Love Thy Neighbor Epilogue
July 10th:
Duo had three weeks left on his lease. He and Heero had decided that when the agreement ran out Duo would co-sign on Heero's lease and move in with his lover.
The alteration in living arrangements was mutually beneficial. Every night the dancer and the architect were already sleeping together in Heero's apartment so consolidating the households made sense. Also if rent, utilities and expenses were shared, both men could save money.
Duo and Heero had established a weekly routine. Duo rehearsed everyday and had shows on Friday night, Saturday matinee and Saturday evening. Heero had his nine-to-five schedule during the week and took Saturday afternoon to catch up on laundry or shopping so he could pick Duo at 10 pm for a late dinner.
Sundays they would sleep in expect when Duo attended Morning Mass. Although Heero didn't consider himself religious, he gladly went go to church with Duo then they would have brunch at their favorite diner called "Cathy's".
*********
"You won't have to give up too much closet space." Duo teased as he and Heero strolled through Central Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
"Since you're giving most of your furniture to the Salvation Army's Secondhand Store you won't have too much to move in." Heero stated before swiping his tongue around his chocolate ice cream that was swiftly melting in the summer sun. "Neither of us have that many things." he added then expertly slurped up a sticky dollop clinging to the waffle cone's side.
Duo matched his lover's steps and leaned closer, "Has anyone ever told you that you have a very talented tongue?" he whispered huskily.
"Yeah there's this guy with a braid that has high praise for several of my body parts." Heero stated motioning to a bench shaded by an oak tree's broad branches.
The "guy with the braid" and his multi-talented partner settled in the shade side by side. Heero offered his ice cream and Duo took his turn at tasting the sweet treat. It wasn't that they couldn't afford two cones but sharing the same one was more fun.
Duo stretched out his long legs, crossed his ankles and cocked his head back to watch the sun sparkle through the oak's fluttering green leaves. Within the tree's lofty protection a pair of gray squirrels scampered from limb to limb in a lively game of tag. Their playful antics reminded Duo of a spirited dance and he caught himself muttering out a step cadence under his breath.
Heero took a moment to again stem the tide of liquefied chocolate threatening to escape the cone's confines. Satisfied that the ice cream was temporarily under control he redirected his attention to the surrounding activity.
Most of the park's population moved along at a leisurely pace. However there were several red-faced, sweaty joggers who, in Heero's opinion, were crazy for running in the afternoon heat.
Men, women or mixed groups kept to their solitary paths. Couples holding hands engaged in private conversations. Families pushed baby strollers and watched after toddlers and older children. There were different breeds of dogs padding along on leashes or romping in the grassy areas.
Duo straightened his back and drew in his legs to avoid tripping a trio of girls. The gaggle of teenagers, their slender bottoms encased in tight shorts and their flat stomachs exposed by chop tops, giggled among themselves as typical fifteen year old females have a tendency to do as they cut across the sidewalk and hurried on their way.
An older lady dressed in a sapphire blue linen pantsuit guided a blond Cocker Spaniel through the meandering maze of people then sat down on a bench opposite Duo and Heero. She patted the bench and the dog eagerly jump up then nuzzled her hand until she stroked over the Cocker's silky head and scratched behind a shiny floppy ear.
Heero took one more lick of ice cream then offered the partially eaten cone to Duo. "That's all I can eat." he admitted.
"Your eyes bigger than your stomach?" Duo grinned, gratefully accepting the surrendered chocolaty delight. "Or are you savin' your appetite for me?" he asked with a saucy wink.
Heero chose to ignore Duo's blatant attempt at enticement and focused his attention on the lady and her canine companion. "We should get a dog." he stated matter-of-factly.
Duo stopped in mid-lick. For a moment his tongue dangled above the ice cream then, realizing that he looked like a lizard, he quickly slid it back over his lips.
After a few more stunned seconds Duo wondered. "Where did that idea come from?"
Heero shrugged, "I've always liked dogs but my sister, Jen, has asthma and my mother was afraid that an animal might make it worse."
"My family had a dog named Buster when I was in elementary school."
"What breed?"
"Buster's mom, who belonged to our neighbor, was some kind of terrier and his father was a "traveling man" so we weren't sure of the breed."
"Do you still have Buster?"
"Nope he died of old age when I was in high school."
The lady rose from her seat and with the Cocker in tow moved on up the walk. Heero watched the exiting pair until they blended with the crowd and disappeared from sight.
Even though Duo couldn't hear the sigh or sense the barely noticeable slump of Heero's shoulders, he instinctively knew that something was wrong. It didn't matter that the melting ice cream was making another assault run down the cone...nothing mattered but the fact that his lover looked sad.
Duo dropped the cone beside the bench and took Heero's hand. "Let's get a dog."
"What?"
"A dog, let's get a dog."
Heero shook his head in bewilderment. "I didn't mean we had to get a dog."
Duo laced his fingers with Heero's fingers and squeezed gently. "I want you to be happy."
"I'm happy."
"But you'd be happier with a dog, right?"
Heero stated to reply but Duo cut him off with a wave of his free hand and continued. "The animal shelters have websites. It doesn't have to be pure bred and we don't have to decide right now."
"You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yeah, there isn't a "no pet" rule at the apartment and we can afford to take care of a dog, so why not?" Duo reasoned.
"Why not." Heero agreed with more enthusiasm at becoming a dog owner.
Duo leaned closer then used a quick kiss to add extra incentive to his next proposal, "Let's go home and seal the deal." he suggested that the proper place for any celebration was in bed.
*********
August 15th:
The cast of "Dance into the Fire" had an entire weekend off. The respite from performing had been expectedly granted by the New York City Public Works Department in the form of repairs on four blocks of storm drains.
Duo and Heero took full advantage of the three free days. Heero used a vacation day on Friday so he and Duo could finally visit with the Maxwell family in Brooklyn.
Duo's mother was thrilled to have her son and his committed partner spend Friday and Saturday night. She also promised home-cooked meals and plenty of embarrassing stories about Duo's mischievous childhood.
While Heero put his and Duo's suitcases in the rental car's trunk, Duo walked through their apartment to make certain everything was secure and that he had the keys before he locked the door.
"Stay still Akira." Duo ordered the silver-gray Siberian Husky with pale blue eyes. "We can't go until I hook your leash." He declared as the dog named in honor of the couple's first passion session wiggled and wagged his tail in anticipation of he and his masters' upcoming trip.
"Ready?" Heero asked as his eager partner and their equally excited canine joined him on the sidewalk. He added a twenty-pound bag of Dog Chow and a watering bowl and closed the trunk.
With Akira taking the role of backseat driver, Heero slipped in behind the steering wheel and Duo buckled himself into the passenger side. "This is going to be nice." Duo smiled at his life partner.
"We both need to relax." Heero answered as he merged into traffic. "I'm relieved that your family has accepted our relationship. I'll admit that I was a bit uneasy when you called your Mom to make the plans."
Duo took Heero's hand, "They've been supportive since I came out in high school. I wish other people were as understanding."
"We won't worry about other opinions." Heero stated with sure conviction, "We're together and our love can stand strong against any criticism from narrow-minded people."
Duo reached under his navy blue tee shirt and pulled out the pendant that was his most cherished link to his lover. He rubbed his thumb over the inscription, "Duo and Heero...Friends and Lovers" he read aloud.
"When we get back we should take your pendant to the jeweler and have one more word inscribed on the back."
"Another word?" Duo questioned, "What?"
Heero raised Duo's hand to his lips and kissed the palm, "Forever." he whispered.
OWARI
Back to Karen, The Huntress's Fanfictions Page