Title: Everyone's Dream (part 14)
Author: Mair.
Pairings: 1+2+1, 3+4+3, 5+M+5, D+R+D
Warnings: AU, shounen- ai, sap... angst... unease... rabid photographers. *shakes her head* Bad grammar.
Feedback: I crave it all...
Disclaimer: I own nothing this is all for fan fiction purposes!!!

Everyone's Dream + Part 14

Something wasn't right. His bed never was this oddly shaped. However, he'd take the discomfort if it with the warm body pillow every night. Wait a sec. Body pillow? Duo opened an eye to see Heero curled up with him on two reclined shuttle seats. He propped his chin up on Heero's chest and thought back to the night before. He smiled as he remembered the fun they had with the press. Those that worked for the band new who he was but they would keep their mouths shut about him. They all got along and Hilde, the stage manager, kept her fingers crossed. He wondered what happened to the rest of the band.

Slowly Duo pushed himself upright, yawning. Last night he'd managed to get changed out of his outfit but with all the fun, only managed to get into boxers instead of his sweat pants. The cold air of the shuttle made him shiver as the blanket slid off of him.

He slid off of the chairs and snagged the sweats out of his duffel bag. He got dressed and wandered over to the food dispenser. He waited as the coffee brewed, then poured. He smiled at the aroma and dumped four packets of sugar into the mug. He walked to the shuttle door and opened it. He carefully maneuvered out onto the wing to watch the earth rise through the large shuttle bay window. He sat down on the wing, kicking his feet and drinking his coffee, watching the sun and the earth dance past.

He couldn't believe he was actually conscious at 9am. It was comforting, somehow, to be able to sit, watch the stars and the earth dance in the sky and think of nothing. He took another sip of his coffee. He knew they'd pay for the fun they had with the press. He just hoped it wouldn't be too problematic.

It probably wouldn't be as difficult as putting off Heero. The years under Relena's promise carved their own mark on Heero. Now that he'd been released from the promise, it seemed like he wanted to make up for lost time. When Duo first met Heero, he'd been, in solid denial of what he felt. He'd been attracted to him and hadn't acted on it. Now that he'd been released from the relationship part of that promise, Heero wanted to touch Duo all the time.

Duo sighed. He didn't want to be anyone's sex toy for the short time between Relena and The One. Trieze hadn't understood that and that's why he wasn't here now. Duo closed his eyes. Heero wanted to know what he'd been missing and Duo really wanted to show him but he had to know that Heero was serious. That Heero wouldn't leave when he'd learned all the tricks he had to teach. Almost automatically, Duo took another sip of his coffee.

The worst part of everything that everything he yelled last night at the hotel about Heero he felt was true. He did love Heero. He did get serenaded at the concert. He did feel that Heero was his soul mate. But the word Heero used when apologizing, there are half a dozen levels of love. Duo shook his head. Why should he lower his standards from True Love simply to satisfy what could be a passing desire?

He swallowed the sugar-laden dregs in the cup. A funny thing, true love, Everyone talks like it exists but you go looking for it, waiting for it and it never touches you. And when you think it does, there's no way to tell if that's really it with the other person as well.

"Duo?"

Duo started at the voice then turned to smile at Heero standing in the doorway. "Morning Heero!"

"Goodmorning. May I join you?"

Duo shrugged looking back at the window. He set his mug down on the wing as Heero made himself comfortable next to him. "We both probably shouldn't be out here."

"The press?"

Duo nodded.

"After you went to sleep, I checked the privacy laws. Since none of us in the band ever had to worry about our private lives before, we've never worried about it unless it came up in an interview. Relena and I never answered anything about us, though the press liked to ask about it." Heero paused, thinking. "In conclusion of recent events, now people are interested. However, the band can file an injunction with the courts that will force the press to ask over the phone for in person interviews. Which means, anything not sanctified by NeoAero can't be reported in any kind of publication."

Duo looked over at Heero. "That's possible?"

Heero smirked. "It's possible under Earth Sphere Alliance laws which supersedes colony and Earth law. I posted the injunction to the Associated Press Syndicate and the ESA courts at 4:32am CST." (1)

Duo frowned slightly. "So why didn't you set that up after you and Relena split?" He asked curiously.

"We would have to get our lawyers and record company to agree to file it for us. NeoAero consisted of moneymaking minors and they knew that scandal caused more money for the band. When we revised our contract upon all of us turning 18 we gained control over most of the decision making for the band."

"And at that time, why didn't you?"

"Our management still reeled from the fact that we gave them a legal right cross, it wouldn't have been politic at the time to do that. Five years later it is because there is a reason. You."

Duo nodded. "That makes things easier for Q and T."

They sat in silence for a while. Duo sat not saying anything for a change and Heero wondering why he was so silent. "Heero, When you apologized and you said you loved me, I don't doubt that you do but I'm," He stopped. "Heero, I don't lie. Never. Last night when we were getting away, when I was screaming, I told the truth." Duo lifted his eyes to look at Heero.

He sat stunned, but not entirely surprised. Duo could see the emotions surface on his face however briefly; shock, embarrassment, happiness, affection, worry and confusion. Heero blinked. Duo could see the wheels in his head turning as he thought. "You want to know if I feel the same?"

Duo nodded ducking his head. "What can I say, I'm a romantic."

"Duo, I know I love you. I know I'm attracted to you. I know that the attraction's been there since I first saw you in the wings on the stage. I don't know what true love is supposed to feel like." Heero's voice washed over Duo, not doing much to comfort him. "What I know is this. I feel more strongly for you than I ever did with Relena."

Duo half smiled and looked out toward the window. "That isn't saying much. You're gay."

"No, Duo. Listen." Duo looked back at him. "I feel more for you than I ever did with Relena. Good emotions, bad emotions all of it." Heero said. "In the beginning, I was attracted to Relena for her presence on stage, then later to who she was. Physically, she didn't have the right equipment. It's taken five years to learn about her, and two months to learn the same amount of information about you." Heero reached out and pushed a stray strand of hair back behind Duo's ear.

Duo smiled. "Fuzzies stickin' out?"

Heero nodded, his hand dropping to Duo's shoulder. "That usually doesn't happen."

"I know. But I also usually get a shower and a palm full of conditioner to get the tangles out." He laughed. "It's a little difficult to braid hair that gets knots after being down and moved like it was without it."

"Can I help you fix it?"

Duo nodded and smiled as Heero got to his feet. He held out a hand and helped Duo up. They walked along the wing back into the shuttle. Duo grabbed his bag from under one of the seats and unzipped it.

"I've got some detangler in here somewhere." He muttered, setting the newly found brush down on the floor.

The call button beeped on the main vid screen. Heero frowned at it and pressed the receive button as Duo continued to look.

"Heero, Why are we getting requests for interviews all of a sudden and no press?" Relena asked.

Heero's mouth twitched as he looked at the makeup-less figure twisting her hair up. "P.I. 167-179 filed under ESA law at 4:30am." Relena looked puzzled as she pinned her hair into a bun. "P.I. 16- , Heero you didn't." She smiled as she recalled the law.

"If you'd like you can invoke third party." Heero smirked.

"And send the press through an agent with orders for no interviews at this time?" Her eyes sparkled. "Heero, last night I wasn't sure about your announcement at the concert, now? I love it. Dorothy and I won't have to be so careful anymore. I don't know why none of us thought of that before!"

Duo looked up from his bag at the screen and grinned. "You're a politicians daughter 'Lena! That's too simple! Face it, you're used to using manipulation!"

Relena laughed, her eyes looking over Heero's shoulder to the figure seated on the floor. "You may be right about that, Duo. Quatre and Trowa are curious about what happened to have them receiving phonecalls at a place no one's supposed to know we are so if you two will excuse me, I think I'll explain." She looked back at Heero. "If I didn't think Duo'd be upset, I'd kiss you Heero."

"Who said anything about Duo? You know I don't like to share." Dorothy replied leaning over Relena's shoulder. "Gentlemen. Enjoy your privacy and take use of it." She moved toward the end button and paused. "Oh Duo, I commend you on your hunt of Heero, a little different than the route I took, but effective." Dorothy's eyes flicked briefly to Heero. "When you get the chance, screw him senseless. He should have remembered the legal out a month ago. You truly have his mind heavily occupied."

Dorothy smiled at the blushing Duo and the slightly pink Heero.

"Heero? Is Duo a good kisser?" She laughed as Heero reddened even more and disconnected.

Heero fought to regain control of his blush. Behind him, Duo coughed. "Uh, I , um found the detangler. We could go back to a hotel though. By now the press should have completely cleared out."

Heero turned around. "You'd go out in public not looking your best?"

Heero shook his head. "It's fine. I don't mind."

Duo smiled and held out the brush and spray bottle. Heero accepted them and sat down in one of the seats.

* * *

The tangles were gone but Heero still brushed. "Why do you have your hair so long? There's no purpose for it."

Duo sat silent under the work of the brush. "I suppose it's a reminder of who I am. When my Mom was still alive, she kept it at shoulder length. Her's was longer and I wanted mine just as long. When I went onto the streets it became my trademark. It held things that I needed to keep safe, my lock picks and money. To part with it now would be like me turning my back on everything I've ever been."

Heero set the brush down and ran his fingers through his hair. The feeling of his fingers lightly massaging his scalp reminded him of the last time anyone brushed his hair. Duo colored slightly and crossed his ankles, dropping his hands to his lap. Heero began to braid his hair, fingers lightly ghosting along the back of his neck. Duo shivered as the strands and fingers glanced down his back. He closed his eyes, determined not to think about his hard on.

Suddenly arms surrounded him and the end of his braid wound up tickling the palm of his hand. His eyes shot open as Heero kissed the side of his neck. "Heero," He smiled. "Thank you, but-"

"Hush," Heero silenced him with a kiss.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(1) CST= Colony Standard Time. I'm taking liberties with time because I haven't seen -any- official time slates for this. CST is operates off of the international date line, that's where it gets it's time, however, CST is a day behind Earth because of Einstein's theory of relativity. In otherwords, the faster you go, the slower time seems to go. Scientists actually proved the theory works. They synchronized two watches on Earth then let one go up on a shuttle. When the astronauts returned to Earth, the watch, I think, was five minutes behind. I figure with the time it took people to get those colonies up there and working to the time when this story occurs, the colonies are actually behind a day. Legally this works out nicely for NeoAero. Any squealing that got done after the concert would be declared illegal being that the colonies are a day behind and the ruling gov't is on earth. *grins*

Mwuahahahahaha! I left things! I have had -no- sleep. I'm going to get some.

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