Hitch - part #2

'Baby, one of these mornings...'

Bellevue Roadside Inn did offer a limited breakfast to its guests - but given how the cost was included with the already cheap rooms, Heero dejectedly accepted the small buffet in the reception for what it was.

Inedible.

This at least was one bad book the cover couldn't hide.

Feeling adventurous, he tried one loaf of bread - only to have it crumble to dust in his mouth. The meat looked like it had been out on display for a few days, and the cheese had recently been trimmed - but not good enough; one edge still sported splotches of dark white mold.

After checking the milk - one of the few things recently replaced, and even still cool - Heero and Duo opted for the fairly safe option of cereal. Remarkably enough, there was no extra protein in the form of small six-legged beasts added to it.

At least they'd gotten a good night's sleep. The beds had been fine, and while a little warm given the lack of air-conditioning, the room had sufficed aplenty.

Given that the food came with the already-paid room, Duo took no less than three helpings worth of cereal, beating Heero who stopped at a mere two. After that, the milk ran out.

"So, what's your goal today? We'll definitely reach Missouri."

Heero pushed his empty bowl away. "I was hoping to cross the state, at the very least. Maybe get a bit into Oklahoma, if not Texas."

Duo made a high to low whistle. "Ambitious as ever, huh?"

He grew a smirk. "You'd better believe it." He nodded to Duo's bowl. "You finished?"

He nodded.

"Then I suggest we get back on the road." Heero made to stand up, but halfway there he noticed Duo hesitate in following. "Or are you staying?"

"Hm?" Realizing what Heero had implied, duo sent his chair screeching. "No! No, I'm coming, it's just - we'll pass Scott on the way to St. Louis, won't we?"

"Scott? Who's Scott?"

"Scott Air Force Base," Duo explained as he reached inside his rumpled T-shirt, pulling out the dogtags. "I lived there once."

Heero gave him a curious, but somewhat doubtful look. "I can't quite picture you as being in the service, airman or otherwise. Even if there was some kind of extreme junior program..."

Soft laughter answered him. "No kidding... No, afraid I'm not the military man of the family - but I did live there for a couple of years. Last place I stayed before we moved to Pittsburgh."

"And where you met Hilde?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah - but her family moves around a whole lot more often. She's told me she can hardly wait to get into college so she can settle down already."

Heero gave half a smile as he picked up his bowl and half-empty glass of orange juice. "She'll be the odd one at campus, I'd imagine. Aren't most people going to college to get unsettled?"

Duo grabbed his own bowl and followed Heero to the used dishes depository. "You tell me, Boston. You've got MIT, and all."

"I told you, I'm not MIT - and I'm not Boston, either."

He grinned. "Whatever you say, Heero. Come on, the highway beckons."

---

'...the warden said, 'hey buddy, don't you be no square...''

Before they had packed up and left the Bellevue Roadside Inn, Duo had opted to switch from his battered sneakers to a pair of flip-flops, making him look all the more like a beach bum or accidental tourist. Heero dismissed the notion with a quirk at one corner of his mouth.

After the first half hour, his own clammy feet - fighting both the thin socks, form-fitting shoes, increasingly warm weather and struggling AC unit - made him realize Duo's wisdom in choice of footwear. Sandals were, however, one thing he'd forgotten to pack. There was a pair of running shoes in the suitcase, but they'd fare little better than the loafers he currently wore.

Over the background hum of Elvis rocking up the county jail, Duo pulled up his seat from its reclined position. "We'll be passing Scott pretty soon..."

"Probably," Heero answered, starting to pass the uncharacteristically slow semitrailer up ahead.

"Uhm, I know this is a lot to ask, but..." He looked into the dashboard, drummed his fingertips at his kneecaps. "Think we could make a short detour?"

For a moment, Heero eased up on the throttle and gave Duo a glance out of the corner of his eye. Without answering, he accellerated.

Duo's hands stopped with coordinated slaps. "Oh, come on, Heero," he began. "It wouldn't take long, I promise. Just want a quick look-see, that's all." He smirked. "Hell, It'd give me a chance to show you the place where I did a lot of my growing up!"

Heero made a soft snort as he pulled in before the slow-moving truck, some pushy guy in a flashy sports car behind them demanding the lane for himself. "Seems to me like you should have stayed a bit longer."

Duo gave his shoulder a light punch.

Heero flashed him half a grin, then turned serious again. "Even if we did go, do you really think they'd let civilians onto base property that easily?"

"If old man Willie is still at Shiloh, that shouldn't be a problem. The older kids used to rely on him for sneaking off-base and into town, as well as getting back again, all without permanent records. I think he'd remember me, but... you're right, that was five years ago, and the world has changed since then - at least as far as base security is concerned. I found that out the last time I went to visit Hilde. I knew the armed forces were fond of red tape, but that was ridiculous." He paused, let go a sigh and shook his head dejectedly. "Fine, forget it. I suppose if we got lucky, there'd be a base tour running, but what are the odds of that, huh?" he said, his grin weakened by his real mood.

Heero observed his passenger's rambles from the corner of his eye, still expecting more - but only silence followed. "I'd rather not waste time," he started, "I told you I'm not on a sightseeing trip - but I suppose we could make it an early pit-stop."

Duo brightened up. "Seriously?"

He nodded and struggled to suppress the uneasy feeling in his gut. "If we're picked up by base security for snooping around, I'm going to blame you for everything."

Duo chuckled as he straightened up and crashed his back to his seat. "Deal."

---

'The summer's gone and all the flowers are dying...'

They'd pulled off the interstate and were driving slowly down a road at the west side of Scott AFB - at least, the compass suggested as much, relative to the chain-link fences. Another construction truck pulled past them, before turning off down one of the streets leading to the gate named Shiloh. "Guess Willie is long gone..." Duo said wistfully, looking past Heero. "Looks like they're building a whole new gate there. Like I said, whole new world."

Heero nodded. "That up ahead looks like a bus depot."

"It is," Duo explained. "Best way on and off base is by bus. The gates aren't always open - and I bet they're even more tightly guarded now than when I used to live here."

"Where?"

"Hm?"

"Where on site did you live? The base looks pretty big."

He showed half a smile. "Why do you want to know?"

Shrugging, Heero put on his best expression of indifference, even though he suspected it wouldn't fool Duo. "I'm curious, that's all."

Duo studied him for a moment, then pointed ahead. "Down that way, several houses down. It was a nice place - but it looks like they're rebuilding the residential areas too. For all I know, they've torn it down..." He fell silent for a bit, then leaned back in his seat, taking a deep breath, briefly closing his eyes. "So much for memory lane, huh?" He chuckled to himself. "Thanks, Boston - I'm good now."

"Are you sure? We could-"

"I'm sure," Duo cut in. "Let's go see the Mississippi and the Gateway Arch - straight through and right on to the promised land."

Heero frowned. "There's no road through the arch - and I told you, I'm not a tourist."

Duo shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we'll see it from the car - you can see the arch from the highway, can't you? I mean, it's gotta be big, right?"

"I don't know," Heero answered truthfully. "I didn't study the sights. I just checked the maps for the fastest roads leading to Flagstaff."

They came to another crossroads, and Heero made a quick, if somewhat illegal U-turn. As neither police or SPs intervened - although a dump truck blared its loud horn at them - they made their way back out on the interstate.

---

'...come with me... while the moon is on the sea...'

Ten minutes of silence short of a low-volume Elvis followed. For the first time in a long while, Heero didn't think the King was enough to get by - especially not with all the questions brewing within him. "So..." he began, "Your father was in the air force?"

"Stepfather," Duo corrected. "Yeah, the geezer was in the air force - still is, technically. Hasn't flown anything bigger than Pipers in a while, though - and he only did that to keep his license. He hasn't been the same since they put him behind a desk."

"He was a fighter pilot?"

Duo shook his head. "Nah. More like cargo. Flew KC-135s - you know, those airborne gas stations?"

After thinking about it for a minute, Heero recalled the designation from a flight simulator he had occasionally played in an arcade back in Boston. He supposed there was a reason nearly all flight sims depicted the fighters rather than the mid-air refuelling planes. For that matter, he couldn't recall ever having seen a bomber or recon flight sim, either.

"Anyway... him and I never got along very well. We kinda made an undeclared truce at some point, just to placate mom. She didn't like us arguing." He paused, looked up ahead. "When she died... Well, Frank and I didn't get along too well."

"Frank?" It wasn't until the question had left his mouth that Heero realised he'd let his curiosity get in the way of proper decorum. "I'm sorry," he hastily added, "about your mother, I mean."

Duo glanced at him, then stared ahead again. "Don't worry about it, it happened a long time ago. And yeah, Frank. Franklin Briggs - that's my stepfather's name. I kept my mother's name when they married. She took both."

Undisturbed, Elvis went on about his Pacific island paradise for a while.

By the time Heero thought it prudent to poke further, Duo interrupted. "Hey, look up ahead - it's the river!"

Heero did - and indeed it was. The road was rising to the bridge, and the muddy blue line of the Mississippi was spread out before them, weaving its way through the city of St. Louis. Heero started smiling, content at finally reaching Missouri. Arizona was one step closer now.

"Over there, Heero," Duo suddenly called, pointing slightly to the right up ahead. "That's the Gateway Arch, isn't it? Geez, it's huge!"

With a soft snort, Heero dismissed the sight after a quick glance, more worried about which road to take at the next cloverleaf. They rose above the water and drove from one half of the country into the other.

Elvis was on to praise the virtuous, sparkling city further west.

---

'...all you need's a strong heart and a nerve of steel...'

Heero glanced at the rearview mirror for the third time in as many seconds, all but scowling by the last. While luck would have it they'd found their way through St. Louis unscathed and found I-44 heading southwest, traffic was turning ever more dreadful.

He hadn't even noticed when Duo shut the King down in favor of some urban radio station playing soft pop.

"That car," Heero growled, looking up in the mirror again, "That car is driving much too close. It's dangerous."

Duo shrugged. "So just drive a bit slower and let them get past."

"Duo, we're in the fast lane, and unless we're running short of gas, I don't intend to fight my way out of here."

He chuckled. "Fine, whatever - I wouldn't advise pushing the speed limit any more, though. You never know, it could be an undercover highway patrol in that car behind us."

"I very much doubt it," Heero stated. Checking the speedometer, he eased up on the gas. The car up ahead was slowing down, too. He prayed the one behind them followed suit. "You know... I'm tempted to make a spontaneous brake test. What do you say?"

"I'd say you were freakin' crazy," Duo deadpanned. "We're on the interstate, damn it! If you made a huge pile-up and survived, which jury would accept an excuse of 'but I had to, your honor, a cute kitten had strayed onto the highway. Unfortunately, it ran off before anybody else saw it'?"

Heero's nostrils flared, if barely perceptibly. "Sounds good to me."

Duo nodded to the information sign before their next exit, focusing on the advertisement below it. "Dinner sounds better. Let's stop for a moment and grab a bite to eat. We've made good time so far, haven't we?"

Heero's stomach chose that moment to signal its agreement. As he shifted lanes towards the off-ramp, he couldn't fight the nagging suspicion Duo's statement would jinx their luck so far.

---

'...ain't never caught a rabbit, and you ain't no friend of mine...'

Duo reached for the AC control panel again and tugged at the knob, to no avail.

"It's already at full," Heero commented.

"Sure doesn't feel like it," Duo stated as he leaned back in his chair. He took a deep sigh, fluffed his soaked T-shirt. "Are you sure it's even on?"

Heero frowned. "It is. Can't you hear it?"

He could, but the way the car had been warming up since they left St. Louis, he wasn't sure he believed it.

As if he'd read Duo's mind, Heero continued. "We've been in constant sunshine since this morning. It doesn't look like there's much of a breeze outside, either. It's only natural that it gets a bit warm."

"Yeah, outside. I thought the air-conditioning was supposed to prevent that from happening inside the car."

Heero shrugged. "It's an old car," he opted for an excuse, then made a crooked smile. "Boston usually doesn't become this hot and humid. This car is perfect during winter, starts up without any trouble at all."

Duo snorted, put his elbow to the side of the window and rested his chin in his palm. "Yeah. Doesn't look like we're gonna drive into a blizzard any time soon, though."

There might have been an insulted counterargument, but Heero opted to let the opportunity pass. Instead, he quickly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and gave the collar a shake while Duo's attention was focused elsewhere.

"Mind if I roll down the window?"

Heero dislodged one clammy palm from the steering wheel and geared down to match the traffic. "That'll just ruin the effect of the air-conditioning system." He threw a glance to the side. "It wouldn't do you much good anyway."

Duo shrugged, pulled at his seatbelt. "Hey, I just wanted to see if it worked, that's all."

"What, the window?"

He grinned mischievously. "No, the dog thing."

Heero wasn't sure he got that last part right. "Dog thing?"

Duo chuckled, leaned forward to unglue his back from the seat for a moment. "Yeah - You know, how dogs always stick their heads out the window to breathe the passing breeze, tongues out and everything? Always been curious if that works for humans."

Heero snorted and eased his foot off the gas. "I wish you wouldn't. Your braid would probably get caught in one of the wheels, and then I'd be stuck with a stubbed neck gushing blood all over my car. I'd like you to avoid losing your head."

It had been said in such a deadpan voice that Duo couldn't help but stare for a moment. Then he burst out laughing. "Heero, that's gross - but fine, I'd like to keep my head attached too. Have kinda grown used to it."

They slowed down even more. "Besides," Heero said, nodding ahead. "It doesn't look like you'll have much of a wind to lean into, at this rate. Looks like there's some congestion up ahead."

Duo growled, slammed the back of his head against the headrest. "Damn..."

Heero chose to say nothing, but he mirrored Duo's sentiment.

Especially as traffic came to a near complete halt. In the distance, he saw flashing yellow lights.

Gritting his teeth, he prepared for another unscheduled detour. He prayed this wouldn't keep up.

---

'The road to love is full of... danger signs... too many guys were lost... who crossed those double lines...'

Roadwork outside of Rolla thus sent them off their planned route and southbound again. Heero had hoped the detour was a short one, but they'd already been driving for half an hour, and there was still no sign of the interstate they'd left behind.

The sun kept baking them too. Heero had opened another shirt button as well unbuttoned and rolled back his sleeves.

Duo had no such options; it was everything or nothing. At least this was the conclusion he finally came to. "Heero?"

"Hm?"

"Mind if I take my T-shirt off? It's so damn hot in here, I feel like a steamed vegetable."

Heero gave him a glance out of the corner of his eye, then shrugged. "Do as you like."

"Thanks," Duo said, proceeding to wrest his T-shirt off as best he could without unbuckling his seat belt. He gave himself a few quick swipes with the balled-up shirt and leaned back, very glad Heero's car had fabric seat covers and not leather.

They passed another intersection, and like several before, there was no arrow to guide them back to the interstate. Heero muttered a curse to himself and pushed on. Sooner or later, they would have to be directed back to the highway. Traffic had become steadily lighter, though.

Heero had a sinking feeling, but dared not voice it.

Duo leaned forward, looked out the clear sky, shook his head and sat back. "Haven't seen a sky like that for years. There's not a cloud in sight anywhere!"

He grunted. "Enjoy it while you can?"

A lopsided grin shaped on Duo's face. "I did last time."

"Oh?"

He nodded, arched his neck backwards. "Yeah... Hilde and I went off on a road trip, sorta."

Heero's lips curved to a smile. "You're a seasoned runaway, huh?"

"We didn't run away. Not... exactly. We caught a bus to a small town north of Milwaukee. She has relatives there. It was summer, and the weather was just like this - bright sun, no wind, no clouds. Not as humid, but still... We went lakeside as often as we could - swimming was the only good way to cool off."

Heero nodded in agreement - although he'd never experienced that side of the temperature scale. Nearly frozen his rear off, on the other hand...

"That's not the best thing, though... Hil' and I shared our first kiss up there." His smile widened. "And second... and third..."

Heero smirked, if slightly bothered. "I get the picture."

"Don't get me wrong," Duo hastily added. "Hilde and I never went all the way."

"Sounds like you still enjoyed the part of the road the two of you shared."

Duo cocked his head and grinned at Heero for a while. "I did. I like to think she did, too. Never dared ask."

Heero sounded off a faint snort, slowed down to make the next hard turn right.

"What about you, Boston? What was your first kiss like?"

The steering wheel slid in his hands, the path of the car straightening out to match the road. "If I answer that, can I ask you something in return?"

Duo shrugged and tugged at his seat belt, repositioning it to keep it from digging into his bare skin. "Sure."

Heero nodded, and was about to talk of the first time he and Relena kissed - an event he'd struggled to make perfect, although it was impossible to live up to all the expectations Relena seemed to have of him. It didn't matter, because it dawned on him that had not been his first kiss. He closed his mouth, licked his lips, thinking of how to phrase it best. "Actually... my first kiss... was with Trowa."

That caught Duo's attention. "Trowa? You mean, that gay friend of yours?"

Hesitantly, Heero nodded. "It wasn't serious," he started. "We were about thirteen, I think. It was right around that time I first discovered I had an interest in Relena. I confessed as much to Trowa - I was really nervous about the whole deal. Told him I wanted to do everything right from the start, I didn't want to make mistakes. He suggested we practice."

"Like... kissing?"

Again, Heero nodded. "We only did it twice. The first time we messed up more than around. We bumped noses, clanked our teeth, lost track of where the arms went - we had all sorts of trouble. I learned a few things from that. Trowa learned more, though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... See, some months later, right before I was going to tell Relena I kinda liked her, we kissed again. Trowa had gotten a lot better at it. He told me he'd practiced on his own, and he showed me how to use my hand for it. Couple of weeks later, Relena and I were going out together. Would still be a couple of months until our first kiss, and despite all preparations, it turned into a disaster."

Duo started snickering, but caught himself. "Sorry. Want to talk about it?"

Heero shook his head. "Not particularly... I'd rather forget." He let go a quick sigh. "And the rest is history. Relena and I broke up, I stumbled onto Trowa and Quatre on the couch... you know, I never thought about our kiss as a gay thing. I don't think I even knew what 'gay' was, back then."

"Did he ever make other advances on you?"

"Trowa?"

Duo nodded.

"I wouldn't call our experimentation making a pass - but I suppose it's the closest thing we ever got to it."

"What would you have said, if he'd asked you to be his boyfriend?"

Heero's jaw went lax, and he mulled on the question. "I honestly don't know. Trowa and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. It would have been too weird to change that, I think." He shook his head. "Besides, it's a moot point. I'm straight, and Trowa's with Quatre now - and I wouldn't go easy on anyone trying to come between them. They're as close to made for each other I think it's possible to come."

"You're a loyal friend, huh?" Duo's grin widened, and he rested his back against his seat, muttering "Glad to know that..."

Heero shot him a curious look, but focused on the road again. "Okay, my turn. Ready?"

He started closing his eyes. "Shoot."

"Why did you run away from home?"

From the corner of his eye, Heero could see Duo cringe, lids closed. A left swerve in the road distracted him for a moment.

"Me and my stepfather... don't get along much," Duo cautiously started. "I decided to go away for a bit." He nibbled at his lower lip, turned to give Heero a firm look. "But I'm not on the run! Like I told you yesterday, I'm an adult!"

Heero snorted. "By three days, was it?"

"Still an adult..." Duo muttered before turning the guns. "Besides, you don't look that much older than me, Boston." He put on a grin. "Bet I'm even taller than you."

Heero glared back. "So I'm a bit short of growth, big deal..." He steadied the wheel with a knee and dug into his pocket for his wallet. He flipped it open to flash his license. "See? I'm twenty-two." He smirked. "By little over four months."

Duo's grin turned a lopsided smirk as he studied the image. He started chuckling.

"What?" Heero close to growled.

Smirk to silly smile now, Duo shook his head. "Oh, nothing... It's just... Well, I never figured you for a one-time combed-down bowl cut, is all. Your hair looks like it's never met a brush before, much less been this orderly."

Heero frowned and snatched the wallet back. Surely, someone with a braid like that had to know hair products were good for something. He'd used great quantities of gel for that picture. Never mind how he'd regretted it since. The horrid picture wouldn't last beyond the next license renewal, that much was certain.

"Twenty-two, huh...? Well, you look younger."

Heero didn't answer. It wasn't the first time he'd heard it. It wasn't his fault he never had that last growth spurt, or that he had trouble shaking his boyish appearance. Joan teased him about it often. Harvey simply said he'd be glad to be considered younger than his age soon enough.

Heero still didn't believe him. "Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't answer me."

"Answer what?"

"Why did you run away? I understand you and your stepfather have some issues - but what sort of issues?"

Duo gave a quick shrug. "A lot of things. I like my hair like this, he doesn't. I don't care so much about a grade or two slipping while I catch up on other interests, but he sure does. He's submitted my room to a thorough search more than once, expecting to come up with drugs, porn or alcohol." He grinned faintly. "If I had any, I'd think of better places to hide my stash."

"Do you have a stash?"

Duo stared out ahead. "I've smoked pot a few times. Don't keep stock. Same with booze. Got a couple of porn mags hidden away, though." He snickered, shook his head. "Ever since mom died, Frank and I have had trouble getting along with each other. Mom used to mediate between us. After she died, Frank got very insistent on me seeking a career in the military. He didn't like my constant refusals." Duo smiled sullenly and sighed. "Never could get through to him that he can't run a family like a platoon. Frank sticks to a 'his way or the highway' kinda management style. I guess I chose the highway this time."

Heero briefly wrinkled his nose, brushed a stray bang of hair away. "Duo, lots of kids fight with their parents - that's not a good enough reason to just take off and go halfway across the country. I'm sure he's worried about you."

Duo shook his head. "I'm not. Maybe he'll just be glad I'm gone... Our last 'talk' was really just a lot of yelling back and forth."

"What did you fight about?"

Duo opened his mouth to speak, stopped short, looked away, then fast back at Heero again. "You could say I pulled a Trowa."

"Huh?"

"Frank walked in on me making out with a friend. A guy friend."

Heero shifted his foot from the gas to the brake pedal and turned to look at Duo. "Come again?"

Duo's sad grin met him. "I guess he didn't like finding out his stepson is gay. He scared the shit out of the guy I was with too. He ran out, and I never saw him again. I'm pissed about that - he could have been a good boyfriend. My first, too."

"You're saying you're..."

"Yeah, I'm gay, Boston. Don't look so damn shocked. You said you've got a gay best friend - one you've kissed. Anyway, I figured we both needed some space - especially between us. I remembered that whole marriage rush in San Francisco some time ago. California sounded like a good place to go, and like I said, I have an aunt there."

Heero gave a snort. "You could just have come to Massachusetts instead. We're about as advanced in legislature, I think. Would have been a much shorter trip."

Duo's grin strengthened. "That's sort of the point, isn't it?" He sensed the car had slowed down. "You're not nervous about sitting next to a shirtless gay guy, are you?"

Heero focused on the road again, formed a wry smirk, albeit there was a twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Not as long as you don't make passes at me."

"...and what if I did?"

Heero eyed Duo suspiciously, but figured he was joking, judging by the cocky smirk and playful wink of brows. He leaned forward and studied the sky. "You know, I sure wouldn't want to be out walking today," he commented as he sat back.

Duo snorted. "Point taken. I'll be a good boy."

Heero took Duo's word for it, for now - but he wasn't sure he dared trust it indefinitely.

---

'...memories that make my heart grow cold...'

"This can't be right..."

"Hm?"

"This," Heero stated, gesturing at the winding road ahead. "It's been ages since we left the interstate. The detour can't possibly be this long."

Duo shrugged his shoulders and flipped the page of his comic. "So maybe we missed the turnoff."

Heero shot him a glare. "Don't even say that," he muttered. "I've had enough delays on this trip as it is."

Duo closed up the paperback comic and put it away in his backpack. "The unexpected is part of any journey in life." Noting Heero's dubious appraisal, Duo grinned. "Something Frank likes to say. He's got tons of 'em."

It was Heero's turn to not care less.

"Look, it's not all bad. We did manage to find cloud cover, didn't we? It's even possible to breathe again." He tugged at his clean T-shirt replacement, fresh out of his backpack. "Heck, I'm even feeling a bit chilly now." He pursed his lips, his eyes giving Heero a quick once-over. "Sure you don't want to stop and change out of that shirt? Can't be good, sitting in a clammy shirt like that."

"I can manage," Heero muttered. He checked the compass, and to his dismay it still pointed south - and worse, it was starting to lean towards the southeast. "Duo, check the map again."

Duo rolled his eyes. "I just did ten minutes ago. Heero, I'm sorry, but I can't find a good point of reference. I'm not even sure if this road is on the damn map. I told you, we could just stop somewhere and ask-"

"No," Heero flatly stated. The last time he'd done that, he'd ended up with his current sidekick. Heaven only knew who or what he'd pick up next. It felt safest not to tempt fate further. "Let's just take a right at the next intersection. If we head west, we ought to find the interstate again, right?"

Duo didn't miss the hope stuffed in Heero's last sentence. "Sure," he said, not convincing either of them. His idle hands grabbed the end of his braid, and he started brushing the end strands against his thumb. It was a habit, one he tried to avoid - but as all habits, it was hard to suppress.

Heero caught sight of it before Duo became aware of his actions. "Duo? Can I ask you another question?"

The thumb halted, waited. "Sure," Duo repeated in the same lax voice and started playing with the strands again. "But I might not answer."

Heero nodded. "Fair enough. I'm curious - why the long hair?"

Pause. "Huh?"

"Why did you grow your hair that long? Why do you braid it?"

Duo had to laugh. "Because it's a hell of a lot more manageable tied up than all let loose - and it's really too long to go well in a ponytail, unless I use three or four dispersed hairbands to tie it up."

Heero could accept that as truth. "It's even longer out of a braid, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Takes a lot of time and effort to keep clean too. Frank liked to mutter about the bill for the water heater."

A thin smirk appeared on Heero's face.

"As for why..." Duo shrugged. "Well, I like my hair like this. That's the main reason."

Heero hesitated, hoping Duo would continue on his own. After a minute in silence, he opted to probe further. "...and the other reasons?"

Duo rested an elbow against the door, put his cheekbone against his knuckles. "I guess it started with my mother. Mom let me save up my hair when I was a kid. See, I didn't like the hair salon. Always thought it smelled creepy. Hell, I even liked my dentist more than my hair stylist. We kinda cut a deal once it reached my shoulders. It stayed at that length for a while, but once I started school, I decided to have my own unique style." He shrugged, a sad smile forming on his lips. "I think I had a bit of an attention complex back then."

"I had the opposite," Heero remarked. "Relena kind of helped with that."

Duo gave a low chuckle. "I think I can picture that... You all grouchy, and the princess throwing herself at ya..." He slowly shook his head. "Anyway... after a couple more years, I thought about cutting it. All the cool guys had this fluffed, short haircut, and I wanted to be cool too. It was just that... one day, mom suddenly told me my long hair made me look just like my father - my biological father." Duo studied his reflection in the side mirror. "That's when I decided to keep it. Mom had smiled when she'd said that, and I wanted to see it again. Mom's smiles were always so sad looking, but that time she seemed genuinely happy." He pulled his elbow from the window, scratched his jaw and started to grin. "I don't know if that makes any sense."

"I think it does," Heero said.

Duo glanced at him, nodded. "It grew. Had to keep it tied up somehow. Mom was the one that suggested I braid it. She taught me how. Felt a bit girly at first, but it was better than keeping it all loose." He sighed. "Then, mom met Frank... He wasn't too crazy about my long hair, or the rest of mom's excess baggage. In return, I didn't like the look of his crew cut, or the rest of him. When they got married, my braid became a way of getting back at him. Mom always sided with me, so I got to keep it." Duo's lips formed a lopsided smile. "Teasing Frank has become a sort of hobby."

Heero shrugged it off, slowed down before the next sharp turn. "Well, most kids like to test the boundaries of their parents."

"I'm not a kid," Duo muttered. "But yeah... Frank and I fought plenty, but he could never really raise his voice when mom was around. I don't know how she did it. At one time, I felt like I was one of the hexed servants watching Beauty and the Beast romance each other." As the car straightened out again, he glanced over at Heero, reached out to touch his hair over his ear, tucking a lock back into place. Heero was momentarily startled by the move, and Duo pulled back. "Speaking of hair... Looks like you've saved up a fair bunch yourself."

"Not intentionally." Heero frowned and hand-combed the bangs across his forehead. "Cutting it is almost pointless. It grows right back out."

Duo burst out laughing. "Sorry to break it to ya, Boston, but hair is supposed to do that."

Heero gave him a quick glare. "What I meant is, it grows back fast." He gave his bangs another tuck, the result the same futile one. "And it takes this shape every time, no matter what I do. I've learned to live with it."

Duo's grin remained. "Yeah, but it sure doesn't make you look like MIT material, Heero."

He snorted. "And you look too much a hippie for Pittsburgh - you look like you belong on the west coast."

Duo stopped his first retort just as it was coming out of his mouth. He closed his mouth, cocked his head to the side. "Well... I am Californian, originally..."

"You are?"

He nodded in affirmation. "Born and raised in a tiny outpost along I-5."

Heero made a high whistle going low. "I was wondering about that - you have a bit of an dialect, but I couldn't quite place it... I-5 - Is that close to the coast?"

Duo shook his head. "More like a cross-cut of the whole state, top to bottom."

Heero nodded. He was about to ask if Duo's lived in the northern or southern half to narrow the picture down when Duo beat him to the punch.

"What about you? You got an accent too, and I don't mean New England."

He gave a lopsided smile. "You're right... Call it an inheritance from my grandmother."

"Huh?"

"I'm half Japanese. My father ran into my mother during a business trip and ended up staying longer than he'd planned. In the end, he settled down on this side of the ocean. I was born a year later."

"And your grandmother?"

Heero looked dead ahead, not just to keep an eye on the road. "My dad kept asking my grandparents to come live with us. Dad's an only child, and he felt obligated to support his parents - but doing it across the Pacific wasn't easy. My grandparents weren't enthusiastic about the idea of moving halfway around the world, either. I can understand - the whole world they knew, all their friends, all of that was in Japan."

Heero fell silent for a bit. Duo got impatient. "So, what happened?"

"My grandfather had a heart attack. Didn't make it. Dad went back for months, did his best to talk grandmother over. He managed it, in the end. So, I met my grandmother for the first time around the time I learned how to walk. I suppose that's how it happened - she became my nanny. She didn't understand a word of English, so she and dad talked Japanese all the time. That tainted my speech pattern a little." He shook his head, sighed. "Poor grandmother... I can't even imagine how traumatizing it was to come to a completely foreign country, without even knowing the language. She never did learn English - but I never could pick up much Japanese, despite hers and dad's best efforts, so I guess we're even."

Duo had more than one question, but chose to wait. There was something in Heero's saddened expression.

"...she died just before I started school. I think she never stopped missing her home. Dad made sure she got back, in the end... And that's the only time I've ever been in Japan." He gave Duo a long glance. "Have you ever seen a Japanese graveyard?"

Duo shook his head. "Not for real."

"Be glad," Heero muttered. "Just the thought of all the cramped-up memorials makes me gloomy. It's not that Western burial grounds are cheerful places, but compared to where I said my last goodbye to my grandmother..."

He gave an involuntary shudder, shook his head again.

Duo balked on his original curiosity, but didn't want to leave them silent at such a note. "Japan... I'm sort of a fan of Japan. I watch those Japanese cartoons all the time."

"Anime," Heero corrected.

"Huh?"

"That's what they're called. Not cartoons. Anime."

"Isn't that just 'cartoon' in Japanese?"

Heero shrugged. "Could be. Like I said, I never could learn the language. After grandmother passed away my father hardly spoke a word of it, almost as if he wanted to forget that part of his life entirely."

Duo stared into the dashboard, gritted his teeth, thinking of a better approach.

Heero pre-empted him. "I guess I'll ask Trowa about it. He's the big-time anime junkie."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. He knows I'm half Japanese, but he says he has trouble believing it when he knows more Japanese than I do." Half a smirk. "Not my fault I was raised as a proper patchwork American."

"Don't watch cartoons, huh?"

Heero shook his head. "Despite Trowa's best efforts. He's gotten to Quatre, I think - even if he won't admit it."

Duo chuckled. "Well, I suppose you can't blame Quatre for caving in - they live together, right?"

He nodded.

"But he never got to you, huh?" Duo sighed, but kept a slight smirk. "I guess you don't have time for fun stuff - I mean, you probably aced everything at MIT, didn't you, Boston?"

Heero growled. "Duo, I wish you'd stop with that. My name is not Boston, and I did not attend MIT. I told you, I never went to college."

"Sure about that?" Duo teased. "Something about you just screams MIT..."

He snorted, his head making a slow turn right. "Not more than how everything about you screams army brat, braid excluded."

Duo started to snicker. "Touché, Boston..."

Heero sent him a glare, but didn't rebut. Instead, he mulled on whether or not to tell Duo. After a couple of minutes, he made up his mind. "I run a shoe store."

Duo's expression couldn't make up it's mind between surprise and mild shock. "You're a shoe salesman?"

The left corner of Heero's mouth twitched at Duo's tone of voice. He nodded.

While his jaw relaxed, the grin remained. Duo shook his head. "Ah-uh. Not gonna fall for that one, Boston. MIT undergrad or bust."

Heero sighed. This particular topic was getting tiresome. "I'm afraid not, California. I'm sure an MIT student would have been more interesting, but that doesn't change facts. I'm the general manager of a small store in Mattapan."

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm serious," Heero all but growled. The truck behind them was getting way too close. He glared daggers at the little duckie of a hood ornament through the rearview mirror.

"Shit..." Duo muttered. "Fine, I take your word for it. It's just - I never would have figured you for a salesman. No offense, Boston - but you don't exactly strike me as a people person."

Heero shrugged and stepped on the gas to gain some distance. "You're not the first to tell me that... But like I said, I'm the manager. I deal with inventory and accounting books. Joan and Harvey tend the store. I don't deal that much with the customers." He smirked wryly. "I don't think Joan would let me. We've got few enough of them as it is."

"You don't run a franchise?"

"Nope. More or less inherited the store from a crazy old uncle of mine. He's a shoemaker by trade - but in life, he's been somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades. Mom doesn't like me consorting with him." His smirk sharpened. "I suppose that's why whenever I argued with my parents, he was the one I ran to. And he is a crazy bastard."

"Hn... Do I dare ask if he was the guy who invented high heels?"

"What, you crossdress too?"

"Hey!" Duo gave Heero's shoulder a good-natured shove. "Now, that's prejudice. Just 'cause I got long hair-"

"I know," Heero cut in. "Sorry. And no, I don't think he is - but he could have been. He's the embodiment of the Cheshire cat. He even has claws."

"What, he's got inch-long fingernails, or something?"

"No. Prosthetics. He lost an arm in Vietnam. He's got several, but he prefers one he pretty much made himself - got three claw-like fingers reacting on nerve signals. That used to scare me as a kid. When you add the insane grin of his, the bracers he has to use to support his legs and the creepy pair of glasses... Hell, if you were four and put in his care for a day, you'd freak too."

Duo made a mental image of it and grinned. "Your uncle sounds like a damn interesting fellow."

Heero snorted. "Not quite the word I'd use, but I suppose that shoe fits him too. I hope you never meet him."

Duo scratched an itch at his left elbow. "Well, at least I'd be sure to recognize him now..."

Heero nodded, checked for the truck in the rearview mirror, pleased to see there was a slight gap now. They weren't speeding either. Not by much.

"So... like a good shoe salesman, do you spend all your dough down at the nudie bar too, Boston?"

Heero caught the reference. "Selling shoes does not make me Al Bundy - and would you quit calling me Boston already?! My name is Heero! Heero Yuy!"

Duo's easy-going smile did not abate. "You know, you're cute when you're angry."

Caught in the attempt to retort, Heero's fluster remained. He mumbled a string of expletives to himself, focused on the road ahead for a while.

"California..." Duo whispered.

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking... California is a damn mouthful for a nickname, right?"

"Duo, I do not want a nickname, and I wasn't planning on giving you one, either. Do you want to walk to California?"

He started laughing, if softly. "Can't say the idea tempts me."

Heero was rewarded with a few minutes of silence.

It couldn't last. "California... Cali - Kali!"

"Huh?"

"My new nickname!" Duo stated with enthusiasm. "Kali - god of death and destruction. I kinda like that symbolism."

Heero thought it over, and soon enough grew a lopsided smirk. "I suppose Kali is fine..." The smirk went to full. "Except, Kali is a godess."

Duo made like a guppy fish. "Oh..."

With a great grin, Heero nodded. "Kali it is, then."

"Hey, now - I was just-"

"Just planning to quit calling me Boston?"

Duo bit down his initial answer, ultimately deciding no answer was the best one.

For the first time in quite a while, Heero felt triumphant. "Kali... I think Frank would have been proud."

A grunt was all the reply he got for a good ten minutes.

Their past discussion at some distance, Duo leaned forward and looked to the heavens. "The sky is growing darker. Looks like it's gonna rain."

As if on cue, there was a not-too-distant roll of thunder, clearly audible even inside the car.

---

'Keep a-moving, move along, keep a-moving...'

Duo reached over to pop the driver's side door open. He barely managed to nudge an opening, but it was enough for Heero's shoe to get a hold of. He swung the door free and slid into the car, careful not to drop any of the goods he was carrying. His breathing was erratic. Given that he'd run through the rain from the corner burger bar, this was not too surprising.

Heero handed Duo his share of the junk food, slammed the door shut to keep the hard, straight rain outside. The lack of wind was a minor blessing when walking through the rain felt like swimming.

Duo wisely chose not to comment Heero's drowned cat look, even as he tried to hand-comb his soaked hair back to the brink of order. After all, the guy had offered to do the food run, and Duo was glad to escape the duty.

Of course, he'd done so at a promise. "I checked the map again."

Heero fumbled with putting a straw into his Styrofoam cup of Cola. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I think we took a wrong turn at this place called Licking." He grabbed the map, currently folded so that Missouri was on display. "See there?" He tapped the tiny spot on the map. "See the line heading west?"

"I see it," Heero growled and drowned his bad mood with a sip of his soft drink. "And did you find out where we are?"

Duo shook his head. "I think we're in southern Missouri somewhere, but I don't know where, exactly."

"Look for a place called West Plains. I think I saw a roadsign with that name on it."

"One sec..." Duo balanced the map on his knee and against the dashboard while he struggled to unwrap his cheeseburger. "Found it!" he suddenly exclaimed. "And damn... We're way off course, Heero - look there." Again, he put his finger on the map.

Heero followed the digit and started to frown. "We're in southern Missouri, all right. We're closer to Arkansas than Oklahoma, for crying out loud. Damn it!" He slammed a fist against the door. "Fine, so we got off track. Do you see any roads nearby heading west?"

Duo shook his head. "Not unless we double back quite a bit - and the road we're following looks like it'll turn even more towards the southeast."

Gritting his teeth, Heero tore at the corner of his burger wrap. "Great... Just great..."

As Heero took his first bite, Duo flashed him a crooked grin. "Guess you could say we took a Licking and kept on ticking..."

Heero swallowed. "Or driving."

Duo nodded. "Exactly." He dug in on his cheeseburger.

After another chug of soda, Heero slammed the cup against his knee, sloshing the contents but spilling nothing, courtesy of the lid. "Okay - here's what I think. Next intersection we hit, we take a right turn and follow any backroad heading west we can find." He nodded towards the ashtray. "Might as well take advantage of the compass when the map fails us."

"Okay... but what if there aren't any roads heading west?"

He grunted. "I'm almost certain there are. Look at the map. No great lakes, no great mountains. There's got to be a bunch of small roads in southern Missouri - this map doesn't show every road there is. I was off the map when I ran into you, for instance."

Duo wolfed down another chunk of burger, nodding. "Fine," he spoke around the meal, "But can't we ask directions just in case?"

Heero gave him a hard glance out of the corner of his eye and packed the map away. "Let's try heading west first."

The flat Cola was great at washing the dry burger down with. "Can't get yourself to ask anyone for help, can you?"

Heero didn't answer, focusing on his meal. Above them, the skies rumbled.

---

'...address unknown... no such number... no such zone...'

The road was in poor condition, but even the potholes and patches of mud swirling in across the broken asphalt were rendered hard to detect in the pouring rain. Most were noticed as they were driven over.

Then, the road shifted to gravel.

"Okay, now we're definitely lost..."

"We're not," Heero denied. He tapped the compass. "We're heading almost due west."

Duo gave a weak snort. "More like straight down south and under."

Heero didn't bother replying. He checked the gas gauge, relieved to note they were still good. It didn't look like they'd hit a service station any time soon. Absentmindedly, he skimmed the rest of the dashboard too. Wherever they were, it was eight minutes past nine.

"I'm this close to believing we'll turn that next bend and see a sign welcoming us to Hank and Mary's Possum Farm..."

Despite himself, Heero grinned. "Well... I wouldn't rule that out - but an alligator farm, not possums."

The corner of his mouth tugged up a bit. "We're not that far south, Boston. I doubt there are gators in these creeks."

Heero shrugged, keeping his grin. "Whatever you say, Kali..."

Duo tilted his head to offer his disgruntled look to Heero. "Very funny, Heero."

"Does my goddess have issues?"

Duo slapped the back of his hand to Heero's shoulder. When Heero started snickering, he wanted to repeat it, only with a balled-up fist. "Careful, or I'll put a hex of death on you."

"Actually..." Heero started, "I think Kali is a goddess of both life and death. She only got a bad reputation in the west because some of her followers took to sacrificing British tourists in India during the eighteenth century."

A devilish smirk on Duo's lips. "The original killer vacation, huh?"

Laughing lightly, Heero slowed down for the next bend of the road. "I suppose..." The path ahead straightened out. "No welcome sign," he sighed.

"Not to a possum farm, at least. Slow down, Heero."

While dubious, Heero obeyed the request. "What?"

"Over there," Duo pointed. "There's some kind of old sign hidden in the weeping willow branches."

The car came to a halt, and Heero squinted out into the dark. Finally, partly illuminated by the lowbeams, he saw it. "Lafayette Motel, three miles..."

Duo suppressed a yawn. "Sounds good, doesn't it? How about stopping early tonight?"

Heero frowned as he put the car in gear and got them moving again. "I want to get out of Missouri tonight."

"What makes you think we're not out already? We've got to be damn close to Arkansas, if we're not already there."

Heero pretended he hadn't heard that.

"At least we could ask for-"

"No," Heero cut in.

Duo sighed, shook his head. "You know, you've got issues, pal. Fine, I'll ask where the hell we are. Saves you the embarrassment, right?"

Again, Heero didn't want to answer. He still had to go through with a full yawn, though.

"See? You're tired too. Can't blame you - you've been driving all damn day, not to mention the day before. Do we have to repeat last night to get you to stop?"

The gravel road came around another bend. Somewhat in the distance, off to the right, was a long, low building. Lights were on in some of the windows, although it was all dampened by dark drapes. The two bowl lamps flanking the stairs to the wooden porch were bright as day, though.

"Heero..." Duo warned.

Allowing himself a growl, Heero decided to listen to reason. Out of habit, he signaled off the road and took one of the many empty spaces along the porch, close to the lights. Duo's arguments were sound. A long night's sleep sounded good indeed. A warm shower even more so.

This close the place looked even more ramshackle. He frowned, and wondered if his last request would even be possible here. He cut the engine. "Well..." he said. "We're here."

Duo nodded, looked out and up. It was still pouring down. He unbuckled his seatbelt and reached between the seats for his backpack. He flashed Heero a grin. "See you up under the porch roof?"

Heero's frown deepened at the thought of having to get the light suitcase out of the trunk. He glared daggers at Duo as he ducked out of the car, slammed the door and ran towards the stairs. Heero reached over to lock the passenger side door and prepared to face Mother Nature's hissy fit.

He did not reach the porch unscathed. Not for the first time that day, his shirt was thoroughly soaked. He wasn't quite sure what disturbed him most - Duo giving him a slow once-over glance, or the old crone in the rocking chair staring at his chest outright.

"Hey, Heero - I was just asking Claire here where we are, exactly."

The old woman gave a hoarse cackle, patted her pipe and started the rocking motion again. "Bit east o' Gainesville, boys. Welcome to the Lafayette. Want rooms fo' th' night?" Her big grin lacked a couple of teeth.

"Gainesville..." Duo muttered. "We're still in Missouri, right?"

Again, the woman burst out laughing. "I sure reckon so, boy. Now, you want me to fix you up for the night, or not?"

"Yes, we'd like a room."

"Something cheap," Duo cut in.

"Ha!" she exclaimed. "They're all cheap - but I'll let you hog the porch for a dollar."

Heero wasn't sure she was joking, despite the grin. "I think... we can afford a little more than that. Do you have a room with a tight roof, two decent beds and a warm shower?"

"Demandin', aren't you, boy..." Claire muttered as she rocked herself out of her chair, pipe clenched in her teeth. "Come along," she waved, and led them down the porch. "Reckon number six ought to please ya. Haven't seen a roach there for months." She sounded off her dark coughing chuckle again before taking another deep breath from the pipe.

Feeling uneasy, Heero struggled to resist the urge to run back to the car and keep on driving. Maybe they'd find something better in Gainesville. He studied the hostess limping ahead before them, the big metal ring of keys rattling in her hand as she moved forward.

Claire stopped. "Here we are," she said, picking at her keys to find the right one. She inserted the key, but didn't turn it. "That'll be sixty dollars, payment in front, cash."

Heero frowned. The woman's sharp eyes met his own glare. She patted her pipe again. Heero wasn't sure which of them were more crooked. "That's steep."

"You're welcome to find sometin' better and cheaper, boy. This here is my motel, so my word's final. Sixty-five dollars."

"I want to see the room first."

She huffed, turned the key and pushed the door ajar. Heero peered inside. It really didn't look too bad - though certainly it wasn't worth that much for a single night. "Don't like it?"

"I suppose it'll do," Heero muttered.

"Good," Claire countered. "That'll be seventy dollars."

Heero gritted his teeth and could barely restrain the urge to give the old crone a good shake. He might have, had not Duo put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"We'll take it," he said. "Thanks, Claire - uhm, is there a restaurant near here? We've been driving all day, and we haven't had a proper dinner yet."

She nodded all sage-like. "Been eatin' junk food, hm? Won't keep you growin', boy."

Duo grinned right back at her. "I've never been fond of vegetables, I'm afraid."

She puffed herself up and grunted. "Shame, boy. Cryin' shame. And no restaurants around, but I can fix you up with some grits, on the house." She turned to glare at Heero. "Five bucks extra for you."

Duo could barely suppress a snicker at Heero's expression. He reached for his wallet and started counting up his share.

Heero grudgingly did the same - including the additional five bucks. The woman was fleecing them, but the thought of hitting the road again was not particularly tempting.

---

'Ask me... if I wanted... to caress you.. and I'd confess...'

All in all, the evening hadn't turned out too bad. Hands behind his head, Heero rested against his pillow, staring up in the ceiling, listening in the dusk. There was the rain outside veiling the soft tinkle sounding from the bathroom, his own breaths, the breaths of Mother Nature occasionally shaking the walls.

Claire's cooking had, unlike the room, not been steeply overpriced - not when you considered the size of the platter. He'd had trouble clearing his. How Duo could ask for seconds, he didn't know. Perhaps it was easier to enjoy the food if it was free.

The warm shower had been a blessing. A clean, dry T-shirt afterwards had also been good. The soft, warm bed had been more than welcome.

Now, if only there wasn't the buzzing of a mosquito in the dimly lit room keeping him awake, even through the sleep-inducing rain.

He barely registered when the shower cut off. Heero tilted his head and looked across the room. Duo's nightstand lamp was still on. He cursed the bothersome little insect for not seeking out the light. He closed his eyes, tried to fall asleep again, but failed. For the twenty-seventh time in the last ten minutes, he tried to kill the mosquito, but his clap of hands missed once more. Growling, he ground the back of his head into the pillow again.

The floorboards creaked. Heero opened one eye to a slit, looked into the room and saw Duo walk out of the bathroom, a big towel wrapped around his head, trapping his hair - but beyond that, the dogtags were all that covered his body. Heero watched Duo's back as it moved towards the light. He heard the mosquito fly away, too.

And saw Duo pause, search, attack.

Heero gave a faint grunt as he saw Duo brush off his hands. At least the insect was dead now. He closed his eyes again, breathed slower, listened to the rain and gushes of wind. Without the high-pitched buzz about, sleep wasn't far away.

He'd almost fallen into a slumber as he suddenly started feeling alert again. At first, he wasn't sure why. He listened intently, his own soft breathing the only thing he detected at first. It took him a couple of minutes to make out the second set of breaths and motion in the night, so much closer than he'd first assumed.

If he hadn't been prepared, he would surely have jerked back as he felt the faint brush against his cheek, only after the fact reasoning it had been a fingertip. He struggled to keep from shuddering and sucking in more air than sleep required.

He sensed his bangs be cautiously lifted back off his forehead, the same flighty touch grazing his forehead. Soft lips touched the exposed skin so lightly Heero wasn't sure it had happened until two fingers tentatively brushed against his cheek, preceding a kiss to the tip of his nose.

He tried to swallow as inconspicuously as possible, hoping the dark would hide it. His hands curled the sheets.

Heero suspected what was coming, but still wasn't prepared as those lips sought out his own in the faintest of kisses, barely touching. Even so, it was enough to make Heero arch his neck slightly, prolonging the sensation for a split second before his acting caught up with him.

His known assailant hovered above him, barely inches away. Heero felt Duo's warm breath against his skin.

Then came the barely perceptible whisper. "...mind if I just watch you like this for a bit...?"

Heero didn't have to open his eyes and see to know Duo was kneeling beside him, looking down at him in the dim light of the nightstand lamp across the room. "...I'm awake, you know..." he finally whispered back into the night.

There was no surprise at all in Duo's reply. "I know..."

The sound of the rain was all there was. Duo's warm breath caressed Heero's cheek, soon followed by a faint touch of his fingers. Heero opened his mouth to speak, closed it again. "...are you naked?" he dared mumble.

The touch ceased, and a light chuckle pierced the near silence. "Would it really matter if I put my boxers back on?" Duo spoke in a low voice.

Heero swallowed. "I suppose not..." He was about to give up all pretense of masquerade when Duo smoothed his bangs back over his forehead.

"Keep your eyes closed, Boston... Maybe this is all a dream..." he whispered before leaning close again. Another light kiss, and again Heero felt himself lift after Duo's lips, not breaking off until his head felt too heavy. He fell back into his pillow.

He heard Duo shuffle to his feet and cross the room. Despite Duo's advice, Heero opened his eyes to slits. From the corners of his eyes, he watched Duo's retreating rear in the poor light, the silhouette of Duo's curves all that he really saw, except for the brief moment Duo passed the strip of moonlight shining through their single window, offering him a glance of Duo's tailbone.

Heero licked his lips as he rolled over on his side, closed his eyes and calmed down as best he could, sleep overcoming the slight fear that Duo planned on molesting him during the night.

A dream, indeed...

-End Part #2-

Part #3