[I am a lighthouse, worn by the weather and the waves.
I keep my lamp lit, to warn the sailors on their way.
I had a keeper, he helped me warn the ships at sea.
We had grown closer, 'till his joy meant everything to me.]
--- The Lighthouse Tale performed by Nickel Creek
Ray of Hope Part 14
Readjusting the collar of his deep blue blouse, Heero watched the street blocks pass by his passenger seat window. The prospect of being out on an actual date with his best friend was finally catching up to him, along with the jitters and hopes that everything that would go well. Luckily, his tension did not seem to go noticed.
Tentatively, Heero looked over at the braided lighthouse keeper. Peering out the corner of his eye at him, Duo gave a small and nervous smile, instantly setting him at ease. When the young sailor returned the gesture with a tight grin of his own, the American turned his gaze back to focus on the road.
As they neared the center of the small city, the Japanese young man forced himself to pay more attention to the lit buildings they were passing. Finally, Heero smiled at the charming little manor surrounded by weeping willows lit by white string lights that Trowa had shown him a few days before. "Here we are," he announced, pointing to the secluded restaurant.
His violet eyes widening, Duo let out a low whistle. "This is a really nice place to eat," he commented quietly. "It's been a long time since I've been here." With a smirk, he peered over to his date and chuckled deeply, "Are you sure you wouldn't just want to go somewhere for burgers for a first date?"
At that, Heero grinned at him, "No, I wanted this to be a little more special than that." His smile grew when the lighthouse keeper blushed. Gently patting his best friend's leg, he said quietly, "Relax." At the time, he wasn't sure who needed that encouragement more, but it did work on Duo as he smiled back sincerely with a noticeable ease.
With the car parked, the pair walked side-by-side towards the brick building just as the sun was beginning to set. Biting his lip, Duo looked over the horizon in the direction that they had come from to watch the tall, ivory tower rising over the city from miles away.
Patiently waiting, Heero stood by and watched along with his friend. Just as the sky was beginning to darken in the west, the bright lantern of the lighthouse began to glow, its large mirrors spinning wide beams that stretched overhead. With a deep sigh of relief, Duo's tense shoulders sagged a bit. Turning to his date, he grinned and nodded firmly, "Okay."
His own smile growing in relief of knowing that his friend would finally be able to enjoy himself for the rest of the evening, Heero opened the front door for him. Still seeming unsure with how to handle the attention that he was getting, Duo stepped inside with the sailor right behind.
The inside of the small manor-turned-restaurant was as appealing as the outside. Dimly lit with long-wick candles with roses and a variety of other flowers at the base to brighten the spread out, white linen tables, the air was one of comfortable intimacy and privacy for those gathered. It was an incredibly romantic atmosphere.
Standing by the pulpit just beyond the front door, the hostess smiled warmly at the pair as Heero stepped forward to give his name for the reservation he had called in that morning. as she took up two menus, the redhead winked, "Right this way."
As they followed the hostess deeper into the restaurant, there were several patrons looking up from their conversations and meals. In his passing, Heero couldn't help but notice that the eyes watching him were primarily filled with curiosity and interest. Those eyes watching Duo were either wide in shock or filled with sadness. Despite their reactions, no one rose from their seats to approach the two new guests.
Once they were seated at their table across from each other, Duo took up his menu and opened it. As the hostess walked off, he sighed deeply, "Can't keep anything secret on a small island like this." Looking up past the glowing candles, he frowned deeply, "Sorry for their staring. We don't normally have strangers washing up into our lives all that often."
Chuckling deeply, Heero replied, "I should hope not." With a quick glance around, he noticed that most of those guests that had been openly gaping at them were back to focusing at what was happening at their own tables. "It doesn't bother me, anyway," he reassured his friend with a small smile of sincerity. "Working with Trowa in the shop, I get used to it." In reality, it was the sad looks cast in Duo's direction that was what he worried about.
The waitress, a petite blonde young woman with her shoulder-length hair pulled back with a silver headband, approached with two glasses of ice water. As she set down the two cups, she smiled brightly and removed the pad of paper from her black apron. "Can I take your order?" she began, her blue-green eyes suddenly widening when she got a good look at the braided lighthouse keeper in the candle light. "Oh my God, Duo!" she exclaimed. "Is that really you?"
Blinking his own eyes in surprise, the American gasped, "Syl." The young woman beamed and nodded excitedly as he quickly rose from his chair to hug her tightly, lifting her from her feet as she laughed. When they pulled away, Duo smiled to his friend and held a hand to the waitress as he introduced, "Heero, this is Sylvia Noventa. We went through high school together." Looking back to the blonde girl, he guessed aloud, "You must have just finished your last semester at college before the fall."
"Yep," Sylvia nodded. "Just got back to town earlier this week." Extending her hand to the Japanese sailor, she greeted, "Very nice to meet you, Heero." She gazed around the room at the last few faces still staring and smirked, "As you can see, you're the biggest thing to have happened to this place in quite some time."
With a polite smile of his own, Heero rose to his feet and shook the young woman's hand firmly and nodded, "Nice to meet you, as well, Sylvia. I honestly don't know what is bigger news for them right now, me, or Duo's being away from the lighthouse at nightfall." Even his braided date had to chuckle deeply at that.
Sylvia's head fell back as she laughed, "Isn't that the truth." Gently slapping her friend's arm, she frowned, "You really do need to get out more often. Just as the lighthouse keeper was opening his mouth to speak in his own defense, the blonde waitress turned to the Japanese stranger and winked, "I can tell we're going to get along just fine. But for now, let me get the two of you a more private seating arrangement."
At that, the young pair smiled their appreciation as they were led further back in the restaurant. The private table, blocked off by deep green velvet drapes, fended off the onlookers. Heero couldn't keep the relieved smile from his face as he took his seat and said quietly, "This is perfect. Thank you, Sylvia."
Setting the menus down across from each other on the white linen, the waitress grinned, "Any time. I'll grab your drinks and check back in a little bit for your orders."
The grateful young men ordered their beverages and extended their genuine gratitude for the assistance. Just before stepping through the drapes, Sylvia covered the side of her mouth with her pad. Making a subtle gesture to Heero, as the sailor looked over his menu, she mouthed to her friend, 'Very nice.'
Subtly nodding and grinning back, Duo mouthed, 'Thank you.' With one last wink, his blonde friend disappeared. Thanks to that chance run in, he was finally able to relax completely and just allow himself to have a good time for a change.
* * * * * *
Later that evening, well after dark, Heero and Duo were walking around the large park of trees, flowers and small ponds that had been made in the center of the island. With the warm spring evening, the fireflies were back out and floating on the gentle breeze. Overhead, from the distance, the spinning beams from the lighthouse continued to light the sky. The walkway lights overhead lit their path as they walked with their shoulders nearly touching.
The dinner had been perfect, thanks largely in part to Sylvia. Once they were alone, the pair fell easily into comfortable conversation. Careful not to mention anything about Duo's past, unless he was willing to bring it up himself, Heero kept the topics on other things.
Once their delicious dinner and desserts finished, it was the lighthouse keeper's pick to visit the community park. It had been two years since he got to see it at night. Up until his father's death, it was one of his places to see when the sun had slipped back under the horizon.
"So," the young sailor began as he folded his hands behind his back, "have you ever been anywhere other than this island?"
Nodding, Duo opened his hand as a firefly landed safely in the center of it, "I've been to the Colonies and the States as family vacations a long time ago."
Heero's cobalt eyes widened in learning that his friend actually had seen more of the world once. "Any places you would like to see eventually?" he inquired.
His smile turning wistful as the firefly in his hand flew off, Duo answered quietly, "Ireland. Venice. Australia. A few of the larger Colonies. They're all places I'd really like to see before I die." His smile faded at the last word and his arms reached up to wrap around his small frame as if he was suddenly cold.
Biting his lip, Heero slowly reached an arm up to wrap it around the lighthouse keeper's shoulders and pulled him close. His violet eyes widening, Duo stiffened for a second before relaxing and leaning against the young sailor. "Thank you for asking me out," he breathed. "This has been... really nice."
"You're welcome," the Japanese young man whispered back with a small smile. "I had a really nice night, too." Looking to his watch, he winced, "Well, maybe we should call it a night. At this rate, it'll be after eleven by the time we get back to the cabin."
Duo straightened with wide eyes and gaped, "Shit. It's that late already?" With a deep sigh, the disappointment dripped from his voice as he frowned, "yea, I guess we should get going." Looking up with hope-filled violet eyes, he asked, "Do you think that maybe we can do this again some time?"
With a wide smile, Heero reassured him, "Of course." At that, Duo smiled warmly back and leaned against him again. It made his heart swell just knowing that Duo was willing to forgo his duties at the lighthouse to spend some more time away with him. For his part, his own feelings were more affirmed. Getting to know the lighthouse keeper more only proved that he had fallen for him and wanted to do whatever it took to make him happy.
In the end, the whole date had been a complete success.
* * * * * *
With Quatre and Catherine staying over at the cabin, Duo reassumed his checks over the lighthouse when he and Heero returned home. Leaning over the balcony the lookout room just below the spinning lantern beams, the braided young man smiled to himself as he looked out to the ocean. His braid drifted to and fro behind him on the light breeze as he thought back to the evening's events.
Gently knocking on the glass doors as not to startle his best friend, Heero slowly approached just as Duo turned to face him with a wide grin. Returning the gesture with a small smile of his own, the sailor gently brushed back a few stray hairs blowing around the other young man's face and suggested, "You really should get to bed. You're still recovering, you know."
Leaning into the touch, Duo closed his heavy eyelids and sighed deeply, "All right." When he opened his eyes, his smile returned as he bit his lip. Swallowing hard against his suddenly dry throat, Heero tentatively moved closer. His own eyes widening, the braided lighthouse keeper followed his lead, tilting his head when they were mere inches apart.
Slowly, their lips gravitated to each other and finally made contact as their eyes drifted closed. And there was no longer a star-filled sky, a crashing of waves or even a lighthouse as all that remained in the world was the two of them for that moment.
TBC...
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