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"Band of Steel"Written By: Kaeru Shisho Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU, shounen-ai, yaoi in later chapters,
some language, drugs Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3 Summary: With the Sanc battle of the bands contest on the horizon, do the GW boys need the exciting singer from L2 to give them the winning edge? Other credits: Songs are credited in the chapters they are used. Recognition should go to the late Mitch Hedburg for a couple of his wonderful one-liners used. In chapters 7, 11, 12, 15, 17, and 18, dialog from the anime was incorporated directly into the storyline. Acknowledgment goes to someone else for the 'cats are gay', 'knowing color names is gay', and other gay jokes sailing around the Internet. And the New Age affirmations are not mine, but may seen and heard everywhere, even in the GW universe. (Original version 2007 - this is the rewrite version
2009) "Band of Steel " Chapter 9 - I've Got a Crush on You Heero strode resolutely up to the door, behind which Duo had just disappeared with an armload of black fur. He was beside himself with jealousy. Had Duo and Quatre really been making out or, worse, actually engaged in sex in the stable? He had to hear it from Duo. In his hands were two beers, stolen from the refrigerator. Dinner was waiting and would wait a little longer. "Duo?" "Yeah, come in." "My hands are full." "So are mine." Heero transferred the bottles to one hand and opened the door. He never knew what to expect, entering his room, but he hoped for something exciting and so far hadn't been disappointed more than once. He hadn't been back since the rosebud incident. Duo was busy with his cat, holding it in one arm, while making a nest for it out of a chest drawer lined with a towel. He was putting the finishing touches on it when Heero walked in. On one of his back pockets was an appliquéd 'You Wish' and when he turned the little heart appliquéd on the crotch pulsed. Duo Maxwell believed in advertising fore and aft. "Thirsty?" Heero asked. "Hey, thanks." Duo de-capped the beer causing the liquid to foam over the lip of the bottle and run down the loose t-shirt that didn't need anything more to let Heero know how little lay between thin cotton and skin. "Damn. Now look what I've gone and done," Duo said with a child-like note of wonder in his voice just as if he hadn't for a minute meant to go and do it. He set his bottle on top of the chest where the cat had already curled into the drawer bed, and tore off his spotted shirt. Beer was snaking down his naked torso to the jeans. Wherever the waistline was supposed to be (only GUESS knew, except the label had been ripped off or worn off ages ago, so it was anybody's guess,) it seemed to ride low on his pelvis at the moment. Threaded through the belt holders were what looked like worn steel guitar strings ending in little bells cavorting with the red heart. "Come here," Heero said as he seated himself on the Duo's unmade bed. The long, dark lashes lowered over the deep violet eyes, Duo's whole expression saying "at last." He snatched his beer bottle and swayed over to him, holding the bottle, and landed his sticky torso right in front of Heero's mouth. Heero took out a handkerchief and wiped his stomach. Duo's mouth fell open and his arms fell down, clutching the bottle as if he'd wring its neck. Heero raised his own beer and swigged it. He met Duo's befuddled gaze. "You're not going to touch me?" Duo asked in a husky voice. "Did Quatre?" "No, you heard him. He said no. Isn't his word good enough for you? Besides, what does that matter? Come on, Heero. Just admit it. You wanna know if it's boy-ass or girl-pussy you want, right? Or maybe both? So, here I am." Heero swallowed. Hard. "You don't have to be so...crude." "Don't I? I've tried subtle, romantic... What's left? It's what you expect, isn't it, from a fag from L2?" "Duo, no. It's just that I, ah---" "Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out," Duo warned. "I want..." Heero began then turned away. "Fine. You know where to find me." Duo turned away, selected a striped t-shirt on top of his stack. "Suit yourself." Heero couldn't leave, not with the misunderstanding worse than ever. He leaped off the bed, reached out, and clasped Duo's arm. He had been practicing his lines for days. Just say it! "Please. Wait. I, ah, I've been trying to convince myself for days now that you might be interested in trying some things together, trying to read subtle encouragement into every single thing you have said or action you've taken; any action that is, that I could possibly take that way, while still utterly positive that there was nothingaboutmethatcouldinterestyou." He panted, breathless, after spewing all that as fast as possible. Duo laid his hand on the back of Heero's and gave it a squeeze in a gesture that was more intimate than Heero's grasp had been. His deep, violet-blue eyes looked to be pleading for more words. Heero sat down again, pulling Duo alongside him on the mattress. Never once did he remove his eye contact. "I wondered if you'd want to kiss. I want to. I am... desperate to kiss you." Duo nodded slowly. Heero leaned closer, his long bangs tickling Duo's cheeks as he lowered his mouth an inch toward his, and stopped. Duo caught his breath and closed his eyes. His lips parted. Heero forgot to breathe as he lowered his mouth until their lips lightly touched. Duo moaned into his mouth and then melted into a gentle kiss. When he could put off breathing no longer, Heero released the contact. Wrapping his arms under Duo's shoulders, he could press closer and feel the bond he craved. He pressed his cheek to his, clutching him hard, practically panting. He was trembling. "Your cheek is warm," Heero said. "Not too scratchy?" Duo smiled. Heero could feel the smile against his face, sighing as Duo's arms wrapped around his back. When Duo turned his face to Heero, his lips brushed his cheek. Heero turned to him and their lips met again, this time firmly. Duo's mouth opened to Heero's and their tongues rubbed together. Heero felt fingers comb through the back of his hair as their mouths worked against each other, exploring, tasting, and testing. Heero's first kiss with any boy would have been electric, but this was Duo, and electric couldn't begin to describe how it felt, chest to chest, his fingers in his hair, and their mouths-- Duo's mouth, his tongue sliding over Heero's, twisting together, tasted like Duo. This was Duo and it was perfect; no one else would have been perfect. Despite an erection that almost hurt, Heero would have been content to hold Duo and kiss him like that all night. There was a rap at the door. "Duo? Are you coming to dinner?" Duo called out, his voice muffled by Heero's neck. "Yeah, inna minute, 'kay?" "Okay, I'll save you a seat!" Quatre said cheerfully and then he padded away. That pretty much broke the spell. Duo yanked on the striped shirt and checked on the sleeping cat. Heero straightened his hair and looked uncomfortable. "Um..." "Listen, I'll keep this quiet, if you want," Duo said. "I was going to ask if I can come back, later." "Finish where we left off?" Heero nodded. Duo shrugged, "Maybe, then." (o) The conversation over the dinner table that evening was doomed to languish in dull banter detailing the day's events. Normally, Relena did her best to keep the conversation light and easily digestible. She was more successful when Lucrezia or one of the other girls visited. She did, however, produce an overall civilizing effect, which the five otherwise homeless boys desperately needed, and Quatre truly appreciated. But then, suddenly, Quatre sensed dangerous intent. He had only an instant of awareness before Duo spoke. "What do you think the phrase 'roll in the hay' means? Means nothing to me. No horses or hay on L2 at all." Quatre dropped his fork on the floor and excused himself from the room to get another one. "It's an idiom." Zechs cleared his throat. "It alludes to secret lovemaking in the hayloft." "Oh," Duo replied, thinking about it. "I guess we got something like that, only we say a guy's got someone over a barrel." Zechs smiled and shook his head. "We say that, too, but here, it would mean that you have someone in a difficult position." "Isn't that what I said?" Duo's eyes gleamed mischievously. Wufei groaned disgustedly. "How did you get by?" Duo's violet-blue eyes regarded him, this time with a sparkle. He spread his arms in a 'look at me' fashion and said, laughing, "You kiddin'?" Relena folded her napkin and placed her hands in her lap. "Duo, you're not a tramp, are you?" "A what? I gotta home--" "Relena, he's a shuttle pilot!" Quatre cried out in his defense, brandishing his fork like a weapon, or a microphone. "And a singer!" "He is? You are? Why do you say those things and act so-" "You don't like how I act?" Duo asked. "Oh, you mean you think I'm a -" "Dear sister, you told me Duo told you he's gay," Zechs interrupted. "So am I!" Quatre announced. "Oh, Quatre, sit down and relax. Now, we all know that's not true," Relena insisted. "Catherine adores you, and I know you like her, too. You don't have to be so defensive." Quatre blushed, flustered for a moment. He wished he could be forthright and be heard, even respected. He envied how Wufei could command attention and how Heero with only a word could get everyone's attention. "Being gay doesn't make someone a tramp!" "Well, some might disagree." "A-and doesn't stop me from liking girls or having them as friends." "Of course it does!" Relena insisted. "People are always looking to connect and if you can't date girls then you'll get left out. You're not gay, Quatre. You're just effeminate and confused." Quatre drew his brows together into a frown. "That's not so!" he continued to protest. He was so frustrated he wanted to throw his glass and watch it shatter. "And gay man are very promiscuous, which you certainly are not," Relena went on, this time casting a virulent gaze in Duo's direction. Duo snickered, and Quatre gasped, feeling that pinch of imminent disaster again. Before Heero could stop him, Duo had his lips pressed to his, giving Heero a serious kiss. When Duo moved apart he was grinning, and said, "Connecting works for me." "Heero, how can you just let him do that?" she asked. Zechs seemed interested in his answer, too. "Free world," was all Heero said, returning to his dinner. Relena regarded him narrowly, not knowing what to make of that runic comment. "He's seductive," Trowa offered, "which makes him deadly on stage. Fans worship him." "He does sing well," Relena relented. "He's sex with a braid," Trowa said with a chuckle. Relena blushed and stared at her uneaten dinner. Quatre had grown weary of that turn of phrase. He wasn't the only one. Duo let out a breath, ruffling his bangs. "Okay, can we change the subject? Relena, how's work?" The conversation started again and dinner completed on an up note. Trowa asked Quatre if he knew what Catherine's favorite color was. Quatre had not anticipated him saying anything like that, and so he admitted candidly, "No idea, but yours is purple. Not the bluish tone like Duo's eyes, but the real, royal, purple." Trowa blinked. "How did you know?" "You always choose the purple jelly beans first, and, as everyone knows, they taste awful so it couldn't be because you liked their flavor." "What about mine?" Duo asked. "Red. Definitely. The darker the better. Ruby red, right? Like the color of the gem in Zechs class ring." "Yeah!" Duo exclaimed, delighted. "Man, you're pretty good. Betcha can't guess Heero's." "Just a minute," Quatre said. He jumped to his feet and carried back the jar of jellybeans, just recently filled to the top. He poured a few out onto the table. "Just look them over, Heero. You don't have to choose any of them." Heero stared at the table watching the candy come to a standstill. "Is that long enough?" "No, keep looking while I tell Wufei what color he likes." "You couldn't guess," Wufei said. "I could guess, but I don't need to. I know." Quatre smiled confidently. Relena liked this game. "He likes green." "Yes, but what green. There are many shades." Relena shook her head. "Green, green." "Ha! Not close enough. The color of apple-green jade," Quatre announced bubbling with excitement. "My God!" Wufei was on his feet in an instant. "How did you know? Even I couldn't have told you that!" "That's more complicated. I noticed how you admired a statuette in a store window once." Quatre looked askance at Heero, whose stare was boring a hole into his heart, his head, and the table top alternatively. "What about Zechs? Do you know what his favorite color is?" Relena asked. "His is sapphire blue and yours is lemon yellow." "Oh, you actually know! How? How do you do that?" Relena asked, laughing with excitement. "... and Heero's is..." Quatre paused and met Heero's eyes. "Nothing. He has no favorite color." "Balderdash!" Wufei shouted. "He just doesn't like candy." "You are right, he doesn't like candy, but he also is not attracted to any particular color." "You are empathic," Trowa stated, finally understanding the extent of his friend's talent. "Quatre!" Relena cried out. "You can read our minds?!" "No, idiot," Heero grumbled. "No, I can't. I feel strong emotions, and how you react to a favorite color is one of them." "Not just colors, but particular shades." Again, Trowa made a particular point. "Not many men pay attention to things like that." Duo chuckled and the tension drew taut like a clothesline with everyone pinned to what might pop out of Duo's mouth next. "And how right you are. In fact, if you're male and know more than four names of colors, and I don't mean just simple red, blue, green, and yellow type color words either, you might as well wear a blinking rainbow pin on your forehead. A real man doesn't have memory space in his brain to remember all of that crap as well as all the names of all the players and their stats in ML baseball, the NFL, NHL, college ball, and NASCAR. If you can picture 'cerise' or you know what a 'sommelier' is you're gay." Zechs cleared his throat. "A sommelier is a wine steward, Duo." "Word's French," Trowa put in. "'Kay." Duo smiled not beaten yet. "Anyone wanna make a guess at 'cerise'? Heero, any guesses?" "He wouldn't know," Relena said before he could answer. "Hot pink," Quatre declared with relish. "Like your dress, which is made from a super-soft, lustrous, silk charmeuse, as opposed to a nubby silk Shantung fabric." His smile widened then dropped. "I hope I've made my point." (o) Afterwards, everyone gathered in the second-floor screening room for a movie. This was far grander than watching on the television they used for video games. Heero sat between Zechs and Relena in the row behind Duo, where he could keep an eye on his activities. Trowa squeezed between Duo and Quatre, with Wufei on Duo's other side. Heero considered the arrangement safe for the duration. At the closing credits, Heero excused himself without remembering a moment of the film. "Headache?" Relena asked him. "You've just been so quiet all evening." Heero had never had one in his life, but there was no time like the present. He nodded and lurched out of his seat. He wanted to get to Duo's room unobserved. Duo must have come up with an excuse of his own, because less than five minutes later, he joined him. "Is the cat still sleeping?" Duo whispered. "I found a can of tuna and a water bowl for her." "Yes." Heero watched him set the open can and soup bowl of water on the floor near the dresser. "What should I name it, er, her? Quatre said it's a 'her'." "I'm not good with names. You told me so," Heero said. "Um, pouty, eh? Come on, a name for a cat's not so hard." "Then you think of one." Duo cocked his head to the side in thought. "How about 'Get Naked'? Can't you just hear it? I'd call 'Come here, Get Naked!'" "Baka," Heero muttered. "Baka? Hey, that's not bad. Short and insulting. Baka the cat it is. Now, for that, your reward." "My...? Oh," Heero's mind completed the last tortuous twist it took chasing after Duo's words, connecting the dots. "Reward." Duo stripped off his shirt, shoes, and socks. "Ya know, there's nothing stupider looking than a guy standing half-naked in shorts and socks, so those gotta go." Heero wasted no time kicking off his shoes and rolling the socks into balls to toss by the door. Duo's hands tickled under his shirt. "Duo?" Zechs called out, tapping at the door simultaneously. "What?" Duo growled. Heero hissed as he yanked his shirt back down. "Baka" opened a green eye and stretched out a leg, claws ready to shred the source of the escaping air noise. "I've got a job for you," Zechs said. "How much do I have to take off? I stop at-" No matter what Duo said, it sounded like sex. Zechs overrode whatever Duo was going to say next. "I don't want to know what you'll stop at. I want you to put on clothes, not take them off and talk to me about L2 for a few minutes. I am of the belief that, when confronted with an unknown, one should ask someone who knows; two lots of knowledge are better than one." Duo started laughing. Heero shrugged off his frustration as best he could. "You... you..." Duo said in a raspy whisper to Heero between barks of laughter. "You expected Zechs would interrupt us, didn't you? I swear, he's got a crystal ball, and it works!" Heero could only glare. He couldn't shut down his passion that fast. He waited until Duo left, chattering with Zechs down the hallway, until he grabbed his shoes and socks then slipped unseen from the room and to the gym. A good workout was in order. Or a bad one. A hard one. That would be the only kind of workout he'd be getting that night; they were flying out to L2 in the morning, and Duo would need his rest. He was the pilot. (o) No question about it, Duo looked hot in uniform. Heero smiled minutely and watched as Duo posed a moment outside the shuttle, tipped his cap in greeting, and then climbed aboard the short stairs to the pilot's cabin. He had insisted on flying the band to L2. That way, the band traveled for free, but not the baggage and equipment storage, so Zechs covered the charges and insisted that they arrive on L2 a day early so Duo would be rested. Quatre laughed at Wufei. He still couldn't grasp "Duo Maxwell, shuttle pilot." Heero thought it was a bad idea for him to laugh at Wufei, who was deeply ashamed to admit to any weakness or to being wrong, and hated being laughed at. Wufei waited, expecting Duo to join the others in the first class passenger compartment right up until take off. "This is your pilot, Duo Maxwell, speaking. Would everyone take their seats at this time and buckle up for take off? Oh, and 'Ro, turn off the laptop, 'kay?" Then Chang panicked. Heero was too alarmed by his friend's behavior to do more than hold him in place. Zechs loaded him with anti-anxiety drugs, which quieted him long enough for Heero to open the book he'd brought along. The sedatives knocked Wufei out for an hour, and for one hour Heero read his book of architectural designs. Outside, the sky was star-studded black and a vacuum of little interest to Heero. "Would you like something to drink, sir?" the steward asked him. Heero placed his book face down on his tray table, and ordered both Wufei and himself a cup of tea. Music came on over the speaker system, and since Heero had nothing else to do, he leaned back and listened as the sultry torch singer warbled out the tune. "I've
got a crush on you, Sweetie pie. He followed the steward's progress up the aisle, listening as he took orders from the other passengers. "I
never had the least notion Wufei awoke. He said nothing. Nor did Heero. "The
world will pardon my mush Heero acted as if nothing had happened. "Could
you coo? It was best to allow Wufei as much honor as possible. He accepted his tea when it arrived, and closed his eyes, avoiding all contact. "...'Cause I have got a crush, my baby, on you." Heero could overhear Trowa talking to Quatre, and bet Wufei could, too. "First, I just played what I learned. Walking jazz to the beat, yuh know? But I got to adding some riffs and got all funky." "Really?" Quatre asked. "Could
you coo? Wufei sighed heavily. "Dear Gods. Barton could be reciting the phone book and Winner would think it was gospel." "Koran." "...
The
world will pardon my mush Wufei's look at Heero was scathing. "Don't be anal. A crush is bad enough, but on someone of the same sex it's..." "'Cause
I have got a crusssssssh, "It is what?" The two boys locked eyes. "Damn," Wufei said, "Make your move on the princess, you'll see." "See what?" Heero asked. "Female attributes." "Oh." "It's more than just long hair," Wufei assured him. "What is?" "What attracts men to women, fool!" Heero felt Wufei eyes studying his profile. "Hn." "Sally is wonderful, but so is Relena. You should try kissing her." "Sally?" "No! Your girl! Relena." "I did, twice. You have kissed Sally, then?" "Good gods, man, naturally. Don't let that-" Wufei pointed vaguely in the direction of the front cabin, "--demon fool you. Try a woman again. They are weak, and very soft." Heero nodded. It was something to think over. Maybe what drove him mad about Duo was simply lust, lust for anything with long hair and suggestive moves. Maybe, but he doubted it. After landing, they separated out their personal bags and had the equipment sent on to the venue for storage. Zechs would accompany the instruments, and, when everything was secured, he would join them at the motel. They waited for Duo to change out of his uniform. He was whistling and carrying his flight bag. "Hail a taxi 'cause the motel's not close." Heero hardly noticed the dingy industrial zone that seemed to go on forever. He just wanted to get out and walk, see the sights, and understand Duo's world. "Here's the place," the cabbie said, stopping outside a hotel. It was a sprawling old-stone-look, artificial-cement building, dating back to Sector 12's days of eminence, when all four sides of the park it faced were limited to the well-to-do of L2. It had fallen since. Plaster peeled in the huge foyer. Drab obscenities were scratched in the elevator walls. The tenth floor corridor was marred by bubbled, cracked, dry and eroded paint crumbling from the walls. They settled into their rooms at the just-better-than-shabby hotel equidistant from two of their venues. To control costs, they shared, two to a room, drawing names out of a hat to determine who roomed with whom. Duo drew Trowa's name; Heero would room with Zechs; and Wufei with Quatre. "Not too bad," Duo announced as he circled his room. Heero followed him to see if his setup was just as bad as the room he shared with Zechs. Trowa nodded. "It's chill. If the shower works, I'm set." Duo was excited. "We got three rooms. Chances are one shower will work." Heero shrugged. "You can check mine out." The sink tap dripped steadily and the signs of reoccurring water damage above and below the toilet was disconcerting to Heero as he examined his room, but he wouldn't complain. It was the most depressing place he'd ever been in, and from the look on Quatre and Wufei's faces they were in complete agreement. Still, they were there to work, not for a vacation. And for a minute, Duo looked so damned happy to be home that Heero ached for him.
George Gershwin: "I've Got A Crush On You" A/N: The joke about "If you can picture 'cerise' or you know what a 'sommelier' is you're gay" is not mine, but one sent to me from a friend and has been floating the internet for some time. Just so you know if it does sound familiar.
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