torrid zone
by jana
chapter 3
I ended up staying at Duo's apartment on Sunday night as well, feeling some apprehension, but accepting his invitation anyway.
Over breakfast the next morning, I told him that I really needed to get back to Princeton because the apartment had to be vacant by Friday and I had some major packing to do. It wasn't a self-imposed deadline, the co-op board demanded a week to freshen it up for prospective buyers before the first of the June. It was going to feel strange moving back home, even though it would likely only be for a few months.
"You want some help?" he asked.
"I should be fine." I replied. Three days was more than sufficient time to do what needed to be done.
He shrugged. "I have nothing else to do."
"Don't you have a summer job?" I asked with a smile.
"Not until next week." he informed me. I had not known the details of his arrangement with my parents.
Before I had a chance to reply, he offered a suggestion. "Why don't you give me a hand packing my stuff and then we can head over to your place."
I thought about it for a moment and decided that the idea of spending another few days with him appealed to me. I was a little embarrassed about the condition of my apartment, but did not mention it to him. I was fairly certain he'd seen worse. "You sure?" I asked, offering him a way out. "It's not the most exciting way to spend your vacation."
"We can spice it up a bit." he suggested.
I acknowledged that the task would be much easier with his help, leaving more time for other things.
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It didn't take Duo long to decide what he planned on taking with him, nor for us to pack it all.
He started in his bedroom, systematically removing his clothes from their hangars and tossing them onto his bed. I assigned myself the task of folding them and placing them into the huge suitcase he'd laid out. He went through his drawers next, tucking a collection of his underwear and socks into the sides of the bag. A dozen or so items from the bathroom found their way into the bag next and he then announced the first phase of packing complete.
"That takes care of the clothes and shit. Gonna grab some music and a bunch of art stuff, then we're good to go." he said.
I nodded and followed him into the living room. He filled another bag, this time appearing to be a little more particular about what he chose to take with him. There really wasn't much I could do to help and so I sat on the couch and watched him.
I liked the way his body moved. It wasn't exactly graceful, but there was some fluidity as he moved around the room from task to task. His pants tightened significantly when he bent over, hugging his hips and thighs and highlighting the curves of his ass. Each time he reached forward, his shirt would ride up, exposing a narrow band of flesh across his lower back. I felt a little awkward staring at him the way I was, but the opportunity presented itself and I did not think he would mind if he knew. It wasn't as if he wasn't guilty of doing the same.
Our eyes met as he turned to place a small stack of CD's into the soft black leather bag. I smiled at him and he smiled back.
"Almost done." he said, keeping me updated on his progress.
"No rush." I replied. I looked him up and down, taking my time in letting my gaze travel the length of his body, and making sure that he knew how appreciative I was of the view. I hoped he knew better than to ask me if I liked what I saw, though for a brief moment I thought he might. He grinned, crossing the room to stand in front of me and kept his eyes on mine as he reached down to undo his pants.
"I know that look," he said quietly.
I reached up to push the fabric at his fly away and tug at his underwear, which I'd just managed to successfully expose. "You should by now." I reminded him.
I took hold of his cock, wrapping my fingers around it and squeezing it once or twice. I leaned forward to take it into my mouth, and could instantly feel it begin to harden. I knew without having to look up that Duo was watching me. "You give some damn fine head, Heero," he groaned, running the fingers of his left hand through my hair.
Duo took two steps back as I inched toward the edge of the couch, allowing me to come to my knees on the floor in front of him. I proceeded to prove his point, slowly teasing him to full erection and then sucking hard on the hot, fully swollen flesh. I recalled thinking how in middle school being called a cocksucker ranked among the highest forms of insult. I had an entirely different perspective on that now.
Duo's fingers tightened in my hair as he started to thrust in and out of my mouth. "Oh yeah... Keep sucking it just like that, baby."
He moaned loudly, most likely unaware of the effect that sound had on me. I shivered and tightened my lips around his shaft as I reached up between his legs to rub his balls. "Fuck, Heero!"
I honestly wouldn't have minded being fucked at that moment, but I was too into having Duo at my mercy like this. His take on the situation might have varied, in fact, I was quite certain it did.
His body tensed up and I grasped the base of his cock with my left hand while I sucked. He groaned in warning just seconds before the first warm spurt of his come hit the back of my throat. I swallowed, enthusiastically accepting the balance of his release and eagerly sucking the last of it from him. He moved rather clumsily to sit on the couch to my left when he was through and I watched as he came down from the high, grinning at him once he'd opened his eyes.
"That's a damn fine talent you have there, Heero."
"Thank you." I said. "Perhaps I should think about adding it to my resume." The comment had gotten a hardy chuckle out of him as expected.
He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder and brought his mouth to my ear. "I have a few talents of my own, yanno," he whispered.
I was all too aware of them, having a genuine fondness for one or two in particular. "Care to demonstrate?" I asked. I did not wait for him to respond before standing and climbing up onto the couch to sit next to him. He was definitely smirking, but his arms were already in motion, one finding its way behind me to pull me closer, and the other reaching down between my legs and stroking my erection.
"That what you had in mind?"
I nodded and spread my legs for him, lifting my hips off the couch and into his touch. His fingers toyed with the zipper on my pants and I held the fabric taut while he lowered it. I leaned toward him, bringing my mouth down to his while he delved inside my underwear and wrapped his fist tightly around my cock. He moaned, probably pleased by the sharp taste of his come that lingered in my mouth. I moaned as well, but for different reasons, rotating my hips and encouraging him to bring me off as fast and hard as possible.
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Duo drove behind me all the way to Princeton, and once in the underground garage beneath my complex, I pulled into the first parking spot I came across that had an empty space next to it. He parked beside me, and I helped him carry everything he thought he would need for the next 3 days to the elevator and into my apartment.
We brought his bags into my bedroom, leaving them just inside the doorway. I was glad Duo was here, that he had made the suggestion. The upcoming chore seemed to be less of one knowing that I didn't have to do it alone. Even if he didn't end up doing much to help, it would be nice to have the company.
"Thanks for coming." I said hastily. I hadn't planned on saying anything, but it was truthfully how I was feeling and I thought he should know. Not only was I unaccustomed to having a lover, having a friend was somewhat of a rarity as well. I supposed Duo fit nicely into both of those categories.
"My pleasure." he said in response, though I knew that at least half the pleasure would be mine... and I was not referring strictly to the sex.
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Three days and a dozen or so take-out meals later, and we had succeeded in packing up the entire contents of my apartment. With the pair of us working, it had taken much less time and we spent the last few hours of every night in front of the television. Duo found several of the films I had on DVD ranked among his favorites and watching them together had been more fun that I thought it would have been.
The moving van was due to arrive first thing on Thursday morning and we decided that getting a full nights sleep was a good idea. Like the two previous nights, we took turns grabbing a quick shower before heading into bed. We most likely would have followed the pattern we'd set of having sex before bed as well, had we not already indulged in the act twice that day.
"So this is it, huh?"
I nodded, not even turning to look at Duo. I had thought about it while I showered, that this was the last night we'd be spending together before heading to my parent's house. The last of five nights spent with Duo and probably the last for a long time. The fact that we would be seeing one another throughout the day and even knowing that we would have some time alone didn't make it any easier. It wouldn't be the same. Ever. I couldn't help but feel somber.
"You hog all the blankets." I told him as I looked toward him, tugging at the comforter, to make my point. It was dark inside the room and my eyes had not yet adjusted to the lack of light, but I thought I saw the flash of a smile.
"At least I don't snore."
He didn't. I hoped he wasn't implying that I did. I decided to ask. "Do I?"
The bed shifted and Duo curled up next me, pressing his body against mine. "Nope."
I felt relieved and I relaxed fully as his arm settled around my waist.
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Cynthia came out to greet me shortly after I'd pulled my car into the driveway and stepped out of the driver's seat. She smiled and hugged me, not letting go for a long minute. She looked me up and down once she'd released me and smiled again. "Duo's out back. He arrived a few hours ago," she said.
I was sure that she knew that I already knew that. It would have looked suspicious for us both to arrive at the same time; the same day was pushing it. He'd left first thing this morning, while I had waited for the movers to finish loading the truck.
"My parents?" I asked.
"In the house. They've been waiting for you."
I nodded, opened the rear door of my Mercedes and grabbed a bag from the back seat and followed her into the house.
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I had never been more thankful than I was then, that Duo was the type of person he was.
Not only had Cynthia taken an immediate liking to him, but my parents were fond of him as well. They had not spent a great deal of time together last summer, yet they welcomed him into our home like a long time friend.
I tried to separate the feelings I had for Duo and look at him as objectively as I could.
I didn't wonder why people felt comfortable around him. Why I felt comfortable around him. He never looked ill at ease despite his surroundings or the novelty of the situation. He was adaptable to any number of situations and to his credit, well practiced at it. I envied that about him. I had made strides in my own abilities to deal with people, but they still shied in comparison to his. I wasn't trying to be him, though there were aspects of his personality that I wouldn't have minded emulating.
I attributed my newfound socialness to being around him as much as I had. He seemed to rub off on me... in good ways as well as bad. We weren't as different as we appeared to be on the surface. That was something it hadn't taken me long to figure out. He was exposed to life in a way that I had not been, though. It could have been the three years he'd spent in New York City, but I doubted that even before then he'd been sheltered the way I had.
He was self-centered and I imagined that he was headstrong even as a child, he certainly was as an adult. I didn't necessarily mind those things about him. Watching him interact with my parents and Cynthia over lunch reminded me what had attracted me to him in the first place. He wasn't nearly as much of a mystery now as he was when we first met, though there were many things about him I still didn't understand. I got the feeling that Duo felt much the same way about me. The process of unraveling him was one I had the feeling would take a long time. There was no denying the appeal that idea held for me.
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Duo had completed the task of unpacking his things before I arrived, and after a quick lunch, I accepted his offer of assisting me in doing the same. We put our dishes in the sink and he followed me upstairs, leaving Cynthia and my parents seated at the kitchen table.
"That was easy," he announced, closing my bedroom door behind him.
My parents were aware that we'd forged a friendship last year. I supposed it didn't seem odd for Duo to offer to help me, nor for me to accept, but it still made me a little uncomfortable. I wasn't sure what it was about my behavior that made Duo suspect how I was feeling, but apparently something had.
"Would it be so bad if they figured it out?"
"Yes." I said. "Well… yes and no."
He leaned in to kiss me. "Make up your mind." he teased.
"If my parents find out, yours would likely be next."
That seemed to get him thinking. His expression shifted to a scowl.
"Right." I said, stepping away to tear the tape off the top of one of the boxes. I still wasn't sure how Duo expected his parents to react, since we'd not talked about it, but the idea of it seemed to bother him a great deal.
"My dad is an ass. He just wouldn't get it."
I had to take his word for it. I had met his parents only briefly last Christmas. From what Duo had told me, he was already considered an outcast. That might have been an overreaction, but he certainly believed it. He'd pretty much backed out on Christmas dinner at my house for that very reason. Nothing had really changed since then and yet, it had.
"Your folks would be cool with it," he stated.
His assumption wasn't that far off. I had given the scenario some thought back when Duo was planning on joining us for the holiday. My mother wouldn't be fazed by the revelation, at least not outwardly. She was fairly open-minded and I didn't think the prospect of her only offspring not providing her with grandchildren would be an issue. My father, on the other hand, would be more difficult to read. There wouldn't be any type of outright rejection or acceptance. He would digest the news, standing still and stern-faced, and leave the room without ever having said a word. I decided to pass the information on to Duo.
"They would get over it." I said in summary. I didn't want to give him the impression that the whole coming out was something I was actually looking forward to. The idea of them finding out while I wasn't living under their roof was preferred. I'd be moving out in several months.
"That's a helluva lot more than I can say about my parents." He said. "At least you have Cynthia on your side."
"Yes." I agreed. "What about your mom?" He hadn't mentioned her earlier. I was curious.
"She pretty much goes along with whatever the old man says."
I could hear the slight regret in his tone. I wouldn't exactly say he sounded bitter, but the thought did enter my mind.
"We don't have to tell them you know." I reminded him. Short of an outright admission, our secret was safe.
"Right. We'll just keep it between us for now," he said.
I nodded to let him know that I agreed and pushed a box toward him. "Let's get to work."
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