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"The King and the Shaman "Written By: Jewel of Hell Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, Fantasy/Drama/Romance, Yaoi, lemon, language (the usual), peril, violence, animal shamans, neko Duo, king Heero, impending war, sentient-formless evil Pairings: 1x2, others Summary: Heero is the young king of a country
he wants to expand into an Empire. One day he is approached by a woman
who claims she is an animal Shaman, creatures of legend and myth.
She makes an offer Heero cannot refuse. " The King and the Shaman "
A Love That Was Meant To Be Heero woke to a warm and familiar weight on his chest. It was comfortable and felt right, so he didn't immediately wake up. Indeed, his hand rose of its own accord to tangle in hair softer than silk, stroking through the slightly-wavy locks. They separated without fuss between his fingers, causing the owner of said locks to purr. Really, purr. Blink. Heero startled awake. Hadn't he fallen asleep alone? Yes, he was sure of it. He'd gone to bed alone. And yet here was Duo, curled up against the side of his body, half on top of him like always. His sweet kitten was not yet awake, and he looked sublimely happy. What would he think if he knew his guardian took great pleasure in seeing him like this? In the feel of his naked skin? Duo had never worn anything to bed. He had no reason to, because he trusted his beloved guardian not to ever do anything to endanger him or make him uncomfortable. Taking great care not to wake Duo, Heero slid out of bed and drew the blankets up around those slim, pale shoulders. Duo curled into the warmth he left behind with a tiny sigh. Feeling a by-now familiar twinge in his chest, Heero gently brushed a stray strand of hair out of Duo's face. He quickly dressed and left. o8o o8o Duo woke with a start, and the reason became instantly clear. He was alone. Eyes narrowing in annoyance, Duo barely noticed when his claws sprang free, tearing into the sheets. This was starting to pass from worrisome into flat bothersome. He knew Heero desired him. Grinding his teeth, he rose from the bed and stalked to the wardrobe, flinging on the first things he grabbed. Then he pulled his hair into a messy ponytail and stormed down the stairs. Outside a stiff wind picked up. Heero was in the kitchen, and Relena was with him. Both of them had the scent of awkwardness about them. For a moment Duo froze, studying Heero intently. Was the man attracted to Relena? But no, there was nothing remotely similar in his scent to attraction. He was relieved. He liked Relena, so he didn't want to have to fight her for Heero. Because fight he would if he had to. He loved Heero, and he wasn't about to lose him to anyone. Making sure his vexation was plainly visible, he moved to the table with deliberation and ignored Heero. "Relena?" he said somewhat archly. "Can I talk with you? Alone?" She blinked, looking surprised. "Of course," she said, instantly disregarding Heero. Duo fought back a grin. That was nice. Whirling, he led the way out of the kitchen. He took her to a place no one else went, up on the rampart where sentries were only posted during night hours. Warm sunlight streamed down on the palace wall, and Duo climbed up without difficulty. Relena leaned against the wall opposite him to see him. "What's bothering you, sweetie?" she asked. For a moment Duo floundered. What, exactly, should he say? For the most part Duo already knew what to do - instinct was a powerful thing. But he was still a virtual innocent, and incredibly naïve when it came to matters of courtship, intimacy, and love. "I actually wanted to ask your advice," he settled on eventually. "It's . . . personal." She smiled. "I'll be happy to help if I can," she assured him. "Tell me what's on your mind." The clouds in the sky began slowly darkening. "It's about Heero, actually," he went on. "I'm . . . well, I'm confused. I thought for sure I knew what he was thinking, but he keeps acting in opposition. It's frustrating!" Relena frowned a bit. "Exactly how do you mean?" Duo hopped down and started pacing in front of her. Thunder roiled faintly in the distance. "I'm . . . I love him, Relena," he finally blurted out. "I'm in love with him, and I don't know how to tell him that!" o8o o8o Those words, those sweet, frustrated words cut into Relena like a dagger of ice. Duo's feelings obviously tormented him, though not for the obvious reasons. She had a feeling that they were both male never crossed his mind; after all, Duo wasn't human. But it faced her with an interesting dilemma. One she didn't want to face. She loved Heero, too. He was charming, funny, and surprisingly sensitive to the needs of others. His gorgeous looks helped a lot. But she also loved Duo. He was like her darling little brother, one she had the most absurd notion to shelter and cuddle, as though she could protect him from everything terrible in the world. She bit her lip, pretending to think about it while watching his face. Those amazing, indigo-violet eyes weren't on her, but rather gazing at the storm gathering in the distance. She wondered if that was his doing. Probably, though his expression told her it wasn't intentional. She could no more bring hurt to this wonderful boy than saw her own fingers off with a serrated knife. So she made a choice. o8o o8o "Duo," Relena said, drawing Duo's attention back to her, "the first thing you need to do is find out how Heero feels about you." Duo blinked. "I already know how he feels about me." It was her turn to blink. "How?" Smiling, Duo tapped his nose. "I can smell it when he wants me. And he does. Half the time when he looks at me I can smell the sudden heat of desire. It's unmistakable." "Oh." She digested that. "Well, then all you have to do is let him know how you feel. Usually when a woman courts a man she plays all manner of games. She ignores him, teases him, plays coy. I've never been able to abide it. Honesty is the best policy, and I think it will behoove you to stick to that. You're not a coquette, so you shouldn't act like one." Duo nodded thoughtfully. "So you think I should come right out and tell him?" "Well . . ." Relena wavered. "Or show him. It's harder for a person who loves and wants you to deny those feelings when you're kissing him. If he kisses you back . . ." Duo grinned. "It'll be harder to deny later on." She smiled. "That's right." In a few minutes the storm would dissipate. For now, Duo gave Relena a brilliant smile and hugged her, tucking his head against the side of her neck. "I knew talking to you would be the right thing to do." Her arms came around him and squeezed. "I'm happy to help, little sweetheart. Let me know how it goes, hmm?" o8o o8o Heero got the feeling he was in for it. All day he got a strange vibe from Duo, the young Shaman acting annoyed and possibly even angry. That hurt far more than he ever thought possible. He never, ever wanted to be the cause of Duo's unhappiness. How had things gotten so complicated? When had they gotten complicated? He spent a great deal of time avoiding Duo because of his complex emotions, and yet the thought of Duo leaving him hurt so much he couldn't bear it. So he was relieved in a way when Duo approached him, eyes dark and hooded. "I want to talk to you," was all he said before whirling and walking away. Heero followed him. He followed the precious center of his world because he was tired of being off balance, and he wanted his equilibrium restored. And he couldn't bear the thought of causing Duo pain. Duo closed the bedroom door and locked it. Then he turned his eyes on Heero. There was so much glimmering on the surfaces Heero didn't know where to begin. Hurt, yes. A little anger. But determination, too. A peculiar mix of confidence and uncertainty. Even a trace of fear. The urge - no, need - to take Duo in his arms and comfort him was so overpowering he had to cross his arms to physically restrain himself. Let Duo tell him what was on his mind, first. Just in case Duo was waiting for a verbal cue, he nodded slightly. "What's bothering you?" he asked gently. For some reason, the words made the anger brighter in Duo's eyes. "You know what's bothering me," he growled. Actually growled. "At least, you should know what's bothering me, since you're the cause." Heero inwardly winced. "Duo—" "You want me to be honest with you, right?" Duo cut him off, still waspish. "Well, I am. You're the one who's not. I don't know why that changed, Heero, but I hate it." Blink. Heero tried to follow Duo's logic. "I realize I've been pushing you away -" he tried again. "Are you angry with me?" Duo snapped. That sounded more like a challenge than a plea. "Of course not—" "Then stop," Duo demanded, even petulant now. Heero could see claws on the ends of his fingers. Duo only did that when he was very upset. This time his wince wasn't internal. "Duo, I'm not trying to push you away," he tried to explain. The problem remained, however, that he didn't know what to say. I'm sorry that my feelings are inappropriate? I'm sorry that I want you? Suddenly Duo was very close, only a finger-width or less separating them. His eyes had changed again. Now there was frustration and . . . desire? . . . burning in them. "Are you just being stubborn?" he growled in a low voice. And he sealed their mouths together in an insistent kiss. Heero's lips were parted from the beginnings of a reply, so Duo's tongue slipped into his mouth at once. It shocked him into split-second motionlessness, then his eyes shut of their own accord and a faint groan fought up his throat. God, Duo tasted just exactly like he'd imagined. Hot, sweet, honey and cinnamon, something at once wild and untamed like an exotic spice he could not name. Before he realized what he was doing his hand tangled in the hair at the base of Duo's neck, tilting his head back to plunder that sweet mouth. Duo, who had started aggressively, at once yielded control with a tiny whimper. It brought Heero sharply back to his senses, and he literally dragged himself away. Duo hissed at him. Actually hissed at him, baring his sharp white teeth. The pupils of his eyes were slits, and his claws dug into Heero's arms deep enough to draw blood. "I can smell how much you want me, Heero!" he snarled. "Why are you holding yourself back?" Heero stared down into those angry eyes, at a loss. Yes, he wanted Duo so much it hurt. But . . . "It's just . . ." he began. No, that wasn't right. "Duo, you're . . ." "I'm what?" Duo snapped. "Still too young? I'm not a kitten, Heero, and I'm old enough to know what I want. I'm old enough to know that I want you to hold me, kiss me, do other things with me." "Do you even know what those things are?" Heero asked. "No," Duo admitted, not backing down in the slightest, "but I know I want them! And I want you to show me. That's all. I know you want that, too!" Heero stared down at him, finally recognizing that last emotion in Duo's eyes. Desperation. Duo was desperate not to be seen as that kitten Heero had raised. Because he wasn't, was he? Not at all. Not anymore. That beautiful body showed the proportions of an adult, not a child. And Kal'an had told him that Shamans matured much faster than humans. "Like Lesser animals, Shamans mature much earlier in life. It's necessary because of the harsher environments we habituate. Al'duo'anon will be sexually mature at his final transformation stage—the equivalent of your twenty years or more." "Heero," Duo said, softer now, "it's not curiosity. To tell you the truth, I sort of feel like an animal in heat like your books describe. But while I do want to explore intimacy with you, it's because it's you. I . . . I love you, Heero." God, hearing that hurt. Not because he didn't want to hear it, but because he wanted to hear it so much. This time he didn't try resisting the urge to touch Duo. His hand came up and brushed the silken smooth skin of his cheek. Duo's eyes at once fluttered shut, and he leaned into the caress. "I love you, too," Heero whispered. He couldn't fight it anymore and pulled Duo against him. "Damn it, I've always loved you. It just changed, that's all. We'll take it slow, all right? We'll figure this thing out." "Okay," Duo mumbled against his neck. "Don't push me away anymore." He could feel his kitten trembling. Yes, he would figure this out. "I won't," he promised. Duo tilted his head up, licking his parted lips, the request in his eyes clear. This time Heero leaned down to him, and this time the kiss was slow and sweet. He couldn't deny his desire. More, he didn't want to. Because the simple truth was, his acceptance felt right.
Holding Duo, kissing him, felt right.
tbc |
