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"Stuck in the Closet with You "Written By: Fancy Figures Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, wish I did, just
enjoy writing about 'em for free etc Pairing: 1x2 Warnings: yaoi, oneshot, humour Rating: NC 17 Summary: written for adaina's prompt - How about
a 1=2 get together fic where the other pilots lock Heero and Duo in
a closet to force them to communicate? "Stuck in the Closet with You "
"It's been an hour," Duo complained. He sat hunched up in a corner of the room, his knees drawn up to his chest. He hugged the mop as if it were a long-lost brother, and he'd stopped combing the cobwebs out of his hair as a lost cause. "It's been much longer than that," Heero replied, shortly. "You have a very poor sense of time.” He was hunched in the other corner, in a similar pose. He had an old blanket folded up in the small of his back, trying to get more comfortable, and he plucked absentmindedly at some electric cable which kept wrapping itself around his knees. It uncurled itself, then sprang back, tangling itself around him with renewed vigour. Duo frowned. They were both used to the darkness now, picking out the familiar expressions on each other's face. “I know the time when I need to. This is time wasted; down time; dead time.” Heero knew he was thinking that very thing, but it was a novelty to hear Duo Maxwell agree with him. “It’s another few hours until the maintenance shift changes, so I doubt anyone will be down here before then. Of course, the Commander is likely to discover my absence before then.” “Keeps your whereabouts in her diary, does she?” murmured Duo. Heero knew he flushed. Damned man had a way of talking that really got under his skin… “I had a meeting scheduled with her, and I’ll be late for that. I’m never late, even though you always are.” Duo stirred. He felt unaccountably depressed, and it wasn’t only from the residual cleaning fluid fumes in the tiny room. Heero’s tone hadn’t been malicious, just dismissive. That was what he thought of Duo Maxwell. Not that Duo Maxwell was bright, good-looking, excellent company and made a damned good chocolate chip muffin. That he’d like to know more about him personally; date him; hug him; get all hot and naked with him… Duo cleared his throat. No – all Heero thought of him was that he was always late. “I think the least you can be is civil. I’m not always late. Implies I don’t care about the job.” Heero grimaced. “That’s the impression you give.” Duo could feel the anger curling around his throat, tightening it. “Damned wrong, Yuy. Maybe that’s the impression you want to see. I care a hell of a lot about my job.” Heero heard the passion in Duo’s tone, and despite himself, he was impressed. Obviously Duo wouldn’t have got as far as he had unless he had both skill and commitment. Heero had taken the alternative route of reliability and calm expertise, but he knew that there were other attitudes to life that he didn’t always understand. Duo was sometimes like an alien to him – his vibrant voice jarred with Heero’s quiet thoughts; his laughter interrupted Heero’s dedicated work; his lithe body invaded Heero’s personal space, time and again and again… Heero discreetly loosened the top button of his jacket And if the man cared so much, why did he act in completely the opposite manner? “You’re careless, Maxwell. Your behaviour in the office is inappropriate – you’re too informal. And yes, you are always late. Everyone knows it.” “Everyone?” Duo was scowling. This had just gone an insult too far - way too far. Maybe he ought to keep his mouth shut, but, hey - maybe not. “That’s all you know, Yuy.” Heero peered at him. “What do you mean? Only last week, you stumbled in half way through that lecture I was giving on the relative merits of chemical warfare in the context of interplanetary hostilities. You disturbed everyone.” Duo chewed on his lip and was silent. Heero peered more closely. “You’re smiling. What’s the joke? That kind of inattention is damned rude, and it really -” “ – pisses you off?” Duo smirked. There was a tense, shocked silence. “You do it deliberately, don’t you?” Heero breathed. His eyes narrowed. Duo shrugged, but he was still smirking. “Had to sit in the lobby for an hour and a half before that one, to make sure I timed it right.” “Why?” Heero’s voice was higher than usual. “Why the hell do you do that to me?” Duo’s eyebrows rose. There was a strange churning feel in his gut. “Because I can. Because you rise to it, every time. Because you’re such a tight-ass, who looks down his nose at me and thinks I’m such a loser -” “I do not!” snapped Heero. “That’s rubbish, I treat you as befits the way you behave, the same way I do all the others -” “What about that look you always give me?” interrupted Duo. The walls suddenly seemed much closer: his temperature seemed much higher. “Just especially for me? It’s contempt, Heero, I know that. You try to catch me out, and you take pleasure in finding me just a fraction out of place. You sneer, and you scorn, and you peer at me as if I were some kind of the lowest pond scum.” Heero’s mouth was wide open. Duo was quite enjoying whipping up his own personal fury, but it did cross his mind how ridiculous Heero looked – then he looked again, more carefully. Heero actually looked rather… shocked. “I don’t… peer,” said Heero. His voice was quiet, suddenly. “Do I?” Duo frowned, puzzled. “Yeah. Right down that perfectly straight nose of yours. Like I stink of mouldy socks.” He felt uneasy. This didn’t feel like one of their usual fights. “Shit,” said Heero. Duo had been huddling up against the wall, as far away as possible, like Heero was infected with plague. But it was so unlike Heero to sound worried – and the tone was so abject – that Duo found himself shifting an inch or so towards him. “Look…” he began, but found it too difficult to continue. “It’s not that. You’re wrong.” Heero sounded like he was gargling with marbles in the back of his throat. “Look – I have to explain something to you, but you mustn’t tell anyone else.” “What?” Duo knew it was dark in there, but he didn’t remember signing up for the whole Twilight Zone thing. “Tell who what?” Heero gave a quiet groan. “It’s my eyesight, you see. I need spectacles really, but I didn’t want… well, I haven’t started wearing them at work, yet.” “You…?” Duo gaped. “Wearing…?” Heero shifted his legs, clumsily, rattling a couple of plastic containers of detergent. “Duo, just for once, keep your abuse to yourself.” He was angry, but felt a strange, frightening relief, too. Just don’t laugh, he groaned to himself. “Anyway, I don’t always see very clearly, especially when I’m tired. I have to look very carefully.” “Peer,” said Duo, also quietly. Heero nodded. “Yes. Obviously I peer. I don’t always see what your expression is until I’m close up. Don’t always see whether it’s welcoming, or -” “Not,” Duo finished. He sighed. “That explains a lot.” There was another tense, shocked silence. “Guess I should apologise or something,” said Duo. Heero nodded: then shook his head. Then grunted. “Me, too.” Duo grunted in reply. Heero looked flushed: Duo assumed he did, too. “That doesn’t excuse your behaviour being childish,” muttered Heero. “Nor yours, being vain,” Duo muttered back. They were silent for another moment, a little sulkily this time. “Maybe I could try hammering on the door again,” said Duo. His tone was hesitant: almost conciliatory. “The guys will have to come and let us out.” Heero coughed. He sounded a little self-conscious, too. “It won’t do any good. You’ve tried it plenty already. They had something planned and we’ll just have to wait until they inform us what that was.” Duo stretched out a leg. He sucked in a breath. “Seems pretty odd behaviour to me. If they had some problem with me, they could just have come and told me.” “Me, too,” Heero echoed. Then he caught the look in Duo’s eye and smiled, ruefully. “Well, you know what I mean. I don’t know why they lured us both down here, out of the way.” Duo shrugged. “Maybe they’re up to something,” he said. “Maybe planning some sabotage of the Commander’s office.” His smile was creeping back. “Or some new, unofficial test of the arsenal’s ‘strictly prohibited’ exhibits.” Heero watched the other man’s eyes sparkle with mischief. They were very blue, even in the semi-darkness. “And you think they’d leave us out of that?” Duo pouted. “Hmm. That’s true. Maybe they were worried you’d report them.” Heero frowned back. “Maybe they thought you’d get over-excited and blow them up by mistake.” Duo started to protest, then paused. His smile got broader. “So maybe we’ll just thrash them within an inch of their lives when we get out, right?” Heero smiled, too. “Maybe that’s the best suggestion you’ve had for a long time.” They looked across at each other and grinned.
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