A Teenager in Cliché Part 4
Even after years of peace, my soldier instincts were still with me, so when I woke up, I was instantly aware of four things: I was naked, sore, in my own bed, and something warm was pressed against me. My first instinct was to flee the unknown, lick my wounds and figure out what the hell happened, but just as I went to move, it all started coming back to me along with an inner monologue of 'oh god oh god oh shit oh god oh GOD'.
I'd slept with Heero Yuy.
And he was still in my bed.
SHIT.
I'd shared a bed with Heero before, back when there was no other option during the war, so I knew all too well that there was just no sneaking out without waking him. So either I woke him and ended up in a potentially awkward situation, or I let him wake naturally and feign sleep, hoping he wouldn't insist on waiting for me to wake up. I chose the latter. I really wanted to delay the inevitable as much as possible.
I didn't have to wait long. A few minutes after I woke, Heero stirred. I did my best to even out my breathing and lay perfectly still. He kissed me on the cheek, and I could feel his smile on my flesh. I had to force myself not to hold my breath while he sat there watching me. Luckily, a few minutes of idle activity is too much for Heero, and he didn't opt to wake me as he rolled out of bed and grabbed for his clothes. I waited a full five minutes before getting up and doing the same.
I retreated to the bathroom, taking a nice, long shower to kill some time. I thought long and hard, trying to come up with any real excuse I could think of before I stumbled onto the Art Faire my college was presenting this weekend. With a little effort, I cracked a smile and headed out to face the lion's den.
Heero was in the kitchen, and I poked my head in to see what was up. "Whatcha doing?"
It was a little unnerving to see him turn and greet me with a smile. "Making French Toast."
My taste buds drooled a little, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to get a decent breakfast. I wanted to get out of there, but I didn't want to hurt Heero's feelings, either. He was obviously making breakfast for me. He wasn't that big on French Toast, but he knew it was one of my favorites.
I took a seat at the far end of the table and watched him dip the bread into the batter. He tossed it onto the skillet and it made a satisfying sizzling sound. I shifted a little in my seat, and Heero noticed. "Sore?"
I tried to hold back my blush. "Just a little bit."
He hesitated for a moment before coming over to me and putting his fingers on my neck. I felt my pulse rise under his touch. "What about these? Do they... hurt?"
"Do what hurt?" I blinked at him. What was he asking about? Unless...
"These purplish marks. Do they hurt at all?"
"Heero... tell me you didn't leave hickeys all over me..." His embarrassed blush was all I needed to answer that implied question. I sighed. "How bad?"
He flushed a little deeper, and despite all the awkwardness of the situation, it still made him look damn cute. "Well... they're sort of big... didn't you look in the mirror when you took your shower? You have them all down your front..." He trailed off, obviously flustered.
"I'll go survey the damage. You just cook." I fled to the bathroom, shedding my shirt in the process. One look in the mirror made my jaw drop.
I had well over a dozen hickeys, starting at just below my right ear and leading all the way down to my neither regions. A quick drop of my pants confirmed another, lighter mark on the inside of my thigh.
Well, changing for basketball was going to be a lot of fun. I let out a resigned sigh, put my clothes back on and headed back into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry. I got a little carried away." Heero said quietly. He seemed as flustered over the whole situation as I was.
"Don't worry about it. I was just thinking that changing for basketball is going to be very interesting." I chuckled a little for him, and he visibly relaxed. A plate of French Toast appeared in front of me, and all talking ceased as I began to scarf.
Three plates and a loud belch later signaled me to make my exit. "Hey Heero, there's an Art Faire over at the school right now, and my teacher is offering extra credit points for dropping by, so I'm going to head over there for a bit. Thanks for breakfast; it was great."
He looked a little disappointed, but he nodded for me anyway. He locked eyes with me for a few awkward moments, then he raised a tentative hand towards me. With an inward groan, I let him pull me to him.
The kiss was gentle, his tongue asking me questions that I didn't have the answers to. I returned the kiss with the same uncertainty, and when he pulled back, his soft smile and questioning eyes were hard to face.
"I'll be back in a few hours." I said, running my fingers through his hair before I bolted out the door.
Now, it's not as if I was attracted to him any less because of our bedroom romp. If anything, I was more attracted to him. I just didn't want to give him the wrong idea. The only problem with that is I was no longer sure what the right idea was. Something had changed. Not just Heero's new, baffling attitude, though that was certainly brand new. Something changed in me, and it was disturbing that I couldn't put my finger on it.
I cruised around the Art Faire for a couple of hours, picking up the right papers to get the extra credit I didn't really need. It wasn't all that exciting, and I found I was quickly bored out of my mind with the mediocre exhibits. It wasn't until I noticed a picture on my way out entitled "Beauty" that I started to panic.
Fuck. I had forgotten all about the 'draw something beautiful' assignment. It was due the next day. I practically ran home and dove for my art desk. In a flurry of pencil and pages, I began sketching as quickly as I could - anything I could.
"Duo?" Heero called from the other room.
"I forgot about an assignment! It's due tomorrow!" I was panicking, and for the most part, just wasting paper. Nothing beautiful could come out of my mad frenzy, and several hours after I started, Heero pried me away from my work for a late dinner. I still didn't have anything decent.
I inadvertently ignored Heero all through dinner, too busy trying to figure out what I was going to do. My mind wandered for a bit, and finally settled on my only real option to get any sort of grade. I'd have to turn in the sketch of Heero. It fit the criteria perfectly, but I was a little worried about Heero finding out I used it. It was kind of personal, after all. He's never given his consent to be sketched.
When we were finished eating, Heero gave me another tentative kiss before retreating to his room in obvious discomfort. He didn't ask me to join him, and for that, I was very glad. I probably would have agreed just to make him happy, but I really didn't think it was a good idea.
Instead, I called it an early night and climbed into bed. I didn't sleep very well, though.
~*~
Eight hours and one very wet dream later, I got myself ready for school in the very welcome solitude. Heero had already left for work, but he had brewed me a fresh pot before he left. It was kind of nice to know he was thinking about me.
I turned in the secret sketch, got props in Basketball for getting laid, and got a few disapproving looks from my history teacher. The day was going relatively smooth, and remembering how Heero had thought of me both of the last two mornings, I decided to repay his kindness by actually cleaning up around the living room and in the kitchen - a chore I almost never do.
I sprawled out over the couch for a while, flipping through the channels. I got bored with that fairly quickly, and as I glanced at the clock, I noticed Heero was late. I frowned a little. It wasn't like Heero to be late.
I tried sketching a bit, but I couldn't focus. I looked at the clock again. I plowed through a manga, but it couldn't keep my attention. As I scanned the room for a source of entertainment, my eyes noted the time on the wall clock over the kitchen. I went in the kitchen for a snack, but I wasn't very hungry. I found myself looking at the digital clock on the stove.
I shook my head as I realized how ridiculous I was being. Heero had been late before, even if it was rare, and he could perfectly take care of himself. I told myself that it was just a little friendly worry, and it was perfectly normal.
I'm not sure I convinced myself.
I was sitting on the couch pretending to be engrossed in some Mobile Suit documentary and trying not to bite my nails in anticipation when Heero sauntered in three hours later. My first instinct was to tackle him, but that would have been bad for my friend projection, so I just looked at him expectantly instead.
"Sorry, I got caught up in a last minute snag. I couldn't just leave it."
"You could have called." I snapped before I could even think about what I was saying.
He blinked at me a few times, as confused at my sudden burst of anger as I was. "I'm sorry, Duo. I didn't think you'd be worried."
He was right to think that. Why should I have been worried? He didn't have a dangerous job and Heero could handle himself better than anyone. It was pretty irrational to worry over nothing... "S'okay."
He walked over and kissed me soundly, and I found myself welcoming his touch, reassuring his safety with my tongue. When his tongue left my mouth to quest over my neck, I didn't push him away like my mind told me to; instead gave in to the sensations he was giving me, and even going so far as to let my hands and tongue search his magnificent body as well.
I let him worship me right there on the couch, his mouth and hands driving me past the point of delirium and pulling me back again, learning my body and all the spots that make me scream with pleasure and exploiting them.
This time, I returned the favor, my lips sliding over his erection at an almost lazy pace as I took in his small, ragged gasps and rich flavor. My tongue danced across his shaft, learning every little curve, slowing to tease at the tip before dipping down lower again. I experimented with different amounts of pressure, using his soft cries as my guide. I strung him along for nearly a half an hour before letting him cum, and when he did, I rolled the flavor around in my mouth before swallowing it. The dark, salty-sweet flavor lingered in my mouth as I moved up and kissed him, and he groaned into my mouth as our flavors combined. I never thought giving head could be so erotic.
He did ask me to go to bed with him this time, and I agreed. It wasn't until we were splayed across his bed in a tangle of limbs that my brain kicked back into overdrive. It wanted to know what I was doing, and when I didn't have an answer, I told it to shut up so I could get some sleep. Unnerving as it was to be in Heero's bed with him, it was damn warm and comfortable. I decided to take advantage of it for just the one night, and resolved to call Quatre in the morning.
~*~
Right after Heero kissed me goodbye, I headed for the vid-phone. I knew Quatre was a busy man, so catching him early was crucial if I wanted more than a second of his time without imposing on his work schedule. Quatre would ignore it for me, I'm sure, but I didn't want to do that to him.
"Winner Enterprises, Quatre speaking." Even at six-thirty in the morning, he's all business.
I hit the button to click on the screen and I flashed Quatre a sheepish grin. "Hey Quat."
"Duo! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you to the phone at this hour?" Did I mention that my friends are the best? He was completely going to forget the argument we had, but I still felt like I needed to apologize.
"Look, I'm sorry for blowing up at you. I didn't mean it."
He dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "It's no big deal, Duo. I should have been more careful, too. You have my apologies as well. Surely you weren't awoken by a sudden urge to apologize?"
I chuckled ruefully. "You know me too well, Quat. I actually need some advice."
His eyebrows lifted in interest. "Advice? What kind of advice?"
"Well, you see..." And I proceeded to tell him all of the events that had occurred since my little scene in the pizza parlor, as well as a little about my previous attractions to Heero. "I really don't know what to do about it."
"Well, what exactly are you asking me? You've told me that you don't want to hurt Heero, that you're physically attracted to him, and that you're not in love with him but you think he's in love with you. You've told me a whole lot, but you haven't actually asked me anything, Duo."
He knew exactly what I was asking, and I'm sure he knew that I knew that, too, but he wanted to hear me say it. "How do I keep Heero from getting hurt?"
He smiled that little knowing smile that always means trouble for me. "Are you sure you're asking the right question?"
"Of course I am! This is about how Heero feels! He's my best friend, and I don't want to lose him over some crazy misunderstanding-"
"Duo." He cut me off calmly.
"What?" I barked.
"How did you feel yesterday when Heero brewed you a fresh pot of coffee before work?"
"I... well, I was pleased." I floundered a bit. What the hell did that have to do with anything? It was a sign of Heero's attachment to me, sure, but how I felt about it never entered the equation in my mind.
"Did you do something nice for him in return?"
"Well, yeah. He'd made me French Toast the day before, too, remember? I owed him. I just tidied the place up a bit."
"When was the last time you cleaned the apartment, regardless of Heero's actions?"
"Um... well, I... Err..." I couldn't remember a single time, actually. Heero is extremely clean, and he usually dealt with any messes before he went to bed. It didn't seem to bother him, so I usually let him do his thing.
"I see."
"Quatre, what the hell are you going on about?"
He acted like I didn't say anything. "And when Heero was late, how did that make you feel?"
"I was nervous, of course! Heero is almost never late! That's perfectly natural." I wasn't so sure who I was trying to convince, him or me.
"What about when he finally came home?"
"I was relieved that he was alright, and a little angry he didn't call me." My brows knit together at the memory. He really could have called...
"Duo."
"Huh?"
"I want you to do a little introspection today."
"What do you mean?"
"Just think about how you've been feeling during the past few days and figure out what the cause of those feelings is. Call me when you figure it out."
"Quatre? What the hell are you implying, buddy?"
He smirked. "Just call me when you figure it out. I'll hear from you sooner or later, I'm sure." Then the screen went blank. I scowled at it as if Quatre could see it, then I stormed off to the kitchen to dig up some ice cream. I was definitely overdue for some serious brooding.
~*~
Three hours and forty-two minutes later, Quatre answered his phone. "Winner Enterprises, Quatre speaking."
I pushed the button for video feed and immediately launched into my tirade. "Quatre, I can't feel for him like that. I would have realized it a long time ago and yes, I love him as a friend, but it's nothing more than that. It's just a physical attraction and a comfortable companionship between friends, and I'm sure if Heero took the time to examine his feelings, he'd realize that too-"
"Duo, Heero knows exactly how he feels. You're the only one who's confused here." He shook his head with slow, careful motions. It was movement designed to make the person watching it lose faith in everything they were so firm on just moments before. It was working.
"How do you know how Heero feels?" I asked in a considerably smaller voice than the one I'd started the call with.
"He told Trowa a long time ago... a very long time ago."
I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to the question at the front of my mind, but I had to ask. "...How long is 'a very long time ago'?"
"During the war." That's what I was afraid of. "After you stormed off at the Pizza Parlor, Trowa was finally sure of what I've known for quite some time. Something you're still in denial about.
"Duo, it was no coincidence that Heero came home late yesterday. Trowa ran into Heero by pure coincidence, and he told me he could practically feel the difference in his attitude rolling off of him. From what Trowa told me, they spoke briefly about your sexual encounter and his concerns about your feelings.
"Since neither of you seemed willing or able to bring up your feelings to the other, Trowa decided to take matters into his own hands. He hacked Heero's program. It's shocking he didn't know that himself. You didn't really believe his program had some random flaw, did you? No, that was Trowa's work. He predicted the friction it would cause in you would lead you to call me, and here we are."
"...So what you're telling me..." I began slowly, "Is that I was set up?"
"Well, you both were, actually. It was Trowa who entertained the thought of Heero sleeping with you after you left in the first place. Discreetly, of course, but he planted the seed nonetheless. And of course, you didn't really believe I didn't realize you were gay well before that night, did you?"
I stared at the little video of his grinning face. "Quatre... you manipulative bastard! How much of this does Heero know?"
"I would assume Trowa is giving him pretty much the same speech right about now."
"You are both manipulative little..."
"What did you expect? He's the espionage specialist, and I'm the tactical mastermind." He smiled widely, obviously pleased with himself.
"Well, at least Wufei wasn't in on this..." I grumbled.
"Actually-"
"I don't even want to know, Quat. I really don't."
"So will you just admit that you're in love with him? That's you've been in love with him for quite a while now?"
I smiled and shook my head. "Not to you, I won't." He knew what I was implying, and he just smiled back. "I should be so mad at you guys for this..."
"But you won't be." He smirked. "I'm sure you'll thank us later."
"Maybe." I grinned.
"Oh, by the way, Trowa is sending Heero home early. He should be there any minute. Call me tomorrow." He said with a wink, cutting the connection and leaving me grinning like a loon all by myself.
TBC...
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