Wolf Moon Part 17
Heero had been subliminally aware of Duo moving about on the adjacent futon but it wasn't until he stretched did he realize the Irishman was no longer lying beside him. In fact Trowa and Quatre's open bedroom door and Wufei's vacant spot by the fireplace confirmed that the Tracker was the last person to greet the new day.
The previous evening's imbibing of apple wine, the wondrous star gazing, the flute and the fiddle and Duo's sweet voice singing of Twilight had lulled Heero into such a relaxed state he had fallen asleep without his habitual apprehensions about closing his eyes.
The dream creepers must have also been placated by the same soothing influences for the midnight hour had passed into dawn without so much as a flicker of nightmares or, perhaps, it was Duo's subconscious intercession that had kept the beasts at bay.
Heero tugged on his trousers then hunted for his socks, finding one tucked under his pillow and the other hiding under the futon's corner. He rummaged through the cupboard and found a stone crock filled with oat biscuits. Three pilfered biscuits were smeared with honey and eaten while his pulled on his boots.
Socks and boots shielding his feet but minus his shirt Heero stepped outside into a puddle of golden sunlight shared by a drowsy brown toad.
An equally empty front porch gave Heero cause to wonder if his comrades had been eaten by dragons or wooed away by precocious wood nymphs that tempted humans with a wicked array of sexual enchantments.
Squinting through a cascade of tangled bangs, Heero resolved to have someone trim his hair before leaving for Deep World but, until such time, a thorough soaking and moping back would provide temporary relief from his sight interference.
A bucket of water drawn from the spring was splashed on Heero's face then he braved the cool water to wash both arms and his bare chest. Rivulets ran down the cross hanging around his neck then the droplets, shimmering silver, trickled over his stomach. Some water pooled in his navel but the majority of the moisture spilled over to wet his trousers' waistband.
A leather cord secured his damp shoulder-length hair in a loose ponytail, the shorter strands framing his face were tuck behind his ears then the Lone Hunter went in search of his fellow warriors.
When Heero paused at the tree line to empty his bladder, he couldn't help but grin as Quatre's disembodied voice inquired inside his head as to why the Tracker seldom used the outhouse.
"I don't have to worry about anyone sneaking up on me." Heero mumbled in reply to the Manipulator's recurring question then added for clarification, "I usually don't shit in the woods."
A mocking bird's diverse repertoire mingled with the speckled sparrow's twitter. The dove's gentle coo tempered the fussy calls of crows, but there was strange sound, something quite contrary to the warbled notes and the raucous cries.
Heero stopped to listen, to identify the unnatural noise. It didn't take long to sense a pattern of repeated resonance and to discover that the orchard was probably the source.
Zip. Thud. Zip. Thud.
The Tracker moved cautiously toward the spring green apple trees.
Zip. Thud.
Heero strongly considered going back for his crossbow and quiver.
Zip. Thud.
Pushing aside a feathery fern, its lacy fronds slipped over Heero's bare chest, tickled across his right nipple and continued the fleeting touches around his ribcage to his back.
For the briefest instant the fronds became Duo's fingers trailing over Heero's skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake.
A small shiver followed the tingling path but Heero shook off the sensual sensation and quickly returned his intuitive attention to the orchard. Armed with only his wits, the Tracker eased up, step by calculated step, until he had a clear sight-path between the fruit trees.
Dressed in a sleeveless tunic, Duo notched the fifth arrow on the longbow's string, centered his stance, drew back to the anchor point and held his breath. Frozen like a statue, with biceps bulging, he sighted in the target then only his fingers moved as they released the arrow.
Zip.
The shaft sliced the air.
Thud.
The arrow's tip sunk into a hopsack bag stuffed with straw suspended from a branch.
A sixth and seventh arrow lay by Duo's right boot. As he leaned over to pick one up, his braid brushed the ground. A rolling of his shoulder slipped the ginger plat over his back.
The process of loading the bow preceded the delightful flexing of muscles then Duo skillfully set the next arrow deep into the bag amongst the partly exposed shafts clustered together with hardly an inch in between.
The final arrow was retrieved. "Hello Heero." Duo called without glancing at the orchard.
"Damn." Heero swore upon his discovery by the shrewd Irishman, "How does Duo always know I'm watching?"
There was nothing to do but acknowledge the greeting. Heero stepped around the tree trunk. "Good morning."
Duo's smile was well worth the failed spying mission.
"Mornin'. I was wondern' if ya was going to sleep the day away." Duo announced as he fluffed up the feathered end of the last arrow.
Heero took a moment to admire the marksmanship. "Very good." he praised Duel Spirit's proficiency.
Duo had witnessed Heero's deadly accuracy with a crossbow on several occasions. "You're as good." he insisted.
Heero disagreed. "Using a longbow calls for a different technique. Sustaining the bow tension while sighting the target requires a greater amount of strength and stamina. It also takes longer to reload so each shot has to be precise."
Duo shrugged, "Just takes practice. Wanna to try?"
Heero hesitated, not from uncertainty regarding his ability to learn but from the close proximity to Duo needed for the lesson.
"Come on, I don't bite."
*Cunning bastard.* Heero thought to himself as Duo employed his persuasive smile.
Before the Tracker could resume the debate between his mind and emotions, Duo grabbed his arm and tugged until he stood beside the crafty archer.
"Stand at an angle, like this." Duo instructed using pressure on Heero's shoulder to properly align him with the hopsack target. "I assume from watching you eat you're right handed?"
Heero nodded yes.
Duo handed the ancient weapon to Heero. "Left hand holds the bow. Notch the arrow on the string then catch it between your first and middle fingers."
Duo moved behind Heero and continued the teaching in breathy whispers designed to challenge the Lone Hunter's concentration. "Ease back the string."
Heero ignored the puffs of air accenting each word as they blew across his cheek; instead he focused on lining up the shot.
"Aim a bit higher than the target." Duo directed, savoring the fresh scent of Heero's recently washed body. "Relax any muscle that isn't necessary for shooting." A single finger trailed down Heero's ponytail, the tip barely stroking the tanned skin beneath.
*How can I relax with you pawing at me?* Heero mentally protested the deliberate distraction. *FOCUS!* he ordered his lapsing attentiveness.
The fingertip cleared the ponytail's end. A shiver prickled along Heero's spine causing his manhood to twitch. "When you're ready." Duo cooed then the phantom caress vanished.
Zip.
The bowstring unleashed its power setting the arrow on a true course to the target.
Thud.
The shaft nestled among its counterparts very near the center.
"Well done." Duo congratulated the Tracker on a lesson learned in spite of his blatant attempts at misdirection.
While Heero was pleased with his archery accomplishments, he berated himself for his lack of control. "Dammit," he swore through clenched teeth, "you can never be distracted...NEVER!"
Even though Duo couldn't clearly hear Heero's self-issued reprimand, he could clearly read the Hunter's body language, clearly see the cobalt sparks flaring in his angry eyes.
Duo locked his confused sight on Heero's face with an insistence that couldn't be disregarded. "Heero?" his voice's inflection demanded an explanation.
Once again Heero fought for control, this time, to keep his anger in check but his resolve was rapidly fraying around the edges. "Don't ever touch me...like that...again." he hissed.
Duo neither shrank back from Heero's intense glare nor did he offer any ire in return. He stood quietly and, opposite his comrade's facial features twisted in rage, Duo's expression was unreadable.
The Tracker's reaction was puzzling. Heero had entrusted his fellow Warriors of the Rose with memories from his past, had willingly shared painful secrets and just the night before Duo and Heero had shared the stars.
Duo knew their cerebral connection had grown stronger, their empathy was undeniable yet playful flirtation had trigger an unexpected fierceness that bordered on violence. Had Duo mistakenly believed that sharing dreams made he and Heero physically closer? Was he foolish to hope for more than friendship?
"I'm sorry if I offended you." Duo apologized sincerely. With a dejected stoop in his shoulders he left the long bow on the ground and started back to the house.
Heero's control was threadbare but now regret replaced the anger. Duo didn't deserve to suffer for his insecurities. It wasn't Duo's fault that Heero had become so emotionally detached that he'd lost most of his humanity.
Heero was trembling. His heart was hammering so hard he was afraid it might shatter from the strain. He hadn't felt that way since his he sat among the blackened ruins of Willow Grove and held his mother who had sacrificed her mind to save him.
Not since that fateful day, when he swore to destroy every evil perversion, had he allowed anyone to get close for fear of losing them, too. But despite Heero's best efforts to guard his heart, a spirited Irishman named Duo Maxwell had broken down his carefully crafted barriers.
Heero called out, "Duo wait." before he realized he had spoken.
Duo's back stiffened but he didn't slow his pace or turn around.
Heero was running, reaching out. "Please."
Duo stopped.
"I..." Heero began but it was difficult to talk with a lump clogging his throat. He swallowed hard and finally recovered his voice. "I don't know how to..." The remainder of the sentence was choked off by a sob.
Duo pivoted in place. "How to what?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.
Heero sucked in a shaky breath, "How to open my heart."
Duo took Heero's hand and encouraged him to sit under an apple tree. When Duo had eased down beside the Tracker, he positioned himself so he could look directly into Heero's eyes. "Remember my oath that you'll never be alone?"
"I remember."
"I've been a thief, committed many sins to survive but I don't lie." Duo stated with sure conviction, "My word is the only pure part of myself I have left to give and I give it to you Heero Yuy."
As Heero sat in pensive silence, his mother's wise advice crept into his mind. "The past is gone, the future has yet to come so all you can do is live in the present."
"I don't want to be shackled by fear," Heero sighed, "but I've been in its cage for so long."
Duo's forefinger traced over the curve of Heero's high cheekbone then slipped lightly down his jaw until it hooked the chain and lifted the silver cross to eye level.
"I swear not only on this holy symbol but also on my life that your mind, your heart and your soul will always be safe with me." he pledged then sealed the promise with a kiss.
TBC...
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