The Professional and the Amateur Part 1
Duo came to in what felt like an instant, but could have been slowly and in a span of minutes. He found himself lying in a cold, sterile hospital cot surrounded by somber, impersonal metal beams and steadily beeping machines. The room itself was a detached off-white color decorated with nothing but the simple borderline going across the center of all four walls. All in all, it was a typical hospital room.
Dizzily the braided one sat up in his bed, abruptly tearing away the I.V. in his arm and ripping the small patches dotting his chest. He couldn't be there. He had to go home and take care of Aunt Helen and Hilde and little Solo. He didn't have time or the money to be in a hospital bed for another minute; hell, he most likely didn't have the money to pay for the time already spent! With a bark of bitter laughter he slid out of bed and placed his bare feet on the floor.
With one step he lost all sense of balance. It was as if suddenly the nerves in his legs decided to go on a short vacation from his brain, therefore coming home and not replying immediately. With little elegance his vision swam and he began to fall forward, the ground rushing up to meet him. Closing his eyes he held his arms in front of him to brace his fall--
He didn't hit the ground as he'd expected. Instead he found himself supported in two strong arms, firm and well toned, and a solid chest. Amethystine eyes snapped open in astonishment. Someone was in his room with him? It couldn't possibly have been Hilde or Aunt Helen. With deliberate slowness his eyes traced finely muscled, tanned arms, working their way above the firm chest clad only in a forest green muscle shirt, kissing the perfect neck of his savior with glee, and finally making contact with his face. His chin suggested he wasn't much older than Duo himself was. His hair was disheveled, only to appease his great looks. And his eyes...
His Prussian blue eyes were the most beautiful color he himself had ever had a chance to stare into. Startling light against his dark complexion, yet not ghastly so. They were, without a doubt, his best feature.
The angel holding him close whispered something, his smooth nasal tones washing over Duo like the tides themselves. His voice, if not slightly nasal, was rich and somewhat soothing. Duo felt his reply screech to a stop on his tongue, unable to say what he wanted to at first. Just staring at those gorgeous lips was enough to send Duo into a stuttering wreck. Why discourage himself in such a way? But the boy--Japanese, Duo finally realized--looked even more concerned when he didn't reply immediately. Swallowing, Duo hoped against all hope that his voice didn't sound quite as high and nervous as it sounded to him when he opened his mouth and replied...
Heero watched silently in the corner as the American boy's shaking hands began extracting the hospital devices from his person hurriedly, as if his very life depended on it. The Japanese boy at first made no move; he was stunned by the clearest pair of amethyst orbs he had ever had a chance to see.
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While the American had slept, Heero admired the serene beauty possessed by the braided boy lying in bed. A gamin face with wide, expressive eyes set with a pert nose and heart-shaped lips were the keys for his silent appraisal. Wisps of bangs swept his closed eyelids. Heero dared to even brush them away in private, when the room was empty and there was no sound other than the beeping of the machines. The long, rope-like braid fell over his chest, rising and falling in union with his breathing.
The boy took his breath away.
The boy planted his bare feet firmly on the cold floor and stood immediately. Suddenly he lurched forward and began falling, a panicked expression crossing his face before those beautiful violets disappeared behind eyelids and his arms reached out in front of him.
Without a second thought Heero grabbed the boy and held him firm, taking in the clinging scent of violas and river water all in an instant. Heero was paralyzed, the delicate boy in his arms wrapping his grip around Heero to catch himself in arms already secured around his shoulders. Heero inhaled deeply, taking in as much of the scent as he could while admiring the top of the American's head and tracking the chestnut strands till they disappeared into the loose braid. He watched, breath held in, as the boy's wide, stunning eyes shadowed every detail before finally focusing on his face.
Both stood in numbed silence, the American still in Heero's arms before Heero could finally murmur, "Ogenki desu ka?" Yet instead of murmuring his question in English, he did so in Japanese. The boy looked dazed, his eyes focused on Heero's lips more than paying attention to what Heero said.
Maybe he didn't understand, Heero thought, feeling a rare show of embarrassment mingle with his concern. Frowning, he opened his mouth to repeat his question in English before the beauty in his arms did the same and breathed out a breathless and wistful, "Hai..." Heero was floored. The breathlessness of his voice was like music to his ears, soft and melodious.
Heero tilted his head to the side, a lock of hair falling over one eye.
Duo began to become even more nervous when the angel before him didn't say anything else. He wanted to hear those soothing tones of his voice again, to lose himself in the Japanese boy's words and marvelous language...
Finally the Japanese boy's mouth closed shut and his head tilted to the side slightly, a lock of moss green hair falling in one Prussian eye. Duo fought the urge to brush that wisp of glossy hair from the other boy's eye, but it didn't stop him from longing more contact with him.
"Nihongo ga dekimasu ka?" Duo's knees trembled with the question. Thank God for his curiosity in the foreign languages. He forced himself to concentrate on something other than the Japanese boy's soft lips and ravishing Prussian eyes, instead focusing solely on the taller boy's long neck...
"Hai, sukoshi dekimasu." With a silent prayer the American ventured, "O... Onamae wa nan to osshaimasu ka?"
The Japanese boy smiled--Duo gasped at the simple tilt of his lips, feeling his insides knot with just his smile--and replied smoothly, in a gentle baritone, "Watashi no namae wa Heero Yuy desu. Anata no namae wa?"
Heero... With a gulp of air, Duo replied dazedly, "Duo. Duo Maxwell desu. Doozo yorashiku."
"Duo..." murmured the taller Japanese boy, smiling slightly still and tightening his grip ever-so-lightly across Duo's shoulders. "It's a pleasure."
TBC...
Sorry this chapter was so short. I swear they get longer as it goes along.
Um. :wince: All this Japanese really brings back bad memories of me struggling through my Japanese 101 course. Whatever possessed me to take it went away fairly quick after I proceeded to spectacularly fail the course. :mutters: Still think I would have passed if Otaka-sensei taught us how to speak Japanese before the katakana and the hiragana... Anyway, sorry if I bastardized the language in any way -like I said, I didn't exactly pass the course. Here's the translation for those of you who aren't familiar with anything more than a phrase or two...
Heero: Are you well?
Duo: Yes...
Heero: Do you speak Japanese?
Duo: Yes, I speak a little. What is your name?
Heero: My name is Heero Yuy. Who are you?
Duo: Duo. I'm Duo Maxwell. Pleased to meet you.
:holds up sign that reads "REVIEW WHORE": I always like to hear what you think about my work.
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