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"Smile for the Camera"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: R Warnings: Yaoi, AU Pairings: 2x3 Summary: Trowa takes a chance to
get Duo's attention, but did he go too far? A sweet-as-pie romance
in celebration of pi day: 3 14 15 "Smile for the Camera"
"Trowa! Tell the camera how long you've been an actor." Quatre zoomed in on his friend's face. "Since I was born. My birth was filmed," he answered deadpan. "That's a long time. Has the art form lost its luster for you then?" I was reading the new HotRod magazine, minding my own business, waiting with the other "ex-Gundam pilot" agents for our yearly physical. Heero and Wufei had already been called in. For some reason there was a delay and I was stuck in the waiting room with the other two. Strangely, Quatre was the one clowning around. At first. As long as they left me out of it. I hated doctors probing me for problems and was nervous enough to take it out on- "It's lost nothing." Trowa's voice came from over my left shoulder, very close to my ear, causing me to look up at him. "Whenever I have a role with Duo, I'm re-inspired." What the hell was he blabbering about? "In the sex scenes, are you faking it or is it really as hot as it appears?" Ehhh?! Quatre's words shook me to my core. What sex? Trowa and I... never! I was about to say that, but Trowa beat me to the camera. "Really hot. I never fake it with Duo. It's in my contract. Real, deep, and slow." Trowa licked my ear! He was standing by the time I came out of my imaginary-sex overload coma. It had been a long time since I'd been with anyone. ANYONE. So. Just talking was driving me crazy. The contact made my head spin! If the nurse tested me now, I'd be slammed with blood-pressure meds before I got off the observation bench. Quatre was in my face, phone recorder pointed my way. He was acting strange, probably, if I'd noticed, but I couldn't really give up a nanometer of space in my mind to deal with him, not with porn-star Trowa skulking about in his well-cut jeans. "And what is your response, Duo? And who's your agent? I need a clause like that in my contracts." "I'm in a transitional phase." It was the best I could come up with. It wasn't so bad considering how fried my poor brain was and Trowa's sultry stare from over by the wall he was holding up was contributory. "And your agent?" Quatre pushed, eager to keep me talking, I guess. I wasn't in a playful mood, not that kind of play. I wanted to look at Trowa and avoid him at the same time. I figured he and Quatre were a couple. I thought they were. They went places together. I hadn't seen them kissing or anything, but public displays of affection between same-sex couples were outlawed on L4, where Quatre still had family ties, and had a really low approval rating in the old-fashioned city-state of Sanc, where we were all currently employed. They'd been very close since the war, and I knew, from things Trowa said, little gems he dropped from time to time, that he was gay. Quatre, well, he seemed like he was, but it wasn't the kind of thing that came up in conversation. I assumed he was. It wasn't as if we all hung out together. We crossed paths at Preventers. However often we got clumped together for missions, photo shoots of the "Gundam Boys", and other choice holiday occasions, we did not socialize outside of work. Except Trowa and Quatre. I felt uncomfortable (in an eager-weird way ) thinking about having sex with Trowa, but for God's sake the idea, roused now by his larking about, was firmly installed in my vast memory banks, cross-referencing neurons firing on anything linked with sex or Trowa. It wasn't going away just like that! In my brain there was this gigantic marquee signboard broadcasting: Trowa and Duo- agents in steamy jungle... raw, nude...! It was a miraculous feat that I could keep track of the conversation. "Chang Wu Fei," chimed in Trowa. "He's a tough cookie for an agent, booking or otherwise, so be careful." Nice save, Tro'. And don't think I didn't appreciate that on some level, but why had he said those things about us, and so convincingly? Especially with so damn much conviction? Even in jest? Especially in jest! "Thank you," Quarter pattered on. "I'll look him up. So, where were we? Oh, yes, working with Duo. A mutually enjoyable experience?" My shoes needed cleaning, I noticed. Where did scuff marks come from, anyway? A shadow fell over them and I felt the heat of another body hovering over me. When I looked up, Trowa's face was inches away. His eyes visible, both hazel, with a small mole over the eyebrow usually covered by bangs. "I hope so," he told the annoying blond man in the room. "I can take whatever he can give me and return my best with all the skill I've acquired." Acquired skill. I swallowed, suffering from a constricted throat now. There was a rustle at the door and a nurse called the three of us in, "Room 3 for Agent Maxwell, 7 for Agent Barton, and 12 for Agent Winner, please." I was slow to get up I had such a hard on going on in my pants and Trowa was still standing very close. I couldn't use the magazine for cover for the entire visit! Quatre hadn't totally given up on the fun times. "Is there anything more you'd like to add, Trowa, before we end this interview?" Trowa brushed his bangs in place and stepped away, but not before adding, for the camera, mind you, one more delightful bit: "I really like to get down and dirty as often as I can. I'd do it for free, but don't let my manager hear me say that." Ummm. Yeah. Not that I hadn't fantasized freely in my time. I'd imagined every male I'd ever worked with- or seen from afar or just thought I'd seen -naked and coming on to me, having normal cravings for a gay man, but I tried my best to keep my friends out of my make-believe world. Well, to be honest, not my very best. I tried. Some. The checkup was mercifully short. Perfunctory, in fact. I exited the room still buttoning my shirt and saw Trowa picking up his jacket from the waiting room. "Done?" I asked him. "Yeah. You?" "Yup! I thank whichever higher-up it was that decided to reduce the checkup to a blood test and cursory examination." "You feel short-changed?" he asked with a quirky eyebrow lift. "Not a bit. My left knee isn't going to get any better by them poking at it. Glad to be done with this." Trowa checked the ancient wall clock. "I can think of no reason to return to my desk for the final few minutes and possibly acquire some odious new task." "God no." I noted that no one was hanging around. Quatre in particular was conspicuous by his absence. "We must have been last." "We were," he said definitively, as if he'd familiarized himself with the appointment schedule. Maybe he noticed my inquiring look, because he supplied some explanation. "Quatre was leaving when I came out and told me that Heero and Wufei had already returned to work." "Masochistic sloggers." I agreed whole-heartedly that a return to work was unnecessary. It was also too early for dinner. "Bus won't get here for another thirty minutes," I muttered to myself, mostly. He heard me, though. "Want a ride?" Say what? Oh, a ride home in his car, yeah. Damn porno movie crap. Kill Quat for that later. "Okay." I had little desire to go back to my drab apartment. That was the only reason. Trowa's car was a pretty nice SUV built for rough terrain. "Want to do something?" he asked once he had me buckled in and whirling about the Preventers parking lot. At his mercy. "Yeah." I did. I didn't know what. Well, I did, but I was not going to suggest anything pressing on my mind. "Climb the butte?" he asked. {Author's Note: A butte is a low mountain peak and rhymes with cute.} Granite Butte. His suggestion was a good one. The climb would take an hour of strenuous hiking and deliver a nice view of the valley at the end. "Sure. It should be dry enough." It hadn't rained in a week so it had time to drain. Mucking through mud was too much like work. "Should be fine," he said. Trowa wasn't one to fill empty time with idle chitchat. I was, but in his company it didn't seem right. It would be like disturbing his quiet karma. So, I rode along in silence to match his, trying like crazy not to think about that little movie-making act of his earlier, and yet pretty much thinking of nothing else. Trowa's tongue slathering my neck, the feel of his rock-hard abs on mine, strong hands on my ass... "Nice weather!" Yeah, that was a safe subject. I stuck to that. "Not much wind either." He parked in the small, gravel lot and reached over into the backseat for a small backpack. "Snacks," he said. "Ah, good idea. You do this often?" Alone? With Quatre? Others? He and I never hung out together like this and I wondered how he usually spent his free time, besides making porn films, it seemed. "Hike? Yeah. I keep this supplied." With food? Sex toys? Murder weapons? I was not going to learn much by asking vague questions, I guessed, but hesitated to really dig into his intentions too deeply. Wait and find out, was a good motto that would let me avoid a lot of embarrassment if I was wrong about the toys and armory and he was just packing jerky, trail mix, and water. The hike was fun, better than being alone. His longer legs stretched over outcroppings, but I could hop and leap like a mountain goat, so we kept pace with one another. The sun broke out about halfway up and soon we were overheating, so off came the shirts. I will not share my thoughts about that. I'm sure it's unnecessary anyway. We stopped for a water break and he pulled out of the pack a bottle of sun lotion. "You're already starting to get pink," he told me. Oh, sure, here comes the oil. If Tro' wasn't making porn films- and I really do doubt he has had the spare time, but still- he's wasted. "Thanks." I slathered a bit over my arms and chest, while he did the same. "Need a hand?" he asked giving the lotion container a little wiggle. "Your back?" "Okay." Anywhere, hot stuff... Now, that felt great, his warm hands sliding over the muscles, rubbing in the lotion. I was sorry when he stopped, but found that returning the favor was nice, too. His back was broad and waist very trim from his past acrobatic life in the circus. I noticed scars from the war that gave him a hot warrior edge, not that he needed any more advantages. "Ear tips," he recommended, smearing a white cream over his and then mine. "And nose." A dabble ended up on my nose, which I smoothed out over the bridge. We shared the water bottle again. Placing my lips over the exact spot his had been really was an indirect kiss. When I closed my eyes I imagined what it would be like. When I opened them, he was staring at me. "Want some?" I asked and offered him the bottle back. "Sure." He took the bottle with a fractional smile playing on his lips. What had I said? Oh, great. Nothing like sexual innuendo between friends. I was so bad at this, this, almost flirting stuff, if that's what it was. Oh, I could go wild with it in my head, but I kept it there. No unleashing THAT on the world. Because I wasn't sure he was coming on to me. There was the QRW person loitering about. I didn't know what to make of their connection, or I'd make a move. No, I wouldn't. I didn't make moves. I had no moves. I had nothing. A big zero. Not the ultimate big Z.E.R.O., the system that invades pilots' minds and can drive them crazy, but the kind of moves that result in mind-numbing results like that. It's a good thing I don't say what's on my mind all the time. Trowa repacked his bag and tossed a strap over his shoulder. We were off for the final climb and hazy view of the entire Sanc valley blinking in and out with the passing of trees. As we rounded up to the peak, the trees disappeared, replaced by rocks. A little scrambling brought us to the overlook and a flat rock perfect for sitting. A brisk wind dried our sweat until it felt too cool. On went the shirts, but I noticed Trowa left his unbuttoned. I couldn't not notice. For a long while it was all I thought about: tanned skin taut over firm muscles and a fine line of auburn hair leading my eyes tantalizingly downwards. He, on the other hand was the epitome of chill, plunging into his backpack of supplies, careless of my inner turmoil, to pull out sandwiches, cookies, a bottle of wine, small, but clearly wine. "That's some survival kit," I pointed out without hiding how impressed I was by his resourcefulness. "I was planning to come here after the appointment." "Ah..." I was the Quatre substitute, which I said aloud, but not on purpose. "No, I would have come alone, if you hadn't agreed," he said. "I didn't ask anyone else." "Ah..." To which I added no smart remark this time. He parceled out the food. "Good powerbar," I told him, waggling the very nicely put-together sandwich at him. "Was that a compliment?" he replied. "Yeah. It's fancy. Good fancy. I never eat sandwiches." "The cafeteria will pack lunches for you if you order ahead." "This," I made a point of pointing to the wine, "came from Preventers cafeteria?" "No. None of it did. I bought it at lunch break from the deli around the corner." He showed me an ice-pack he'd had wedged inside to keep things from going bad. "But you said-" "I didn't say I got it at the cafeteria, just that one could." He snapped me a little smile of, possibly, regret, for his misdirection. I was reminded how little I knew the workings of this man's mind, and discovered I was very curious about him- intrigued. Attracted and intrigued. "The deli. Ruby's? Well, it's good. All good." I chugged more of the wine than I aimed for and hoped it wouldn't all go to my head. Maybe he was drinking to loosen his tongue, too, because when I caught him watching me, he spoke. "I'd asked Heero about you. He told me to talk to you and that he 'was no intermediary', I think, was how he put it." About me? "Why d'you pick Yuy? We only partner on missions a couple times a year?" What did Trowa want to know about me was what I really wanted to ask? "I, um..." Trowa trailed off into another bite of sandwich. My turn to talk, I guessed. "He's taking some downtime so that he and Wufei can go on an Asia tour next week. 'Fei wants to visit China, and Heero Japan, and not while on the job." Now I had Trowa's undivided attention. "Yuy and Chang?" "Yup." Partners in work and on holiday. But. Now I wondered if they were lovers as well, when I hadn't considered the possibility before. What had Trowa meant? "I don't know if they're more than friends," I said covering that angle. "But not you?" "Me? Fuck no! I got no desire to hang with either of them, and both of them would be majorly oppressive. C'mon, you know what I mean. Oh, so serious and with schedules, reservations, checklists and all?" That got me the nod of assent and understanding I was aiming for. "Besides, if I was to travel, and I'm not saying I am, I'd like to explore someplace less populated." "Alaska?" Trowa's face lit up. He looked more animated than I'd seen him since... well, he'd looked pretty wound up during the porn flick act. "Yeah. In summer. I wouldn't care to stumble around in the dark, but light-all-day summer? Camping would be-" "Want to do that?" "I do." I did now. "With me? I have gear. I'd been planning a vacation. We got the same break. It could be-?" "Great fun," I agreed. He looked pleased as punch. "So, ah, just so I know... you and Quatre aren't... you know...?" "What?" He looked aghast at me. "Together? No! He's not even..." He stopped to even out his breathing. "When he completes his contract with Preventers in spring, he's leaving, I understand. Going back to L4. He's got a lady to marry and life to pick up there." No kidding?! "I didn't know." That or anything about Agent Winner, apparently. "Yeah, he and I just talk about plans and stuff because we were stationed at the same training base for a month. We're not and never have been a couple, Duo." "Oh." "You really thought that?" he asked with a tiny frown. "Um, I guess." But now I got it. And I bet he was worried that Heero and I were together! Time to completely dispel all of that fear. "I'm not with anyone currently." -or ever. "No one in my life," he summed it up. Right. Yup. Cool. Real cool. Now what? "So, what was with the porn actor filming interview thing?" I asked before things got any heavier. "Oh, that. Yeah." No way would I let him get away with just that response. "It sure surprised me. Not how I expected to pass my time in the waiting room." I stared at him until he looked me in the eye. He sighed and ventured a one-eyed peek around a poised cookie. "Quatre thought it would get you to notice me. Did it work?" "And how." A corny reply, I know, so I smiled at him. Really, that had been a lot of trouble to go through just for some of my measly attention. "You were very convincing doing that interview." What I wanted to know was how experienced he was, but hell if I was going to come right out and ask him. So, given an escape route, he took it, and I learned - not that. "I wanted it to be true, in a way." "Oh... well... you could have just asked me out for a drink. I'da been all over you if I'd known you were single and had kissed me-" That was all the encouragement he needed, as it turned out. I don't know where my wine glass went. One second it was in my hand, the next I had an armload of eager male mashing his lips into mine and- why was I thinking about my wine glass? Okay, so kissing men had been my fantasy for ages, not my actual reality. For all my insinuations to the opposite, I was a true novice here. But not him. I don't know the where, when, and who, but Trowa had done this much before. I was beginning to double-think the porn-movie pretending stuff and imagined it was a part of his thorny past. He knew how to bite my earlobe with his lips then suck on the blood-filled lobes enough to make me moan. The hand holding my face in place had this thumbnail that scratched over my rough jawline that was only something a man would do and got me so wound up I thought I'd explode when I felt one thigh contact mine. I could think up lot of sex-ridden scenarios, but in no way had I imagined the primal need welling up inside and taking over all but my basic brain functions. If I had ever doubted whether or not I was gay, and I hadn't, but if I had, this would have ended it all completely. When his fingers found my hair I thought, "Oh, no you don't," because I hated having my hair fussed with, but then he started to massage my scalp with tiny motions that relaxed me completely. I know I moaned with pleasure; I heard him chuckle when I did. Things amped up more when he started sucking, licking, and kissing my lips and neck. My limbs went all jelly-like making it impossible to fight him off-as if I would. He was driving me wild. He sounded pretty worked up too. "Duo..." he whispered with a hand grazing my belt buckle before it returned to exploring my ribcage. My hands alternated between gripping his shirt to grappling for a hold on his smooth sides. "Duo." I settled eventually on his back, where I could play with the short hair at the back of his neck. "Du-o." Suddenly everything changed. I felt his body stiffen with tension, lying on me, holding me in place. He pressed a hand over my mouth. "Stay still," he hissed in my ear. Had it been just about anyone else, I would have fought tooth and nail to free myself and see for myself what was up, but Trowa didn't fool around or overreact. His entire body language shouted "danger!" "Hold on tight. Slowly, slide with me off the rock." I let him carry my weight, holding on for dear life, and used my feet to gain purchase and inch off the flat rock face. I was glad to be wearing my shirt. I got a sandpaper rub as is. Once my feet hit the ground, he yanked me up and we were off and running down the hill. I noticed he'd tossed on the backpack, though it was missing a few unfinished items. I thought wistfully of the unfinished cookies and wine, but didn't look back until we slowed a couple hundred yards away. "Yeah? So, what was it?" "Cougar." "You mean a mountain lion? Was it close?" Damn, I'd never seen one for real. "Close enough to attack had it wanted to," he answered. He was still breathing fast and looking a bit wild-eyed, so I bet he'd been plenty spooked. "I didn't want to give it the chance." "Glad you spotted it. I don't think I would have done well unarmed in a fight to the death, for sure." "I had a knife. We'd have had a chance, but I'd hate to kill a beauty like that. What's so funny?" "Not so much funny as... well... cool." I couldn't keep from grinning. "Tell me then." "Okay, well, it has been one hell of a day for my fantasies to come alive. First there was Trowa of the porno flick interview, then the hike and a picnic date, and then Champion Trowa saving me from certain death! You hit all the romantic notions I could come up with. Super Trowa!" "I'll show you Super Trowa," he mumbled a he took me in his arms and pressed his lips over mine. Oh, but his lips were warm and soft! Mine, I could tell, were rough, all chapped from biting them in the waiting room. I wished mine were all smooth like his. He didn't seem to mind. I heard no complaints. I did hear his voice, whimpering my name. "Duuo." But not really in the throes of lust. He was trying to get my attention. "Duo? Duo! Open your eyes. There. It's going to be dark soon and I for one don't want to break a leg getting down the trail. We should go." "Oh. Okay." I probably sounded as disappointed as I felt. He was right of course, but logic didn't enter into my sex-warped thoughts. "I'm sorry, too, stopping," he said. He coaxed me to my feet and brushed off the dust. "It doesn't have to end now." "You wanna come over?" Wasn't I the brave one, inviting him to my humble abode? Trowa looked me over top to bottom, head to toe, then stared into my eyes. "You mean that?" I was pretty damn sure I'd said my mind. "Yeah. I consider this our first date, you asked me out. Now, I'm asking you over for... cocktails." Clever, clever me. "Do you even know what cocktails are?" "I do, not that I can make them, but I do know what they are." "Realistically?" "There's beer in the frig. But! I've got a superior imagination and I'm betting you can make a few of those fantasies come true." This last part I said in my best, my sexiest, low voice, which I'd just invented on the spot, and it worked like magic. We were not balanced at the base of a rock ledge, we were moving. Hand in hand, practically dragging me downhill off the butte, he was wasting no air up there. I'd never seen a man move as fast as Trowa did coursing down that trail like a parkour extraordinaire. I thought of it as a breathless escape from one adventure to the next, with potential for a most interesting future. I might ask Quatre for that smartphone recording just to see if the look on my face was as astonished as I felt at the time. And then make sure it's deleted so he can't share it around and try to take credit for being our matchmaker. The next day, I found a tube of lip balm in my pocket- Coconut Lemon Grass Flavor. A hint? A gift? Both, I decided, and mushed some on. The End. |
