marmalade kiss
by merith
Heero slipped out from under the covers carefully. Wearing only his boxers, he reached for discarded slacks and shirt from the night before and dressed in stealthy quiet. A quick glance confirmed his bedmate still slept. He hesitated, his hand lifted to ghost a caress over an exposed shoulder, but with a silent shake of the head, he turned and left the room.
Down the hall from his room and to the right was his kitchen, and Heero entered through the swing hinged door, bracing a hand behind him to catch it from swinging. He had yet to fix one of its hasp hinges, and if not controlled, the door whined. Tap water in the teakettle, the stove set to high and his tea things out and ready, Heero took down the coffee and filters next.
A yawn shook him, and he forced his eyes to open wide. Another hour in bed might have been best, but it was near mid-morning on a Sunday, and there were still things that needed to be done. He had just plugged the coffee maker in when Wufei made an appearance.
"Breakfast?" Heero asked softly, trying to remember how much the other had drank the night before.
Wufei closed his eyes for a moment only, and then gave a shake of his head. "Tea, when it's ready." He reached for the first chair at the small dinette, and sat heavily, holding himself upright with a discipline born of long years of practice.
"It should only be a minute." Heero turned back to the cupboard, taking down a half-loaf of bread. Two slices in the toaster, he closed it up but left it on the counter. From the drawer near the sink, he plucked up a small white bottle. The kettle had barely begun to whistle and Heero was there, pulling it from the burner and pouring water into the waiting pot.
Two teacups, the pot and the small white bottle on the tea tray, Heero carried it to the table, and set it between his seat and Wufei's. "Acetaminophen in the bottle," he instructed, still keeping his voice low. Wufei grunted, but his hands remained covering his face. Turning to the refrigerator, Heero hid the grin wanting to show.
A plate, a knife and a jar of jam, and his toast was ready. Wufei had poured himself a cup of tea by the time Heero sat, but the bottle remained unopened. He poured his own tea, and tested a sip before setting it aside to cool. It was quiet in the kitchen; even his neighbors seemed to still sleep.
Heero had just taken his second bite of toast when Duo pushed open the door. He stumbled in with a yawn, forgetting as always to hold the door and the screech had Wufei wincing, hands holding his head. Duo stopped to look behind him in surprise.
"I thought you were going to fix that," he said, as he had each time it happened. Heero shrugged and chewed on his toast. "Morning, 'fei," Duo mumbled in passing. Duo stopped by Heero's chair, and Heero looked up as his hand touched a shoulder. "Morning," Duo near whispered, leaning down.
Heero swallowed at Duo's half-smile, and accepted his kiss. He chuckled when Duo pulled away with a quick 'ugh' and a swipe with the back of his hand over his lips. "Good morning," Heero said, picking up his dropped slice of toast.
"How can you eat that stuff?" Duo asked, already at the counter, pulling a mug down from the cupboard by the stove. "Yuck, Yuy. Right up there with head cheese and tripe."
"Maxwell!" Wufei now had one hand on his stomach; the other clutched his teacup.
"Oh, sorry, 'fei." Duo's voice had dropped to a low tone. At the refrigerator, he poured a drop of milk in his coffee. "Is this one of those things we don't tell Relena about?" Heero threw him a glance, hearing the teasing tone, but Duo winked and took the empty seat next him.
Wufei drew himself upright. "While I was not in an honorable condition, it is still not something I would hold secret from my future wife." His tone set Duo to chuckling, and even Heero swallowed a snicker.
"I know it was your bachelor party, but man, did you have to drink everything?"
"I did not drink everything," Wufei growled. He shuddered, his eyes closed tightly. "I only drank half of everything." Duo's laugh still made him wince again and drop his head to his hands.
"Seriously, Heero. What's with this?" Duo poked a finger into the jelly-covered toast.
"I like it," Heero told him, pulling Duo's finger to his mouth and licking its jelly coated tip.
Duo's fingers closed about Heero's, and he smiled before taking a sip of his coffee. Heero bit into his toast, content with leaving his hand in Duo's for the moment. "It's too sweet and the rinds too bitter. Give me plain old butter or apple spread any day."
His eyes flicked up too Duo's face, and he shrugged at Duo's scrunched up nose. "I still like it."
Wufei raised his head from his palm and looked from Duo to Heero and then to Heero's toast. His eyes narrowed for a moment. He snorted and refilled his cup. "It figures." Two pairs of eyes turned his way, and Wufei raised his cup in salute. "To differences."
Duo's mug was in the air. "And marrying them anyway." Wufei choked on his tea, and Heero grinned into his cup. Duo smirked and drank deeply.
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