Title: Freeport
Author: Maldoror
Genre: Action, investigations, my usual strange humour, tiny touch of angst,
some weird politics and a bit o' romance (yes, I still know how to write those
- just don't expect anything majorly fluffy)
Pairings: 2x5
Rated: NC17 - for language, violence, sexual content
Archived: http://www.raygunworks.net and GWAddiction under the pen-name Maldoror
Feedback: Please! Particularly what you like/don't like about the fic.
Spoilers: Some, for series and episode zero.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing belongs to its owners (Bandai, Sunset, and a whole host
of others, none of which are me) and I'm not making any money off of them. The
very idea is laughable. See? This is me laughing. Ha ha. The songs/quotes used
in the chapter heads don't belong to me either, and are used entirely for entertainment
purposes.
Author's Note: Dedicated to Dacia!
Thanks to Anaitis for the beta *hugs* Thanks to all for the reviews and encouragements!
Work really got on top of me this week, so my mailbox kinda overflowed :P I'll
be getting to the emails I missed asap.
"Oh Marlène
C'est la haine qui nous a amené là
Mais Marlène
Dans tes veines coulent l'amour des soldats
Et quand il meurent Ou s'endorment
C'est dans le creux de tes bras
Qu'ils s'abandonnent et qu'ils brûlent
Comme une clope entre tes doigts
...Et quand il meurent ou s'endorment
Dans la chaleur de tes bras
Ça les apaise et les traîne
Jusqu'en dehors des combats."
(Oh Marlène
It's hate that brought us here
But Marlène
In your veins runs the love of soldiers
When they die or fall asleep
It's in your arms
That they abandon themselves and burn
Like the cigarette between your fingers
... When they die or fall asleep
It's the warmth of your arms
That appeases them and drags them
Away from the battle)
---Noirs Désirs, 'Marlène'
Freeport by Maldoror
Chapter Twenty-Five
Wufei was awake instantly, though his well-trained body didn't betray the fact. A quick tally, cold as any computer's, added up snippets of information in his mind.
Bed - empty.
Duo-? Gone.
Door opening slowly.
Sword on the floor just below the bed. Easy reach.
Wufei stayed immobile, his breathing regular and slow, his eyes barely open a crack as they rested on the door.
It swung open with only the faintest whine, and in walked Duo in complete silence.
Wufei still didn't move, though his battle readiness slunk back into its kennel. Eyes barely open, he watched Duo move towards the workbench as if by observing him now, while Duo was unaware of his gaze, he could unlock the other man's inner thoughts.
Duo was moving a bit stiffly. The sight reminded Wufei of his own abused body, which was giving him the tab for the extra fight he'd indulged in right before bed. Duo looked tired, his face guarded even now that he was home. He was wearing the leather coat again, and he hadn't tossed it off at the door like he usually did. Wufei wondered if it was significant, then wondered when he'd gotten so desperate to understand this man that he was willing to read signs and import into Duo's choice of clothing.
Duo froze after only half a dozen silent steps, eyes narrowed as he glanced quickly towards the bed. Wufei's eyes were shut once more. He could feel Duo staring at him.
"You're awake, aren't you."
The words were loud after the total silence that had followed Duo's footsteps until now. Wufei's eyes flickered open in surprise as much as in admission.
Duo arched an eyebrow at him and looked on the verge of saying something tart- but instead, the smuggler walked over to the workbench, dropped a bag on it, switched on the light there and shouldered off his coat. When he turned around, in a wrinkled shirt and ratty pants, he was smiling, his blue eyes clear and unperturbed. Wufei was once more left with a vague unease that he couldn't even begin to justify.
Duo reached back and grabbed the plastic bag, which he swung lightly while he marched towards the bed.
"Move over," he ordered.
When Wufei cleared his side of the bed, taking the spot against the wall, Duo sat down on the covers and toed off his running shoes.
"I got breakfast," he announced.
Wufei looked at the bag again. He wasn't going to complain if he didn't have to eat energy bars this morning, but he wondered if they shouldn't talk about all the things that had happened between them yesterday.
By the time he sorted out a few words, Duo had something fished out of the bag and ready to shove into Wufei's opened mouth. Wufei jerked back instinctively and thumped his head against the wall. The lump above his ear stung right on cue. Duo snickered and waved the pale piece of whatever in front of Wufei's nose, where he couldn't even get a proper look at it.
"Eat up. After all that shit in Recyc yesterday, I thought we deserved a little something extra this morning."
Wufei looked past the fingers trying to coax something into his mouth, and stared into an open, teasing expression.
Apparently Duo didn't want to talk about any of it. Well, Wufei would rather have a root canal without anesthetic than talk about all the possible pitfalls between them. He'd follow Duo's lead. If things looked dicey, if their survival and effectiveness might be compromised by any trouble between them, then they could talk. Or, more likely, go out back in the yard and finish last night's 'discussion'. Whatever it took...
He reached for the bite-sized piece of food, but Duo, with a wicked grin, kept it out of his reach and opened his mouth suggestively. Wufei managed not to roll his eyes or humph disapprovingly, and obeyed the silent command.
Bread, Wufei identified after a couple of chews. And not the coarse, mealy grey stuff the commissary handed out; light, salty and firm beneath his teeth.
Duo tore off another piece of the loaf and held it in his mouth while he unscrewed the lid on a small pot of honey he'd also extracted from the bag. He dipped the bread into the jar precariously balanced on the covers.
"I got lucky," he mumbled around a small mouthful. "Trostklein just made a few loaves and he owes me for the refrigerator I fixed. I got the honey from him too. Want some more?"
"Sure. Shouldn't we sit at the table?" Wufei tracked a trickle of honey as it slowly dripped from Duo's piece of bread onto the bed.
Duo curled his legs under the covers and half reclined against the nearest pillow. "Need to wash the sheets anyway," he said with a shrug, handing Wufei a bigger chunk of bread and the pot of honey.
Wufei preferred rice, vegetables or soup for breakfast rather than something sweet, but this was an unexpected pleasure after months of Freeport's bland cuisine. He watched the honey drizzle from his bread into the jar, waiting for the spillover to stop; it was translucent in the light from the workbench.
Duo licked his fingers loudly, then reached under the cushion Wufei was presently leaning on. Wufei's eyebrows arched as Duo drew out and opened a flick knife with a practiced twist of the wrist.
The smuggler produced an orange from the bag with a flourish. It seemed to glow, warm and tempting in the half-light. It looked fresh and juicy. Wufei was instantly thirsty just looking at it.
"Do I want to know who you killed for that?" Damn, he hadn't tasted anything fresh since he'd arrived in this remote colony. Perishable imports cost too much.
"Nah. You wouldn't enjoy it as much," Duo answered with a wolfish grin as he started peeling carefully.
"Am I, in turn, going to owe you my life for half an orange?" Wufei asked sarcastically. His taste buds, tempted by the smell and tiny droplets the knife was releasing, were telling him it would be well worth it.
There was the slightest hesitation of the knife as it sliced through grainy orange skin.
"Maybe something less bloody," Duo drawled with a slow, hungry smile.
Despite the smirk and the bold words, it was in fact a question. Blue eyes flickered towards his tentatively as the knife removed the last piece of peel.
Oh... Wufei's first thought was that this was a bit sudden, considering their fight last night. But this was Duo. This was the way he was; the smuggler bounced back like some blasted elastic. Whatever happened, he grabbed what he could from the here and now and dealt with the consequences as they arose. He was either an opportunist of the first water, or he was wiser in the ways of life than many a philosopher; Wufei hadn't decided yet.
Did Wufei want this? He hesitated an instant, caught between two conflicting forces. He was still sore from all the fighting yesterday. His cold reason reminded him of all the possible complications that a more intimate relationship between them could bring.
But wisdom, doubts and hesitation burned to cinders in the sudden flash of heat that tingled through his body; all he could really think of, right at this moment, watching agile fingers sectioning the orange, was a hard touch, strong muscles flexing, and a freedom so absolute it was breathtaking. A shiver ran across his shoulders; he could feel blue eyes tracking it, measuring his stance.
They'd fought side by side, closer than anybody they'd let into their battle-hardened lives... They'd gotten even closer afterwards... And Wufei had spilled the details of his duty and his life and Duo... had accepted his lies and sins without belittling sympathy, with the anger they deserved, with the forgiveness they didn't... One of those reasons would surely explain why Wufei's vaunted control was crumbling even without the excuse of an adrenaline rush. Wufei wasn't sure why, really. All he knew was that this was still 'no strings attached'; an affair between warriors. It would not interfere with their hunt, because they wouldn't let it. Wufei would be leaving soon, once the mission was over. There would be no regrets on either side when he left, for anything they did or didn't do. Seen in that light... surely it didn't really matter?
"I'm sure we can come to some arrangement," Wufei murmured, rolling on to his stomach and staring up at Duo over his shoulder. He was trying for sultry, but it probably came out predatory. He'd never been very good at playing those kinds of games.
He thought he caught the slightest swallow from Duo. Not so sure of ourselves after all, Maxwell?
"About that," Duo muttered, staring at the sectioned orange. His index finger was rubbing over the blunt edge of his flick knife's blade.
"Yes?" Wufei prompted, when Duo fell silent. Maybe he'd misread the situation.
"What you said when we-... before. You really don't mind? Being-... "
A memory of a few ugly words echoed in Wufei's mind. He felt his eyes narrow, though his voice was steady as he supplied the end of the sentence, or probably a more polite variant than Duo would have used. "Being taken, you mean?"
"Yeah."
Wufei wasn't sure he liked the way the finger was dancing over the flick knife. As nervous gestures went, that didn't rate as very reassuring.
"No, I don't mind. I prefer it that way."
"Oh." Duo's hand dropped to wipe the blade and orange juice carelessly on the covers. "Well. Takes all kinds, I guess."
"Takes at least two, to start with," Wufei concurred.
That got him a startled look and a laugh.
"I won't ask you to switch," Wufei added softly.
"Never did it before. That way." Duo's words were short.
"It's not for everybody."
Duo snorted harshly. Wufei reminded himself that in Duo's world, being taken was probably not often a matter of taste or choice. In the slums, what was visible of sex would boil down to prostitution or rape. An older Duo would know about encounters between equals, but that probably equated to 'take turns' in his mind. Childhood demons were powerful; how would Duo's gut instinct - as opposed to his intellect and experience since - interpret someone who would accept the role of 'victim' every time?
"Does my preference cheapen me in your eyes?" Wufei asked, keeping his voice neutral and non-aggressive.
Duo dropped the flick blade and put the freed hand over his crotch in a theatrically alarmed gesture. "Didn't we go over that yesterday?"
Wufei looked at him steadily until the mocking grin had faded into an honest, slightly exasperated one.
"Chang, you couldn't do anything cheap - or fake, or bent - if you tried."
Wufei realized, from the threads of residual anger in Duo's voice, that they weren't only talking about sex any more.
"I am honored that you think so," he whispered, staring down at the pillow. It was probably more than he deserved.
"Oy, don't go all mushy on me," Duo growled, picking up the flick knife. An idle toss nailed it to the opposite wall.
"Duo," Wufei complained. He'd been brought up to believe that there were certain things one didn't do in a house, and target practice was one of them.
Duo retaliated by sinuously wiggling down to Wufei's level on the sheets and trying to feed him a piece of orange. It banished the shadow that had drifted over them for an instant; no need to taint something simple with all the problems they still had.
Wufei decided to take a page from Duo's book and grab the here and now with both hands. For starters, he rolled over onto his side and managed to filch the orange section out of Duo's fingers. He put it in his own mouth with a vindicated sniff.
Duo made a moue of disappointment.
"Feeding someone with your fingers is supposed to be sexy," he pointed out. "Chicks dig that kind of stuff."
"I'll let you figure out the flaw in that statement on your own."
The orange was slightly watery, but living in Freeport lowered your expectations. Wufei reached out for another section and Duo, mouth full and chewing slowly and dreamily, let him have it without any further misguided attempt at 'sexy'.
Sensual, now, that was another matter... the last time Wufei had been with Lance had been at the man's small house in Monaco, with the scent of jasmine tea floating in the air, and the Mediterranean sunlight flooding through the bay window onto the bed. For Wufei, sex and pleasuring another were serious matters, and he didn't like to do things in less than perfect conditions.
He glanced around the small, practical apartment with its engine oil smells blending with Freeport's aroma, the harsh, dirty sheets under his body, the mess on the workbench and the knife planted in the wall. He breathed deeply and licked his fingers, letting the citrus scent tease his senses. You actually learned to weed out the Freeport stink eventually... he opened his eyes to find blue ones traveling slowly from his lips to his exposed chest.
His skin tingled, a familiar warmth teased his belly and inner thighs. Screw the setting. The only thing that could put a crimp in his plans for Duo would be to have lost the lube after he'd dropped it yesterday.
Duo's mouth tasted like the orange they'd just finished between them. There was stubble beneath Wufei's palm, a faint scratching sensation. The kiss was relaxed; there would be no frantic hustle this time. Wufei was going to do this right.
He twisted closer to Duo without giving up the delicious coiling of tongues. The sheets around his legs resisted as he tried to curl around Duo and pull them flush together. There was a rustle of plastic and something fell over-
Wufei broke the kiss and glanced down at the plastic bag between them. The bread had tumbled out of it, but Duo had caught the open honey pot just as it was about to tip over.
"Nice catch," Wufei muttered, glaring at the interruption.
"Sex is great, but nobody in Freeport wastes good food no matter what," Duo answered with a cheeky grin, righting the honey and screwing it shut.
"Then go and put the 'good food' away, while I hunt for the lube," Wufei growled. "And pick up the orange peels; they're all over the place now."
"Yes boss."
"And stop calling me boss."
"Sure thing, boss."
The lubricant was under the bed, and Duo was back in it in record time. Wufei found himself hauled back into the sheets and soundly kissed before he could figure out where to stash the lube until it was needed.
"You know," Duo gasped, breaking away slightly. "I'm still of two minds about this."
His tone didn't sound serious enough to alarm Wufei, but he did lean back to stare questioningly into blue eyes.
"On the one hand, you've got to be the hottest gay guy I ever met. On the other hand, my brain is screaming 'You're kissing Wufei!', which is just, like, weird, and also reminding me I don't have life insurance."
"Idiot," Wufei muttered, pulling him into another kiss. It did feel strange doing this with a friend and ally who'd been off limits for months. Wufei wasn't about to stop though. He rolled onto his back and pulled Duo onto him.
Ahhh, this was it. One of the things he liked the most about sex. That first full-body contact, that solid weight of another man on him. Duo was lighter than he was, lighter than his other lovers to date, but there was something real and comforting about his presence, the solid feel of muscles as Duo shifted and took some of his weight on his forearms.
Wufei let his hands wander, following the lure of an unknown body waiting to be explored under that bulky grey sweater. A new lover to discover, new ways of pleasure to be found... What the hell had he been thinking that first time? That had been a mess, it had lasted no time at all, it had been hurried and he barely remembered the feel of Duo's body. Now he was going to do this properly.
His hands traced muscles, tendons, found the hidden soft spots at the juncture of Duo's arms, at his belt-line, in the fine line between dorsal muscles... his fingers also tripped over the large sheathed dagger Duo had strapped to his back, and occasionally fell into pits in the flesh left by the explosion that had torn off Duo's fingers.
Duo's tongue had gotten more aggressive, stabbing into Wufei's mouth, pushing and probing; shivers ran through the body covering Wufei's. Finally Duo reared back to his knees and impatiently fumbled his t-shirt and sweater off. Wufei sat up and helped him unbuckle the knife's strap. It joined Wufei's sword on the floor next to the bed.
Wufei started to explore again, this time with his eyes as well as his fingertips, but Duo shoved him back impatiently against the mattress. Hands fumbled at the waist of Wufei's sweats. Wufei curved his hips up, letting himself be stripped. He didn't like the passive role, but instincts were telling him that Duo might not be up for a really long, complicated and involved foreplay. There was tension in the shoulders he touched. Wufei didn't think that Duo had as much experience as he had, particularly not with men. There was something like a self-imposed challenge, nearly bravado, in the rough hands that explored Wufei's skin in turn, quick and curious.
Duo's eyes were narrowed and serious as they followed the path his hands were tracing; that look contrasted with the wicked, carnal smile on his face. Wufei suddenly remembered a child-warrior at the controls of Deathscythe Hell. Eager and professional, adventurous yet sure.
The hands jerked away from Wufei's skin to unlock Duo's prosthetic glove and peel them both off, fingers impatient for skin-to-skin contact. The gloves were carefully added to the pile made by the sword and the dagger. Then Duo's hands were on him again, exploring for good this time.
Wufei flinched away slightly when fingers brushed his scarred chest.
"Does it hurt?" Duo murmured curiously.
"No. It just feels... numb," Wufei answered, trying to put down in words the sense of not-quite-discomfort the grafted skin relayed to him.
Duo's hand drifted away from that area, but hesitated at the choppy shore that led from the waves of keroid scarring to the plains of Wufei's normal skin. A curious finger drifted down the line between the two, along both sensitive and scarred skin. Wufei shuddered; Duo might not know his way around a man's body as well as Wufei did, but he did know wounds, and the strange tingling sensitivity of the edges of scar tissue. The full lips had curled into a feral grin, narrowed blue eyes tracked his every reaction, dropping occasionally to Wufei's erection.
Wufei let him play for awhile, then he took things under his control again, his fingers passing skillfully over Duo's chest, nipples and hips until the hands on Wufei were merely shivering and gripping him. Then he expertly rolled Duo onto his side and got him out of his thick pants, socks and underwear.
Duo was breathing fast and hard now, staring up at Wufei. The latter let his hands examine the rest of Duo's body, making the breath catch and falter in Duo's throat.
The smell, feel, taste and sight of Duo's skin filled his senses. He liked men. He liked their aesthetic, he liked their strength, he liked the taste of their skin, the way muscles played beneath it, their strong bones, their rough hands. He liked the rigid line of their sex. He liked it in him.
Wufei reached for the lube he'd stuck between their pillows. The oil was cool against his fingers; the air in the room was freezing compared to the heat that burned beneath his skin. If they were going to do this a few more times in the future, maybe Duo could invest in a heater; Wufei's muscles, still a bit sore and stiff from yesterday's battles, were clenching under the effect of the chill and excitement.
As Duo watched raptly, eyes wide and greedy, Wufei sat back a bit and slid his oiled finger gently in and around the anal muscles. He concentrated on the feeling, the slow buildup of pleasure, but he didn't miss the way Duo's hands were twitching, the muscles in his arms bunching and shifting. He wasn't surprised when Duo sat up, pulled Wufei's hand away and flipped him onto his back. He handed Duo the bottle without much hesitation. Wufei normally preferred to prepare himself, and his lovers certainly didn't mind watching; but Duo just wasn't the kind to stay passive. Wufei realized that he didn't particularly mind, though Duo better not expect Wufei to just lie down and take it for long. Not his style either.
Fingers breached the muscles and probed a bit cautiously. Wufei set the pace by rising up to his elbows and using the leverage to push down on the digits. Duo adapted quickly, moving his fingers in a way that indicated he had done this at least a few times before. Wufei thought of those fingers in him - hard, callused, nails blunted by hours working delicately at mechanisms or driving a knife into someone's gut- his erection jumped, his arms supporting his body trembled. Duo's eyes were fastened on his face, watching every flicker of pleasure or hint of pain. Still serious, still absorbed, and blazing with lust and fervor...
Deathscythe was one lucky Gundam, Wufei thought, the small, rather dirty irony making his lips curl upwards. That strange wild freedom brushed his skin again like a cold, clean wind, making him shiver, breathless...
Wufei fell back on the mattress and fumbled blindly for the lube, pawing the rumpled sheets until his fingers touched plastic. Duo's fingers were still working the sphincter muscles, more confident now, occasionally reaching far enough to press the inner skin and send sensations shooting through the prostrate and up through Wufei's stomach and down through his thighs. Duo's damaged hand was trailing lightly up and down Wufei's cock, teasing.
Wufei's lubed palm quickly coated Duo's erection between their bodies. Duo licked his lips, eyes bright and wide; he pulled out his fingers and grabbed Wufei's hip.
He wasn't expecting the next move, not that he stood a chance anyway. Wufei outweighed him and had a better notion of leverage and holds anyway. Duo gave out a strangled 'Hey!', eyes wide and slightly alarmed, as he found himself flat on his back with Wufei straddling him.
"Relax," Wufei said calmly. His fingers quickly reached behind him for Duo's cock, he moved against it-
Duo licked his lips, then grinned a bit sharply. "Whatever you say... boss... " His voice was hoarse and uneven but still ready with that blasted last word.
Stop calling me boss if you want to keep your teeth, was what Wufei was surely going to say, but Duo's cock against his anal muscles - pressure/pleasure/pain - robbed him of breath, and then Duo twitched his hips up- the thick head sank in and slid up into Wufei's ass and he forgot he was even going to say anything at all.
Duo's hands were on his hips now, tugging a bit, teetering between impatience and a cautious gentleness that warmed Wufei's skin as much as a caress.
Duo wasn't as thick as some of his lovers, which gave Wufei the opportunity to go quick and hard if he wanted to. But he was long enough to reach Wufei's sweet spot; Wufei hummed pleasurably and paused, small motions rubbing Duos' erection there again and again. His head was back, his hair was tickling his shoulder blades, his whole skin was so sensitive he thought he could feel the whorls of Duo's fingertips pressing into his flesh... This... was good... hmmmm... .
He kept that up until Duo finally whimpered and hauled him down hard. Wufei's eyes shot open, in time to see the glaze of pleasure in blue eyes fade into a rather worried scrutiny.
"Sorry," Duo gasped, "was that too-"
Wufei didn't use his hands - which were still exploring Duo's firm abdomen and chest - his legs alone flexed and lifted him and brought him down hard and fast again. Duo's words were lost in a breathless gasp.
"Too fast? I don't think so," Wufei panted, doing it again. "I'm tougher than you are, Maxwell."
The hands were no longer cautious and gentle on his hips; Wufei shuddered in sheer pleasure at the strength in the forearms he was now gripping to stabilize himself as Duo took over, hard.
"You're so-... full of yourself-... Chang!"
There was a neat rejoinder to that, but Wufei didn't have the breath any more. More than the cock screwing him hard, it was the power of Duo's movements meeting his own that was robbing him of thought. Always- Wufei had always been stronger than his lovers... never slept with colleagues or other warriors- oh fuck-
Always had to be the one... in control, the one who set the limit and watched it... Wufei shuddered, his mind barely able to touch the memory of past lovers. The intoxicating differences he found in Duo - ally, friend, killer, lover- were nibbling away at that control...
He was gripping the corded forearms, using them to lean back into the movement. The pace was quick and sure now, not under his unique volition; a blend of two powers. Wufei forced himself past the pure excitement and delight, made himself breathe regularly, using the chi to spread pleasure throughout his body while keeping a tight leash on his climax.
Duo didn't have that discipline; the movement changed brutally, causing Wufei to freeze. Strong arms shook free of his grasp to grip him higher about the waist, pulling Duo up as he pressed Wufei down hard against his cock. Breath short, hard gasps, the lean body curled around Wufei's, shuddering, hauling him down- teeth pressed against his skin of his chest but not biting, Duo was too out of breath-
Wufei clenched the muscles around the erection inside him, providing the spark to ignite the blast. Fingers scrabbled at his waist and Duo's muscles jerked and spasmed as Wufei held him close, bliss in the throbbing pulse inside, the ragged groan, the power exploding and seeping inside of him.
He continued to move, fingers reaching for his own erection, but Duo whimpered and fell back, twisting away and pulling out.
"Justsec, just a sec... " Duo panted.
Wufei let his hand fall, and watched the breathless man beneath him expectantly. Duo was limp; his hand trembled as he shoved his bangs back. Wufei felt a flicker of satisfaction; sex was an occasional pastime for him, a pleasure to indulge in when time and duty permitted. But he liked to do it properly and make sure his partner had no complaints at the end.
Duo finally rolled over, shoving Wufei gently back into the mattress. The cheap springs of the bed had been making a background choir to the ride, and they squeaked with something like protest and fatigue at Wufei's weight. Wufei hadn't thought of the solidity of the frame earlier, but he was starting to wonder about it now.
There was an evil grin on Duo's face which dragged Wufei's attention back to him. Duo's hands fastened on Wufei's hips again, pushed him into the position Duo wanted with insolent strength, so that Wufei's groin was near the other man's chin.
Oh yes, Duo had mentioned something about going down on him yesterday. Said it would be good.
The evil smirk wrapped itself around Wufei's erection. Duo's hand explored the base of his cock, his balls...
Duo went down on him slowly - bloody slowly! Wufei's well-discipline body didn't thrust or wiggle, but he wanted to. It was the way Duo's fingers ghosted over his skin first - flickering where his mouth was going- it sensitized the skin even more, it promised and teased - it was surprising because he didn't think Duo had that much experience - maybe he liked giving head which was good because he wasn't bad at it- oh!-notbadatall-
Duo moved; an elbow shoved Wufei's leg away and up, and suddenly there were fingers in Wufei, probing hard. Just as Duo's tongue started doing something truly evil.
Wufei swallowed and realized his hands were on Duo's head, and had been for several minutes now. He was going to remove them- Duo's fingers thrust deeper - hard! Yes! - and hit his prostate and -
All the way down now- just how many tongues did Duo have?! Oh, fingers- as well-fuck-
Wufei felt the air crystallize in his lungs, expanding and pressing outwards- he knew, he just knew that Duo was going to do... something, any second now... those seconds slammed by like a frantic heartbeat, Duo dragging it out, tongue still doing that, and then - pressure against every inch of Wufei's cock as Duo sucked and- fucked him with his fingers, hard and deep-
-ohshityes!-
Wufei panted, staring at the pretty flashes of light in his vision. He had hair all over his face. He'd tossed around when-
...he hoped he hadn't actually yelped that out loud... that would be embarrassing...
He tried to focus his eyes. The shadows that shrouded the ceiling weren't giving him any indication if he was succeeding or not.
"You look like you been sucker-punched."
Wufei lifted a hand and whacked the nearest piece of Duo he could find, apparently a shoulder.
"You are good at that," Wufei admitted breathlessly.
"Yeah. A friend gave me some pointers, back from when she was selling it in a primo cat-house. I tell you what though."
A hand passed gently through Wufei's hair, helping him get it out of his face- and suddenly gripped it and tilted his head back until he was blinking, startled, into sharp, hard eyes.
"You just joined a small, select gang of guys I'd do that to. And none of them ever paid me for it."
"Good," Wufei muttered, his mouth and brain not having quite connected yet. "'Cause with my salary I'd never afford it."
The lips curved up into a smile like a dagger, then crushed his own. Wufei tasted orange and the sour-salty taste of semen.
"Gotta admit though... you're pretty good yourself," Duo drawled after releasing him. A hand brushed down Wufei's unscarred side, lingered over a hipbone.
"Hmm. Thank you," Wufei answered, still a bit stunned.
"You got somebody regular on the Outside?" Duo asked after a few minutes of silence, voice just a bit too casual.
"If you mean, am I in a committed relationship, then no, of course not," Wufei retorted reprovingly without opening his eyes.
"Well, that's what I thought, but you really do seem to know what you're doing, so I-"
"I do have regular lovers, but I doubt that's what you meant."
"Lovers?" Duo said after a short silence, stressing the plural.
"I lead a hectic life and live in about six different locations on Earth and in Space. I have friends in some of them-"
"Sweet Mary Mother of Christ, you telling me you got a wife- a guy in every port?"
Wufei thwacked the shoulder again, eyelids flickering open to glare. "What do you think I am, a sailor?"
"Well, you're a Preventer, same diff- ouch, stop doing that. Man, Chang Wufei sleeps around. I'm sorry, this completely changes my conception of the universe. Maybe even the law of physics."
"I do not sleep around," Wufei corrected with dignity, not bothering to honor the rest of the comment with a reply. "I have friends - two, at this point in time - with whom I entertain sexual relations when I'm not on duty and we are available for each other. I make sure that everything is understood between us, no possible cause of misunderstandings."
" ...friends with benefits. Okay."
Wufei disliked that term immensely, but he let it pass for once.
"I choose them carefully," he continued sternly, "to make sure they are not likely to compromise themselves emotionally over a relationship, and of course I vet them through Preventer security."
Duo's eyes had been getting progressively rounder. Finally he blinked, and then thumped his fist against his chest. "Oh, the romance," he stated sardonically.
Wufei gave him an ascetic look. "Romance is not something any of us are looking for. As for the check, I am part of the Preventers Special forces; it is incumbent of me to take certain precautions. It's not something I question."
Liar, a part of him whispered. He felt like a rat each time he fingerprinted the glass stolen from a nice young man who'd approached him. Wufei would smile at him, and set up tentative meetings for later, pleasant and demure, promising to be something he wasn't because he'd follow the man home after he left, like some kind of creepy predator, to check the address and neighbors. Heero was the one who did the actual data hack with that information; Wufei asked his partner to do this because hew knew Yuy would remain objective, and it was his life on the line too if it were some kind of trap. But behind the reasons and the precaution, the twist of pure, undiluted embarrassment at asking Heero to do this for him was probably penance for his behavior...
And then of course there were the three occasions he'd been alone in a town he didn't know, went to some club or other, found someone of like mind and went to the nearest alley to fuck their lights out with no names mentioned. Take them hard and fast and leave while they were still gasping for breath...
...four times. He'd done that four times.
And one of these days, after a particularly bad brush with corruption or a mission gone wrong, one of these days he'd probably do it again.
Wufei lifted a hand to trail it down Duo's arm, connecting with the 'now', an antidote to the feelings that pushed him to do that. He turned slightly on the pillow to find Duo watching him curiously.
"And what about you?" Wufei asked.
"Ohh, I get around," Duo answered with a hint of arrogance.
Wufei picked up the lube from its nest in the sheets. "I did notice that this is half-empty."
" ...yeah... " Duo's face was suddenly suspiciously blank.
"Though I also noticed there's a couple of greasy thumbprints on the back of it. Engine grease," Wufei added, turning the bottle over.
"Well-"
"You used this for your mechanics?"
"What, you a detective now?"
"Yes, I am, as a matter of fact. What's wrong, did you run out of the regular stuff? Does it work well as an engine lubricant?"
"It's crap- but I have used it for sex!" Duo added defensively.
"How many times?"
"Often enough," Duo answered, eyes narrowed and challenging. Once, Wufei interpreted, maybe twice. In all likelihood Duo had acquired the lube for one specific person. Wufei wondered who that was.
"Mostly it's chicks," Duo added, still defensive.
"You did say you were bisexual."
"Yeah... " Duo's eyes were turned inwards. He rolled onto his back and glared at the ceiling.
"Actually... sometimes I think I'd rather like guys more. I understand the way they think and what they like... I feel... It's just that girls, you know where you stand with them. It's easy, and everybody gets what they want. Men... a lot of the guys I meet, they get ideas."
"Ideas?" Wufei prompted, though he suddenly had a good idea of what Duo was talking about.
"I got long hair and I'm smaller than them, so they think that makes me the cunt. Shit, I'm sorry."
"I've heard a lot worse," Wufei murmured, examining the black thumbprints on the lube.
"No, I'm sorry." A hand covered the bottle, removed it from his fingers, then cupped his face. "I shouldn't have said that. That doesn't belong here. That doesn't go anywhere near you."
"We'd already determined that," Wufei smirked. He found that he liked the gentle, regretful expression in Duo's eyes though. It soothed the unacknowledged hurt that Duo's shouted words had caused last night.
The kiss and grope that followed were rather nice too...
Duo fell back with a sigh, just as Wufei was starting to get warm again.
"I'm bushed. Mind if we sleep a bit more? I only had five hours, and it was a busy day before that."
Wufei's conscience immediately kicked up a fuss. "What about the investigation?"
"I got antennas out there. I sent out some mails last night, warning the rat-catcher network, and I did more than get breakfast this morning," Duo yawned, compounding Wufei's guilt. "But I doubt things will turn up right away. We got time for a nap."
Wufei agreed, and watched Duo curl up under the covers. The smuggler was asleep in minutes.
He could use some more rest as well, but he took a moment to savor the feeling of a warm body nearby, the movements of somebody else in the bed, movements that were beginning to feel familiar. This was nice. He'd never been in any long-term relationship after his first forgettable lover; only a series of one-night stands that were generally with the same people for reasons of security and practicality.
Not that he was going anywhere near a relationship with Duo. He'd be leaving Freeport eventually.
And coming back for future missions, his lust whispered insidiously.
Would Duo accept that kind of connection... ? Be another of Wufei's stops on a mostly solitary journey? Duo hadn't mentioned any commitments of his own, but he was a master of saying much while actually giving out little information when he wanted to.
Wufei didn't normally care that much about other people's past affairs... And this time was no different, he told himself sternly, as his eyes drifted towards the bump of Duo's hip under the sheet. The covers had slipped when Duo had rolled over onto his right side. There was only a corner of the sheet over that name that Duo had considered sufficiently important to etch into his skin.
None of Wufei's business.
Really none at all.
Wufei wondered just where the hell his discipline had gotten to since he'd started to live with Duo, as he gently teased the sheet away from the pale spacer skin. He didn't even try to pretend this was information gathering, or anything more than prurient curiosity.
The lines of an old, crude tattoo were barely readable in the darkness of the room. Wufei angled his head to get a better look.
It wasn't a name; in fact, there were four short words on two uneven lines.
Ni Dieux
Ni Maitres
Wufei realized he had a strange, rather stupid smile on his lips as he pulled the sheet and then the cover over Duo's legs. Just so... Duo.
But he should take this as a warning. Wufei's gaze trailed from the hidden tattoo to the strong arms, the rough, able hands. Duo wasn't anybody's lover, certainly not Wufei's, except in the most immediate, carnal sense. He was a dangerous adrenaline junky, an excellent killer, a warrior to the tips of his fingers and an anarchist to the bottom of his soul. Wufei would do well to remember that.
He settled down next to the still form, hoping that this knowledge would be enough to stop him from getting into a serious emotional mess with the deadly bundle of chaos at his side. Because that, above all else, would be a Very Bad Idea.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End Part 25