Didn't Mean to Wake You, Gundam Wing, Heero/Duo
Title: Didn't Mean to Wake You
Author: Ellie Biel
Fandom: Gundam Wing
Characters/pairing: Heero Yuy/Duo Maxwell
Warnings: slash (implied)
Rating: PG13
Notes: Written in response to merith's meme drabble request using the line "I know it's kind of late" from Jim Croce's "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song".
Heero hated his job.
It wasn't the job itself, which was mind numbingly boring but easy enough, or the people he worked with, most of whom were either brand new employees or old diehards who preferred the graveyard shift. Heero had no gripes about having to lift heavy objects and he'd been there long enough to earn the right to learn to drive the forklift, and that was something he looked forward to as a break from stacking boxes into trailer beds.
Heero had no problems working at the warehouse. It paid the bills, provided him with medical benefits, and even earned him a generous discount on merchandise sold in any of the stores owned by FYE.
Many of his coworkers helped themselves to a DVD or video game from time to time, but Heero pretended he didn't see it. As long as he kept his own nose clean, he didn't particularly care what the others did or how they justified it to themselves.
What did bother Heero, and the reason he hated it so much, was that while he was here moving product from point A to point B, and sometimes back again, Duo was at home asleep.
He tried to get to sleep early enough during the day so he was awake when Duo came home and they could have supper together. He hated that Duo was usually the one who cooked because Heero was just waking up and didn't seem to possess fine motor skills until he'd had a shower. He was happy that he and Duo got to spend time together and that he and Duo were able to share two meals together.
What he hated was sleeping alone.
By the time he got home at the end of his shift, Duo was already up and getting ready for work. Unless he wanted to change his sleep schedule so that he was awake while Duo was working and asleep when Duo got home, he was stuck sleeping during the day.
He was looking forward to the day he earned his first two weeks of paid vacation.
The sound of the fire alarm going off jolted him out of his reverie and he turned off the tape sealer before calmly following everyone else outside. It was cold outside and he'd not had a chance to pick up his coat, but they'd all been warned about loitering during an alarm, even a drill, and of course there was always the possibility that there really was a fire somewhere in the building, even if he couldn't smell any smoke.
Heero rubbed his arms briskly as the night shift supervisor checked off their names to ensure they'd all gotten out safely and moved away from the group that had decided being outside was carte blanche to light up their cigarettes. He didn't particularly care to go home with cigarette smoke on his clothes or to get caught standing near them. He might not smoke, but people were judged by the company they kept and the last thing he wanted was to get written up for something he wasn't guilty of.
Any thoughts he had about it being a drill evaporated when the fire truck arrived, and he watched with interest as a team went inside the building, only to return ten minutes later to engage the supervisor in conversation.
A faulty relay had triggered the sprinkler system in part of the building, and as one of the more senior employees on the shift, Heero was given the opportunity to go home early, without pay, if he so chose.
He pulled up in front of their apartment fifteen minutes later.
He'd been unable to wear his coat, which had been in the part of the building where the sprinklers had malfunctioned, and carrying the sodden mess into the apartment chilled him more than being outside in short sleeves did.
He hung it up on a hanger that he hooked over the shower curtain rod in the bathroom, stripped off his now damp shirt, and made sure his shoes were off before creeping into the bedroom. A glance at the alarm clock showed it was just past three and he took off his jeans, leaving them in a pile near the bed before pulling the covers back slowly.
He kept as much to his side of the bed as he could and he'd barely closed his eyes when he felt Duo roll over.
"Heero?"
"I'm sorry," Heero whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's okay." Duo shot up from the bed. "Shit! What time is it?"
"You're not late. I got home early."
Duo fell back against the pillows with a sigh of relief and turned to face Heero. "Hey," he said, and he put his arm around Heero, only to pull it back quickly. "You're freezing!"
"I know. Long story."
"Mmm." Duo inched closer, pulled the blankets up to Heero's chin, and put his arm around him again, this time over the covers. He nuzzled Heero's neck. "We'll get you warm."
Heero licked his lips. It was working already.
He wouldn't have minded making love right now. He enjoyed sex with Duo, loved being close to him, and it would definitely generate a lot more body heat. He picked up Duo's hand and pressed a kiss against his palm, then raised the covers and brought Duo's arm underneath, pulling him close and molding his body against Duo's.
He rested his chin on Duo's shoulder and rubbed his back, smiling as Duo flinched in response to the cold fingers against his spine.
"Jerk."
"I love you, too."
Duo hit him playfully on the arm and laughed. "I should probably get back to sleep."
Heero buried his nose in Duo's hair. "You should."
Despite the fact that Heero was used to being up at this hour, it was warm and comfortable in bed and he was growing quite sleepy. He could feel Duo's breath against his neck and it tickled when Duo spoke.
"Heero?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm glad you're home."
"Me too."
Heero could feel Duo's lashes flutter against his skin, and he had a feeling he'd done it intentionally.
"I miss sleeping with you," Duo said quietly.
Heero nodded, trusting Duo could feel it even if he couldn't see it.
"And Heero?"
"Yeah?"
Duo propped himself up on his elbow. "I know you hate clerical work, but there's an opening for a mail clerk, not in the building I work in but the one adjacent to it..."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay, I'll look into it."
Duo settled back down next to him. "Heero?"
"Yes?"
Duo put his hand on Heero's chest. "I love you."
"I know you do." He laughed when Duo grabbed one of his chest hairs and pulled. "Ow! I mean I love you, too."
"You'd better."
Duo rolled over and pressed his backside firmly against Heero's hip, and Heero took his cue and turned onto his side to spoon up against Duo. He grabbed the blankets and gave them another good yank, pulling them up to their noses and making Duo kick him.
"What's that for?"
"My feet are cold."
Heero could never figure out how a king sized blanket could ever be too short to cover a person from head to toe when it managed to cover a bed that was longer than either of them were tall. He and Duo kicked the blankets back down over their toes and Duo curled his body back against Heero's again.
He hadn't been tired when he left work, but in the warm cocoon of their bed, he knew he'd easily fall asleep. He hadn't meant to wake Duo when he'd gotten home...
...but he was glad he did.