Blood, Sweat and Tears Part 16

Duo closed the flip of his cell phone with a sigh. His conversation with Noin had gone extremely well and their meeting had been set for an hour after practice. As fate would have it, Dorothy was away on business and had given her new administrators full liberty to make decisions as they saw fit.

Throughout the call, Noin had been more than accommodating and understanding when asked for a face-to-face that evening. Their talk moved on to the new administrator talking about her children and checking on how things were at the Yuy household. By the time he hung up the phone, the running back was feeling pretty good about his decision to tell her about his family...

Even if he was still a bit nervous over the whole thing.

Stepping out of the kitchen with a pitcher of orange juice, Lady Une smiled to the braided young man at the dining room table. "Good morning, Duo. Breakfast is almost ready. Would you mind letting Heero know? You know how he likes doing his stretches first thing in the morning."

"No problem," Duo winked while rising to his feet. On his way out, he lightly kissed the young woman's cheek with a grateful, "And the food smells wonderful." Lady Une chuckled deeply with a blush.

Heading for the gym, Duo whistled a merry tune to himself. Finally reaching the gym door, Duo opened it and announced, "Hey, Heero, breakfast is se-" the words caught in his throat at the image that greeted him.

Back facing the door, the quarterback was dressed only in a pair of black mesh shorts as he was stretching his arms overhead. A light sheen of sweat coated that perfect body after a rigorous stretch routine.

In the center of the fully-loaded gym, standing on tip of a deep blue floor mat, Heero was displayed on the tall mirrors that lined the four walls. Every angle of each taunt, shimmer muscle was captured perfectly in each reflection.

Looking over his shoulder, the Japanese youth asked, "What was that?"

Quickly tearing his eyes from the pert cheeks of his housemate's rear, Duo swallowed to dampen his throat. "Oh, breakfast is almost ready," he grinned.

At a familiar tightening down below, the running back added quickly, "Gotta go now." Turning on his heels, he all but ran out of the room. Heero blinked in confusion before shrugging and relaxing his body.

Moaning to himself as he charged down the halls, Duo nearly knocked Quatre over when his agent suddenly appeared around a corner. With a sharp gasp, the blonde reached up just in time to get a hold of his friend with a startled, "Duo! What on Earth-!?"

The braided American looked back around the corner with a panted, "I can't let Yuy see me like this!"

"Like wha-oh!" Quatre cut himself off when he looked down to find his client covering his crotch with his hands. Smirking, he asked, "So, is that a football in your shorts or were you just happy to see him?"

Duo growled through clenched teeth, "I really don't need this, pal." Desperate, he darted off for the nearest bathroom. Closing the door behind himself, he threw off his clothes and jumped into the shower. Tightly gripping the removable showerhead, he fired a spray of ice-cold water at his groin.

Biting his lip, the running back stifled a sharp cry at the initial contact and allowed the chill to sink in. "So what brought this on?" Quatre's amused voice asked from the other side of the closed shower curtain.

The running back nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden intrusion. Peeking his head out from behind the curtain, he met his friend's gaze and answered through chattering teeth, "Hilde and Solo. They started putting these damn thoughts in my head over the weekend and I haven't been able to shake them since."

Quickly poking his head back in for a quick inspection, Duo sighed in relief at finding his unit limp and turned the water off. A hand appeared with a towel before his face as his agent's tone smiled, "Ah. So you're finally realizing that you're attracted to Heero."

"What!?" Duo cried while drying himself off, shaking yet. "You mean to tell me that you knew about this... thing!?

On the other side of the curtain, Quatre smirked and shrugged, "Now what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't notice something like that? To be honest, at the rate that you were going, I thought it'd be months before you figured it out for yourself."

The curtain flew open as Duo stepped out of the tub with the towel around his waist. Those long, angry scars that crisscrossed his chest glared along with his violet eyes. Quatre turned his back to him to give a moment of privacy.

Pulling his boxers back on, the athlete inquired in frustration, "How is it that I was the last person that knew how I felt?" he inquired.

At that, the agent grinned, "Denial. You never knew someone that you could actually consider an equal. Now that you have, you're afraid of what it's doing to you. It's a typical reaction for someone who's been on his own as long as you have."

Fully dressed, Duo sat at the edge of the tub, his shoulders sagging heavily. "What the hell am I going to do, Quat?" he frowned deeply, his tone letting on to how lost he was. "I never let myself even consider being drawn to someone else, let alone someone who I live and work with every day."

Shaking his braided head, he snorted, "It's going to suck if I have to try and find a cold shower every time I get a sudden hard on around him."

Quatre turned to face him and smiled reassuringly, "Well, I have a feeling you're get a handle on that pretty soon. You're finally accepting what you're feeling, so the... inconveniences will work out. As for the rest of it, like your emotions, just take it one step at a time." Raising an eyebrow, he commented, "You know, Heero led on to which way he swings."

His lips curving in a smirk, Duo replied, "That's because he never gets out. And even if he was gay, or bi, I highly doubt that he'd be interested in me." With a sigh, he raised his right hand towards his face and said, "I'm doomed to a solid, intimate relationship with 'Mister Righty' for the rest of my life. He's never let me down."

The agent laughed, his head falling back. Catching his breath, he shook his head with a grin and suggested, "We better get going. Breakfast is probably on the table and I'm sure Lady Une and Heero must be wondering what happened to us."

Reluctant to leave the protective shell that the little bathroom had become, Duo slowly rose from the edge of the tub. "All right," he muttered. Following his friend from the room, he continued to battle the emotions that were waging war with his reason.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"What is wrong with you?" Heero growled deeply. His cobalt eyes glared through the shadow of his helmet at the running back across from him. The rest of the offensive team huddling together stared at a nervous-looking Duo with frustration in the own eyes. Even Trowa seemed to be at his wits end with his braided friend.

Shaking his head, the team captain snapped, "It's perfectly legal for you to accept a throw so long as you're within a couple yards from of me. Why the hell do you keep brushing off that suggestion when it comes up?"

With a deep breath to keep the edge out of his voice, Trowa reasoned with the American calmly, "All the defensive team has to do is see Heero turning to you and they'll know you're going to run the ball. Unless Heero fakes the hand off well enough to catch them off guard, they'll be able to predict every move we make." [1]

Duo swallowed roughly, silently grateful that his own helmet was on to hide the sweat forming on his brow. "Look, I just run the damn ball. Even if they were able to predict some of our plays, you know I'll find an opening to break through." Focusing specifically on his housemate with a glare of his own, he said, "Just hand me the ball and I'll make magic happen."

At the quarterback' s right, Wufei rolled his eyes. "It's just a change up that we'll only use once in a while, Maxwell," he sighed deeply. "Quit making such a big deal about it and just try it. I don't get what your problem is with the whole thing."

Finally losing the last of his reserve on the topic, Duo's eyes narrowed heatedly as he shouted, "I have a problem with it because I can't catch worth a damn! That's why I have a problem with the suggestion! Are you all fucking happy now!?"

At the end of his rant, the running back panted heavily and gazed from one face to the other, challenging some sort of response. He was only answered with wide eyes and a few slack jaws. Mueller, however, was not about to stay quiet. His head falling back, he laughed, "That's a fucking riot! A football player who can't catch the damn ball!"

His face reddening, Duo bit his tongue roughly. Much to everyone's surprise, Wufei was the one to speak up with a hissed, "Knock it off, Mueller." The tight end's laughter died instantly as he turned to the receiver with wide eyes. "Considering the way you've been performing this week, you don't have a lot of room to be giving anyone a hard time," he warned none too kindly.

Mueller looked about ready to spit nails at clearly having lost his last ally on the team when it came to disliking the running back. A silent battle of wills began as the receiver and tight end glared heatedly at each other. Duo, Trowa and the remainder of their team looked to one another in shock. Not one of them ever expected to hear Wufei to speak up in the Maxwell's defense.

Annoyed over the whole situation, Heero ordered, "Enough." Reluctantly, the two dueling athletes turned to face their captain. "There will be time to work on the weak spots later. For now, we'll just go with what we know works," he demanded. Locking gazes with his housemate, he reassured him, "The ball's yours this round. No fancy plays, just what we've been doing. Find a hole in the defense and get through."

A relieved smile tugged the running back's lips. Nodding firmly, he replied, "Got it."

From the sidelines, Howard cupped his mouth with both hands and yelled to his huddling team, "What the hell are you ladies gabbing about over there!? Call a play and let's go! I'm not getting any younger over here!" Zechs and Trent snickered amongst themselves.

"You heard the man," Heero smirked. "Let's go. On three. One. Two. Three." Together, he and his team clapped their hands and shouted, "Break!" Turning out of their huddle, they took their positions to meet the defense head on.

At the end of practice a couple hours later, Mueller was still stewing over the earlier incident. Wufei had not forgotten either and matched the glares being fired at him the whole way back off of the field and into the stadium. They only ended their silent struggle when they parted ways to sit at their lockers.

Duo plopped down at his bench and began to remove the padding from his legs with a deep sigh of relief. Just a couple spots down, Mueller smirked, "So, you're not so fucking perfect after all. You're nothing but a damn joke."

The sleeping bear could no longer ignore the poking another moment.

Duo was on his feet and stalking towards the tight end with his fists clenched and rage in his eyes. Mueller faced him with his chin sticking out and his own hands balling at his sides in preparation of the fight about to happen.

Just before either athlete could get close enough to throw a punch, Wufei stepped between them with his dark and narrowed eyes fixated on the tight end. Tilting his head a bit, he smirked, "Let's talk." Before Mueller could protest, the receiver grabbed him rightly by the back of the neck and pulled him from the room.

Both Heero and Trowa were by Duo's side as he took a deep and calming breath. Resting a hand on his friend's shoulder, the tall center asked gently, "You all right?"

"Yea," the running back sighed deeply while rolling his shoulders back. "I'll be all right. Just need a minute to shake things off." He turned to meet the concerned green eyes and smiled, "Thanks, man." Trowa nodded and squeezed his shoulder before pulling his hand away.

Heero peered to his housemate from the corner of his eye and shook his head, "He's just trying to rile you and he's not worth it. Just keep being the bigger person and he'll have to keep his trap shut eventually. Either that or he'll find himself without a friend on the team."

Out in the hallway, Mueller managed to break himself free and spun to have his teammate with a heated glare. "What the fuck is going on with you?" he spat. "Since when did you speak up in that prick's defense!?"

Raising a finger before the tight end's face, Wufei snapped, "Since you've done nothing but act like a complete asshole even after Yuy called a truce. He was the one that had the reason to be angry with Maxwell and they've been able to put their problems behind them.

"You need to grow the hell up and stop blaming Duo for Alex being traded. That was the ownership's decision, not his. And frankly, I agree with their choice. As much as I liked Alex, he just wasn't pulling his weight." Leaning in until their noses almost touched, the receiver said quietly, "Even as his lover, you have to admit that much."

Mueller's eyes widened then narrowed threateningly. "How the hell do you know about that?" he breathed in a low rumble.

Wufei smirked, "I notice little details that most people miss. I have to give you credit, though. You both did a real nice job of covering up your relationship. It took me some time to realize that you were more than just good friends."

His eyes darkening with rage, the tight end pulled back and asked, "So what now? You use what you know about us to blackmail me into playing along? Is that how this works?"

Smirking, the receiver answered, "No. Your life is yours to live. I just wanted to tell you that if you still want to have friends on this team you had better stop playing the pissed off boyfriend. Start more of this shit with Maxwell and no one will be there to keep him from pummeling you. No one would blame him and you would be the one sitting on the bench for the season."

With a deep breath, Wufei continued, "See, the one thing about Yuy and Maxwell is that they're the only two members of this whole team that can't be replaced. No one else, not even you or I, can say the same thing. If you're not willing to be a member of this team, fine. I hope you like watching the games from the sidelines, if you're not traded all together."

"And bottom line," he began with a small grin, "I actually am starting to like the guy. He's already made me step up my own game, along with everyone down to out third-stringers. What's more, he came into this team an outsider that was never given a chance, but he took it all in stride and continued to work as a member of the team. For that and more, he's earned my respect. Learn something from that."

Lightly patting his colleague's shoulder, Wufei grinned, "Whatever happens from here on out is up to you. The way that we're shaping up, this is going to be the best season that this team has ever seen. It's your choice to whether you want to be a part of that or not." Turning on his heels, he headed back into the locker room.

The weight of the world seemed to have fallen on Mueller's shoulders as he watched the receiver walk off. Sighing deeply, he shook his head and followed.

For the remainder of the day, he didn't have another word to say.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Later that evening, Duo laughed as he was all but tackled by a cheering Derek and Gavin when he stepped through the door. Picking both boys up and spinning them around, he chuckled, "Hey, you little ankle biters! Have you both been good for your parents like I asked?"

"Yes," they both giggled when they were lowered to the ground again. Zechs and Noin smiled warmly from their post at the doorway to the living room of their home. His eyes wide with excitement, Gavin asked, "That means we can help you again when we go to practice, right?"

Gently running the boy's heads, the running back winked, "That's right. I can use all the help that I can get." Cheering again, the youngsters hugged his long legs tightly.

Pushing himself from the doorway, Zechs said, "Boys, Duo and Mom are going to have a talk. Let's go into the den and watch some of your cartoons, okay?"

Her sons chorused, "Okay, Daddy." After receiving a tight hug from Duo, they took either of their Dad's hands and followed him down the hall.

Noin approached the football player, chuckling, "They can't stop talking about how they got to help Duo Maxwell, one of the best running backs to play the game." Tightly hugging her guest, she added, "Who Zechs and I are in great debt to."

Returning the embrace, the braided running back grinned, "Don't mention it. I'm just glad things worked out."

When they pulled back, the young woman gestured with her head towards the living room and invited, "Please, make yourself comfortable. I have tea ready."

Taking a deep breath and wiling his nerves to ease, Duo followed her into the room, closing the rolling doors behind them.

TBC...

[1] A fake in this case is a legal move where the quarterback turns to the running back behind him when the ball is in his hands. It makes the defensive team think they're going to keep the ball on the ground so they push harder to stop the running back. But just before the running back accepts the ball, the quarterback can keep it for himself to turn and throw it to one of the receivers down the field when it was not expected by the defense.

 

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