Home For The Holidays
Part One: Introduction
Quatre Winner's home, or rather, one if his homes, was awash with
activity. The servants were frantic, finishing one task just to run to
a different part of almost mansion to do another, trying to finish all
the preparations before they had to leave that night. Holly was hung
from the staircase banisters, mistletoe was strung at the tops of
doorways, a Christmas tree was put up, and two weeks worth of food was
prepared and set aside in the refrigerator. Trowa Barton stood in the
kitchen, listening to the head chef as he told him how to prepare the
various dishes. Both he and Quatre had decided the holidays would be
best spent without the multitude of help Quatre's sisters usually sent
to him, and they were giving them the time off. Which meant, of course,
that they would have to fend for themselves.
But that, as Quatre had pointed out, wouldn't be so hard for so many
grown adults.
* * *
Chicago was a cold, windy place. The weather had probably been the
reason Duo Maxwell had left and moved to California... but now he was
back just in time for Christmas, without his wife, and without his son.
Duo stumbled out of the airport, prepared the hail a taxi, distraught
and frustrated. It certainly didn't feel Christmas-y, with all the
traffic that he swore was trying to run him over. True, though, some
one was playing the Jingle Bell Rock on a continuous loop over the
sounds of traffic, and neon candy canes were hung from lampposts,
but... maybe he just wasn't in the mood. It took him five tries to flag
down a cab, and he was about to climb in when a familiar voice called
out to him.
"Duo Maxwell. Home for the holidays?"
Duo turned around. "Heero? Heero Yuy?"
The Asian man smiled, nodding at Duo. "I knew it was you. Do you want a
ride?"
Duo sighed, looking back at the taxi cab. It was no doubt cold, and not
comfortable at all. And he remembered Heero drove a BMW in his youth...
"Sure. Why not?"
Heero smiled again, moving to get Duo's luggage from where the braided
boy had just stowed it in the trunk. "Are you headed to the Winner
home?"
Duo nodded. It was an hour and a half away from the airport, but Heero
was no doubt heading there any way. "Yeah. What are you doing here at
the airport?"
"I just came back from a business trip."
Duo followed the other boy as he led the way to the parking lot,
stopping in front of a new Lexus. Heero pressed the button on his key
chain to unlock the doors, and Duo let himself into the passenger's
side as Heero put his luggage away. Heero joined him a few seconds
later, turning on the engine and flooding the car with heat. Duo held
his hands over the small heaters as Heero pulled out of the parking
space, just now realizing how cold he had been. "I haven't seen you in
years."
"Fourteen," Heero supplied. Duo turned his head to study him, to see if
there was any bitterness at all in his expression. But his face was
completely void of any emotion at the moment. It reminded him of when
he had first met the other boy. "Not since graduation."
"So. What have you been up to?"
"This and that."
So he had reverted back to his curt answers. Duo sighed, looking out
the window, wishing he hadn't mentioned their time apart. "So you still
live in the same old place?"
Heero flexed his fingers around the steering wheel before relaxing into
his chair. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. Where are you now?"
"Sunny California." Duo smiled sadly, thinking he could be wearing a
t-shirt right now if he was home.
"Were you that eager to get away from me?" Heero chuckled a little,
trying to turn the self-depreciatory remark into a joke. Duo snapped
his head at the comment, surprised that Heero had said it, but Heero
was just staring out into the highway.
"No, I...no. It's just that's where we ended up." He didn't notice
Heero blanch slightly at the use of the word 'we'.
Heero swallowed the lump in his throat, wondering why he was torturing
himself by bringing up the past. "So how are the wife and kid?"
Duo frowned. "There's no wife any more, we're separated. And as for
Solo, he decided he'd rather spend winter break with his boyfriend
family than with my little dysfunctional one."
Heero nodded, deliberately constraining himself from reading too much
into the first half of Duo's statements. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Isn't Solo a little young to be staying with his boyfriend?"
Duo closed his eyes and groaned. "That's what I think too. He thinks I
should be grateful, that he's informing me of his plans to lose his
virginity and he's doing it in a safe and loving environment. Kids
today, he's only fourteen. But Hilde decided he'd go and do it anyway,
without our consent, so... there's really nothing I can do about it.
But that's enough about me... what have you been up to?"
"I've taken over my father's business." Heero pulled into an exit,
looking for a gas station. He hadn't realized his tank was so low on
fuel. "Do you want anything from the station?"
Duo shook his head, not willing to let Heero spend money on him. "I
think I'll get some sunflower seeds while you're pumping gas, though."
Heero smiled slightly. Duo had always loved sunflower seeds. Heero
stopped his car at an Exxon, both of them getting out as Heero locked
the door. Duo ran through the cold into the gas station, shivering once
he was in. He would never get used to this cold again. He went to the
rest room first to freshen up, then almost skipped to the aisle with
the snack foods, bringing a slim package up to the register and looking
out the glass storefront. Heero had already paid for the gas and was
back outside.
Duo ripped open the package, opting to stay inside the store until
Heero was finished. He spilled some of the seeds into his hand, then
into his mouth, leaving the station only as he saw Heero lifting the
nozzle out of the gas tank. Then he ran out, sliding into the
passenger's seat just as snow started falling. Duo smiled slightly. He
kind of liked snow.
"Did you get your sunflower seeds?"
Duo nodded happily as he continued to chew on the tiny things, his face
an expression of contentment.
"There's something strange about eating sunflower seeds in the winter,
if you ask me."
Duo laughed a little. "Well, I never asked, did I."
Heero smiled, sneaking a glance over at his longtime friend. Duo looked
really good. He had always been handsome, but he looked especially nice
today. Or maybe it was just that Heero hadn't seen him in so long. Duo
was dressed in a loose white sweater that still managed to cling to his
chest and shoulders, made out of some soft cloudy material, over a pair
of semi-tight black jeans and short black leather boots. He had one leg
propped up against the dashboard, the other stuck straight out in the
opposite direction, chin held up in the palm of his hand.
Heero turned his head away, focusing on driving, somewhat ashamed that
he had been staring. Duo had never, ever really returned his clumsy
advances, and he knew his interest wasn't wanted. They drove the rest
of the way in mostly silence, sometimes having bits of conversations
here and there. Heero finally pulled up to Duo's house, and they sat in
the car for a moment in awkward silence.
"Thanks for the ride, Heero."
"Any time." Duo's hand was laying motionless on the leather seat
cushion beside his thigh, and he couldn't help himself. He reached out
and put his hand over Duo's, pressing his palm gently against the soft
skin. "I'm glad you're home."
Duo fidgeted uncomfortably, staring at Heero's hand over his own. After
a few moments Heero realized what he was doing, reluctantly drawing his
hand away and blushing in shame.
"I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to do that. I mean, I didn't mean to
make you uncomfortable, I know..." Heero clenched his eyes shut and
sighed, leaning into the steering wheel, not knowing what to say. "I'm
sorry."
"Look, Heero, it's okay." Duo shifted in his seat, unbuckling his seat
belt. "Don't bother getting up, I can handle my stuff myself."
Heero didn't watch as Duo got up and out of the car, walking to the
trunk of the Lexus. He wanted to help the other boy, but Duo's earlier
statement had sounded rather like a command, and he didn't want to make
their now tentative friendship any more awkward. He started the car up
again as Duo walked to the house, then drove off as Duo disappeared
inside.
Duo unlocked the front door, slipping inside quietly. He could hear
voices coming from the living room, but he really didn't want to talk
to any one that would be in there right now. Instead, he snuck up the
staircase towards his childhood room, opening the door to be comforted
by the smell of vanilla and cedar. It was just like he remembered it...
posters, furniture, even the covers on the twin sized beds were all the
same as he remembered. On some level, it was nice to be home. He just
hoped he could live through the holidays.
Duo dumped his luggage on the bed, opening his back pack first. Inside
sat several packs of sunflower seeds... but he hadn't packed any. He
sighed sadly. "Heero."