He goes running

Duo POV

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He was waiting for me outside the lobby when I pulled up to his hotel. Talk about prompt. Heero was wearing black leather shoes, pressed black pants, and a smart, white, collared shirt. It was very ‘business casual Friday,’ but he made it look fabulous.

I guess he recognized me through the windshield, because I didn’t even have to step out of the car. He just opened the door, and got in.

I had a fleeting joke of a feeling that maybe he’d been waiting for someone else and he’d be surprised when he saw I was the driver. The joke wasn’t a funny one, just one at my own expense. My subconscious is a funny one, isn’t it? It likes to torment me on occasion.

Why am I so nervous? I feel jittery, like I can’t sit still. Yuck. I tried to cover it with conversation. “Did you bring you’re laptop, or are you one of those guys that carries a purse?”

I never turned the car off, so all I had to do was check for any moving cars and pull out of the hotel’s parking lot. I was being a good driver, checking all my mirrors, which conveniently allowed me to dodge his point blank range glare… not done on purpose…I swear. Ha!

“I thought the plan was for me to bring what I’m wearing tonight, and I’d change at your place.”

Oh. In truth he hadn’t really agreed to either choice. I gave him two options then he said ‘that’s fine,’ hell if I knew which one he was agreeing to. But I decided not to call him on it. Man, I’m getting soft. “Oh right, I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do. So, where are we going?”

We ended up going to a place directly across the street from where we ate lunch. Nothing classy, just an average place to eat. I’m beginning to think Mr. Yuy is so conservative that he hasn’t explored anywhere beyond where we were currently eating. He has been here for how long? There’s definitely some work to be done, and I was really hoping he’d let me stretch his boundaries a bit.

I wonder what he’d be like if he let loose a bit…I’m sure it’d be awesome to see.

Dinner went much as lunch did, companionable conversation, fairly good food. I also noticed he ordered the same thing for dinner as he did for lunch. Yeah, definitely some work to be done.

There was only one thing…now that I was determined to put the lust behind me, I was noticing things. Like the way he wet his lips with the tip of his tongue after he pulled the fork from his mouth. Like the way the tendons on the back of his hands popped up as his long fingers wrapped around his fork, as if the skin was straining to hold them in place.

Lord, help me.

“You’re quiet.” His voice broke the spell his hands had weaved over me. There was such strength in those hands, I’d give almost anything to have them wrapped…wrong path, Duo. Back off.

“Uh? Oh. Yeah, sorry.” Excuse! Gimme an excuse, quick! “I’m just trying to think how best to approach this subject.”

“What subject?”

Yeah, Duo…what subject?

“The girls.”

The fork stopped halfway to his mouth, and just smirked. “Seems to me, you just broached the subject.”

I gave him a half-hearted glare. “I’m trying to best describe the dynamics, but… I dunno, something’s been off lately.”

He stopped eating, and just waited for me to continue.

“If you’d have asked me a month ago, I could have explained the group dynamics easy, but, well it’s changed a bit.” I reached for more, but came up short. Should I tell my suspicions? It really wasn’t Heero’s business, but it felt good talking to him. Its not like I could talk to the girls about it…at all. Well, maybe Hilde, but then it wouldn’t be reporting suspicions, more like confronting her to tell the truth.

Heero closed his eyes. I think that’s the way he hides rolling his eyes. I guess he’s not allowed to show frustration in the field of law. “Then just tell me what you would have said last month, or drop the subject all together.”

Impatient. Hmph.

I took a deep breath and just let what was bothering me drip off my tongue with no control or order. “Hilde and I are a lot alike. We’re both loud, rowdy, with a sharp sense of humor, and a wicked sense of fun; we’re both loyal and fiercely protective of our friends. But because we’re so much alike, sometimes we clash. Noin is our voice of reason. Don’t get me wrong she can be just as sharp and wicked, and she’s just as protective of us as we are of her, but she’s much more level-headed when it comes down to it. She’s the glue that keeps Hilde and I stuck together even when we can’t stand each other.”

Heero interrupted as I paused to take a sip of my drink. “Hilde’s the one I heard over the phone this afternoon?”

I hope I didn’t blush, but I can’t say for sure whether I did or not. “Um, yeah, that’s her.”

He just smirked at me again. If I wasn’t blushing previously, I was now. Shit, he’s got a sexy mouth, and with thoughts of what Hilde was mimicking earlier raging through my head…yeah, I blushed. Fuck.

I coughed, trying to get back on topic. “Yeah, so that’s how things stood a while back…but…well, Hilde’s changed a bit. She’s calmer, despite what you heard this afternoon. I think…Ok, so I’m gay, right? We’ve already established that. Noin is straight, and Hilde’s kinda straight.”

He raised his eyebrow at that. “How can one be ‘kinda’ straight?”

This time I rolled my eyes. “She’s experimented with the girl on girl stuff and wasn’t completely turned off.”

He stared me down. “So…”

Heero hadn’t really touched his food since this particular subject was brought up. I have to admit, I like being the sole object of his attention. I’m beginning to like it a bit too much. Is it too late to back out of clubbing tonight and just spend an evening talking?

Crap.

“So…she’s acting differently, yeah…but, more specifically, she’s acting differently around Noin. I’m beginning to think she’s changed her mind about being straight.” I heaved a heavy sigh. “And that’s bad. Real bad.”

My audience just tilted his head a bit.

“What if she’s falling for or has fallen for Lu? Omigod! That’s setting us up for disaster.”

“A bit overdramatic, don’t you think, Duo?” He raised an eyebrow with his comment.

This time my glare was full force. “No. Noin is straight, Heero. Do you know what that means? It means, Hilde will either try and get her heart shattered or she’ll sit there and pine away her unrequited love. Not to mention I’ll have to tiptoe between the two of them, hoping and praying that everything works out to make them both happy. It’d kill me to watch them awkward and miserable.”

I pushed my plate away, disgusted at the thought, and slumped back into my chair.

“I see your point.” He was quiet for a second as I sulked. “You’re very attached to your friends.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“There’s no need to be rude, Duo. I’m just commenting.” His face, when he spoke, looked different almost wistful.

I couldn’t help but grin at him. I didn’t feel up to smiling just yet because, let’s face it my friendly triangle seems to be on the verge of tearing itself apart. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, I snapped at you; I’m just worried.”

He was watching me very closely. “You said Hilde was a lot like you.”

“Your point…”

“Hn.” He smirked again. “Then perhaps there’s nothing for you to be worried about. I mean, you’re very intelligent, and, if your observations are true, very insightful. If she’s anything like you, she knows exactly what’s on the line, exactly what’s happening between her and one of her best friends. She should be able to read what’s between her and Noin, and know if she should act on it or not.”

My heart started beating faster with his compliments. I felt lightheaded all of a sudden. But then the last sentence doused me in ice water, and my throat felt tight.

Like I was talking through a hole the size of a pinprick. “But, if you feel that strongly about someone…if you love them, you’re biased. The insight that shows the motivations and intentions of everyone around you, deserts you when you look at the one you want. Because you want them so badly, everything is skewed.”

I couldn’t look at him when I spoke, I know why, but I don’t want to admit it to myself yet. Refuse to admit it to myself.

He didn’t say anything as I stared a hole in the shiny, plastic table cloth. I mentally shook myself out. What the hell was I doing? Moping? I don’t think so.

I glanced at my watch. “Oh, hey. Time to go get ready. You think you can handle the girls now that I’ve warned you?”

“We’ll see won’t we?”

I just grinned at him as we tossed enough bills on the table to cover our respective meals plus tip.

We loaded up and headed back to my current home away from home. Glad I cleaned up a bit; wouldn’t want Heero getting a free peek at my skivvies…cuz we’re friends. Friends, Duo, just friends.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t appreciate the view. “Here.” I tossed the pair of jeans at him. “Try these.”

He just looked at them as I continued further into the room and set my ear against the connecting door. “Sexy Ladies!”

“Don’t come in!” This from Noin who sounded panicked.

This peaked my interest. Lu is fabulously beautiful and well aware that I am in no way turned on by her hotness. She and Hilde don’t care if I’m in the room when their changing, but now she does? No way.

I turned back to Heero. “The bathroom is through there if you want to change, but before we leave, you are trying those jeans on with your navy t-shirt. That’s way more club-like attire than anything you’ve got. I’ll be back.”

As I began picking the lock, I felt Heero come up behind me. “But she said…”

“Yeah, well. I don’t take orders well.” I smiled brightly and slipped through the door, shutting it in his face.

“Damn, Lu!” I whistled as I crept up behind her, admiring the outfit that Hilde usually wears encasing Noin’s curves.

Noin screamed and tried to run into the closet, but it was too late. Hilde was laughing so hard I think I saw tears. Maybe I should explain…

Hilde is a wildcat. When we go clubbing, she goes all out, and one of her favorite outfits would be perfectly at home in an S&M club. A patent leather bustier that serves more as support for the ta-tas rather than covering them, a short (and I mean short) flowy skirt made of really soft, black t-shirt material that swings and caresses the ass with every step, and patent leather hooker boots that come to mid-thigh…can’t forget those.

She is the ultimate bad ass in the clubs. Noin usually goes girly, cute baby-doll dresses that don’t show hot incredibly hot her body is. She’s not a prude, but she doesn’t really like showing all that much.

And she usually depended on me or Hilde to protect her. Don’t get me wrong, Lu could kick any of our asses; she’s no light-weight, but she’s too nice. She really doesn’t know how to tell someone to get lost. If a guy wouldn’t back off, she and Hilde played the lesbian card, Noin being Hilde’s submissive even though she wasn’t dressed the part.

So the Mistress Noin outfit was just brilliant.

“That’s awesome, Lu. You are wearing that; you have no choice!” Hilde’s laughter had subsided to give way to the ‘do or die’ tone of voice.

“I can’t pull it off.” Noin had crawled back out of the closet, blushing like mad, and was back in front of the mirror.

Hilde walked up to her and was now standing behind Noin at the mirror. “You know how to be sexy; that’s all there is to it.” As she spoke, she dragged her fingers up the inside of Noin’s arm.

The mirror showed me Noin’s response, her eyes widened and her lips parted, but I couldn’t tell whether it was because of shock or arousal. I mean, if Hilde was falling for Noin, and Noin was able to reciprocate those feeling, that would be great, but if Noin wasn’t able to…Totally screwed.

I had no clue whether I should run interference, or try to convince Lu that she should be more open-minded when it came to her potential partners, so I did nothing. Screwed. I excused myself from the room with a “You look hot, Noin, but what’s Hilde gonna wear?” Which meant we wouldn’t be leaving for another half an hour.

Time to check on my guest. I walked through the connecting door to see Heero’s bare back, muscles rippling under smooth skin as he reached up to slip the navy shirt on. Oh yeah, and he was wearing the jeans…damn fine sight. Tight denim was molded over his ass, a little looser in the thighs (which lets him walk a bit easier, but is a detriment to such fine legs), and loose from the knees down to his bare feet.

He turned and looked at me as he pulled the shirt down over etched abs. I prayed to whatever god was listening that my mouth was not open.

“The jeans feel too tight.” He twisted a bit trying to look at his own ass, which made me laugh. Nobody can watch their own ass without a mirror…or a lot of flexibility.

“No such thing as too tight where we’re going.” His shirt looked so much better on him than on me. “You look great. That’s what you’re wearing; you have no choice in this matter.” I did tell you Hilde and I were a lot alike.

“I don’t think I can sit down.” His face was all scrunched up, like he was actually trying to decipher whether there was room enough in the jeans to sit down.

I couldn’t help it; I laughed. He scowled at me, I smirked back, unrepentant. “If you’re that concerned about it, find out.”

This time it was my turn to laugh so hard I cried as Heero gingerly placed his derriere on my bed, and wiggled (Hand to heaven, wiggled!!) to see if there was room enough in the jeans to complete the sitting. Of course, then he stood up and acted like nothing happened, scowling at my laughter.

“Is that what you’re going to wear?” He changed the subject. Jerk, I like thinking about his ass in my jeans.

I looked down at the ‘Duo casual’ outfit. “Nope, I don’t know yet.” I’m thinking a nice mix of frat-boy sheik with badass hotness. A glance to the denim covered god agreed with me. I’ve gotta look good enough to convince everyone at that club that Heero is with me and they don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of taking him from me.

Cuz I don’t think Heero would have fun if he gets hit on constantly, and if he doesn’t have a good time, no more eye candy for Duo this trip. Not happy!

I pulled my shirt off, and grabbed a white, long-sleeve, button-up shirt. It was a bit tight, looking almost tailored. There was some texture to the shirt, and it made my eyes stand out. The shirt made me look like ‘the kind you take home to mother,’ but then I paired it with my black leather pants. They weren’t skin tight, but they weren’t loose either…let’s call them ‘flattering,’ cause I look damn fine in them.

I didn’t retreat to the bathroom to change, but I didn’t really want to strip down in front of him either, so I changed in the closet where my clothes were hung. The door was open, but the angle of the room kept him from seeing in unless he was really trying to look.

Stepping out of the closet (I could take that so many places, but I chose not to…just know, I could.), I did a little spin. “What do you think?”

“Not bad, not something I would wear, but not bad.” Blue eyes scanned me from head to toe and back again, and my groin did a little happy dance that he cared to look rather than just blowing off the question. Pathetic, I know; leave me alone.

I was rolling the sleeves up to expose my forearms as the girls burst through the door, laughing and announcing that they were ready.

Heero’s mouth dropped open.

Hilde was wearing one of Noin’s usual outfits. It’s a white baby doll dress, somewhat fitted at the bust, but no curves below that. Hilde had changed that; she added a wide, red belt with red heels that let everyone know how tiny her waist is. It totally transformed baby doll into barbie doll. Between the two of them, no straight guy stood a chance.

“Damn, Duo. Who’s the hottie?” This was from Hilde.

“This is Heero Yuy, my date, so hands off. Heero, this is Hilde, and the dominatrix is Noin.”

Lu flushed a bit at the title, but responded. “Pleased to meet you.”

Hilde blew me off, throwing her arm around Noin’s waist. “Don’t you worry, braid-boy, I’ve got my top for the night.” She nuzzled Lu’s shoulder like a good pet, but a wicked light shined in her eyes. “I don’t need to steal yours.”

Heero raised an eyebrow and looked at me for some form of refute, but I couldn’t think straight. Evil jeans. Damn, no response. Yeah, I’ll admit it; I spluttered. No other words for it, which just made the girls laugh.

Lu smirked at me. “Man, Hilde, he’s speechless.” She looked at Heero, her gaze turned hard, more appraising. “I haven’t seen him like this in a long time. To get this response, you must be something else, Heero.”

He didn’t respond, and I didn’t want him to freak out on me. I finally found my tongue. “Alright, alright, lay off. Heero’s not big into the club scene, so its my official job to make sure he has fun. Ya’ll going to help me?”

They both smiled wide, innocent smiles. Scared isn’t a strong enough word. “Sure thing, Duo.” Hilde spoke up.

As soon as Heero and I got our shoes on, we were off.

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AN: Yeah, shorter chapter, but I kinda wanted to group the "whole" club scene into one chappy. I'm almost done with this fic, so you can expect faster updates when I get it all together. Hope you enjoyed the little bit of character development. :)

Peace.