Pins and Needles, GW
Title: Pins and Needles
Author: Ellie Biel
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Characters/pairing: Heero Yuy/Duo Maxwell
Rating: PG13
Warnings: AU
Word count: 721
Notes: Written for the 7snogs theme #3 "embrace"; part 5 in a 7 part series.
Disclaimer: The characters of Gundam Wing to do not belong to me and are used without permission for fun, not profit.
Part 1: Sunny Side Up
Part 2: Two Peas
Part 3: All's Fair in Love, War, and Killing Zombies
Part 4: Giraffe on Fire
Duo ran his fingers through the strands of flyaway hair tickling his nose, partly in an attempt to tame them so they wouldn't make his nose twitch but mostly because he enjoyed the feel of it. There was little else he could do at the moment; he was, for all intents and purposes, well and truly trapped on the sofa unless he wanted to roll Heero off him and onto the floor, and at the moment he was content to remain where he was.
They'd crossed a line in their relationship last night, or at had at least come very close to scuffing it out. He'd known Heero would follow him into the bathroom and hadn't really planned on getting in the shower, but when Heero had barged in after him, shirtless and looking at him with the most wicked gleam in his eye, he realized just how small Heero's bathroom really was.
He'd felt a rush of warmth through him as Heero placed his hand on the wall beside him and reached into the small linen cabinet for a couple of towels. Heero had turned away, leaving Duo feeling breathless, and he'd invited Duo to join him while he turned on the water.
His tone had been teasing, and the exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows reminiscent of Groucho Marx, but underneath, Duo had suspected Heero might not have minded too much if Duo had said yes.
He'd said no, and he wasn't sure if the brief flash of disappointment he saw in Heero's face was merely a reflection of his own feelings.
They'd chosen to stick to water and cola that night, forgoing alcoholic beverages through a mutual, unspoken agreement, but Duo had felt lightheaded nonetheless, and throughout the night, every time Heero's arm brushed against his, he could feel it in the pit of his stomach.
It was the first night they'd spent together where Duo felt like he was on a first date.
Conversation hadn't been stilted and they'd still laughed together and provided Mystery Science Theater style commentary for the movie that they'd found while channel surfing, and when Heero's arm had come to rest on the back of the sofa, Duo had swallowed and let his head drop onto Heero's shoulder.
He knew they'd laugh about it later, at how nervous they'd been and how cautious Heero had been before finally dropping his arm around Duo's shoulder. The slow caress of his fingers had sent a shiver down Duo's spine, and then Heero had simply stopped, leaving Duo equal parts confused and relieved with just a dash of disappointment thrown in for good measure.
He'd laughed aloud when he realized Heero had fallen asleep.
Duo's nose twitched again and he stroked Heero's hair as if it were a cat. Last night had also been the first time they'd slept together - sleep being the operative word - and it had been surprisingly comfortable.
Not counting the crick in his neck from lying half on and half off the sofa a good portion of the night.
He twisted his body a little and hooked a leg over Heero's to drag them back onto the cushion. Heero mumbled something and then banged his head against Duo's chin, making Duo see stars for a moment before Heero was brushing his hair from his brow.
"You ok?"
Heero looked so concerned that Duo answered in the most direct way possible, by holding Heero's face in both hands and kissing him lightly before urging Heero to lie back down on top of him. The arm that had been on the inside of the sofa was starting to tingle as the blood rushed back through it, but he gave Heero a squeeze and let his hand remain on the small of Heero's back. Heero's shirt was a wrinkled mess, twisted about his torso, and the tip of Duo's pinky lay right at the hem, on a small bit of exposed skin.
In a minute he was going to need to get up, have a glass of water, and flex his fingers until the pins and needles went away, but for now all he wanted was to savor the feel of Heero's body pressed against his own and Heero's breath against his neck.
His voice was hoarse when he replied, quite honestly, "Never better."
Part 6: Pretty Deep