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"A Time for Us"Written By: Jewel of Hell Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Romance/Tragedy, Angst, yaoi, lemon, language, violence, blood feud, forbidden love Pairings: 1x2, others Summary: The Maxwells and Yuys are two powerful
noble families that have been fighting for generations. Heero and
Duo are no exception. However, one fateful night changes everything
for the young heirs-a Romeo and Juliet tale with a twist. " A Time for Us"
It took Duo a fair bit of time to reach satisfaction. He'd never exactly been a fussy person over his appearance, but never before had he been going to meet someone with whom he possibly–hopefully–would be starting a relationship. He couldn't deny it, he was terribly excited. And nervous. And anxious. And giddy. All at the same time. It was rather enough to make him sick. He'd thought about wearing shorts. He had long, lovely legs, but it was still cool enough outside it would be an obvious way to draw attention. Too obvious. So instead he wore a pair of conforming–but not clinging–black slacks that gave him a bit of curve. The violet shirt he wore was satin—no surprise there. WingZero would appreciate that, he suspected. Grinning just to think about his mystery crush, Duo fussed with his braid. Should he leave it? Wear it down? Eventually he took it out of its traditional braid and pulled it into a high ponytail with a string of glittering crystals. Flashy without being flamboyant. Last but not least he reverently fastened the cross Damia had made for him around his neck. There, that was perfect. The anticipation and excitement mounted; it was almost sunset. Pulling on some shoes that were at once nice and yet comfortable, he grabbed his house key and hurried downstairs. "Mom?" he called. "In the kitchen, sweetheart," drifted back. "I'll be back in a few hours, okay?" "All right, hon. Have fun with your friend, and try to stay out of mischief!" Smiling, Duo all but bolted out the door and locked it behind him. Damia and his father were both gone, caught up in the palace. Apparently the king was imposing some new legislation in an effort to end the blood feud that was threatening his kingdom. Duo admired him for trying, but he had a feeling it would fail. After all, the royal family's attempts had been failing for generations. Duo had met the king. Zechs Peacecraft seemed like a nice man, just a little older than Damia. Maybe . . . two years? Zechs had betrothed his younger sister, Relena, to a carefully neutral party, one that had no blood relation to either the Maxwells or the Yuys. Duo realized he was rambling in his thoughts. He was way, way too jittery. His hands were shaking and he felt like he might fall over. Wow, he was nervous. He couldn't help it, and most of it was because he so, so hoped Wing would decide he was gorgeous and wanted to make him his boyfriend. It was hard to meet nice guys that weren't intimidated by his name and his family's money. The old Imperial Gardens, abandoned for a long time, looked lonely and somewhat forlorn from the front. It had never occurred to Duo to go there, because the fortress had been sloppily thrown together. The thing was an eyesore, an architectural monstrosity. Ignoring it, Duo made his way to the west wall. The forest was creeping back in, here, and vines were climbing up the wall everywhere. And there, right where Wing had said it would be, was the section that had caved in. Careful not to get dirt or dust on his clothes, Duo climbed over the wall. The difference was breathtaking. It was like stepping into a miniature paradise, a place where time stood still. Young trees sprouted in the brighter places, wreathed by bright, tiny flowers of white, yellow, and pink. Larger shrubs hunkered in the darker corners, their more muted blossoms bursting into bloom all over. It was beautiful. Duo turned in a full circle, trying to take it all in. The harshness of the walls didn't matter, in here. He heard a crunch of footfall on rubble just a split-second before a voice–a familiar one–called out softly, "Shinigami." His heart leaped as he turned. There, wearing a dark green silk shirt with silver buttons, stood the last person he'd ever expected to see. Heero. Duo stared, uncomprehending, feeling like his mind was stuck in sludge. What . . . what . . . He couldn't breathe, air kept getting caught in his throat. His heart did its level best to pound out of his chest. No. No. "What are you doing here?" he finally demanded. It came out terribly faint. "It's me," Heero said in the same, soft tone. "WingZero." Duo felt himself backing up. "You . . . you're . . ." He couldn't make himself speak. His brain kept freezing up. "Duo, I know I'm not what you expected—" Heero began. "You tricked me," Duo whispered. He could literally feel the blood draining away from his face. "All this time, I've been falling for it. You lied to me! You knew it was me, and you lied to me!" How could anything hurt this much? Heero immediately strode after him, reaching out. "No, I didn't," he denied, more emotion in his eyes than Duo had ever seen there. "I swear, Duo, I didn't know it was you. I found out the same day I asked you to meet me. You were wearing this cross." He reached out and touched it. "It was the first time I'd ever seen you wear it, and I knew. I had to tell you, I knew I couldn't keep this from you—" "And then what?" Duo cut him off, hating that he almost sounded shrill. Was he getting hysterical? "You had a great laugh at my expense? Let me get all excited over nothing?" But all his secret hopes had been dashed. In the most cruel way imaginable. This was so unbelievably unfair. "I was just as surprised as you are," Heero said in an earnest voice. "I didn't plan any of this, Duo, it just . . . happened. But I'm not sorry it did. Does it matter that much?" "Yes!" Duo cried, furiously blinking back tears. "You . . . you're . . . a Yuy! You tricked me!" "Duo, please," Heero said quietly. "I never lied to you. And what we had, that was real. You didn't make up that rapport with me, and neither did—" "No!" Duo cut him off again. Shoving Heero away he ran past him, almost blinded by tears he refused to shed. He practically vaulted over the wall, almost desperate to get away. To run. To hide. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. Life could not be this unfair. Heero hesitated only a few seconds before bolting after Duo. He couldn't let him get away. He didn't know what this was any more than Duo, but he wanted to find out. Maybe because if he and Duo understood one another, the pointless blood feud would end. But mostly, he just wanted to get to know Duo. To see if he could fall in love with the boy he already felt so strongly for. Apparently Duo was completely sincere in his desire to get away. He was nowhere in sight. Heero knew where the Maxwell Estate was, of course, but no way could he simply walk up there and ask to see Duo. For a long time he stood still, torn. Finally he retreated to home. He ignored Phylia and his mother and immediately went to his room. He suspected Duo would not be online, so he instead typed up a private message and sent it to Shinigami. Hoping, praying, he would open it and read it. That he wouldn't let their names stand in the way of something good. It was well past dark when Duo finally went home. His father and sister were gone, and so was his mother. That was fine. He would rather be alone right now. Body on autopilot, he rummaged in the fridge for food and ate a snack. Upstairs he threw himself down on his bed and shut his eyes. They hurt. He'd cried . . . for how long? He felt like the world's biggest fool. His computer lay like a sentinel on his desk. Duo stared at it for a small eternity before jerking upright and pulling it open. When it booted up, a bubble popped up. You have a new message from WingZero. It was a private message, not a conversation invitation. For several long moments Duo considered just deleting it without reading it. Finally he sat down and pulled it up. Duo, please don't dismiss me out of hand. I know you're shocked. I was too. It took me hours to gather the courage to ask you to meet me. I knew you would be angry, and I was afraid you'd question my motives. But the only thing driving me was a genuine desire to get to know you. I don't know what this is between us. I only know I feel something, and I feel it strongly. I never told you a lie while we chatted, and all of it is as true for you as it was for Shinigami. Please, please meet me tomorrow and talk to me. I don't know if this can work, but I know I want to try. The tears started afresh. Why did Heero suddenly have to be so sweet and sensitive? Why couldn't he remain the unfeeling bastard he'd always been? That Heero was easy to dismiss out of hand. And yet . . . he'd never forgotten Wing telling him he acted differently because people were uncomfortable with the real him. Was Heero in reality more like Wing? Intense and focused, reminding Duo of a bonfire? Perhaps Heero also felt the need to maintain the status quo. A desire not to make waves. That seemed strange, because Heero always acted like he didn't care. About anything. And that, perhaps, was the easiest thing for Duo to relate to. It was easier not to care. When you didn't care, you didn't hurt. And that was the truth, wasn't it? Duo had come to care about WingZero. Heero. So then why was he so upset? Because he's a Yuy? Because I'm so locked into the accepted way of thinking and being that I can't get past it? Of course, if Duo was realistic he also realized no matter the attraction his feelings for Heero would never be accepted. Their families would most likely spontaneously combust from the shock, and if they survived that part they would do their level best to drive the pair apart. But the connection he felt with Wing was real. There was no denying that. More importantly, he didn't want to. They seemed to relate. Duo's mind obligingly dredged up more of their chats. Heero agreed with Damia. He didn't think the feud was worth it. Perhaps if they could get along, they could end it. After all, Duo was in a position to inherit the most power of all the Maxwells, and Heero similarly with the Yuys. And still, it was more than that. Duo had always been physically attracted to Heero. And admittedly, Heero was not the only one who conformed to the status quo. As soon as Duo learned his name, he rejected all else about Heero. Dismissed it out of hand. Burying his face in his hands, Duo tried to ease his shaking, to calm down, to think. Did he honestly believe Heero could be so cruel as to lead him on? Maybe. He didn't know Heero at all. But that look in Heero's eye, that gentle tone, those were all things Duo had never seen from him before. He'd never seen real emotion in Heero's eyes. Such wonderful, amazing cobalt eyes . . . Before he could lose his nerve, Duo hit reply. I think this is a mistake, he typed.
On the off chance that Duo logged in, Heero brought his laptop and set it up in the corner. Daylight brought incredible color to his secret place, allowing more light inside to brighten things up. He didn't know if Duo would come. His reply had been ambiguous at best, but Heero would wait all day if that's what it took. If Duo didn't come he would give up, though he didn't think he could ever let things go back to normal. He'd seen too much of the real Duo. Amazing how a few lines could so completely change one's perspective. He waited for just over three hours. Duo was wearing a red T-shirt this time, the gold cross standing out against it perfectly. Not for the first time Heero was struck by the sublime beauty that made up this boy. Pretty much everything he'd ever wanted in a partner. He rose from his seat, never taking his eyes off Duo's face. "I wasn't sure you'd come," he said softly. Duo looked away. "I shouldn't have," he said. Heero wasn't sure what to say to that, so he held his peace. Eventually Duo stirred. "Why did you ask me to meet you?" he asked presently, finally look up. "Why didn't you . . . just disappear when you found out it was me?" For a moment, Heero was silent. Why, indeed. He'd been sorely tempted. "I don't know," he said at last. "I thought about it. I thought it would be easier. But maybe that's exactly why I didn't. Most of my life I've been doing things because they're easier. And . . . you deserved better than that." The faintest hint of color dusted Duo's cheeks. It was lovely, and Heero watched, mesmerized. "I'm not sure I would have," he admitted quietly. Silence took the halting conversation again, but finally Heero couldn't stand it anymore. "Duo," he said, "I meant what I said last night. I know you felt it, too. That connection we had–have–as Shinigami and Wing. Why does it have to be different as Duo and Heero?" Indigo-violet eyes met cobalt blue. "Don't you care how hard it would be?" Duo all but whispered. Heero shrugged. "I know that, but I guess not. If you're wondering why there's such a big difference between me and Wing, and which of us is real . . ." He paused. "I told you I hide who I am. It's easier when people don't know the real me. I've never liked it, but I've never had a reason to act differently. Now I do." Duo gazed at him in silence. "You were worried, weren't you?" Heero blinked. Under normal circumstances he would not have ever conceded. "Yes," he said. "I was afraid . . . too many things would get in our way." "They still might," Duo countered, raising an eyebrow. Heero tried not to allow relief in too sharply. That wasn't an affirmative response yet. "Maybe," he agreed. "At least they won't be the two of us. For once in my life, I couldn't get in my own way." Duo's lips twitched. Then he turned away. "This is insane." Coming up behind him, Heero lightly gripped his shoulders. He just held him there, not trying to turn him. "No. What's insane is that we hesitate because we're from warring families. Be honest with me, Duo. Would you even hesitate if I wasn't a Yuy? If someone you'd never seen before walked through that broken wall?" There was a long, long pause. "No," came the barely-audible reply. Heero took a chance and turned him, gently cupping his chin in one hand. "Then don't now," he whispered, and leaned down to kiss him. For a moment, Duo froze against him, entire body stiffening. Then he melted, pressing in to deepen the contact. His arms looped around Heero's waist as he responded to the kiss, his lips parting at Heero's insistent request. It was incredibly sweet, and one taste had Heero addicted. He tilted Duo's head back for better access, his tongue caressing inside that hot, wet mouth to explore every inch. Duo's tongue writhed against his, and his captivated partner let out a tiny, almost-inaudible moan. A bolt of liquid desire raced through Heero's veins. He had to drag his mouth off Duo's, and the smaller boy was gasping. Rose colored his cheeks, much more prominent than before, and that much more alluring. How had he ever resisted something so beautiful? Duo met his gaze, his eyes a little hooded and glazed. "Okay," he acquiesced faintly. Heero brushed his lips over Duo's slightly kiss-swollen mouth. "I did have another reason for asking you to meet me," he said, lightly kissing Duo's eyelids when he closed them. "What?" Duo murmured, sounding like he only barely was listening. "The Science Show." Duo pulled back, looking incredulous. "The Science Show? You drop a nuclear warhead on my lap, demand that I get over it in the space of twelve hours, and now you want me to focus on the Science Show? What is wrong with you?" Their laughter rang across the hidden paradise, proof that even the bitterest of enemies could find common ground, peace, and even–possibly–love.
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