Journey
to the East:
Happy
laughter filled the apartment as the young people celebrated with casual jokes
laced with liquor and smoke…courtesy of one Hilde Schbeiker.
Duo
waved his hands about to get rid of the cloud that had formed before his face
from the female sitting right beside him. “Geez, didn’t know you had picked up
the habit, Hil. Why the hell…?”
“Hey,
working around guys who treat you like a guy themselves can do a number on
you,” she replied around a giggle as she reached for her bottle of beer to take
a swig out of it. “You become one of the guys, baby! Deal with it!”
“I
think what Duo is trying to say is that it’s a pretty bad habit to pick up,”
Quatre responded around a grin as he too drank thirstily from his bottle. He
ignored the concerned look his partner gave to him, after all this was his
third bottle in the space of an hour.
The
mechanic snorted and got to her feet albeit unsteadily. “Are you picking on me,
Quatre? You wanna fight?”
Duo
held up his hands and tried to get to his feet as well. “Hey! Hey! No one
starts a fight here without me being involved! Who’s our referee?”
Relena’s
hand shot up and from the red flush on her cheeks, one could see that she too
had been having a damn good time herself. “I will! I’ve never refereed before.
What do I do?”
“Haha!”
Duo cackled in delight. “You just stand there and see who can knock each other
out in the space of five minutes! Whoever has the biggest booboo loses! All
right! Let’s begin! Who gets to wrestle me first!”
Cries
of ‘I do! I do!” from Quatre, Hilde and Relena, herself, had the Deathscythe
pilot collapsing back to the couch in giddy laughter. He failed to notice the
expressions on a certain Chinese pilot’s face or the one on his lover’s visage.
Both men looked thoughtful and nursed their untouched cups of alcohol in
silence. Trowa, who had gone into the kitchen to get some more snacks, had come
back out to join the fray. He idly noticed the two quiet ones, but decided that
he wouldn’t interrupt them. Besides, this was supposed to be a send off party,
it wouldn’t be fair to ruin everyone else’s fun.
Heero
took another sip of the vodka in his hands and winced softly at the sharp burn
that ran down his throat. He guessed he wasn’t that used to alcohol yet. He
eyed the boisterous group in the middle of the living room, his dark gaze
falling upon the center of attention – as usual. Duo was currently
arm-wrestling with Trowa and from the look of things, his lover had absolutely
no chance of winning this one. A small smile came to his lips at the sight as
he closed his eyes and quickly downed the rest of his drink.
The
party had come as a relative surprise to both he and Duo. Although, he was
still reeling from Stevens’s death, the other pilots and the girls had gone out
of their way to throw them this farewell party. All they had gotten was a phone
call from Quatre saying that they were having a meeting over papers that dealt
with their latest mission. He should have realized something was up when the
blond had specifically asked them to wear something casual. But, he had been
too melancholy to think much during that time. He knew his behavior had begun
to wear off on his partner and their conversations had become a bit strained.
Despite it all, Duo had gone out of his way to set things up for their trip in
two days. The self-proclaimed Shinigami had seen that
And
now this.
It wasn’t as if he didn’t appreciate the party, but Heero was beginning to get the feeling that he would have rather they didn’t make such a big production of it. Perhaps a nice dinner and just some casual conversation would have helped to ease the butterflies that were still fluttering in his stomach. Absently, he reached for the bottle of whiskey beside him and poured himself a generous amount. Maybe if he drank himself into a stupor, he would kill the pesky insects off and get some control over the downward spiral that was now his life.
I
don’t want to go, he thought wildly as he allowed the hot liquor to warm up his cold
body. The laughter seemed to take on a life of its own and for one wild moment,
it seemed as if they were all laughing at him. He wiped a hand across his
mouth, hardly noticing that it was shaking terribly. I don’t…don’t want to
go anymore. Let’s not go, Duo. This was all a mistake. I don’t really need to
see them. It was just a stupid whim. I am over it now. Let’s just…forget about
it…
He
slapped a hand over his mouth as his non-existent lunch rose to his throat.
Mumbling something close to ‘excuse me’, he made a beeline for the bathroom. He
failed to notice that someone else had begun to follow him. Duo, who was still
in the midst of arguing with Trowa over who won the match, glanced warily at
the disappearing teens, before giving a soft sigh and forcing himself to focus
on the game at hand. He would have to talk with Heero later, but as of right
now…
“What?!
You wanna play strip poker?!”
--
Wufei
leaned against the wall and listened to the dull sounds of Heero clearly giving
up his dinner in the bathroom. He shook his head slowly and took another sip of
his drink. He could understand being nervous about meeting the unknown, but
this was quite beyond him. He had never seen the Wing pilot this…scared
over anything before. Was there something that Heero knew that he wasn’t
sharing with the rest of them? With Duo? That in itself would be inexcusable.
The
sound of rushing water was his cue, and giving one sharp knock, he let himself
into the small space. Heero, who generally disliked being caught off guard, was
stunned at the sudden appearance of Wufei and immediately braced himself for
any forthcoming assault. He watched the wary expression on the other pilot’s
features as his fingers tightened around the small towel he had been drying his
hands with.
“What
do you want?” he asked a bit too curtly.
The
raven-haired man leaned against the door, successfully blocking any attempt for
escape. “You’ve been acting strange all evening, Yuy,” he said quietly. “Is
there something wrong with you?”
Heero
gawked in genuine surprise at the question. He would never have thought that
the Chinese man would be one to care about his welfare, especially after their
near fight the last time. He ran shaky fingers through his hair and smiled
wanly. “What do you care…?”
“Seems
to me like you are getting cold feet, Yuy,” came the observation that had the Japanese
boy frowning in response.
“I
am not getting…”
“Spare
me the denials,” Wufei interrupted quickly. “You should see the way you look
when you are…terrified. Trust me, it’s not a pretty sight.”
Heero
grit his teeth. “Did you come here to insult me?”
“No.
I came here to tell you to snap out of it.” A stern look of impatience filled
the pilot’s visage. “If you feel this way about things, how do you think
Maxwell’s taking it? I won’t go back to rehash my past feelings over this
entire thing, but damn it! You will go out there and have a good time with the
rest of us and make him happy about this whole trip! Your sourness is ruining
everyone’s high spirits, Yuy!”
Heero
smiled coldly and lowered his lashes. “Then maybe I am not needed
around…oooofff!!”
He
was slammed against the wall so hard that for a moment, he blacked out from the
force of the push. He glared in growing annoyance at the angry features before
him, realizing that they were both now breathing hard from the intensity of
their emotions. Inches separated them and the wild thought of seizing those
parted lips before him in a kiss had Heero pushing against Wufei’s chest in
irritation. Trust his thoughts to go haywire when he wasn’t thinking properly.
Damn it!
“What
the hell are you saying?” Wufei growled out angrily. “Do you think we all did
this just because we didn’t care about you?! What the hell is wrong with you,
Heero?!”
He
had never heard the Chinese pilot call him by his first name before and as if
things couldn’t get any more bizarre, he found himself engulfed in a crushing
hug. He was too stunned to respond, too overwhelmed by the sudden display of
emotion to fully comprehend what was taking place. Wufei….hugging him?
What the hell…?
Just
as quickly, the Preventer pulled back with a light hue of color on his cheeks.
He turned away and began to make his way out of the room. “You have friends,
Yuy. Don’t you ever forget that.”
And
with a curt nod, he left without another word, leaving the Wing pilot behind
with his confused thoughts.
--
Needless
to say, it was a silent trip back home later than night. Neither knew where to
begin even though a million and one thoughts ran through their mind. They
stepped out of the elevator with arms filled with gift bags from the gang. Duo,
somehow, managed to open up the apartment door and promptly dumped everything
to the kitchen floor.
“Whew!
That was great, right, Heero? It was pretty cool of them to…mmmmpphff!”
The
kiss was hard and almost bruising – rough with a hint of anxiety in it. Heero
impatiently swept away the items (whatever those were) from the dining table,
his lips never leaving the welcome ones before him as pushed Duo none too
gently upon it. The American was more than surprised at the sudden need for
Heero to have sex with him, but he wasn’t one to complain about such things and
besides, he had been feeling a bit horny on the way back home.
Hands
tore at clothes feverishly, seeking, finding and touching heated skins as they
strained towards each other for completion.
Duo
gave a loud yelp of pain as he felt Heero’s cock against his barely prepared
entrance. Through swollen lips, he whispered harshly against his lover’s. “Damn
it, Heero, get something. I don’t want to be taken raw…”
“No
time for that, Duo,” came the husky response as Heero thrust in a little more.
He almost screamed at the pain from Duo’s fingernails digging into the skin of
his back. “Duo!”
“Then
get me ready!”
“Shit!
You never used to complain before…”
“Well,
I’m complaining now. Get it or we aren’t doing anything….fuck!! Heero!!”
He
tried to push the Japanese boy away from him, but a determined and almost manic
look had come into Heero’s eyes and Duo could do nothing but try to endure the
pain as much as possible as he felt the thick length bury itself deeper within
him. Tears sprang to his eyes as he squeezed them shut. He could feel something
warm trickle against his fingers and he knew he must have hurt Heero with the
force of his hold.
Good.
Let him suffer too, Duo thought wildly even as the pain gradually began to subside and the
faint crests of pleasure began to rise.
Heero’s
thrusts became faster and harder, the table legs protesting each movement as it
creaked with each action. Duo could only hang on tightly to his lover, only
knowing that there had to be something more to their lovemaking than just a
sporadic burst of hormones. The desperation he had felt in Heero’s kisses was
evident in the way he was being taken. Heero had never been this…needy
before. Their lovemaking had never had this edge of inevitability around it. It
was as if they both realized that this might be the last time in a long while
they could truly be together.
Duo
doubted that his ‘in-laws’ would appreciate he and their grandson fucking each
other at night, let alone share a kiss or anything romantic in nature.
Christ,
but that thought hurt.
“Oh
god…” he moaned thickly as he felt himself coming. He wrapped his arms tightly
around the strong neck and allowed himself to be taken to the highest pinnacle
of pleasure and back.
No,
he never wanted to come back and if it were possible, he wanted to remain with
the boy he loved in this way for as long as it took.
__
Sleep
refused to come. In less than ten hours they would be on a flight to his home.
A home where he might not be as welcomed as people might think. He glanced over
to his sleeping partner, reaching out to brush away the damp chestnut locks
from the breathtaking face. He had taken Duo against his will, but he had
sensed that Duo finally understood his reason for doing it and had accepted it
willingly enough. Like an insatiable beast, he had taken Duo more than three
times tonight and as he had come for the last time, the tears had finally
broken free. Bittersweet and pained, he shed his soul out into the waiting arms
of his lover. Through it all, Duo had not said a word of either encouragement
or disapproval. He had taken everything in, not expecting anything in return.
He
would get through this. They would get through this together even if it meant
for them to stay for only one day and hightailing it the next. The very thought
of losing his partner for the past three years, was more than enough to make
him physically ill.
/Think of how your attitude
affects him!/
He
groaned and shook his head slowly, knowing that those echoing words from Wufei
were so very true. He couldn’t continue to mope around like this. For their
sake, he would have to do all he can to control his nerves and to put up a
brave front. For his sake…
“I…love…you,”
he whispered thickly as he moved closer to wrap his arms tightly around the American’s
sleeping form. He said it again in Japanese, as if hoping that perhaps saying
it in his native tongue would solidify his feelings.
“Nothing…nothing
will ever change that…”
__
“Love
is but a fickle emotion,” Akane said quietly as she continued to whisk the tea
to its rich frothy form.
She
poured out a generous amount for her sons before sitting back on her knees to
take a sip from her cup.
“They
should be here sometime tomorrow evening,” she continued as she closed her eyes
to savor the taste. “Most of the family will be coming in today and tomorrow to
see Miwa. As expected, it will be a very busy time for us.”
Iruka
frowned lightly. “What about the wedding preparations, mother? Will those be
put on hold?”
A
small and rather enigmatic smile came upon her handsome features as she opened
up her eyes to stare at her puzzled offspring. “Don’t worry, Iruka. The wedding
preparations will go as planned…”
“But
with who?” came the vehement question from Suoh, who was the more agitated of
the two. He had been uneasy from the start about the sudden change in plans,
but more importantly, the seeming non-chalance from his father. It wasn’t like
Takeshi to leave everything to Akane to take care of. There was something not
quite right about this picture.
He
was regarded coldly and given an equally icy reply. “Interrupting me is not
allowed, is it, Suoh?”
He
gave an apologetic bow. “I am sorry, mother…”
“Be
that as it may,” she cut in with a wave of her hand. “The marriage plans will
continue only this time I will be choosing the bride. Takeshi has agreed to
this and once Miwa arrives, preparations will begin.”
The
brothers exchanged wary glances with one another but knew that whatever they
said might not be accepted in any way. It would be best to follow their
mother’s call for now and watch as things progressed.
But
there was also one thing they could agree on, they had never seen their mother
looked this…excited before.
It
was a bit unnerving.
__
“This is the final call for
Flight 254B departing for
“That’s
us, Heero,” Duo announced loudly as he rose from the rather uncomfortable seat
to rub his aching rear. When he got no reply, he turned to face his silent
companion. With a light snort, he tugged off the earphones from Heero and
called out loudly into his ear. “It’s our flight, Heero!”
The
Wing pilot gave a wince and a responding nod of understanding before rising to
his feet. There was already a long line ahead of them and as he watched Duo
search for their IDs, he fingered the small box in his pocket, knowing that he
would have to do this now or he would never get a chance to again. He had hoped
to give it to Duo the other night, but the party and the events afterwards had
thrown things off a bit.
“Du…”
“Have
you seen my card, Heero? I could have sworn I had it in my back pocket…”
“It’s
in the carry all.”
“Ah,
thanks!”
“Duo…”
“Man,
I had no idea this line would be so long. By the time we get to the front, I
won’t be surprised if the damn plane has left us.”
“Ah…”
“I
mean, it’s not as if it’s really going to leave us, right? They can’t leave
anyone behind since we did pay for the flight and all…”
A
hand upon his shoulder had Duo stopping his ramble. He lowered his lashes
unable to look into his companion’s eyes or he was sure Heero would notice just
how terrified he really was inside. It seemed as if he didn’t need to, as he
felt those strong, sure hands reach for his. Eyes widening in surprise, he
could only gawk at what was being slipped down his middle finger.
Plain.
Simple. Gold. A ring.
He
couldn’t speak. There was so much to say but nothing – absolutely nothing could slip past his parted lips.
Heero
gave a soft nod of understanding. Duo didn’t need to say anything as he leaned
closer to whisper thickly into his ear, squeezing the ring-clad hand gently in
reassurance.
“Just
so you don’t forget just who you belong to,” came the firm statement that
caused his lover’s face to flare with color. He pulled away with a smile that
was warm but yet shy.
“Let’s
go, Duo. Time to meet the family.”
And
with a light tug on his still stunned partner’s hand, he began to lead the way
towards an uncertain future for both of them.