turnippatch — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:17:07 GMT

This year's collection is brought to you by climate change.

Two Degrees : 1

"Hey, I remember you."

Heero pretended a moment of recognition, but in fact, he had recognized the man a ways off. "From Wednesday's convoy, right?"

"Yup! I'm Duo." The introduction was accompanied by a grin and the offer of a handshake.

"Heero," he answered, swinging his rifle back to take the offered hand. In truth, he had caught Duo's name back on Wednesday, too, when another of the aid workers had called out to him.

"Just you today?"

"There will be others coming along. I just saw you setting up. You shouldn't be out here by yourself."

"Trucks aren't here yet. It should be fine."

"For now." He scanned the area, automatically clocking all of the unknowns. "Nevertheless. You're a foreign aid worker. You are always at risk."

Duo frowned. "These people are starving, Heero. They aren't the enemy. They're victims of a region-wide drought."

Heero grimaced, and not only because this wasn't the way he had wanted this to go. "Yes, and I'm here to help ensure they get fair and orderly access to the aid you're here to provide them. There are people out there that don't want that."

Duo drew breath to respond, but ended up releasing it in a sigh. He couldn't argue with that. Things had been okay at this location so far, but another distribution point ten miles to the south, run by a different organization, had almost been raided by a local gang. "Yeah. I guess. People suck."

"You don't. I mean. You're here to help."

"Well." He summoned up a smile. "So are you."

"Me?" Heero shrugged, suddenly feeling faintly awkward. "I'm just a man with a gun. Not something this country needs more of."

"Well. As long as you only point it at other people with guns, I guess."

"I'll do my best."

They stood together in companionable silence for a short while, Duo lining up the hand trucks while Heero kept an eye on things. In due time, Heero's radio informed him that the convoy was inbound and the rest of his team would be arriving shortly.

"Hey," Duo called out as Heero finished his response. "Heero. After we finish up here, maybe we can hang out some time."

Heero blinked at him, and then settled on a raised eyebrow.

Duo shrugged. "I like meeting new people. Shitty circumstances, sure, but when are people like you and me not in shitty circumstances? It's important to meet people in all kinds of circumstances."

Heero weighed that, then nodded. "Sure."

on to next part

This entry was originally posted at https://turnippatch.dreamwidth.org/182678.html.

fic - two am : 12

turnippatch — Sat, 06 Jan 2024 08:17:35 GMT

Woohoo, I've managed to muddle along for another year. Thanks for playing, folks.

Two AM : 12

"Missed opportunity, Yuy."

Heero eyed Trowa sideways. "Aren't you missing an opportunity to be with Quatre?"

"I," Trowa said with some emphasis, settling in at the rail next to Heero, "was happily making out with Quatre at midnight, thanks for asking. While the same could not be said for you and Duo."

"Hmm," he said disinterestedly. He was watching the event company packing away the drones they had used for the Winner New Year's light display.

"Don't 'hmm' me."

"Hn."

Trowa punched him in the shoulder.

Heero turned to him with a mild glower. "Why would you imply there's some reason I should have been making out with Duo."

"Well, perhaps you could have started with a heartfelt confession first."

"What kind of shoujo manga have you been reading lately."

"Sounds like maybe you should read some. Pick up some pointers."

Heero made a half disgusted, half exasperated sound.

"Ah, speak of the devil," Trowa murmured cheerfully. "Hey, Duo. I was just about to go find Quatre." He waved and quit the area.

"Uh." Duo watched Trowa's retreating back, then looked back at Heero in some confusion. "I... was just coming over to hang out with you. And... I thought it was my idea. But Trowa had on his 'I'm messing with you' face, so suddenly I'm not sure anymore. Did Quatre actually send me over here?"

Heero shrugged.

"Well. Anyway." He leaned on the railing Trowa had just vacated. "I feel like we didn't get a whole lot of one-on-one time today."

Heero straightened, took a step back from the rail. "Hm, well, today's pretty much over. We can talk tomorrow?"

"I feel like we don't talk much anymore," Duo said in a rush, like he was trying to forestall Heero's departure. It was true, they were all staying over for the night and would see each other tomorrow, but still. "I don't know why. Is something going on?"

Heero raised an eyebrow at him.

Duo soldiered on through his sudden feeling of awkwardness. "Because if Quatre sent me over here, well, it's probably for a reason?"

"Don't assume his reasons make any sense."

"Well, even if they don't, I'm at the very least curious to know what they were. Even if Trowa's just messing with me, I want to know what I have to get revenge for. If you don't know, maybe we can figure it out?"

Heero looked at him for a few seconds before deciding he had to give Duo something or else he wouldn't drop it. "Look, Trowa's messing with me, not you. Don't worry about it."

"Huh. And Quatre?"

He shrugged. "Where one goes, the other follows."

"Uh-huh. And... what's this got to do with me?"

"Nothing," Heero replied promptly. "It has nothing to do with you."

"O-kay. Then... you need me to help you mess with Trowa in return?"

Heero made a somewhat discontent sound. "You're persistent today."

"Yeah, well, I guess I don't know how to mind my own business any better than they do. Probably, they just want to help?"

His lips twisted sourly. "I brought this upon myself. They don't know the full story and I don't want to tell them the full story, so they don't know that their attempt to 'help'... is not helpful."

"Oh. Well... wanna tell me the full story?"

Heero's answering look was complicated, like it was yes and no and omg go away and thank you for asking all rolled into one. He looked away with a sigh. "They appear to be encouraging me to deliver some sort of love confession to you, without realizing that I have already tested those waters without their dubious assistance, and found them unreceptive."

Duo went through a series of internal responses. 'Love confession' -- snort, right, no wonder Heero was so annoyed. Wait, to who? What, to me? Holy-- Wait, tested? When was -- Unreceptive? "What?" he finally said aloud.

Heero went back to watching the workers trundling their gear off the grounds.

Duo slowly parsed that bewildering sentence again. Heero... liked him? Like that? He hadn't known that, boy had he not known that, but okay. He skipped the part about Quatre and Trowa, and... "What do you mean, you tested the waters? And... I... I have no idea what you're talking about."

Heero exhaled audibly, worked his jaw for a few seconds like he was irritated with this entire situation but trying not to let it out, and finished with another sigh. "Do you remember a few months ago, I think you were talking about Padilla's bad luck with women? You said something about how his lack of love life was not for lack of trying and at least mine was by choice, or something like that, and I don't remember exactly how I got to asking whether you would consider going out with me, but I did, and you said no."

"What?" Duo was feeling more than a few steps behind here. He cast his memory back and could remember Padilla's last attempt at romance and could imagine such a quip, but did not at all remember Heero saying any such thing. "Uh, I mean, if I was in the middle of joking around..."

"You said no," Heero repeated carefully. "Quickly and firmly. No. As if the thought had never occurred to you. As if the thought itself confounded you. No."

"But..."

Heero shook his head, dismissing any apologies. "You were in the middle of joking around. I'm sure you didn't take me seriously. I'm sure I didn't want you to take me seriously just then. But. If you'd ever had even the slightest interest in return... I think your response would have been different. Am I wrong?"

Uh. Well. Fuck. He wasn't wrong. The thought really had never occurred to him. So definitely never occurred to him that it hadn't even occurred to him, even when Heero was right in front of him speaking the thought aloud. Fuck. "But that just means... it hadn't occurred to me. That's all... not like, no, absolutely not, of course I would never..."

Heero made another dismissive gesture. "I didn't take it personally. Like I said. Tested the waters: unreceptive. End of story."

"But..." Fuck. He didn't know what he wanted to say, let alone how to say it. Only this was not what he wanted Heero to think. He didn't know what he wanted Heero to think, but not... Christ, not anything that made him look like he was trying not to tense up over the whole thing. "Fuck, is this why... I feel like we haven't been talking as much recently? Or... I dunno, I think maybe, like, conversation-wise, it's just as much, but just not as... not... saying as much. I guess." Gah, he sounded stupid and uncertain, but fuck it, he was feeling stupid and uncertain, so there.

Heero shrugged again, switched to looking up at the stars.

"I... kinda missed that. You. Us. Ugh, you know... that thought hadn't really occurred to me either until just now. I mean, I did start missing you somewhere along the line, but I've only now just put my finger on it. On what was feeling wrong."

"Sorry." Heero's soft voice cut into the muddle inside his head. "We can get back to that, probably. I just need to find my balance."

"Dammit, don't apologize. It is a gross overstatement to say my waters are unreceptive. They're just... They were just totally not paying any attention. Okay?"

They looked at each other expectantly, Heero waiting for him to continue, Duo waiting for him to affirm. Heero spoke first. "And the difference is?"

Duo stared at him some more. "Fuck if I know. Look, all I'm saying is, these waters are not unreceptive. I don't know if they're receptive, because apparently I don't know what the fuck is going on in there, but they are not unreceptive, are we clear?"

Heero tilted his head slightly in concession of the point.

"Because if I don't know what the fuck is going on in there, you sure as fuck don't get to, either. Fuck," he said one last time, running a hand through his bangs. He needed to stop swearing and start being more articulate.

Heero huffed, this time in faint amusement. "Just take a breath, Duo."

His breath actually caught a bit in that moment, while at the same time a bit of a laugh bubbled up in his throat, and the result was a pathetic cough. He managed to chuckle through it. "Goddamn I missed that." He waved his hand vaguely at the wry tilt of Heero's lips.

Heero, clearly, did not have a good idea what exactly he was referring to, but with practiced ease, just went with it, and that also sent a wave of wistfulness through Duo. He reached for Heero's sleeve suddenly, tugging on it gently in a 'don't go' gesture. Heero glanced down, then back up, and Duo caught his eyes earnestly. "I... would seriously consider it. Am seriously considering it. Very seriously considering it. And... not just to make you feel better or something stupid like that, okay?"

Heero's expression wavered uncertainly for a second before it settled into cautious nod.

"Okay then." Duo took that recommended breath now, and released Heero's sleeve. "I... heh, I suppose I oughta find my balance before I say anything more tonight. That's probably enough excitement for one night. I... wanna head back in?"

Heero gestured for him to lead the way.

back to previous part

This entry was originally posted at https://turnippatch.dreamwidth.org/182313.html.