That Which is Not His
by Ponderosa
Part 5
Heero rose the next morning with a mission. He outlined his plan as he brushed his teeth, made an inventory of necessary gear as he showered and plotted his angle of attack during breakfast.
Now all that remained was for his target to come into range.
So Heero waited as he had the day before, in the hallway outside his first period class. Careful monitoring of the communique of nearby individuals warned him when his target was approaching and he correctly estimated the amount of time it took before his braided quarry rounded the corner and approached him with a cheery morning greeting.
He opened his mouth to execute the initial phase of his plan, when Duo beat him to the punch.
An arm slid around Heero's shoulder and Duo whispered into his ear, "You know, I was thinking; as my boyfriend, you should really be acting more affectionate or people will suspect."
"At the last school I virtually ignored you and people were perfectly happy pairing us together," he whispered back in a spiteful bit of revenge for having had his mission plans rendered obsolete. Heero almost laughed at the mask of poorly concealed frustration and disappointment that was Duo's face.
"Let's talk about this over there," Heero said and walked purposefully down the hall to where the entrance to a janitorial closet made a little alcove between the rows of lockers. Duo followed close on his heels and as was to be expected, the other students took notice.
"So you don't think that we shou- Eep!" Duo made an undignified sound of surprise as Heero took hold of his shoulders and spun him around so that his back was to the closet door.
"I didn't say that," Heero said. To anyone else it most likely looked as if they were kissing and in fact, that was the chief objective of Heero's revised plan. He leaned in close and Duo's eyes got wider. Time seemed to slow and the braided boy's eyes slid shut as he got over his initial surprise and parted his lips in anticipation.
The kiss didn't happen.
A hand clamped down on Heero's shoulder and pulled him away.
"Mr. Yuy," came the disapproving voice of their teacher, "public displays of affection beyond the holding of hands is not permitted on campus."
Heero seethed and wanted nothing more than to drive a fist into the man's gut, but he nodded in understanding and moved into the hallway proper. He glanced at Duo as the longhaired boy stepped out of the alcove muttering colorful phrases and a _look_ passed between them. If there were any doubts left in Heero's mind about Duo's stand on their developing relationship, they promptly self destructed.
-=*=-
The rest of their school day was an exercise in frustration, but both boys coped valiantly with the need to focus on planning for their afternoon visit.
-=*=-
Standing outside the OZ research facility with a Visitor's Pass clipped on his shirt and waiting for their guide to arrive, Heero found himself pleased at how easily his mind had handled the switch from thinking about Duo to thinking about the task at hand.
"Duo and Heero?" a broad-shouldered man in a light blue button-down shirt hailed as he approached.
"I'd be Duo," the braided teen uncrossed his arms and raised a hand in a short wave.
"Then by the process of elimination, you must be Heero," the man said, jogging up the steps at the front of the building and extending his hand. He shook Heero's hand before Duo's, then punched in a code on a pad next to the door. The doors slid open with a soft hiss and he led them inside.
"You may call me Dr. Singh," he said as he led them briskly across a large lobby to where an oak-paneled reception station broke the monotony of white walls and matching white furniture. "I took the liberty of reviewing your transcripts, you're both excellent students." He barely broke stride as the receptionist handed him a bundle of envelopes and he started towards a hallway that stretched eastward.
"What was I saying? Oh yes, excellent students. I'd like to know your motivation for joining our program, if you don't mind. Duo first," the scientist finally stopped talking as he slid a keycard into an electronic lock set into a door that opened into his office.
"I'd like to make a difference in the war, Dr. Singh," Duo said truthfully. The man spoke like an instructor and Duo automatically responded in the same tone as he would to any teacher.
"Hmm," the man went directly to his desk. There were no extra chairs in the small room so the two boys stood uncertainly in the space just inside the door. "What about you, Heero?"
"Experience."
The scientist made another low thoughtful hum.
"Dr. Singh?"
"Ah, Iris, done sorting those results already I take it. Good, show Duo out please. I don't believe he's right for this program," the scientist had no hostility or arrogance in his tone and he glanced up from sifting through his mail long enough to smile warmly at Duo. "I'm sorry you wasted your afternoon, Duo. Please don't take this personally, but if you're interested in making a difference in the war I suggest you enlist as a soldier instead. Good day."
The man turned his attention to Heero as the bewildered American was being led away by Iris, "You have an interesting name."
"I didn't choose it," Heero replied. Truthfulness and circumventing explanations, he was beginning to think like Duo.
"Come with me," the scientist said, leaving his mail in a neat stack on his desk and walking Heero out into the hall.
Heero followed behind the dusky-skinned man through a maze of hallways that any normal person would get lost in. Dr. Singh walked much as he himself did, with an efficient stride that ate up the ground; however the scientist was significantly longer-legged and Heero found it difficult to keep up without looking hurried. The man gave a verbal tour as they passed by various doors and corridors until he led Heero to a small pure white chamber with one wall filled with computer equipment.
"This here is where I do much of my work," Dr. Singh said, shutting the door firmly and gesturing for Heero to take a seat in one of the office chairs arranged neatly at the workstations. "I have a few more questions, I'd like to ask you, Heero."
Heero sat down in one of the offered chairs and prepared himself to neutralize the man if necessary. This whole situation was now largely unpredictable. He had been taken to the room he was supposed to infiltrate and had a nagging suspicion his cover was blown.
"My first question is, why are you here?"
"To join your program," Heero answered.
"Don't play games with me, son," the scientist folded his arms. "Tell me the truth. This room has no audio surveilance."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm a thorough man. I called every school listed in your transcript and before you do anything rash, let me remind you that while this room possesses no audio surveilance it has multiple cameras."
"I understand," Heero replied calmly.
"You come from the colonies, correct?"
"What makes you think that?"
"Only a child of the colonies would be named Heero Yuy," the man nodded towards the computers behind Heero. "I take it you're here to destroy my work."
"..and if I am?"
"Then I'd like to make a deal with you."
"Go on," Heero's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I've been sabotaging my own work for months now, ever since OZ took control of this lab," there was real anger in his voice although the dark-skinned man managed to look outwardly calm. "I'm sure you know they want my research in Neo-titanium alloys for use in combating the Gundams. I have no desire to further their efforts to create a new level of mobile suit."
The man sighed and walked over to one of the computers next to Heero and brought up some information on the screen, "This is a list of all the projects my team is currently working on. As you can see, very few have military applications and those that do are more use to a medic than a tactical officer. What I'm proposing is that you selectively destroy the files to spare the majority of my research."
"What about the weapons development OZ plans to implement here?"
"That will be my contribution to the bargain. I'll make certain no viable weapon makes it past the drawing board."
"Hn."
"It would be an arrangement to our mutual benefit."
"...I agree. Your proposition is acceptable," Heero got up from his chair and the scientist shook his hand again.
"Will you or your companion be wanting a position in our student program for use as cover?"
"No."
The scientist nodded and closed the files on the computer.
"I'd like advance warning as to when you'll be-"
"Absolutely not," Heero cut off the man and shook his head. "I'm taking enough of a risk trusting you and letting you live."
He pressed his lips together thoughtfully; he had to do something to ease the man's fears and added sincerely, "Whenever I strike it will be at an hour when no civilians will be harmed."
"I'm sorry you don't seem to be quite what we're looking for in our student work program, Heero," the scientist said as he opened the door to escort Heero back to the entrance.
"I appreciate your time, Dr. Singh."
-=*=-
Duo was sitting on the trunk of a blue sedan next to where they had parked and was counting the cars along the street for the eighth time when he spotted Heero making his way towards him.
"Whoo, finally," Duo said, sliding off the car and stretching.
"Change of plans," Heero said as Duo passed him his helmet.
"What happened in there?" the braided pilot cast his eyes towards the facility.
"I made a deal," Heero secured the helmet over his head and stood ready to swing a leg over the seat when he reconsidered and tossed the keys to Duo. "I'll explain tonight. For now, you can drive."
"Finally!" Duo whooped and wasted no time pulling on his helmet and kicking the bike into life. "Hold on!"
Duo gunned the engine as Heero's arms encircled his waist and then they were flying down the street. Eventually a red light snagged them and Duo chuckled when he recognized it as the same one they'd been caught at two days ago. He twisted around in the seat to look at Heero, "You care about going back right away?"
"Not really, why?"
"Just in the mood to do something fun," Duo said, then twisted back as the car to his left accelerated.
Duo made a right turn and took them out of the city and into the surrounding farmlands. At the speed they were going, it didn't take long until they were pulling up outside the barn where their Gundams were stashed.
"Why are we here?" Heero asked as he pulled his helmet off and perched it on the back of the seat.
"We're going to have a little fun with some equipment I bought last week," Duo answered as he took them into the barn and headed for his Gundam.
"Hey buddy, you miss me?" he caressed the smooth black metal lovingly as he walked to where a trio of small boxes were stacked next to Deatscythe's reclined shoulder.
"What sort of fun?"
"The kind that involves me shooting you," Duo said, popping open the lid to the topmost box and pulling out a sub machine gun.
"I've had that pleasure and I wouldn't call it fun," Heero said as he analyzed the weapon in the other boy's hand. It puzzled him at first until he realized it wasn't meant to shoot bullets.
"You want pink or green?"
"Pink."
"Huh, I figured you'd choose green," Duo chuckled and tossed him a bag of green paintballs he pulled out of one of the other crates. "You've got a few choices for weapons. Take your time."
Heero stepped in to inspect the other paintball guns and Duo gave him a playful grin as he lay out the rules, "We stay within a one mile radius. You get your opponents paint on you, no matter where on the body and the game is over; that includes splatter. Ammo is restricted to one bag.
"And if you win, I'll consider giving you my braid," Duo added with a laugh. Wagering his braid was swiftly becoming a running joke between them. He glanced down at his watch before giving Heero a knowing look, "Before you even think about it, the game doesn't begin for another two minutes."
"Hn," Heero dumped the entire contents of his bag of paintballs into the holder atop the gun he had chosen and brought it up to aim at Duo. "I suggest you start running while you still have time."
"Who says I'm going to run," Duo countered and brought his own gun up. He didn't run, but he did back away slowly.
"I'm a faster shot."
"Good point."
Heero smirked as Duo darted around the head of his Gundam. He mentally counted down the time and tracked the sound of the other boy's bootsteps on the hard packed dirt floor. At ten seconds to start, Heero crouched in the shadow cast by Deathscythe and frowned. The only noise he was hearing now was the sound of his own breathing.
At exactly zero, he heard a new sound. The pophiss of Duo's gun firing somewhere from his left. Heero rolled away just in time to miss being struck in the chest and held his gun at the ready while his eyes scanned the area. He caught a flash of white and fired, but Duo avoided the shot and took cover behind a thick wooden pillar.
The two boys exchanged fire for a full two hours and never stepped outside of the barn. One minute it was Duo being chased and taking refuge in the space between Wing's feet and the next it was Heero diving wildly for the protection offered by an overturned worktable.
"How many shots you have left?" Duo called out from a location Heero couldn't determine.
"More than you," he lied and belly crawled over to where a ladder rose up to a small hayloft.
"That's funny, 'cause I counted and I think you've only got one in the chamber," Duo called out again.
Where was the American and why couldn't he pinpoint where his voice was coming from? Heero gritted his teeth. Just like his Gundam, Duo had some uncanny abilities when it came to staying hidden. The Japanese pilot swept the shadows with his eyes and decided to go for broke; he shouldered his gun and scrambled up the ladder.
Just as Heero made it into the loft he heard the familiar pophiss of Duo's gun. He threw himself forward into a pile of hay just in time to avoid a paintball that whizzed past his leg. He recognized the trajectory of the shot and spun around just in time to see Duo leap down from the rafters and fire.
Paint exploded on the tip of his gun and the weapon skittered away; it slid over the edge of the loft to fall clattering on the ground below. Heero spared a quick check at his hand to see if there was any spatters of green on him. Surprisingly his hand had survived unmarked.
"Would you like to surrender?" Duo asked, leveling his gun and taking aim.
"You've only got one shot left and if you miss, I win," Heero said, preparing to dodge.
"At this range, you'll get a nasty bruise," Duo said, coming a few steps closer.
"It'll go nicely with the scar on my arm," Heero countered. If Duo got close enough without firing he'd have a chance to try and disarm the other boy.
"Last chance, Heero," Duo said, taking one more step closer.
"I won't surrender when I can still win," Heero said and kicked his foot out, hooking Duo's leg. The braided boy crashed into the hay and Heero lunged forward to pin him down and wrestle away the gun.
"Game over," Duo said with a crooked grin.
"What?" Heero looked down at the gun still clutched in Duo's trapped hand.
"Other hand."
Heero turned his head to where Duo's other wrist was pinned and his eyes widened when he saw the burst paintball clutched between the American's slender fingers.
"You cheated," he growled as he stared at the green paint that speckled his forearm.
"I improvised," Duo grinned wider and let the spent paintball fall away. "Two rounds left, I figured I had a better chance trying to trick you then hit you. I got lucky when I shot your gun away, I was expecting to play my hand during a standoff."
"Clever," Heero admitted after a long pause.
"Are you going to let me up?" Duo asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Not yet."
"Oh?" Duo's heart pounded in his chest.
"While I have you here, there was something I was meaning to do earlier," Heero said. He kept his eyes firmly locked with Duo's as he lowered his head until their lips were only centimeters apart.
Their breath mingled together warm in the cooling air of the evening and Heero closed his eyes as he finally pressed his lips against Duo's. He loosed the other boy's wrists and brought both hands to cup Duo's face as their mouths moved in unison; soft lips brushed smoothly together until a bit of saliva entered the mix and Duo's lips stuck slightly to his as he drew back.
Heero licked his lips and rubbed his thumb along Duo's cheek. The American's lashes fluttered open and his eyes were slightly glazed. Heero scooted back, shifting from straddling Duo's hips to straddling his thighs and pulled his hands away.
"That wa-" Heero didn't even get halfway into his sentence.
Duo pushed himself up on one elbow and wrapped his other arm around Heero's neck to pull him into a second kiss. This time, Duo tilted his head more and the kiss was bolder; open mouthed and moist, it sent fire lancing through his body. His breathing quickened when he felt a tongue swipe tentatively against his upper lip and Heero's arm slid under his back, cradling him. Duo dared his own tongue out and moaned when he tasted the sweetness of Heero's mouth.
His elbow quivered and the Japanese boy's hand pressed more firmly against his back. Duo accepted the silent offer and let Heero lower him back down into the prickly hay. The kiss deepened; tongues slid together briefly before moving on to explore the unfamiliar territory of a mouth not their own. Duo's hands grasped and slid over Heero's firm back and he thrust his hips upwards, striving for as much friction as possible.
Heero groaned when he felt the bulge of Duo's cock against his thigh and swiftly repositioned himself until their trapped erections were rubbing together. Torn between concentrating on kissing or concentrating on grinding himself harder against the boy beneath him, Heero chose to break from the kiss and nuzzled his face against Duo's neck.
"Stop... Heero... stop," Duo panted and grasped the Japanese boy's hips, trying to push him away.
Heero sucked in a shuddering breath and reluctantly rolled off Duo. When he caught his breath he managed a word, "Why?"
"I didn't want to cream my pants," Duo said, panting heavily. "God damn, Heero. That was so fucking hot." He reached down, squeezing himself through his jeans and moaned.
"Duo..."
"Mmm?"
"Let me see you."
Heero shivered with lust as Duo nodded slowly and unfastened his jeans. He could hear the sound of each zipper tooth as it separated and revealed Duo's dark blue cotton boxers. Heero sat back on his heels as the braided boy maneuvered himself onto his knees and pushed his pants and boxers down to the thigh.
"Your turn," Duo said, eyes fixed hungrily on Heero's groin.
Heero didn't take his eyes off of Duo's nakedness as he moved to mimic the other boy's position. He kneeled directly opposite Duo as he opened his fly and freed his throbbing erection. He was so hard, the head of his cock gleamed and a long string of precum leaked out to dangle from the tip. Duo moaned again and the American's hand wrapped around his own cock.
"Stop that and give me your hand," Heero said. Duo reached out, hand angled in such a way that it was obvious where he expected it to be placed. Heero lifted Duo's hand to his mouth and spit in his palm, then held his free hand up to the other boy's mouth. His body jolted as Duo ran the tip of his tongue against the underside of his hand before delivering a good amount of saliva into his palm.
Heero made a tight fist as he slid his hand over the head of Duo's cock. He didn't think it was possible to get any more aroused, but when Duo did the same to him, he felt overwhelmed by dizziness. The slick ease of Duo's hand pumping his cock soon changed to blissful friction and Heero lost the steady rhythm of his own hand as his thighs convulsed and he shot a thick load onto Duo's arm.
It took him a second to recover and Heero pulled his fingers off of Duo's cock to wet them again.
"Here," Duo said, scooping the semen off his arm and spreading it over his erection.
Heero pulled his pants up enough that he could move more easily and repositioned himself behind Duo. He nudged Duo's braid aside with his chin and licked at the other boy's neck as he sought out his cock.
Duo rolled his head to the side and pressed his ass back against Heero as best in could in his position. He knew he wouldn't be able to delay his orgasm for very long and gasped as Heero's mouth found his ear.
"I jerked off thinking about you last night," Heero whispered and slid his free hand under Duo's shirt and sought out a nipple. "Just like this..."
"Oh God," Duo groaned and wrapped his hand around Heero's. Their hands moved in unison along his length and somewhere in his brain, Duo noticed how smooth and soft the back of the Japanese boy's hand was.
"Come for me, Duo," Heero said, rubbing his thumb in small circles over a stiff nipple.
Duo surrendered and leaned back against Heero's chest as he cried out and sent two long streams of cum arcing through the air. Heero slowed his hand to a stop and held Duo close to him with his other arm.
"That was incredible," Duo said after a long moment where he just enjoyed being held and Heero enjoyed holding him. He twisted around and they shared a liesurely kiss.
"Yes it was," Heero replied. The sun had gone down and the interior of the barn was getting darker by the second.
"Annabelle Lee," Heero said quietly.
"Your gun is named after her?"
Heero nodded and a piece of hay in Duo's hair tickled his cheek.
"Who is she?"
"Just the name of a girl in something I read and liked."
"Huh. Doesn't ring a bell."
"So why Winona?"
"Saw a TV show once with a guy who's gun was named Winona. It sounds cool, huh?"
Heero chuckled in response. Television. How very American.
"Guess we should head back..." Duo said and leaned forward so he could pull up his jeans. "You gonna let me drive again?"
"How about last one to the bike gets the bitch seat?"
"Sounds fair," Duo agreed. Although it turned out not to be; Heero already had his pants up so he won easily and Duo ended up using the time on the way back to pick straw out of his braid.
-=*=-
"I think we should just blow the place as planned," Duo said, for the third time since they had returned to their room.
"The arrangement has its good points," Heero replied and spared a look over at the other pilot who sat crosslegged on his bed with his braid pulled over his shoulder.
"It's also got its fair share of bad points," Duo stopped picking straw out of his hair and brushed the end of his braid against his chin thoughtfully. "I mean, how do you know we can trust him?"
"I don't," Heero replied with a drawn out sigh. "However, it is the most beneficial option available."
"Yeah well I don't trust OZ," Duo spat. "I don't much like scientists either."
"You have to remember the labs were independent research facilities. They have ample cause to dislike OZ."
"I guess," Duo conceded reluctantly. "He knows who we are though, you think we should really leave a loose end like that. Your orders regarding that are the same as mine, aren't they?"
"He knows we're from the colonies, or at least that I am," Heero said, switching to his homework after having filed his mission report. "That doesn't equate Gundam pilot."
"True...Plus, he couldn't be any worse than that girl you can't kill. Remind me again why it is you haven't ki- Damn it all to Hell!" Duo growled as he pulled yet another lengthy piece of straw from his braid. "I brought back more than half of that damn haypile."
"Why don't you just brush it out?" Heero asked and Duo stared at him with 'why didn't I think of that' written on his face before groaning and toppling sideways; presumably because he had just wasted an hour doing things the hard way.
Heero rolled his chair away from the desk and grabbed Duo's hairbrush; he tossed it onto the bed next to Duo, then scooted back to resume his work. Eventually, Heero noticed that there were no sounds of brushing and glanced over to see if Duo was being stubborn and refusing to take his advice. His lips twitched in a slight smile at seeing the American fast asleep with his hair only half pulled out of its braid and one hand bent at an awkward angle near his cheek.
When he finished for the night, Heero closed his laptop and got himself ready for bed. As he stood at his bedside, with one hand poised to turn off the light, Heero let his gaze linger on Duo's peaceful features. The longhaired boy looked so much younger; with an innocent vulnerability that was never displayed during his waking hours. Beautiful had never been an adjective he'd considered labelling Duo with before.
Spotting a thick piece of straw tangled in Duo's bangs, Heero reached down to pull it free.
=swooshclick=
In one fluid motion, Duo had Winona pointed at his head. Violet eyes blinked sleepily before squinting in an attempt to make sense of the blurry object near his chin, "Did I fall asleep?"
"Yes," Heero remained visibly unfazed at having the barrel of the gun that used to be his aimed directly at him, however inwardly he was startled by Duo's reaction time. He shouldn't have been, given the number of times he'd seen the Deathscythe pilot in action. In all likelihood, he reflected, Duo could probably have done without resorting to trickery to win their earlier paintball game, but as always, the braided boy liked to keep things on the edge until the very end.
"Were you trying to molest me or something?" Duo quirked an eyebrow as the hand that was hovering above his chest came in to focus.
Heero snorted and withdrew his hand, "I was reaching to get straw out of your hair."
"Mmmm," Duo yawned and clicked the safety back on; he lowered his gun slowly and slid it back under his pillow while dragging his heels against the bed to pull his socks off. He hooked his thumbs into the waist of his jeans and arched his back to stretch. He smiled lazily and said in a voice only slightly louder than a whisper, "...do you want to molest me?"
"Yes," Heero answered after a moment's hesitation. He trailed his eyes over where the untucked tails of Duo's shirt parted and revealed a glimpse of the boy's smooth pale stomach.
"Mmm, you do?" Duo looked up at Heero through half-lidded eyes as he rubbed a palm slowly across his abdomen. He closed his eyes and raised one arm to rest above his head, "...tell me what you want to do to me..."
"I want to..." Heero began, then a soft sound from Duo made him turn away. He took several deep calming breaths before clicking off the light and pulling back the blankets on his bed.
'I want to forcefeed you caffeine' he projected silently to the boy who had fallen back asleep with his hand halfway up his shirt and a piece of straw poking out absurdly over his forehead.
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