiss and drew back slightly, his hands slipping back to Heero's shoulders, Heero made a soft, involuntary sound of protest. He didn't want to give up that closeness so soon... He opened his eyes reluctantly and slowly withdrew his arms from around Duo.
Before Heero could step back, Duo brought one hand back up to his face, gently stroking the thumb across his cheek while cradling his jawline with the other fingers. Heero leaned into the caress immediately, suddenly understanding exactly why Duo responded that way to Wufei's caress. It made him feel... 'Loved. Important. *Cherished*.' And the touch itself was very light, barely even a noticeable pressure. The sort of touch that one would use to handle something very valuable and very delicate.
Watching Heero's response to his touch, Duo finally accepted that Heero had meant what he said. That he didn't mind physical contact with Duo. Maybe even *wanted* it. "You really *do* want me to touch you..." he said softly, half-questioningly.
Heero's eyes widened. Duo believed him? "Yes..." he breathed hopefully. Maybe... maybe Duo *would* be willing to give him those comforting touches after all? But if he was caught off guard and froze again... Hesitantly, he added, "I'm just not used to being touched and sometimes it takes me a few moments to respond; it doesn't mean I'm rejecting you..."
Duo wished fervently that J were still alive. He would very much like to introduce that sorry excuse for a human being to some of the nastier aspects of L2 street gangs. Denying human contact to *anyone* to the point where they would freeze and be unsure how to respond to a hug or someone taking their hand... He gave Heero a gentle smile and said simply, "Okay."
Wufei was having similar thoughts. He would very much like to have J there, alive and facing his sword. Perhaps the man would be a little more willing to admit that simple things like comfort were *necessary* after having a few non-essential body parts removed. 'Perhaps it is just as well that he is dead. I suspect that by the time Duo and I were done with him, we would be looking for a place to hide the body.'
Pleasant as that thought was, Wufei had to admit that it was more likely that they would have ended up getting J arrested on charges of child abuse and the creepy old bastard would have gotten off on some technicality. There *were* at least some advantages to not having to function within the law that he occasionally missed.
Spotting Wufei out of the corner of his eye, Duo said, "Oops, looks like Fei's ready. Guess I'd better let you finish braiding my hair."
Heero flushed, startled that he had not noticed Wufei come in and wondering exactly *when* he had. 'When he came in doesn't matter. You have to get used to him being around all the time. You will *both* have to get used to that.' Though that was definitely easier said than done. Particularly when he was having difficulty figuring out exactly what Wufei considered him. Friend? Partner? Acquaintance? He had *thought* that yesterday they had definitely been good friends at the very least. But this morning... This morning, he seemed to be little more than an acquaintance...
Seeing Heero's discomfort, Duo leaned forward and murmured, "You got to watch him kiss me last night, remember?" then dropped a light kiss on the tip of Heero's nose before turning to sit properly in the chair again. He flashed a quick smile towards Wufei and said, "All set, huh?" as Heero started the braid over again.
"Yes," Wufei agreed. He watched as Heero fumbled and had to start the braid over again a second time. 'He seemed comfortable around me before. Now, he is not. How do I fix this?' He wasn't sure. Confronting Heero did not seem like a good option. It was more likely to make him defensive than to smooth things over. 'I will simply have to wait and watch for an opportunity to show him that I did not mean to distance myself by calling him "Yuy" instead of "Heero",' he decided. Hopefully it would not take too long to discover one.
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Title: Winning Duo
Chapter: 22/?
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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"Heero, wait!" Duo called, rushing out into the sitting area of the suite.
Heero stopped with one hand on the doorknob, his back still facing the room. "What is it, Duo?" he asked, carefully keeping his voice level. He did not want Duo to think that he was angry with him because he wasn't. He didn't blame Duo for preferring to stay and talk with Wufei rather than go down to the restaurant with him. Wufei was better at casual conversation as well as being more able to give Duo the contact he seemed to crave. 'But I *will* get better at it,' Heero promised himself. 'I *will* learn how to give Duo what he needs to make him happy. I *have* to.' "Did you want me to bring you something to eat when I come back?"
Staring at Heero's back, Duo hesitated. A few moments ago, it had seemed obvious what he needed to do. 'Just run out here, grab Heero's hand, and drag him back into my room to wait while I got dressed. Maybe even get him to do my hair for me while Fei got ready; my wrist hurts enough today that I'd rather not do it myself. But...'
But it wasn't nearly that easy when facing Heero's stiff back. It reminded Duo too much of all the times in the past that he'd tried to touch Heero and ended up getting pushed away, whether verbally or physically or both. Heero had never actually physically hurt him when he pushed him away; but the emotional hurt was hard to forget. "I... I'm not ready yet. Would you mind waiting a few more minutes while I get dressed?" he asked. Hurriedly, before he could completely lose his nerve, Duo added, "And maybe you could help me with my hair while Fei gets ready? My wrist is kinda sore still..."
'Does he really want to come down with me? Or does he just want to get something to eat?' Heero let his hand slip off of the doorknob and turned to face Duo. "You don't have to come down. I can bring something back for you," he said as Wufei entered the room too. "For," he hesitated, uncertain whether to say Wufei or Chang, then avoided the issue by simply saying, "for both of you."
"I'd rather eat together," Duo answered. He wasn't quite sure - did Heero *want* to be left alone right now? Or did he just want to be sure Duo really wanted to come along?
"If you help Duo with his hair, it really won't take us long to get ready, Heero," Wufei added. "I would prefer that we all dine together as well."
"If that's what everyone wants..." Heero said. He didn't really *want* to go down by himself. 'Wufei called me "Heero" this time... Why now and not before? Does he consider me a close friend or not?' He didn't know *what* to think.
Duo grinned in relief and automatically reached out to catch hold of Heero's hand. He nearly let go again when Heero stiffened, but Heero's fingers curled carefully around his before he could. "Come on, then," he urged, tugging Heero towards his room.
'Idiot! Duo actually took your hand and you froze! You almost blew that one, Yuy - he was going to let go and he might not have tried again,' Heero thought as he followed Duo into the bedroom. He was glad he'd managed to unfreeze quickly enough to keep that from happening. He just wasn't *used* to being touched and it usually took him a moment to respond appropriately. But after all the times he'd rejected Duo in the past, there was no reason that Duo would understand the difference.
"It'll only take me a minute to change," Duo promised, releasing Heero's hand and hurriedly locating a pair of jeans and a shirt. He darted off to the bathroom, calling over his shoulder, "I'm not sure where my brush is. It's not in here; maybe you can find it? I think Fei was the last one to have it last night..."
Thinking back, Heero was pretty sure that Wufei had been brushing Duo's hair out in the sitting area. Maybe it was still there. A quick look around located the brush under one of the throw pillows on the couch. He carried it back into Duo's room, arriving just before Duo returned.
"Oh good, you found it," Duo said when he spotted the brush. "Umm, you don't mind doing my hair, do you Heero? 'Cause I *can* do it myself if you'd rather not..."
"I don't mind," Heero answered. As Duo took a seat in the chair, Heero continued softly, "I don't mind at all." He didn't know what or why, but he did know that Duo's hair meant *something* important to him. Duo allowing him to handle it meant a lot to him. 'And that's without even considering the fact that I love the way it feels,' he thought as he slipped the tie off the end of the unravelling braid. Heero hesitated, uncertain how to go about this. He had braided Duo's hair for him the other day, finally getting to make use of a skill he had painstakingly taught himself in one of his more optimistic moments. But he had never brushed it before. And there was so *much* of it. He didn't think that he could just drag the brush through it the way that he did his own...
Duo couldn't help smiling at the half-reverent tone Heero had used. 'I guess he *does* like my hair,' he thought happily. *Most* people did, but he'd been a little bit afraid that Heero still considered it the impractical nuisance he'd called it during the war. 'Wonder why he hasn't started brushing yet? It's been a good minute or two since he took off the tie... He hasn't even finger-combed out what's left of the braid...' Duo twisted to look up at Heero, who had a rather lost expression on his face. "Heero? Is something wrong?" he asked curiously.
"I... I don't know where to start," Heero admitted, feeling very foolish.
'Shit. Of course. Fei knew how to brush it out because his hair's long too. Heero's never dealt with long hair before!' "Yeah, it's a little overwhelming," Duo grinned. "Don't worry about it - I'll talk you through it. Just start by using your fingers to untangle what's left of the braid, then you can start brushing. Make sure to start at the bottom and work your way up. That makes it easier to get the tangles out and causes less breakage too."
Heero followed Duo's directions, being very careful not to pull. It took less time than he'd expected to get Duo's hair completely brushed out. He hated to stop brushing; but he reluctantly set the brush down and started to braid.
Duo was surprised at how gently Heero brushed out his hair. He pulled on it harder when he did it himself. But then, if Heero was unsure of himself, he supposed that he *would* be extra careful. As Heero set the brush aside and started to separate the hair into sections for braiding, Duo said curiously, "When you braided my hair the other day you did a really good job Heero, like you'd had lots of practice at it. How'd you get so good at braiding?"
Heero hesitated before answering, "I used to imagine you letting me do this; so when I finally decided to try and see if there was any chance that you were still interested in me, I bought a book on different types of braiding and found the one that looked like I remembered your braid did. Then I bought some really thin yarn and practised." Heero felt as if his face was on fire with embarrassment. He had hoped Duo wouldn't ask him that question. Practising braiding yarn in hopes that someday the one he loved would let Heero braid his hair just sounded so totally... lame? desperate? "Pretty pathetic, I know..."
Pathetic? Hell, no. Duo's throat closed with emotion. That was so *sweet*. Not caring that he was wrecking Heero's half-finished braid, Duo swiftly turned around, rising to his knees on the seat of the chair to put himself eye to eye with Heero. "No, not pathetic at all. More like - sweet. Wonderful. Touching."
'Sweet?! Wonderful?! Duo thinks my pitiful little braiding practice was *touching*, not pathetic? I did something right?' Heero felt lightheaded with relief. He had been afraid that Duo would laugh; he'd never imagined that he would react like *this*!
Duo smiled gently at the startled look on Heero's face and brought his hands up to rest on Heero's shoulders. A small burst of confidence generated by Heero's confession led him to say, "You know, it seems to me that I owe you something. Something we never quite got around to last night..." As he spoke, Duo slid one hand across Heero's shoulder to curl behind his neck. He brought the other hand up to rest lightly against Heero's cheek as he continued, "I think maybe I should give it to you now, hmm?"
Heart pounding, Heero realized what Duo was referring to. Already heady with delight over the fingers cradling the back of his neck and pressing lightly against his cheek, he managed to nod slightly in response to the question.
Duo let the back of the chair support him as he leaned forward to press his lips against Heero's. He certainly hadn't had much experience at this - just Wufei's kiss last night - but he tried to put all the love he couldn't seem to vocalize into the kiss. All the warmth and tenderness and caring that he wanted to give to Heero but was having difficulty expressing when old, bad memories of the results from past attempts got in the way.
Heero leaned into Duo's kiss, savouring the warmth of Duo's hand cupping his cheek and the touch of the fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck almost as much as the lips moving against his own. His eyes drifted shut as he gave himself up to the sensation, overwhelmed by the contact with the one he loved. With *Duo*.
***
Wufei quickly got dressed and ready to go down to eat. While he did so, he scolded himself again for slipping up and calling Heero "Yuy". 'He wouldn't even meet my eyes out there,' he thought. 'I *did* hurt his feelings. I need to be more careful. To remember that Heero has been changing, opening up and becoming more friendly. Things that would not have bothered him before may do so now.'
Once he was ready, Wufei headed for Duo's room to see whether he was ready to go yet or not. He paused just outside the door, listening to see whether he would be interrupting something if he entered right then. Duo might be trying to get Heero to tell him what had been bothering him. What he heard instead was Heero's hesitant confession about practising braiding. 'Pathetic? Somehow, I doubt that Duo will agree with that assessment...'
When he realized that Duo was about to kiss Heero, Wufei hesitated over entering the room. Both because he felt that they should have a little privacy and because he wasn't at all sure that he *wanted* to see Duo kiss someone else, even if that someone was Heero. 'But we are all going to have to get used to this if we are truly going to make this work. Heero and I will both have to accept the other seeing us together with Duo as well as watching each other with Duo.' Drawing a deep breath to brace himself, Wufei walked into the room.
Duo was kneeling backwards on a chair, leaning against the back of it. A partial braid was in the process of unravelling down his back. One hand cupped Heero's cheek; the other cradled the nape of his neck.
Wufei watched silently, surprised that it *didn't* hurt the way he had expected it to, as Duo pressed his lips to Heero's. And Heero - melted. Wufei didn't know how else to describe it. Heero's entire body relaxed and his arms came up to reach over the chair back and very carefully encircle Duo, drawing himself closer to the chair. Closer to Duo.
Any faint lingering doubts that Wufei may have had over sharing Duo with Heero vanished. 'He truly does love him just as much as I do... Heero may have difficulty showing it because of his unnaturally cold and isolated childhood and the harshness of his training, but the emotions are there.'
As Duo broke off the kiss and drew back slightly, his hands slipping back to Heero's shoulders, Heero made a soft, involuntary sound of protest. He didn't want to give up that closeness so soon... He opened his eyes reluctantly and slowly withdrew his arms from around Duo.
Before Heero could step back, Duo brought one hand back up to his face, gently stroking the thumb across his cheek while cradling his jawline with the other fingers. Heero leaned into the caress immediately, suddenly understanding exactly why Duo responded that way to Wufei's caress. It made him feel... 'Loved. Important. *Cherished*.' And the touch itself was very light, barely even a noticeable pressure. The sort of touch that one would use to handle something very valuable and very delicate.
Watching Heero's response to his touch, Duo finally accepted that Heero had meant what he said. That he didn't mind physical contact with Duo. Maybe even *wanted* it. "You really *do* want me to touch you..." he said softly, half-questioningly.
Heero's eyes widened. Duo believed him? "Yes..." he breathed hopefully. Maybe... maybe Duo *would* be willing to give him those comforting touches after all? But if he was caught off guard and froze again... Hesitantly, he added, "I'm just not used to being touched and sometimes it takes me a few moments to respond; it doesn't mean I'm rejecting you..."
Duo wished fervently that J were still alive. He would very much like to introduce that sorry excuse for a human being to some of the nastier aspects of L2 street gangs. Denying human contact to *anyone* to the point where they would freeze and be unsure how to respond to a hug or someone taking their hand... He gave Heero a gentle smile and said simply, "Okay."
Wufei was having similar thoughts. He would very much like to have J there, alive and facing his sword. Perhaps the man would be a little more willing to admit that simple things like comfort were *necessary* after having a few non-essential body parts removed. 'Perhaps it is just as well that he is dead. I suspect that by the time Duo and I were done with him, we would be looking for a place to hide the body.'
Pleasant as that thought was, Wufei had to admit that it was more likely that they would have ended up getting J arrested on charges of child abuse and the creepy old bastard would have gotten off on some technicality. There *were* at least some advantages to not having to function within the law that he occasionally missed.
Spotting Wufei out of the corner of his eye, Duo said, "Oops, looks like Fei's ready. Guess I'd better let you finish braiding my hair."
Heero flushed, startled that he had not noticed Wufei come in and wondering exactly *when* he had. 'When he came in doesn't matter. You have to get used to him being around all the time. You will *both* have to get used to that.' Though that was definitely easier said than done. Particularly when he was having difficulty figuring out exactly what Wufei considered him. Friend? Partner? Acquaintance? He had *thought* that yesterday they had definitely been good friends at the very least. But this morning... This morning, he seemed to be little more than an acquaintance...
Seeing Heero's discomfort, Duo leaned forward and murmured, "You got to watch him kiss me last night, remember?" then dropped a light kiss on the tip of Heero's nose before turning to sit properly in the chair again. He flashed a quick smile towards Wufei and said, "All set, huh?" as Heero started the braid over again.
"Yes," Wufei agreed. He watched as Heero fumbled and had to start the braid over again a second time. 'He seemed comfortable around me before. Now, he is not. How do I fix this?' He wasn't sure. Confronting Heero did not seem like a good option. It was more likely to make him defensive than to smooth things over. 'I will simply have to wait and watch for an opportunity to show him that I did not mean to distance myself by calling him "Yuy" instead of "Heero",' he decided. Hopefully it would not take too long to discover one.
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