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"The Green Door "Written By: Clara Barton Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. The following
is an intellectual exercise with no intention of profit. That said,
these characterizations, words, and situations are mine. Please ask
before reprinting. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: language, sex Pairings: 2x5, 3x5, 2x3x5, Rx1, MxH Summary: Duo visits an adult novelty store for the first time. A/N: So, decided to write a sequel to this. I’ve
had a few people ask and, well, the mood struck me. "The Green Door "
Chapter Three Wufei arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early, a little proud of himself for not being late. He valued punctuality, but he wasn't always the best at it. There always seemed to be one more thing that he had to do before he could get to where he needed to go. Of course, it was would just his luck, and karmic retribution, if Duo turned out to be fifteen minutes late or something. Fully expecting to be waiting for at least twenty minutes, Wufei walked into the restaurant and was surprised to see Duo, who he recognized instantly, sitting at the bar, a rocks glass filled with something clear and colorless in front of him. Duo looked up when the door opened, clearly mid-bite on an ice cube, and despite the classical Baroque musical playing at a soft volume in the restaurant, Wufei distinctly heard the crunch of Duo's molars obliterating the cube. The man had his hair loose tonight, falling just past his shoulders in a cascade of rich chestnut that Wufei found himself very eager to touch. To pull. That wasn't the only enticing thing about him. He was dressed in solid black - black jeans, black boots and a black button-up shirt, the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to reveal tanned forearms and a tattoo on his right arm that Wufei couldn't quite make out. Duo grinned, the expression slow and warm as it spread across his face, and it felt only natural to smile back at him. Wufei waited while the other man got off his bar stool, pulled out his wallet, and paid for his drink before tossing it back in one go and then approaching Wufei. "Hey," Duo said, still grinning. "It's good to see you again," Wufei said, meaning it. Duo's grin grew. "Yeah? It's good to see you, too. You look nice." Duo's blue gaze raked over him, an appreciative gleam in his eyes as he took in Wufei's trim physique, the fitted, shawl-collared violet sweater he wore, and the dark wash jeans that were tight enough to draw attention to his thighs and ass. "So do you," Wufei assured him, and Duo's lips twitched. He shrugged one shoulder, but instead of demurring, he gestured towards the hostess not-so patiently waiting for them to get over their awkward first date dialogue. "Reservations for Maxwell," Duo said. The woman nodded. "Of course. Right this way." She gathered two sets of menus, separate sushi menus, and then gestured for them to follow her into the restaurant. It was fairly full at this time on a Saturday night, and they were led to a table near the back so small that their knees bumped together under the table. Duo grinned at that. "Playing footsie on the first date?" Duo teased. "You move fast." Wufei chuckled and rolled his eyes. He was a little surprised - Duo had seemed very nervous on the phone the other night, and he had been similarly anxious at the store all those weeks ago. What was it he had said? I used to be pretty good at this, or, well, I didn't used to suck this much. Apparently, there was some merit to those words. Their waiter arrived to take their drink orders - waters and two bottles of coedo shiro - before leaving them to peruse the menus. "We usually just-" Duo started, and then instantly stopped, scowling down at the menu. "What?" Wufei prompted him. "Nothing. Sorry." Duo shook his head. "I was just being an idiot. Um. Anyway." Duo shot him a rueful smile. "Are you one of those people who likes to share a bunch of sushi, or do you prefer to do your own thing?" Wufei frowned, still wondering what Duo had been about to say, wondering why he was an idiot, but then he put it together. Duo had been about to comment on what he had done with his ex - had likely been about to say that he and the nebulous other used to share different sushi orders. Wufei shrugged. "I've done it both ways. Which do you prefer?" The question took Duo a little aback. "I… You know, I've always wanted to try the Uni Flight - all the different sea urchin things? But my ex was never a fan and…" Duo trailed off with a sigh. "I'm sorry." Wufei shrugged again. "You don't need to apologize. I know you broke up recently, and that you dated your ex for a long time. I'm sure you've spent a lot of time recently figuring out how to untangle your lives. I would hate for you to think you can't talk about it." Duo gave him a look. "Yeah, that's exactly what I've been doing. But you don't want to hear about that - not on a date, for fuck's sake, and-" "Get the Uni Flight. I was thinking about the Nigiri Flight myself. So this works out perfectly." The waiter returned with their drinks, depositing a bowl of steamed edamame between them before taking their orders and promising to check on them again soon. Duo reached for one slender green bean eagerly, fingers fiddling with it, making no attempt to eat it. Wufei eat three of the things while Duo sat there in silence. "You already know what I do for a living," Wufei said. "What do you do?" "Oh." Duo finally ate the piece of edamame in his hands and then discarded the shell. "I work at the library over on Hamilton." "You're a librarian?" Wufei couldn't help but smirk at the very notion of him dating a librarian. Trowa was going to lose it when Wufei told him. Meilan, if she ever found out, would never let him live it down. Duo arched an eyebrow. "You say that like you don't believe me?" "No, no - I saw you read the care instructions on the back of your… purchase. I know you can read. You just aren't what I picture when I think of librarians." Duo snorted. "It takes a little more than mere reading comprehension - and I left my glasses and cardigan at work. We rotate them out, you know." "That makes sense. Cost efficient, too," Wufei nodded. Duo grinned. "Yeah, but Alex is like eight inches taller and forty pounds heavier than me, so he always stretches it out." Wufei chuckled, and passed Duo another piece of edamame. Their fingers brushed as Duo took it, eyes sparkling as he munched on it. "I've read a few books," Wufei said, and Duo's lips twitched. "Have you? I'm impressed. For work or recreationally?" Wufei smirked, sliding the empty shell from between his lips slowly and sensually before depositing it in the discard bowl. Duo's eyes were glued to his mouth. "My work is mostly geared towards recreation," he pointed out, and then leaned forward and pitched his voice lower. "But I do read things that aren't entirely devoted to sex." "Not entirely, huh?" Wufei decided that, as endearing as nervous Duo was, this Duo - flirting back, a wicked curve to his full lips and his blue eyes dancing between blue and violet - was every bit, if not more alluring. "Hm. Some of the books don't even have pictures. Just words." Duo's eyes widened comically. "Wow. I am impressed." Duo was the one to hold out edamame to Wufei this time, and their eyes held as they made the exchange, as Wufei's fingers stroked over Duo's before taking it. Duo sat back in his chair and took a sip of his beer, letting the atmosphere between them simmer. "What genre do you go for? Sorry. I was going to let it go and say something flirty instead, but you piqued my interest, and I am a book nerd." Wufei chuckled, and Duo joined him, a little rueful, and Wufei appreciated that Duo's humor had a bit of self-deprecation to it. "Mostly science fiction, some history. I just finished Kim Stanley Robinson's new book - 2140?" Duo nodded and sat up a bit straighter in his seat, eyes taking on an entirely different kind of gleam. "Yeah, it was great, huh? The guy's brilliant - I've been a fan of his ever since I stole my brother's copy of Red Mars back when I was in like fifth grade." "Red Mars? I've only read this one, and The Years of Rice and Salt." "Yeah - it's the first of a trilogy. Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars. It's about terraforming Mars, and they are- they're dense. Like 2140, but so spectacular and worth the investment." "I'll have to add them to my list." Wufei said. Duo's enthusiasm was infectious, and they spent the next several minutes sharing their favorite books, complaining about terrible film adaptations, and then, as their food was set down in front of them, Duo drew in a deep breath and then released it in a sigh. Wufei arched an eyebrow at him as Duo pointed his chopsticks at Wufei. "Okay. I was going to save this for the second date, but I can't. I gotta know right now." It was on the tip of his tongue to tease Duo for his confidence about a second date, but he imagined that Duo probably wouldn't react all that well to that kind of dig. "Alright," Wufei gave a sigh of his own, " Michael Keaton was the best Batman." Duo stared at him and then laughed, the sound bright and warm, rich in a way that made Wufei want to hear him laugh again. Preferably when they were naked and Wufei could feel the sound. "Okay, well, that was definitely getting saved for date number two, but I'm relieved we're on the same page there." Duo leaned forward. "Star Wars?" "If I told you I liked The Phantom Menace, what would you do?" "I'd ask for the check immediately," Duo responded. "Hm. Then it's a good thing I pretend the prequels don't exist." "Only way to keep yourself sane," Duo agreed with a sage nod. Wufei smirked. "If you'd asked me that question five years ago, my answer would have been Empire." Duo nodded in agreement. "But now?" "Rogue One," Wufei shrugged. Duo's smile was broad, and Wufei couldn't help but feel a little dazzled. The man even had a dimple. It was on the opposite side of his mouth than Trowa's dimple was - not that the man ever smiled enough for Wufei to really see it. And that was a realization that was going to inspire a lot of late-night fantasies, Wufei was sure. "Same," Duo agreed. "So fucking same. I was blown away by it. I still- I think I'm still processing it two years later." Wufei nodded in complete agreement. They ate their meals in relative silence, punctuated by a handful of other pop-culture temperature checks that had them aligned on almost everything. Duo, despite showing general good taste, actually enjoyed the new Batman franchise. Wufei refused to acknowledge any fault in the Avengers films. They finished their meals and negotiated a split of the check - Duo insisting he pay, and then scoffing when Wufei suggested that he should pay - and then walked out of the restaurant together. There was a slight chill in the evening air, and Duo rolled the sleeves of his shirt down as they walked down the sidewalk together, shoulders bumping, towards the public parking lot near the park downtown. "This was nice," Duo said as they neared the rows of cars. "It was," Wufei agreed, and then, because he was curious and had a hard time not being blunt, he added a question. "Was this your first date since you broke up?" Duo shrugged, and then nodded. "Yeah. I mean. I did the whole thing where I took the train to Philly and did the drunken hook-up thing a few times. Cleanse the palate or whatever - but this is the first date date I've been on." "Cleanse the palate? How did that work?" Duo snorted. "Not all that well. I actually said his name while this other guy was fucking me. That went over like a ton of bricks." "I can only imagine," Wufei agreed, sympathetic. He had never been with one person for more than a few months, preferring instead to keep his relationships casual, and very open. But Duo had been with the same person for two years, and while Wufei didn't know the details of their relationship beyond that, not really, he could imagine it was difficult to move on. They came to a stop beside Wufei's car. "Where are you parked?" he asked Duo. "Oh, I walked. I just live a few blocks away," Duo made a vague gesture in the same direction as the library where he apparently worked. "Don't tell me you live beside the library?" Duo ducked his head. "No. I live across the street." Wufei, who drove down Hamilton sometimes to avoid the traffic on Main Street, tried to picture the house across from the library. It was a Craftsman bungalow, he thought, covered in cedar shake shingles stained a rich, dark brown. "Want a ride home?" he offered. Duo looked at him, considering. "Yeah," he finally said. "That would be nice." The ride was tense, the silence between them thick with anticipation. Duo restlessly drummed his fingers on his own thighs, eyes fixed on the window to his side. It was also, thankfully, a quick ride. Wufei parked in the driveway, behind a beat-up Subaru SUV. He got out of the car as Duo fiddled with the door handle on his side, and Wufei was glad that he had been right about the house - it was a Craftsman bungalow. He had never stopped to look at it closely, however, and now that he was only feet away from the expansive front porch, he could see the details of a home well cared for. The trim was painted a bright teal, the color standing out even in the dark of night. The door and windows looked original, or at least like they were replicas of the original, hundred-year-old plus house. There was a wooden porch swing, covered with pillows, and a welcome mat in front of the door. It looked far more like a home than Wufei's apartment, and he wondered at that, remembering what Duo had said about having to find a new place to live. This place didn't look like the home of a newly-dumped man. Duo came up to stand beside him, arching an eyebrow at Wufei's inspection of his home. "It's a nice place," Wufei finally said. Duo nodded. "Yeah. I've always loved this place, but-" Duo paused and sighed. "Anyway, it went on the market like… five weeks ago? The owners wanted to move down to Florida full-time, and I knew them, and I… Basically, I begged them to let me buy it. I sent them a letter - like, hand-delivered the damn thing with a plate of cookies - and told them how much I wanted to take care of this house, how much I loved seeing the changing seasons through the shake shingles and- Anyway. I closed on it two weeks ago, and just finished moving all of my crap in two days ago. I wanted to get settled, you know?" Wufei could understand the sentiment, even if the idea of buying a house after breaking up with a partner of at least two years seemed like a horrifying rebound move to him. Then again, buying a house at all seemed like the kind of investment and commitment that Wufei feared most. "So…" Duo shoved his hands into his front pockets and rocked on his heels. "I had a really great time tonight. And I really appreciate you just kind of… letting me stumble my way through this date." "You didn't stumble." Duo snorted. "Yeah, I stumbled. A lot." He looked over at Wufei. Wufei shrugged, seeing no reason to argue the point. Instead, he reached out one hand. After a moment, Duo pulled his right hand free of his pocket and slid it into Wufei's. He laced their fingers together and gently tugged Duo forward, until there were only a few inches separating them. "I had a really great time tonight, too," Wufei told him. Duo's lips tilted up, and he leaned closer, nudging his nose against Wufei's. "Good," Duo said, and then closed the remaining space between them. Wufei had expected the kiss to be tentative, but Duo's mouth against his own felt sure and confident, lips still curved upwards, pressing forward just enough to make Wufei shiver and want more. The kiss ended, and Wufei savored the lingering heat of Duo's lips as he pulled away. "So, about that second date," Duo said. "What about it?" Wufei asked, staring at Duo's mouth and wishing the other man would kiss him again. "The Dark Room is showing Contact next Friday and Saturday." Wufei shook his head. He had already promised Trowa that he would come see his band perform on Saturday, and Wufei had to work the closing shift at The Green Door on Friday. "I'm busy," he apologized, and then paused. "But I do have Contact on Blu-Ray." "Yeah? I happen to have a coffee table that is the perfect size for a pizza box." Wufei chuckled. "What night are you free?" Duo asked, leaning back in and pressing another kiss to the corner of Wufei's mouth. Wufei turned his head, capturing Duo's lips. Their hands shifted, Duo's wrapping around Wufei's waist, Wufei's finally getting a chance to bury themselves in Duo's hair, and the kiss deepened. Duo's tongue teased along Wufei's lips, parting them, and Wufei couldn't help but make a sound of contentment as their tongues met, as Duo mapped his mouth, as his fingers stroked along Wufei's spine, as Wufei's skin seemed to tingle with awareness. "Well?" Duo prompted when they broke for air. "Well what?" Wufei repeated, confused. Duo grinned. "What night are you free?" Wufei felt himself blush, and that was a rare enough sensation that he almost stumbled over his next words. "Tuesday and Wednesday." Duo nodded. "I'm hosting a resume workshop at the library on Wednesday night, but on Tuesday, we close at seven. I can be home by 7:01. 7:02 at the latest." Wufei snorted a laugh at that, looking at the brick building across the street that housed the library. "That sounds good. I can bring the movie and… beer?" he offered. Duo nodded. "That sounds perfect." One last, quick kiss, a tantalizing flick of tongue and a surge of heat, and then Duo stepped out of Wufei's embrace. "See you soon," Duo said. Wufei could only nod. Not, Wufei thought ruefully as he got into his car and drove away, soon enough. -o- |
