Something Furry Sidefic 2

It was hard not to hover over Duo. Heero didn't even like it much when he had to either go into the workroom or on an errand and leave Duo in the store with Wufei or Sally. He made a conscious effort, he really and truly did, but it was so hard to not have Duo somewhere in his line of sight- and worse if he had to go on a job without him.

Or if Duo went someplace without him. He was down at the Weird Sisters shop right now, with Wufei, and even though Heero knew that Duo couldn't be anyplace safer- it still made him twitchy. Cursing softly under his breath, he returned his attention to the book shelf in front of him. There had to be something here that had an answer...

He added another book to the stack beside him and caught Sally's eye. "Some help?" he asked her and she shrugged.

"I know you'll figure something out," she told him, "but hell if I can tell what."

There was something in the back of Sally's eyes these last few days that he didn't like. Something she was hiding from him. He'd tried confronting her about it and she'd simply shrugged him off.

"You are radiating worry," she said with a faint smile. "I can't help picking up on it."

"That's not the only thing," he told her and watched her blink.

"Just- figure something out soon, okay?"

He wasn't quite sure he wanted to leave it at that, but he also knew she wasn't going to tell him anything until she was ready to do so.

"I'm looking," he said with a tilt of his chin towards the pile of books. "I'll bring those back tomorrow."

"However long you need them," Sally looked towards the clock. "It's close enough to time. Why not take those and Duo home now?"

He was just about to point out that Duo wasn't back yet, when the front door swung open. Duo and Wufei came in, shaking off the raindrops, pulling packages out from under their coats.

"We got everything on your list," Wufei told Sally as he put his packages down on the counter. "Plus a few things the ladies told me we needed."

"If they think we do, then we do," she said, smiling and looked towards Duo. "Heero's ready to go home. Make sure he doesn't stay up all night reading again? We need him to be pleasant tomorrow for the customers."

Heero snorted as he went to get his coat, missing Duo's answer. His mate followed him to the back room, watching as Heero pulled on his coat.

"Everything go okay while we were gone?" He asked and Heero found a smile for him.

"Other than Sally driving me insane with her inscrutable-ness? Yes."

"That's not even a word!" Sally called from the front and Duo laughed.

"Let's go home."

They both tucked some of the books in their coats and set out for home. Heero could tell that Duo was watching for trouble- he always had- but now- now he was nearly on a hair trigger. Not that Heero blamed him- he knew he was on his own hair trigger and he nearly pitied anyone who even looked the wrong way at the two of them.

Once they were in the apartment, safe behind his shields, Heero relaxed. He'd put shields over the store- but they were not like the ones here. The store had customers- and those customers sometimes had bad magical things- items, curses, books- all of which had to pass through those shields. At his own home, he didn't have to let anything like that in.

The took off their coats and put the books beside the sofa. Duo nuzzled against him for a moment. "I'll start dinner?"

"I'll help you." Heero knew once he started looking through the books that he'd get too caught up to pay attention to Duo. Not that Duo complained, but Heero still felt guilty.

They moved around the kitchen together, making a simple dinner. Heero found himself, as he was tearing up the lettuce, watching the swing of Duo's braid, stifling the urge to go and put his lips against his mate's neck, run his fingers through his hair.

Before the fight they had spent a lot of time in their leopard shapes, trying to get Heero used to his, and now- now Heero would find himself with the occasional urge to...

Before he could finish the thought, he found himself standing at the stove beside Duo, his hand wrapped in Duo's braid, his mouth on Duo's nape.

"Mmmm," Duo leaned into him, and Heero let his mouth slide up the side of Duo's neck and to his ear.

"Why do I want to curl up with you and brush your hair and-" he traced Duo's ear with the tip of his tongue and Duo purred, turning to meet his mouth.

"I'm not sure, but I'm not complaining," Duo smiled against his lips. "Dinner first? You haven't been taking your lunch breaks lately-"

The reprimand was gentle, as Duo's always were. Heero claimed another kiss and moved back to finish the salad.

After dinner, they curled up on the couch. Duo claimed a corner and made Heero stretch out beside him. "One of the ladies gave me a book today," he said with a smile as he ran his fingers through Heero's hair.

"Really? That was nice of them- what is it?"

Duo turned the book enough so that Heero could see the cover. "Basic magic. I told them that I wanted to be able to understand it better- and one of them gave me this- the basics in plain language."

Heero flipped a few pages. "This is really good- it does cover the basics-"

"I want to understand the next time someone comes in with a problem exactly what you and Wufei are doing."

Guilt stabbed Heero. "I'm sorry- you know I would explain-"

"I know- and you do- but I think it would be easier to just start at the beginning and get familiar so I don't get lost when you and Wufei try to explain it." Duo smiled for him. "The Pride doesn't have magic, so it's very foreign to me."

Heero settled back against him. "I can understand that- just like the whole Pride culture is foreign to me."

"Exactly so," Duo rubbed his cheek against Heero's head. "Only a few hours tonight, beloved? You need your rest."

"All right," Heero agreed and opened the first book.

He was skimming through the fourth when he heard Duo gasp. Turning his head quickly, he found his mate staring at his hand in dismay, the book upside down on the couch beside him.

"What happened?"

"Heero- did you just do something? Call for more light?"

"No," Heero sat up and turned to face Duo. "What happened?" There was a faint trace of magic in the air- and unfamiliar magic that smelled of musk and fur.

"I was just reading... going over the major principles... and they had the first of the beginner spells. I read it- and- my hand-"

Heero snatched the book up, taking Duo's hand in his free one. Had the book been bespelled? Was Duo hurt?

"It- flared-"

The spell was for summoning a mage light. Harmless. The magic trace indicated a light. Again- harmless.

"You read the spell? That's all?"

Duo nodded. "That's all! Did I do something?"

"Read it again." Heero gave Duo back the book and put Duo's open hand on his, palm up. "Out loud."

Duo did- and the moment he started, Heero saw the small whirl of light flare up in Duo's hand- felt the magic stir- and found the source.

"What are you doing?" Duo breathed in his ear and Heero laughed out loud.

"It's not me- it's you."

"Me? But I'm Pride- we can't do magic-"

"Apparently you can."

Hope rose up in Heero. If Duo could do magic- even a little- then the types of protections they could use on him could be so much better than the ones Heero had placed on him... He would be so much safer!

"I can't! I'm Pride!"

"Somehow you can, love. That's not me causing that light in your hand."

"Wouldn't someone have noticed?"

Heero shrugged. "I didn't- I noticed the curse when you came in- and after you told me you were Pride- there wasn't a reason to look. Pride are magical in their natures- there's always a small touch of it around you. But apparently you can use it-"

"How? You said your powers cropped up early-"

"I don't know. Maybe... maybe that curse had something to do with it. It gave me a leopard form when I took it from you- maybe it gave you the ability to use magic. Maybe the Pride can and just have convinced themselves that they couldn't. Who knows? We'll look into it. But this is very good-"

"It is?" Duo looked doubtfully at the small light dancing on his palm.

"It is. Now Wufei and I can teach you how to use it to protect yourself."

Duo closed his hand and the light vanished. He looked up and smiled into Heero's eyes. "You already look less worried."

"I already feel less worried." Heero rested his head against Duo's.

"Well, since you aren't going to be reading all night- I think you said something earlier- about wanting to curl up and-" The rest of Duo's sentence was lost as their mouths touched.

"Race you to the bed?"

"We're already comfortable here..."

OWARI

 

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