Bathing Alone

Warnings: yaoi

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing characters belong to Mixx Entertainment, Koichi Tokita, the SOTSU Agency, Sunrise, Kodansha and anyone I may have forgotten, not to me. I make no money off of this.

Heero adjusted his position, relieving the numbness that had started up in his right arm. He'd been in this position for almost fifteen minutes, laying flat on his stomach while he looked out of the dark metal grate. At least, he would be looking as soon as the lights came on. Right now the room below was still pitch black. He had to be careful how loud he breathed, or else the sound would echo down the vent he was in. At the very least it would stir up the dust, which would be quite annoying, especially since he'd been inhaling the bitter particles once he'd started moving through the vent.

The lights came on, but he didn't close his eyes while they adjusted to the brightness. For a moment he couldn't hear anyone inside, and all he could see was the blue tile of the bathroom. The traditional setting was fairly familiar to him, although he hadn't used this kind all that much. Duo hadn't liked the idea of using a traditional Japanese bath, though.

"Cold water and then a communal soak? No way!" he'd laughed.

But there are no other places in this small town. Heero had noticed that immediately when they came into the school. The Oz base here was small, though vital, and everything was done according to Japanese conventions. Which meant everyone had the same type of bathroom. And since this was the best place for Duo to come--

Heero heard the lock snap on the door, telling him the person had sealed the door behind him. Duo walked into his line of sight, holding his braid nervously. He sighed and reluctantly began to undress.

Heero watched him closely, unconsciously licking his lips in anticipation. His gaze lingered on Duo's hands, his fingers undoing his shirt. There was one more anxious glance around the room to reassure himself that he was alone, and then he removed his shirt.

Heero barely held in his gasp. Duo's back and front were covered in scars. His upper arms, always concealed carefully, were similarly scored. The marks ranged from miniscule and mostly invisible to one long scar trailing diagonally over his back. When his pants were removed, more scars were revealed.

No wonder he doesn't want his body seen, Heero realized.

Duo sat down on the tile floor, close to the wall, and began to methodically undo his braid, leaving his hair to cascade freely over his shoulders and back. The job took several minutes, and when he was done he just reached up and turned the shower on. Water rushed over him, soaking his hair as he began to lather shampoo into it. Hints of green apple wafted through the room even after he'd rinsed it all away.

Heero wished he was the soap now in Duo's hand, running over his arms and legs and back. Duo looked up into the water, allowing it to run over his face, down his chest. He turned around a bit and suddenly jerked back, hissing in pain. Heero caught a glimpse of the bruise in his side before his hand covered it.

He said he hadn't been hurt in that last fight, Heero thought angrily.

Allowing the water to finish rinsing him off, Duo turned it off and used the wall to help him stand. His hair stuck to him, shielding him unknowingly from Heero's eyes. He sat down next to the large tub and looked inside, apparently searching for sharks. To his disappointment, the water was crystal clear. He tentatively eased in, wincing as the cold tile brushed his side. The heated water swallowed him up until he adjusted himself into a comfortable sitting position. He heaved a contented sigh and leaned back, closing his eyes as he relaxed.

Striving to stay silent, Heero pushed the metal grate forward and out of the wall, having already removed the screws when he'd arrived. He quietly slipped out and landed on the floor, replacing the grate silently. After considering his actions one last time, his mind didn't change and he undressed, heading to the shower. With a deep breath, he turned it on.

Duo gasped in brief terror and whirled around, eyes opening wide when he saw Heero, his back to him. He stared back at the lock and settled back into the water, trembling a little. I must not have locked it...when did he come in? Has he seen me...? He looked at the large tub and realized if Heero hadn't seen, he would soon. The water was so damn clear. For a moment he thought about climbing out and dressing, but he decided that would only let Heero see him for sure. The best way to handle this, then, was to act nonchalantly and hope Heero didn't notice when he came in.

"I thought you'd already taken a bath," he said, praying his nervousness didn't show.

Heero glanced over at him. "No. I had to finish my homework first."

"It's not like we're gonna be here long enough to even get our grades back," Duo laughed. "Besides, you can always give us stellar records when we go to the next school."

"Or I could give you a straight D average and several disciplinary citations."

"And warn them ahead of time? Where's the fun in that? It's great getting those bunsen burners and the flammable chemicals before the teacher takes them away. Although I guess Oz could find me just by following the charred circles in school ceilings."

Heero shut the shower off and headed for Duo, who inwardly cringed. Please don't let him notice please don't let him notice please don't let him notice...

The water level rose a couple inches as he came in and settled a couple feet from Duo. He couldn't help his relaxed sigh as the warm water made his muscles loosen up. "Why did you take so long to get in here?" he asked. "It's almost midnight."

Duo shook his head, letting his hair spread over the water's surface and conceal some of his body. "I just don't like the idea of a whole lot of people watching me."

"Because of your scars?"

Duo stiffened and turned away. He knows, but he said it so casually...maybe he won't make such a big deal about them, or just let the subject drop. "Yeah." Since there was no reason to keep it floating, he pulled his hair back behind himself. "I...I guess you saw those."

Heero stared intently at him. "Actually, I'm more interested in that bruise. I thought you said you weren't hurt in the fight this morning."

Duo forced a weak smile. "I never lie, remember? I got it after school in that basketball game. The students in this school play dirty."

"Who hurt you?"

"Gosunkugi," Duo shrugged. "It's okay, I'll frame him for letting the lab rats out tomorrow."

Heero narrowed his eyes. "I thought they got out this afternoon."

The familiar grin returned to Duo's face, bringing a mischievous gleam to his eyes. "Yup. I don't like caging little animals, and they were just gonna gas the poor things after the experiment."

Heero nodded, then edged closer to the other pilot. Hoping Duo didn't bolt, he gingerly placed his fingers on the bruise, stretching over Duo to reach it. Duo stiffened and shied away until he realized what Heero was doing. He forced himself to sit still and hope Heero wouldn't notice how much Duo's body enjoyed his touch.

Heero gently examined the range of the bruise, shaking his head. "He must have slammed into you. The muscle there is far too tender. Have you put ice on it?"

Duo shook his head once. "Haven't really had time."

"What have you been doing since the game?" Heero blinked. If not homework, then...?

Duo grinned again. "Um...not much. But stay away from the labs tomorrow. They'll be looking for whoever let the bunnies out."

A tiny smile forced its way out of Heero for a second. "I really should put disciplinary notes in your records." As he pulled his hand back from Duo's side, his hand brushed over something hard yet velvety that really shouldn't have been there. A furious blush covered Duo's cheeks, and he turned away as fast as he could.

"Duo?"

"Sorry sorry sorry," Duo whispered. "I-I-I d-don't...I don't know why...I didn't mean to...I should leave--"

One hand went to his shoulder and held him down before he could try to escape. "No."

Duo felt Heero slide up against his body, and while the first hand went around his shoulders, the second one came to rest on his cheek, tilting his face back and making him look into Heero's eyes. There was something in his look that he'd never seen there before. "Heero?"

"It's all right, Duo."

"What...do you mean?"

Instead of answering, Heero leaned forward and lay a soft kiss on Duo's lips. After the initial shock, Duo eagerly responded, nearly dunking both of them in the water with his enthusiasm. When they pulled back, Duo was grinning and Heero had a faint scarlet hue on his face.

"How long have you felt like this?" Duo whispered, putting his arms around him. "Did you know I did?"

"No. I just got tired of watching you from the vent and decided to find out."

Duo frowned in confusion and looked at the metal grate, which had tilted incriminatingly to the side. "Heero!"

The End