035. Bed

Duo/Melody

After pinning back the long, flame-orange side-swept bangs that framed her face, Melody flashed her reflection a quick smile before leaving the bathroom, finding Duo, chestnut hair unbraided across his back in a waterfall of unspeakably soft proportions, pulling down the blankets of his bed.

Melody was always surprised to find how neat he kept his room. For the many times she had visited him, she always found it to be rather tidy. He seemed to be the last of the Gundam pilots in her mind that would have such an orderly bedroom. His bed was always made, his blankets smoothed out and crisp, even after a chaotic night of housing Duo's manic sleeping habits.

But then again, she didn't know anything about that. Tonight would be the first night she would share his bed. She was nervous, anxious. She didn't know how she felt. Her anxiety swirled around in her stomach as she stood behind him, watching him tug back the top blanket. She couldn't help but stare at his well-toned physique, the rippling of his muscles in his arms, the tightened muscles of his calves. She silently thanked him for dressing in a black tank-top and gray shorts.

"Keep staring and your eyes might pop out of your head," Duo spoke up with a curled grin. "You're boosting my ego, you know."

Melody blinked out of her stupor; she hadn't realized he was watching her as she admired him. "Sorry," she apologized, shaking her head. "I suppose I should have helped you prepare the bed instead of just standing here watching you."

Duo waved his hand dismissively. "Not a problem, babe. I guess you can't help but let your mind wander. It's the first time you're getting me in bed. Should be fun." He flashed his teeth in a wide happy-go-lucky grin.

Melody felt a heated cherry-hued blush creep up on her cheeks. "Duo! It's not like that! We're not going to—" She stopped herself, deciding it best not to complete her sentence.

But the damage was done as she watched an ego-boosting glint sparkle against the violet of his eyes. "Are you sure? You think you can keep your hands to yourself in bed tonight? I know how irresistible you find me," he said, winking and clicking his tongue.

"Get real, Duo Maxwell," she scoffed with the smallest hint of an amused smile. "Besides, I'm far too tired to do anything like… like that." She propped her hands on her hips, a brow arching over her forehead. "And shouldn't our first time be more memorable than that? We're talking about it so casually." She snapped her head, her eyes finding a random point on the wall to focus on. "I had it pictured a little differently in my mind."

Duo stared at her for a moment before taking one large step towards her—that's all it took to close the distance—and he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Babe, it will be more than memorable. I'll take of that, don't you worry. You won't ever be able to forget about it."

Melody slapped his arm playfully, especially after she saw how deadly serious he was. That topic of discussion was just a little embarrassing for her. "That's enough out of you, mister, or I'm going home for bed."

"Hell no! I'm too excited for this!" he exclaimed. He folded his arms over his chest. "You're sleeping in my bed tonight, woman. That's that. You better like it."

Melody covered her mouth just in time for a giggle. "Well, I suppose it's about time to find out. I'm exhausted."

"Say no more." Duo quickly scooped Melody up in his arms, rousing a high-pitched squeak from her throat. Before she could question him, he eased her gently onto his exposed bed, following her down carefully.

Melody felt her heart skip a beat against her breast. His eye were almost smoldering into hers. She felt like she may snap under the pressure of his vivid stare.

"So babe," he started, his smile now faded behind seriousness. "Are we really just gonna sleep tonight? It's our first night in bed together. I had a little more pictured in my head, ya know."

Melody swallowed loudly, much to her aggravation and Duo's amusement. His serious persona faltered just a bit under a twitched smirk. "Well, uhh, what did you have in mind?"

Duo gave a shrug. "Well, you don't wanna do anything too fun. I get that, and that's okay. But if all you have on your mind is sleep, that's a little anti-climactic."

Melody opened her mouth to respond, but shut it again. Her eyes averted away from his in thought. She, after what seemed like several minutes frozen in time, turned back to him, biting down on her tongue. "I really don't know what else you would want to do," she admitted in a shy whisper.

His serious façade cracked, a grin rising to the surface. He loved when her innocence reared its head, especially when she was trying to be so confident and fearless. It was cute. "Your mind always in the gutter, Mel?" he asked with a chuckle.

Melody's mouth snapped open in a breathless gasp. "No! I don't think about that all the time like some other people I know," she retorted in a huff.

"Well, you hafta be talking about Quatre," he said with an ever-widening smirk. "He and Lissy do it like rabbits. You'd think they have nothing else to do with their free time. They find lots of uses for their bed. Hell, they might not even use the bed all the time. Quatre's kinkier than ya might think."

A tsunami of scarlet splashed over her cheeks. She pressed her palms against her face, groaning. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. I would like to look at them and not have those visuals going through my head," she grumbled against her hands.

Duo rested his cheek against his palm, smiling at her embarrassment. "They have a kid, babe. They have sex. A lot. They probably do it a couple times a day. It's okay," he replied, wagging his eyebrows.

Melody shoved him with a groan. "Stop that! No more talking about that!" She turned on her side, presenting her back to him. "I'm going to bed before you make my head explode."

Duo couldn't help the chuckle vibrating against his throat. He watched her settle in a comfortable position, her knees bent slightly and her back arched forward.

He pushed himself towards her, resting his chin on her shoulder while an arm slid protectively around her belly. When Melody turned her head at him in question, his smile only spread further over his jovial face.

"It will be great one day to be like Quatre and Lissy and do all that naughty stuff, but I was hinting at some cuddling before you decided to hit the hay. Hope that's okay," he said quietly.

Melody smiled at him, snuggling her back against his body while threading her fingers through his. "I think that's a pretty good start to sharing bed time with you. Cuddling I can do."

Sleep didn't come for hours.

A/N: I'm glad I decided to go with Duo and Melody. I guess even after finishing When the Stars Fall, I'll still be able to get a little more satisfaction in writing about them. There will be more themes to come soon! Thanks for reading these little ficlets!