This is the next bit of Something Dragony for shad0w188. *grin*

Something Dragony Part 3

"It should be here in about 45 minutes," Duo said as he hung up the phone.

"Good," the dragon on his sofa was frowning, and Duo hoped the order of a large supreme hadn't displeased him. The menu he'd found in the desk drawer didn't mention any type of fish pizzas. "Do you plan to stay here?" he asked and Duo blinked.

"You mean, keep my uncle's house?"

"Jay said you had a small apartment in the city, but you didn't seem to like it there."

Duo snorted. "Well, he was right about that. The city... well, I don't miss it."

"I know he asked you to come back and stay with him several times-"

"I did," Duo leaned forward on his uncle's desk and propped his head up on his arms. "I've been living here for the last three months."

"Since his illness was diagnosed?"

"Yes. He had a couple of nurses that came and checked up on him- but it wasn't enough."

Duo waited for the next question, the one he was sure Heero was going to ask. The one about why he hadn't moved back in with Jay sooner. But the dragon didn't ask it. Instead, he gave Duo a questioning look and asked: "So are you going to stay here?"

Duo thought for a moment. Why did this seem to matter to the dragon? Oh- he was a water dragon- maybe he couldn't be far from the ocean? "Would it be easier for you if I did?"

Heero snorted. "It doesn't matter to me- but if you don't like the city, it seems to me that you would be more comfortable here. Your uncle kept a lot of your things just for you-"

Duo's expression softened. "I know he kept the piano tuned."

"And kept your half of the garage ready for any projects- even when his own threatened to take over."

"Damn, I forgot about that. I told Professor G that I'd send him anything Jay left unfinished- I need to go out there and take a look."

"There won't be many things. Jay knew what was coming- I think he tried to finish all he could." Heero got to his feet and moved to the desk. Duo blinked when he held out his hand. "Come with me?"

"Where are we going?" Duo put his hand in Heero's and let the dragon pull him to his feet.

"I want to hear you play. Your uncle always bragged about how good you were."

"Well, Jay didn't get out much," Duo tugged, trying to get free as Heero led him across the hall. "I'm not that good."

"I thought you played professionally?"

Duo shrugged a little as they entered the living room. "Only a couple of times with some of my friends from the university. They had a band and some nights they'd need a keyboard player." He sat down reluctantly at the piano and then blinked at the music on the rack. "Oh," he said as he lifted his hands to the keys, "I forgot I left this one here..."

He didn't see the dragon's smile as Heero seated himself on the nearby recliner. "One of yours?"

Duo nodded abstractedly. "Yeah, some of the nights when the nurses sent me out, I came down here and just sort of..." His words trailed off as his fingers moved over the keys, and Heero smiled wider, settling back in satisfaction.

The doorbell startled Duo out of his concentration, his fingers paused on the keys as he tried to make sense of the sound that didn't come from his piano.

Oh right. Pizza.

He got to the door just in time to see Heero close it, pizza balanced in one hand. "Oh- I'm sorry- I-"

"It's all right," Heero gave him an amused look. "It's all dealt with."

"Oh-" How had Heero paid for the pizza? Did the dragon have money? A credit card or something? Did dragons have banks? "Um. Thank you."

"Come and eat," Heero nudged him with the corner of the pizza box. Duo followed Heero into the kitchen, moving towards the cupboards to retrieve glasses and plates.

"I really am sorry- I just get sort of wrapped up in-"

"It's a family trait. I wasn't surprised in the slightest." Heero set the pizza on the table.

"It is?" Duo blinked as he poured two glasses of soda. "Well, I always did have to shake Jay to get his attention when he was working on one of his projects- and my mom-" his throat closed up for a moment. "She was like that about the piano too-"

"And your great grandmother nearly let the house burn down when she was in the middle of a novel."

"Writing one?"

"No, just reading it. Luckily a neighbor saw the flames and got help." They sat down at the table and Duo flipped open the pizza box.

"It sounds like you've known my family a long time."

"I have." Heero chose a piece of pizza. "Nearly three hundred years."

"Why?" Duo deposited his pizza slice on his plate. "I mean- I know you said it was a compact- but-"

Heero's brow creased slightly. "One of your ancestors wanted something very badly. He was a good man and what he needed wasn't just for him- but for his family. He asked to make a bargain with me and I agreed. Any of his descendants who passed the test could ask for something from me- fame, wealth, long life- anything that it was in my power to grant."

"What did you get in return?"

Heero took a bite of his pizza before answering. His eyes met Duo's and Duo felt a small cold chill go down his spine- as if a small trickle of cold water had been poured down his back. "Your family hasn't fulfilled their half of the bargain yet."

TBC...

 

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