Fire in the Hole Part 9
Duo walked into an empty house. It was almost spooky, he thought as he climbed the stairs to put his duffel away. He already knew that everyone was out on their own missions. The hanger was deserted when Deathscythe landed, Howard and the techs hanging out in their common room, playing poker and talking in formulas and flow charts.
Duo stuck his head in to say "hi" and to confirm that the other guys were indeed on missions. Howard walked through the hanger with him.
"How ya doin', Red? Any problems?"
"Nah. The big guy was perfection. They never laid a glove on us."
Howard pushed his glasses down on his nose. "I didn't ask 'bout the mission, and I can see he's in great shape. I'm askin' 'bout you."
Duo "eeped", eyes looking anywhere but at Howard. "Hey, I'm fine! I'm fantastic! Shinigami rides again!"
"Uh-huh." Howard regarded him silently for a moment, noting his nervousness and his almost laughably obvious desire to get away. "Yeah, I know; ya run, ya hide, but ya never lie." He gave Duo's shoulder a squeeze. "Keep in mind, kid, ya can talk to me if ya want. Anytime."
"Oh, sure! Thanks, Howard! Um... I really wanna, you know, just..."
"Go on, Red. See ya later."
~*~
Damn, thought Duo coming back down the stairs, Howard's a nice guy. He really did want to talk to someone, just not right now.
The refrigerator was almost empty, as were the cupboards and the snack pantry.
"Well, shit guys! Whattaya tryin' to do, starve me?" He opened the drawer where the food money was kept. "Woohoo! I'm goin' shopping!" He grabbed a fistful of bills, shoved them in his pocket and hooked a ring of keys and hopped into the pickup.
Twenty miles later he parked in the shopping center lot and counted the bills he'd grabbed. "Oh, wow..." he breathed. He hadn't realized he'd taken so much. He looked around the open-air mall. Hmmm... Music store, arcade, junk food and theater... Hmmm... "Duo," he said aloud, "you deserve a little fun..."
He shopped the music store and got into conversation with a couple of teenagers. They wound up at a fast food stall talking about their favorite music, then moved on to the arcade. Duo won most of his games, losing deliberately to the cutest guy in the group. When he finally checked the time, it was nearly four.
"Shit! I gotta go! I still have to get groceries! Man, they'll kill me if there's no food in the house! Hey, nice to meet you, guys. Maybe I'll see you again!" He waved and jogged toward the supermarket, wishing he had dared give that cutie a kiss. Hey, if Heero didn't love him or even want him, then what the hell?
He boomed through the store, grabbing whatever looked appealing, riding on the cart, power sliding around corners and laughing at the startled expressions of the normal shoppers. He ended up with three carts of bags and a tape that was longer than he was tall. A boy with dark hair and blue eyes helped him load the truck and attach the spider. Duo couldn't meet his eyes for some reason. He mumbled a thanks and impulsively stuffed a five in his shirt pocket and got out of there as fast as he could.
~*~
"Anybody home?" he yelled as he carried bags into the house. No answer was forthcoming. He shrugged and went back for another load.
He was on his knees putting the groceries away when a hand came down on his shoulder. He jumped and fell against the cabinet. "Ahhh!" he cried and came up with his gun in his hand, only to find Wufei smirking at him.
"Nice reflexes, but you should have heard me enter the room," he tweaked.
Duo sank back onto the floor with a sigh. "I almost shot you!"
"'Almost' doesn't count." He sat down beside Duo. "How was your mission?"
"Piece of cake," Duo smiled, and Wufei laid his arm around the other boy's shoulders and nuzzled his cheek. "Um... How did yours go?" He turned toward Wufei, drawing his legs up.
"Ridiculously easy," he whispered, sliding his hand under Duo's shirt. "Have you ever... done anything in the kitchen?"
"Maybe..." Duo breathed. "The guys..."
"We'll hear them before they get here."
"True..."
"You are so damned hot..."
"...."
"C'mon, doll."
In his best approximation of Blanche DuBois, Duo drawled, "Why, Mr Chang, are you seducing me?"
"If you'll let me..."
"Go for it!" Duo giggled, only a little nervous.
TBC...
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