Author: Merula
Pairings: 1+2
Rating: R
Warnings: Shounen-ai, pure fluff.
Disclaimer: GW is not mine.
Love Potion 1
I tossed the manga back on my desk with a loud sigh. Wufei looked up at me, one eyebrow raised. "What?"
"This stuff is so unrealistic," I frowned. "Why are they making us read it?"
"Because it is a fun way to practice your Japanese." He replied.
"I don't need to practice my Japanese." I rolled my eyes. After the wars, the Preventers had insisted on us going to school as well as working for them to get our degrees. For my language requirement I had signed up for a Japanese course- I already knew it fairly well, so I thought it would be easy.
"Should've taken another language then," Wufei smirked.
"Yeah, yeah." I picked up the manga again and sighed. "You know she's testing us on this crap?"
Wufei studied the book cover. "It doesn't look like shojo, so what's your problem?"
"There's a Chinese girl in here who keeps trying to get the guy to fall in love with her by giving him weird Chinese potions."
"And you think that's unrealistic?" Wufei's mouth turned up at the corners.
"There is no such thing as a love potion."
"Of course not," Wufei's smile widened. "Because you would've given it to Heero by now, right?"
I glared at him and then glanced around the library just to make sure my roommate wasn't there. He was supposed to meet us in a little while so we could go get dinner. Luckily there was no sign of him yet.
"Really Duo," Wufei leaned across the table, "you've been dancing around the idea for what-years now? Why not just ask and see if he's interested?"
"There is no way he'd be interested in me." I frowned at Wufei.
"Why not? You're his best friend after all. I would bet he's very interested."
"Right. I intend to stay his best friend. I had to work pretty hard to even get him to accept me as that." I opened the manga again, intent on ending this conversation. It wasn't like Wufei and I hadn't discussed it before.
"Maybe I need to give Heero a love potion for you." Wufei leaned back over his book.
"I wish," I muttered and went back to reading. Heero showed up a little while later and I forgot all about my conversation with Wufei. We went to dinner, and then when we got home, Heero went up two more flights with Wufei to borrow a book and I went into our apartment and headed for bed.
I dozed until I heard Heero's key in the lock, quite some time later. It's silly, but I can't really fall asleep unless I know that he's home. Once the door closed behind him and I heard the soft click of the lock, I fell asleep.
~*~
The next morning I stumbled out of bed and went into the kitchen. Heero was already there before me, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and toast beside him as he read the paper.
Heero was not a morning person; I had learned- the hard way- not to talk too much to him until after he'd finished his tea.
I looked at the level in his teacup and concluded that he hadn't been awake for too long- not that we had anything to be up for today. No school, no work- this would be a good day, as far as I was concerned.
I poured myself a glass of juice and joined Heero at the table.
"Good morning," he replied in response to my cautious greeting, and handed me the sections of the paper I liked to read. He always kept them separate for me. I accepted them and started to read.
This was a normal morning routine for us. One of the ones we had that I had come to enjoy. I looked up at Heero occasionally as I usually did, sneaking glances at him under the cover of my bangs as he read the paper. Someday he might not be there, he might be reading the paper across from someone else, and so I wanted to enjoy this time while I had it.
He took a sip of his tea and I saw his nose wrinkle just a little. "What is it?"
"Too sweet."
"Did you add sugar to it? Honey?" I doubted it. Heero didn't usually.
"No. It's a different kind. Chang gave me this tea last night when I went up there to borrow that book. He said it was some kind of special blend." Heero took another sip.
"I'm sure he won't know if you don't finish the cup," I replied, amused.
"It's okay, just sweet. He said it had some kind of special ingredients." Heero shrugged and went back to his paper.
A little while later, Heero put down his empty teacup and made a small noise. I looked up at him. He was frowning, one hand on his stomach.
"You okay?"
"I don't feel very well, all of a sudden." Heero was never sick. I got to my feet, concerned.
"Maybe you should go lie down." I extended a hand to him and he took it, letting me pull him to his feet. He swayed a little and I pulled him closer so I could place an arm around his shoulders. He leaned on me, his arm going around my waist. He shivered at my touch.
I led him down the hallway, worried. I would call Sally, I decided, as soon as I got Heero settled.
Once we were by his bed, I let go of Heero's shoulder and turned so he could sit down. He didn't let go of me, though. I found myself nearly nose-to-nose with him.
"Heero?" He was staring at me a bit glassily, and my concern went up another notch. "You okay?" I put a hand on his forehead. He wasn't hot to the touch, no fever that I could sense. "Heero? Talk to me. You're really scaring me."
"Sorry," he murmured.
"It's okay, just lay down on the bed and I'll call Sally. Tell me your symptoms?"
Heero still didn't let go. "Hot..." I touched his face again, wondering if I'd missed something. He shook his head. "Not there. Inside."
"Inside?" This did not sound good. "Heero, please lie down. I'll go call Sally. Maybe she'll know what to do to help you."
Heero's hands tightened on my waist. When had he put the other one there? "I need..." He stopped. Needed what? Had this happened before? Did he have something somewhere to help him already?
"Need what? Whatever it is, I'll get it."
His hands slid upwards, pulling me closer against him. One of them buried itself in the base of my hair, tilting my head to the side.
"You," he said against my mouth, and kissed me.
I'm not clear on the next few hundred details. Somehow we got down on the bed, I do know that. The feeling of Heero's body pressing me down into the mattress was nearly as intoxicating as his kiss was.
Somehow my clothes vanished. Somehow his did too.
His voice was a constant caress in itself- a murmur in my ears, telling me how much he wanted me, and all the things he was going to do to me.
He didn't get through all of them.
I don't think I would've survived it if he had.
My senses finally returned hours later. Heero was asleep, a warm bundle under my cheek and arm. I didn't want to move. Heero's scent was in my hair, on my skin, his taste was in my mouth...
His mouth had been so sweet... I hadn't expected that. Like honey or tea...
My brain suddenly clicked in.
Tea?
No.
Couldn't be.
Could it?
I looked up at our ceiling as if I could see through two floors above us and into the mind of the insane person who lived there. What had he done?
I licked my lips and slid a little away from Heero.
If it was what I thought, he might be very mad when he woke up.
Maybe I was being silly. Maybe Heero did want me.
And it just came over him all of a sudden in the middle of breakfast.
I mentally kicked myself for being an idiot. I should've realized... I shouldn't have been so caught up in it... Heero would never want me this way.
I slid out of Heero's bed. He rolled over, arm stretching out, hand fumbling in the blankets. He murmured something under his breath.
I hoped it wasn't a death threat.
I looked around for my clothes hastily, wanting to be out of there before he woke up.
The shirt was ripped in two, my pajama pants were rags.
I crept out of his room, clutching the remnants of my clothes, and down the hallway to my own. I turned on the shower, threw my ruined clothes away and grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
The part of me that wasn't curled up into a little ball keening his heart out was getting angry. I had a dragon to slay.
The shower was scalding and I scrubbed Heero's scent off of my skin. I filled my mouth with water and swished it around trying to rid myself of his taste.
I didn't want to lose those things, but I had to. They had been given to me unwillingly. They weren't mine to keep.
I stepped out of the shower and toweled off, twisting my still-wet hair in a tight braid, pulling on my clothes, arming myself.
I didn't need shoes or socks. When I kicked Chang in the gut I wanted to feel it. Maybe break some of my toes as part of my punishment for being so gullible.
"Duo?"
My hand was already on the doorknob when Heero's voice echoed down the hall. I froze. Damn it. I had hoped to deal with Chang before Heero. I heard his footsteps heading my way.
"I'm here." I didn't turn around; I didn't want to see his anger. His footsteps drew closer.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to go see Wufei."
"Right now?" Heero sounded puzzled. "Why?"
"He and I need to have a little talk."
A hand touched my shoulder, turned me around. Heero was wrapped in one of his sheets, the dark blue fabric showing off the gold of his skin. He looked at me intently.
"Duo, you're shaking."
"I'm okay."
"What's wrong? Can't you tell me?"
I bit the inside of my lip. Heero didn't seem mad- but then again, he didn't know... I had to tell him.
"Please don't be mad at me," came out of my mouth instead.
"Mad at you?" Heero repeated. "About what?"
"What we just did." Heero looked surprised. His mouth opened but I didn't let him speak. "It wasn't you. I mean it was you, but you wouldn't have wanted to do that. Not that you wouldn't want to do that, just not with me. It was Wufei. He made you do it. He put something in that tea and it made you want to do that, and I didn't realize until it was too late. I should've realized you would never want to do that with me, but I got too caught up and..." I was blowing this to hell. I stopped and took a deep breath.
"Duo-"
"I'm really really sorry," I cut him off again, groping for the door handle. "I really am, Heero. I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me again." The door opened under my fingers and I fled, slamming it behind me.
I raced for the stairs, intent on getting up to Wufei's apartment and killing him.
I heard a faint 'Duo'! behind me, but I didn't dare turn around.
Wufei's apartment was two flights up from ours. I ran the entire way, letting my rage swamp all my other emotions.
I reached his door and pounded on it as hard as I could. Of course we all had to move into a high security building, so the damn things were reinforced- I couldn't just break it down.
Wufei didn't open the door more than a crack, the security chain still on. "Maxwell, don't you believe in calling first?"
"I'm going to kill you," I snarled. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"It's early for death threats. What do you think I did?"
"That tea you gave Heero!"
"What about it? Didn't it work like it was supposed to?"
That question deflated me a little. I guess a part of me had been hoping that Wufei really hadn't given Heero anything, that the tea had just been tea...
"It worked too well."
"Then what are you mad about? I thought you'd be delighted." That made the words dry up in my throat for a moment and I couldn't reply. Wufei sighed. "Look Maxwell, I'm right in the middle of something. The tea worked. I don't see what the problem is, and if there is one, Heero should be the one complaining. Have a nice day." And he shut the door.
I debated pounding on it again.
No. Wufei thought he was helping me. He wasn't, but it was because of me that he'd given that stuff to Heero. This was all my fault.
I walked down the hallway and started down the stairs. Halfway down I had to sit. My legs were shaking too badly to continue. I wrapped my arms around my knees and wondered how long I could stay here in the stairwell. Heero didn't have any plans for today that I knew of, but he did have an early class tomorrow... could I stay here until then?
No. I needed to go back and face him. Endure his anger. Watch him take his friendship away from me, watch him move out... and then I'd be all alone again. I put my head on my knees. I didn't want to go back yet.
"Duo?" A hand touched my head. "Are you okay? Did you fall?"
I looked up through my bangs. Heero was standing on the step below me, the sheet replaced by jeans and unbuttoned shirt. He didn't look mad, only puzzled, but then I hadn't been really clear in my explanation. I shook my head.
"I didn't fall."
He reached out and took a hold of my elbows, pulling me to my feet.
"You'll be more comfortable at home." He tugged me down the stairs, hands firmly keeping hold of my elbows. It was pointless to fight him on it.
Once back in our apartment, he sat me down on one of our kitchen chairs, and to my great surprise, sat down on my lap. He put his arms on my shoulders, and leaned forward, pinning me to the chair.
"Now, explain what the hell you were talking about when you ran out of here."
He sounded like I had expected him to sound earlier, angry and upset and hurt.
So, I explained. I told him about the library and the manga, and about the conversation I had there with Wufei. I explained about the tea. I told him what Wufei had said.
And I apologized, a lot. Over and over.
Heero sat and listened to me, frowning, looking madder by the moment.
When I finished, I closed my mouth, bent my head down and waited.
"Duo Maxwell, you are an idiot." He snapped when I had finished.
"I know, I..."
"Shut up." His hands tightened. "There is no such thing as a love potion. The tea Wufei gave me had extra caffeine in it. I told him I'm hardly ever awake enough to keep up with your conversations in the morning. He said it might make my stomach hurt for a little bit, but I'd get used to it."
I looked up at him in shock. He was glaring at me.
"What happened this morning was me finally getting the courage up enough to see if you were even interested. Wufei kept telling me you were, but I didn't believe him. Then this morning, you looked so worried over me I knew you had to care about me that way- so I took the chance. That's all."
What! "Heero-"
"I've wanted you for years. How could you even think it would take a potion to make someone want you? Do you know how worried I've been that someone else would come along and take you away because I couldn't manage..." He took a deep breath shook his head. "Idiot."
I had to agree with him on that one.
"Years?" That was the only word I could manage. Had he really?
"Yes." Heero's fingers touched my lips. "Let me prove it to you."
He kissed me again, long and deep and I couldn't taste any tea at all. Only Heero. "You see?" He asked when we finished.
I did. I had been an idiot. "I'm sorry," I told him.
"So am I. I should've said something much sooner." He smiled. "But I'll let you make it up to me..."
And he did. Wonderfully so. So well in fact that I decided after I kicked Wufei's ass for just standing on the sidelines and letting the two of us angst over each other, that I was going to do something really nice for him to make up for thinking that he had dosed Heero with a love potion.
Like tell Lena about all those love notes he had written her that he had hidden under his bed...
OWARI
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