Warnings and disclaimers in first part.
The trip to the grocery store went without incident, although Trowa did slip away to make a few purchases he didn’t tell Duo about. Assuming the tall man needed something for work, Duo didn’t ask about the bag Trowa kept at his feet in the truck. At home, the braided man was ordered to take a shower while the groceries were put away.
Clean and freshly braided, Duo stopped when he entered the living room, his face revealing confusion at the scene before him. It shouldn’t have been an unusual sight, but he had hadn’t seen Trowa relaxing on the couch since the other man had moved in, a glass of wine in his hand and his bare feet propped up on the coffee table.
He must have made some noise because Trowa turned his head, smiling when he saw Duo. Gesturing the small man forward, Trowa leaned forward and took another glass from the table, already filled, “You like wine, don’t you?” he asked as the long-haired man sat.
“I do, but I don’t drink it when I’m alone. A beer every once in a while is one thing, but wine is far too easy to lose yourself in,” Duo explained as he took the glass, sitting down cautiously as he took a sip, unsure what to think. “It’s good.”
His surprise came again as Trowa reached down to pick up a small bottle that had been beside the couch, out of Duo’s sight. Eyebrows shot into Duo’s hairline as he recognized the label, the same he had seen at Zechs’ apartment on more than one occasion, “Massage oil?”
“For your back and feet, Duo. Zechs said…He gave you a back massage the other night, didn’t he?”
Wondering when Zechs and Trowa had talked, Duo nodded, “He did, but that doesn’t mean you have to.”
“Let me help you. We have plenty of time before dinner and I think I’ve been causing you to hurt worse by asking you to do things with me every night.”
Duo gave it serious thought before nodding his head minutes later. Turning his back to the other man, he shivered as his shirt was pulled up and then shuddered when oiled hands pressed on his muscles, feeling much more intimate than when Zechs had done the same thing. To keep himself from thinking how the strong, oiled fingers would feel elsewhere, he talked, “I’m surprised you didn’t have plans for tonight, or did you cancel them?”
“I have a confession to make,” Trowa didn’t answer his question at all, leaving Duo more confused. “There are as many rumors about you as there are about Zechs, but not of the same sort. He has a reputation of someone that sleeps around…a lot. Your reputation is one of a partier, someone that is always on the go. Everyone thinks of you as a social creature, but you’re not, are you?”
Feeling the ache in his back begin to fade, Duo drank some wine slowly, glad he hadn’t taken any of the aspirin yet. Over the counter remedy or not, he didn’t like mixing alcohol and pills. “Explain what you mean by that before I answer. I like being around people,” he frowned, not understanding.
“You like being around people, but not all the time,” Trowa said softly. “You also prefer to be with people you know, don’t you?”
“I enjoy meeting new people, but for the most part, I’d rather be with people I know, yes. I enjoy spending time with my friends, people I trust.”
“The common belief is that you go out almost every night, meeting people and going to parties.” Trowa paused for a long moment, making Duo wonder if he should say something. Eventually, the green-eyed man spoke again, just as quietly, “None of that is true, is it?”
“I like to go out and do stuff with you guys on weekends, but during the week I’d rather stay home,” Duo admitted. “I’m around people all day long when I’m at the greenhouse, so I like being able to rest after the day is over.”
“I had a feeling you were going to say that. After seeing part of what you do today, I can’t blame you for wanting to be at home. Duo, I’m afraid I believed those rumors about you wanting to go out all the time, so I’ve found ways to keep you with me almost all week. I assumed you would be gone all the time and we’d never see each other and acted like an idiot. If I had asked what you wanted to do without guessing, this week would have been a lot less stressful for both of us.”
Turning slightly on the couch, Duo narrowed his eyes at the other man, watching Trowa over his shoulder, “Why would you want to be around me?”
Trowa’s face was red, eyes fixed on Duo’s bare back, “The same reason that caused me to be jealous when you and Devon were in your office today and the same reason that makes me want to strangle Zechs each time I see him, especially when he came out of your room late the other night. I hope it’s the same reason you get nervous when I ask you a direct question. I like you.”
Trying to sort out what Trowa was saying, Duo replied absently, “I like you too, but that doesn’t…” he fell silent when Trowa gripped his chin, forcing his eyes to the green ones that had focused on him as much as possible in the position they were in.
“I like you a lot, Duo. I was afraid that if I didn’t come up with ways to spend time with you there wouldn’t be time to get to know each other better. That’s one of the main reasons I agreed to move in here, but I was stupid enough to listen to rumors instead of simply asking what you want.”
Stunned by the admission, Duo repeated, “You want to get to know me better?”
Trowa’s smile was self-conscious, yet he held Duo’s eyes, “If you feel the same way about me…I’m hoping I haven’t screwed everything up.”
Humbled by the sincerity, Duo smiled, “You haven’t screwed anything up. I do feel the same, but I was starting to think I’d made a huge mistake asking you to move in. I’m glad we’re finally talking about this, although it would have been better a week ago.”
The tall man winced, releasing Duo’s chin, “I’m not an easy person to get along with, Duo. I rarely express how I feel and it’s been said I don’t talk enough.”
Thinking about the long confession, the long-haired man snorted, “You say enough when it’s important. All I ask is that you don’t make assumptions in the future, whether this works out or not.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Trowa gave a small smirk, “The only thing I need to ask right now is…what do you like to do after work and on weekends? I’ll be honest; I like to stay at home most of the time, except for when we all make plans to see each other.”
Snickering as he turned around on the couch slightly, Duo rolled his eyes, “Amazingly, I like to do the same thing, but on Fridays I like going to dinner with Zechs.” Slanting the other man a look, he inquired, “Is that going to be a problem?”
“I don’t think so, as long as I’m occasionally invited…and he doesn’t come out of your room late at night anymore.”
“I think we can work something out. I doubt Zechs will care.”
“According to people at the office, he’s currently in pursuit of one of the accountants,” Trowa noted as he slid his hands up Duo’s spine.
“Haven’t you learned anything about listening to rumors?”
Leaning forward with a grin, Trowa spoke with amusement in his voice, “I won’t listen to rumors about you anymore. When Zechs is being talked about, it’s usually true, Duo.”
Conceding the point, the American laughed as the tension drained from his body, “You make a really good argument.” He sighed heavily when Trowa’s hands moved up to his neck, squeezing the muscles and making Duo’s head fall forward, “That feels really, really good.”
“Are you sure? I have no idea what I’m doing, Duo.”
“You’re doing a really good job for someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
“Zechs had a few suggestions,” Trowa admitted quietly. When Duo turned to lift an eyebrow, the green-eyed man shrugged, “I didn’t know what to do to make up for what I had been doing, so I asked the one person that might have some ideas. Is there anything he doesn’t know about you?”
Duo considered the question for a long moment before giving a half-shrug, “Not that I can think of. He knows about me for a good reason, Trowa. Not only did we date for a while, he’s also one of the only people I feel comfortable talking to about anything. He doesn’t judge me and he occasionally has some good advice.” The braided man laughed lightly, “He told me to talk to you earlier this week and ask what was going on, but I was afraid to hear what you had to say.”
The tall man was silent for a moment before giving Duo an odd look, “Do you talk to Zechs a lot about me?”
“He’s been aware that I feel…something for you for some time, Trowa. I’ve never kept my feelings hidden from him about much of anything. He’s never held it against me.”
When Trowa gently gripped Duo’s shoulders, the smaller man let himself be manipulated on the couch until they were fully facing each other. Emerald green eyes were focused on Duo with an intensity that made him shiver, swallowing hard as he waited to see what Trowa would say. His eyes grew wide when large hands moved from his shoulders to his arms and then to his waist, fingers tightening briefly. “What do you feel for me, Duo?”
“I don’t know, but I feel more than I should for a friend,” the L2 native admitted on a breath. “I wanted to see if there could be something between us, but I didn’t want to lose you as a friend.”
“You could never lose me as a friend, Duo.” Trowa’s first kiss was cautious and hesitant, making Duo sigh with pleasure. “I would like a chance to try as something more,” the tall man admitted softly, hands never leaving Duo’s sides.
With more confidence than he had felt the entire week, Duo ran his hands up Trowa’s arms and around the other man’s neck, pulling them close and whispering against moist lips, “You have a chance, Trowa. As a matter of fact, I’d like to get to know you a lot better as soon as possible.”
Duo squealed as he was abruptly picked up and carried toward his room, laughing as Trowa paused long enough to turn off the lights, leaving the television on, the light illuminating the room they had just vacated. “Where are we going?”
“That should be obvious,” Trowa snorted, smirking as he dropped Duo on the bed. It was a playful side of the tall man Duo had only glimpsed in their years as friends. “I’ve wanted this too long to wait. I’ve wanted you too long to wait, Duo,” Trowa added, abruptly serious.
Stunned by the fervent words, Duo’s eyes were wide as Trowa sat on the edge of the bed, one hand stroking the long-haired man’s braid. “You really want me?” he asked, abruptly unsure of himself.
“I really want you,” the tall man assured quietly, leaning over to kiss Duo with more pressure than he had used before. He suddenly made a noise of surprise as he was yanked to the bed and rolled, gripping Duo’s hips as the smaller man perched on top of him. “Does that mean you want me, too?”
“Oh, yeah,” Duo grinned down at the other man. “I want you. We don’t have to go out this weekend, do we? Have you made any plans that I need to know about?”
“I think I’ve learned my lesson about making plans. As far as the weekend is concerned, I don’t have any desire to go anywhere with anyone, unless you’re there.”
“The only desire I have is to stay home. Any objections to that?”
“None at all. I have a few more desires we can discuss over the weekend, if you’re interested. I’d like to know what your opinions on them are,” Trowa smiled as he tugged Duo down to him.
Before kissing the tall man again, Duo smirked, “I’d love to hear what you have to say. Better yet, you can show me what you’re thinking about.”
“I learned my lesson, Duo. I’ll ask first and not assume anything. That’s what started this entire mess, remember?”
Giving a pointed look to where he sat astride Trowa’s hips, Duo snorted, “I wish all misunderstandings had an outcome this good.”
End
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