"Q, you don't have a clue, do you?" Duo hisses into the vidphone. "No, you listen to me," he quickly adds as the man on the screen opens his mouth to speak. "Deal with Relena. The two of you are going to cover for us. Mill is staying with me and we are going to disappear. Get that?" He quickly glances at the inert form on the bed and lowers his voice. "Nobody, and I mean nobody," he pauses to let it sink in, "finds us. Between the two of you, I'm sure you can manage it. He's a wreck, Q. What you've been doing's only made it worse."
"I thought..." the man on the screen begins.
"No, you didn't." Duo wraps his braid around his hand and unwinds it again. "For a genius, when it comes to men you don't think with the right equipment. You're supposed to be using your brains, not your balls. Your space heart isn't all that reliable when it comes to the men you have sex with. Some things you just can't take for granted."
"He's beautiful, Duo," Quatre says as he leans closer to the screen, "and he's so willing."
"Willing?" The ex-Deathscythe pilot snorts in disgust. "You don't want to know what he thought he was doing." He studies the sleeping beauty on the bed, the hard look in his violet eyes softening at the sight of the single sheet twisted and tangled about long bare legs, almost concealing a firm butt. "Did you even try talking to him? Did you think to listen? He was drunk as a skunk last night, but I heard enough of what he thought was going on to make me sick."
Quatre looks down at his tightly clenched hands. "Relena thought..."
"Relena knows jack-shit about what's going on with him," Duo cuts in. "You're married to her now, you handle her. Tell her I'll take care of him but I don't want her interfering. I'll keep in touch. Don't contact us. We'll be gone for as long as it takes for him to feel better, and if it takes forever, that's how long it'll take." He checks the bed again. Platinum tresses curtain a peacefully sleeping face. He visibly relaxes and leans back. "I made a promise to him, Q, not to you, not to Relena, and I'm going to keep it."
"Thanks." Staring intently at the videophone's camera, Quatre lowers his voice. "I owe you for this."
"No, you don't." Duo's tone is equally low. "Like I said, I'm not doing this for you." He jolts upright, looking at the bed. "He's waking up, I gotta go." A flick of the wrist disconnects the call as he springs out of the chair and dives for the bed.
A pale arm reaches out and encounters only empty space and rough cotton sheets. "Treize," murmurs a voice husky with sleep. The loud throbbing and familiar disorientation keep his eyes firmly closed, and a handsome face turns into the pillow in an attempt to stay asleep. A fully clothed body molds to his back and someone blows in his ear. The resultant cascade of sound elicits a groan.
"Nope," a too cheerful voice announces. "No white knights here, just li'l ol' me."
"Ugh..." is all Mill can manage in protest as the comforting, if loud, presence leaves the bed. He almost convinces himself that the presence is part of a dream when a cold, wet something caresses the back of his neck. Hair is then gently brushed from the side of his face as blown air tickles his ear again.
"Better?" Duo asks, using the wet towel to wipe down Mill's neck and shoulders. He climbs back onto the bed, straddling the prone man, and leans forward to be almost cheek to cheek with him.
Warm breath wafts against Mill's cheek as the soft, breathy word drifts past his consciousness. The body is pressed against his back again, lying on top of him.
"Can you sit up for me? I've got a drink for you." Whispering in a slightly melodic chant, Duo runs his fingers up and down the outstretched arm.
Only one word registers amongst the throbbing cacophony in Mill's head. "Drink?" His face lifts off the pillow.
"Yeah, drink." Duo slides his arm under Mill's body as he shifts to the side and manhandles the larger blonde into semi-upright position in his lap. The sleepy prince burrows into his chest, arms snaking out to wrap around his waist. He leans over slightly to retrieve the promised drink from the nightstand. Holding the glass between still lips, he tilts it slightly to let the bright orange liquid wet the upper lip. The mouth takes a tentative sip and immediately, ice blue eyes open. "Drink it up, it'll help with your hangover," he says, planting a kiss on top of a platinum fringe.
"It's fluorescent orange," Mill states, regarding the glass suspiciously. "Tastes foul, too." A definite pout starts to form in tandem with the frown.
Stifling a grin, Duo lowers his head to tease the offered lower lip, nibbling gently on it. "Drink up. I have some candy waiting to take the ickiness from your mouth." He repositions the rim of the glass and holds it there while Mill obediently gulps the liquid down.
"Ugh," the blonde grunts, swallowing the last of the drink. The glass disappears, to be replaced by supple lips and an invading tongue. Sucking at the minty fresh invader, he whimpers as it withdraws, leaving the mint candy behind. Mill shifts, snuggling into the waiting arms and sighs when slow circular strokes rub his back. The throbbing eases. As he drifts off back to sleep, he feels Duo's tongue retrieving the mint from his mouth. Keeping his eyes closed, he allows the kiss to deepen and savors the slowly building warmth in the center of his being. A distant part of his mind struggles to wake up, scorning the comfort being offered, screaming against the glow in the dying embers of his soul. He struggles out of Duo's embrace to fall, flat on his back, on the bed. "Please don't," he whispers, staring into violet eyes, dark with passion.
"Don't what?" Duo asks, moving to lie on top of the prince.
Mill spreads his legs to accommodate the other man's position. Feeling their groins brush through the thin sheet and clothes, he moans and closes his eyes. "Don't," he gasps as warm lips caress the hollow of his neck. "Please..." he breathes, and he is alone again, grasping at thin air.
Tumbling off the bed, Duo plops into a chair and puts the cushion on his lap. The heat building on the back of his neck spreads to his ears and tinges his cheeks. He waits for the panting to subside before saying, "I'm sorry, Mill."
After a long silence, Duo peeks through his fringe at man on the bed. Ice blue eyes are staring at him with an odd bleakness in their depths. "Mill?" There is no reaction to the name. "Zechs?" The gaze remains distant. "Milliard?" A brief flicker of emotion interrupts the vacant stare but fails to take hold. He moves to kneel beside the bed so that they are face to face. Gentle fingers brush the platinum fringe from unblinking eyes. At the touch of his hand, that dazed gaze begins to focus on him. "Good morning. Remember me?"
"No." Pale lips mouth the word but no sound is heard.
Tracing an eyebrow with his thumb, Duo asks, "Remember you?"
"No." This time the word is barely audible.
Duo draws a deep breath and persists. "Remember last night?"
"No..." The answer is a whisper and a slight interest manifests within the blue emptiness of Mill's eyes.
"Remember yesterday?" The man kneeling by the bed continues prodding while lightly tracing his fingertips over a long fingered hand lying open between them.
Mill keeps his hand still as the barest of touches draws circles on his palm. "Relena got married, didn't she?" he says when the thought finally forces it's way through fog in his head. "I'm sure I walked her down the aisle...." Looking at the handsome man before him, he struggles to retain the quickly dissipating memory. "Was that... yesterday?" he asks, losing the battle.
"Yep," is the encouraging reply. "I was the best man," Duo supplies, his smile firmly in place.
"That was you?" Mill frowns, focusing on the pert nose just beyond the edge of the bed. "I thought it was Winner's gundam pilot friend..." His brows furrow further in his attempt to stir his lazy thought processes. "The one with the braid."
Duo's grin widens as he reaches for the familiar rope resting against his back. "That's me," he says, pulling the braid over his shoulder. "Remember me now?" He uses the brush-like tip to tickle the aristocratic nose of the slowly waking man. He is rewarded by half a choked sneeze.
"Yes," Mill replies with a sad sigh.
Lifting a single eyebrow, Duo rests his arms on the edge of the bed. "Don't sound so excited," he says, allowing just a hint of sarcasm to color his tone.
Mill rolls over onto his back and looks up at the cracked ceiling. "You don't want me..." He makes a sound suspiciously like a sniff while wrinkling his nose.
Duo's jaw drops to the back of his hands. He blinks a few times before saying, "I almost had my wicked way with you a few minutes ago and I don't want you? How you figure that?"
"You didn't," Mill states, placing his hands under his head for better support.
"Didn't what?" Annoyance edges his voice as Duo prepares to stand. The weak chuckle from the prince on the bed stops him.
"Have your wicked way with me," Mill explains with a patient sigh.
Duo settles back down onto his knees. "You said, 'don't, please'," he reminds the naked man on the bed. "That's a 'no' in my books."
The frown reappears on blonde brows as Mill attempts to catch a fleeting memory. "You didn't last night, either," he voices his success, "and I wasn't saying no then."
"You were drunk!" Duo points out, louder than he had intended, and he winces sympathetically to Mill's reaction. "I wasn't going to take advantage of it," he says at a much lower volume. "I'm not some old lech." He stabs a finger into the prominent ribs of the body in front of him. "I'm not Quatre." Three others join the single finger and he runs his hand over bones so close under pale skin. "Or any of the men who take you to bed just because you want a cuddle or they want your bod." His explorations stop before going lower to the abdomen. He swallows before continuing. "I'm the one who promised to rescue you from all that, remember?"
"Not that bit," Mill says, turning his head to face the man beside the bed. "No." The earlier interest returns to his baby blues. "Did you really?"
Duo meets the pale gaze with firm conviction in his own. "I did," he says, keeping his violet eyes locked on those of ice blue. "Really." He pushes for more while the focus is still there. "Remember my name?"
"Duo Maxwell?" is the rewarding, if uncertain, answer.
"Very good. Call me Duo." His grin returns at the minor victory and he trails his fingers in circles over those disturbing ribs. "So, what do I call you?"
Mill closes his eyes when the circular hand motion commences on his body. "Hmmm?" he asks, feeling the pleasant warmth spread.
Duo sighs as he realizes the effect his actions are having on the blonde. "You weren't answering to any of your names before," he says, providing a gentle reminder. The slow relaxing of previously tense muscles convinces him to continue despite the potential loss of attentiveness. "A name's not much use if you don't know it's yours," he explains.
Taking his first deep breath of the morning, Mill almost smiles as the fog in his mind lightens to a pleasant mist. "Call me anything you want," he mumbles, keeping his eyes firmly shut.
All motion stops as Duo stares in surprise at the prone man. "How about the name I gave you last night?" he asks, holding his breath.
"Huh?" Mill grunts and shifts slightly under the still hand, deciding not to force the memory.
Duo sighs. "Nevermind," he says, smiling at the not so subtle attempts to get his hand moving again. Complying, he rubs the flat stomach. "I'll use it when you want it."
"What is it?" A slight curiosity swirls the mists in Mill mind, dispersing them a little.
"If you want it, you'll remember it." Duo climbs onto the bed to stretch out beside the prince. "So..." He returns to his gentle ministrations. "What do I call you in the meantime?"
"Anything you want," Mill insists, sidling up to the warm body so temptingly close to him.
"Well, let's see..." Grinning at the decidedly snuggling prince, Duo props some pillows against the bed-head. "Hey you, is the most obvious," he begins, "then there's blondie, baby, honey, sugar..."
"Some of those are endearments..." Mill interrupts the list. "Sweet endearments." His brows draw together adorably. "Next you'll be calling me toffee, lollipop and gateau." A pout starts but stalls as he whispers, "Do you really want me as your baby?"
"Don't you wanna be Duo's babe?" is the counter question. Lips brush the irresistable Peacecraft forehead.
Mill abandons all pretence at aloofness with that encouraging action and removes his hands from under his head to slide them around a slim waist. His head finds a comfortable spot in the crook of a willing shoulder and the arms embracing him assure him of a much-needed acceptance. "It has rather possessive connotations," he states when they are comfortably settled in their new position.
"And how is that bad?" Duo asks, adding another pillow to the pile behind him. "I can be a possessive kinda guy." He plants a sure kiss on the top of the blonde head.
"It implies wanting me," Mill murmurs into the clothed chest.
Duo runs his fingers through platinum tresses and finds a knotted tangle. "Why shouldn't I want you?"
"You don't know me," is the mumbled reply.
Gently, Duo teases the knot loose. "I can find out."
"I don't know me," Mill admits quietly, closing his eyes again. The knot forming in the pit of his stomach almost makes him regret his increasing wakefulness. The feel of fingers combing through his hair makes him grateful this isn't a dream. He wonders when the nightmare will start.
Finding another tangle, Duo plays with it. "Then we'll get to know you together," he says in as soothing a tone as he can manage, feeling a slight change in the rhythms of the body plastered against him.
"How could you want me like this?" There is a lifeless quality to Mill's voice. "There's nothing left of me that's worth anything," he states, letting go and trying sit up.
Duo releases platinum tangles and holds the prince's head to his chest with one hand while the other applies pressure to the small of his back, keeping their bodies molded together. He hangs on until all attempts at movement cease. Then he rubs the broad back in circles, waiting for Mill's labored breathing to calm. "On L2 they call me the junkman," he informs the man in his arms. "Hilde and I, we own a junkyard. We collect rubbish." He shifts to a more comfortable position for both of them. "Other people's rubbish. We make a good living from it." Between the stroking of platinum tresses and the rubbing of a bare back, Duo finally feels Mill relaxing against his body again. "You'd be amazed at what people throw away," he continues. "Stuff some people consider worthless can be priceless to others." The motions of his hands stop. "It's a matter of knowing what different people want. It takes a special instinct to find it, to look through all that rubbish and see the real value that's there." He wraps his arms around the prince in an embrace. "So, you see yourself as so much rubbish." Burying his face in spun white gold, he takes a deep breath. "My nose tells me that there's something priceless in all that rubbish and I want to find it." He pauses, allowing his words time to have an impact. "It might take me some time to sort through the whole mess but I'm willing to look."
Mill lifts his face off the black T-shirt to look up into the violet eyes waiting for his questioning gaze.
"I just need you to give me the time to sort through the junk," Duo says, maintaining eye contact. "And you need to hand the stuff over, too." He leans down to kiss slightly parted lips, keeping it a chaste touch and an exchange of breaths. "So that'll make you my baby, right?"
Licking his lips, Mill asks, "You really want all of it? To be responsible for me? The mess of my life? Everything?"
"Everything." Duo tastes the offered mouth this time, deepening the kiss to steal Mill's breath away. "You just let me take care of everything," he gasps when they surface for air.
Eyes closed, Mill burrows into Duo's embrace. "Do I get to wake up in your arms every morning?"
"I'll be here, on the same bed with you, when you wake up every morning." Duo emphasizes his statement with a quick squeeze. "I promise."
"Really?" Mill's heartbeat pounds in his ears. He feels the muscles on his back, from neck down to butt, tense.
"Really." Feeling the sudden stiffness in the posture of the body in his arms, Duo frowns. "I never lie," he says, "and I've yet to break a promise." His left hand tentatively resumes tracing circles on the bare back. "I found you that sunset, didn't I?"
"Sunset?" Mill struggles to calm down and make some sense of the words being uttered, hardly daring to believe the unspoken implications. "Oh yes... we rode off into the sunset yesterday," he mutters.
"Now," Duo takes a deep breath and touches his cheek to Mill's, whispering into his ear, "I want you to make me a promise."
Mill's breath catches in his throat. "What promise do you want from me?" he chokes out.
Rubbing their cheeks together, Duo asks, "What's it worth to you to have me there every morning?"
"What do you want from me?" Mill tries not to clench his hands into fists, forcing them to stay open.
Duo backs up, his fingers caressing Mill's face where his cheek had been a moment ago. "Well," he says, with only a hint of a smile in his eyes, "if I'm going to be there for you in the morning, how about you be there for me at night?" Violet irises darken to the color of the midnight sky. "Stone cold sober."
"Sober?" Mill squeaks. "I..." Words fail him as he gapes at the younger man. "I don't enjoy sharing my bed sober," he manages to utter in a rush.
"We're going to have to share a bed if you're going to wake up with me every morning," Duo points out with a slight smile.
Breath coming in harsh gasps, Mill tries to explain. "But I don't like sex with..." Again, coherency deserts him.
"Say it." Duo pushes for the words.
"Strangers when I'm sober." Mill completes his thought aloud.
Duo smiles at the admission. "Promise to get into bed sober," he begins, "and we agree to no sex unless both of us want it," he announces as if making a grand concession.
Mill's eyes narrow. "Both of us?"
"Both... of... us..." Repeating the words slowly, Duo clarifies further, "You can say no, and so can I."
All the extra oxygen in his bloodstream clears away the last of the cobwebs in Mill's head. "I prefer to sleep naked," he ventures bravely forward, not daring to believe in what this old enemy might be offering.
"So do I." Duo winks, removing his fingers from the slightly stubbled cheek to brush an unruly fringe from the ice blue eyes staring at him. "I don't mind if you don't mind."
"What are the rules on cuddling?" Mill asks, noting the twinkle in violet eyes.
"That's why we're discussing sharing a bed, aren't we?" Duo chuckles at the suddenly boneless body in his arms. "I like to cuddle." The blonde head returns to its resting place on his chest. "How about you?"
"I promise," Mill mumbles, releasing the last of the tension in his muscles. He sighs contentedly.
"To?" is the insistent prompt.
Feeling like a recalcitrant schoolboy, Mill completes his answer, "Go to bed sober." The knot in his stomach loosens slightly.
Duo smiles. "Good."
A warm flush at the clear and smug approval of his promise prompts Mill to go a step further. "It's all yours," he says, and a single ray of light pierces the darkest recesses of his heart.
"All mine?" Blinking, Duo wonders at the sudden shift in subject matter, unsure of its direction.
Mill's breath stops. "The mess that's my life is all yours," he whispers. "I don't want it."
"Thank you." Duo sighs in relief, once again on sure footing in the conversation.
Mill starts breathing again, if somewhat raggedly, the tightening knot in his stomach unraveling completely.
"I'll find something worth a thousand stars in that mess; you just wait and see," Duo says, grinning from ear to ear.
Mill snorts in disbelief. "Are you always this cheerful in the morning?" he asks instead, winding his long legs around worn denim.
"Once I'm awake, sure." Duo removes a leg from the tangle of princely limbs to tickle the bottom of an accessible bare foot with his sock-covered big toe. "Let me guess, you're not a morning person. Right?"
Stifling a giggle, Mill mumbles, "I haven't enjoyed mornings in a long time."
"How long?" Grinning, Duo tries harder for the laughter he can sense just below the surface. He works his toe up a slim calf towards a knee.
"Since before the p... peace." Choking back his laughter, Mill scrambles to the other edge of the bed away from the merciless toe, leaving the sheet behind. "Where am I?" he asks, looking for some sort of covering.
"In a cheap motel about half a day's ride from where we're going." Duo leans into his nest of pillows and enjoys the view. "Are you awake yet?"
"Almost..." Mill stubbornly lies down, turning onto his stomach. "Why am I almost sober?" His eyes narrow, suspicion clearly mirrored in them.
Duo's violet eyes dance with laughter as he squarely meets the narrowed gaze. "You've been drunk for how long?" he wonders aloud.
Mill grumbles, "I should still be drunk." The pout finally makes a full appearance.
"No, you shouldn't..." Duo counters. "Don't try to sabotage my rescue efforts." He opens up his arms and winks while making come hither movements with his head.
"What rescue efforts?" Mill crawls back into the inviting embrace. "You mentioned this before." Using his legs to trap potential ticklers, his head finds nestling space between a long neck and a well-muscled shoulder. He resists the urge to purr.
"How much do you remember from last night now?" Duo picks up another platinum tangle and gently works it loose with his fingers.
Mill pokes a finger into a taut abdomen. "You found us a sunset to ride off into." A second finger joins the first. "You were calling me Zee for some odd, obscure reason."
"Ahhh..." Duo pushes the prince off his shoulder to look him in the eye. "You remember the name," he says with a delighted smile. "Do you remember the reason?"
Mill blinks at his sudden upright position with a rather blank expression on his face.
"Oh...kay..." Duo tries again. "Do you remember the talk we had in the palace garden?"
A slow shake of the blonde head from side to side is accompanied the same blank look.
Duo produces an exaggerated sigh. "Do you think it'll come back to you when you're fully awake?"
Mill returns his head to its chosen resting spot. "Perhaps..." he breathes into a rather cute ear with only a slight tilt to the side. "What does it have to do with your rescue effort?"
"Well, it's why we're not in Cinq anymore. We'll discuss it further when you remember last night." Duo concludes his explanations and glances at the clock. "So, you ready to get up?"
"No." Mill closes his eyes with grim determination. "Do I have to?" he mumbles after a moment's thought.
"It's almost noon." Loosening the last of the tangles, Duo finger combs the silken tresses with long, sure strokes. He almost stops when he hears something sounding suspiciously like a purr coming from the prince. "Aren't you hungry?"
"No," Mill says quietly. "I'm never hungry. I want to stay here." He yawns. "Do we have to move?"
"No, baby." A feathery light kiss is delivered to the top of the platinum head. "We don't have to move."
"If I fall asleep," Mill murmurs, "will you still be here when I wake up?" He recognizes the plaintive tone he had meant to avoid in his question and realizes that he doesn't care.
"I'll be right here. I'll always be here, baby," Duo says, settling them down for an afternoon snooze.
Mill sighs and allows his last waking thoughts to drift towards his old friend. 'I know I said I'd come looking for you after the wedding, Treize, but... I've just given my life away. The next time I wake up alone, I'll come looking for you, my love. I promise.' He feels warm breath against his cheek and the steady heartbeat under his hand. They lull him back to dreamland and into the arms of the man waiting there.
The End