Witness Protection Part 38
Hell and Heaven
It wasn't until I nearly drifted off the road that I realized how flat-out exhausted I was. Only Duo's alarmed shout, and the shudder of a tire slipping onto the loose gravel on the shoulder of the road kept me from a disastrous mistake.
I pulled over to catch my breath, and still the shaking of my hands.
"Jesus, Yuy. Let me drive!" demanded Maxwell, leaning over the back seat and exchanging a worried look with Chang.
I rubbed a hand over my eyes, stifling a yawn. "I guess there's no harm in it."
"No harm, he says," Duo sighed, shaking his head. "Nearly fucking killed us--"
"We need to find a place to sleep," Wufei said groggily, giving me the impression he'd dozed off before me and only been awakened by our near-miss.
"Yeah, well." I gestured vaguely at the ratty old car we were driving. "Not like we can pull into a five-star hotel with valet service in this and not draw attention."
Duo had gotten out of the back seat, and I traded places with him, managing to unobtrusively give his hand a squeeze as we passed each other on the side of the car away from Wufei. His grin as he slid behind the wheel was well worth the tiny risk.
"Maybe if we get on the highway, we can find a Motel 6, or some family place," Chang said between yawns.
"Yeah, that'll look great," I sighed. "Three beat-up, bloody, grubby guys with hardly any luggage. Won't draw much attention at all. Maybe if we just pull into a rest stop we can sack out in the car."
"It's two days to the next safe house," Chang said with a dubious look at Maxwell. "We need to stop and dress that wound--and get some decent sleep."
"I've got an idea," Duo spoke up.
We both looked warily at him.
"Seriously," he said. "If you aren't fussy about accommodations, I can find us a place no one will look twice at us."
"Maxwell, I could sleep on a bed of nails about now," sighed Wufei.
"Well then, you two just relax and put yourself in Duo Maxwell's capable hands," suggested our witness, pulling back out onto the road. "I looked at that map, too. And I know where we can blend right in."
"Thought you'd never been this way," I mumbled, already feeling drowsy as I stretched out on the back seat.
"I haven't--but all cities are alike, Yuy. There are certain places no one wants to know anyone else's business but their own."
"Uh-huh." I'd have asked for more details, but having trusted Maxwell this far, there was no reason to doubt he could handle finding us a place to sleep. And meanwhile, it was nice to let go for awhile, close my eyes, and let the motion of the car rock me to sleep.
I woke up as we were pulling into a parking lot, and a flickering neon sign cast light across my face.
"What is this place?" Chang asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"Dunkin' Donuts," replied Maxwell. "Lemme grab a couple of things from the trunk and we can go inside and get coffee."
I sat up and rubbed briskly at my face, then looked out the window.
We were in a very rundown section of what appeared to be a good-sized city. To our right was the aforementioned Dunkin' Donuts, with a sign proclaiming they were open all night long. And to our left was a row of seedy-looking bars, shops, and hotels. There were hookers on just about every visible street corner.
"Fuck," muttered Chang wearily. "Talk about slumming--"
"Hey, no one will give us a second glance," Duo pointed out. "In this kind of neighborhood, the less you know, the better."
He had a point. We could have dragged a bloody body out of the trunk, and no one would have given a damn.
"C'mon, boys," Duo urged, locking the driver's door, and going around back to the trunk.
By the time Chang and I got out and stretched to loosen up limbs stiff from hours of inactivity, he'd pulled his backpack out, emptied it, and stuffed a few items back in.
"What are you doing?" I demanded.
"Well we can't exactly haul three duffel bags around," Duo told me, giving me a look as if I were a bit simple. "I grabbed the necessities."
"Don't ask," Wufei said with a weary sigh. "He seems to have a plan."
"That's what scares me," I teased rather half-heartedly.
We walked into Dunkin' Donuts without drawing so much as a glance, and got coffees, toasted sandwiches, and a bag of donuts. The corner booth we chose gave us a view of the car and the surrounding neighborhood.
Duo seemed singularly pleased with himself. I guessed that being able to handle this part of our undercover journey made him feel useful. And seeing the animated sparkle in his eyes, I wouldn't have dreamed of taking that away from him.
"--where we can catch some sleep, an' maybe even hot showers--" he was saying between bites of his meal.
"What kind of hotel?" asked my partner, frowning out the window at the row of dilapidated buildings.
"Well it won't exactly be the Ritz," shrugged Duo. "But it'll do. You can lock the door, and we can all rest easy for a few hours. Trust me--no one would ever look for us here."
Chang snorted wryly. "No shit."
Stuffing the last of his food into his mouth, and washing it down with a swig of coffee, Duo stood up and brushed off the crumbs, picking up the backpack. "Be right back, fellas. I gotta change clothes."
"What? Why?" I asked with a frown.
He smiled mysteriously. "Part of our cover."
"Cover?"
"Trust me."
Aw, fuck, I hated it when he said that. It forced my hand yet again.
He strode off quickly, ducking into the men's room to make whatever change he had in mind.
"What do you suppose he's up to?" I asked my partner.
He merely shook his head. "Do you honestly expect me to be able to follow the inner workings of Duo Maxwell's mind?" The dark eyes were somber. "I'm still trying to figure out why he saved my life out on that deck."
I blinked in surprise, realizing that Maxwell had, indeed, saved my partner's life by tackling him into the hot tub. He'd not only saved him; he'd also gotten shot in the process. Not that I think it occurred to Duo at the time--but he came damn close to trading his own life for Wufei's.
Granted, that would have been devastating to our cause--but at the same time, it warmed my heart that the man I loved was given to unselfish gestures. It made him seem oddly noble.
Of course, when the bathroom door opened and Maxwell swaggered out, all those deep thoughts flew right out of my head. My jaw dropped as I took in the tight leather pants tucked into tall, laced-up boots, and the short mesh top that left his flat stomach exposed. His hair was pulled into a ponytail, instead of its customary braid, and spread across his back to cover the angel wing tattoo that wanted to peek over the low waistband.
On the one hand, he looked really, really hot--and on the other, he looked like--
"--a prostitute?" Chang blurted.
Duo sauntered over and bent to whisper in my ear. "You boys want some company? There's a hotel right down the street that caters to that sort of thing."
While my groin reacted predictably, my rational side assured me this was a bad, bad idea.
"Are you fucking nuts?" I hissed in a livid whisper.
"Not at all," he replied calmly. His indigo eyes slid across to Chang, who was several shades of purple by that time. "If the three of us walk into that hotel, they won't think twice. No one will give a shit, and no one will remember having seen us." He gestured around the shabby interior of the Dunkin' Donuts. "Has anyone even batted an eye?"
In fact, he was right. There was an obvious hooker up at the counter buying coffee, and a couple of people at a corner booth who looked like homeless folks trying to warm up before having to return to the streets. Not one of them even seemed aware of our presence.
"Just follow my lead, boys," Duo said without missing a beat, taking each of us by a hand.
He escorted us out onto the sidewalk, sashaying along as if he'd been born in that neighborhood, and after tossing the backpack into the trunk with the rest of our stuff, explaining that luggage of any kind would look suspicious, he began leading us down the street towards one of the seedier-looking hotels.
"Wait!" I protested, seeing an open drug store. "We may not be able to bring a change of clothes, but I'm getting some bandages and ointment for that wound. You two wait here."
"Sure thing, hon!" Duo called aloud, tugging Wufei over towards a brick building and leaning comfortably against it. "You get all the supplies you want, an' I'll help ya use 'em up."
I must have been beet red--Lord knows I could feel the heat radiating off my face as a couple of scantily-clad female streetwalkers eyed me and shook their heads in apparent disappointment.
"Hands off, girls! He's with me." I heard Duo call chidingly to them, as I dashed across to the store and inside.
I found the first aid supplies quickly enough, and paused by the condoms and lube, wondering if it was worth the look it would bring to Wufei's face for me to buy some. But I opted for saving the money, since I knew damned well there'd be no using them tonight--not with Chang in the room.
Besides, in a pinch, antibiotic ointment would have worked just fine.
I must have been smirking as I jogged back across the street, because Wufei gave me a quizzical look, and Duo grinned lasciviously. "You look eager, sweetie," he said loudly enough for even a casual passerby to hear.
"Can't wait," I said breezily, wondering just how hard he'd keep trying to embarrass me. And frankly, walking down that street with his hand in mine and a nondescript pharmacy bag in the other, I felt hideously conspicuous. I'd spent most of my life concealing my sexuality--and parading down a public sidewalk looking like some male prostitute's latest "trick" was horribly uncomfortable.
I glanced over at Wufei, realizing it must be ten times worse for him; not only did he despise gays, but he was being made to look like one himself. In fact, he was being made to look like a homosexual john about to engage in a threesome. I felt a pang of sympathy at the rather constipated look on his face. Or maybe it was just shock. Either way, he didn't look happy about our arrangement at all.
We paused at the door to a shabby hotel, and Duo reached back to slide my hand down onto his ass. "Whatever I do, Yuy, play along. You too, Chang."
"Maxwell, I can't pretend to--" Wufei broke off with a squawk of protest as Duo slid an arm around his waist.
"Sure ya can." He pulled us both into the smoky, dark lobby and edged us over to the desk.
The fat man behind the counter with a smelly cigar clenched in his teeth, eyed us up and down, a faint sneer on his lips. But I noticed the beady eyes lingered on Duo, running slowly over his face and down to his crotch.
"Ain't seen you before," he growled out in a voice made rough by years of smoking.
Duo smirked back dauntlessly. "Yeah, well, all the decent hotels are full-up, chubby. So we gotta settle. Ya got a room?"
The man's face darkened at the slight, and his deep-set eyes narrowed. "How many hours ya want?"
Duo snuggled up against Wufei, who growled a warning. "For these two?" Maxwell asked, casting a speculative look my way.
"All night," I snapped curtly, taking out my wallet.
The hotel proprietor gave a short bark of laughter. "Think a skinny-assed kid like him will last that long?" he asked me, his gaze predatory. "I know some more--substantial--whores. They could provide a shitload more entertainment."
Duo was instantly in the man's face, leaning menacingly across the desk and pointing a finger at the bulbous nose. "You keep your fuckin' mouth shut!" he snarled. "These two are mine--an' I ain't sharin' 'em wit' no one!"
God--he sounded like so many hookers and pimps I'd heard in the past. It was a little unsettling that he knew the tone and language so well.
Wufei actually stepped up to the plate then, albeit with a stiffness to his tone that spoke of his complete unease. "Trust me," he told the fat guy. "He's more than enough man for both of us."
The hotel clerk snorted derisively. "Sure, he's pretty, but--"
"Beautiful," I corrected him automatically. "He's beautiful." Then I mentally kicked myself as Duo turned a wide-eyed look on me, his expression slightly horrified.
Yes, I was blowing it...I could tell.
The clerk guffawed, leaning back in his chair and slapping a knee. "Gawd!" he crowed loudly. "Got a coupla live ones, don't ya, kid?" He tossed a key on the counter, glancing at me through tears of mirth. "That'll be one-fifty."
"For one night?" Wufei demanded, looking around us in horror. "In this roach-infested dump?"
The man gave an unrepentant shrug. "I c'n get twenty an hour, an' you want to tie up a room all night--eight hours--that's a hundred and sixty bucks. I'm givin' you a bargain at one-fifty."
Duo snatched the key off the counter and pressed up against me, indigo eyes hooded. "C'mon and pay the man," he urged, his lips mere inches away. "We can get upstairs an' down to business."
He ground his hips into mine, and I gasped in reflex, feeling an immediate rush of blood to my groin. My hands actually shook as I counted out the bills, and the clerk seemed to find that vastly amusing.
The next instant, Duo had Wufei and me by the hands, dragging us bodily down the hall and up the stairs.
"Jesus, Maxwell!" Chang spat under his breath. "How can you stand that man thinking you're a hooker?"
"Considering I dressed and played the part, I guess I can deal with it," came the complacent reply.
"But you got mad when I called you one," I reminded him.
"That's 'cause your opinion matters."
"Since when?"
He darted me a sidelong look and shrugged. "Since always."
I pondered that, wondering if he meant he'd cared when I called him a hooker the first time we met, three years earlier. And if he had--why?
He released our hands to fumble at the lock and push open the door of a small, stuffy-smelling room. The word "dump" did not begin to describe the place. Its cracked plaster and graffiti-covered walls spoke of long neglect and abuse. But as we shuffled inside and closed the door, I felt a moment's relief.
Granted, we weren't exactly "safe," but we were a damn sight less conspicuous here than we would have been checking into the local Holiday Inn. And, at least for the moment, we were off the streets and behind locked doors.
"Hmm--not bad," Duo commented, walking into the bathroom to see if the plumbing worked. I heard the thump of old pipes as water gurgled into the sink. "Hey--we even got hot water!"
"God, Maxwell--tell me you aren't serious!" Wufei blurted.
Duo stuck his head out of the doorless room and gawked at him.
"Do you really think these accommodations are adequate?"
Shrugging and putting his hands on his hips, Duo leaned back against the door frame. "Depends on what ya need, 'Fei-kins. If a five-star hotel is all you've ever known, this place is Hell. But after living in alleys and empty warehouses--I consider it tolerable."
My partner dropped his gaze to the floor, and stomped hard on something crawling past. "You're right," he conceded. "Certainly we could do worse. But--we could also do better."
"Not in this neighborhood," came the response.
"Duo--why don't you take a shower first?" I suggested. "I want to clean that wound and get it bandaged before you lie down on any of the linens in this place."
Duo chuckled. "Linens? Is that what you call flea-infested sheets an' pillowcases?"
Wufei had pulled back the comforter on the bed. "God--if only it were just fleas," he sighed, glaring at telltale stains on the fabric.
"Flip 'em upside down, 'Fei," suggested Maxwell, already starting to unlace the tight black pants he was wearing. "The mattress, too."
"Maxwell, please don't strip in front of me," whined my partner.
"Close your eyes," came the unsympathetic reply, as Duo peeled his shirt off, revealing the hastily-applied and blood-caked bandage over his left shoulder blade. "Unless, of course, you liked the last show enough to want an encore."
Chang made a strangled noise and busied himself with the bed.
I walked over and gently checked the dressing on Duo's back. "Does it hurt much?"
He sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth as I pressed against the padding. "'S tender," he admitted.
"He should have antibiotics," Wufei said with a frown.
"Maybe Trowa's friend Catherine can get them. He said she works for a veterinarian in the off-season."
"I'm not taking horse pills!" Duo protested.
"Amoxycillin is the same for humans or pets," I told him. "It's the dosage that changes."
"Still not interested, Yuy!" He asserted, slipping out of his skin-tight pants, and tossing them casually aside. "Ya wanna take off the bandage so I can wash up?"
"It'll probably reopen the wound a bit," I warned.
"A necessary evil," Chang interjected. "It will help flush it out some more."
I peeled away the covering, wincing at the redness around the gash, and the fresh blood that welled up. "Clean it as thoroughly as you can," I told Duo. "I'll have the bandages and ointment ready after your shower."
He looked over his shoulder at me, so close I could feel the warm breath on my cheek. "Thanks, Yuy."
"For what?"
"Takin' care of me."
"It's my job," I pointed out.
"Doesn't mean you have to like it," he grinned back.
Before I could reply, he headed for the shower, leaving me to look helplessly at Chang, who was struggling with the mattress.
"Here--let me help."
Together we flipped the musty thing over, relieved to find a somewhat cleaner side underneath. And then Chang set about putting the sheets back on, finding that they too were less soiled-looking from the opposite side.
He paused the moment we heard the shower start up, and the rustle of the plastic curtain as Duo stepped into it. "Why, Yuy?"
"Why what?"
"Why the hell would Maxwell take a bullet for me?"
"He didn't 'take' one--it just grazed him," I pointed out.
"That's splitting hairs and you know it!" Chang snapped.
I studied the tautness of his features and the rigid tension across his shoulders. "It's really bothering you, isn't it?"
"Of course it is! I was supposed to be protecting him--not vice versa."
"Don't sweat it, Wufei. You know he won't. In fact, he'll probably enjoy bragging about the scar and how he got it. You know how he loves telling a story."
"That's not the point," said my oh-so conscientious partner. "He got that scar saving my worthless hide. Why would he do that?"
"Maybe he likes you," I teased wearily, wanting nothing more than to collapse on the bed and sleep for days, filthy sheets notwithstanding. But I had to stay awake long enough to dress Duo's wound after he showered.
Chang snorted at my offhand remark. "You know damned well he's got the hots for you, Yuy." Onyx eyes suddenly pinned me with a too-knowing look. "I suspect that's a mutual feeling?"
I wanted to try to play dumb and bluff my way through--but I had to face facts. Wufei was a detective, too, and not without powers of observation. He'd already asked me straight out if I was gay--and though I'd danced around the answer, I was pretty sure he knew what it was.
"I guess it is," I conceded, looking my partner squarely in the eyes. "I probably should have spoken up about my--preferences--a long time ago--when we first met."
He was shaking his head through almost that entire sentence. "No, Yuy. If you had, I'd never have given you a chance. I'd have been judgmental and narrow-minded about it--and I might have missed out on working with one of the finest, most dedicated detectives I've ever known."
Wow. I was pretty well floored by his recently-discovered tolerance and acceptance.
"I don't know what to say," I admitted. "I'd have expected you to at least condemn me for lying all this time."
"Technically, you didn't," he pointed out. "You were discreet enough that it never even crossed my mind you might be gay, until I saw you with Maxwell--and Winner and Barton. And although you were evasive when I asked you point blank about your orientation, you didn't lie to me."
"You want to talk about splitting hairs?" I countered. "I might as well have."
"But you didn't."
I nodded reluctantly, still wondering how this conversation was going to affect our future working relationship. "So--where does this leave us?" I asked. "Would you prefer a different partner after this? Or do you plan to tell the Captain about me--about Maxwell and me?"
He shook his head. "I have no intention of telling anyone," he said firmly. "You've always been the soul of professionalism around me, and I have no qualms about working with you." He drew a deep breath and continued. "While I don't condone your involvement with a protected witness, even I have to admit Maxwell is hard to deny--and impossible to ignore." He grinned ruefully. "You never stood a chance, Yuy. I both envy and pity you."
"Envy me?"
"You've found someone--someone who brings a sparkle to your eyes and a smile to your lips." A smile teased his own lips as he spoke. "At least he does when he isn't aggravating the hell out of you."
"And you pity me why?"
"It's Maxwell," he quipped, breaking into a genuine grin.
I found myself smiling along with him.
"In all seriousness," he added. "You could do worse--far worse. Maxwell's--intriguing--at the very least. And--I wouldn't mind having him for a friend myself."
"I think you already do," I pointed out. "If you were still just a cop to him, would he have given a shit about your life? Or would he have just saved his own ass, and left you to fend for yourself--like he did with the llama?"
"Point taken," he conceded.
The patter of water from the shower had stopped by that time, and Chang and I fell silent as Duo emerged from the bathroom, clad once again in the tight leather pants, and with his hair wrapped in a towel. I couldn't help but notice the fresh droplets of water clinging to the skin of his chest, and I looked down at the floor to catch my breath.
"I feel much better!" he declared firmly. "Your turn."
"Go ahead," I told Chang. "I'll take care of Duo's wound."
"You do that," he smirked, shaking his head slightly. He headed for the bathroom, but paused as he drew even with Duo. "Maxwell--I know it's a little late to say it, but thank you for saving my life."
Duo looked up at him with a startled, deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face. "Uh--you're welcome?"
Wufei patted him on the shoulder as he passed, and turned the corner into the bathroom.
Duo looked at me blankly, and I patted the bed beside me. "Come sit."
He did as he was told, settling on the edge of the bed, and casting a rather quizzical gaze in the direction Chang had gone. He flinched in surprise as I touched his shoulder, and then let out an even more startled gasp as I drew him in for a lingering kiss.
When our lips parted, his worried gaze immediately sought the doorless bathroom. "Chang--"
"--knows," I finished for him, letting him know it wouldn't be the end of the world if my partner saw us kiss. In fact, I took advantage of his open-mouthed astonishment to kiss him again, longer and deeper.
This time when I paused, Duo looked uncertainly up at me. "How?"
"He guessed." I gave a small shrug. "He's not completely clueless, you know. He is a detective."
"He's not--?"
"Angry? Disappointed in me? Disgusted?" I shrugged again. "Aside from reminding me of departmental regulations concerning fraternization with a witness, he took it well."
Relief washed over Duo's face, and he smiled warmly. "So he's still your friend."
"Hai."
"Good." A slim-fingered hand reached to stroke my cheek. "I'd have hated for you to lose your best friend over me."
"He's not--" Well, come to think of it, I guessed Chang was the closest thing to a friend I had. So that would automatically make him my best friend, wouldn't it?
Duo smirked mischievously. "Yeah, he is, isn't he?"
"I suppose so," I conceded, watching as Duo unwrapped his hair and began blotting the moisture from the long strands.
"Then I'm glad he lived up to my expectations," Duo continued. "I'd have been terribly disappointed if he turned out to be as much of an asshole as I took him for at first."
I shook my head, slightly bemused. "And yet you ended up having more faith in him than I did."
"It was hope," he said quietly. "I just hoped he respected you so much that a little thing like sexual orientation wouldn't change it."
"Well--we'll have to see how that works out over the long term," I shrugged. "Now, how about letting me look at that bullet wound?"
He turned sideways and pulled his hair out of the way, so I could see the deeply torn graze across the back of his shoulder blade.
"Mm--nasty--but curable," I predicted, pleased at how much better it looked with the caked blood washed away and a clean injury to work with. While it looked painful, the damage really was mostly superficial.
I smoothed antibiotic ointment onto it, enjoying the feel of Duo's skin under my fingertips, but relieved nonetheless to cover it with a couple of oversized bandaids. I pressed them firmly into place, making sure every centimeter of the gash was covered.
"Tell me something," I asked him. "Before--back when we first picked you up and all--when I called you a--y'know. Why did my opinion matter at all? Wasn't I just another prick of a cop?"
He gave a quiet chuckle. "I wish," he drawled ruefully, half-turning and looking at me over his shoulder. "I'll tell you something, Yuy, if you promise not to let it go to your head."
I nodded earnestly.
"Over the years, I've done a lot of shit...stole, drank, did drugs, slept around..." He shrugged almost apologetically. "About the only thing I never did was whoring." He half-closed his eyes and looked up at me from under thick lashes. "You wanna know why?"
I nodded in return, captivated by the glimmer of warmth in those eyes.
"Because one day I got picked up for B and E, and when the two fuckheads who caught me hauled me into the police station, there was this drop-dead gorgeous blue-eyed cop who mistook me for a hooker." The dark lashes dropped to hide his eyes, so I couldn't read his expression--but he sounded--pained. "I couldn't forget the look in those beautiful eyes--" he continued in a husky whisper. "--the scorn and contempt. An' every time I was down an' out and thinking how easy it'd be to trade a fuck or a blow-job for some quick cash--I saw those blue eyes again." He looked up suddenly, his expression wide-open and vulnerable. "More than anything, I wanted those eyes to look at me without scorn--without contempt. I wanted--I dunno--approval? Respect? Or something." A faint smile trembled on his lips. "I guess I fell for you at first sight, an' it just took all this time for me to get your attention."
My breath caught in my throat, and I let my fingers trace lightly over his lips and slide back across his cheeks and into the thick chestnut hair, pulling his face close enough so I could put my forehead against his. "You had my attention all along. I just needed to open my eyes and see you, and not the image I wanted to see--the image that let me stereotype you and file away the memory of the most beautiful guy I'd ever met."
He melted into the kiss, closing his eyes and sighing as I took over and explored his mouth with my tongue, perfectly content to lose myself in that moment forever.
"Ahem."
We jerked guiltily apart, and I felt myself blushing to the roots of my hair.
"Just because I said I can deal with your--sexuality--does not give you license to make out in front of me," Chang said coolly.
In spite of the way he phrased his complaint almost teasingly, I could tell Chang was genuinely bothered by the kiss.
But it was Duo who surprised me by standing up and starting to rub his still-wet hair with the towel, while he apologized for our behavior. "Sorry, 'Fei--my fault," he said quickly, taking the blame on himself. "I promise I'll behave from now on...I just lost my head for a second there."
Chang eyed him for a long moment and then fixed a skeptical look on me.
"Won't happen again," I assured him. At least not in front of you...
He just gave a derisive snort and gestured to the bathroom. "Your turn at cleaning up, Yuy. And in spite of putting dirty clothes back on, I do feel much better for having showered."
I darted a glance at the bed, wondering how we'd manage three people in a double bed when two were gay and one was a homophobe, but Wufei waved me aside.
"We're all adults, Yuy. I'm sure we can share a bed without too much blushing, snickering or groping, can't we?"
Duo turned a mischievous look on my partner. "I'll behave if you promise to," he teased.
"Scout's honor," came the dry response.
I left them to their own devices and made my way into the bathroom, gratefully stripping out of my two-day-old clothes and stepping into the tub.
I had to admit, even though the flow from the shower head was sporadic at best, it was hot enough and soothing enough to enjoy. And enjoy it I did--lingering under the weak spray until it began to get decidedly cool. I figured since I was the last to shower, it didn't matter if I let the hot water run out.
When I emerged from the bathroom, rubbing briskly at my unruly hair to dry it as much as possible before sleeping on it, I nearly tripped over the chair Chang had wedged under the doorknob for security.
Good thinking!
I'd have to remember to compliment him on his ingenuity.
As I turned towards the bed, I was treated to the genuinely charming sight of Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei curled up side by side sound asleep. It looked like Chang had taken one side, giving Maxwell the center and leaving the side nearest the bathroom for me. Each man had a blanket of his own, but somehow they'd ended up back to back, looking almost cozy together. I noticed Maxwell had made the concession of not only sleeping clothed, but putting his shirt on as well as his pants. I guessed that assuaged Chang's prudish hang-ups.
Of course, it left me feeling mildly disappointed; but once I slipped into the spot Duo had left me, and he rolled over, sighed, and wrapped an arm around my waist, I felt much better about it all. I caught the end of his still-damp braid, draping it across my chest, and I drifted off to sleep with Maxwell snuggled close and his warm breath against my neck. Heaven.
TBC...
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