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Cowboy	By : Deb Category: Gundam Wing/AC > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 5572 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing it belongs to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. Written for pleasure not profit.

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“Cowboy”

October 2010 ShenLong

Chapter 28

[It’s the ropes and the reins

And the joy and the pain

And they call the thing, Rodeo

Rodeo – Garth Brooks]

Two weeks had passed since Duo's accident and he was finding his injuries starting to heal quite well. The bite to his arm no longer needed bandaging and the skin had knitted back together nicely. A visit to his own doctor had confirmed that the bruising to the lung was clearing and the cracked ribs healing back as well as could be expected. The strained shoulder was still limited in its movement and the tendons, muscles and ligaments would still require a lot of rest before they would be back to normal.

In one way Duo was quite pleased with his progress; in another he was frustrated. The final rodeo was only another four weeks away which wasn't a lot of time to build up the muscles in his injured arm. He contemplated using his other hand and arm as his holding hand, but thought better of it. Whilst his left hand and arm were quite strong there was no way they would be up to the task of hanging on. Even in its injured state, his right hand and arm was still more dominant.

He knew Heero was still worried about his decision to compete and that touched his heart. The concern from his boyfriend was sweet, but it was also nice that Heero hadn't mentioned it again but simply accepted Duo's decision and was doing his best to support him through it.

The doc gave him a few simple exercises he could start doing with the arm to slowly start the muscles working again but not stress them in any way. He was also given the all clear to ride if he wished, but only slow work.

Scythe was over the moon to have his master back on board. Wing was also ecstatic, he had Heero back all to himself and no more sharing with that polka dotted pony.

Heero had kept in touch with Alex, his neighbor and his cattle were okay, but Heero knew he had to get back to them soon. With Duo now quite able to look after himself and his horse, Heero reluctantly brought up the topic of his returning to his own ranch.

Duo knew Heero needed to get back to his own ranch and cattle, but as much as he understood and appreciated that, it was hard to let him go. Their relationship had deepened over the two weeks and although they were still to progress beyond pleasuring each other with their hands and occasionally their mouths, Duo instinctively knew Heero was the one he'd been searching for all his life. They had a connection, an understanding between them that didn't require words. With Heero still a touch unsure and confused with his new found interest and identity, Duo wasn't about to rush his boyfriend into anything at all. Heero still needed some time and space to come to grips with his life and all that had happened recently.

Knowing the time apart would help Heero in his understanding of himself, Duo kept his reluctance buried deep inside his heart. If it was meant to be then Heero would be back.

“Are you sure you will be okay?” Heero asked as he embraced his partner.

“Yeah, I'll be fine, Heero,” Duo replied and returned the embrace as best he could.

“I'm worried about leaving you by yourself with the ranch to look after.”

“It's okay, Heero. Doc said all is healing up just fine and I can start to exercise the arm and shoulder a bit now. I've only got Scythe stabled so it's not like there's a shit load of work to be done and I can keep him fit by taking slow rides out to check the mares and working him up and down the hills.”

“I know you're capable, Duo. I just wish...” Heero sighed.

“What, Heero?” Duo coaxed softly.

“I just wish we didn't live so far apart, if anything should happen and you need help it's going to be a couple of hours before I can get to you,” Heero said, his distress showing through in his tone.

“Heero, it's sweet of you to worry about me, but I will be okay. You can always pop back for a weekend if you want,” Duo suggested with a smile.

Heero smiled back. “The court case is in a couple of weeks and we both need to be present for it. How about either you come and stay with me the night before and we travel down together? Or if you prefer, I can come back here?”

Duo's heart rate sped up a touch with the thought of seeing Heero's ranch. “Relena won't be anywhere near your place, will she?”

“Nah, she's gone for good. As far as I know she's at Dorothy's and that's a few miles away. I doubt very much she would be in touch considering the charges against her and if she did come around, which I very much doubt, I'll protect you.”

Duo chuckled. “My knight in shining armor.”

Heero grinned back. “I don't know about the armor thing, I think you'll have to settle for the chaps and shirt.”

“Then I think I'll just have to take you up on that offer,” Duo replied and swooped in for a kiss.

“I'll look forward to it,” Heero whispered as he was released from the kiss.

“Call me when you get back? Just to let me know you arrived safely?” Duo didn't want Heero thinking he was checking up on him or anything.

“Of course I will. I'll call every day if you like?”

“I'd like that.”

“Good, 'cause I'd planned on doing that anyway.” Heero pressed his lips to Duo's.

In the trailer, Wing gave a loud snort of impatience. He wanted to be gone from this place and that other horse that looked like he had the measles.

“I'd better get going,” Heero said softly.

“Yeah.” Reluctantly, Duo let Heero slip from his arms. “I'll miss you. Drive safely.”

“I'll miss you too, but I'll call later; promise.” Heero turned and stepped up to the rig. Climbing inside, he settled himself into the driver's seat and started the rig up. “Look after yourself and don't go stressing those injuries.”

“I'll be fine, mom,” Duo joked.

“See you soon.”

“You can count on it.” Duo stood and watched as the rig drove off down the driveway. Once it was out of sight, he gave a heavy sigh and turned to go back into the house. His heart was heavy in his chest and a feeling of loss overwhelmed him. Walking over to the calendar he had hanging on the kitchen wall, he picked up a pen and circled the day before the date of the court case. That would be the day he would go to Heero's and spend the night before attending the court case.

Twelve days...

Twelve days until he would see Heero again, hold him, kiss him...

He hoped he would be able to survive that long.

* * *

It took Heero a good three hours to get back to his ranch. He couldn't drive too fast with the rig and Wing on board and for some reason the traffic was heavier than usual. Finally the road to the ranch came into sight and Heero turned gratefully onto it. A couple of minutes later he was passing underneath the sign his father had erected years ago: 'Zero One Ranch'. In the back of the rig, Wing let fly with a loud neigh. He could scent his home on the bit of breeze that permeated the back of the rig.

Pulling into the yard, Heero was happy to see that all appeared normal. Cutting the engine, he made his way to the back of the rig and lowered the ramp. Seconds later, Wing was off the rig and snorting his delight at being home.

“Yeah, we're home, boy,” Heero said softly and ran a hand down the paint's neck. He led his stallion to the barn and put him in his stall, returning moments later with a feed for the horse. With Wing happily eating, Heero filled the water bucket and changed the paint's rug. With the horse now settled, the next task was to unload the trailer.

An hour later and Heero had all Wing's gear back in the tack room, his rig and other bits were put back in their places of usual residence. Heero parked the rig in its normal place and began to collect up all his clothing and personal effects, stuffing them into a box for easier carrying.

Unlocking the house he made a mental note to open all the windows and let some fresh air through the place. It smelt a touch musty inside after being locked up for almost three weeks. The box was deposited on the kitchen table and Heero hunted around for another one he could use to bring in any food stuffs that remained inside the rig. He found one at last and headed back outside.

Once everything was unpacked from the rig, Heero sorted through his clothing, tossing the soiled items into the laundry hamper and putting the others away where they belonged. With the immediate chores done, he put the kettle on and made himself a mug of tea. Mug in hand, he grabbed his phone and sat at the kitchen table to make his call to Duo.

“La Grange Ranch.”

“Hi, Duo, it's me, Heero.”

“Hey, Heero. You got home safe?”

“Yeah. Traffic was a bit heavy but not too bad.”

“Everything okay at home?”

“So far. I haven't been out to check on the cattle yet, I'll do that first thing in the morning.” Heero took a sip from his mug. “You coping okay?”

“I'm fine, Heero. I miss you though.”

“I miss you too.”

“You sure you're still up to having me stay over the night before the court case?”

“Duo, you're always welcome in my home. I have no complaints if you want to come sooner though,” Heero said, voice a little hopeful.

Duo chuckled. “I'll come down in the morning of the day before the case, that way we can have a bit more time to spend together. I'd take you up on your offer of a few extra days but I can't leave Scythe for that long and there's no way I can get him into the rig by myself, the arm isn't healed up enough for me to raise or lower the tail gate.”

“I know, but it was worth a shot,” Heero replied.

“Yeah, that it was.”

They chatted for a little longer before reluctantly saying their good byes; Duo still had Scythe to bring in and feed and Heero needed to get some laundry done and sort out something for dinner. After promising to call again the following evening, Heero hung up.

Nursing his cooling tea, Heero let his mind wander over the past several weeks and how his life had changed.

* * *

The sun was starting to warm up with the promise of another fine day ahead. Duo tossed his duffel onto the back seat of the jeep and climbed in the drivers seat. The engine kicked into life and he left his ranch behind, heading for Heero's and what he hoped would be a relaxing day ahead of what was to come.

Since Heero had left twelve days ago, Duo had managed quite well on his own. He missed his boyfriend though and even with the calls each night it still wasn't the same as having the other man in his arms each day. His injuries were healing well and the exercises the doctor had given him were slowly paying off. The shoulder was still tender, but nothing like it had been.

There was still another two weeks until the final rodeo for the year and Duo was as determined as ever to compete in it. Mindful of what the doc had said regarding the exercises, Duo had stuck to them faithfully, but added a few of his own. So far he'd been lucky and hadn't set his recovery back at all. He knew he wouldn't be one hundred percent fit, but he would be as close as he could.

The landscape rolled past, a few sleepy towns were passed through along the way, but Duo didn't stop. He'd filled the jeep up with gas the day before, arranged for a friend to come over and feed Scythe for him for a couple of days and packed his bag the night before.

As he drove he let his mind wander to the impending court case. The officers had been in touch again and updated him on the time the case would be heard. They had also gone over his statement with him, checking that all he'd given them was still the same. He couldn't blame them for checking, one never knew if memories would return, but in Duo's case, the concussion had done its job well and he had nothing new to give the officers.

The police seemed confident the charges would stick and the two women would be found guilty, but whilst Duo appreciated that, he didn't want to get his hopes up too much. Quatre had called the previous evening to wish him luck and let him know that both he and Trowa would also be attending the court along with Wufei. Treize had also been in touch on behalf of the rodeo board to inform him that Charlie and himself would likewise be present. Charlie would be needed as he was the one that discovered the cut to Duo's rig which was currently in the hands of the police as evidence.

All the facts pointed to a successful case for Duo, but until the judge actually said the words 'guilty', Duo wasn't going to believe it was a certainty.

He grabbed his water bottle and took a couple of swallows, glancing at the GPS system to see how much further he had to go. Heero had given him the address of the ranch along with some basic instructions and Duo had put it all into the system. Now he just had to keep an eye on it from time to time and listen to the tinny voice as it gave him directions.

Judging by the information displayed, he had roughly half an hour before he would hit Heero's. Popping a CD into the player, he cranked up the volume and sang along with the tune.

*

“Shit, shit, shit,” Heero muttered as he shot out of the shower and grabbed a towel, roughly drying himself off. The towel was hung up and boxers dragged over his lean legs. Exiting the bathroom, Heero hightailed it back to his bedroom and grabbed a clean pair of jeans, yanking them up his legs. They were a bit hard to get on as his skin was still damp, but he managed it eventually. Snatching up his blue, plaid shirt, he pulled that on and did up the buttons. Rolling the sleeves up to his elbows, he tucked the shirt in and took a look at himself in the mirror. His hair was still damp and fell about his face, but the jeans and shirt looked good on him. Grabbing the comb, he pulled it through the unruly locks, his bangs falling back over his face as soon as the comb released the strands. With a growl he decided it would have to do and dashed back to the bathroom to clean it up.

Glancing at his watch, Heero was shocked to see how much time had passed. Duo was due any minute and he still had to tidy up the kitchen. Heero had planned on straightening up the house that morning before Duo arrived, but as usual in his life, nothing went to plan.

He'd saddled Wing up and taken an early ride out over the ranch that morning, only to discover one of the steers had gotten itself caught up in the fence. It had taken a while to get the steer free and repair the fence, once he had and inspected the animal's injuries, he knew he couldn't leave it out with the herd to run naturally. There were a few deep lacerations, and whilst they weren't life threatening, they would need cleaning up and attending to. That meant getting the steer back to the corral.

Needless to say, the steer hadn't wanted to leave his mates and Heero didn't have the time to bring the entire herd back up to the ranch buildings. He'd ended up roping the steer and dragging it back to be treated. Wing had had his work cut out for him with the steer, pulling the reluctant animal along behind him, but the paint had done his job willingly and well. The steer had been brought in, Heero had managed to get it into the smaller crush and cleaned up the wounds as best he could. They weren't deep enough to require veterinary treatment, but couldn't be left to heal naturally either.

Hosing down followed by applications of antiseptic and antibiotic cream and the legs were fixed up as best they could be. Heero had hunted around in his meager first aid kit and located a bottle of long lasting penicillin and given the steer a jab. Currently it was in the corral and bellowing to its mates who were still out on the range. Heero would treat it again that afternoon and if the wounds were looking okay, he would release it back into the herd that evening.

Having dealt with the steer had put Heero seriously behind in his planned chores and now he was running around with his ass on fire trying to catch up. Not that his home was in any real need of tidying up, Heero did keep it clean and neat. With only himself there now, it didn't get dirty.

But he wanted to impress Duo.

He'd fallen in love with Duo's home, the open plan areas, the use of wood throughout giving it a relaxed, rustic feel. He wanted Duo to feel comfortable within his own home too.

The sound of a car approaching pulled him from his thoughts and he quickly wiped his hands on the tea towel. Grabbing his hat and putting it on, he slid his feet into his boots and opened the back door to greet his guest.

*

“This should be it,” Duo muttered as he looked for the sign.

“You have arrived,” came the voice of the GPS.

“No shit,” Duo replied as he spied the sign that said 'Zero One Ranch'. Pulling off the road, he drove along the dirt track that took him towards a cluster of buildings ahead. The stone house stood to the front, a mix of wooden and stone structures behind it. Duo whistled through his teeth. “Nice spread,” he said to himself as he took in the majestic building.

Following the track around the back as Heero had instructed him to do when they'd spoken last night on the phone, Duo spotted Heero's rig parked up and brought his jeep to a halt next to Heero's pickup. He heard the sound of the fly door shutting as he killed the engine and spotted Heero from the corner of his eye coming towards his car.

Duo's heart melted and he warmed all over as his eyes raked over the form of his boyfriend. Quickly he opened the door and stepped out just as Heero rounded the back of the jeep. “Heero,” he breathed. “It's so good to see you again.”

Smiling, Heero felt his heart skip a beat as Duo got out of his jeep and greeted him. Without hesitation, Heero opened his arms and embraced his partner. “God I've missed you,” he murmured as Duo's arms reciprocated and held him close.

“I've missed you too,” came Duo's reply.

They pulled back a touch to gaze into each other's eyes, then Duo swooped in and captured Heero's lips in a warm kiss.

A soft moan escaped Heero as he melted into the kiss, his mouth opened and allowed Duo's tongue to enter, his own returning the favor. For a couple of minutes they held each other and simply kissed, enjoying the feeling of being together again.

Finally Heero stepped back a touch and took Duo's hand in his own. “Come on in and I’ll show you around.”

“Great,” Duo replied and grabbing his duffel allowed himself to be led towards the back door of the house.

*

“It's a lovely place, Heero,” Duo said as they sat in the kitchen enjoying a coffee. Heero had given Duo the 'grand tour' of his home and felt light and happy that his boyfriend obviously liked his home. Whilst different to Duo's it still held a warm and friendly air to it.

“What's up with the steer? You planning on having a spit roast of beef?” Duo asked with a grin. The steer could still be heard voicing his disgust at being corralled.

“If he doesn't shut up soon I just might do that,” muttered Heero. “Nah, when I went out to check the herd this morning I found him caught in the fence. There's a bit of damage to his legs so I brought him in to treat the wounds. If all is looking okay later I'll let him back out to rejoin the herd.”

“Ah. I can give you a hand if you like?”

“Thanks for the offer, I'll see how I go later.” Heero reached across the kitchen table and rested his hand over Duo's. “How are you healing up?”

“So far, so good,” Duo replied. “Shoulder is still a bit tender, but that's to be expected. Other than that, I'm fighting fit.”

“That's good to hear.”

“I must admit, I'm not looking forward to tomorrow though. I really don’t want to re-live that nightmare.”

“Me either, but once it's over with we can put it behind us and forget all about it,” Heero said softly.

“I hope so,” Duo said.

Heero glanced at the clock. “I'd better shift, there's that steer to see to and Wing to bring in and settle before I start to cook dinner.”

“I'll help.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

The morning of the court case dawned fresh and crisp with the promise of a fine day ahead. Heero went about his usual morning routine with the cattle and horses whilst Duo showered and prepared breakfast for them both. They discussed all sorts of mundane things, steering clear of the topic of the court case that lay ahead. Although both men knew the odds were completely in Duo's favor, neither would be completely happy or relaxed until it was all over.

On the drive to the court house they again remained mostly silent, exchanging a few words from time to time but for the most part simply chasing their own thoughts inside their heads. During their time apart, Heero had done a lot of thinking, not just on his relationship with Duo, but his life in general. He'd stood back and taken a long, hard look at things, where he was now, what his future plans were, where he wanted to be in another five years time and so on. He'd made some startling revelations, drawn some even more interesting conclusions and ended up completely confused.

But he continued to work things through in his head, knowing that sooner or later the fog would clear and he'd be able to make the decisions he needed to.

Duo's thoughts were on the impending case, what the judge would find and the consequences of the findings. Whilst he was a soft hearted person and didn't really want to see anyone go to jail on his account, he did want justice served too. He would be quite content to have both Relena and Dorothy found guilty and banned from interacting in any way with Heero or himself.

All too soon the township of Canadia engulfed them and Heero was pulling into the parking lot of the court house. “We're here,” Heero said quietly.

“Unfortunately,” Duo replied with a rueful look on his handsome face.

“Might as well go in and find out the details.”

“Yeah.” Reluctantly, Duo undid his seat-belt and got out of the pickup.

Stepping inside the court house, they found Wufei, Trowa, Quatre and a young woman they didn't know waiting in the foyer area. When their friends spotted them, they moved to greet each other.

Greetings over with, Wufei, with his hand on the young woman's elbow, brought her forward to introduce her. “Heero, Duo, I'd like you to meet Meiran. Meiran, this is Duo Maxwell,” Wufei nodded to Duo, “and this is his partner, Heero Yuy.”

“A pleasure to meet you both,” Meiran said and went to shake hands with Duo first.

“The pleasure is all mine,” returned Duo and grasping the woman's hand, he raised it to his lips and kissed the back of it.

Heero rolled his eyes and simply shook the hand when it was offered to him. “A pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Take no notice of my partner, he likes to embarrass everyone he meets.”

Meiran laughed. “I can see he is a real charmer.”

Duo gave her a grin and sidled up to Wufei, whispering in the other man's ear so no one else would hear them. “When did you find her? Are you two an item?”

Wufei smiled. “I met her a couple of weeks ago at a carnival. She was doing a demonstration on trick riding. Things sort of clicked from there.” Seeing Duo's eyes glinting, Wufei continued. “Yes, we are seeing each other and no I'm not about to elaborate any further.”

Before Duo could protest any further on the lack of information, the officers in charge of the investigation arrived and took Duo to one side to speak with him before the proceedings got underway.

Relena and her lawyer arrived and were ushered into an adjoining room, but of Dorothy there was no sign. The bailiff came out and called all persons in the case of the State versus Peacecraft to enter the court room.

“I guess this is it then Heero,” Duo whispered as they walked into the court room and took a seat behind the two officers and the District Attorney.

“Everything will be fine, Duo. Try to relax, she hasn't got a leg to stand on,” Heero whispered back.

Relena and Gilbert entered the court room and took a seat at the desk on the left of the prosecution. Gilbert's face was completely blank. Relena's on the other hand was pale and dark shadows were visible beneath her eyes.

Heero glanced curiously at the woman who had spent several years with him. In all his time with Relena he'd never seen her look like this. He frowned. Knowing Relena as well as he did, he knew the woman's appearance wasn't simply because of the case brought against her; no, there was something else, something more to this, but Heero didn't know what that could possibly be.

Unfortunately, he wasn't in a position to ask what was going on, and neither did he really want to. No doubt, he would find out at some stage.

Any further thought was completely canceled as the door opened and the bailiff stepped forward. “All rise. The honorable Judge Victor Marks presiding.”

Everyone stood up as the judge entered the court and took his place behind his desk. Once he was comfortable, everyone was allowed to resume their seats.

Marks banged his gavel down and drew everyone's attention to him. “This court is now in session.”

~ * ~

tbc...
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