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calic0catAs promised, here's the latest fic in the Holiday Series. It's split over two LJ posts since it's a little too long for one.
Enjoy!
*****************************
Title: #12 Christmas Presents
Series: The Holiday Series
Author: Calic0cat
Story Completed: June 30, 2004
Genre: Yaoi, Fluff, Sap, Romance, Holiday Fic
Pairing: 1x2x1
Rated: NC-17
Warnings: Swearing, Lemon
Archives: At Lev's Lair http://www.gwaddiction.com/levlair/ and at http://calic0cat.freeservers.com/ (my site) and at Mediaminer.org under Calic0cat. Anyone with archive permission for my other fics can help themselves.
Disclaimer: Duo and Heero and the rest of the GW gang aren't mine. This story is. Nuff said.
Notes: Twelfth in the Holiday Series (written for Christmas).
'Thinking'
"Speaking"
*** Time passing or scene/POV change
Author's Notes: I'm never going to get caught up with these... *sigh* Feedback is appreciated.
#################################################
Heero woke, uncertain what had drawn him from sleep. 'Did I hear something?' He listened for a moment. Silence. Then he heard a plaintive whine, muffled by the bedroom door. 'Chocolate... Well, at least it's not the phone, thank god...' After the way that Thanksgiving had turned out, he wasn't entirely sure that he'd have answered the damn thing if it had been ringing. Propping himself up on one elbow, Heero checked the alarm clock. No wonder the dog was complaining; it was nearly two hours past the usual time for his morning run.
The lab whined again and Heero reluctantly slid out from under the covers. He quickly grabbed some clothes and headed for the door, wanting to hush the dog before Duo woke too. Unfortunately, the sound of covers stirring warned him that it was probably too late for that.
The mattress creaking and an inquiring "Ro?" confirmed it.
'Definitely too late. Damn.' He'd wanted to bring Duo breakfast in bed this morning but there was no way that Duo would stay there now that he was awake. "Just going to take Chocolate for his run." Turning back towards the bed, Heero asked ruefully, "I don't suppose you would stay in bed till I get back?"
Duo paused in mid-stretch. "You planning to make it worth my while?" he teased.
"Breakfast in bed?" Heero offered hopefully.
"Hmm. Depends what's on the menu..."
"Waffles with whipped cream and fresh fruit?"
Duo flopped back against the pillows. "Deal."
Heero hadn't actually expected Duo to agree, not after yesterday's irritation over being coddled. "Really?"
"Yeah, really." Duo gave him an affectionate smile. "Hey, it's Christmas. I can put up with a little bit of cosseting. Just consider it part of your Christmas present, okay?"
"Okay," Heero grinned.
Chocolate gave a sharp, insistent bark. "Better get going, that sounded kind of urgent," Duo commented. "I'll be right here when you get back. Promise."
***
Duo waited until Heero and Chocolate left the house before climbing out of bed. He didn't intend to stay up - he'd be right where he'd promised to be before Heero got back - but there were a few things he wanted to take care of before then. Things like taking a quick shower. Gathering certain - supplies... He smirked as he ran through the list. Condoms, lube, disposable wipes...
Breakfast wasn't the only thing that he was hungry for.
Thanksgiving morning was the last time that he and Heero had made love. Since then, they'd shared nothing more than kisses, hugs, and some handholding. For most of that time, Duo really hadn't been in any shape to be interested in more than that. Even during his first few days at home, he'd been quite content with simple cuddling. Now, though, he was ready - eager - for more.
Oh, he wasn't ready for anything too energetic. Duo knew that. His arm and leg were still too weak and cramped too easily for most positions. A few stretches and exercises now would ensure that the muscles were loosened up and weren't as likely to spasm later. But he would still need to be cautious. Heero would have a fit if he ended up doubled up in pain while they were making love. 'Not that I'd exactly be thrilled about it myself...' he thought wryly.
It would be simpler and less physically demanding if he was willing to settle for something other than actual intercourse. But Duo wasn't. He wanted to feel whole and healthy again. Like he'd been the last time that they'd made love. And he wanted to reassure Heero that he really was okay. Wanted Heero to *know* deep down that he *was* getting better.
'It might be tough to convince him that it'll be okay, that I'm ready for this. But once he understands how much it means to me, I think he'll give in.'
Duo chuckled quietly as he headed off to make his preparations for Heero's return. 'Hell, if he argues about it, I can always tell him it's part of *my* Christmas present...'
***
Despite the temptation to skimp on Chocolate's morning run, Heero didn't. Duo had promised to wait for breakfast in bed; an extra ten or fifteen minutes wouldn't change that. 'Consider it part of my Christmas present...' Heero snickered at the thought as he and Chocolate reached the turnaround point of their run. 'Only Duo would consider breakfast in bed to be a present to the cook rather than the one being fed...' Well, if that was what it took to get Duo to gracefully accept a bit of coddling, Heero had no objection. It wasn't as if there were a whole lot of other presents to be exchanged. Just one big one and a couple of small ones each.
Although he and Duo were making a point of celebrating holidays - of creating their own family traditions - they'd never planned to make a really big deal out of Christmas. Choosing and decorating a tree together, hanging a few strings of lights, watching some old Christmas movies, exchanging a few presents... Spending time with their friends - their family... Just a simple celebration that was about as far from the crass commercialization that seemed to characterize the holiday as they could get.
Duo's extended stay in the hospital had resulted in their plans being pared down even further.
Heero straightened the imitation pine wreath, centring its red bow more precisely, before unlocking the condo's front door. That simple wreath represented their sole outdoor decoration. Indoors, there were a few lengths of cedar roping - artificial but good quality - twined together with strands of plain white lights.
Those few items - chosen and purchased as a couple before Duo's injury and hung by Heero under Duo's supervision once Duo returned home - were the sum total of their holiday decorations. Heero had had neither the time nor the inclination to decorate more extensively on his own. He'd intended to at least pick up a tree after Duo came home from the hospital but Duo had vetoed the idea, admitting that he kind of liked the simplicity of the roping and white lights. Heero certainly hadn't objected; he'd never quite understood the allure of a dead tree dropping needles all over the floor in the first place. And wasting storage space for eleven months just to put an artificial tree up for one seemed equally pointless. The roping was attractive and stored quite compactly; it and the wreath together would only take up a few cubic feet of storage space, something that was at a premium in the small condo. Maybe they would decorate - and celebrate - more extensively next year but, for this year, they were content to keep things simple.
Once inside, Heero dried the dog's wet paws with the towel kept on a hook behind the door for just that purpose. Only after Chocolate was reasonably clean and dry did he unclip the dog's leash. Chocolate immediately took off down the hall to "his" room. The lab was rattling his empty bowl insistently by the time that Heero hung up his coat. "Patience, mutt, it's coming..." he muttered in amusement. The young dog always acted as if he was starving, despite the fact that he got precisely the recommended amount of food for a dog of his breed and age.
Heero fed the dog before doing anything else. By the time that he washed his hands and took out the ingredients for waffles, Chocolate had bolted down his entire breakfast share of feed and was in the kitchen looking hopeful. Heero just shook his head and pointed towards the doorway. "You know better. Out. Go lie down," he ordered. The dog retreated to the hall with the air of one greatly abused. Heero chuckled at the familiar routine.
Chocolate wasn't allowed to have people-food; his own contained all the nutrients and calories that he needed. Nor was he allowed in the kitchen while food was being prepared. The room was too small to have him underfoot. Besides, Heero didn't like finding dog hair in his meal and keeping the dog away during preparation helped decrease the odds of that happening.
Despite consistent banishment from the kitchen, the dog never quit trying. Probably his previous owners had fed him tidbits while fixing meals. Begging was a very hard habit to extinguish once it was acquired; they might never completely break Chocolate of attempting it.
Turning his attention back to breakfast, Heero poured the batter onto the hot waffle iron. He closed the lid and checked the time before taking the blueberries and raspberries out of the fridge. By the time that the first batch of waffles was ready, he'd finished sorting through the berries, discarding the overripe or damaged ones. Those first waffles went in the oven - pre-warmed to a low temperature to keep them hot - while the next batch cooked. Heero had the whipping cream beaten to perfection by the time that the last waffles were done. He placed all of the food on a tray along with a couple of tall glasses of milk. 'Perfect.'
***
Much to his surprise, Duo had actually dozed off once he crawled back in bed. He woke to soft lips pressed to his own. "Mmm..." he murmured as Heero drew away. "Y'know, you make one hell of a great alarm clock, Ro... No way could I ever sleep through one of your wake-up calls. Or wake up grumpy."
Heero chuckled quietly. "Glad to hear it. Ready for breakfast?"
"Sure, just gimme a sec here..." Duo piled the pillows against the headboard and moved to sit leaning against them while Heero retrieved a tray from the dresser. "Looks and smells delicious, Heero. Thanks. Oh, and Merry Christmas, by the way."
"Merry Christmas and you're welcome." Heero set the tray down on Duo's lap then transferred the glasses of milk to the nightstand before joining Duo on the bed. He leaned over and kissed Duo's cheek, murmuring, "And thank *you* for humouring me by letting me pamper you..."
"Hey, it's not exactly a *hardship*, y'know. And I do appreciate it, I just - well, like I explained yesterday, I'm still not used to having someone around who *wants* to take care of me. As long as it's a once-in-a-while kinda thing, it'll be okay."
Well, it wouldn't be quite *that* simple, Duo knew. He'd have to work on gracefully accepting these little bits of pampering from Heero, just like he'd had to work on - and was still working on - being more comfortable with public displays of affection. Street instincts - like his need to always be independent and take care of himself and his reluctance to reveal what (or, in this case, who) was important to him - ran pretty deep but, with effort and determination, they could be overridden. He was more than willing to put the necessary effort into doing so for Heero's sake.
He'd figured out a while ago that Heero wanted - hell, more like needed - those public displays of affection. Needed the open demonstration that he loved and was loved in return, that he was far more than the perfect weapon that he'd been supposed to be. Duo understood and accepted that. And, since Heero's explanation last night, Duo had a better understanding of Heero's current need to coddle him. If pampering Duo made Heero feel that he was actually *doing* something to further Duo's recovery, Duo would do his best to accept the fussing patiently.
He and Heero both had their own little quirks and peculiarities thanks to their respective pasts. Those issues weren't going to just go away. They'd learned to accept that fact and to find ways of dealing with their individual needs that they could both live with. Compromises that accommodated the needs of both of them.
"I won't get carried away and smother you with fussing," Heero promised.
Duo quirked an eyebrow and gave him a sideways glance. "Uh huh."
"Okay, okay, I'll *try* not to."
"Okay," Duo agreed cheerfully, adding a dollop of whipped cream to a waffle and sprinkling a few blueberries over top. He playfully offered the first bite to Heero, who wrinkled up his nose in distaste and shook his head. Duo laughed, unsurprised by the refusal. He and Heero had many things in common but a liking for blueberries was not one of them. He popped the bite in his own mouth. Heero slid another plate out from beneath his and held it while preparing a waffle topped with raspberries for himself.
They ate in silence for the most part, just enjoying each other's companionship, the tasty meal, and the novelty of eating in bed. The stack of waffles gradually dwindled until finally Duo was staring unenthusiastically at the last one. Normally, it would be his - Heero had already finished his share - but he still didn't have his usual appetite back. He reluctantly started to reach for it.
***
Duo had been eating more and more slowly. So Heero was a bit surprised to see him reach for the last waffle. Reaching over, he blocked Duo's hand partway. "Duo, don't eat it if you're full."
"But... It's not right to waste good food..."
Calmly, Heero replied, "So I'll freeze it and you can reheat it sometime when you're looking for a snack." Their freezer frequently filled up with odds and ends of leftovers. Duo simply couldn't stand to waste food and Heero had quickly discovered that it was simpler to just save the leftovers than to argue about it. Besides, there were always days when they didn't have the time or the inclination to cook and the frozen leftovers came in handy then.
"But the berries and..." The protest was only halfhearted.
"They'll keep." He didn't give Duo time to object again, standing and removing the tray from reach.
As Heero headed into the hall, Duo called after him, "Hey Heero, once you take care of that, come back so I can thank you *properly* for the great breakfast, okay?"
Turning back, Heero frowned slightly. Duo's tone had been very suggestive. Surely he didn't mean... "That depends what you mean by 'properly'. You're still recovering, Duo. You shouldn't..."
Duo heaved a sigh and waved dismissively. "Go on. Get rid of the breakfast stuff. We'll talk when you get back."
Heero's frown deepened. Duo obviously *did* mean what he'd thought he meant. 'Damn. I don't want to argue about this but I don't think he's well enough yet...' "I don't think..."
"Heero. Go get rid of the tray. Then we'll talk."
Reluctantly, Heero agreed, "Fine." Though really, it was anything *but* fine. He didn't want to argue with Duo today and now that seemed to be inevitable.
Heero didn't rush with his kitchen tasks but it still only took a few moments to take care of the leftovers. The dishes - waffle iron included - were taken care of almost as quickly.
On the way back to the bedroom, Heero spared a moment to check on Chocolate, half-hoping that the dog would provide him with an excuse to escape the upcoming 'discussion'. No such luck. The dog was stretched flat out on his mat. His eyes blinked open for a moment when Heero paused in the doorway but drooped closed again without Chocolate so much as wagging his tail.
Continuing down the hall, Heero barely stepped into the bedroom before he was pounced and tackled onto the bed. Flat on his back with a very solid, very naked, very *determined* Duo blanketing his body, he struggled to get back the breath that had just been knocked out of him.
Duo folded his arms on Heero's chest, rested his chin on them, and smirked. "So. Do we really have to have the discussion about whether or not I'm still too weak to make love? Or can we skip the talk and just *do* it?"
***
Enjoy!
*****************************
Title: #12 Christmas Presents
Series: The Holiday Series
Author: Calic0cat
Story Completed: June 30, 2004
Genre: Yaoi, Fluff, Sap, Romance, Holiday Fic
Pairing: 1x2x1
Rated: NC-17
Warnings: Swearing, Lemon
Archives: At Lev's Lair http://www.gwaddiction.com/levlair/ and at http://calic0cat.freeservers.com/ (my site) and at Mediaminer.org under Calic0cat. Anyone with archive permission for my other fics can help themselves.
Disclaimer: Duo and Heero and the rest of the GW gang aren't mine. This story is. Nuff said.
Notes: Twelfth in the Holiday Series (written for Christmas).
'Thinking'
"Speaking"
*** Time passing or scene/POV change
Author's Notes: I'm never going to get caught up with these... *sigh* Feedback is appreciated.
#################################################
Heero woke, uncertain what had drawn him from sleep. 'Did I hear something?' He listened for a moment. Silence. Then he heard a plaintive whine, muffled by the bedroom door. 'Chocolate... Well, at least it's not the phone, thank god...' After the way that Thanksgiving had turned out, he wasn't entirely sure that he'd have answered the damn thing if it had been ringing. Propping himself up on one elbow, Heero checked the alarm clock. No wonder the dog was complaining; it was nearly two hours past the usual time for his morning run.
The lab whined again and Heero reluctantly slid out from under the covers. He quickly grabbed some clothes and headed for the door, wanting to hush the dog before Duo woke too. Unfortunately, the sound of covers stirring warned him that it was probably too late for that.
The mattress creaking and an inquiring "Ro?" confirmed it.
'Definitely too late. Damn.' He'd wanted to bring Duo breakfast in bed this morning but there was no way that Duo would stay there now that he was awake. "Just going to take Chocolate for his run." Turning back towards the bed, Heero asked ruefully, "I don't suppose you would stay in bed till I get back?"
Duo paused in mid-stretch. "You planning to make it worth my while?" he teased.
"Breakfast in bed?" Heero offered hopefully.
"Hmm. Depends what's on the menu..."
"Waffles with whipped cream and fresh fruit?"
Duo flopped back against the pillows. "Deal."
Heero hadn't actually expected Duo to agree, not after yesterday's irritation over being coddled. "Really?"
"Yeah, really." Duo gave him an affectionate smile. "Hey, it's Christmas. I can put up with a little bit of cosseting. Just consider it part of your Christmas present, okay?"
"Okay," Heero grinned.
Chocolate gave a sharp, insistent bark. "Better get going, that sounded kind of urgent," Duo commented. "I'll be right here when you get back. Promise."
***
Duo waited until Heero and Chocolate left the house before climbing out of bed. He didn't intend to stay up - he'd be right where he'd promised to be before Heero got back - but there were a few things he wanted to take care of before then. Things like taking a quick shower. Gathering certain - supplies... He smirked as he ran through the list. Condoms, lube, disposable wipes...
Breakfast wasn't the only thing that he was hungry for.
Thanksgiving morning was the last time that he and Heero had made love. Since then, they'd shared nothing more than kisses, hugs, and some handholding. For most of that time, Duo really hadn't been in any shape to be interested in more than that. Even during his first few days at home, he'd been quite content with simple cuddling. Now, though, he was ready - eager - for more.
Oh, he wasn't ready for anything too energetic. Duo knew that. His arm and leg were still too weak and cramped too easily for most positions. A few stretches and exercises now would ensure that the muscles were loosened up and weren't as likely to spasm later. But he would still need to be cautious. Heero would have a fit if he ended up doubled up in pain while they were making love. 'Not that I'd exactly be thrilled about it myself...' he thought wryly.
It would be simpler and less physically demanding if he was willing to settle for something other than actual intercourse. But Duo wasn't. He wanted to feel whole and healthy again. Like he'd been the last time that they'd made love. And he wanted to reassure Heero that he really was okay. Wanted Heero to *know* deep down that he *was* getting better.
'It might be tough to convince him that it'll be okay, that I'm ready for this. But once he understands how much it means to me, I think he'll give in.'
Duo chuckled quietly as he headed off to make his preparations for Heero's return. 'Hell, if he argues about it, I can always tell him it's part of *my* Christmas present...'
***
Despite the temptation to skimp on Chocolate's morning run, Heero didn't. Duo had promised to wait for breakfast in bed; an extra ten or fifteen minutes wouldn't change that. 'Consider it part of my Christmas present...' Heero snickered at the thought as he and Chocolate reached the turnaround point of their run. 'Only Duo would consider breakfast in bed to be a present to the cook rather than the one being fed...' Well, if that was what it took to get Duo to gracefully accept a bit of coddling, Heero had no objection. It wasn't as if there were a whole lot of other presents to be exchanged. Just one big one and a couple of small ones each.
Although he and Duo were making a point of celebrating holidays - of creating their own family traditions - they'd never planned to make a really big deal out of Christmas. Choosing and decorating a tree together, hanging a few strings of lights, watching some old Christmas movies, exchanging a few presents... Spending time with their friends - their family... Just a simple celebration that was about as far from the crass commercialization that seemed to characterize the holiday as they could get.
Duo's extended stay in the hospital had resulted in their plans being pared down even further.
Heero straightened the imitation pine wreath, centring its red bow more precisely, before unlocking the condo's front door. That simple wreath represented their sole outdoor decoration. Indoors, there were a few lengths of cedar roping - artificial but good quality - twined together with strands of plain white lights.
Those few items - chosen and purchased as a couple before Duo's injury and hung by Heero under Duo's supervision once Duo returned home - were the sum total of their holiday decorations. Heero had had neither the time nor the inclination to decorate more extensively on his own. He'd intended to at least pick up a tree after Duo came home from the hospital but Duo had vetoed the idea, admitting that he kind of liked the simplicity of the roping and white lights. Heero certainly hadn't objected; he'd never quite understood the allure of a dead tree dropping needles all over the floor in the first place. And wasting storage space for eleven months just to put an artificial tree up for one seemed equally pointless. The roping was attractive and stored quite compactly; it and the wreath together would only take up a few cubic feet of storage space, something that was at a premium in the small condo. Maybe they would decorate - and celebrate - more extensively next year but, for this year, they were content to keep things simple.
Once inside, Heero dried the dog's wet paws with the towel kept on a hook behind the door for just that purpose. Only after Chocolate was reasonably clean and dry did he unclip the dog's leash. Chocolate immediately took off down the hall to "his" room. The lab was rattling his empty bowl insistently by the time that Heero hung up his coat. "Patience, mutt, it's coming..." he muttered in amusement. The young dog always acted as if he was starving, despite the fact that he got precisely the recommended amount of food for a dog of his breed and age.
Heero fed the dog before doing anything else. By the time that he washed his hands and took out the ingredients for waffles, Chocolate had bolted down his entire breakfast share of feed and was in the kitchen looking hopeful. Heero just shook his head and pointed towards the doorway. "You know better. Out. Go lie down," he ordered. The dog retreated to the hall with the air of one greatly abused. Heero chuckled at the familiar routine.
Chocolate wasn't allowed to have people-food; his own contained all the nutrients and calories that he needed. Nor was he allowed in the kitchen while food was being prepared. The room was too small to have him underfoot. Besides, Heero didn't like finding dog hair in his meal and keeping the dog away during preparation helped decrease the odds of that happening.
Despite consistent banishment from the kitchen, the dog never quit trying. Probably his previous owners had fed him tidbits while fixing meals. Begging was a very hard habit to extinguish once it was acquired; they might never completely break Chocolate of attempting it.
Turning his attention back to breakfast, Heero poured the batter onto the hot waffle iron. He closed the lid and checked the time before taking the blueberries and raspberries out of the fridge. By the time that the first batch of waffles was ready, he'd finished sorting through the berries, discarding the overripe or damaged ones. Those first waffles went in the oven - pre-warmed to a low temperature to keep them hot - while the next batch cooked. Heero had the whipping cream beaten to perfection by the time that the last waffles were done. He placed all of the food on a tray along with a couple of tall glasses of milk. 'Perfect.'
***
Much to his surprise, Duo had actually dozed off once he crawled back in bed. He woke to soft lips pressed to his own. "Mmm..." he murmured as Heero drew away. "Y'know, you make one hell of a great alarm clock, Ro... No way could I ever sleep through one of your wake-up calls. Or wake up grumpy."
Heero chuckled quietly. "Glad to hear it. Ready for breakfast?"
"Sure, just gimme a sec here..." Duo piled the pillows against the headboard and moved to sit leaning against them while Heero retrieved a tray from the dresser. "Looks and smells delicious, Heero. Thanks. Oh, and Merry Christmas, by the way."
"Merry Christmas and you're welcome." Heero set the tray down on Duo's lap then transferred the glasses of milk to the nightstand before joining Duo on the bed. He leaned over and kissed Duo's cheek, murmuring, "And thank *you* for humouring me by letting me pamper you..."
"Hey, it's not exactly a *hardship*, y'know. And I do appreciate it, I just - well, like I explained yesterday, I'm still not used to having someone around who *wants* to take care of me. As long as it's a once-in-a-while kinda thing, it'll be okay."
Well, it wouldn't be quite *that* simple, Duo knew. He'd have to work on gracefully accepting these little bits of pampering from Heero, just like he'd had to work on - and was still working on - being more comfortable with public displays of affection. Street instincts - like his need to always be independent and take care of himself and his reluctance to reveal what (or, in this case, who) was important to him - ran pretty deep but, with effort and determination, they could be overridden. He was more than willing to put the necessary effort into doing so for Heero's sake.
He'd figured out a while ago that Heero wanted - hell, more like needed - those public displays of affection. Needed the open demonstration that he loved and was loved in return, that he was far more than the perfect weapon that he'd been supposed to be. Duo understood and accepted that. And, since Heero's explanation last night, Duo had a better understanding of Heero's current need to coddle him. If pampering Duo made Heero feel that he was actually *doing* something to further Duo's recovery, Duo would do his best to accept the fussing patiently.
He and Heero both had their own little quirks and peculiarities thanks to their respective pasts. Those issues weren't going to just go away. They'd learned to accept that fact and to find ways of dealing with their individual needs that they could both live with. Compromises that accommodated the needs of both of them.
"I won't get carried away and smother you with fussing," Heero promised.
Duo quirked an eyebrow and gave him a sideways glance. "Uh huh."
"Okay, okay, I'll *try* not to."
"Okay," Duo agreed cheerfully, adding a dollop of whipped cream to a waffle and sprinkling a few blueberries over top. He playfully offered the first bite to Heero, who wrinkled up his nose in distaste and shook his head. Duo laughed, unsurprised by the refusal. He and Heero had many things in common but a liking for blueberries was not one of them. He popped the bite in his own mouth. Heero slid another plate out from beneath his and held it while preparing a waffle topped with raspberries for himself.
They ate in silence for the most part, just enjoying each other's companionship, the tasty meal, and the novelty of eating in bed. The stack of waffles gradually dwindled until finally Duo was staring unenthusiastically at the last one. Normally, it would be his - Heero had already finished his share - but he still didn't have his usual appetite back. He reluctantly started to reach for it.
***
Duo had been eating more and more slowly. So Heero was a bit surprised to see him reach for the last waffle. Reaching over, he blocked Duo's hand partway. "Duo, don't eat it if you're full."
"But... It's not right to waste good food..."
Calmly, Heero replied, "So I'll freeze it and you can reheat it sometime when you're looking for a snack." Their freezer frequently filled up with odds and ends of leftovers. Duo simply couldn't stand to waste food and Heero had quickly discovered that it was simpler to just save the leftovers than to argue about it. Besides, there were always days when they didn't have the time or the inclination to cook and the frozen leftovers came in handy then.
"But the berries and..." The protest was only halfhearted.
"They'll keep." He didn't give Duo time to object again, standing and removing the tray from reach.
As Heero headed into the hall, Duo called after him, "Hey Heero, once you take care of that, come back so I can thank you *properly* for the great breakfast, okay?"
Turning back, Heero frowned slightly. Duo's tone had been very suggestive. Surely he didn't mean... "That depends what you mean by 'properly'. You're still recovering, Duo. You shouldn't..."
Duo heaved a sigh and waved dismissively. "Go on. Get rid of the breakfast stuff. We'll talk when you get back."
Heero's frown deepened. Duo obviously *did* mean what he'd thought he meant. 'Damn. I don't want to argue about this but I don't think he's well enough yet...' "I don't think..."
"Heero. Go get rid of the tray. Then we'll talk."
Reluctantly, Heero agreed, "Fine." Though really, it was anything *but* fine. He didn't want to argue with Duo today and now that seemed to be inevitable.
Heero didn't rush with his kitchen tasks but it still only took a few moments to take care of the leftovers. The dishes - waffle iron included - were taken care of almost as quickly.
On the way back to the bedroom, Heero spared a moment to check on Chocolate, half-hoping that the dog would provide him with an excuse to escape the upcoming 'discussion'. No such luck. The dog was stretched flat out on his mat. His eyes blinked open for a moment when Heero paused in the doorway but drooped closed again without Chocolate so much as wagging his tail.
Continuing down the hall, Heero barely stepped into the bedroom before he was pounced and tackled onto the bed. Flat on his back with a very solid, very naked, very *determined* Duo blanketing his body, he struggled to get back the breath that had just been knocked out of him.
Duo folded his arms on Heero's chest, rested his chin on them, and smirked. "So. Do we really have to have the discussion about whether or not I'm still too weak to make love? Or can we skip the talk and just *do* it?"
***
