A New Take on an Old Meme

[windandwater]

I'm feeling creative, but don't know where to focus it. As a result, anyone reading this wins. XD! Maybe this will help me kick start my muses and cut down my WIP backlog.

Say hello to the WIP drabble meme. If there's a fic you know I'm working on -- a WIP -- but you haven't seen anything of lately, comment and request a drabble from that fic. Anything I haven't yet finished yet is up for grabs. Or, if there's a oneshot you wanna see more of, request a drabble for it, too.

This is a onetime offer! And yes, people can request drabbles from THE SAME FIC. I'll write drabbles... eh, until I'm not bored anymore. And to prove I can do it, here's a free drabble, just to get the juices flowing.




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


They were all nameless men.

There was no rhyme nor reason, no set time periods behind their abductions. Just men that would go missing for a night, and return to consciousness feeling cold, exhausted, and strangely sated but with no memory of the previous night's events. They usually had brown hair and blue eyes, but these men knew not of each other, and would go away chalking up the events to a very good night out.

They weren't far wrong.

Duo lay wrapped up in the tangled blankets in their bed, fingers tugging and pulling, smoothing out the crinkles in the sheets. His head was turned towards the side, focusing on a spot on the far wall. He tried his best to ignore the coldness and feeling of presence on the other side of the bed. Slowly, one hand drifted up to a particularly deep mark against his throat, and Duo winced a little bit, pressing his fingers against the bruise harder. The pain felt good.

Stop that, or it won't heal.

"Maybe I don't want it to," Duo replied, his voice still hoarse and scratchy, still raw from his vocalizations the night before. But he removed his fingers, instead tracing another set of finger-shaped marks against his other wrist.

I didn't mean to be so rough. You know I wouldn't ever hurt you on purpose.

"I know that, Heero." Then Duo chuckled a little mirthlessly. "I kinda like it. I mean, not everyone can say that they have a really good sex life after being married so long. Always different and unexpected, passionate and never knowing when you'll be jumped--"

Duo, stop it! You're bleeding.

Duo blinked, looking down at his wrist. He'd dug his fingers in against the bruises, and drops of blood welled up under the crescent marks in his flesh. With a slow, deliberate movement, Duo moved his hand again, laying it down helplessly against his side and on the sheets again. The silence between them lengthened, and the Duo felt the chill come closer, a chill he had learned to love and appreciate.

"You need to stop doing it, Heero."

It doesn't do them any harm.

"Don't... don't start to out-logic me. I can't... I won't fight against you, you know that."

I love you.

Duo closed his eyes, sighing under his breath. Heero's chill settled against his side, settled across his chest. Duo found himself relaxing into that now familiar touch.

I'm still your husband.

Duo couldn't find anything to say. Heero's chill wrapped all around him, Heero's voice in his ear. Heero's presence was here and real and not fevered imagination.

You won't turn me away, will you? Heero's voice sounded so unsure, so tentative. Heero's presence suddenly lessened and it took all of Duo's strength not to roll over and throw himself at that spectre that he could never really touch.

"Of course not, Heero. I'd never let you go."

Heero's presence solidified more, was strong and cold and there and Duo kept his eyes closed, listening to Heero murmuring gently into his hair.



EDIT...

Going to bed, but this is still open for drabble requests.


EDIT ICHA ICHA...

Still taking requests. But. You know. I've written more than zombiesex. ^^;; Though I'm rather flattered everyone wants to see so much more of it. #^^#

Comments

[samikitty.livejournal.com]

omg! you're not supposed to make me CRY right before bed! if i have puffy eyes tomorrow morning it will be all your fault! T_T

(and as much as the zombie-verse creeps me out... i love this little arc)

can i request something with the tentacle sex toy? ^^;;;;;;;;

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

The zombieverse is ROMANTIC not CREEPY. Or maybe romantically creepy. I mean, you didn't think it would allbe sunshine and roses, did you? :P

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

"... I can't do it."

Duo blinked rapidly, his chest heaving, and practically snarled when Heero rolled off of him. "You were doing just fine! Now keep going!"

Heero just shook his head, laying flat on his back and staring at the ceiling. Duo noticed that Heero took care to cover up his flaccid length with a generous helping of blanket. Miffed and still aroused, Duo pushed up, straddling Heero and leaning down over his lover.

"Are you sure I can't get you in the mood again?" Duo nearly purred, trailing kisses against Heero's jaw and rocking his hips against the other man's. Heero responded to the kisses, but the rest of him didn't, and Duo couldn't help but feel mildly insulted. "Come on, Heero... what happened? If you tell me it's stress, I won't believe you. You're usually more pent-up and horny when we haven't done it in awhile."

Heero threw his arm over his eyes to avoid looking at the enticing sight of a disheveled Duo sitting above him. Those parts of Heero that were indeed stressed and pent-up were railing at the rest of him, a veritable war of desires. He mumbled a little.

Duo cocked his head curiously. "What was that? Heero, just tell me..."

Taking a deep breath, Heero removed his arm and looked Duo in the face. "I can't do it."

"But WHY?! We were almost there!"

"Because..." Heero looked away again, glared, then looked at Duo once more with embarassment written over his features. "... it's staring at me."

"It? What it-- HEERO, IT DOESN'T HAVE EYES."

"That's why it's creeping me out!"

[samikitty.livejournal.com]

hahaha!! LOVE IT!!!!!!!

[clarediva.livejournal.com]

god I loved those fics...
and the drabble's magnificent.

I will have missed the boat with this of course - I always do, damned GMT - but if you wanted to do any more drabbles in that fic I'd be THRILLED...

I'm fascinated by the logistics of their life together, how it can work with Heero as merely a presence, and its effect on Duo's 'real' life. OK, and the sex implications too, of course.
*hugs*

i'm not reading enough, I'm writing too much, I'm missing lots of fun. curses. *goes back to planning the end of their my week*
^_^

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

Ah? More drabbles for 2 A.M.? Have you read Asuka's continuation the 4 A.M. series already? It deals mostly with the "afterwards" of everything that happened in "Two/One".

But I can drabble! Give me a bit of a prompt, or do you want more of that bit I put up?

[clarediva.livejournal.com]

yes, i read the 4am, actually i read every single drop of wordage that I could. *sighs happily* Loved it all.

I have no prompt at all. *sigh* *tired Fri mind* I'd like more of that bit, or even later on in the timeline, or whatever you fancy.

Or ... hey another thought ... I'm not using the 'computer' t shirt slogan (though you've pre-guessed most of my other ones *pout*), so if you wanted something in the less spooky world, I'd be happy with something inspired by that too.

now must go back to work, the rest of the staff are arriving for the day and wondering what accounting package I'm actually using that has such pretty pictures on it.
^_~

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

Someone named William called.

Duo paused a little bit, one hand still on the doorknob and the other holding the mail from the past few days. With Heero in his life again, it was disturbingly easy for Duo to forget that there was a world outside of their little house. And all the mail he usually got was either junk or bills, or more letters from friends making sure that he was okay. Heero was here with him. Duo was just fine.

Duo's brow furrowed. "William...? Oh! Willy."

Heero's presence moved closer and Duo fought off the instinctive shiver. Who is he? He sounded worried.

There was a light laugh as Duo locked the door and carried the mail into the kitchen. "Now don't be jealous or anything!"

I am not jealous, Heero returned, but Duo could detect that slight tilt in his inflection that meant Heero was feeling irritated and embarassed. Duo just grinned, leaning against the countertop and sorting through the mail. Heero must've been REALLY jealous, because after a few moments, he materialized, stepping into Duo's view as naturally as possible. Heero had learned early on that it was less... traumatic... for him to materialize out of Duo's eyesight and come up to him in a normal way. Heero preferred it as well, not liking to see the flash of shock and grief that still managed to cross Duo's expressive features.

Well, who is this... "Willy"?

Duo's shoulder shook with repressed laughter. "You are SO jealous."

There's nothing for me to be jealous of. I am just curious.

"Jealous, jealous, jealous," Duo chorused, launching a piece of junk mail into the trash with every word. Heero seemed to grow even more irritated and Duo finally relented in his teasing. "You really don't have to worry. Willy's just my therapist. Damn... I guess I missed the last couple of meetings."

Therapist? I didn't know you-- Heero broke off his words abruptly. There were many things about Duo he still didn't know. Afterall, he'd been dead for a great portion of the new developments.

Duo's expression crumpled and he sat down on a bar stool, fiddling with the envelopes in his hands. "Uhm. Yeah. I mean, he's a real head doctor, gives out all the good pills and stuff. Heh. I guess Preventers wanted to cover all the bases after I was discharged from the hospital, and Quatre found... the best."

So you... actually went to see this therapist?

"Not at first, no," Duo sighed, doing his best to avoid looking directly at Heero. "I remember clearly telling everyone I wasn't crazy... but after the second time, I figured maybe everyone was right and I should give it a shot."

The second time. The second suicide attempt. Heero struggled to contain his emotions, knowing that if he felt to strongly, it would affect his presence. The last thing he wanted to do was disappear right before Duo's eyes. He'd done that only once before, and it had sent Duo into such a fit that Heero had been afraid. Heero never wanted to hurt Duo like that again. Or ever at all, if he could do anything about it.

Duo sensed his unease, and managed to smile a little. When in doubt, babble, since running and hiding wasn't an option at this point. "I mean, Willy's a good guy. It was... nice to talk to someone about... everything. But I guess he would get worried since I don't usually miss his appointments. Heh. I don't think I could just stop seeing him, huh? I mean, no one's gonna believe that I'm over you any time soon. On a good day, everyone thinks I'm still in denial!"

Heero moved closer, stroking his hand down Duo's braid, willing his presence solid enough for Duo to feel his 'touch'. Duo stopped his babble immediately, and his smile softened to something more genuine and happy. Unwilling to break that, Heero opted for a lighter, teasing tone as well.

Denial? Isn't that the first stage? What's it like on a bad day?

Duo closed his eyes, leaning against Heero and savoring the chill. "Well... on a bad day, I've tried to kill myself. So the good days are really good, huh?"

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

IT LOVES YOU TOO~!

[clarediva.livejournal.com]

omg ... *sigh*
oh it's beautiful.
I just find it such a poignant, bizarre, fascinating premise, the whole interaction between them, the stark contrast of Duo's life then and now, the difficulty of handling their friends' concern etc etc. And Heero is so chillingly *delicious* ...

Duo closed his eyes, leaning against Heero and savoring the chill
*deep breath*

sorry, I'm gushing.
thanks so much!!! I'm going to reread the whole darned thing. but tonight, after I've finished the VAT return at work *hehe*

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

http://windandwater.livejournal.com/554853.html#cutid1

laaa~?

[askerian]

eeeee! ghosty drabbles!

Do you still have the notes on what was supposed to happen afterwards? because i still have the big file, and I even have a chapter started, but i got stuck. ~__~;;;

[sunhawk16.livejournal.com]

*shivers* I love this series. It's just so... bitter-sweet. ;_; You know we'd have you drabbling for it for the rest of the week! ^^;

[clarediva.livejournal.com]

yee hah!!!
thanks!!
^_^

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

Ah? I have some of the stuff e talked about, and I remember it. Why? Is there anything in particular you forgot or wanted or something?

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

Are you requesting a zombiefic drabble, too? XD! Have to give me a prompt.

[askerian]

Not precisely, no. I just remember we had a sorta timeline going. You wanna try completing the chapter for me? ^^; *sucks hardcore*

[sunhawk16.livejournal.com]

If I can get away with it, I am! ^____^
But prompts? *whimper* I suck at prompts... I'm not very inspirational.
Ok... I had this weird thought the other day about how people say animals can sense spirts... that spark anything?

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

... I forgot what was in that chapter you sorta wrote. o_O* Post it. XD!

[askerian]

guh, no. it's so very incomplete and i'm stuck. i'll mail it to you if you want.

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

I didn't know if you'd seen my DVD commentary. :P Plus, since SweetlySour went down, and I don't have the fic on my FF.Net account... urr... I don't think it can be found anywhere else. Except maybe on Asuka's site. I forget.

[windandwater.livejournal.com]

XD! Sure, go ahead then. Or filter it? Or chuck it here in a comment. I wanna reeeeeeead it.

[askerian]

wow, some of it really sucks/is overblown. feel free to rewrite as you see fit. ~_~



R&R


We're back home by four PM, more or less. I put my jacket on the rack and kick my shoes off in the cupboard--empty besides my stuff. Heero has been silent since we left Wufei's; I can't even feel where he is, or if he's even concentrated enough to have a location more precise than 'the house'. Suddenly the house doesn't feel like home anymore, just as if I was back to that same date, except last year.

There are still a few hours of daylight left, but I'm not up to dealing with anything right now. I close the blinds on my way to the bedroom, dragging my feet, bone-tired. I don't wait for Heero. I feel guilty for not talking to him, even if only to tell him that I'm going to bed, but I really can't deal with anyone else today. I've reached my tolerance levels and blasted past them.

I know he's thinking about everything I said and didn't say earlier. He's going to ruminate for hours, and then we will have to talk. I am not looking forward to it.

I was going to close the door, but I change my mind. Sure, he could go through it, but-- even though we're not talking right now, I don't want to lock myself away from him. I leave it half-open.

I let myself fall on the bed face-first, boneless, and close my eyes. I just need a few seconds and then I'll take my jeans off and crawl under the blankets.

x

01:17. The numbers are flashing at me in the darkness and for a long time I can't figure out what they mean.

Past 1 AM. It was 4 PM last I remember. That's over nine hours. Fuck... I was just going to nap... I'm not going to manage going back to sleep.

Heero isn't in the room. I would know if he was. I had expected him to be not-sleeping by my side, like he's been for the last weeks, but I don't think he even came in the room. He didn't, did he? Even though I left the door open. I left the door open for him and he didn't come in. He must be angry--hurt--betrayed, because he should be here and he isn't and now I feel hurt and betrayed--

And maybe I'm going mad. Maybe he isn't here because I'm delusional and he's dead and--

The door slams in the wall -- plaster falls -- I don't care. I'm running through the flat in my sleep-rumpled clothes, and I can't breathe--I need to find Heero -- he's here, I know he is, he has to be!

The kitchen lights are on.

"Heero!!" It sounds like I'm drowning and a shadow whirls around-- a wooden spoon clanks on the floor. I throw myself forward.

It feels like falling in a hole through an ice field-- the shock of the cold and the slap of the surface of the water, and for a second, no air to breathe and nothing solid to hold onto. I manage to slam my knee and my stomach against the counter on my way out, knocking the breath out of myself, but I'm too numbed to really care.

I slump over the counter and I try not to cry.

[askerian]

"Please be real. Please be real." That's what I'm mumbling, again and again.

For the scariest seconds of my life, there is total silence in the house.

'I am real. Idiot. We wouldn't have gotten that shock if I'd been nothing but air, don't you think so?'

His soft, faintly teasing voice grounds me again. I take a deep breath, then another, pushing myself up in a standing position. I'm starting to feel ridiculous for behaving so stupidly.

"... Sorry, love... I just kinda..." Panicked. Lost it. "... overreacted."

I don't turn around to face him. Right now I couldn't take seeing through him.

'... it's all right. You just caught me by surprise. When I checked on you, you looked like you'd be asleep for a few more hours. I didn't think you'd be up yet.' We both forget implicitly the why-wasn't-he-in-bed-with-me issue. He doesn't sleep, he doesn't have to be there after all. He couldn't know I'd react that way.

His hand-- just a tiny bit fuzzy at the edges-- rests on the counter beside my own, the fingers of his other hand caress my nape, tucking wild strands behind my ear in a caress than makes shivers run down my spine.

'Did you hurt yourself?'

"Just my pride," I manage to answer, smiling at him over my shoulder. My knee still hurts but it doesn't matter. He leans against my back slowly, carefully; I feel the pressure, I feel his chest and his hard stomach--but cold, so terribly cold. And I know that if I leaned back, I'd fall through him again. The first time left me all shivery, I'm not in any hurry to see it happen again. I prefer to revel in his closeness, and forget the fact that he isn't breathing, hasn't been for seven years.

Brings another meaning to cold comfort.

There's a saucepan on the counter that wasn't there before. This means a new subject of conversation. I'm irrationally grateful to it. "Were you cooking?"

'Trying to. I can't lift the flour bag,' he grumbles, annoyed.

"Oh. Well, I can..." I move in his embrace, but he doesn't-- and I'm scared of going through him again so I freeze. I think we're overlapping in a few places because my back is breaking out in goosebumps.

'... just a minute longer, anata...'

Well, if he insists.

It feels good to be in his arms again, even if they're cold and even if he's not really solid, but after a few abnormally fast minutes, I can't keep the shivers in check any longer. He lets me go reluctantly, his arms turning see-through, and I turn around slowly to face him.

"So... " This is it. The dreaded discussion. The kitchen seems to be turning smaller, closing in on me. "... I guess you have... questions."

'Just one right now. Have you always hated her?'

He sounds sad, hurt. He probably thinks I lied to him before, when I assured him that I was okay with his friendship with her and the numerous times he left to play the vice minister's bodyguard.

I look up to meet his eyes. I want him to know that I'm sincere. "She annoyed me. I felt jealous at first, and then I felt a bit wary-- because I knew that you weren't interested, but she was. I didn't really trust her. But I didn't hate her. Not before... You know."

He nods thoughtfully. 'Does she know?'

I laugh, but it's a sound without any real humor. "Yeah, I think she got the hint."

'What did you do?' he asks, scowling.

"Uhh." God, now I feel bad. Not for Miss Relena Darlian--even now I can't manage to make myself feel bad for her-- but for treating Heero's friend that way. It's with my head hanging in shame that I make myself tell him how unfairly I treated her. "She dropped in when I was still living with Quatre... She came in to see me when I was still bedridden and I threw stuff at her --I lost it, yelled until I was hoarse and all. And later, when I came back to live here, I kinda slammed the door in her face. Three times. Then she stopped coming."

'... And you haven't seen her since?'

"... Once or twice... At Quatre's. But we didn't talk. Last time was two years ago, I think."

There's silence for a few minutes.

[askerian]

"... I'm sorry, husband-mine. I know it's really immature of me... Next reunion, I can-- I mean... I won't run away again. Promise." I don't offer to talk to her; I don't think I can. But he'll be able to check up on her by himself at least. Hopefully I won't even need to look at her. Call me cowardly, but I've always taken the "run" part of my motto seriously.

He looks up at me, keeping silent for a few seconds longer, and then he nods.

'Thank you.'

I can't help but wince. He has nothing to thank me for, really. That's the very least I can do for him, and it's still not a lot.

"You really don't need to thank me."

'I'm thanking you for telling me too. I feel a bit out of the loop right now,' he adds with a self-deprecating smile. His face turns serious once again and he meets my eyes. 'I didn't want to mess with painful stuff by asking for details, but I really don't want any more surprises.'

I nod slowly, swallowing the dread rising like bile in my throat. "... Okay. Just ask. I'll tell you."

He frowns at me. 'This isn't an interrogation. If it's too painful to tell me, you don't have to. I don't want to hurt you, but I'd just like to know. It isn't as if I can ask anyone else,' he adds in a whisper, an odd note in his voice. As if he felt bad for adding that last sentence, but was still annoyed enough to let it slip. Now I feel awful. He's right, I'm his only link to the world. I know he'll respect my privacy if I tell him to, but I owe him this.

"Okay. So..."

'Tell me about the guys.'

I blink, caught by surprise. I thought he'd ask me more about Relena, or maybe about how things went after his death.

"The guys-- how they're doing?"

He nods.

"Quatre is still CEO of Winner Enterprises, but Trowa managed to get him help from a bunch of his sisters, so he's okay. Not like before." For a while after the war, and even after our marriage, Quatre was still doing everything himself; CEO and Preventer. It was killing him, but he couldn't let go of either. And his father's will had demanded quite clearly that HE be the one to handle WEI. Lots of his sisters resented him for that, and since he rarely had contacts with them as a teenager, most still thought him to be the haughty, aggressive brat he had been at thirteen, so they didn't really feel like going out of their way to help. "Well, he still works too much by most people's standards, but you know him, he's only happy when he's worked himself to exhaustion. Now at least he gets enough sleep."

'You mean he doesn't need to be clobbered anymore?'

I smile at Heero, amused. "Nah. Trowa is his head of security now, so basically he's always with him. And he has a rather wide interpretation of what can cause Q-man harm."

'It's probably not a big change... I wonder how they do it, living in each other's pockets and all,' he chuckles, a fond look in his eyes.

"Actually, they broke up a few years ago..."

He stares at me, astonished.

'Broke up? As in...'

"Broke up. As in not together anymore. They even talked divorce for a while. But they're back together now."

He sighs, relieved. 'I can't believe it.'

Anyone else would ask me why they broke up, but Heero's the least gossipy person I know. I don't know how I could summarize that complicated tangle of incidents and miscommunication anyway.

LAST ONE FINALLY. dumb post limit.

[askerian]

'Wufei?'

"Still with the Preventers, still a workaholic. Still single too." I bite my lip. Should I tell Heero about-- this sounds so pretentious, to believe that Wufei is still single because he's waiting for me. I don't even believe that, really... I mean, I know he likes me, but if he really felt like actively pursuing me, he would be doing that. He's one of these people who don't need to be in a relationship to feel fulfilled.

... Or he's just being his usual noble and discreet self and waiting for me to get over Heero's death. Maybe I should have a talk with him.

Anyway, he hasn't even hinted at anything he might want of me, so I really shouldn't tell Heero. So long as he keeps his feelings for himself, it's not my business to go talking about them to other people. If he had flirted with me, or even hinted at his feelings, it would be different, but he hasn't so Heero doesn't need to know yet.

'What's the look for, anata? Can't find anyone to matchmake him with?'

"Eh... Something like that."

'Meaning not that at all,' he snorts.

He knows me too well.

"I can't tell you, love, sorry."

He shrugs. 'Fine. If it turns out to be important, you will, though, right?'

"Yeah, but for now I really can't."

x


they need a bit of bonding time
kittychou2004: with each other or with the guys?
Mistress Asher: each other
Mistress Asher: talk about relena
Mistress Asher: heero really likes her
Mistress Asher: but obviously he can't see her if duo cn't stand her
kittychou2004: so where would they go to talk? back to the apartment? random park? graveyard?
Mistress Asher: maybe take a walk
Mistress Asher: i think duo didn't get out for years--hell, he didn't even know that the park wasn't there any longer
kittychou2004: yeah...so it would probably make sense that he start going outside more? he must be a god awful shade of pale XD
Mistress Asher: eero can comment that he's paler than him and isnt that a scary thing? XD
Mistress Asher: i think at first he'd go by night
Mistress Asher: it's easier to see heero
Mistress Asher: and he could actually talk back
kittychou2004: *nod* less people to stare at him like he's a freak
Mistress Asher: maybe he sees a drug deal or something o_o;;
Mistress Asher: XD or a rapist!
Mistress Asher: he'll kick butt, but he'll be achy all over and kinda clumsy
Mistress Asher: he didn't practice lots
Mistress Asher: so he's gonna start jogging and training again

then hilde comes and sees him with a black eye XD