|
|
|
|
Heero gave a gentle tug to the curled streamer hanging from the ceiling and climbed down the stepstool, wiping the back of his hand across his forehead and taking a step back. He tipped his head to the side to critique his handiwork from below, then stood up straight and turned around slowly, taking in every corner of the room. It had started out as a two person job, but then Duo had gone to pick up his mother at the airport and Heero had been determined to finish it and do it right. A glance at his watch told him he was already cutting it close and there was still the matter of refreshments... He squared his shoulders and his brows furrowed in determined concentration. If he wanted the place to look perfect in time - and that had to include his own appearance - he was going to have to put the finishing touches on the room in the next four and a half minutes.
A winter wonderland theme didn't just happen, after all.
It took him a good fifteen minutes more than he'd budgeted for, and as a result his fingers trembled a little as he buttoned his jacket, but he'd managed to pull it off. Traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike must have been busier than they'd expected it to be, even allowing for the holiday, because the only company he had were a sleepy turtle and a lively rodent, who had better not even think about trying to get out of that cage today of all days. Dressed in his suit and gleaming black boots, he began pacing, both nervous and excited, but that only made him more agitated as the first beads of sweat trickled down the side of his face, and he chewed worriedly on his lip.
He wasn't sure what worried him more, the remote possibility of a multi-car pileup on the highway, or the idea that Duo's mother, despite her blessing, might not react quite the way in person that she had over the phone.
It was a good thing he'd had the mother of all hangovers not that long ago, because even now he was tempted to raid the refrigerator for a bottle of beer or a sip of wine - anything to calm his nerves. Berbil stopped gnawing at the bars of her cage long enough to twitch her whiskers at him, but when no treat was forthcoming, she turned her back on him and burrowed in the far corner where her nest was, completely ignoring the bit of fluff Heero had dropped into the cage a good half hour earlier.
Whoever referred to them as dumb animals obviously had no fucking clue.
His fingers were busy unfastening the row of buttons when he heard the rattle of keys outside the door, and he had no time to determine if he should be casually seated as if he hadn't a care in the world or standing respectfully at attention but he did manage to restore order to his jacket before his future mother-in-law stepped foot inside.
He'd met her before, spoken to her a few times on the phone, and been congratulated on his engagement to her son, but this was the first time they'd met face to face since Duo had actually proposed, and Heero couldn't help feeling like she somehow knew all the intimate details of his relationship with Duo - like their recent wager to see how long Heero could hold out in the heat of passion before reminding the neighbors that there were a couple of young, virile, and eternally horny gay men residing in Baldrick Apartments. He could feel his face flooding with warmth at the memory of the last bet he'd lost - or won, depending on how one looked at it - and it was all Duo's fault.
Mrs. Maxwell tactfully ignored his obvious embarrassment and gave him a huge hug, kissing him loudly on the cheek and leaving a bright pink lip print before turning to her son and asking if he wouldn't mind taking an old woman's coat.
Unfortunately Duo was still standing there, mouth agape, and Heero hurriedly assumed the role of host. It gave him not only a chance to see what Duo thought of it, but his mother as well. She might have been forewarned of the plan, but seeing the end result was another thing entirely.
To Heero's amusement, Duo was wearing a pink scarf, but it paled, quite literally, in comparison to the rest of the apartment's living room.
He was quite proud of his accomplishment, and after watching Duo's expression intently for a few seconds, he allowed himself the opportunity to view his work without the pressure of finishing on time coloring his perceptions.
Color was the key word here, and that color was, of course, pink. It had started with the tree that had caught Heero's eye, one that had probably been a one year fad before he'd found it left out for waste collection. Once the idea had taken hold, he'd been a man on a mission, and Heero had never been one to do things by halves. His eyes flicked over to Duo who still seemed to be taking it all in. It was, Heero conceded, an awful lot of pink.
He wasn't entirely sure Duo had noticed the pink runner he'd walked on the moment he'd set foot in the apartment, but he'd certainly noticed the curtains and the tinsel garland. Duo hadn't yet turned his head to catch the Kirby and Jigglypuff figurines prominently displayed on the bookcase, but then they did rather blend in with the cheap dollar store book covers that now served as dust jackets for the majority of books that resided there as well, and to be quite honest, Heero wasn't even sure Duo had noticed that the pink extended to certain occupants of the apartment a good deal more than a mere scarf.
At least Duo's mother seemed amused by her son's utter shock, because she came over and put her arm around Heero's shoulder. The brief squeeze was reassuring, but not nearly as much as the soft chuckle that let Heero knew she was not only in on the joke but in favor of it, too. He felt a little guilty that had she not been there, he'd have liked nothing more than to take firm hold of Duo's pink scarf, give it a good yank, and kiss him hard before making love to him on the fuzzy pink bath rug in front of the brightly lit pink tree.
He cleared his throat and gave Duo's elbow a squeeze, which got Duo to finally acknowledge Heero's presence, pink hat and all. Duo blinked, batted at the white pom pom ball at the end, and excused himself to retrieve the rest of the luggage, leaving Heero alone in the living room with his mother.
"So," Heero said, pulling the bleached Santa hat off his head. "What do you think?"
"You don't give up until the job is done, do you, Heero?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she sat down on the overstuffed armchair, one that she was sure hadn't had a pink slip cover until that day. "The Pink Panther dueling Peppa Pig with swords is a nice touch, but the pink balls on your Christmas tree are a little much." She leaned forward and Heero did the same, so she could add in a conspiratorial whisper, "No stone left unturned, either. Good job." She patted him on the knee and leaned back. "One of the benefits of age is having the next generation at my beck and call, and I know you wouldn't refuse an attractive, youthful middle aged woman a refreshing beverage."
The sight of pink lemonade in a pink plastic cup, one with the black and white sticker still stuck to the bottom, had her laughing anew. As much as she'd have enjoyed grandchildren one day, Duo's happiness would always come first, and she couldn't be happier that he'd chosen someone for more than his looks. The apartment door opened and Heero's head snapped around, and if the expression on his face was anything to go by, there was no mistaking how devoted this young man was to her son.
It was a good time to excuse herself to the bathroom. It would give them a few moments alone and it had been a long flight, followed by a long drive.
Heero was glad for the reprieve, because it gave him the opportunity to grab Duo's scarf the way he wanted and thrust his tongue between Duo's lips, even if he didn't dare prolong the kiss more than a couple of seconds. "Merry Belated Christmas," he murmured against Duo's lips before taking a respectable two steps backwards. "I've been wanting to do that since you got here."
Duo wiped his thumb over Heero's bottom lip slowly, with a quick glance over Heero's shoulder to make sure his mother hadn't returned yet. "You look like blancmange."
Heero tugged on the end of the hat and put it on Duo's head. "And you look good enough to eat."
The heat in his eyes left no doubt in Duo's mind that if the two of them were alone, Heero might try to do just that, and he swallowed. "Ah, hey, Ma," he said, and Heero could hear him laughing as he whirled around to find that the two of them were still, for the moment, quite alone. That wasn't the worst of it, however, because Duo's breath was in his ear a moment later, letting Heero know that payback was imminent. Duo obviously had some inside knowledge about his mother's habits because that was the only reason Heero could see for Duo's boldness, as his fingers slid under the jacket, just grazing beneath Heero's ribcage, and then Duo's tongue moved lazily along the side of Heero's neck, making Heero weak in the knees - and then the warmth was gone and he stood there unsteadily as Duo flashed him a grin and plopped down on the love seat just before the sound of the toilet flushing heralded the end of their alone time.
Oh, he was going to get Duo back for that, first chance he got - but first he needed a few moments alone himself, to readjust himself a bit more comfortably, and he mumbled his apologies as he hurried past Duo's mother to the sanctuary of the bathroom, where he leaned heavily against the closed door and exhaled slowly.
Never in his life had his body reacted this way, not when he and Duo had first become sexually intimate, not when the girl who'd taught him to dance had shown him how independent his body's reaction could be from his mind. He was older now, more in control of himself and his urges and definitely more secure in his relationship and his future - and here he was, sporting the beginnings of a hard on with his fiance's mother in the next room. Reconciling with Duo had certainly had something to do with it; there was the making up for lost time and he'd certainly found that his heart's desire very often translated into primal ones as well, but it had gotten infinitely worse since the night he'd been at Duo's mercy. Ever since then, sex had been not only more intense but more satisfying, and no matter how hard Heero tried to keep the neighbors from knowing when Duo was giving his ass a good pounding, he simply couldn't help vocalizing his passion, loudly and repetitively. It didn't help that he spent many of his nights, including the last four, in Massachusetts, and now here he was, with Duo's mother just barely arrived, longing for just an hour alone with Duo.
Maybe more than an hour.
He pushed away from the door and scowled at his reflection. He was glad that Mrs. Maxwell had been able to come for the holidays. It was important to Duo, especially this year, after they'd not only gotten back together but were heading toward a future of 'til death do them part. He was glad that she had a chance to see the United States, happy to be a part of a small but close knit family, eternally grateful for in-laws who weren't judging him for something that didn't define him as a person - and yet he couldn't help feeling a tiny bit of shameful resentment that Duo's mother would get to spend more time with Duo than he would.
He knew it was selfish, and fleeting, but until he could shake off the quivery feelings Duo had sparked in him, it was best if he stayed in here until he was able to recapture the holly jolly Christmas feeling that he'd shared with Duo earlier that day, as Duo's face had flushed with pleasure at bringing his mam home for Christmas.
Duo's mother had closed the toilet seat and Heero sat down on it and covered his face with his hands. Shit. Duo had been so eager to show off the place, and even though Heero had enough foresight to ask Mrs. Maxwell if she'd mind a little pink pranking, she'd been right about Heero's inability to do things halfway - and she had no idea about his abysmal failure rate when it came to surprises.
He had a very bad feeling that his Pink Christmas Explosion might be categorized as a Very Bad Idea, and he wondered how long he could get away with hiding in here. It had never been Heero's way to run from his mistakes, though, and as much effort as he'd put into decorating the apartment, he'd put into setting it to rights if that's what needed to be done.
On the bright side, if it could be called that, the front of his pink pants fit loosely, and there was no reason he needed to hide in here any longer.
"Oh, good, here you are," Duo's mother greeted him with a smile, and Heero's heart sank as he realized Duo was no longer in the apartment. "He's gone out to move the car," she assured him. "And I have a little favor to ask before he gets back."
Heero nodded mutely and offered a feeble smile, confused by what might have taken place while he'd been hiding in the bathroom.
Upon her request, which he should have offered to do without her asking - another strike against him, as far as he was concerned - was to bring her bags into the spare room and show her the air mattress she'd be using.
She thanked him, a hint of a brogue creeping into her voice, and then she beckoned him to come closer as if sharing a secret. "It's not pink, but I'd really like it if you'd hang this for me." Then she did whisper it in his ear, and it might have been his imagination, but he'd swear she winked at him as she led him to the door.
He stopped there, stood up straight and gave her a sharp salute. "Mission accepted," he said solemnly, and the corners of his own lips twitched as she grinned at him in a way that reminded him so much of Duo. Ho, ho, ho, Duo, he thought, and for now, payback was the furthest thing from his mind. A new wager, on the other hand, seemed a fine way to begin celebrating the holidays, and he was looking forward to winning. He stood in the open doorway, right under the mistletoe Duo's mother had given him, and looked up to give one of the berries a light pinch. A smile spread over his face, and he took off the pink furry jacket and threw it carelessly over a chair on his way to the living room. It didn't matter whether they actually wagered on it or not.
He'd already won.
bravenet.com
