Hitch - part #3

'...don't you kiss me once or twice, then say it's very nice and then you run...'

His grip of the steering wheel was somewhat tighter than it ought to be, and his intent focus was far down the road - although his thoughts were not quite as sharp.

Duo's attempts at casual conversation and sporadic comments to the small road and lush landscape didn't help.

Heero had woken up first that morning, and it had taken him some time sitting up in his bed to recall yesterday. He'd looked across the room to Duo, watched as the boy rolled over in his sleep, mooning him for an instant before the covers slid into place.

Heero had hesitated, wondering if the young man was still playing his game. A few minutes later, he concluded Duo was in fact asleep. The sudden grunt of a snore backed that theory up.

Unchallenged at first dibs on the bathroom, Heero had finished up quickly, packed his suitcase and brought it back to the car before Duo had woken up. Upon his return to the room, Heero heard him rummage about in the bathroom.

Heero had gone over to Duo's bed, at first intending to make the bed. He'd paused upon putting his palm down on the still warm indentation Duo had left. The sound of the bathroom faucet cutting off had made him finish the task at hand.

Claire had been gracious enough to offer them and the few other guests breakfast - at a premium, naturally.

They'd hit the road before nine AM, and just in case, Heero has opted to stop in Gainesville to fill the gas tank and store up on driving snacks.

Throughout the morning, Duo had done his best to keep a conversation going, more than once teasing Heero with his nickname. He would talk about everything, except what Heero wanted to discuss - and Heero was reluctant in bringing that topic up himself.

Was it all a dream, after all? Had he fallen asleep without even noticing it, and dreamt it all up? He wasn't sure, but didn't think so. Still, if that was the case, why was Duo acting as if it never happened? Or was it simply that it didn't matter much to Duo?

Far more importantly, Heero wondered why it seemed to matter so much to himself.

For the last half hour, he'd barely listened to whatever Duo chatted on about, tuning in only every few seconds in case his sidekick started talking of pink alien elephants or other 'are you really paying attention' topics. At the very least, Heero offered him the occasional acknowledgment of existence.

Until Duo cried out. "Heero, look ou-"

The car bumped against the obstacle, Heero hit the brakes and signaled off out of reflex rather than need. The road was deserted - at least it had been vacant of cars. "Fuck..." Heero muttered as he killed the engine and wrestled free of his seatbelt. He got out and ran back towards whatever it was they'd hit. While he hadn't been in the best of moods, killing an innocent animal was not something he'd planned.

He stopped a few feet away, staring at the gross sight.

Duo caught up with him, put a hand on his shoulder as he grimaced. "Well, Boston... That might have been a possum once..."

"Yeah..." Heero breathed out.

Quick chuckle. "Think we can safely say we didn't kill it. Poor critter is way too pancaked."

"Yeah..." Heero repeated.

Duo paused. Just like a train wreck, there was no way he could shift his attention from it, even though it was hardly a pleasant sight. "You know... I don't think I've seen something that gross since the first time I pulled back my foreskin."

"Y-" Heero flagged a brow, hurriedly turned to look at Duo, not quite certain what Duo was getting at.

Flashing him a grin, Duo scratched the back of his left wrist. "You know what I mean, right? One thing is seeing a caked-up toilet, but when it's your own plumbing..."

Heero gaped at bit, finally catching on - and without thinking, he blurted out "I wouldn't know - I'm cut."

The Cheshire cat had nothing on Duo. "Really? So, you're a hardhead, huh?"

Frowning, Heero was about to voice his disagreement. Through biology class supplemented by the school of life, he knew of the benefits of remaining intact versus being circumcised, but he certainly hadn't hurt from his parents' decision all those years ago. "It's not hard," he rebutted.

Duo laughed. "Good thing for you there's pills for that now."

The furrows in Heero's face deepened as he glared daggers at Duo. Even so, he started to smirk at the absurdity of their conversation.

He didn't like being the butt end of the joke, though. Short of a verbal comeback, he tackled Duo from behind on impulse, tickling his sides and belly. Duo's consequent yelp and strained laughter was his reward. It only took the young man a few seconds to struggle free, but Heero couldn't help but think the effort half-hearted. "Damn it, Boston," Duo hissed while gasping for air. "Don't do that!"

Heero grunted, fixed the smirk on his face. "I haven't heard a squeal like that since Quatre got one of his nipples pierced..."

"So sue me," Duo retorted, annoyance in his voice if not on his face. "I'm ticklish, damn it!" A step forward. "I'm also vengeful. Eye for an eye, Heero."

The smirk faltered. Heero put both palms up in defense. "No, Duo - wait-"

Too late. Duo made a strike for Heero's side before he could properly dodge it. Heero counterattacked, but with little success. Duo's fingers landed a hit against his belly, while Heero barely managed to scrape up against Duo's upper arm.

Their mock duel lasted only moments, but that was enough. In retrospect, Heero couldn't remember how they ended up halfway embracing each other, faces barely an inch apart. They both froze, shared the look into each other's eyes, shared the hesitation, shared air through the soft breaths they exchanged.

No dream, Heero convinced himself as he leaned his head forward, hoping Duo would meet him. As he closed his eyes, he noticed how Duo briefly wet his lips.

A second too soon, the sound of an approaching car ruined everything. By the time the pickup truck drove past them, they had untangled and stepped apart.

Heero faced the long deceased animal again, uncertain of what to think, much less say or do. He was not gay. Why had he wanted to kiss Duo? Why hadn't Duo pushed him away? Yesterday couldn't have been a dream.

He didn't have the guts to ask Duo flat out. Asking directions was hard enough. Asking about something like that seemed infinitely more impossible. For a moment, he hoped Duo would take the burden off his shoulder.

To no avail, he surmised as Duo stepped up behind him and patted his shoulder twice, sighing. "Maybe we should do something - have you got a shovel in the trunk?"

Heero's eyes remained fixed on the blotch of flat, dry roadkill. "I don't think a shovel would do much good. Whatever this was, it looks too embedded in the asphalt to be scooped up."

"Scrape it off, then?"

"Maybe - but I don't have the right tool for that job."

After a quick snort, Duo turned around. "Guess we've exhausted our options here, then. Should we call somebody?"

Heero made to follow. "Like who?"

Duo raised both palms to shoulder height, not looking back. For a split second, Heero imagined him a preacher. "I don't know - wildlife services? The highway patrol? The department of motor vehicles? Which of them is it that drives around and scoops up roadkill?" He looked over his shoulder and grinned. "Or should we just wait for some hillbillies looking for dinner?"

Heero wrinkled his nose, but smiled nevertheless. "I think we'll leave just leave this mess for someone else - whichever of the above gets here first." As Duo nodded and walked over to the car, Heero took a deep breath, the smile fading. He glanced up, studied where the sun shining through the sparse cloud cover was hiding.

Whatever had or had not happened up until then, one thing was certain - Heero was intent on leaving this state of Missouri long before dinner time.

Provided they could find the interstate by then.

---

'Pardon me if I'm sentimental...'

Courtesy of Duo demanding they stop and ask directions, they'd gone north from the gas station in Walnut Shades and finally met up with I-44 in Springfield. As long as the nearly empty road didn't suddenly and mysteriously clog up with traffic over the next bluff, they'd hit the state line in a fairly timely fashion. While they'd reach Oklahoma far behind schedule, at least they were on the fastest route to Flagstaff again.

Duo had been quiet for the last half hour, though. Up until five minutes ago, that was the result of reading a paper they had picked up at the last stopover. It didn't appear anything worthwhile had happened in the world at large since he'd left Boston.

Or maybe Duo's mind were on closer matters than world affairs - like the thoughts his own mind kept lingering on.

"Heero...?"

Heero's left palm slipped on the steering wheel, and he swallowed quickly. "Yes?"

"How come you're so into Elvis?"

Then again, perhaps Duo was thinking of something completely different. Heero shot a glare down on the radio before he turned the volume down, content at having the king as a backdrop. "It's a long story..."

Duo huffed, nodded ahead at the straight road. "I think we've got time."

Heero gave a lopsided smirk. "Well..." he started, "I think you could say it started with my grandmother."

One brow up, one brow down. "...I thought you said she didn't know English..."

"No, not her - my grandmother on my mother's side. She was the obsessed one, according to my mother. I wouldn't know, I never met her - she died before I was born."

"Sorry."

Heero shrugged it off. "Don't be." There was someone standing on the shoulder of the road, hand out. He slowed down and signaled to avoid the woman. One hitchhiker was enough. In the rearview mirror, he saw the semitrailer coming up behind them slowing down, clearing him of the slight touch of bad conscience. "It started when I played hide-and-seek with Trowa one day. We were four at the time, so we were small enough to hide in places no adult could find us easily. Our attic was full of such hiding places. As luck would have it, I came across a big box of 45s. Most of those were Elvis records. You know what 45s are?"

"Some sort of old gramophone discs, right?"

Heero shrugged. "Close enough. There was a player in there too. Trowa and I got mom to set it up for us. We thought it sounded strange - but like I said, we were four. Everything sounded strange to us, including the current radio hits. We did develop an interest in how Egyptians walked, though. Mom had trouble explaining that."

"The Bangles?" Duo asked.

Heero nodded. "You've heard the song, then?"

"Yeah," Duo stated. "Even if it is as old as I am. I'm fond of eighties music." He snickered. "Hey, don't give me that look - my eclectic tastes have always been a bit strange - and you're grooving to music that's a hell of a lot older."

Heero cocked his head to one side. "I give you that much..." He turned the volume up a notch. "At first, we just listened for fun. I listened to it some more even after Trowa went home. It grew on me." A thin smile formed on his face. "My mother helped in that regard. She had Elvis on LPs and cassettes too, so I got to hear some of the songs all over again, only in better quality. By the time I started in school, I'd caught the bug that got my grandmother and mother. By the time dad noticed, it was too late - though he kindled an interest for classical music in me later."

"...so, my choices are to listen to Elvis all the way to Flagstaff, or switch to Beethoven?"

Heero had to laugh. "Something like that." He turned to grin at Duo. "Sorry."

Duo shrugged. "Your car, your rules. Besides, some of this ain't half bad, Boston."

With a grunt, Heero faced forward and stepped on the accelerator. "You know, my mother actually had 'Elvis' on the shortlist of names when I was born..."

Duo's mirth did not abate. "About to tell me you've got a middle name?"

"Thankfully, no - my father was a little too conservative for an 'Elvis Yuy' in the family."

"So, 'Heero' is a common Japanese name?"

Heero clenched his teeth momentarily. "I wouldn't say that... but it fits better with my last name, doesn't it?"

Duo let go a chuckle. "Sure does. Besides, I'm having trouble visualising you sporting sideburns and a tight white suit with sequins."

He snorted. "I only dressed up as Elvis once, a third grade costume ball. Learned my lesson then."

Duo snickered again. "So, you're not sickly obsessed with the guy, only crazy about his music? You're not one of the crazies claiming he never died?"

Heero tilted his head a tad. "That would be my grandmother," he stated tentatively. "She would have claimed he never died and meant it. My mother would be more of the sort that would say 'as long as Elvis and his music is alive in our hearts, he lives on'."

"...and you?" Duo hesitantly asked.

Heero shrugged, sighed. "I'm a bit more pragmatic about it. The king is dead. Long live the king."

"He sure lives on in this car."

"You said it best. My car, my rules."

Duo grinned. "Hey, not complaining. I'll just think of it as an education in a different era."

"Several eras," Heero felt inclined to point out. "And several forms of music. Elvis had a long and diversified career. If his heart hadn't given out, he might have new hits on the Top 40 even today."

"I thought he did - I'm sure I've seen a couple of Elvis songs listed."

"Not new ones," Heero muttered. "Either re-releases or remixes."

Duo nodded. "Yeah, I think I've heard the remixes. Those were good."

Heero frowned. "Not compared to the originals."

"I wouldn't know."

With a smirk, Heero reached for the stereo panel again, intending to shuffle forward a couple of tracks. "We'll fix that soon enough. Can't leave you stranded in the eighties forever."

"Hey, there was a lot good music made in the eighties!"

"A lot of bad music, too."

"Are you saying Elvis never made a flop?"

Heero's hand froze on the button, and he gritted his teeth. "...that depends on taste. There are some songs of his I'm not quite so fond of."

Duo didn't push for which. He was glad to discover this much. Perhaps there was hope in widening Heero's musical horizons too. Until then, he thought it best not to mention his occasional weakness for questionable German synthpop along the lines of Modern Talking.

A new track started as a big sign welcomed them to Oklahoma.

---

'...listen to the music, drifting through the summer breeze...'

They'd stopped for lunch an hour away from Tulsa. The small city of Vinita had provided them with a good and fairly cheap restaurant. Unfortunately, it had also provided them with pranksters.

They'd returned from their meal to find one of the tires had gone flat. The valve had been wrapped with tape so that it would keep leaking air. The tiny plastic cap was just next to the wheel. The culprits were nowhere in sight - but as Heero struggled to fix the problem, more than one car owner returned to the parking lot only to let go strings of expletives. Sharing the same fate eased Heero's anger somewhat - but not much.

At first, he'd tried to inflate the tire with the handpump he had stored in the trunk - but he met little success. At Duo's suggestion, they had instead replaced the deflated tire with the spare. If nothing else, that solution would let them drive to the nearest service station, so that they could fix the regular tire.

They'd gotten as far as searching Vinita for a gas station with an air pump. Again, Heero muttered a curse on whoever had delayed them like this.

Duo had been more pragmatic. "So we lose half an hour. At least they only did one tire, and they didn't slash it outright. I knew kids who did that for kicks."

Heero flagged a brow. "And what about you?"

Duo shook his head, grinning. "Nah, I was a good boy. Well, except this once... I was eleven, and there was this asshole colonel I wanted to get even with. Slashed all four tires on his jeep."

Heero gave him a long look. "...Your father?"

Again, Duo shook his head. "No. Frank and I aren't exactly best buddies, but I've never been that pissed with him. Only disappointed."

"Did you get caught?"

"No," Duo said, grinning wickedly. "This guy was a master at getting people to hate him. It wasn't just me. I sorta disappeared in the crowd of suspects." He looked out the window again. "Hey, Heero - over there!"

Heero followed Duo's pointing, saw the gas station. "Looks promising." He pulled over, searched for, found and parked next to the self-service air pump.

Duo helped him get the original tire back into place, then excused himself, claiming he wanted to grab a few extra candy bars from the store. "Do you want anything?"

Heero shook his head and focused on how to operate the air pump. He was all done by the time Duo returned. The few extra minutes he'd sat drumming a beat against the steering wheel to the rhythms Elvis poured out the speakers did little to influence his lack of patience. He was prepared to glare at Duo for taking so long, but was pre-empted. The moment Duo got into the car, the moment Heero opened his mouth to grumble about tardiness, Duo also offered him a handout - a CD still in its plastic wrapping.

"For you," Duo had said with a crooked smile.

"You shouldn't have," Heero said in a grumpy tone as he accepted. Then he read the cover. "You really shouldn't have."

Duo snickered. "Hey, it was on sale - besides, I think even the king could use a rest."

Heero flashed Duo with the cover again. "But a 'best of' Shania Twain?"

"Hey, she's got a good voice!" Duo protested.

Feeling guilty, Heero decided not to argue further. While he could agree to that much, from what little of hers he'd heard, he wasn't sure he would enjoy listening to her as much as Elvis. Still, the picture on the cover reminded him of a couple of Shania Twain music videos he'd seen on TV. "She's got a good lot more than that..." he muttered in compromise.

Duo grinned at the suggestion at her physical appeal, but opted to play stupid, shrugging. "This li'l gay boy wouldn't know about that... Not that Elvis pushes my buttons either."

Heero gave him a suspicious glare. "Thanks," he finally mumbled.

"You're welcome," Duo returned in a chipper tone. "Come on, Boston - you've got to admit her music would fit better now. I mean, we're outside of the 'kingdom', right? This far west is more her territory, isn't it?"

While ready to start an argument over that, Heero tempered himself. Duo's gift was unexpected, but not completely unappreciated. Listening to it rather than Elvis for a while was the least he could do to pay Duo back.

He disliked the situation he'd been put in for the same reason he didn't like asking directions - both left him feeling indebted, and Heero loathed such unfinished business.

As they headed for Tulsa, the king got a rest.

He was back on by the time they left Oklahoma City - but every so often, Heero was courteous enough to let the spotlight shift to the lady.

---

'stop, look and listen, baby, that's my philosophy...'

Duo's gift had not been entirely altruistic. Since he wasn't especially concerned about paying Heero back for the ride, that was hardly the main reason. Far more importantly was getting a break from Elvis; revolting against king and aristocracy.

And then there was the mere gender factor. Both singers surely had wide repertoires, but there was no denying both centered on lovesongs - and therein lay the difference. Shania Twain, to the best of Duo's knowledge a straight woman, sang lovesongs of men. Elvis, presumably a straight man, sang lovesongs of women.

Rules rarely come without exceptions, though. The chorus where Elvis sang about 'my boy' had piqued Duo's interest - but it had waned just as quickly as he caught on to the rest of the lyrics.

Finally, he considered singing along to specific parts of Miss Twain's songs, just to gauge Heero's reactions. Yesterday had held promise. Duo wished to explore that further - but preferably without being too obvious about it.

He'd cursed the stray car that had passed them and the squished possum at the most inconvenient moment for several hours. At least Heero hadn't been particularly body-shy in his attack. If only he'd been more prepared for the assault... Duo couldn't help wonder if he could have grazed more interesting places, had the skirmish lasted longer.

They'd just made another pit-stop, having traversed nearly all of Oklahoma. Texas was not too far away - but it was already well into the afternoon. Their lunch had been a healthy one, so they had agreed to postpone dinner until later. Heero had expressed a wish of reaching Amarillo before stopping for the night. At this point, it looked as if they could make it - if barely.

Duo had taken pump duty this time, leaving Heero to browse the store shelves. Something cold to drink was high on the shopping list. Duo was already done and seated in the car by the time Heero returned, handing Duo two chill cans of Coke and a submarine sandwich. "Thanks, man," he lit up. He put the cans in his lap and balanced the sandwich in one hand while digging for his wallet with the other.

"On me," Heero cut in. Seeing Duo was about to object, he grinned. "I got it cheap."

Duo raised a brow and studied Heero's face, then eyed the sandwich just as intently. "Has the mayo gone bad, or something?"

Heero closed the door, placed his own sandwich at the dashboard and put the car into gear, slowly driving them away from the pumps and over to the small parking area at the side of the station. "I don't think so - but we can switch, if you want."

"No thanks..." Duo muttered. "And thanks. I owe you."

Heero shrugged. "Consider us even - but no more CDs, okay?"

Duo chuckled, popped one of his cans. "Deal - but she's good, isn't she?"

Heero wrinkled his nose, smiling wryly. "She's no Elvis."

"And thank God for that," Duo commented before stuffing one end of the submarine sandwich in his mouth. After candy bars and chips, something this solid to bite into was a blessing. He ignored Heero's brief glare.

They ate to the quiet backdrop of Shania Twain, as Duo had taken the moment of solitude earlier to switch CDs. No doubt his grace period wouldn't last beyond this stop, but for now it would suffice. Sanity needed remarkably little time to recuperate.

"You know..." Heero cautiously started. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth before continuing. "They have a pay phone in there..."

"Oh?" Duo washed down another chunk of bread with soda.

"I called Trowa. Wanted to let him know I might run a bit late."

"You were planning on reaching Flagstaff tomorrow, right?"

Heero nodded. "We might still pull it off - but it'll be really late." He paused, realized he'd been distracted. "Duo, you should call your father and let him know you're okay."

"Stepfather," Duo firmly corrected. "And I doubt Frank is sweating much over my absence - if he's even noticed I'm gone yet."

He frowned. "Stepfather or not, he's still your legal guardian."

"Was," Duo pointed out. "I'm over eighteen now."

"A couple of days hardly makes a difference." A thought struck him. "...is that why you left?"

"Hm?"

"Did Frank forget your birthday?"

Duo gave him a long look, clenched his teeth and turned away. "...he walked in on me getting my other present - the only one I wanted. He never could give me much of that himself..."

Briefly, Heero wondered just what sort of relationship Duo wanted with his stepfather. Then reason caught up with him. Not nookie or even kisses, but perhaps... "Love?"

Duo paused his sulking long enough for a glance. "Attention," he compromised. "Nothing I did was ever good enough - so I stopped caring about doing good."

Silence. Heero pursed his lips. "You should still call."

Duo refused to answer, content at scowling out the window at the big billboard on the wall of the gas station.

Heero opted to give Duo his reprieve. There would be time to mention this again later. He started working on the rest of his meal.

"Look at that..." he heard Duo mutter.

"Hm?"

"That," Duo repeated, pointing at one of the larger posters on the wall.

Heero squinted to catch the words. "Come visit the tallest point in the southern Great Plains..." he read aloud. Furrows grew on his forehead. "A tourist trap."

"Ah-huh," Duo said with enthusiasm.

It was Heero's turn to clench his teeth. He could sense where this was going. "It's a hoax, you know it is. All those roadside freakshows are."

"Sure - but it's still worth a look, isn't it? The directions says it's west along I-40, so it wouldn't be much of a detour, either."

"Duo..." Heero all but growled.

"Oh, come on, Boston - it's not like it'll kill your itinerary to visit one attraction on your way across America."

"Whatever you say, my goddess..." Heero thought Duo's cringing was an interesting - and sufficient - reward.

"Tell you what," Duo started, facing Heero fully again. "If we go there, I'll make it worth your while."

Heero raised a brow, any number of ideas to that statement coming to mind.

Duo grinned wide. "I'll stop calling you Boston."

There was no way for Heero to deny he was relieved - and a tad disappointed to boot.

"I'll even call Frank afterwards. What do you say?"

Heero hesitated.

"Damn it, Heero - do I have to go all Bambi on ya? I can do a fair impression, you know."

Not doubting that for a second, Heero still wasn't convinced. Then, Duo started fluttering his eyes. Heero groaned, leaned forward to tap his forehead to the steering wheel twice. "Fine," he growled. "We'll go - but we won't stay for long, got that? I'm not on a sightseeing trip here, I've told you that repeatedly."

Duo didn't bother to hide his snickers. "Sure thing, Heero. We'll just take a peek."

"They'll probably be closed by the time we get there anyway," Heero muttered as he put the car in reverse, ready to head back to the interstate.

---

'My hands are shaky and my knees are weak...'

They'd entered Texas and passed Shamrock by the time they saw the next sign guiding them to the promised lookout point. Remarkably, the advertisement held true to its promise; once they left I-40 at the designated off-ramp, their destination was not far away.

Twilight had descended on them already, giving the dusty ground around the tiny paved parking lot an eerie reddish glow. Heero pulled up before a welcome poster easily ten feet high. Before them, the highest hilltop in the area loomed before them - but hardly threateningly so. Heero scowled.

"Wow..." Duo whispered in anything but a climactic tone. "Well, at least you can't say it's closed. No fences anywhere. Probably not anyone taking entrance fees." He chuckled. "Guess that means we won't get a guided tour." He undid his seatbelt, turned to Heero again. "And you said it was a tourist trap..."

Heero frowned back, nodded his head towards the ramshackle shops at the end of the parking lot. "There's the real trap."

Duo looked past him, wrinkled his nose. "Hot dog stands, snackbars and souvenirs?" He sighed. "I guess this place has seen better days - but we're here. Come on." He tapped Heero's shoulder before stepping out of the car.

Heero reluctantly followed. He felt he might as well get it over with. The sooner Duo was content, the sooner they could get back on the road. Amarillo was not far away. He locked the car and trotted after Duo up the side of the hill.

At least until Duo grabbed his wrist and pulled him ever upwards in a slow jog. It wasn't until then he noticed what they were approaching.

Resting atop the small hill was a watchtower; an unsteady looking contraption that surely predated the shops further below. He could feel his heart sink. Only when they reached the first ladder did Duo let go of him. It took some effort not to shuffle off, muttering excuses - if not flat out run away.

Duo took a firm grip of one of the steps and shook it a bit. The low rattle of the wood reverberated in Heero's bones. "Let's go, Heero - I can't wait to see Texas from up there." He grinned. "Maybe we'll even see Arizona."

Heero grunted, his palms growing clammy. "Across New Mexico? I doubt it very much."

"We won't know until we check, will we?" With that, Duo started his ascent. He paused at the first, largest platform and looked down at Heero. "Come on, would ya? It's not like a little climb will kill you."

Showing signs of disagreement and considering a comment that the fall might do the job, Heero shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Come join me at the top, Heero. Just a quick look-see, and then we'll leave."

After taking a deep breath, Heero gritted his teeth and approached the stepladder. Tentatively, he raised himself off the ground, one deathgrip and step at a time.

He reached the first platform, looked around for Duo, looked up - and saw him waving from the third platform, the highest and smallest of them. Steeling himself as best he could, he walked over to the next ladder and climbed much faster this time, wanting the ordeal over with.

The floorboards of the second platform seemed to buckle and bend at each step. Heero wondered if they'd ever been replaced since the tower was erected. Then he caught sight of the plaque at the base of the last stepladder, telling the construction was older than either of his parents by a wide margin, perhaps even more ancient than all his departed grandparents. He didn't feel like doing the math to know for sure.

As he grabbed a hold of the third ladder, he prayed the tower wouldn't choose tonight to fall over dead.

The breeze caught him halfway to the third platform. He froze as the ladder shuddered in the wind. He took a full minute to calm himself down, not even registering Duo's question from above.

He did register Duo taking a hold of his arm, helping him the last short distance. "Heero, are you okay?" Duo repeated for the third time. He looked at Heero's clear and intense eyes, felt the chill of his hands. "Sheesh, buddy - you're pale as a sheet. What's wrong?"

Heero's heart was pounding like the dirt of a derby track on race day. It didn't get any better as he dared raise his gaze from Duo's feet to the thin railing - and the view of the open Texas landscape. There was no denying this was the highest point in sight.

When the next gust of wind came, shaking the tower enough to make the floorboards rattle, his panic reached a pinnacle. Without thinking, he threw his arms around the closest steady object and held on for dear life.

"Heero..." Duo hissed a moment later, caught between wanting to help Heero and helping himself. "Can't... breathe..."

Heero blinked, islands of reason popping up in the raging sea of his mind. He released his hold sufficiently to hear Duo draw heavy breaths, but still kept it firm, resting his chin on Duo's shoulders, his eyes pressed shut, his mind trying to convince himself he was merely standing on the ground - the flat, featureless ground, a soft summer breeze all that bothered them.

At the next gust, he changed his mental venue to that of the deck of a small boat, moving with the whims of the waves.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me you were afraid of heights?" Duo growled in his ear while returning the embrace, rubbing slow circles against Heero's back. "God, I would never have pulled you up here if I knew-"

"It's okay," Heero cut in, not wanting to be reminded where they were. "It's okay. I came of my own free will. My own folly."

They fell silent again. Over Heero's shoulder. Duo studied the landscape, watched as the sinking sun painted the patches of sand a dark ochre, tufts of sturdy grass shivering in the wind even more than the man in his arms. They could never share that, he realized with a slight pang. He leaned back a bit and Heero's chin slipped off of his shoulder. He tilted his head a bit. Heero's eyes remained close, his mouth slightly agape. "Heero..."

No answer.

"Heero," he repeated with a tad more force. "Heero, look at me. Open your eyes."

Tentatively, Heero did, glad Duo's face was close enough to block out almost all of the terrifying view beyond - and beneath.

Then, Duo blocked everything out - first by slowly leaning forward, then by touching his lips to Heero's, a soft kiss, steadily stronger. Not a dream, a flighty voice whispered in Heero's mind, before it too vanished, drowned out by the now requesting all his remaining synapses, all of which were flaring up.

Then now turned to history. Heero barely noticed. The warmth in his cheeks, on his lips and in the pit of his stomach lingered. Duo hadn't moved far away, thankfully. His smile sent another shiver down Heero's spine. "...why?" he finally summoned the nerve to ask.

"...because I wanted to?" Duo said, his smile growing sheepish. "Because you looked like you needed something else to think about?"

There was no denying it had served that purpose. Heero clenched his teeth. "Yesterday..."

Duo nodded. "Same answer. I kissed you because I wanted to - and if you don't mind me saying so, you didn't seem to mind much..."

Again, this was true. "...I wasn't sure it was for real."

With a soft chuckle, Duo tightened his embrace, chins resting on shoulders again. Heero closed his eyes on reflex. "I wasn't sure either," Duo teased. "You're something else, Heero - whether you know it or not."

"Then why," Heero hissed in Duo's ears. "Why did you act like nothing happened this morning?"

Duo hesitated in answering. "...because I was a coward? Heero, I guess it's safe to say I'm attracted to you. You seemed to care when nobody else seemed to, and you're kinda handsome..." He grinned. "Even if you still look like a kid."

Heero frowned minutely, tightened his grip for a second, trying to strangle Duo's snicker at its source.

"And... I didn't want things between us to get more awkward. I mean, kissing a straight guy, jeopardizing my ride... Pretending it never happened seemed a better idea. I kinda thought you'd bring it up if it still bothered you - or if you wanted it to be more than something random..."

Heero responded by clutching tight again, touching his lips to Duo's neck, taking a deep breath of his hair. Somehow, the faint trace smells of shampoo calmed his nerves even further. He'd almost stopped noticing the shudders and creaks of the wooden platform. "Duo..." he whispered.

"Hm?"

"Get me down from here... then we'll talk."

Duo nodded, his cheek rubbing against Heero's.

---

'...you seemed to change and you acted strange...'

Though he wasn't Catholic, Heero had rarely felt a greater empathy towards the papal gesture of kissing the ground. Only the last shreds of his dignity prevented him from acting on the impulse. Having climbed down the ladders with Duo just below and just behind him, cradling his climb like that of a child, had been enough of a blow to his self-esteem. It had been Duo's suggestion they go down that way, and Heero had readily agreed. There was something appealing in Duo's winning argument. "If you fall, I'll be right there to plummet to death with ya."

Never mind how he'd felt Duo's eyes drill into the small of his back the entire time - if not a tad lower.

From the base of the tower, Heero scowled towards the top. He should have known better than to follow Duo up there. He did know. He also wanted to get back on the highway as soon as possible. He'd been foolhardy.

He caught sight of the signpost next to the tower. He'd seen similar ones elsewhere; posts marking the distance and directions to several well-known cities; Washington, London, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg... Below these again were more local cities and townships, Amarillo and Oklahoma City among the largest around them. He pulled one corner of his mouth up in a short-lived crooked smirk as he noticed two towns at roughly the same distance away.

Fitting how this place had been tucked midway between Shamrock and Conway.

"Heero?"

He turned to the voice, the grumpy face back with a vengeance.

"You said we'd talk..." Duo cautiously reminded him.

Heero did, all too well. Unfortunately, now that his feet were back on solid ground, the proper words had left him. The mood that instigated them had left him.

Duo's grin gained a touch of sadness. "Are you going to deny anything happened now?"

Heero stiffened up, but he didn't speak.

"We kissed, remember?"

He shifted his attention to the base of a tower pillar.

"You kissed me back, too," Duo added.

Heero slowly gnashed his teeth, recalled the warmth, the traces of taste...

Duo chuckled faint-heartedly. "It was intense."

At this reminder, Heero faced him again, snapping back. "In case you've forgotten already, I was there too. Yeah, I know. We kissed. We kissed good!"

Not grinning anymore, Duo responded in kind. "Then why are we fighting?"

"We're not fighting! We're talking!"

Duo growled. "Arguing, then!"

Heero pressed his lips together. This was not the way to go, that much seemed obvious. He tried to come up with the right words. His mind groped about but found nothing worth it, nothing that couldn't only fuel the bad fire burning.

Duo shared his hesitancy, but broke the silence by sighing, starting a shuffle back down the hill. "Sorry..." he muttered just loud enough for Heero to hear. "Didn't mean to put the straight guy on the spot..."

Heero heard the footsteps, but didn't turn around. He clenched his fists, released them, balled them up again, gritting his teeth all the while. "I think..." he finally said aloud. "I think you've proven I at least have... tendencies."

The footsteps stopped. There was another of those solitary, sad snickers. "Oh yeah? So, what do I have to do to convince you completely?"

Heero opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The loss of words was complete, his mind a blank.

To his utter relief, Duo seemed to understand some questions couldn't be answered so easily. "Hey, Heero... You hungry? Looks like the shops down there are still open."

Heero started to nod. "Sure..." He turned around slowly and followed Duo down the hillside. Twilight was already fading, and green, red and brown shifted steadily towards blue, grey and black.

The monotony of the walk and the relative quiet of the impending night left Heero to at least begin sorting out his emotions. To admit he was attracted to Duo didn't sit quite right with him. On the other hand, he could live with accepting he was fascinated by the young man.

There was also no denying he'd never met a better kisser - unless Trowa had improved in the last scant decade.

He was not about to chance death by Quatre's hand to find out.

---

'...and when things go wrong, dear...'

Heero had half-expected this moment ever since they got back on the road. He'd even tried to prevent it. Granted, at a superficial glance the three shabby fast-food joints looked equally bad, but when you noticed racoons rummaging the garbage of two of them and not the third, it made you wonder. It wasn't that the last place had a decent lock on their overflowing garbage can.

While he hadn't pointed this particular observation out to Duo, he'd insisted Duo's first choice was a bad one. Duo had been stubbornly opposed.

Duo's hot dog came cheap, even with the load of condiments. Too cheap. Heero had wrinkled his nose in disgust, not wanting to even guess at the bacteria count. He'd then studied the crumbling sandwiches he'd gotten from the neighboring establishment and felt even less hungry, nibbling at it for little other reason than keeping Duo company.

The quick meal over, they had left the tourist trap.

Heero had wondered how close to Amarillo they'd get, not if they'd get there that night.

As Duo's face grew steadily more pale, he knew the answer was coming. Duo's breaths were short, and suddenly he put a palm across his mouth. "Pull over..." he mumbled before squeezing his lips shut.

Heero didn't waste time, bringing the car to a halt on the shoulder as smoothly as possible, not wanting to burst Duo's bubble with him still in the car.

At full stop, off went Duo's seat belt. He groped for the door handle and stumbled on out in a hurry, heading towards the nearest shrubs.

Heero closed his eyes and gritted his teeth at the first sound of hurls. At Duo's third heaving he killed the engine, activated the emergency lights, grabbed the keys and stepped out of the car, heading towards Duo.

Once there, he did his best not to look at the remains of the hot dog and its entourage. It had been a sickening enough sight the first time around. As Duo started heaving again, Heero tried to steady him, comfort him by rubbing a palm against his back, keeping his braid from falling into harm's way - or worse, down into the puddle on the ground.

Duo's belly didn't have all that much to get rid off, but the dry hurls kept up for a while. "God..." Duo muttered, before another round started.

Tempted to be an 'I told you so', Heero resisted. There was no reason to add to Duo's aggravation.

Another few minutes passed in the same fashion. Duo gasped for air to chill his abused throat. "Fuck..." he growled before making a final dry heave. Waiting followed. Slowly, he straightened up, legs wobbly enough to make him appreciate Heero supporting him.

"You okay?"

Duo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Better..." he croaked out.

Heero nodded, led him back to towards the car. At the grassy side up against the shoulder, he paused. "Sit here for a moment?"

Duo nodded and let himself be lowered to the curb, feeling as empty of body as of mind. At least the ground stopped spinning when it was this close.

Once he convinced himself Duo could at least sit up straight, Heero went back to the car and grabbed a couple of soda cans from the backseat. They were hardly cold anymore, but they would do for now. He walked back, sat down next to Duo and handed him one of the cans.

Duo looked dubiously at the offering, but after a few seconds of hesitation, he accepted it. It took him some fumbling to pop the cap off, but the flat Coke did wonders at washing away the awful taste in his mouth. A few more chugs, and he felt able to speak again too. "Shouldn't have had that hot dog..."

Heero merely glanced at him from the corner of his eye and took another swig of his own can.

The crickets some distance away got the night to themselves for a while.

Duo turned his can over, shook it twice to confirm it was all empty. "Okay... I'm good to go now, I think..."

"Are you sure?"

While still fairly pale, Duo grinned softly. "Yeah... Nothing left now."

This much, Heero could believe.

"Let's get in the car and head for Amarillo, Heero."

Heero shook his head. "We're not going there tonight. I've followed the roadsigns for a while now. Conway is only a couple of miles away. We'll find a place to stay there."

"But I thought-"

Heero crumpled his own empty can in his palm. "Duo, you've just chucked up all you ate today, which isn't a whole lot. You're not fully recovered, and we could both use a good night's sleep."

Duo shrugged, not inclined to disagree. A warm bed sounded mighty attractive, sleep even more so.

Heero got to his feet, offered his hand. "Come on, I'll help you back to the car."

Duo stared at Heero's hand before pushing himself off the ground. While he got upright, his gait wasn't exactly steady as he stumbled back towards the sedan.

Heero's lips curled towards a smirk as he watched Duo's efforts. By the time Duo was halfway there, he followed.

---

'Maybe I didn't treat you... quite as good as I should have...'

It didn't take them long to find a motel. It did, however, take them some time to find one with the 'vacant' sign still lit. Heero's brows slid a bit tighter at each failure. At their third attempt, they found shelter.

Heero drove as close to the entrance as he could get. For a moment, he was tempted to take one of the spaces reserved for the handicapped. If they questioned him why, he figured he'd show them Duo.

If it wasn't for the fact Duo would probably kill him for pulling such a stunt, he might have done it.

Duo had recovered enough to shuffle into the small lobby on his own, and he was intent on showing it, right up until Heero turned around. "Duo?"

"Hm?"

"There's a payphone over there..."

Duo followed Heero's directing nod. "So?"

"Your promise," Heero coaxed. "You should call your f-" Brief pause. "Call Frank."

Duo glared at him.

Heero didn't show any sign of noticing. Instead, he reached for his wallet and pulled out one of the plastic cards. "This is my phone card," he said, handing it to Duo. "It's almost full. When I get it back, I want it to be empty."

Duo sighed, still angry. "Look, Heero - Frank probably hasn't even noticed-"

"You don't know that," Heero chided him, but regretted it instantly. "Duo... there's a store across the street. If you're a good boy and call your stepfather, I'll get you something for your upset stomach, and maybe something better to drink. How does orange juice sound?"

At first, Duo wanted to object being called a boy - but at Heero's offer he got other things to think about. "Fresh orange juice?" Duo question with suspicion.

Heero smiled. "Is there any other kind?" But this wasn't enough. He could see Duo's hesitancy still. "I'll even throw in a backrub."

Duo stared at him for a moment, but didn't answer.

"You promised," Heero said as a final resort. "Are you the sort of guy that breaks his promises?" Again, he extended the phone card.

Duo glared at the card, at Heero, back at the card. Growling, he snapped the card and trotted off towards the pay phone. "Get us a good room," he called out over his shoulder while he tried not to imagine Heero's triumphant smirk.

Still mumbling a few choice words about his traveling companion, he reached the pay phone. He skimmed the instructions, shoved the card in the right slot and started dialing.

When it rang for the third time, Duo was ready to conclude Frank wasn't home. Not once had he ever heard it reach more than two. In the middle of the fourth, it was answered. "Briggs residence," a deep, weary voice spoke.

"Frank," Duo started. Immediately, he heard something crash to the floor at the other end.

"Duo? Duo, is that you? Where are you? Are you all right?"

Duo was hard pressed to remember a time his stepfather had sounded this agitated. "Yeah, it's Duo... And I'm fine, Frank."

"Thank God..." he heard Frank mumble. "Duo, I've been worried sick about you, kid. Where the hell did you take off to? Why the hell-" Frank's voice cut off, and Duo imagined him gathering his thoughts. Calmer, he continued. "Duo, I'm sorry. About a lot of things. We need to talk, but not like this. Come home, okay?"

Duo didn't answer. He'd never thought Frank would be upset at him being gone. And it'd only been, what, four days?

"Duo? Tell me where you are, and I'll come pick you up. I know you cleaned out my wallet, but there wasn't much money there to start with." He sighed. "You didn't even write a note, damn it! I've never been this scared in my whole life! Did you know you have to wait two hellish days before you can get the police to file someone as missing, much less lift a damn finger to help?! If Helen was still alive-" Again, he cut himself off.

Duo knew why. He'd almost hung up at the mention of his mother. Frank would know this. Their arguments tended to end with one of them fleeing the scene once his mother came up.

"Duo, I'm sorry, I really am. I shouldn't - shouldn't have thrown a tantrum like that when I walked in on you and your... friend," he finally opted. "I was just caught off guard, that's all. I never suspected you were-" Again, he stopped.

Duo waited for his stepfather to say it, but ran out of patience. "Gay, Frank?"

Silence. "...yes."

"Well, I am."

"I... I understand that, Duo. I understand that now, and... I accept that. I'm sorry I blew up on you and your boyfriend. If you... if you give me his name and phone number, I could call him and apologize too. I didn't mean to scare the shit out of him like that."

Duo sighed. "Don't bother... he was only a potential boyfriend..." And Duo didn't believe for a minute Frank's apology would make it any easier to patch up that fledgling relationship. He was doing a poor enough job with this apology.

"Duo, I want you to know I'm proud of you. I know we've fought a lot, but I've always been proud of you. You're my son, Duo. Please come home."

"You're not my father," Duo snapped back, all too eager to lash out, all to eager to embrace his anger and suppress the pressure build-up in his eyes.

It took a long time for Frank to speak again. "Come home, Duo. Please." He paused. "Where did you run off to, anyway? Uncle Brian in Philadelphia?" Brief pause, worry infecting his voice. "Please don't tell me you went to New York. You didn't, did you?"

"No, Frank... Not New York." He tugged at one corner of his mouth. "You could say I made a detour around Boston, though."

"Boston?" Frank questioned. "How did you get-"

"But I'm somewhere in Texas right now," Duo cut in.

A second of silence followed before the outburst. "Texas?! How in blazes did you wind up there?!"

About to answer something about buses and thumbs, Duo paused to reconsider, smiling faintly. "Dumb luck, I guess... Maybe fate."

Again, Frank went silent for a moment. "Duo, have you been drinking? You're not high on something, are you?"

Duo frowned at the very suggestion. "I don't drink, smoke or shoot myself up. You've inspected my room often enough to know that, Frank." It was stretching the truth a bit, but the occasional can of beer was hardly enough to get smashing drunk on.

Frank's voice grew fainter, regretting the questions already. "I'm... sorry, Duo. It's just... I worry about that a lot. Your father is-" He cut himself off. "I worry, that's all," he attempted to correct.

The damage had been done, though. "My father?" He scowled into the keys, slammed his fist against the supporting wall. "Frank, you knew my father? My biological father?" Then, he recalled the tense Frank used. "You mean he's alive?!"

A long pause followed. "...yes," Frank said with great reserve. "He and Helen and I... we knew each other since we were kids."

"Mom knew?! Why didn't you ever-"

"It was her wish, Duo. I-" He sighed. "You're his son. You have the right to know. I argued with Helen about that often, but she insisted, and you know how stubborn your mother could be..."

He knew. He knew who he had inherited that trait from. Maybe. "Does.... he know about me?"

The payphone clicked again, ticking away the money on the card. "Yes," Frank all but whispered.

Duo spread thumb and forefinger of one hand to rub at his temples. "Then how come he never - didn't he want-"

"Duo, come home, and I'll tell you everything - I'll answer all your questions. That's not what Helen would have wanted, but you're almost an adult now. You ought to know about your past - and why we never told you. Duo, I know you don't like me saying this, but you are my son. Please come home."

While he hadn't drunk, Duo was fast developing a killer headache. "Frank... I've got to go."

"Duo! Duo, wait!"

He lingered for a moment, wanting the old man to sweat a bit. "Yeah...?"

Frank sighed, part of relief, part disappointment. "If you don't want to come home just yet, that's fine. Just promise me you'll stay safe."

"Sure, Frank - and call off the missing person thing, would ya? I'm not."

"...alright," came the hesitant answer. "If you call me every day to let me know you're okay."

"Once a week," Duo countered.

"Every other day," his stepfather argued.

Duo sighed. "Look, I'll call again soon. Three days, tops."

Moments of silence followed. "...okay, Duo. I'll be waiting."

For a few seconds, Duo looked at the receiver in his hand. The payphone gave another click, and the card popped back out, all spent. Dial tone set in, but was cut abruptly. Cursing to himself, Duo hung the receiver back up with a tad more force than caution demanded.

---

'He was gone but still his words kept returning...'

Heero had been pleased. While he hadn't gotten the best of impressions of Duo's stepfather through Duo, he didn't feel any parent deserved to be cut off so abruptly. It had taken him some time to reason Duo was biased in the matter. Pushing for a simple phone call was the least he could do.

Part of him was glad Duo had gotten sick. Convincing the stubborn guy would probably have been hopeless if he wasn't already weakened. Of course, that same affliction led him to his current task. He approached the desk clerk with fast, firm steps.

He was met with a haughty look and a slowly rising brow. "Sir...?"

"I'd like a room for the night," He inquired, trying not to show his resentment for the clerk's self-important air. This was hardly the Ritz.

"You're in luck," the man drawled sharply. "We've got one single room left."

Heero frowned then. "Party of two."

The clerk paused with his hand on the key. "Ah, then I'm sorry. Not only is it a room for one, it's also our single remaining room." He eyed Heero carefully. "I take it you're here for the concert, not the medical convention..."

"Concert?"

Again, the brow lifted just enough to be perceptible. "You aren't aware? The Chamber of Commerce in Amarillo decided to host a series of events to boost local businesses. Unfortunately, they managed to double-book this week. The Republicans got their high-profiled medical convention, the Democrats their glamorous rock concert, and the Liberals opted to arrange a flea market." With the faintest of smiles, the desk clerk continued. "I suppose the Liberals chose the most profitable enterprise..." He waved his hand across the empty wall of keys. "Although, you can't say I'm complaining. There's hardly a room left in this part of Texas by now." He faced Heero again. "I'm afraid you are out of luck, sir."

Resisting the urge to punch the fairly innocent man, Heero slowly counted to ten. "I'll take the single room. Do you have a folding bed to spare?"

The clerk rubbed the left end of his pointy moustache. "I suppose we can arrange something... At added cost, of course."

"Of course," Heero growled.

After paying the rent up front and signing in, he got the keys and directions. The desk clerk promised the extra bed would be brought to the room as soon as possible. Heero questioned the truth of that pledge, but not aloud. He didn't want to sleep on the floor, and no matter what Duo said, the car was not an option - especially not tonight.

He considered asking for a bucket too, just in case, but decided not to. Duo had said he was fine. With some pills to stabilize his guts it would probably be alright.

Duo met up with him as he entered the lobby. "Hey..." Duo started dejectedly.

"Hi," Heero answered. "...how did the call go?"

Duo shrugged, not wanting to go into details. "Okay, I suppose..."

Looking at Duo's face, Heero doubted that. He'd done his share of pushing for today, though - and he had more than one promise to go good on, himself. "I got us a room," he said. "Now, it was the only thing left, and-"

"I don't care what it cost," Duo cut in. "I'll pay my share. I just..." he chewed on his lower lip, then made up his mind. Two steps forward, and he embraced Heero, hugging him tight.

Startled by the move, Heero tensed up. He struggled to relax again, even more so to return the hug. The call definitely hadn't gone okay, he reasoned.

Hesitantly, Duo whispered against Heero's ear. "Heero... would you mind if... if we slept together tonight?"

As if the first shock hadn't been enough, Heero froze completely this time.

Duo sensed as much. "I didn't mean-" he mumbled, resting his chin against Heero's shoulder. "Just sleep, Heero. Nothing else. Just... sleep. Would you-"

"Okay," Heero quickly stated, gulping. "Okay..."

"Thanks..." Duo all but breathed out, clinging to him for a while longer.

"Duo... The room," Heero croaked out, his throat all dry.

He figured he'd get enough fresh orange juice for himself, too.

---

'To have, to have, to hold, to hold tonight...'

For once, Heero considered himself in luck. The store across the street sported not only antacids, plastic cups, orange juice and a bit of ripe fruit. Remarkably enough, there were still a few day-fresh pastries left, despite the late hour. Duo accepted his share of it all with enthusiasm - but insisted on paying for it. Heero put up a mock resistance, but gave in quickly enough.

The folding bed was even delivered in a timely fashion - and while Duo was in the bathroom brushing his teeth for the third time that night. Heero did his best to tuck it away under the single bed in their small room. It seemed the easiest way to avoid complications - either with Duo or with the hotel staff. He made a mental note to rig it up again tomorrow before returning the key. Hopefully there would be no judging looks, much less questions.

Duo had recovered admirably - and with at least some fresh contents in his belly, his stomach gave up complaining. Perhaps it would be possible to sleep tonight, after all.

Heero sat down at the bed and pulled off his socks. He reached for his collar and got to work on the buttons. Wrists loosened and half the shirt unbuttoned, he glanced at the pile of clothes at the other end of the bed. Pants, socks and a T-shirt were all bunched up there, crowned with a pair of boxers. He looked at the door to the bathroom again and heard Duo gurgle. His gulped as his heartbeat increased a fraction.

Trying not to think too much, Heero took off his shirt and folded it together with great care. It was with some hesitation he stood up to remove his slacks. In a similar manner, he put them away with his shirt and socks, at a safe distance from Duo's pile. The faucet was turned off. Heero glared at the bed, as if accusing it of not being wide enough.

Still, he'd agreed to Duo's request - not that he hadn't had uneasy second thoughts since then.

And quite a few other thoughts as well.

Frowning as much at the bed as at himself, he flipped the covers aside and slid in under them, leaving one short corner flap open. He ground his head against the pillow and struggled to find a comfortable position - given that he'd have only half the bed for himself. Briefly, Heero considered rolling over on his side and face the wall, but as this would expose his rear to someone he didn't quite yet trust enough not to take advantage of it, he decided against it.

Having his back against the wall didn't feel right, either.

Heero closed his eyes just as the door to the bathroom swung open. Through slitted eyes, he saw Duo's full figure walking closer. He swallowed again and mocked sleep. He didn't fool anybody, but Duo didn't bother pointing it out.

Instead, Duo stood there for a moment, studying Heero's face and overall tense posture. Tentatively, he reached out and grazed the back of a finger against Heero's cheek. The slight twitch around Heero's eye betrayed him. Duo smiled nervously to himself. Perhaps this wasn't the best of ideas, after all.

Then, Heero's eyes opened, met Duo's. His smile matched Duo's as he grabbed the covers and opened a much larger gap in invitation. "Get in already."

Duo hesitated as he glanced down the side of Heero's body, right from his left foot to his head and back again. Of what was out of the bedclothes, only a band at the hip remained dressed. He already knew Heero wore briefs, but he'd never thought a strip of gray could be that teasing.

It dawned on him he wasn't the only one looking. For some reason, Heero also focused on the only thing that was still worn. Feeling oddly self-conscious, Duo clutched the dogtags in his palm, swallowed again. Still, he'd asked for this, and the floor didn't really have that much appeal.

So he put a knee at the bed, lingered there.

When Heero touched his ankle, he nearly jolted. "If you don't want to, I can-"

Duo shook his head, took one quick breath and laid down next to Heero, barely fitting within the bed. He tried to find a comfortable position, but failed. "This isn't working," he started. As he caught Heero's bewildered look, he continued, pushing up from the bed. "You put your arm under me, and I'll roll over on my side. Best way to avoid crushing our arms, don't you think?"

Heero thought it over, nodded slowly. He extended his right arm. Duo scooted down a bit before turning to rest his body against Heero's side, one leg sliding in over Heero's. He moved one arm in across Heero's chest and rested his palm on Heero's left shoulder. At least the blankets covered them both now.

Duo felt Heero tense up again. He put his cheek against Heero's right shoulder, fingertips making a circle against the left. "...only because I want to," he muttered. "Not because I owe you anything. Got that?"

Heero dared smile again, if timidly. He brought his right arm up to take a cautious hold of Duo's body, taking great care not to tickle his side by accident. "Got it..." he mumbled back. "I'm not expecting anything beyond... this."

Duo started grinning, touched his lips to Heero's skin. "Now, don't you go say that..." He scooted up a bit, rubbed his leg against Heero's, his thigh grazing gray cotton. He pushed up from the bed to look in on Heero's face again. "It would be kinda sad if you weren't hoping for something to happen... eventually..."

Heero's smile had faded away, but there was a tingle raging from his fingertips to his toes, anticipation as Duo leaned closer. He tilted his head to match Duo as he closed his eyes, parted his lips just so before they met Duo's.

They kissed.

For how long, he could not tell afterwards. He vaguely recalled pauses for breath and silly, short snickers, the touch of Duo against his skin, not only through his hands.

But it didn't move beyond that. At some indeterminable point, Duo must have felt enough was enough. They'd settled down again as before, Duo using Heero's chest for a pillow, hair tickling Heero's chin and throat, warm breaths against his skin.

There was no denying their make-out session had had side-effects, too. One threatened to escape the field of cotton, the other pressed against Heero's thigh.

Duo stirred again, came to rest. "Heero..." he mumbled, already halfway asleep. "I jus' want to say sorry in advance..."

"For what?" Heero asked back, his fingers playing with a few stray strands from Duo's head.

"If I make a mess on the sheets tonight... Or on you..." He smiled. "I think I'm gonna have a good dream..."

Heero's fingers paused, and he struggled not to resemble hardened steel all over. It took a long time before he spoke again. "Duo...?" he whispered into the dark room. There was no immediate answer. "Duo?" he repeated.

The snore was much fainter than two nights prior, but so much closer.

He smiled as he fought down a laugh, not wanting to disturb his bedmate.

It took a long time before his mind finally settled down enough to sleep, perchance to dream. The naked gay guy halfway draped across him saw to that.

But strangely enough, he didn't think he'd have wanted it any other way.

-End Part #3-

Part #4