Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, wish
I did, just enjoy writing about ‘em for free etc
Pairings: 1x2
Category: Fluff, romance
Warnings: Yaoi, lime, occasional
language
Spoilers: None
Notes: The Muse be with you… or not, as the
case may be!
*
“What’s
up?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
Duo
scowled. A chewed pencil fell out of his
mouth, bouncing amongst the crushed paper on the floor. “So I bow to your superior interrogation
techniques!”
Heero
drew in a deep breath. “Is it the
article?”
“Is it the article? he
says,” grumbled Duo. “So damned pragmatic! Of course it’s the damned article! You’re as
bad as the other guy, with your seemingly-innocent comments. Under 1,000 words,” he says. “Just a
few thoughts on what Christmas means to you!, then he tightens
up that belt, runs stubby fingers through that mangy beard, and swoops away on
that sleigh. Well, Jingle
fucking bells!”
“Santa?”
Duo grunted. The man in question deserved no better.
“There’s
a deadline?”
“Isn’t
there always? Copy has to be at the
printers by
“He only
needs some brief, amusing note –“
“So laugh at this!” A ball of scrunched
paper missed Heero’s ear by inches.
“Is this
my fault?” Heero’s voice was rather
cool. “You volunteered, as I remember…”
Duo
groaned. “OK, sorry, don’t get all icy
on me. Shouldn’t take it out on you, I
guess. I just thought that writing would
be fun! My Muse was smiling so encouragingly. You can
write so well, Duo! she said, sweetly. You have a lovely way with words! And
there’s all that time over Christmas to pen some elegant, poignant, witty prose…”
“Your
Muse is a ‘she’…?” Heero grinned.
“My Muse
is a traitorous, thoughtless, tormenting Bitch!” snapped Duo. “My Muse is now as elusive as orange Pocky,
and appears to have gone elsewhere for the holidays. She ain’t here, that’s for certain!”
“Do you –“ Heero paused, then continued very carefully. “Do you want some help?”
Duo’s
mouth opened to snap a reply, then closed again. “From you?”
Heero
took another deep breath. “Is the idea
so abhorrent?”
“No! Hell
– that’s not what I meant! I mean – I
know we’ve been getting on each other’s nerves while I’ve been doing this stuff
–“
“Do I
distract you that badly?” A self-conscious laugh from Heero.
Duo
stared – and flushed. “No. It’s not you
that’s the trouble. Yet again, I fuck up
a witty reply. You see how poor it is,
my way with words?”
Heero
smiled, gently. “You are perfectly
articulate, Duo. You express yourself
clearly, and richly, and –“
“And?”
“And most passionately.”
Silence
for a while. The pencil rolled a couple
of times on the floor, nudged by an embarrassed toe.
“Well –
thanks for that vote of confidence, Heero.”
“No
problem.” Heero bent and picked up the
pencil; held it out like a peace offering.
“You should just jot down the things that characterise
Christmas for you. Things you’ve
described to me, plenty of times. The
bright lights of the shops, reflecting in icy puddles; the coloured scarves
round people’s necks. The
snow – the ribbons and tinsel.
The sound of Carols, albeit sung enthusiastically out of tune; the smell
of boozy Christmas parties.”
Duo was
staring again. And
flushing again. “You’ve been
listening to me?”
“Sure.”
“But what about the other Christmas sights?
The beggars huddled even deeper into the shop doorways; the soup
kitchens; neglected kids. The wasted money; rapacious commercialism. Strained family arguments; the solitary
turkey dinners for one…”
Heero’s
eyes were exceptionally bright. “Those as well.
That’s what you must write about.
The things you love – and the things you hate! That’s what you are, Duo. A delicious
mixture of all your thoughts, and feelings, and opinions, and passions –“
Duo
cleared a tight throat. “And I should be
exposing all that on paper? Sounds kinda
painful, the way you describe it.”
It looked
like a smirk, the unusual twist to
Heero’s mouth. “Painful
– yes. Delightful
– also yes.”
Another brief silence. Duo twirled the
pencil in his fingers and coughed too loudly.
“This is
kinda weird, Heero. You want to help me…
you’ve been listening to me, when I ramble on.
You’ve used some vocabulary about me that I would say is alien to the
Heero Yuy that we all know and fear retribution from…”
“Alien?”
Duo was
very red now; he stared fixedly down at the volcanic eruption of discarded
paper around his ankles. “You know…
passionate… delicious… delightful…”
“Matches
the alien words you use for me,” said
Heero, quietly. “Icy… pragmatic… fearful
of retribution from...”
Duo
lifted his eyes and looked into steady blue pools of emotion. Not icy, at all.
He
laughed softly. “And I remember saying seemingly-innocent, too!”
Heero
most definitely smirked this
time. He took the pencil out of Duo’s
slightly numb fingers. “Right. I admit it’s
not often I hear that phrase in the same context as my own name.”
Duo
looked at the hand that still lay on his own; it felt just right. The numbness in his fingers was definitely
thawing. “What kinda stupid prick am I,
Heero?”
“Hopefully
a willing stupid prick…”
Duo
didn’t reply directly; he just reached his other hand round Heero’s neck and
tugged his face in close.
Happy,
greedy, caressing noises…
When they
broke for other refreshments, over two hours later, they were dressed in next
to nothing, Heero’s bedroom was comfortably dark around them, and Duo had 999
words drafted and sent up the chimney to Santa.
“Duo…”
“Huh?”
Duo peered blearily at the man who might just possibly be the best damned
Christmas present he’d ever dreamed of.
He wondered where he’d left his pants...
“It was a
fluent performance; very lyrical. Your
writing, I mean.”
“Seemingly-innocent, right?”
grinned Duo. “Well, I had a little inspiration from other
sources, of course –“
“Little?” provoked Heero, with a most
unexpected pout to his lips.
Duo growled
and rolled over to kiss him again. Thoroughly. “Maybe the Muse has returned…” A mischievous mumble.
“Then she
can sleep in your room,” muttered
Heero, hands and mouth full. “You’re not
leaving here this side of New Year’s Day!”
End