Mutability: Autumn
Notes: counter fic to Mutability: Summer and post EW. Beta'ed by maki *loves her*
Movements that were deliberate yet weren't. A touch of a shoulder, the half embrace of arms, the warmth of thigh to thigh felt even through jeans, all of these were casual touches from a close partner and friend. They were things that were expected, avoiding contact was a stranger idea that letting it be.
Except that they weren't casual. They were a deliberate invasion on his senses, a campaign to heighten his already alert state. Heero could feel the deliberation behind each advance and see the weight of it in Duo's eyes. He wanted something.
The frustration at his inability to understand was laughable now.
Now that he had time.
Now, he had nothing more than time. Time to straighten the shoulders he had not realized were straining, to clear eyes that were likewise shuttered, and to breathe in and deepen his perceptions. The world shifted by fractions every moment he did this. The presence of Duo near him was a constant. Heero had never felt an urge to see if his friend was by his side, not until the feel of him started to fade.
Certain realizations had begun filtering in, this was but one of the triggers. Months at a hospital, more time as Relena's shadow, and a year as a student before Heero began edging away from the comfortable. The idea of a partner was easier to define but was not as satisfying for the definition, not anymore.
It took more courage to correspond actions to what he saw and what he remembered. Heero supposed he could be forgiven these things, taking time for granted was one of them; he was only human.
He was human with a choice to make, a choice he hadn't even realized had been given to him. And the more Heero thought about it, the more he thought it wasn't a choice - not really. The world was laid out before him, but there was only one conceivable path.
So Heero braced his shoulders as a chill wind buffeted him forward and let out a breath as if expelling demons. He started walking. It was going to be a perfect fall afternoon. He hoped that somewhere Duo was enjoying the day as well.
end.
Notes: counter fic to Mutability: Summer and post EW. Beta'ed by maki *loves her*
Movements that were deliberate yet weren't. A touch of a shoulder, the half embrace of arms, the warmth of thigh to thigh felt even through jeans, all of these were casual touches from a close partner and friend. They were things that were expected, avoiding contact was a stranger idea that letting it be.
Except that they weren't casual. They were a deliberate invasion on his senses, a campaign to heighten his already alert state. Heero could feel the deliberation behind each advance and see the weight of it in Duo's eyes. He wanted something.
The frustration at his inability to understand was laughable now.
Now that he had time.
Now, he had nothing more than time. Time to straighten the shoulders he had not realized were straining, to clear eyes that were likewise shuttered, and to breathe in and deepen his perceptions. The world shifted by fractions every moment he did this. The presence of Duo near him was a constant. Heero had never felt an urge to see if his friend was by his side, not until the feel of him started to fade.
Certain realizations had begun filtering in, this was but one of the triggers. Months at a hospital, more time as Relena's shadow, and a year as a student before Heero began edging away from the comfortable. The idea of a partner was easier to define but was not as satisfying for the definition, not anymore.
It took more courage to correspond actions to what he saw and what he remembered. Heero supposed he could be forgiven these things, taking time for granted was one of them; he was only human.
He was human with a choice to make, a choice he hadn't even realized had been given to him. And the more Heero thought about it, the more he thought it wasn't a choice - not really. The world was laid out before him, but there was only one conceivable path.
So Heero braced his shoulders as a chill wind buffeted him forward and let out a breath as if expelling demons. He started walking. It was going to be a perfect fall afternoon. He hoped that somewhere Duo was enjoying the day as well.
end.