Liberation Part 8
Heero's eyes flew open, but they were quickly forced shut by the glare of the morning beams, peeking in through the blinds. Groaning, he rolled away and opened his eyes again. He was in his room, and lying on his bed in a sweaty pile. Vaguely, he wondered just what had he been doing. Then suddenly, everything came flooding into his mind. He had a dream... or perhaps it was more than just a dream. He was... pinning Duo to the ground, and... kissing him passionately, almost as though he would die without him. He bolted up in bed.
"Duo..." he breathed. Immediately, he dashed out of his room and into Duo's. Almost without thought, he jumped into Duo's bed and roused him from sleep.
"Duo! Wake up!"
"I'm awake! I'm awake! Stop shaking me!" Duo shouted, feeling slightly disorientated. "Heero? You scared me..."
"Duo... I..." Heero wanted to kiss his lover again, but felt unsure of himself suddenly. What if last night had been nothing but an illusion? A dream? His heart went cold at that thought, and he quickly scrambled out of Duo's bed, unwilling to torture himself any further by looking at the one he loved. Already, he was feeling hard at the thought of a sleep mused and almost naked Duo in bed beside him.
But Duo didn't seem to have the same reservations. "What's wrong, Heero? Don't want me anymore?" he teased, guessing what was going through Heero's mind.
"No! I want you more than you'll ever imagine!" Heero burst out, turning back to him.
Then before he could run away, Duo grabbed onto him. "That's good. Kiss me?"
Heero didn't need any invitation. Softly, he gathered Duo into his arms and pressed their lips together for the first time in the real world. It was just as wild as it had been in their dreams, or perhaps even more so. The bed probably had something to do with that. When they finally pulled away, Duo was already lying under Heero on the bed, his lips swollen and red. Heero was towering over him, panting and gazing deeply into his eyes. It was as though he would never get enough of those lips, never see enough of those eyes.
"Duo... last night?"
Duo shook his head, smiling softly. "Last night was real. Everything we said last night is real. I love you, Heero Yuy."
The Japanese pilot's eyes widen like the words had finally sunk in, and he grinned. "I love you too, Duo Maxwell, and I'll never let you go. Never. Even if I have to go against those old folks inside the Utopian council."
"You're not afraid? They're gods, you know?"
"You're a god too, and I'm not afraid of you."
Duo smiled again. "Let's get up. Vespera is right; I want to spend the rest of today with you. Just with you."
Heero rolled off his lover. "Let's get dressed up then. We'll spend today the way we'll spend the rest of our days together. Today is just the beginning of our lives together."
*****
Duo snuggled up closer, and felt Heero's arm tighten around him. He purred contentedly, leaning his head on his lover's broad shoulders. The cooling sea breeze blew across their faces, and the sound of the lapping waves lulled them to a world where only their love existed. Above them, sea birds cried their mating calls.
"Duo, are you bored? We've been sitting at the beach since lunch. I mean, you're always so active," Heero asked, loving the feel of Duo against him. It felt so good he could hardly believe his luck. It was already evening, and still, to a certain degree, he thought he was dreaming.
"No, not at all. Vespera is right about this."
"About what?"
Duo offered him a smile. "She said that couples have a lot to do together. Like... basking in each other's presence. You just enjoy being with that person you love, even if you aren't doing much. It's the feelings, the passion that you get. You feel like you're on the top of the world just being with him. Not what you are doing. I get her point now. I don't feel like ever going back now. Just wanna be with you always. Right here."
Heero stroked his back, and pulled him closer. "You'll always be here with me. And I will hold only you in my arms with love."
"Hmm."
They watched as the sun sink down under the horizon. Faintly, golden hues touched the violet skies, sending streaks of deep scarlet and ice blue into the heavens.
*****
11. 55 P.M.
Duo stared at his watch worriedly. 'Could this be my last five minutes here?' he wondered.
Heero seemed to have sensed his line of thoughts and placed an assuring hand on his shoulders. Gently, he pressed his lips against Duo's forehead and held him tighter against himself. If there weren't going to have their forever, he was going to memorize how every inch of his lover's body felt, how every bit of his warmth could seep into his heart and how every kiss they shared could shake him to the depths of his soul.
12.00 A.M.
"It's time," Duo whispered, shuddering in the cold winds. Heero pulled him in and tried to calm him down. They looked around for any trace of someone approaching them.
"Hey."
They jumped.
"Vespera? It's you? You're giving us the verdict?"
She nodded grimly. "I just got it earlier," she said softly, voice almost drowned out by the crash of waves on the shore. "...Sonja... tried her best. We can't ask for anymore than that."
Duo and Heero felt their hearts stop. Were the gods so cruel they would not give them a chance? Would not even see their love for each other? Duo bowed his head, holding onto Heero and head buried into his chest.
"Hey... I've not finished," she whined, rolling her eyes.
They looked at her attentively again, holding their breaths.
"You mean...?"
Vespera flashed them a smile. "Sonja was so convincing you wouldn't believe it. She practically talked everyone on the council down. That and Yetel was pretty adamant about helping you two too. And then Yetel got to Petra, and well..." she shrugged.
"We... won?"
"Well..." she paused, "You bet! Looks like the council had quite a few unhappy victims of arranged marriages we didn't know about." She grinned.
"Oh my god... it's finally over... and we won! And we won!" Duo laughed, though his eyes were telling another story with the tears that were gathering. Heero tightened his embrace, and it was clear that he was just as shaken by the news.
Vespera knelt down, joining in the hug. She too, had been freed from a nightmare that had plagued her for years, and her heart was suddenly a lot lighter. For a while, the three of them just reveled in the idea of freedom and liberation.
Finally, she broke the almost sad atmosphere with a loud chuckle. "Oh god! I can't believe this is over. But well... our parents aren't too happy."
"They aren't happy with me?" Heero asked.
"No, they're just not happy with me and Duo are free of them now." She made a face at that. "I don't care about that now though. But I do remember Duo losing a bet to me..."
"You mean that bet about me and Hilde? And you want me to do it now?"
"Well, why not?" She shrugged. "It's not much."
"Name it then." Duo sounded suspicious.
"I want you to promise me that you'll treasure the happiness you've found, and be happy with Heero. That's all I ask for. Oh, wait. I nearly forgot. I also want you to promise me that I can come visit you anytime I want." She winked.
Duo laughed, though his laughter was choked. "I promise. You will always have a place in my life."
"As well as mine," Heero added. He too, had been touched by Vespera's words.
"Thank you, you two. Be happy. Both of you deserve it."
"Are you leaving? Where will you go?" Duo asked, noting the departing tone in his sister's voice. "Back to Utopia?"
She gave him a look. "Are you kidding? Why should I go back there when I want to roam the world? You know, you promised to bring me on an adventure... but it looks like I'm gonna have to go on it on my own, since you've already snagged such a handsome hubby. I'll have to work harder on that one," she laughed. "But well, it's not like it's forever. I've already extracted a promise from the both of you to let me visit whenever I can. Besides, I can always come into your dreams. Or maybe I can send something naughty?"
"Vespera!"
"Hey, don't take me so seriously!"
"Come back often, Vespera. We'll miss you," Heero said.
"Don't worry, I will. And well... I'm handing my brother over to you, Heero Yuy! If, I hope that's a big one, if by any chance I find out that you're bullying him, I swear I will come back and send you a whole ton of nightmares. By the end of it, you won't be able to tell which way is up! But really, I think there's a bigger possibility that Duo will bully you instead. Oh well."
Duo grinned.
Vespera leaned in closer to Heero and gave him a hug. "You're a nice person. I know that Duo will be very happy with you. I have no worries about that."
"Thank you, Vespera, for giving Duo to me." Heero's voice was full of gratitude.
She sniggered, then whispered, "I hid a tube of lubricant in Duo's drawer, the one beside his bed. He doesn't know anything about it. It's my wedding gift to you two, for now."
Giggling at the Japanese pilot who was blushing furiously, she pulled away. "Promise me you two will send a wedding invitation to me when you two get hitched, ok?"
Duo nodded almost violently. "Of course! You're my only sister! Of course we'll invite you!"
She smiled, standing up. With a wink and a wave of her hand, she said, "Well then, bye bye!" And then she turned to walk away. Within a couple of seconds, she was gone.
Duo and Heero looked at her retreating back until she had completely disappeared.
"She's really gone."
"Aa. But she'll be back."
Duo nodded. "Yeah, she'll be back before we know it. Heero?"
"Yes, love?"
"Is this happily ever after for us?"
"No, it's not," Heero answered, tightening his embrace. His feelings were flowing out effortlessly, as though the floodgates that blocked his heart had just broke down. "True love doesn't have a ending at all."
Duo smiled, leaning in to kiss his lover again. As they kissed, Duo knew the truth of Heero's words. They would be together even after death, for their love was eternal.
Never ending story...
TBC...
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