"Light on the Stage"

Written By: Impish

Rating: R

Pairings: 1x2x1

Category: AU, Drama/Romance (but not in a "hearts and flowers" way)

Warnings: AU, some angst, things teenagers do that they're not supposed to (smoking and drinking), general reckless behavior. Additional warnings will be doled out chapter to chapter. "Hang 'Em High" spoilers.

Summary: Two messed up kids in a small country town are drawn to each other, and together, form a brand of music from the old.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the songs used to inspire this piece. I will give a shout out to any inspirations found within.

Notes: I decided to try something pretty different from the Darkest Reflection. The idea was inspired by Cory Morrow's "The Light on the Stage (Sing With Me)," and a whole bunch of other Texas Country music- all the songs I've used in influence will be acknowledged at the end. The story's a bit of an homage to the rise of that genre of music; a fictional idea of how it could have come to be, and very slightly based on the friendship between singers Pat Green and Cory Morrow. It's not at all accurate in any sense, more like a re-invention of a genre's creation.

"Light on the Stage"

CHAPTER 3: I Killed a 6-pack (Just to Watch It Die)


The friendship that grew between the two teenagers in the next few months was swift, strong and unusual. They had hung out with Duo's other friends regularly, but Duo found he enjoyed Heero's company best. Not that he didn't have fun with the others, but there was something about Heero, and the way that he and Heero knew each other through and through, without actually knowing much about each other, that made everyone else in the world feel like a stranger.

They spent their days driving aimlessly, searching for a direction that wasn't north, south, east or west, or even up or down, but back. Back long ago, in a time that they felt new instead of wizened and out of place. How they felt now was like a black and white film in a colored world. Like they were vintage souls. Souls of another age, souls that had been something great, something grand in their past, but now their time was done. Their time was done and gone, and they had been reborn into a world they had no use for, and that had no use for them. Their souls were ghosts that could only feel alive through the music.

Since that first visit to Sweetstone, the two of them had gone back continually. Heero had taken to the guitar more easily than anyone Duo had ever even heard of, which was something he attributed more to Heero's single-minded determination and natural talent rather than his own skills as a teacher.

School had let out a few days ago, and so Duo and Heero had taken to meeting at the diner and then taking off from there. Today had been an impatient one for Duo, however, and he had left word with Barb early that morning for Heero to meet him "out in the field" (Heero would know the one). The field was just beyond the trees Duo was now running through.

Though there wasn't as much in the way of direct sunlight under the spare cover the trees provided, the air was still close and overheated. There was a distinct lack of sound as his feet hit the dirt, though the ground was rocky and hard, covered in twigs and patchy, sallow grass, and generally prime for giving one's position away. Duo's breathing was as light as his footsteps, and any sounds he made were overpowered by the droning of summer insects. His body felt weightless as he wove around the small, scrubby trees, like there was less gravity to tie him down, or as though extra energy were coiled in his muscles. Slowing as he came to the edge of the trees, he paused silently where he could see Heero's car parked next to his in the field of high, dry grass.

Heero was facing almost away from him, lighting a cigarette, and managing to look both relaxed and impatient at the same time. He glanced up at the cloudless sky, the sun so white-hot it had bleached out what was usually a solid cerulean to a pale cornflower blue. The air was heavy with the heat, and for once, Heero looked uncomfortable in it. Slipping the lighter in the back pocket of his jeans, his hand hesitated at the hem of his t-shirt, as if he were debating taking it off. With another look around, he set his lit cigarette down carefully on the hood of his truck and pulled his shirt up, the material sliding over his back and then catching on the rounded muscles of his shoulders before it rolled over his head. He picked the cigarette up again and tossed the shirt onto the hood distractedly, then took a few steps away as he continued to wait.

Duo's grin spread across his face as a bird of prey opens its wings. He swooped down low enough to almost be hidden by the grass, gaining speed, but not sound, as he ran towards the two cars. Heero's head turned slightly, as though he had just heard the faint rustle of movement behind him. He twisted around just in time to catch a solid bundle of Duo squarely in the chest. The tackle flew them back an impressive distance, Heero landing and skidding over the rough grass on his back with Duo doggedly fastened to his chest. Before they even stopped sliding, Heero rolled them over, catching Duo's wiry wrists in the process and pinning them in the dirt over his head. Grinning devilishly up at Heero, Duo swiftly crossed his left leg in between their bodies and hooked it around Heero's left hip, flipping them over again; but only for a brief moment, as Heero used the momentum to keep them rolling until he sat on Duo's heaving chest, both Duo's hands locked in his.

The first time Duo had tried to sneak up on Heero like this had ended with several puncture wounds, a black eye, and the untimely demise of Duo's favorite "Austin City Limits" t-shirt, Heero's sunglasses, and Mrs. Noventa's cactus garden. Since then, this had become something of a game between them, and usually didn't end with the painful desecration of cacti. Duo's eyes flickered up to sweep over the other boy through his lashes. The flat planes of Heero's chest glittered with sweat, the muscles there so defined that they were almost sharp. The scent on his skin was faint, something spicy and smoky that was barely stronger than the smell of earth and grass.

"Give?" Heero asked, leaning down heavily and smirking at his attacker.

Duo was panting faintly beneath him, a prominent smudge of dirt swiped over the curve of one cheekbone. This close to his face, Heero could make out tiny freckles dusted over Duo's nose, usually unnoticeable under his golden tan. Duo's eyes, bright as bluebonnets, were laughing, and Heero barely had the time to register one of them winking at him before Duo had twisted his wrists free and slid out from under him.

Duo's wild laugh rang out behind him as he sprinted through the thirsty grass, swiftly shooting back to the thin cover of the woods with Heero scrambling to his feet behind him. Branches snatched at his hair and clothes as he flew by, easily leaping obstacles in his path and tearing through with such speed that the trees blurred as he passed.

Fast as he was, Heero was still close on his heals. Twice, Heero nearly caught him, but both times Duo slipped effortlessly out of his grasp and ran on, the wicked smile never leaving his face. The heavy thuds of their boots, the snapping of twigs and scattering of rocks were overwhelmed by the sounds of their voices shouting at each other, taunting and laughing. The sparse cover of trees soon disappeared and the ground dropped away into a steep incline. Without hesitation, Duo leapt down the initial drop, and continued to skid down the steep slope when he landed, his feet churning through the redder, thicker dirt to slow his progress. Almost as he reached the bottom, Heero managed to get in close enough to hook an arm around his waist, yanking him off balance.

"Oof- shit!" Duo rasped, stumbling into Heero as he fell. They both hit the dirt jarringly, and rolled the rest of the way to the bottom in a tangle.

For a minute, neither of them moved, and they just lay snickering in the dirt. Then Duo sat up partway with a muffled moan and shook his head vigorously in a half-hearted attempt to shake loose some of the dirt from his hair, subsequently wrinkling his nose when all the effort gained him was a cloud of dust around his face. Slowly, he got to his feet and offered his hand to Heero, who was still on his back where they had fallen. With a silent grimace, Heero clasped Duo's forearm and allowed him to help pull him up.

"You are *smothered* in dirt." Heero said to Duo, when they were standing chest to chest. He reached up to wipe away the dirt on his cheek with his thumb. Duo laughed, still slightly breathless, and pulled a twig from Heero's hair behind his ear.

"C'mon." Duo beckoned with a drowsy half-smile, the dead twig falling loosely from his fingertips. "Look what I found…" He took hold of Heero's wrist and tugged him forward, drawing him towards… a watering hole. Despite the muddy tint and slightly slimy look, the boiling heat had that water looking pretty damn tempting.

Still, Heero looked dubiously at the slick surface. "Duo, we have no idea what's in there."

"Nope. But my best guess would be snapping turtles and water moccasins." Duo said as he stripped off his shirt.

Now quite used to Duo's mannerisms (and aware that Duo would make sure he got in the water whether of his own accord or not), Heero shook his head ruefully, kicked off his boots, unbuttoned his jeans and slid them off. Duo followed suit, shimmying out of his pants and then, slick as an otter, plunged into the water with Heero just behind him.

After running through the sweltering heat for so long, the lovingly cool water was virtually a divine experience. Relishing the feel of it sliding over his skin, Duo lingered as long as he could underwater before he had to surface for air. He came up and breathed deeply, the warm air rushing into his lungs. Looking around, he couldn't see Heero anywhere. Which meant he was probably underwater again and about to—

"—Oh, fu…!" A hand grabbed his ankle, pulling him back underwater, his own, abbreviated exclamation cut off by the rushing sound of bubbles. When he surfaced again, sputtering for air and choking up water, Heero was laughing at him.

"Oh, you laugh, huh?" Duo cried vindictively, and pounced. Heero's laughter was smothered immediately as his head was dunked under the surface.

Further retaliation was expected, of course, and the water war continued to be waged until, with both of them gasping for breath, a truce was eventually called. They continued to swim for a while and Duo seized the opportunity to take laps across the pond.

Duo was a strong swimmer, and had always been fond of it, finding the exercise meditative. For just that little while, there was nothing but him and his thoughts, and the bubbles. The water deadened the sounds of the surrounding world, and he could focus on the feel of his muscles stretching and slicing smoothly through the water.

When he came up at last, he wiped water out of his face and found Heero treading water a few yards away from him. Duo found himself breathless once again, but this time not because of the physical exercise. Heero held his body above the surface effortlessly, the water clinging to him, running down the firm, sinewy muscles that lay sharply defined beneath his skin. Mesmerized, Duo's eyes traced a solitary drop that ran down the strong line of his neck and then slowly rolled into the shallow fold where his collarbone was pressed over tendons and flat muscle.

"Trying to drown yourself?" Heero asked, breaking into Duo's thoughts. A few, easy strokes of his arms brought him closer.

Duo grinned easily, explaining, "The water feels a lot cleaner when you can't see it." Heero's nose wrinkled in agreement, and Duo laughed. "It'll be pretty sweet when Maiser's parents go out of town for the summer… they have a pool. With chlorine. And a filter. Won't *that* be nice…"

"So… no decaying plant matter, unidentified, possibly dangerous animals, or floating cow patties?" Heero asked, the humor almost reaching his tone.

Duo waved him off. "Eh, there aren't any cows in this pasture; I think they're rotating the fields."

"Well… that's a relief." Heero muttered, eyeing a slithering black something that was moving just under the water's surface with distrust.

Duo followed his eyes, amused. "That's just a turtle."

"Where there are turtles, there are usually snakes." Heero said pointedly, but the corners of his mouth had broken into a slight smile.

"True." Duo said, undaunted. "But we'll have to wait another week or so for critter-free swimming."

"This is still better than nothing." Heero said, wiping his dark hair out of his face. "Are anyone else's parents going to be out of town?"

"None that have a pool, at least that I know of. Walker's mom is never around though. She's a flight attendant… always out of town." Duo told him, losing his grin to thought. "Walker's summer parties should have started up by now… Not that Walker's summer parties ever really stopped."

"He's got your guitar, doesn't he?" Heero asked, still treading water.

Duo nodded, his smile returning. "Hey," he said, "We should stop by tonight. I can get my guitar back, and we can throw back a few. Walker's also had my fake ID since that night at the Neon Moon—"

Heero shuddered, remembering the skinny brunette bartender he had to keep dancing with, since she was knocking drinks off their tab in return.

"—So he knows I can't bring my own booze, and we can mooch off of them." Duo finished, his grin cleverly fixed.

"How the hell did you find an ID of anyone who looks remotely like you?" Heero wondered, thinking of Duo's unusual features, hair, and eyes.

"I didn't. There's a chick at the DMV who sells real ones. It cost me a shit ton, but it was definitely worth it. Yours is pretty good isn't it?"

"I have my brother's old ID…we looked a lot alike." Heero said, giving the impression he hadn't really meant to.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm so wrinkled I could pass for a prune." Duo said, and pulled himself easily to the bank. Heero swam up next to him, and they both hauled themselves out of the murky water.

"This is disgusting…" Heero muttered, swiftly pulling his jeans back on, then his boots.

"Something to dry off with would have been a good idea." Duo agreed, wringing out his hair, and then sniffing it delicately.

Heero used his shirt to wipe himself off with and didn't bother to put it back on. "I feel… slimy."

"If I don't wash my hair, it's going to start growing things. That or bond with whatever brain-eating amoebas were in there, and mutate into something that will try to strangle me in my sleep." Duo followed Heero's example with the shirt, using it to towel off, and then tossed it over his shoulder.

"My house isn't too far…" Heero offered softly, "We can shower there and then head to Walker's later on, if you want."

Duo looked up at Heero, studying him carefully. Then, he said, "Sure, man. That sounds great."

"Leave your car here, then. We can pick it up later."



Duo had never been to Heero's house, which turned out to be as close by as promised. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of. On the contrary, it was a beautiful two story white-brick building with a dark green roof that appeared to be maintained to perfection. Duo had more than a feeling, though, that what made Heero uncomfortable about his house was definitely not its appearance.

Heero seemed relieved that the garage was empty, even though he had said that was what he had been expecting. He parked the truck in the driveway and beckoned Duo to follow him inside.

The interior of the house was as impeccable as the outside. The carpets were all white, so they had to take off their shoes in the garage. There were pictures and paintings, all appearing professionally done, that were hung tastefully in sleek frames. Heero headed upstairs without a glance around, and Duo had to hurry to keep up.

When Heero opened his bedroom door, Duo wasn't at all surprised by its appearance. It looked as though Heero had tried to make it a personal space by adding his own possessions around those that already decorated the room. The walls were an even, soothing blue, with more of those paintings from downstairs spaced artfully on them. One Kurt Cobain poster was taped to the back of the door. The rest of the room was almost neat, the bed made up tightly with a plaid comforter, everything else straightened out like someone came and cleaned once a week, and with the time he had, Heero had tried his best to make it dirty again. But there wasn't a true sloppiness to the room; no dirty dishes or empty cans or cigarette butts, only unfolded clothes and a few strewn books and magazines. It was like Heero was trying to be messy, but it wasn't actually in his personality.

"Bathroom's in there," Heero said, gesturing to the door in the corner as he handed Duo a towel, "You can shower in mine; I'll use my father's."

"Thanks, man." Duo said gratefully, and Heero disappeared down the hall.

The bathroom ran along the same theme as the rest of the house— neat, tasteful, and painfully clean. Duo stripped down quickly, thinking how strange his dirt-caked clothes looked in their messy little pile on the pristine, white-tiled floor. He unraveled his braid, having to pry the strands apart in places, and turned the shower on, the water heating up right away. Knowing he had to be quick, since it was going to take forever to get his hair clean, he rushed admirably, taking only the minimal amount of time he could soaping up. After ridding his hair of grime and rinsing it out, he reached to turn off the water, but paused, noticing a bottle of body wash in the corner of the shower. Hesitating only briefly, he snatched up the bottle and flicked the cap open, squeezing a very small amount into his palm and placing the wash back in its corner. He lathered up quickly, wishing he had more time to enjoy that subtle, smoky scent. Feeling guilty for taking longer than he should have, Duo rinsed off again and turned off the spray.

Toweling off roughly, Duo breathed deeply, as that wonderful smell was still in the steam clouding the bathroom. He wrapped the towel securely around his hips, gathered his dirty clothes, and opened the door back to the bedroom, where Heero was just pulling a shirt over his head.

"Hey… you mind if I borrow some clean clothes?" Duo asked when Heero turned around.

"Sure," Heero answered, digging through his drawers. "You got out quick. I thought it would take longer… with your hair, I mean."

Duo fingered a strand. "Yeah… I'm used to showering pretty quickly. Hot water runs out quick where I live. You wouldn't happen to have a comb, would you?"

"My mother should." Heero said, tossing some clothes at Duo. "These should fit. I'll be right back."

Heero left again, closing the door behind him, and Duo changed quickly into his clothes. They fit fine, though he had a feeling they looked differently on him than they did on Heero. Where the dark teal shirt would have clung to Heero's chest, it draped tightly across Duo's shoulders and then hung straight down, and the jeans that probably fit Heero snugly were slung low on Duo's hips.

Heero returned with the hairbrush as promised, and the two debated the merits of "Hang 'Em High" versus Clint Eastwood's other Sergio Leone movies as Duo attacked the tangles in his hair.

"It sucked. The Leone movies were so much better." Duo insisted with a wince as he hit a snarl.

"All I'm saying is that the first half was okay." Heero told him, leaning back on his bed. "The opening, especially. That was cool, the way it started, with a man being hung for no reason. It starts at a point where the audience is just as clueless as to what's going on as Clint Eastwood's character."

"Yeah, but the end still sucked. I mean, halfway through, the moral standard becomes hopelessly warped. The premise is good— a lynching party makes a couple of mistakes, they hang an innocent man, and they don't finish the job. So he goes to avenge himself by becoming a lawman to chase down the vigilantes, and on the way, he brings in those cattle rustlers. But after they get hung the whole movie goes to shit." Duo said, waving the brush for emphasis. "He gives up on the two guys that helped save his life, and has sex with the hooker—like that's going to fix something—while the two brothers get hung. Then there was the blonde chick. What the hell was the point of her? I mean, he leaves her to keep doing his lawman thing in the end, anyway."

"It's the idea that there shouldn't be lynching. That men should stand a fair trial." Heero said, idly flipping through his music.

"But that was half the problem!" Duo persisted. "He brought the rustlers back; they stood trial and got hung anyway."

"That's why he leaves the blonde. He knows he's the only one with the correct sense of justice. It's a commentary on capital punishment."

Duo shook his head. "Nah… seems more like he sold out to me. He just gave in to the judge's pressuring."

"Like I said— it's a commentary on capital punishment and how warped the system is."

"A very soapboxy commentary." Duo grumbled, wrestling with another snarl.

Heero paused in his perusing and raised an amused eyebrow. "And 'High Noon' wasn't?"

"Don't you bring 'High Noon' into this! 'High Noon' was subtle. 'Hang 'Em High' just dragged without satisfaction." Duo claimed, the brush finally running through his hair without hitting a snag.

"Parts of it were still good. But the music in the Leone movies were better."

"That's for sure." Duo agreed. "Man, I loved that music."

He began to pull his hair back and section it off. Heero stared at him intently, and then hesitantly said, "You look different."

"Huh?"

"With your hair down. When it's back, it doesn't look weird that it's long. It looks natural. When it's down, it just looks…" Heero shrugged. "You just look different."

"Oh," Duo said, fingers spinning smoothly through his hair as he twisted it into submission. "I don't really know what you mean, but okay." He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "We should head out before all the beer's gone."

"And before my parents get back." Heero muttered, getting up and grabbing his car keys. "You want a jacket?" he asked. Even though the days were blistering, at night, the temperature dropped considerably and it could get pretty cold.

"Yeah, that'd be great." Duo said appreciatively as he tied off the end of his braid, catching the jean jacket Heero tossed him without looking. "Let's go."



Though it was only ten at night, the party at Walker's appeared to have been going steadily for a while. When Duo and Heero drove up, the driveway and front lawn were already full of cars, kids, and littered beer cans. Walker was lucky he didn't have neighbors too close by.

"Drive past the house and through to the back." Duo suggested, knowing that was where everyone they knew would be.

Heero drove around and backed the car into an open space next to a few other trucks that were already parked around an open fire. One of them had its stereo on, and "Uno Mas Cerveza" was pouring loudly from the open windows. Duo opened his door to get out, and was immediately assaulted by Maiser's girlfriend.

"Duo!" She cried joyfully, throwing her arms around his neck with enthusiasm, one hand clutching a large bottle. Sylvia was pretty, but like most of the other girls from Current, her deep tan, shiny, buttery blond hair, and thin, toneless figure made her look like some kind of marketable doll.

"Hey there, gorgeous." Duo greeted, looking over her shoulder for Walker or Maiser. "How the hell much have you had to drink?" he asked, knowing that a drunken Sylvia was a very friendly Sylvia. She giggled, which really told him all he needed to know, because she was one of the most down-to-earth, non-giggly girls he knew.

"Walker had tequila!" she said happily, showing him the half-empty bottle of Jose Cuervo. "Take a shot with me!" she insisted, taking his hand and dragging him forward to a truck on the opposite side of the fire.

"Hey, Maiser," Duo greeted with a wave. Maiser grinned and saluted him with his beer from where he sat on his tailgate.

"I don't have any shot glasses. Or salt… or lime." she said sulkily with an exaggerated pout aimed at Maiser, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry already!" He said, sounding like it might have been at least the twentieth time he had apologized.

Sylvia ignored him, pulling out two plastic cups and pouring rather too much into them. "Oh, let's give Heero one, too!" she suddenly said, digging around for a third cup. "He looks like he could use a drink or ten."

Duo looked back, spotting Heero still back at his truck, lighting up a cigarette. A loud "Oops!" from Sylvia dragged his attention back again.

"Here, let me get that…" Duo offered, snatching up the tequila, which had been a loud bass note away from spilling. He swirled the cap back on the bottle and poured some of the tequila from the first two cups into the third, and then handed Sylvia the one with the smallest amount. "Now, let's go get Heero."

He snuck the Cuervo to Maiser as they began to walk away, and snickered at Heero's expression when Sylvia gave him the same welcome he had received, almost spilling her tequila in the process.

"Sylvia and I brought you a shot, man." Duo said, offering Heero the tequila. "Choose a toast, Sylv."

Sylvia thought for a second and then raised her cup. "Here's to those who wish us well…" she said confidently, "And those that don't can go to hell!"

"Good one!" Duo cheered, and they all tapped glasses and slung their drinks back. "Now, where's Walker, I wanna get my guitar back from him before I forget what my name is."

"I'll go look." Sylvia offered, and had disappeared before Duo could protest.

"You think she'll remember what she's looking for?" Heero asked with amusement.

"She's not that bad off yet. If she doesn't get sidetracked, she'll find him." Maiser said over the music, and Duo and Heero made their way toward him. "What's up, Yuy?"

"Hey," Heero hailed with a nod, and they slapped palms in greeting.

"Ya'll want a drink?" Maiser asked, and pointed at a cooler further back in the bed of his truck. "We've got plenty, just don't go handing 'em out."

"Thanks, man." Duo reached back and fished out a couple of cans, tossing one to Heero and then sitting down next to Maiser. "What are ya'll doing tomorrow night?" he asked, "Heero and I were thinking of going to Sweetstone; ya'll could finally come with us."

"Damn, Sylv and I can't." Maiser said, frowning. "I've been wanting to go since you told us about it, but Sylv's cousin's getting married in Midland this weekend, and I have to drive out there tomorrow with her."

"And Walker?" Duo asked, cracking his beer open.

"I don't think so. His mom's back in town tomorrow, and he said something about a girl and driving down to Port Aransas until she leaves again."

"Figures," Duo snorted, not sounding all that upset. "Just you and me then, buddy."

Heero gave him a small smile and took a swig of his drink.

They had worked their way through half a case of beer when Maiser looked up and said, "Looks like Sylvia didn't get too distracted."

Duo followed his gaze and spotted Sylvia and Walker making their way through the drunken crowd, a guitar case in Walker's hand. Sylvia was whispering giddily in Walker's ear as they approached.

"We'll give it back on one condition, Maxwell!" Walker called, holding the guitar up, Sylvia practically beaming as she ran up to her boyfriend.

"What's that?" Duo called back.

"You have to play 'Flowers on the Wall'."

Duo laughed. "No problem, but I ain't playing it by myself."

"Aw, c'mon, Duo!" Sylvia begged, sitting on Maiser's lap and hooking her arms around his neck.

"If there's another guitar, I can play along." Heero offered quietly.

Duo looked up sharply, his eyes catching the lively light of the fire. "Can you?" He wondered hopefully.

"Mm!" Maiser suddenly set his beer down and hopped to his feet, opening his truck and turning down the volume on his stereo.

Heero shrugged. "Sure, if you play the tough part."

Duo grinned willingly back at him, and Maiser pulled something out of his backseat. Duo was surprised to see that it was a guitar. "I thought you hocked that." He said.

"I just bought it back yesterday." Maiser said, grinning, and handed the instrument over to Heero. "It'll need tuning."

Heero thanked him, taking it carefully. They tuned the guitars and played around for a few minutes, Duo making sure Heero knew the part okay. He was pleasantly surprised that Heero had it down pretty well. Duo knew that Heero had learned a lot in a short amount of time, but he hadn't realized until then how *good* Heero had gotten.

"Let's get this party started, then…" Duo said, trying to tone down his silly grin as he struck the first chord. His fingers moved confidently on the strings, and Heero joined in a second later. The tune was jaunty and animated and the lyrics playfully ironic. With its lively vocal inflections, it had always been one of Duo's favorites to perform.

"I keep hearin' you're concerned about my happiness
But all that thought you're givin' me is conscience, I guess
If I was walkin' in your shoes, I wouldn't worry none
While you 'n' your friends are worried about me, I'm havin' lots of fun…

"Countin' flowers on the wall
That don't bother me at all…
Playin' solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain… Kangaroo
Now don't tell me… I've nothin' to do."

Eyes sparkling with enjoyment, Duo realized that a voice had joined in with him during the chorus. He looked up at Heero's lips, faintly surprised to see that he was singing the harmony.

"Last night I dressed in tails, pretended I was on the town
As long as I can dream it's hard to slow this swinger down…
So please don't give a thought to me, I'm really doin' fine
You can always find me here, I'm havin' quite a time!"

Heero seemed to be easing into the song, his voice gradually growing firmer. He didn't miss a note, something Duo had expected, but he'd never heard Heero sing before, and was amazed that he could… and well. Duo found himself unable to look away from Heero's face, where the firelight played softly over his features, warming his golden skin and dancing over his moving lips.

"Countin' flowers on the wall
That don't bother me at all
Playin' solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo
Now don't tell me I've nothin' to do

Duo ripped his attention back to his own playing for the guitar solo. Heero kept up the rolling backdrop while Duo's fingers skipped across the strings, plucking out a solo that raised whoops and whistles from the small group that had crowded around them.

"It's good to see you, I must go, I know I look a fright
Anyway my eyes are not accustomed to this light…
And my shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete
So I must go back to my room and make my day complete

"Countin' flowers on the wall
That don't bother me at all
Playin' solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' Captain Kangaroo
Now don't tell me I've nothin' to do

"Don't tell me… I've nothin' to do…"

The last notes were slightly more straining, but when they wound down, there was an eruption of applause from the onlookers. Duo grinned with open elation and looked to Heero again, almost without meaning to, only to find Heero already staring at him, a smaller and more secret smile on his lips as he looked into Duo's eyes.

"More!" a voice demanded over the applause.

"You jackass! You can sing!" Duo exclaimed, smacking Heero's shoulder with feigned exasperation, "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Heero shrugged, the small smile still in place. "You never asked."

"You have to sing the next one. I'll play." Duo ordered, still faking irritation.

"What do I have to sing?" Heero asked, frowning sulkily. He wore the expression much better than Sylvia, Duo thought (though in her defense, she was slightly more inebriated).

Duo strummed a chord thoughtfully. "Willie." he declared, "You've totally got a Willie Nelson voice."

"What?" Heero snorted, "I don't sound a thing like him."

"I don't really hear it, Duo." Maiser put in dubiously.

"Of course you don't hear it! Heero's tone and pitch are completely different." Duo said, rolling his eyes and looked back to Heero. "You've got that *sound,* though… it's smooth, laid back… calm… I bet you could sing the cheesiest, corniest song ever written and make it sound chill. And that is the power of Willie."

"I'm not sure I follow…" Heero said.

"Just try it. Sing 'Blue Skies'. That is *the* sappiest song in the world." Duo suggested with insistence.

"Does he even know the lyrics?" Maiser asked.

Heero nodded, and Duo laughed. "It's 'Blue Skies.' Everyone knows 'Blue Skies'."

"Fine… I'll sing it." Heero sighed, shaking his head.

Duo gave him another bright grin and started up the opening notes before Heero had time to back out.

"Blue skies… smilin' at me, nothin' but blue skies do I see," Heero began, his voice rich and thoughtful, arm draped over the side of the guitar. "Bluebirds singin' a song, nothin' but blue skies from now on…"

Head bent, Duo closed his eyes, soaking Heero's voice in the same way his skin did the warmth of the fire. Heero sounded exactly like Duo had said he would— easy and untroubled. Like a trained dancer taking a leisurely stroll.

Duo tilted his head slightly, watching Heero out of the corner of his eyes. He was the very definition of beauty in contrast. It was in everything he was, from his strong, dark, yet ultimately gentle voice, to the artistically delicate curve of cheekbones under inconsolably angry eyes. The fire had died down some, and the golden glow had dimmed to a soft red half-light that stretched the shadows and shimmered in those devastatingly blue eyes like a broken promise.

"Blue days… all of them gone…" Heero unrolled the words softly, and Duo suddenly realized the song was coming to a close. "Nothin' but blue skies… from now on."

Heero sang it just the way Duo had thought he would, and when he sang it that way… Duo could almost believe him.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nod to the inspiring songs:
"Texas Time Travelin'" by Cory Morrow
"Uno Mas Cerveza" by Jerry Jeff Walker
"Flowers on the Wall" by The Statler Brothers
"Blue Skies" as sung by Willie Nelson, originally written by Irving Berlin

Chapter 4

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