Title: Depending on the Weather
Author: c.d.f.
Rating: R
Warnings: Language, Nudity, Innuendo
Word Count: 2555
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of its characters.

Summary: Anything Duo does, he does for his own reasons.

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It began on a rainy night in August. A terrible storm raged outside the window, and Heero kept the local weather station on the television, muted of course, as he read. Unexpectedly there was a knock at his door, and Heero, being the pragmatic sort, put his book down on the coffee table before reaching under the cushions of his couch for a handgun. He thumbed the hammer back quietly and crept to the doorway. He looked through the peephole, but found it obstructed by something. He took a deep breath and wrapped his fist around the handle, tearing the door open and leveling his gun at the forehead of the man outside.

"I see you haven't lost your edge."

Heero's jaw dropped, and his gun almost went with it.

Duo grinned, his right arm outstretched to keep his revolver pointed directly between Heero's eyes. He was soaked head to toe, making a puddle on the hallway carpet where he stood. The long-haired man eased the hammer of his gun down and slipped it back in the pocket of his coat.

Heero lowered his gun as well, clicking on the safety. "Practicality," he said.

Duo nodded. "Practicality." He tugged the strap of a duffel bag, shifting it on his shoulder. "Don't suppose I could come in? This thing's getting pretty damn heavy."

Heero took a step back, then turned around and brought Duo a towel from the bathroom. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Duo eased the door shut behind himself and let his duffel hit the floor, its contents clanging together conspicuously. "Fucking airport shut down. Didn't have any cash on me for a hotel so I thought, 'Who do I know in town?' Wouldn't you know, your name was the only one on the list." He took the towel as it was thrown to him, draping it over his head and soaking up water out of his hair. "Weren't any cabs left so I had to walk in this fucking weather."

"You walked? Christ, Duo there are tornadoes out there."

"Two miles away," Duo said with a dismissive wave. "'Sides, I've faced worse and lived to tell about it." He tugged his trenchcoat off and hung it up, then bent down to unlace his boots. "Anyway, is this how you greet an old friend after four years?"

"I let you in, didn't I?" Heero sat on the arm of his couch and watched as Duo precariously balanced on one foot and yanked the boot from the other.

"Yeah, you let me in. You're also still holding your gun."

Heero tapped the barrel of his 9mm SIG against his thigh. "And you seem to think I shouldn't be."

Duo froze for a moment, then laughed so hard he nearly lost his balance and fell over. "Oh, sweet Jesus in a cornfield, Heero," he said, dropping his second boot on the floor along with his socks. "You haven't changed at all, have you." Duo straightened up and tugged the towel off his head.

Heero gave Duo one more top-to-bottom glance and sat down on the couch. "You can throw your wet clothes in the bathtub," he said. He put his gun down on a cushion and picked his book up again.

Duo gave a casual salute. "Much obliged." He picked up his duffel bag and headed toward the back of Heero's apartment, where he disappeared into the bathroom for several minutes.

Heero didn't look up from his book when Duo came back and sat across from him on the couch. Duo had changed into a dry pair of jeans and a clean white t-shirt, and carried a laptop with him that he booted up immediately.

"You have Wi-Fi?" Duo asked.

"Yeah. Need the encryption key?"

Duo clicked his mouse a couple times and entered a few keystrokes. "Already got it, thanks." He glanced Heero's way and smiled at the look of annoyance he got. "You really surprised?"

"Not really." Heero turned his eyes back on his book.

"You had to know I'd be able to hack it."

"That wasn't the point. I was trying to be polite."

"Politeness makes my dick soft."

Heero stopped reading and had to restart the paragraph. "How soft your dick is really isn't my concern. Being polite now and then can be gratifying."

"Soft," Duo repeated, scanning through his email. He looked up suddenly. "Unless... unless this is the first time you've ever had a house guest, and so the first time you've ever had the chance to play the 'polite host'."

Heero set his jaw and read, goddamnit.

Duo bit into his bottom lip and politely refrained from laughing. "Fucking great," he mumbled.

"You know, if you need some money to stay at a hotel, I can give you some," Heero said. In his mind he was kicking himself for not suggesting it while Duo was still outside his front door.

Duo waved his hand, though his smile did fade away. "Thanks, but I don't take what I'm not owed. 'Sides, every hotel in town is probably full because of the storm."

There was a rumble of thunder that shook the apartment and made the electricity flicker off and on.

"Speak of the fucker..."

There was half an hour of silence that followed, Heero reading and Duo surfing on his laptop, each content to leave the other alone. Even the woman on the television was kept muted, her arms waving this way and that as she displayed the progression of the storm.

Duo clicked the power button on his laptop and shut the lid. He stretched his arms over his head, letting out a soft groan as he arched his back. "So am I sleeping on the floor?"

Heero snorted and grinned just a bit. "Spare bedroom is the first one on the left. You're welcome to it." He looked up from his book. "Unless you'd prefer the floor."

Duo shook his head and stood up. "Not especially." He took his laptop and grabbed his duffel bag from the hallway. "Mind if I take a shower before I turn in?"

"Be my guest," Heero said. He listened to Duo walk down the hall and drop his bag in the empty bedroom, then walk back to the bathroom and close the door. He heard the shower run, and then focused his attentions on his book again.

Twenty minutes passed. Heero had sprawled his long legs out on the couch, leaning back against the arm rest comfortably. Suddenly a hand came from above and plucked the book from his fingers. Heero turned, but was pushed back into place so Duo could crawl on top of him.

Duo slid into Heero's lap, straddling the man's sides. He was fresh from his shower, dry but still naked, with his hair twisted up in a towel on his head. None of this escaped Heero's attention, but he still reached for his book, the color of his cheeks darkening.

Duo held the book out of reach, shut it, and tossed it on the coffee table. "I'm sure you know what page you were on," he said. He slid down Heero's body, lying on top of him, and pressed his face against the man's throat.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked. He didn't move to remove Duo. He didn't move at all, other than looking off to the side, away from the naked body draped over his own.

"I thought you might like some company after all these years alone." Duo wrapped his arms around Heero's waist, laying otherwise still.

"That's the real reason you're here, isn't it? You were lonely." The words came out more accusing than Heero meant.

Duo moved his head back to rest on Heero's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "Still don't miss a thing. It's like I said, Heero. You haven't changed."

Heero sighed quietly. "I'm sorry, Duo. I'm not interested in that kind of company."

Duo slid away from Heero and sat up on the other end of the couch. He tugged the towel from his head and combed his fingers through long strands of damp hair. "Guess I'll be heading to bed, then." He stood and walked toward the hallway.

"Duo."

Duo stopped.

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you want. That bedroom isn't being used otherwise."

A small grin curved on Duo's face. "Practicality. Always admired that about you, Heero. But I think I'll be moving on tomorrow, depending on the weather." He waved over his shoulder and walked down the hall to the spare bedroom, closing the door quietly behind himself.

The storm passed that night, and the dawn rose to a clear and beautiful day, a testament to the planet's bipolar nature. But Duo didn't leave. And Heero didn't question it.

Every now and then, seemingly at random, Duo would repeat that first night's performance. He'd come to the living room naked, fresh from a shower, pluck away whatever book or magazine or newspaper Heero was reading, and lay on top of the other man. Every time, Heero would look away, blush a bit, and say he wasn't interested. Then Duo would go to bed, always saying he'd leave the next day, depending on the weather.

Weeks stretched to months, and soon it was December. Duo supported Heero up the stairs to the apartment, having driven the man home after a holiday office party. Heero could not drive himself, and for that matter could not walk very well without support, being completely drunk off his proverbial ass.

"Twelve ladies-lords-ladies... what was it again?" Heero slurred.

"Twelve lords a-leaping," Duo filled in, digging in his pocket for the door key.

"Twelve lords a-sleeping, eleven ladies prancing, ten swans... ten..."

"Ten more seconds and I'm going to strangle you," Duo mumbled, getting the door open and the both of them inside. He hauled Heero to his bedroom and set him down on the bed. "There you go, you poor drunken bastard. Have fun sleeping that off, and I'll see your hang-over in the morning." Duo turned to leave, but Heero grabbed his wrist. "Okay, Heero. This is your bed. I'm gonna go sleep in mine, so could you let go?" He tugged a few times, but found Heero's grip to be unyielding.

"C'mere," Heero said. He smiled as Duo tried to pull away. "I said, come 'ere!" Heero pulled hard, even stronger drunk than in sobriety, it seemed. He yanked Duo into bed on top of himself and started tugging on Duo's clothing.

"Heero. Heero!" Duo tried to get the drunken man under control, but found him quite evasive. "What are you doing?"

"I want you to fuck me. You wanna fu-urp... ugh, fuck me right?" Heero tugged Duo's shirt open, popping off a couple buttons.

"Gah! Son of a bitch, hold still!" Duo managed to pin Heero's arms down on the bed at last, holding them there. "Stop it. Just fucking stop."

Heero began laughing hysterically, panting for breath between bouts of giggling. "Fucking! Stop!"

Duo gritted his teeth and waited it out. Heero stopped laughing at last and passed out, and Duo let out a sigh of relief. "The shit I have to put up with... I just bought this shirt for your goddamn party." He crawled off the bed and stripped Heero out of his slacks and dress shirt, leaving the man in his boxers and tank top when he tucked him under the covers.

Duo shut off the bedroom lights and closed the door, heading back to the spare room. He tugged off his tie, then his torn shirt and slacks. He flopped into bed and stared at the ceiling for a while, he didn't keep track of how long, just long enough for his erection to fade. Did he want to fuck Heero Yuy? He'd quite literally kill someone for the chance, and do so with a smile. But that man laying in Heero's bed, that wasn't Heero Yuy. Not to Duo. That was just some drunken apparition. He didn't move like Heero, didn't sound like Heero, or even smell like Heero for that matter. Better to go to bed alone than have a one-night stand with a stranger.

When Heero woke up and painfully stumbled out of his room the next day, he didn't remember how he'd gotten home the previous night, let alone what had happened once he was home and in bed. Duo decided it was in both their interests not to bring the incident up. Instead, he brewed up a God-awful concoction that stunk up the entire kitchen, and then he forced Heero to drink it. Whatever it was, it settled Heero's stomach and eased his headache to a bearable pounding.

Heero spent most of the day sleeping on the couch. Duo took the precaution to unplug all the telephones, lest someone call and wake Heero up.

When Heero did get up, the sun had set and Duo was gone. He found a note telling him that Duo had gone to get them a pizza, and that the coffee machine was already loaded with a filter and grounds. Heero switched the brewer on and leaned against the kitchen counter, watching as sweet brown liquid started to drip down into the pot.

Duo came back half-way through Heero's second cup, a slice already in his hand as he chewed and closed the front door. "Half pepperoni, half mushroom," he said, setting the pizza box on the kitchen table. "Though the guy who cuts the slices really needs to pay more attention. There are a couple slices that have both."

Heero shrugged and set his mug down. "I don't mind pepperoni."

"Yeah, but I hate mushrooms."

"More for me then." Heero grinned and took a slice for himself. "Thanks."

Duo shrugged. "Don't mention it." He turned toward the living room.

"Duo."

Duo stopped. Seconds of silence went by before he looked back. "Were you going to say something?"

"Yes, but it's complicated."

Duo turned to face Heero and leaned against the doorway. "Make it simple."

"It's hard to do that without sounding offensive."

"Offensive I can take. Complicated bores me."

"All right." Heero put his slice down on the pizza box and walked up to Duo, looking him in the eye. "Last night, I was drunk. Very, regrettably drunk. And while I don't remember a lot, I do know I was pretty pliable by the end."

Duo bit back a snide comment. "And?"

"And as far as I can tell, you didn't take advantage of that. For four months I've been thinking that you want to have sex with me, and then when you had your chance, you didn't take it."

"Are you thanking me or accusing me of hiding the evidence?"

"I'm saying you surprise me. I'm saying maybe I haven't given you enough credit. And I'm sorry."

Duo's knees felt like they were slowly melting. "Don't put too much faith in me, pal," he said, a Cheshire cat smile reflecting in Heero's eyes. "I might just surprise you again and turn out to be a self-serving bastard after all." Duo took another bite of pizza and went to the living room, kicking up his feet and turning on the television.

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[end]

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