Disclaimer: This is fanfiction based on the characters and universe of Gundam Wing.


Another Version of Events
by Karan Seraph
Chapter 55


Gasping for air, Duo swatted the sheet from their bodies; the end fluttered overhead for a split-second then settled against Heero's shoulder blades. The space between the sheets had been close, but not airtight. Heero dismissed the illogicalness of the gesture. He had also felt a sort of claustrophobia, thinking that there was going to be more air outside, when air was exchanged between the two areas constantly.

For Duo, it might actually be claustrophobia, or something close. Confinement more than closed spaces caused fear in Duo. That was likely why he had the kinks he did. That fear caused a chemical change in his body that made the sex seem more intense.

Heero had no complaint. It ultimately hurt no one that they decided to have sex together in public or with bondage gear or tangled beneath a bed sheet every once in a while. Rather, sometimes they hurt each other, but it was within levels of pain they deemed acceptable. Duo was right; it was not the pain. It was the marking and claiming they wanted.

Heero focused on Duo. He was still trapped and tangled beneath Heero's body, seeming to catch his breath and gleaming with sweat. There were red finger-shaped marks on his upper left arm. There was a bite on his shoulder. Nothing that broke the skin; the marks would fade, but Heero could see them now and Duo might feel them for a while. There were probably more that Heero could not see.

It was not always quite that rough, but it had been once before and then just now. Duo had clearly welcomed the particular circumstances of this love-making, if that was what it should be called. Heero supposed that phrase could be applied. To be honest he had felt more emotional here than in that clothing store.

Not that Heero had felt nothing for Duo then, but it had been more about teasing each other into having sex after being apart for a week. This, here in the bed, it was still sex, of course, and hot, but there had been something else too. That link, Heero thought. Love, for they did love each other, but maybe even more than love. With the physical roughness, Heero had sensed a strong mental link between them.

It was satisfying, this bond. Heero liked having one person who was very close to him. He was happy that it was Duo. It just felt good to have someone there to back him up or watch his back, someone he now trusted with all his being.

Duo seemed greatly affected by the love-making. It reminded Heero of a time when Duo had lain on his floor in remnants of striped stocking and a shirt, unable to express what it was Heero did to him. Heero wanted to calm Duo, though he supposed he felt flattered that Duo was so affected by what he did.

His right hand was trapped by the weight of Duo's body; rather Heero could not free his hand without disturbing Duo. He wiped his left palm and fingers on the sheets and then rubbed Duo's arm where his hand had clamped down earlier. He moved his fingers up and down Duo's arm. He had great arms, mobile suit pilot arms.

"Thanks. I'm OK, really... just... all sorta... man, I think you really are superhuman!" His words were rapid and breathy.

"I am flattered," Heero said in monotone.

Duo took another deep breath. "Try not to get a complex about it. OK? But, I wonder what it would be like if everyone was so strong and like, focused and decided to train themselves to be a good lover! I wish you could feel how it feels for me. Ya know?"

"I did feel your orgasm before. I cannot control it."

"The fucking! You do it perfectly and enough. God, it's like I can still feel it." Duo shivered.

Heero continued petting Duo's arm. "Thank you. I mostly did it for you. I wanted you. You were my..." Heero thought there was a word for it. "My muse?"

Duo laughed his sexy laugh. Heero loved that sound. "I'm your sex muse?"

"Aa." Heero pressed his lips, smiling, to Duo's shoulder.

"I'm probably everyone's sex muse," Duo complained. "Well, except for the people that are into girls, then they probably consider Relena their sex muse. And well, there are the people who have you as their sex muse!"

"Me?"

Duo snickered. "You know there's people who get off thinking about you, Heero! Come on! You saved the world, and you did it when you were a slight, maybe almost effeminate fifteen-year-old."

"Effeminate?"

"Well, not now, not to me, but back then. You know what I mean. Besides the fan girls, there's got to be guys who get off thinking about how they can fuck your perfect ass." He started doing a voice. It was, apparently, the voice of a man fantasizing about fucking Heero. "Uh, yeah, you like big guns? How you like the feel of this one, Boy, huh? Yeah, you like it! I'm fuckin' you so hard now. Tell me you want it harder!"

"I find that mildly disturbing," Heero said.

Duo laughed, nervously. "Sorry, dark thoughts, ya know."

Phone sex job, Heero thought. "I might have to punish you again for inappropriate post-sex subject matter." Heero sighed. "By the way, if I was not clear before..." He had been quiet as usual, "I was entirely satisfied with your performance."

Duo laughed, "My performance."

Heero took his hand from Duo's arm to pinch an exposed area of buttock.

"Itai! I'm still sore from spanking!"

Heero smirked. "I'll leave you alone now." It was time he went to his room and cleaned up.

"No, no," Duo said. He grabbed Heero's left hand and pulled it to his chest. "Just another minute. I know I'm all sweaty and reek..."

Heero kissed Duo's shoulder. "We worked up a sweat together," he said then. Confinement was not the only thing Duo feared. Loneliness also bothered him. Past traumas involving being confined and isolated? Likely. This was why Duo needed so much to be touched and to be social; this was apparent to Heero now. He wanted Duo to never feel isolated and confined, unless he had consented to it first.

Heero pressed his arm to Duo's chest, pulling him closer to his own body. Duo made a soft sound, nearly like a purr.

"Duo."

"Mm."

"Is it just...? I mean to say..." Heero stopped. He should not ask, but now it nagged at his mind: whether Duo's praise was only for the sex part.

"Baka!" Duo said, laughing at him. Heero did not like that. "I just felt like letting you know how well you fucked me; I thought you already knew that you were the Perfect Boyfriend and that I'm insanely in love with you. Man, if it was someone else, and they fucked me like that, I'd be grateful and all, but I'd be the one rushing to wash them off me and pull on my clothes." Duo chuckled. "But if it was someone else I'd probably be the one fucking them."

That was important, Heero thought, but he simply filed the information away and said, "I do like the memories your scent all over me produces, but maybe we could get a shower together? Still be clean, but know it's not personal."

"Mm. Maybe I should just start drinking flavored coffee. I am really liking this being held possessively by you." Duo never tired of that silly coffee joke.

"It is human to need affection. If it would make you feel better, you could hold me. I would not mind that."

"Later! I will!" Duo said, promised it seemed. "How's the water here?"

"Recycled through a closed system. You are used to that."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to drink it, though."

Heero sat up. "Actually, in rare cases even modern ships like these have had problems with people getting sick from water-born disease. They make efforts to filter and purify the water of course, but it has happened."

"In colonies too," Duo said as he sat up.

"I wonder where the water tanks are," Heero said, not really meaning to speak aloud.

"Can you test the security of the water without actually making people sick?"

Heero frowned. "I would not actually make people sick. I would just see if I could gain access. Then I would determine what manner of filters they have and what if any contaminants I might potentially have smuggled onboard that their filters would not trap."

"We're supposed to wash in this water!" Duo said, folding his arms across his chest.

"We could take a bath," Heero offered. "I will wash you."

Duo lifted a brow. Heero did think his brows beautiful.

"I will comb your hair." Duo curled his fingers in invitation, but they were already close. He wanted Heero to say something. "Duo-chan. Go draw a bath for us, Duo-chan. If you behave I will comb your hair for you."

Duo grinned. "Yes, Heero."

Heero watched Duo collect his duffel then walk to the bathroom. He was really gorgeous, and put his back to Heero when he had bent at the waist to lift his bag. Like living sex, Heero thought. Careless of Heero to not see right away that Duo wanted to hear his pet name. Heero would have to be more careful. The pet game had been his idea. He was sure he wanted to wash and groom Duo.

Heero's leg started shaking quite inexplicably, where it was folded on the bed. Duo partially shut the bathroom door. "I'm going to brush my teeth."

Heero's lips quirked up at one corner. He could not stop this shaking. "I missed you."

Duo looked out from behind the door and seemed to study Heero strangely. "You really did, huh?" He asked seriously.

Heero smiled, maybe almost grinned. He pushed the palm of his hand against his thigh, but his body still wanted to tremble. He had tried to ask Duo, but he realized he had not told Duo aloud what he had felt, about how he liked being close to him. "I love you. You are beautiful. I want to..."

"Want to...?" Duo pressed.

"Be with you." Heero smiled. He bowed his head. "I miss you when you are not with me. Not just the sex."

Duo took his brush from his mouth. "Mm, uo no ai mm ere?"

"Duo-chan, spit."

Duo turned and spat in the sink. He looked up. "You know why I'm here, really?"

"Tell me," Heero said as he got up from the bed. He did not shake, but he felt... jittery.

"I couldn't see you and I've decided I only want to be with you, so I totally sublimated all my energies into working. I worked pretty much the whole week, with very little sleep. I got so much done that Hilde and Meiser begged me to leave, so they could have a chance to do their work. Howard's here too. On Earth I mean." He breathed and then bent to rinse his mouth. "He's gonna be in Hawaii, if you want to look in on him."

"Hn." Heero did not care about Howard at the moment. He pushed he door open then stood behind Duo. "I just want to get you on the beach," he said as he slipped arms around Duo's body.

"I have all sorts of fun beach outfits in my other luggage. I got some stuff from your apartment too. Howard took the bags. Oh, Trowa says Hi. Hey, you remember that I get to pick out your sunning suit?"

"Such as it will be."

"You realize that means you have to try it on in the store."

"Dressing room," Heero said. "You realize I really will fuck you up against a mirror."

Duo braced himself against the sink. "Uh. Oh. Yeah. Promise?"

"Can you be quiet?"

"I'll be quiet if you make me."

"I will just make it an order," Heero said, "That way if you make noise, no matter what comes of it, I will be able to punish you. And I may decide against the usual physical punishments and make you do something special for me."

"If I wasn't still feeling it I'd be asking you to fuck me now. That is so how to get me to beg for it."

Heero smiled. "The water looks ready." He shut off the flow of water Duo had started. It was not a large tub, but it would suffice. "No one else is here, so you can use your hands," Heero said. That was what he said in his dreams sometimes.

"I am without my bathing robes, Lord, and my body is unworthy of you," Duo said and then made a slight choking sound.

Heero turned and looked at Duo again. No one in his dreams had said that exactly, but the bathing servants had protested their unworthiness when Heero asked them to touch him or remove clothing. Heero lifted Duo's hand and pulled him toward him gently. "Every part of your body is worthy of being near mine," He said seriously.

Duo laughed loudly and twirled a lock of hair about the fingers of his free hand. "Is that from a movie or something? I know I just automatically quote bits of movies or songs if someone feeds me a line, but I don't even remember that one!"

"We must have had the same dream."

"Yeah, that's happened, but mostly I just remember the really hot sex dreams about you."

Heero smirked. "It was a really hot sex dream."

Duo laughed nervously. "Oh. Musta been more your fantasy, huh?"

"Maybe." Heero let Duo take his bath products from his luggage and climbed into the tub. He sat at one end of the narrow oval with his knees drawn up before him. Duo climbed carefully into the tub and sat down with his back to Heero. He pulled his hair over his shoulder so that Heero could see, and reach all of his back.

Duo handed Heero a container of liquid soap. Heero put a large dollop onto his left hand and then passed the container back. Heero wet his right hand and then began working up lather. After that, he started working his soapy hands into Duo's shoulders and downward.

Duo moaned as if it felt good, but he said nothing. Heero was not sure if it was the fact that Duo said nothing or special ability but something told him Duo had become sad.

Heero decided not to ask about it. He suspected he knew the reason. There was nothing to be done for it. They had gone through realizing that they were very much in love and apparently committed and in a relatively short time, but they knew that right now there was no helping being apart in the future.

It was good Duo was here now. They might have nearly two weeks together. Heero thought it was best to use the time in happier pursuits than talking about what they could not have. That was not logical.

Two weeks of vacation with Duo was a very good thing.

"I do not have very much work to do," Heero said honestly, "It seemed necessary I be on the ship during the entire cruise, but I only have a few more areas to check. Writing the actual reports will not be a problem. Now that you are here, is there anything you want to do?"

"Maybe you could show me around, Maxwell, I've been stuck in my cabin for three days."

Heero laughed softly. "No problem. They have lectures and classes. Some of them seem aimed at, well, flaky sort of people, but we could try some if you like. They have decent food on board. There is a dance floor. And there are shows."

"Do you think you have to go back to your own room tonight? To keep up appearances?"

"Would you like to come with me? You decide, Duo-chan, I want you to. Which room would you like to stay in, because on of us will have luggage to move."

"It really doesn't interfere with your work?"

"No. Really."

"I like this room. It has a balcony."

"Then after I comb your hair we can go get my things and after we drop them off here, go get some dinner."

"Sounds good," Duo said happily.

Heero was sitting close behind Duo, his hands reaching around Duo's torso to rub lather over his front. "I want to ask you something else."

"'K."

"Before you said that if you had been with someone else you would be the one fucking them."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you would mind telling me how much more likely?"

"I'm not sure what you mean? I would tell you, but you usually are the one that does not want me to talk about... you know."

The other partners, Heero supplied. "It just made me wonder, because you say that you know you like to receive. Why was it that you say it was so often the other way?"

"Oh! Well, because even though I knew I got off on it, I still didn't feel right about letting just anyone have my ass. I mean, I'm all for it, but I wouldn't want someone to be too rough or just not do it right. It's like inherently submissive. Do you know what I mean?"

"I know what submissive means, but I am not sure in what sense you using that word. Do you mean simply that it involved being penetrated?"

"Nah, nah. Like..." Duo sighed.

"Can you turn and wash me?" Heero asked.

Duo drew his legs in and spun around, as Heero did the same. Duo put more soap on his hands and then began washing Heero. It did feel relaxing. After he began soaping Heero's back, Duo continued the conversation. "Now I am wondering if I should have used that word."

Heero thought about the other words Duo had used. "Do you mean that you chose to take the other position, even though it what not what you most preferred, for the reason that you did not trust your partner in the place you took?"

"Well, yeah, that was the main reason, I guess, though, I don't think I realized it in every case. Also, there were girls, and even if a girl is on top or being domineering, she still gets around to wanting your dick in her!" Duo laughed loudly at that for some reason. "I guess when I said it before, I wasn't really thinking of why. I just sort of realized it was true, so I blurted it out. It was true, even though it might not seem logical to you."

"But you could use that word 'fucking' in a general sense. It would seem vulgar for some females, but they might say that they 'fucked' you, ne? Even if they were the one penetrated, if they were on top and rather domineering, one could say that. So, if that were the case, would you still have being the one doing the 'fucking' more often?"

"I'd have to sit and think about it, Heero. I'd have to really think about how many there were. I don't think I want to."

"You do not have to," Heero said quickly. "I only asked you to begin because I was curious to know about you."

"Heero, I think you know my reasons for doing all that. I have told you. It shouldn't be surprising if I went against my own preferences. There were a lot of girls, and I actually liked guys better. I just thought it safer to be with girls."

"Aa." Safer in that particular way Duo had explained in the past. When he had been with these other partners, they had not been his friends. That Duo found it acceptable to have some limited sexual contact with people he considered only friends was a separate issue. Those other people were safe because Duo knew he could not love them. And if you could not love someone and perhaps did not trust the completely, they you would chose to take the position you also found safest. Duo would find being the more active and aggressive partner safe. "I understand now."

"Yeah?"

"Hai, Duo-chan," Heero said. "I do understand. You acted against your nature and so the way you are with me is your true nature. You really are yourself with me."

"Yes! God, you weren't worried that I was just messing with you all this time or something?"

"Not worried about that, exactly."

"You're worried," Duo sighed.

"Duo, I learned a painful lesson from you. Sometimes one can know what they want and yet be unable to do what they want. I know what I want to be to you. I know what you need, but I do worry that I am not able to do it."

"Yeah, I sorta got this impression from you lately. I am not worried. I'm satisfied, remember."

"I am not." Heero said. Quickly he added, "I am with you, but not with myself."

"Well, that's your perfectionism. I knew you had that issue. You are performing well, Heero. Completing missions. Don't you bail on me now!"

"I was not planning to 'bail.' I just thought maybe there is some class I could take, or a 'net site I should reference."

Duo laughed. "Sorry," he said, for laughing. "Turn around for a sec."

Heero turned.

"Am I stupid?" Duo asked.

Heero sighed. "You are highly intelligent."

"Right. And honest?"

"Yes. Honesty is one of your virtues."

"Uh, yeah, so, I wouldn't tell the wrong guy that I'd fallen in love with him or that I wanted to be with him all the days in the future or that he made me feel happy or satisfied. I told you, because you are the right man and I meant all of it."

Heero nodded.

"We also have an understanding that we watch out for each other, right? We can tell each other stuff that we wouldn't tell others, and trust each other?"

Heero nodded again.

"Then, I have to be honest with you. Heero, you are acting pretty depressed. You're having thoughts about failure. You're doubting yourself."

Heero admitted this with a nod. He had not seen it, but he believed Duo.

Duo put his fingers to Heero's face and then kissed him once gently. "Use your logic, Heero. Think about this. You have made mistakes in the past, in missions and in your personal life. That is true. But it does not mean that you are or will make more mistakes. I mean, people do, so you probably will make some mistakes, but there's also no reason to get paranoid and caught up in thinking that what you are doing is wrong or failure or that you are not good enough. Trust me, every part of you is worthy of me."

Heero smiled. "I did not know I was doing it. I thought you were sad. I really did feel happy earlier."

"The last two weeks, though, you've had a lot to deal with. I know I have, but I know you had other stuff to deal with besides my problems. All that stuff about your family, Heero. And the trial being over. I'm not saying you need professional help. I'm just saying, you're understandably stressed. I was messed up over Hilde telling me she was pregnant, but we've dealt with that as best we can right now. You don't have to think that you can't rely on me. I'm not so fragile from dealing with my own shit that I can't still back you up if you need it."

"He left me in a brothel when I was very small and he had missions. During the occupation, of course."

"A lot of soldiers visit the brothel?"

"Yes. I got that idea."

"They didn't mess with you? Or did you see them rough up women?"

"I remember nothing traumatic like that. I think I was kept in a room somewhere while things went on. Sheltered."

"Yeah, but probably alone and either confused or too knowing about what you heard from other rooms. I doubt you would remember and maybe nothing very bad happened, but it's just not the best place for a little boy." Duo laughed to lighten the mood. "Maybe you saw so many scantly clad women that it turned you off them."

Heero frowned.

"Heero, if you want, after dinner I could show you some 'net sites to look at. Just understand: you already have everything you need to make me happy, but if you could be happier or feel better doing some research, then I think that is totally OK."

"I think I want to do research. I do not feel right when I lack knowledge."

"I know. You want to be as informed as possible, so you will feel you are making educated decisions. That's logical. It's probably even normal." Duo smiled. "I got an idea how we could help each other. I'll tell you later. Think you could help me wash my hair? I'll need to stand under the shower nozzle."

Heero agreed and helped Duo wash his hair. When they were washed and had dried somewhat they went from the bathroom. Duo sat on the small sofa in the sitting area and Heero sat up on the arm of the couch. Duo gave Heero his comb and brush and Heero began smoothing out Duo's damp hair.

He had not removed the braiding at the top of his head, but Heero supposed that would have been difficult for Duo to redo. Heero worked slowly up from the bottom of Duo's meter-long hair toward his crown, picking out the knots in a manner he judged to be firm, yet somewhat gentle. There were a lot of knots, but then Duo's hair had been trapped with pins beneath a wig for some time, then loose and rubbed between skin and sheets and then dampened by bath and shower.

Duo winced a few times, but did not complain. Heero was trying to be gentle. There was just so much hair to process.

"It is pretty," Heero said, meaning that Duo's hair was very impractical.

"Well it is useful sometimes," Duo said.

Heero recalled that Duo's hair had at times been somewhat practical. He could hide small things like lock picks in his hair. And he could use the ends of his hair to tickle and tease a lover's skin. "I would not cut it," Heero said finally."

Heero finished working the knots down from the area behind the braids. He did not feel interested in having sex just then, at least not for personal satisfaction, but Duo was there, and naked. Heero was aware of feeling generally attracted to him. He swept Duo's hair aside and kissed his neck.

Duo made a whining sound. "Not now, Heero, I'm so tired and hungry."

Heero sat straight on the arm of the sofa. "Da. We should go to dinner now."

Duo stood and looked over his shoulder at Heero. "It was nice," he said, left hand touching his neck where Heero had kissed him.

"I just thought you looked very good."

Duo went to pick up the hairpins from the floor. He would need to wear the wig again if they were to go to dinner.

"I think they dress for dinner."

"How?"

"Not exactly formal, but not what they were during the day either."

Duo gave a nod. He went to his bag to get clothes. Heero looked for his new pair of jeans and pulled them on over bare skin as Duo was muttering something about not being told of the dress code in advance of the shower, which might have steamed his clothes straight. Heero was thinking it a good thing that he had noticed there was a dress code and told Duo at all.

"We need to go to my room so I can change."

Duo gave a nod. He put his kilt back on, but wore a white dress shirt with it. Duo pinned up his hair and put on the wig then pulled his socks and boots on. Heero borrowed a t-shirt just to walk through the passages.

In Heero's room, he changed into a pair of navy dress pants and a light blue shirt. Heero lifted a tie, but did not really want to wear it. Duo gave him a wink as he stepped in close. "Allow me," he said. Duo tied the length of patterned silk fabric about Heero's neck, in a bow.

"I do not think it is meant to tied in this fashion," Heero said slowly. He raised his eyes from his chest to Duo's face. He was grinning.

"Yeah, but you look more foppish this way. You are supposed to be British!"

"If I were actually British I might take offense to that," Heero growled.

"It's cute!"

"'Cute' is something I would leave to you or Quatre."

Duo shrugged. "I'm not offended. I'm hungry though."

They gathered all of Heero's things, his clothing, toiletries and work equipment, and then went by Duo's room again to drop the luggage there. Heero had investigated all three onboard restaurants and he led Duo to the most formal one.

They were given a table shortly, as many people had arrived earlier and were starting to leave at this hour.

The table was small and round, with a white tablecloth draping it nearly to the floor. There was china and crystal on the table and a single white taper standing lit in a silver holder. Here there were windows with an unobstructed view of the archipelago at night, bordered by shimmering green drapes and glowing wall sconces.

Heero laughed, giggled really.

"What?" Duo asked.

"Nothing."

A waiter came to their table and asked if they would like drinks to begin. Heero looked to Duo. If he was foppish, then Duo would have to order for him. He smiled slightly.

"May I see a wine list?" Duo asked bright, looking only at Heero.

"There is a function key on your menu."

Duo glanced at the device the host had given them. "Well, we will have spring water for now. We need to look at our menu a while longer."

"Very well, Sirs."

Duo grinned across the table. "My date, huh?"

"Do you think I would order for you, foppish as I am?"

Duo laughed. "You should be suitably flamboyant."

"I will be sure to 'butt in' as they say, when you are ordering for me."

"I adore you, Maxwell."

"You are quite fabulous yourself, Tommy."

Duo fanned himself with the thin menu pad. "So, what do you want?"

"Still not eating meat?" Heero asked curiously.

"Not much."

"I will try the pasta. Fettuccine in butter and herb sauce, I think they have."

"Do you suppose the fish is good? We are on a boat, but they must have loaded it already frozen before leaving port."

"They take on fresh food at each port, actually. Try the crab. Have you had crab? They give you all these special tools to extract the meat from the shell. It is quite fun."

"I am too hungry to have to work for the food."

"Tomorrow? These Alaskan crabs are apparently considered a luxury, as they are very hard to catch. The waters are rough and cold where they trap them."

"Being rare does not mean it tastes good."

"You are meant to flavor them with lemon and butter."

"Real butter?"

"Aa."

"Fresh lemon?"

"Of course."

Duo smiled wide. "We should definitely try that tomorrow. I think I will try this pasta also."

When the waiter returned Duo ordered for them, and Heero was sure to break into their conversation to tell the waiter to be sure not to put any garlic on his plate because he did not want to have bad breath later.

Duo managed to keep from laughing, but grinned at Heero when the man was gone. "I'm impressed. You really said that in public. It was obnoxious and foppish of you. I might even say naughty, Maxwell."

Heero just looked smug. He might have been smug, but he was also trying. "Are you going to punish me?" Heero asked in his barely British accent.

Duo looked full of lust. His eyes seemed to widen as he stared at Heero. He said nothing.

"The costume helps," Heero said quietly, "You wanted me to do it."

The way Duo's mouth fell slightly open and his eyes fixed on Heero, Heero knew it was true. Duo had told him when he tied the tie about his neck.

Heero felt Duo's sock-covered foot lift the cuff of his right pant leg. The temptation was too strong. Heero had to lift his foot from the uncharacteristic loafers. He had to rub his foot over Duo's foot.

It was fair play. They were both teasing each other.

Being so turned on, or caught up in their game, they ate slowly and drank several glasses of a deep red wine each. Rather than become eager to leave, they stayed to continue playing. And the playing distracted them from eating, so that dinner went slower.

If they had been seated next to each other rather than on opposite sides of the table, Heero thought he would have just moved into Duo's lap, right there in front of everyone. As it was, they were both enjoying Heero's foot reaching beneath Duo's kilt and into his lap.

When dinner was finished, Heero let Duo lead him from the restaurant. He made his way to the nearest railing. They had come to the port side, overlooking the pacific in moonlight. Much of Alaska did warm in summer. In fact, in northern areas they had long periods of sunlight, due to the particular tilt of the Earth's axis in relation to its plane of revolution around the sun. Now it was still technically Spring and cool at night.

Duo grasped the rail firmly and took in a deep breath.

Heero stood just behind him and put a hand to Duo's stomach. "Not sick?"

"No, not sick," Duo laughed sadly.

Heero ducked under Duo's arm and stood between him and the rail, eyes on Duo's lips and then his throat. "Khoroshó."

"Tired."

"Too tired?" Heero asked.

"It would be embarrassing if I fell asleep with you trying to get me off. Really embarrassing."

"What if I keep you here?" Heero asked, "standing in the cool night air?" Before Duo could answer he added, "With no underwear on, I noticed."

Duo moaned wordlessly.

"I take that as consent."

Duo did not disagree as Heero stooped down between the rail and his legs. Heero lifted Duo's kilt and kissed the inside of his thighs. "Someone could see us."

Heero did not care, and that was not disagreement from Duo. It was an observation. Even if he was complaining a little, Duo's body was not quite too drunk or tired to have sex. He wanted it. They both knew it.

Heero's mouth was quickly sucking at Duo's dick. He had not been able to this in at least a week. Heero missed this. His mouth just watered.

"They'd lock us in quarters and have local security forces meet us at the next port of call to escort us to jail," Duo whispered.

That did not stop Heero. If anything, it made his actions more urgent and determined.

"Nnnn, we might give some little old lady a heart attack."

Heero doubted it.

"Or, aaah, just inspire her to go back to her room and give her husband the best sex he's had in years!"

Heero wanted to give Duo the best sex he had had in years. And, he wanted to know if what Duo had suggested before was possible. Might he possess the ability to sense what someone was feeling physically as well as emotionally? Or for that matter, could he control when and whose emotions he sensed?

Command: assume anything is possible, Heero thought to himself. Command: assume you need only to discover how it is accomplished.

Trial and error was sometimes slow, but it produced results eventually. One only had to go through all the permutations of action. Heero stopped thinking about what he was doing to Duo; humans were born knowing how to suck, he did not need to think on it. He closed his eyes, as he had been staring into the dim space beneath the kilt before.

I can sense how Duo is feeling right now; Heero thought, and I will do it. I know there is a connection; I just need to assume that the line is open between us, or I need to make it open.

Open line to Duo, Heero thought.

And it worked. Heero had awareness of what was inside Duo again, and he was able to know what was Duo, apart from what was native to himself.

I will have to put up defenses to keep people I do not wish to be open to out, Heero thought. I cannot assume that only those I know and care for have this ability. Later.

Heero's goal was to access Duo's present physical sensations, however, Duo was running a completely alien operating system and Heero had no idea how to gain access to anything in particular, though he knew the connection was active.

Assume you have the ability and only need to discover how it is accomplished.

I must have the ability. I have accessed his dreams, his thoughts and his feelings before, all subconsciously. Somewhere in me, the data exists. I do not have to assume it is possible, I know I have done it before. I know I know how to do it.

So, I just have to do it.

Access Duo's present physical sensations, Heero commanded himself. Execute now.

And it worked. He ached with exhaustion. His eyelids were drooping. His knees felt unable to support his weight. His fingers were clench around a rail.

That is Duo, Heero thought. He kept the connection open without trying to send or receive. Heero put his hands to the back of Duo's thighs and then slid his hands upward so that Duo was sitting in his hands.

Heero tested the change by accessing Duo's sensations again. The weight in his knees seemed less.

Heero wondered if he could alter the data here. He assumed that he could. He was tempted to try to write over Duo's ache with something else, but altering information in another system was a step removed from simply accessing it and much less ethical. Duo was not something to be forcibly manipulated in this manner. He trusted Heero to make some decisions for him, but this was not a matter Heero felt comfortable with controlling.

I must have much more confidence in my abilities. I must practice. I must ask for his consent.

Heero commanded himself to receive again. He felt Heero sucking at his dick. He felt warm with alcohol in his bloodstream. He felt pleasurable sexual stimulation focused in his groin. He felt, for an instant, Heero's tongue press the head of his cock and it caused pleasure.

Duo liked that, Heero thought to himself. I know this. I should do that more if I want to please Duo. I do want to please Duo, as much as myself. I do not mind doing that at all. It feels and tastes interesting and good. I will do that.

Heero drew his head back just slightly and twirled his tongue about Duo's dick.

A split-second delay and Duo moaned then said, "Oh, that feels so good now."

Heero already knew. He had known when Duo was still forming the words to share the information. He was still receiving. It was more than just receiving the knowledge of what Duo felt. Heero actually felt it. He felt as if he was the person whose dick was being teased by Heero's tongue.

And Heero was still aware of being himself and feeling Duo's dick in his mouth.

At times one body was felt more clearly than another, but maintaining this connection and receiving while controlling his own body was all Heero could do now. It would be possible to have more control, but he needed to become more familiar with this ability before he could do more.

So the oscillation between one body and the other remained.

He felt he was going to cum.

He knew everything his lover enjoyed. He did everything his lover enjoyed.

He felt the pleasure that had been focused in his groin spark through his body.

He came hard.

He felt so good.

He felt everything crashing down. His installed defenses cut him off from what he could not handle and Heero was then only aware of himself kneeling on the decking with his hands resting on his knees. Something dripped along his chin.

Heero lifted his hand to his face and opened his eyes. Duo was kneeling in front of him, grinning weakly. He looked tired and happy at the same time. He did not seem to be aware that Heero had done anything, but Heero had tried only to access information, not alter it. Duo did not have a natural ability to detect the presence of another mind linked to his.

"Didn't manage to swallow neatly," Duo observed.

"I was distracted," Heero said, then licked his fingers.

"Oh?" Duo asked, but did not seem willing to wait for an answer. "I need to get some sleep."

"Yes," Heero agreed, wiping his face again to be sure it was clean.

"Here," Duo said. He leaned close and licked at the corner of Heero's mouth. He sat back on his feet, eyes closed. "Mmmm, I taste good."

"Well, not good in the manner of food, but good in another way, I suppose."

"You knew what I meant."

"I suppose so." Heero then realized that Duo was saying that he did not need to say what was obvious to them both. He should not tell Duo, as if Duo were not intelligent enough to know what he was talking about. "I will remember that."

Duo was pulling himself up against the railing. Heero stood quickly and ducked under Duo's left arm.

Duo accepted the help and leaned on Heero as they walked.

Heero noticed Duo shaking himself to stay awake. "You are tired. You did not say no. I just wanted to do it."

"Mmmm… tired," Duo said. That seemed neither agreement nor disagreement.

Heero put his right arm against Duo's back and led him to the room they had decided to share.

Inside, Heero first got Duo to the bed. Duo lay limply; eyes closed, and did not seem interested in getting undressed. Heero moved to the foot of the bed and unzipped Duo's boots, being careful with the boot that was worn over the light cast on Duo's left leg. That should come off soon, he thought.

"Heero," Duo called sleepily.

Heero crawled across the bed and leaned over Duo, looking at his face. "I am here."

"You are getting good at that."

His smile told Heero what he was talking about. "Thank you. I thought you enjoyed it."

Duo continued to smile as he turned his head away.

Heero debated internally whether he should attempt to move the wig and hairpins. He might hurt Duo more than the pins if he did. Instead, he unbuttoned Duo's shirt to make him more comfortable.

Duo seemed already asleep.

Heero looked around the room. "I need to clean."

He gathered the used clothes and towels first, including the clothing he was presently wearing. Heero pulled on a pair of shorts before continuing. He piled those near the door to be dealt with later. Heero then unpacked their bags. He put what he found away. The clothes went in the drawers and cabinet of the built in wardrobe. All their toiletries were placed neatly in the bathroom. He put his computer and the silver briefcase containing his gear in the sitting area.

Heero came to the last contents of Duo's luggage. The blue velvet bondage gear he recognized, and a few other items, including the bear, but the vise clamps puzzled him. Clamps of this size were designed to hold materials together during construction.

Heero hoped Duo did not intend them t be used on any part of his body. That seemed more torture than bondage. The C-shaped metal clamps closed by means of long threaded rods, which had a flat surface at one end where it met the flattened end of the clamp and a small lever at the other end to assist in tightening the clamp.

Heero lifted one of the clamps and studied it. Why had Duo packed them? There were two matching clamps.

Heero looked through the bag. Some things he did not immediately recognize, but knew they had come from the drawer in the apartment Duo shared with Hilde. The particular small flail fell into that category. The only other items Heero felt puzzled by were four small squares of wood. He suspected this wood, which had a particularly sharp scent, was the type placed in storage containers to repel insects, though he had seen hangers and strung balls of this wood only on Earth.

The squares each were cratered with circular depressions.

Heero lifted the clamp again. The depressions matched the flattened end of the clamp. The piece of wood was put around the objects to be clamped to distribute pressure over their surface more, to avoid cratering of the object.

But what should be clamped? Duo had no other objects in his luggage that suggested he would build something.

Now this was really bothering Heero.

He lay out the contents of Duo's bag on the floor.

There were other small clamps in the bag, but these seemingly delicate and polished clamps were meant to be attached to the rings on Duo's bondage gear, to restrain him somewhere.

There was really nothing to restrain Duo to in this room. It was a borrowed room. They could not very well make holes in the furniture or screw hooks into the walls.

Oh. The clamps, with the squares of wood, they were devices to anchor Duo's restraints in borrowed rooms without leaving marks behind. Heero imagined that there were vendors that sold specialty devices for bondage enthusiasts on the go, but they would likely be expensive, due to the limited market. This must be Duo's solution. The pieces could have been purchased at a home improvement chain store. There were some spare D-and O-rings and S-hooks presently attached to the smaller clamps, as if Duo had not taken the apparatus completely apart before packing it.

But, where in the room would the large C-lamp be set? Its open position gave significant clearance. A smaller size clamp would have worked to clamp to a table or solid headboard or a door.

Heero looked to the door to the bathroom. Then, he looked up to the doorframe.

Heero stood and walked to the door. He stretched his arms upward and slipped the clamp over the trim that made up the doorway. The pieces of wood were thinner than this trim, and the upper piece of trim was nailed in place and set over the side moldings. It would hold weight.

Heero smiled. He went about setting up the devices, with a circular ring over the long side of each clamp and both C-clamps screwed in to the squares of wood and set above the doorframe. Heero retrieved Duo's wrist cuffs and clasped them to the hanging rings with the small spring-loaded clamps.

There was something Heero had learned about Duo's wants, without having to ask. This was a good idea, and now Heero was going to look at ordinary rooms and objects with a new means of evaluation.

on to chapter 56

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