Disclaimer: The hotty little characters in the story aren’t mine, much to my dismay. They belong to a bunch of either people that have a lot more money and fame than I do. Don’t sue, you won’t get much, but I might send my dogs after you.
Warnings: Yaoi be here. If you don’t know what that means or don’t approve, don’t read. I don’t want any nasty comments about it, since I warned you in plenty of time. There shall be lemon in later parts. Quatre is a really nasty piece of work in here (sorry Eli, it just had to be that way) Please don’t yell at me for it.
Pairings: 3x2 main (is there any other?)
AN: Please let me know what you think, pretty, pretty please? Any comments or constructive criticism is more than welcome. If you completely and totally think it sucks, or if you like it, let me know!
Dusty Roads
As his truck began to sputter, Trowa cursed the vehicle, not for the first time in the last month. He had been meaning to get it looked at, but had put it off because he didn’t trust the mechanics near his home. Everyone that lived near the mansion was far too easily intimidated, especially when unlimited amounts of money and influence were involved. When cursing didn’t work, he attempted to soothe it with low tones and compliments, to no avail.
Smoke began spewing from under the hood, thick and white, obscuring his view. Quickly he pulled to the side of the road and sat, staring through the windshield at the plume of smoke covering the front of the truck. After a moment he climbed out and opened the hood, hoping it was something he could fix.
Several curses and a burnt hand later he was forced to admit defeat. Only having a basic understanding of automotive mechanics was not going to help in this case. Unfortunately, being able to rewire a gyroscopic stabilizer didn’t mean he could fix a car.
Giving a heartfelt groan he dug out his phone and dialed the one person that was bound to have a solution to the problem. As soon as the cheerful visage popped up on the screen he gave a strained smile in greeting. The lack of enthusiasm didn’t deter the man on the line. “Trowa, what a surprise to hear from you so soon! You made it to Heero’s already?”
“I’m over halfway there, but my truck just quit.”
Quatre tilted his head, blue eyes narrowing slightly, “Are you anywhere near Huntsville?”
Suppressing the urge to rub at the headache forming behind his eyes, Trowa kept his tone placid, “I’m on the side of the road, Quatre. I don’t know where the hell I am.”
“GPS coordinates?”
Hearing a sound from the opposite side of the road, Trowa spun on his heel, expecting someone to be rushing toward him. What he found instead was a large cow staring at him with liquid brown eyes as innocent as a puppy’s. Mistrustful of the bovine, he kept part of his attention on her as he read the numbers off his watch, a long-ago present from Quatre he hadn’t wanted to leave behind. The watch was nice, regardless of its origin.
Minutes passed in silence while he stared at the cow that stared back at him unblinkingly. When the blonde spoke he started in surprise, nearly dropping the phone. That Quatre didn’t comment on his shock wasn’t a surprise; his former lover likely hadn’t noticed. “You’re in luck. I have an old friend that lives in Huntsville, or on the outskirts, at least. You should have passed through the town about fifteen minutes ago.”
Picturing someone that resembled Rashid, Trowa glanced around at the landscape. Other than the road all he could see were fields, fence, an occasional power line, and cows. Recalling the dusty town he had sped through he had to ask, “You have a friend that fits in out here?”
“You’d be surprised. I know people everywhere, Trowa.” The blonde’s meaning was clear: there was nowhere Trowa could go where he could get away from Quatre’s watchful eyes.
Not wanting a repeat of an old argument, Trowa sighed heavily and leaned on the side of the truck. “Can you just give your friend a call for me? I’ll have to find a hotel or something until my truck is fixed.”
“I’m certain I can make suitable arrangements for you. When you get back we need to discuss the need you had to leave so suddenly.”
The phone went dead before he could respond, leaving him angry and with nothing to strike out against. Seeing the cow still gazing at him, he shouted, “What the hell do you want?”
The bovine lowed once before dropping her head to the grass at the side of the road, as if to answer his question. Realizing he was trying to pick a fight with a cow, he managed to laugh at himself as he climbed into the bed of the truck.
Finding a semi-comfortable spot, he made another call, this one to Heero. He quickly explained he had been detained and would be arriving a few days later than promised, apologizing for any inconvenience. Heero had offered something that resembled a smile and said he would be welcome whenever he arrived, be it in an hour or a month.
While waiting for the help Quatre enlisted, Trowa watched the cow, now joined by several others. Strangely, he envied their carefree lifestyle; all they had to do was eat, make milk and babies, then eat some more. He was working up the courage to cross the road, wanting to see what a cow felt like, hoping to pet one of the slumberous animals when a tow truck approached.
Jumping out of the back of the truck, he moved away when he realized there would be no conversation before his truck was hitched, the tow truck backing in front of the invalid vehicle expertly. Wanting to offer some assistance but not knowing if it would be welcome, he stayed back until the driver’s door opened, walking forward as a small, slender figure jumped out.
His truck had finally stopped billowing smoke, allowing him a perfect view of someone he hadn’t thought of in years. Shock kept his tongue locked when cobalt eyes pinned him. “Long time no see, Trowa.”
Duo didn’t seem to expect any sort of response because he quickly went into action, hooking Trowa’s truck to the tow line with movements that told of doing it many times before. By the time Trowa unglued his mouth, Duo was heading back to the tow truck’s cab, making a small gesture for him to get in.
Clambering into the cab, Trowa continued to stare as Duo put the truck in gear and pulled onto the road, eventually finding a spot wide enough to turn around. After several minutes, the long-haired man slanted a look across the torn leather bench seat, “Stop staring at me.”
“Why are you here?”
Going up an incline, Duo downshifted easily, eyes darting from the road to the truck being towed. “Quatre called and said you needed help. I’m the closest, so here I am.”
“Buy why are you here? The last I heard you decided to go back to the colonies.”
Duo stayed silent for so long Trowa believed he wasn’t going to get an answer. As the town came into sight, the other man gave a half shrug. “I came back about seven years ago. This place was perfect for what I needed.”
“And what was that?” Trowa envisioned parties, drinking, and multiple rendezvous with men and women alike.
“Solitude.” Glancing over, Duo gave a snort as he saw the disbelief on his passengers face. “Nobody asks questions around here and I get left alone most of the time. It’s the way I like it.”
Feeling awkward, Trowa realized Duo wasn’t happy about doing this favor for him. “I won’t tell anyone I saw you. Just drop me off at a hotel.”
Stopping for the only red-light visible on what appeared to be Main Street, Duo raised both eyebrows and jerked his head toward the cluster of stores lined up along the street. “Does this look like the kind of place that has a hotel? There’s a motel off highway nineteen, but its rooms are rented mostly by the hour and maid service leaves a lot to be desired.” Shifting gears, Duo made the tow truck creep through the intersection, “You’ll be staying with me until we get your truck fixed.”
“I don’t want to impose.”
The expression on Duo’s face said that he was not only imposing, he was intruding where he clearly wasn’t wanted. He was trying to think of alternate options when Duo spoke, “You don’t really have a choice in the matter and since Quatre once did a favor for me, I don’t have a choice either. A day or two in each other’s company won’t be so bad, I guess.”
Wondering what favor Quatre had done for Duo, Trowa found a flaw in the summation. “You’re doing a favor for me, not Quatre.”
“He’s the one that asked, so in my opinion it’s his favor. Just consider this a freebie for you, all right?”
They drove for twenty more minutes before Duo turned onto a gravel road. Reaching a large house, Trowa blinked, stunned how beautiful the surrounding area was. Trowa jumped out of the truck with none of the casual ease Duo had, almost falling on his face as he landed on gravel that shifted under his feet. Face burning with embarrassment, he looked up and found Duo watching him with a small smile, “Where I lived, the road stayed still,” he commented. “This is your house?”
“It’s not much, but it’s home,” Duo replied, his gaze turning toward the house. “The house and land were both in need of work, so I got them pretty cheap.”
“How much land?”
“A hundred and seventy acres.” The cobalt-eyed man smirked as Trowa’s bag fell from numb fingers to land on the gravel with a clunk. “I own pretty much everything from the city limits to another fifteen miles from here. Everything you see now is mine.”
“What do you do with it all?”
Duo opened the front door, which was unlocked, and walked inside. Following just behind him, Trowa immediately realized this was a house you could feel comfortable in, whether you had company or was alone. He had no time to satisfy his curiosity, having to hurry his steps to catch up to his host, already ascending the stairs to the second floor.
“Most of the land is undeveloped. It’s a good way to make sure I have the privacy I want,” Duo gave Trowa a pointed look over his shoulder, a silent reminder his privacy was being infringed upon. “Some of it is rented to other people that wanted to own land but can’t afford it any other way, kind of a rent-to-own deal. The twenty acres surrounding the house is used for the farm.”
Trowa didn’t know much about farming, but he did know enough to ask one intelligent question, “What kind of farm?”
Reaching a closed door, Duo opened it and stepped inside, “I hope this will be okay. It’s not much, but it’s the only spare room I’ve finished so far.”
“It’s fine,” Trowa placed his bag on the neatly made bed, his eyes taking in every small detail of the room, all the way down to the shiny hardwood floor with rugs adorning it. “Honestly, it’s great. Whoever did the decorating had a great eye,” he added appraisingly as he let his eyes roam the reds and purples that should have clashed but actually made the room appear larger than it was.
“Thanks. I just went with what felt comfortable.” Duo shrugged as Trowa gave him a stunned expression. “As for the farm, it’s mostly cattle. There’s a lot of acreage used for hay, but I have some other crops, too. There are a few other animals. I have some horses, chickens, and sheep, but mostly cattle.”
“That’s a lot of work for one person,” observed Trowa, unpacking his things. It had been a long time since he had lived out of a bag and he didn’t intend to start again.
“I have a small crew that works full-time and it’s easy enough to hire seasonal help when it’s needed.”
“Don’t you need help milking the cows? I thought that was done daily.”
Duo smiled fully at the question. “I might if this was a dairy farm. It’s a ranch, Trowa. We came in the back way or you would have seen the signs.”
“A ranch?” Trowa shook his head as he put clothes in the dresser on one side of the room. “I don’t know the difference. It’s still a farm, right?”
“In a way, I suppose. I raise beef cattle. At the end of the season, when they’re fully grown, I sell the cattle.”
Recalling the soulful brown eyes of the cow that had studied him from across the paved road, Trowa felt a little nauseous. “You raise them so they can be killed?”
“I guess you’ve never eaten a steak or hamburger before,” Duo drawled. At Trowa’s blank stare, he added, “That meat has to come from somewhere and it’s profitable.”
“I think I might become a vegetarian.”
“In my mind, it’s best to eat the things you take care of yourself. At least I know how it’s been tended. I’ll let you get settled now. I’m gonna take a look at your truck.”
“You’ll need some help, won’t you?”
“I have all the help I need. Take your time, make yourself at home. There’s food and stuff in the fridge if you’re hungry, but I eat dinner pretty early.”
Trowa nodded then forced himself to stand as Duo began to leave the room. “Duo, I really appreciate this. I’ll try not to get in your way while I’m here.”
The cobalt-eyed man offered a genuine smile, “It won’t be that bad. I always liked you.”
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