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"In the Rain"Written By: Mookie
Disclaimer: I don't really need to be Captain Obvious here, do I? No ownership, no money being made. Written for fun, not profit. Rating: PG Warnings/pairing: dreaded 1=2, boo, hissssss Notes: Written for 1_equals_2_fans challenge "New Beginnings", because just when I think I'm done writing GW, someone comes up with something as wanktastically tempting as this and it gets brought to my attention. How can I say no?
It was raining, and for that he was grateful. It seemed there should be some kind of law against bad things happening when the sun was shining, but the gods of the cosmos seemed to have a bitterly ironic sense of humor. He felt Heero lean his head on his shoulder and he froze, his fingers not daring to finish the patting motion he'd started. His hand dropped away as Heero's head lifted. He swiped at the hair sticking to his face and by the time he'd given up on one particularly stubborn strand, Heero was standing right in front of him. Their eyes met and Duo watched the raindrops trickle down Heero's face. Heero was doing the same. It hadn't been raining quite so hard when he'd dug the hole. It had been soft, subdued, almost respectful, and now it felt sharp enough to draw blood, reminding him that the forces of nature could be as deadly as his buster rifle and often more insidious. He'd never planned on having a pet, and certainly not a rodent that was likely full of disease. It had been rummaging through the garbage outside and he'd tossed an apple core in its direction, hoping to chase it away. It moved at the last second and he'd hit it in the head. Heero had watched as it lost its grip on the can and fell to the ground, stunned, and he'd picked it up and was relieved to discover he hadn't killed it. The first time Duo had come over and seen it sitting Heero's desk, gnawing on an ear of baby corn, he'd taken one look at Heero, his incredulous look swiftly replaced by one of amusement. It wasn't much to look at and as Duo had joked, not much of a conversationalist, but Heero got used to the quiet sound of the animal chewing on the bars of the cage Heero had purchased, officially promoting Rat from nuisance to pet. What he missed the most was the way Rat's ears would perk up, as if he was actually listening. Heero found it much easier to get his thoughts in order talking out loud, and having a sharp-toothed, long-tailed audience went a long way to that end. He was more upset than he wanted to admit when he'd woken up one morning to find Rat curled up in a ball, not moving or responding, and it had made him a little sick to his stomach, poking at it to confirm that Rat was dead and not just sleeping. It had been Duo who suggested burying it but Heero who had found an old shoebox to put it in. Duo had offered a handkerchief to line it with and that had been that. Duo bit his lip, wondering what was going through Heero's mind. Heero's gaze was intense, but then so was Heero. He'd always been that way and he was pretty much used to it, but usually he got the feeling Heero had made up his mind about something. He could almost picture gears in Heero's head turning and then the more familiar look of determination was there. "So what's next?" Duo asked, wrinkling his nose in an attempt to keep from sneezing. "Another rat, or maybe a pigeon this time?" They were both pretty much the same animal as far as Duo was concerned, other than the feathers and the wings. "No." Heero's eyes were hidden beneath the hair plastered over his face, but Duo could still feel the intensity of his gaze. "Not...that." Duo's mouth was moving way ahead of his brain. "Something else in mind?" "Not something." Had Heero moved closer, or did it only seem that way? "Someone?" Duo wondered who had taken possession of his body and was putting all these words in his mouth, because he was far too careful to jump in with both feet, at least about something like this, or at least what he thought "this" was. Heero nodded, and now Duo was sure the distance between them was much smaller. He finally decided the hell with it, they could play cat and mouse like this for the next five minutes, or he could do what Heero tended to preach at them all during the oddest times and follow his emotions. His emotions right now didn't seem to notice that the rain was coming down in sheets right now, because Heero's lips beneath his own were warm and inviting. Duo never really believed in life after death, but if there was any sort of animal heaven, he hoped that Rat made it there. As they walked away from the tiny unmarked grave, they leaned against each each time their feet slipped in the mud. Their shoes were going to be completely ruined by the time they got back to Heero's apartment. Duo grabbed Heero's arm as he skidded in another brown puddle and left his hand right where it was even after it was clear Heero was in no danger of falling. Unbeknownst to Duo, Heero wasn't too concerned about getting dirty. In fact, he was almost hoping he'd fall and take Duo with him. And, unbeknownst to Heero, Duo was thinking the same thing.
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