Blood, Sweat and Tears Part 18
As he and his teammates finished packing up their gear and belongings following their showers, Heero looked over to the abandoned locker beside his own. It had been two days since Duo left to be with his family for the week and practices just didn't seem the same without him around.
...More than that, nothing was really the same without him around. The house was quieter. Practices were pretty uneventful and almost boring. As a whole, nothing seemed exciting anymore.
While he would have never admitted it aloud, the quarterback was beginning to miss his housemate-something Heero never would have thought possible just a few weeks prior. He even missed their debates over things that had no significance just to 'fill the air' as Duo called it.
Now, the braided young man was with his family and his lovely girlfriend. Recalling the picture of that short-haired young woman that he had found in his teammate's room, Heero imagined that the young couple was enjoying their extended time together.
For whatever reason, whenever he thought of the two of them together, he always wanted that thought to go away... quickly. It was an oddly unsettling notion.
Still, there was one good thing that came out of not having Duo at practice...
Considering how he had started off, Terry had improved leaps and bounds thanks to his one-on-one time with Maxwell at practice. He was nowhere near the caliber of a running back that his mentor was, but he could at least hold his own now. Zechs and Howard were thrilled with the progress that Fellows was making.
"Hey, Heero," Trowa's voice called through his thoughts. Looking over his shoulder to the tall center, his friend informed, "Wufei, Relena, Quatre and I were going to meet up at Murray's for a couple. You're more than welcome to join us if you'd like."
Those emerald eyes led on that the Latin already knew what the answer would be. It was the same answer every time he asked. It was the same reason that Wufei had stopped asking a long time ago.
Shaking his head, the captain replied, "Thanks, but I'm just going to turn in early for practice tomorrow. Maybe another time." It was always 'another time'.
Trowa's smile saddened a bit as he shrugged, "Sure." He turned to throw his red T-shirt on and grabbed his duffle bag. "Have a good night, then," he said with a wave of his free hand before heading out to leave his friend alone in the locker room.
Lowering his head, Heero frowned deeply with a quiet, "Good night."
In the empty room, his voice echoed off the walls. Zippering his own duffle bag closed, he gripped its handles and headed for the door.
On his way to the car, he was reminded how the ride home seemed longer without having Duo to talk to.
* * * * * *
"So do you think that Heero might be gay?" Quatre asked innocently enough as he and Trowa waited for Wufei and Relena to join them at their table.
Choking on his drink, Trowa fought to catch his breaths between coughs. "What!?" he finally managed to shout over the loud music. Thankful that his lover kept his own voice down that none of the other patrons could hear him. Raising an eyebrow, he smirked, "You're not trying to leave me for another guy already, are you?"
The blonde agent chuckled deeply and lightly hit his partner in the arm. "Of course not," he grinned, "I'm just curious." That smile faded into a saddened frown as he commented, "I don't hear about him ever having been with anyone."
After a careful sip from his rum and coke, the center remarked, "That's because he never was with anyone. His first love is what he does and he's committed to that before anything else." His frown creasing, he frowned deeply and thought aloud, "You know, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure which way he swings. In all the time I've known him, I've never seen him give a girl or a guy a second glance."
Slightly tilting his head, Trowa inquired, "Why do you really want to know? It seems pretty odd that you've developed this sudden curiosity out of the blue."
Quatre quickly threw back the rest of his own drink as a means of stalling. As soon as he lowered the glass back onto the table, he found Wufei and Relena enter the bar hand-in-hand. Silently thanking whatever deity had come to his aid, the agent waved excitedly to the young couple searching for their friends in the crowd. "Over here, guys!" he called over the music, laughter and talking.
Wufei smiled to his friends and gently let his girlfriend through the throngs gathered by the bar. As the couple approached, Trowa shook his head in amusement to his lover, "We'll continue this conversation later."
Swallowing roughly, Quatre forced a widely grinned, "Of course."
Wufei and Relena greeted the center and agent as they took their seats at the round table. As long as they were around, the agent had time to think of a way to get out of his predicament.
And he was just about to give the most brilliant excuse when he and his friends called it a night. The moment he and Trowa were alone and on their way to his car, Quatre turned to his lover and opened his mouth to give that excuse when the center met his eyes and grinned, "You're asking on Duo's behalf."
The wide-eyed agent's immediate response was to think to himself, "Oh shit." His blue eyes widened further when he realized, to his great dismay, that he had actually squeaked out that little thought.
* * * * * *
The following night, Heero sighed deeply as he stepped into his home. The door automatically closing behind him, he lowered his duffel bag and kicked off his sneakers. When he entered the living room, he found Quatre curled up on one of the couches with a book that he was engrossed in.
Looking up, the blonde closed his reading material and smiled brightly, "Hey, Heero. How was practice?"
All but falling onto the opposite couch, the quarterback shrugged, "All right." Leaning his head back against the cushions and closing his cobalt eyes, he admitted, "To be perfectly honest, practices have been pretty boring this week without Maxwell around."
Quatre chuckled deeply, "Well, Duo certainly has a way of keeping things interesting. I always joked that he could turn a funeral into a party."
Snickering, Heero raised his head and smirked, "That he could. I never thought I would say it, but I'm actually beginning to miss him." His eyes narrowing, he quickly added in a warning tone, "If you tell him, or anyone else on the team, I will kill you."
The agent's head fell back as he laughed. Containing himself, he nodded firmly and raised a hand. "I promise that it will go no further," he vowed. Inwardly, he was cheering in knowing that his housemate was actually missing Duo.
Heero bent down to take up the football beside the couch and spun it in his hands. "I imagine his family and girlfriend are happy to have him home," he muttered with his eyes on the ball in his possession.
Brow creasing, Quatre frowned deeply, "Girlfriend?"
Stilling the football, the quarterback blinked in confusion. "Yea, his girlfriend." With a sheepish wince, he explained, "I saw her picture when I was in Duo's room. You would have to know about her, being one of his closest friends."
Realization filled the agent's widening eyes. Moving his hands in vague gestures, he described, "Short, dark hair. Blue eyes, wearing a pink beret? That's who you saw in the picture?" When the Japanese athlete nodded, he laughed loudly-nearly falling off of the couch.
"I don't see what's so funny," Heero commented, his eyes narrowing.
Wiping tears from his eyes, Quatre reduced his laughter to sporadic chuckles as he replied, "She.. hehe.. she's not his...ahha... girlfriend!" Taking a deep breath, he said calmly, "Hilde's just a good friend of ours. She and Duo are like brother and sister. Not to mention the fact that she's married to another friend of ours named Solo."
His own eyes widening, the quarterback repeated quietly, "Friend? Married?" Instantly, he recalled the image if the running back with the girl that he now knew as Hilde alongside a blonde young man. That must have been Solo.
Quatre grinned in amusement, "Duo's never been in a relationship before. He's far too busy with his career and personal life to really devote the time." Biting his lip, he sighed deeply and shrugged, "Though I think that he just uses that as an excuse."
Intrigued, Heero heard himself ask, "An excuse for what?"
A small, sad smile tugged the agent lips as he answered, "You remember my telling you earlier that Duo is a very complex person." Once more, his housemate nodded. "You still haven't even begun to scratch the surface to understand him," Quatre stated, shaking his head. "In time, you'll see that for yourself."
One of the many burning questions on the team captain's mind came out in a very quiet, "Why does he insist on showering alone?"
There was a flash of what could only be translated as pain in the blonde's expression at the inquiry. "I'm afraid that I can't answer that for you, Heero," Quatre answered with that sad smile. "Maybe sometime Duo will, but it will have to come from him. I can tell you that it's not because of a bloated ego, contrary to the popular belief amongst the team."
Heero never did believe that theory to have been true. The more he came to know the braided running back, it didn't seem like him to make such a demand just because he could. Quatre's initial reaction to his question only proved that.
"For the record," the agent began with a smile. "I miss him, too. Even though I do want to strangle him with his own braid from time to time."
And with that, the looming tension in the air dissipated as the two young men shared a good laugh. Moments later, Lady Une appeared to announce that dinner was ready.
* * * * * *
Alex frowned deeply at the sullen image of his lover on his vidphone. After hearing, in detail, how the Wolverines were being won over by their new running back he had to admit that he was hurt. He thought that he was close enough to his old teammates that they would have made it at least a little more challenging for Maxwell to earn their favor.
What also had him worried was learning that Wufei had picked up on his relationship with Mueller. Even if the receiver promised not to use that information against them, he could always change his mind down the road. "You're just going to have to play along with the others," the blonde running back finally suggested.
Gasping sharply, Mueller's eyes widened with a shouted, "What!?" Those eyes quickly narrowed as he hissed, "I don't care if I have to sit the bench for the season. I'm not about to kiss that bastard's ass."
"Well, I care about what will happen to you," Alex replied. "And you're forgetting that Chang could always turn around and go to the press about us. As much as we care about each other, neither of us want that. We saw what Trowa went through when he came out."
Mueller bit his lip at that and nodded shallowly. Smiling, the running back reassured him, "We still have our visits on the weekend and we call every other night. It's not like you've lost me in the trade. There really isn't any reason to just go with the flow and act nice." The smile darkened a bit as he added, "Sometimes being close to the enemy helps lower their guard for when you can strike them later."
Snorting, the tight end smirked, "You do make a point." Reluctantly, he sighed deeply, "I suppose that I can play along. He is only signed on for this season. Hopefully he'll just be traded to yet another team when we're finished."
With a firm nod, Alex chuckled, "See. It won't be that bad to put on an act for a few months. And as much as I hate to admit it, the guy is one hell of a running back. Just take advantage of having him onboard."
"He's not all that he'd cracked up to be at times. It would just be nice if the guy knew how to catch. You have him beat there," Mueller griped.
Stiffening, the running back's eyes widened like saucers. "Maxwell doesn't know how to catch?" he asked quietly. His lover nodded. Laughing, Alex cheered, "How fucking hysterical! A football player that can't catch! Who knew!?"
The tight end checked the clock and shrugged, "Yea, well, I better get going. It's pretty late and we still have one more practice tomorrow." Eyes shimmering with hope, he inquired, "So, we're still on for this weekend, then?"
Alex gave him a warm, loving grin and nodded, "I'll pick you up at the airport tomorrow night, as always. Have a good night." Returning the smile, Mueller replied in kind before the connection was cut and the screen went black.
Folding his arms behind his head, the running back snickered to himself, "So Maxwell can't catch. I think I'll have to have a word with Treize on that."
* * * * * *
Refreshed from his week-long visit home, Duo made his way into the Yuy household with a suitcase in each hand. Moving right up the steps to unpack, he found Quatre pacing anxiously outside his bedroom door. When he heard the running back approaching, he spun on his heels and their eyes met.
Quickly raising his hands as if to fend off an attacker, the agent squeaked out, "We need to talk. Just... please don't kill me."
Worry filled Duo's violet eyes as he frowned, "Ooo.. kay. You know, that's not the best way to start a conversation when I just got back." The attempt to lighten the air fell flat, if not made matters worse.
Nervously rubbing his hands together, Quatre stepped aside for his friend to unlock the door and took up one of the suitcases.
Once they were both inside, the running back closed the door as his agent sat at the desk chair. "So what's going on?" he asked with a slight edge of concern in his tone. Quatre wasn't one to fret... not unless it was over something big.
A strangled sound escaped the damp-browed blonde. Just wanting to get the news over with, he said in a rush, "Trowaknowsyourgaya ndintoHeero! " Gasping sharply at the end, he squeezed his eyes closed and prepared for the worst.
Violet eyes wide, Duo stood stiff as stone. His skin paling, he breathed, "W-wha? But how?" The initial shock ebbed into rage as his face reddened and his hand clenched into fists as his sides. Glaring heatedly, he gritted, "What did you do?"
Quatre's eyes shot open as he cried, "I swear, Duo I didn't mean for him to know. I just asked him if he knew whether or not Heero might be gay! He figured out on his own why I was asking! I had to tell him the truth when he asked me!"
Pacing rigidly across the room, the American forced himself to relax and burn off some of his anger. Finally getting a hold of himself, he took a couple deep and calming breaths before looking down on his friend. "Does anyone else know?" he questioned.
The agent shook his head quickly, "No. And Trowa swore that it won't go any further. He knows that it's like to be in your position. He's been through hell ever since he publicly announced that he was gay, so he would never put you in that situation." Biting his lip, he fought a few small tears and whispered brokenly, "Even so I'm so sorry, Duo."
Gently pulling on his friend's arm, the braided athlete got him to his feet and hugged him tightly. "It's all right," he reassured quietly. "It was an accident." Sniffling, Quatre returned the tight embrace and got his own bearings together. When they pulled back, Duo asked gently, "You all right?"
Nodding, Quatre wiped his eyes dry and answered, "Yea. I've been going out of my mind worrying about having to tell you what happened." A watery smile tugged his lips as he said, "Thanks for not killing me."
"Aw, you know I can never go through it when you start crying," Duo chuckled deeply as he rubbed the top of his friend's head with his knuckles. Quatre laughed and pushed the hand away. Slowly bouncing on the balls of his feet, the running back asked, "Well?"
Blinking in confusion, the agent tilted his head. "Well, what?" Exasperated, Duo threw his hands in the air and yelled, "What did Trowa say about Heero!? Is he gay or not!?"
Laughing, Quatre replied, "Oh! That!" His friend looked as though he was going to jump out of his skin in anticipation. Sighing, he stated, "He's not sure. In all the time that they've been friends, he was never able to figure that out."
"Damn," Duo muttered.
Suddenly, Heero appeared in the doorway dressed in a tight pair of black, stretch shorts and a grey tank top that hugged his torso tightly. A bright smile tugged his lips when he looked to his braided teammate. "I thought I heard you come in," he greeted. Holding up the football that was in his right hand, he asked, "Are you up for some practice on your catching while it's still light out?"
Ever ounce of strength was used on the running back's part to refrain from staring at the perfect body before him as he swallowed roughly. Forcing a wide grin, he answered, "Sure thing, man. I'll get changed and meet you out back." With a firm nod, the quarterback disappeared.
Quatre waved his hands before Duo's eyes, but his friend continued to stare at the doorway without so much as blinking. Patting his client on the shoulder, he was successful in getting those violet eyes to meet his own. "Well, I better let you get ready," he smirked before heading out and closing the door after him.
Falling back onto his bed, Duo covered his eyes with an arm as he moaned, "Fuck. Nothing is ever easy."
TBC...
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