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Disclaimer: Gundam Wing isn't mine. Duh.
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors when the heart of this restless warrior beats in time with yours...
Quatre stepped into the room immediately and threw his arms around Heero, then Duo. Then they turned to watch Trowa as he
stepped in, looking both amused and long-suffering at Quatre's antics. He nodded to Heero, smiling slightly at the man's stunned,
frozen expression, then went to Duo's side, gently prying his lover off of the poor American's neck. "Calm down, Quatre,"
he said quietly, and Quatre's excited face bounced up to him.
Duo looked at Heero and swiftly went to his side. The Japanese man shook his head and stared at his lover with a look that
plainly said that he was fine, even though he hadn't been expecting the sudden physical contact. Duo turned back to his guests
and smiled for them. "Hey, Qat," he spoke, and Quatre turned to him, looking at Heero and smiling sheepishly at him, figuring
out what he'd done.
"Hello, Duo. Are you both ready to go?"
Duo almost nodded for yes, but then turned to Heero. When his lover nodded, he smiled and answered with a simple, "yeah, we're
ready."
In all honesty, Duo was entirely too nervous. He followed Heero out, and Heero wisely decided to take his own car and follow
Quatre and Trowa to the restaurant. Duo sat in the passenger seat, his face already smiling as he yammered away. Heero could
only remember what had been in Duo's journal, what the young American had said about everyone thinking he was happy. Now,
unlike before, he could see it easily. The worry behind the smile. Something in his chest tightened.
"Don't, love."
Duo turned at the sound of his voice, confused. "Don't what?"
"Don't do this." Heero turned a corner and kept his eyes on the road, not meeting Duo's eyes so he could say what he knew
Duo needed to hear.
"Don't do what?"
Duo was starting to get angry, from the sound of it. He decided it was time to elaborate. "Don't pretend for me, or for them.
Be yourself. We won't hate you for who you are. We've seen the worst sides of you already, haven't we?"
Duo gaped. "I... I... what?!" His back snapped. "Dude, I'm not pretending-"
"Your pulse rate was intense in the house, and I do not doubt that it still is – maybe even more so now. You were nervous.
You're trying to make me laugh now." His voice, Heero noted, was sounding sharp, so he gentled it. "You don't need to hide
behind your mask anymore."
Duo could only stare at him wide-eyed for about three blocks, then shook his head. "Thank you," the young man whispered, and
his head turned down to study the floor.
And stayed there.
Heero kept glancing at Duo, but couldn't figure out what he should say. Duo looked so... happy? Wistful. Scared, too. Heero
pieced everything together and then carefully spoke again. "We're your friends, Duo, so you don't need to be afraid of rejection.
We've always loved listening to you – that's right, even Wufei and me, so don't give me that look. I know I, at least,
want to see every single part of you. I want to see you shine, and I want to see you cry, if only so that I can take those
tears away. But if you hide every single time you're hurt or scared, I'll never be able to help you." Heero looked at Duo
very intensely then. "And if I can't help you, then I feel useless. Let me be there for you. Please. From now on."
Duo's eyes then seemed to sparkle, like an amethyst dug out from the ground and cleaned for the first time in its life. Duo
quickly turned his head away. It took Heero hardly any effort to continue driving as he grabbed Duo's chin and made Duo face
him. Though the tears hadn't fallen, they were there, glimmering in Duo's eyes. "You're hiding again," Heero whispered, and
it made a small smile flit across Duo's face.
"Sorry," Duo whispered, and was silenced when Heero's thumb rubbed against his lips.
"Shh," Heero ordered, managing to turn again without looking at the road. "I had a mask too, you know. It made things... easier,
I thought. But it almost lost me everything. I don't want you to feel that sort of fear anymore. The fear that you would hurt
yourself by being unable to face your dreams. Of hurting those you love by trying to grab those dreams. I couldn't face you
during the war, when my mask was all I had. I was terrified, because I knew that having one would mean I would lose the other."
"I... I'm sorry... I didn't know..."
Heero smiled and finally turned back to the road, letting go of Duo to again hold the wheel. "I know you didn't. My mask was
very well honed." Heero found that his voice was bitter. "I didn't really have a choice. It was either the mask... or death."
"The same for me," Duo told Heero sadly. "I had to laugh for the other kids... the other street rats I grew up with. Even
when I was in the orphanage, there were other kids, and I was their leader. I had to be both ruthless and kind, smart and
funny. The mask made that a lot easier. And after a while..." Duo's voice trailed off.
"Habit," Heero finished for him.
Duo nodded. "Exactly."
Heero nodded too, and then they were silent. Heero's glance flicked over to Duo once, twice, three times, then he said, "do
you know where they're taking us?"
Duo blinked a few times in confusion, trying to find out what Heero was talking about. When he did, he burst out laughing.
"Wow, Heero," he teased, "subtle!"
Heero only smiled. "Well?"
Duo thought for a minute, then shrugged. "I dunno. Quatre didn't tell me. Undoubtedly it's someplace really fancy." Duo bit
his lip. "That would be why we wore the fancy outfits." Duo gave him a sly glance. "In which you look very yummy, by
the way."
Heero laughed. "Save it for the main course, Duo."
"But, you know," and now Duo's look was positively wicked, "I've always loved dessert so much more..."
Heero laughed again. "Are you saying that I'm better than a steak?"
"Much better," Duo agreed, rubbing his hand up Heero's arm.
Immediately goose bumps itched themselves over Heero's skin, sensitive to Duo's touch. His mind flashed back to their night
together, and Heero almost groaned. At Duo's gasp, though, he turned to his lover immediately in alarm. Duo's eyes were wide.
"What's wrong?" Heero asked.
"I can't believe you actually... you know..." Duo made a helpless gesture that told Heero nothing more than what Duo had just
said. "All I did was..."
Heero actually felt his brain click into place. "Oh." He smiled. "Yeah. About that... maybe the touching should be kept down
to a minimum, or else we'll never get past the appetizers."
Duo got his lecherous smirk back. "Are you saying that you aren't an appetizer?"
"I thought we just agreed that I was dessert?"
"We're debating the sexual merits of waiting until dessert, too," Duo told him haughtily.
"Are we now?" Heero stopped at the upcoming red light, turned, and kissed Duo full on the mouth.
Duo's lips were warm and pliant and opened for him immediately. With a growl of satisfaction, Heero plunged his tongue into
that sweet concave, letting go of the wheel to grab Duo's shoulders and thrust themselves together, body to body and to hell
with the suits they were wearing. Duo's reaction was instantaneous; he threw his hands around Heero and twined them in his
hair, thrusting his chest until they were completely meshed into one another, their bodies touching on every pore, backs arched,
lips locked. The taste of Duo was everywhere, filling each and every one of Heero's senses until he couldn't think, couldn't
breathe. Had they been together only a few short hours ago? It had been too long. Too long...
Heero turned his head for greater access, crushing his lips to Duo's with an almost bruising force, and when Duo moaned deep
into Heero's mouth, control snapped completely.
BEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
Heero jumped away from Duo, banging his head against the ceiling of the car, He turned to look through the windshield, only
to see that the light had changed. He wanted to laugh at the irony – being told to go and having to stop. He hit the
gas and held the wheel with trembling hands. He used one to rake back his hair, feeling the sweat on his brow.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duo thunk his head against the dash and groan. "We'll never make it to the restaurant,"
he groaned, and Heero found himself agreeing.
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