NOTE: see part 1 for notes, warnings
AUTHOR: shira

Papillion + Part 23

The next seven days passed by slower than any that Heero could remember in recent history and by the weekend he was mentally exhausted. He'd spent the entire week thinking about his conversation with Relena, and the guilt that he still felt over it, even though Duo continually reminded him that there was no reason to feel guilty, since the girl already knew that he didn't have feelings for her. Heero still felt badly about the whole situation though, and even if for only the fantasy going on in Relena's head.

Duo had been in a state of reserved joy when Heero broke the news that he'd made the decision to stay. There was no mistaking the excitement and happiness in Duo's eyes, and to celebrate, they went out for a pizza and ice cream afterward. When Saturday came around, they drove to Relena's so Heero could get the remainder of his belongings. She was out at the time, which was a relief to both men, and Heero left her a nice letter on her desk stationary saying that he'd been by, and thanking her for everything she'd done for him. The yellow long-stem rose that he intended to hand to her was left with the letter on top of her desk.

+

Monday morning they were both up at the crack of dawn, since this was the big day that the cast came off. Duo's appointment was at eight-thirty in the morning, with a nine-thirty physical therapy session immediately following. Heero drove to the orthopedic office and accompanied his friend while the plaster was sawed off him with a dremel tool, and they cracked jokes the entire time, making the technician a bit nervous as Duo feigned being sliced by the blade one too many times for comfort. When it was all said and done and the cast was completely removed, Duo was a little surprised to see just how much condition his leg had lost, and his mood changed a little bit.

"Don't worry about it, Duo," the orthopedist said for the hundredth time, reassuring him that a few weeks of physical therapy would get the leg back to normal strength and use. It hurt now, more than it had in a lot of weeks, since there was no cast supporting it, and Duo limped very cautiously, all the while still trying to put off the not-a-care-in-the-world persona that he did so well, but Heero wasn't fooled, and realized his concern.

Physical therapy was certainly a treat too, as the therapist showed Heero all the exercises that Duo needed to do on a daily basis. The therapist made him stretch and bend the leg until he saw stars and his eyes welled up. They kept up the slow movement for a half an hour, until the leg was tired and Duo's muscles ached.

"So I guess you get to be my torturer now, eh Heero?" Duo said as they left the medical facility a half an hour later on their way home. He laughed, eliciting a shy smile from Heero.

"Better watch yourself, or I'll make you do an extra set of knee bends then!"

+

They proceeded home so that Duo could take his first normal shower in two months, which was the one thing he'd been anxiously waiting for, but not before stopping off to get a few groceries. Duo stayed in the car while Heero ran in quickly. Heero had insisted, since Duo already had a workout during the half-hour therapy session, and they'd been warned about him overdoing it for the first week or two.

Hobbling in the front door to the condo, limping but finally unaided by cast or crutch, Duo was singing the praises of being free.

"Oh it is SO good to have that damn thing OFF! I can't even begin to tell you what a pain in the ass it was to have that cast!"

Heero chuckled. "You don't have to. I lived it with you, remember?"

"Haha, funny Yuy," Duo said teasingly. His leg throbbed and he could only partially bend his knee, but it was great to not have the heaviness and constriction of the cast around him anymore. And besides that, he could scratch himself now, which had been nearly impossible before. He'd tried the trick of shoving an unbent coat hanger down the inside of the cast, but all that did was serve to literally leave scratch marks in his skin, and he never could get the thing to scratch the right part of him anyway.

When Heero went to his bedroom to check email, Duo disappeared into the bathroom, presumably to take his long awaited shower. After a few minutes, he could hear the sound of the spraying water, and Duo was giddy, singing to himself about having his freedom back. Heero chuckled, listening to the other man as he read his incoming messages. Then Duo called out to him from the bathroom.

"Hey Heero?"

"Yeah?" Heero said blandly as he surfed a world news website.

"You comin' in to help me wash my hair or what?"

Heero stopped what he was doing and looked up at the wall, past his computer screen. Help him wash his hair? The cast is off. He can do it himself now. Then suddenly Heero was struck as if by a freight train. He wants me to help him wash his hair. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and Heero felt that familiar twinge in his stomach again. "No cast this time," he said to himself as his pulse quickened. Wondering if he was ready for what Duo obviously wanted, he ran the shutdown function on his computer and closed the lid. Here goes nothing. Heero had made the decision to stay on with Duo because he knew that there was something more to their relationship -- it was looking like it was time to find out exactly what that "more" was.

"Heero?" Duo called again, and there was impatience in his voice this time.

"Be there in a minute."

+

When he appeared inside the steam-filled bathroom, Duo was standing under the warm stream of water, having disconnected the handheld spray and letting the water flow through the normal one again. Heero reached in to push the curtain back, his heart pounding in his chest the whole while as he second-guessed himself. I hope I'm doing the right thing. I hope this is what he wants. I hope this is what I want. I think I'm going to pass out. When Duo turned to find him completely nude, the longhaired man's chin dropped as Heero stepped into the stall with him. It was a small space, making things tight for the two of them, but within seconds, the warm water slicking their warmer skin made the space more comfortable as their bodies touched for the first time. Heero's face was the color of a bright pink flower and his uncertainty shined clearly in his eyes.

Duo grinned. "Planning on really getting into your work today, I see?"

Trying to hide his embarrassed eyes away, Heero leaned into the shower spray, letting the water saturate his body and soak his hair, until he stood the same as Duo. Their eyes darting back and forth, latched onto each other's, Heero watched as Duo's expression went from surprise to humor to pure lust. He felt arms sliding around him as Duo pulled him close, and before he knew it they were consumed in another mind-blowing kiss under the shower, water spraying all over and down their faces before they pulled away to catch their breath. When they did, there was nothing short of pure mischief that Heero saw in Duo's eyes.

"God, Heero, you don't know how long..."

Heero quieted him by bringing their lips together again.

"I knew it would only be a matter of..."

And again.

"I kept telling myself that you were nervous and..."

And again once more until Duo didn't have the breath to keep talking. By the time they stopped again, they were both panting and fully aroused. Reaching for the shampoo bottle, Heero poured some into his palm, then started to spread it over Duo's long, wet tresses and scrubbing it in. Standing behind the other man, he massaged his scalp deeply, able to reach both sides with ease now, since he was right behind him, and a low moan escaped Duo, making him smile.

"Like that?"

"Uh-huh," Duo said in a high-pitched, indulged whine. Heero's smile broadened a little bit as he scrubbed harder. Duo was melting at his touch. Once his hair had been expertly and rather erotically shampooed, as he'd stood the entire time not knowing what felt better -- the scalp massage or Heero's hardened length lying wedged between his cheeks the whole time -- Duo did a final rinse on his hair, then carefully turned around to face Heero.

Grinning, driven by his lust, he pushed him against the shower wall where he descended upon him in a passionate kiss. Thank God for little rubber shower floor traction stickers, as their bodies slid together with the slickness of shampoo suds, and before long Heero was gasping out from the pleasurable sensations that were attacking him.

"How do you feel, Heero?" Duo asked in his most sensual, desirable voice. "Tell me. Do I 'do it' for you?"

Pinned against the shower wall as Duo leaned on him, Heero closed his eyes and groaned as he felt a hand touch him. Ohgodohgodohgod... Before he could comprehend what was happening, he was being stroked very gently. He opened his eyes and Duo's face was right up to his. They stared at each other as Duo stroked him, and his eyes glazed over from the unbelievable feelings that were surging through him at that moment. Duo rested his bad leg by holding his weight with the other, and his right knee was positioned carefully between Heero's legs, just close enough to give an occasional nudge in the right place. A clear drop hung on the end of Duo's nose, and Heero watched it as it clung, and then fell, only to be replaced by another one.

"You didn't answer me, Heero. Do I 'do it' for you?" Duo's manipulations became suddenly more deliberate, his hand sliding all the way down the soapy shaft and back up again, pausing to tease the tip, until Heero felt like he would explode any moment.

"Yes. Oh yes." Heero closed his eyes again to concentrate on the pleasure he was submerged in.

"Does it feel right, Heero?"

"Oh God, yes."

"It feels right to me, Heero."

"Oh, this feels so right."

Duo pushed himself closer, and Heero could feel him moving his hips against him, their slick bodies sliding against each other. He felt the hardness between them, near his groin. The remains of the shampoo covering them made it easy for Duo to rub himself on Heero, and he did, eliciting his own moans as he continued to stroke him. Their faces side by side and dripping with water, Duo panted with half-lidded eyes, the scent of his clean breath flowing past Heero's nose in little puffs as he too allowed himself to be swallowed by the moment. God you look so sexy like this. Needing to follow that sweet sensation that radiated from his groin, Heero thrust hard into Duo's slickened hand, further heightening his sensitivity.

"Come for me," Duo whispered into Heero's ear, his eyes still closed as he stroked the other man, his own arousal slipping up and down between the flesh of their bodies. "Come for me, Heero." Just the sound of his voice asking for it made Heero crazy inside, making him tingle all over from its sexual undertone. Duo was quickly rewarded with a low, gasping moan as Heero came in his hand. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodthisisincredible... His body shuddering as Duo continued to pump him, Heero came like never before, like the sensation pulled from every part of his body. His legs grew weak and he had to remember to hold himself up against the shower wall before he knocked them both down. For a few minutes he was completely numb in his sated condition, still feeling the remnants of his climax, until he grinned sadistically at Duo.

Pulling Duo into an aggressive kiss, Heero was still on fire, still feeling the surge that ran through him, and he held the other man tight against him. He slid his hand between them just far enough to capture the tip of Duo's length, and there he teased it gently, still a little cautious as to what felt good and what didn't, but the response he got encouraged him. As Duo threw back his head and ground himself closer toward the feel of Heero's contact, he let his hand encircle the end, and Duo thrust into it. Slick shampoo suds made wet, squishing noises, but neither of them even heard it as Duo grasped for his own orgasm.

When he brought his head forward again, he leaned close and captured Heero in another kiss, pushing harder against him. As their tongues slipped over one another, Duo reached his climax, pulling away to verbalize the lightening that was ripping through him, but Heero held him tight. Their lips pressed hard together, Heero swallowed the passion of his orgasm in his kiss while Duo spasmed, spilling himself between their bodies as he slid between their slippery skin.

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