As long as I'm in the neighbourhood...
Mar. 29th, 2004 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lavandarlizard2I'll just part with another part... *ow! no hitting!*
You've all seen the disclaimer; we all know it by heart.
Part 074b - Oops
Duo materialized on a swath of rocks a hundred feet from the gently lapping ocean.
He blinked.
"Okay," he muttered to himself.
He turned a full circle in place, taking note of his surroundings. He recognized the beach; he and Heero had visited here the previous summer. A wonderful weekend of courting…
"How about that…" Duo said bitterly, shaking his head. "Of all times for it to work…"
Well, he had wanted to get away from Heero and everyone else. He just hadn't expected to get a few hundred *miles* away.
The weather here matched his mood; cold, damp, and gloomy.
"Freakin' bloody wonderful," he muttered.
A few vehicles were parked along the shoulder of the highway, attesting to the dedication of surfers, and he could just make out some bobbing shapes far out on the ocean waves.
There were worse places to be, he thought. His cloak was waterproof; the threat of actual rain negligible. He needed to think and this place was as good as any. He found a place on a raised outflow channel and sat down, wrapping his cloak around him.
::Damn… I trusted him. I trusted him with my life… With my heart… How can he say he loves me and not tell me there's someone else in his life? What did Zeph call her? Kohaku? And Komori? His son?! Heero has a son he never even mentioned! Why?! Why aren't they together? Why is he here alone? Why are his- his- mate and his… child so far away? Is it me? Is he hiding me?::
He didn't want to acknowledge the thought that oozed around his defenses.
::A back-alley romance… Is that all I am…?::
He scrubbed his hands over his face angrily, swiping at the tears he couldn't stop.
"Fuck!" he snarled. "Stupid! Stupid bloody *idiot!*" He drew a shuddering breath, pounding his fists on his knees. "How could you be so *stupid*?!"
"Hey, you okay there?"
Duo jumped and pushed his hood back to see a guy standing a few yards away. Duo sensed no immediate threat from him, so he relaxed.
"I don't know," he replied with a listless shrug. "Still debating."
"Heh." The guy quirked a grin and flicked his hand toward the ocean. "As long as you're not planning to take a walk."
Duo shook his head. "I probably couldn't even get that right," he grumbled. "No, I'm just wondering if they give awards for 'Most Stupid.' I'm pretty sure I'd have a good shot at it."
The guy sat down a few feet away. He wore a wetsuit, so Duo figured him for a surfer, even though he wasn't carrying a board.
"Girl trouble?" the surfer wondered sympathetically.
"Boy trouble," Duo corrected with a sigh.
Maybe… All those counselors when he was living in this world, trying to get him to "open up," to "talk about his feelings." Humans did that; talked to others about their feelings. Talked to friends, to counselors, to complete strangers about their personal lives. And swore that it was good, that it made them feel better, even if it didn't solve anything…
Damn, maybe he could talk to this stranger without feeling like a fool.
The surfer might have read his mind, or maybe it was just that he was Human and Humans talked about how they felt, even the supposedly stoic males. "Sometimes it helps to talk. Sort things out; get your thoughts in order. Take a step back from everything."
Duo glanced up, having come to a decision. "I already took the step back," he grinned tightly. "But sorting and ordering sounds pretty out of reach right now."
Wetsuit guy chuckled wryly. "Love's a bitch, ain't it."
"Yeah." And it was a Wyvern, too.
"My name's Geoff," said the surfer.
"I'm Duo." They shook hands.
"You had a fight with your guy?" Geoff asked.
Duo started to answer, then thought about it. It hadn't gotten as far as a "fight." Zephyrus let slip that Heero had a child. Heero didn't deny it; just looked like he wanted to kill Zeph and then erase his words.
::And I didn't give anyone a chance to say anything else. I just went Banshee on him. Ah, shit…::
He hung his head with a sigh. "Not exactly. Someone dropped a bomb, and rather than wait for an explanation, I just freaked out and took off."
"Oh. Not too good."
"No shit."
"So, was it something really awful?"
Was it? Duo considered for a moment.
"Not really, I guess," he sighed. "It… blindsided me… I think I'm more upset that he never told me. That I heard it from someone else."
"You feel kind of…"
"Stupid? Naïve? Oh, yeah. He should have told me himself; not let me hear it in passing like that, from a third party. From a person he doesn't even like."
"No, that's not very considerate behavior. You deserve honesty from the one you love."
"Yeah… Yeah, I do." Funny; he'd never really thought of himself as deserving of things. He sighed and leaned back on his hands, staring at the blue-grey waves. "He has a kid, and he never told me. He's been telling me he loves me for months, and I finally believed him… I let myself… I let myself… fall in love… and then I suddenly find out that he has a kid he never even mentioned. A kid means a mother, right? So, there's a female in his life too. So, did he tell *her* that he loved her? Or did he just knock her up and walk away?" He took a deep breath, shuddering in spite of himself. "If he could walk away from… from… a woman and his child, he could do the same to me."
Geoff sighed; he scooped up a couple of the smooth river stones, turning them over and over in his hand. "That's a perfectly normal and reasonable concern, Duo. You want to know where you stand in this guy's life, in his heart. No one likes feeling that they've been made a fool of."
"Yeah. And that's exactly how I feel now! 'And in this cage, the World's Biggest Fool!'" He drew his legs up and rested his head on his knees. "And it really hurts…" he whispered.
"Would you mind so much, if he had told you in the beginning? If he had just admitted to a prior relationship, and explained the situation?"
Duo thought for a few minutes.
"Damn. I'm not sure… It kind of bugs me that he could have a child and never mention it. That's… I don't know… Kind of cold?"
"Is he a cold sort of guy?"
Duo snorted. "Not with me! He's like five alarm chili with me!"
"Um… Okay. Forgive me if I'm rude here, but is he also an Elf?"
Duo frowned. "'Also?' I'm not an Elf; I'm a Banshee."
Geoff colored under his tan. "Oops! I'm terribly sorry! I saw the cloak and your ears and just…" He sighed, studying the stones in his hand. "Just made an ass of myself. I'm really sorry."
"Eh," Duo waved it away. "It's not an insult; there's a strong consanguinity between Banshees and Elves. Elves are just better-known than Banshees."
"Yeah." Geoff sat up straighter. "I didn't know that there were male Banshees."
Duo cut him a sidelong look, smirking. "At least you didn't immediately think I'm a useless breeder."
Geoff frowned. "Should I?"
"I hope to hell not. I'm just a little sensitive about that subject, thankyouverymuch. Some people, who don't know much about Banshees, are of the opinion that the males are just for stud, and the females are the useful ones."
"Someone would actually say that to you?"
"On occasion. Mostly behind my back. The females have the Voice that can drop a man at a hundred feet, but the males aren't anything to turn your back on. We just defend ourselves differently."
"Perfectly logical," Geoff nodded.
"And we don't generally mix with other Magical Races or Humans much."
"But you're here…"
"Some Banshees are wanderers…"
"That's very interesting," Geoff murmured. "They don't spend much time on Magical Races in school," he said apologetically. "And the library isn't very helpful either."
"You really want to learn more?" Duo asked curiously. He wasn't used to Humans actually caring about the Magical Races. They were usually in awe or afraid, neither of which made Duo comfortable.
"Yeah. Um… There's a family legend that my Great-Grandpa Enjolyn was an Elf. No one seems to know for sure, or even why the legend might have started, but I've always wanted to find out."
Duo studied the young Human male more closely. He could be part Elf. He had the slim oval face and the graceful long-fingered hands of an Elf, but he was taller than most Elves and more muscular.
Duo couldn't tell offhand. He shook his head. "You could be, from a few generations back and only one person. I think you'd have to ask an Elf." He thought of Heero, and how he hadn't even guessed that the Wyvern was part Banshee. "And even they might not be able to tell. My lover is part Banshee, but I didn't know it until he told me. You might have to resort to DNA tests."
"Is your lover part Human, then?"
"No, he's a Wyvern."
"I've never heard of a Wyvern."
"They're a kind of Dragon. Kind of scary-looking." He noticed Geoff's startled look. "They're shape-shifters. Most of the time, he looks Human. It's easier when he's around Humans and other Magical Races. Wyverns in their natural form are… well… just *scary*." He snickered to himself. "And their wings are *big!* Twenty to twenty-five feet across."
"Geez…" breathed the surfer. "I don't know if I'd want to meet one of those or not…"
"He's not a cruel person…" Duo sighed. "Sometimes he just doesn't understand…"
"Maybe this is a case of misunderstanding?" Geoff suggested. "Is it possible?"
Duo shrugged. "Anything is possible. We're both kind of… odd."
Geoff stood up, dusting his hands off. "Look, I'm done surfing; you want to get some breakfast with me? There's a great place in Encinitas. I can drop you back here, or wherever you like afterward."
"I am kind of hungry… Sure; why not? Do they make French toast?"
"They make fantastic French toast!"
Duo hopped down from the channel rim. "After you, my man!"
------------~.~
and that concludes part 074b. Does anyone like it?
You've all seen the disclaimer; we all know it by heart.
Part 074b - Oops
Duo materialized on a swath of rocks a hundred feet from the gently lapping ocean.
He blinked.
"Okay," he muttered to himself.
He turned a full circle in place, taking note of his surroundings. He recognized the beach; he and Heero had visited here the previous summer. A wonderful weekend of courting…
"How about that…" Duo said bitterly, shaking his head. "Of all times for it to work…"
Well, he had wanted to get away from Heero and everyone else. He just hadn't expected to get a few hundred *miles* away.
The weather here matched his mood; cold, damp, and gloomy.
"Freakin' bloody wonderful," he muttered.
A few vehicles were parked along the shoulder of the highway, attesting to the dedication of surfers, and he could just make out some bobbing shapes far out on the ocean waves.
There were worse places to be, he thought. His cloak was waterproof; the threat of actual rain negligible. He needed to think and this place was as good as any. He found a place on a raised outflow channel and sat down, wrapping his cloak around him.
::Damn… I trusted him. I trusted him with my life… With my heart… How can he say he loves me and not tell me there's someone else in his life? What did Zeph call her? Kohaku? And Komori? His son?! Heero has a son he never even mentioned! Why?! Why aren't they together? Why is he here alone? Why are his- his- mate and his… child so far away? Is it me? Is he hiding me?::
He didn't want to acknowledge the thought that oozed around his defenses.
::A back-alley romance… Is that all I am…?::
He scrubbed his hands over his face angrily, swiping at the tears he couldn't stop.
"Fuck!" he snarled. "Stupid! Stupid bloody *idiot!*" He drew a shuddering breath, pounding his fists on his knees. "How could you be so *stupid*?!"
"Hey, you okay there?"
Duo jumped and pushed his hood back to see a guy standing a few yards away. Duo sensed no immediate threat from him, so he relaxed.
"I don't know," he replied with a listless shrug. "Still debating."
"Heh." The guy quirked a grin and flicked his hand toward the ocean. "As long as you're not planning to take a walk."
Duo shook his head. "I probably couldn't even get that right," he grumbled. "No, I'm just wondering if they give awards for 'Most Stupid.' I'm pretty sure I'd have a good shot at it."
The guy sat down a few feet away. He wore a wetsuit, so Duo figured him for a surfer, even though he wasn't carrying a board.
"Girl trouble?" the surfer wondered sympathetically.
"Boy trouble," Duo corrected with a sigh.
Maybe… All those counselors when he was living in this world, trying to get him to "open up," to "talk about his feelings." Humans did that; talked to others about their feelings. Talked to friends, to counselors, to complete strangers about their personal lives. And swore that it was good, that it made them feel better, even if it didn't solve anything…
Damn, maybe he could talk to this stranger without feeling like a fool.
The surfer might have read his mind, or maybe it was just that he was Human and Humans talked about how they felt, even the supposedly stoic males. "Sometimes it helps to talk. Sort things out; get your thoughts in order. Take a step back from everything."
Duo glanced up, having come to a decision. "I already took the step back," he grinned tightly. "But sorting and ordering sounds pretty out of reach right now."
Wetsuit guy chuckled wryly. "Love's a bitch, ain't it."
"Yeah." And it was a Wyvern, too.
"My name's Geoff," said the surfer.
"I'm Duo." They shook hands.
"You had a fight with your guy?" Geoff asked.
Duo started to answer, then thought about it. It hadn't gotten as far as a "fight." Zephyrus let slip that Heero had a child. Heero didn't deny it; just looked like he wanted to kill Zeph and then erase his words.
::And I didn't give anyone a chance to say anything else. I just went Banshee on him. Ah, shit…::
He hung his head with a sigh. "Not exactly. Someone dropped a bomb, and rather than wait for an explanation, I just freaked out and took off."
"Oh. Not too good."
"No shit."
"So, was it something really awful?"
Was it? Duo considered for a moment.
"Not really, I guess," he sighed. "It… blindsided me… I think I'm more upset that he never told me. That I heard it from someone else."
"You feel kind of…"
"Stupid? Naïve? Oh, yeah. He should have told me himself; not let me hear it in passing like that, from a third party. From a person he doesn't even like."
"No, that's not very considerate behavior. You deserve honesty from the one you love."
"Yeah… Yeah, I do." Funny; he'd never really thought of himself as deserving of things. He sighed and leaned back on his hands, staring at the blue-grey waves. "He has a kid, and he never told me. He's been telling me he loves me for months, and I finally believed him… I let myself… I let myself… fall in love… and then I suddenly find out that he has a kid he never even mentioned. A kid means a mother, right? So, there's a female in his life too. So, did he tell *her* that he loved her? Or did he just knock her up and walk away?" He took a deep breath, shuddering in spite of himself. "If he could walk away from… from… a woman and his child, he could do the same to me."
Geoff sighed; he scooped up a couple of the smooth river stones, turning them over and over in his hand. "That's a perfectly normal and reasonable concern, Duo. You want to know where you stand in this guy's life, in his heart. No one likes feeling that they've been made a fool of."
"Yeah. And that's exactly how I feel now! 'And in this cage, the World's Biggest Fool!'" He drew his legs up and rested his head on his knees. "And it really hurts…" he whispered.
"Would you mind so much, if he had told you in the beginning? If he had just admitted to a prior relationship, and explained the situation?"
Duo thought for a few minutes.
"Damn. I'm not sure… It kind of bugs me that he could have a child and never mention it. That's… I don't know… Kind of cold?"
"Is he a cold sort of guy?"
Duo snorted. "Not with me! He's like five alarm chili with me!"
"Um… Okay. Forgive me if I'm rude here, but is he also an Elf?"
Duo frowned. "'Also?' I'm not an Elf; I'm a Banshee."
Geoff colored under his tan. "Oops! I'm terribly sorry! I saw the cloak and your ears and just…" He sighed, studying the stones in his hand. "Just made an ass of myself. I'm really sorry."
"Eh," Duo waved it away. "It's not an insult; there's a strong consanguinity between Banshees and Elves. Elves are just better-known than Banshees."
"Yeah." Geoff sat up straighter. "I didn't know that there were male Banshees."
Duo cut him a sidelong look, smirking. "At least you didn't immediately think I'm a useless breeder."
Geoff frowned. "Should I?"
"I hope to hell not. I'm just a little sensitive about that subject, thankyouverymuch. Some people, who don't know much about Banshees, are of the opinion that the males are just for stud, and the females are the useful ones."
"Someone would actually say that to you?"
"On occasion. Mostly behind my back. The females have the Voice that can drop a man at a hundred feet, but the males aren't anything to turn your back on. We just defend ourselves differently."
"Perfectly logical," Geoff nodded.
"And we don't generally mix with other Magical Races or Humans much."
"But you're here…"
"Some Banshees are wanderers…"
"That's very interesting," Geoff murmured. "They don't spend much time on Magical Races in school," he said apologetically. "And the library isn't very helpful either."
"You really want to learn more?" Duo asked curiously. He wasn't used to Humans actually caring about the Magical Races. They were usually in awe or afraid, neither of which made Duo comfortable.
"Yeah. Um… There's a family legend that my Great-Grandpa Enjolyn was an Elf. No one seems to know for sure, or even why the legend might have started, but I've always wanted to find out."
Duo studied the young Human male more closely. He could be part Elf. He had the slim oval face and the graceful long-fingered hands of an Elf, but he was taller than most Elves and more muscular.
Duo couldn't tell offhand. He shook his head. "You could be, from a few generations back and only one person. I think you'd have to ask an Elf." He thought of Heero, and how he hadn't even guessed that the Wyvern was part Banshee. "And even they might not be able to tell. My lover is part Banshee, but I didn't know it until he told me. You might have to resort to DNA tests."
"Is your lover part Human, then?"
"No, he's a Wyvern."
"I've never heard of a Wyvern."
"They're a kind of Dragon. Kind of scary-looking." He noticed Geoff's startled look. "They're shape-shifters. Most of the time, he looks Human. It's easier when he's around Humans and other Magical Races. Wyverns in their natural form are… well… just *scary*." He snickered to himself. "And their wings are *big!* Twenty to twenty-five feet across."
"Geez…" breathed the surfer. "I don't know if I'd want to meet one of those or not…"
"He's not a cruel person…" Duo sighed. "Sometimes he just doesn't understand…"
"Maybe this is a case of misunderstanding?" Geoff suggested. "Is it possible?"
Duo shrugged. "Anything is possible. We're both kind of… odd."
Geoff stood up, dusting his hands off. "Look, I'm done surfing; you want to get some breakfast with me? There's a great place in Encinitas. I can drop you back here, or wherever you like afterward."
"I am kind of hungry… Sure; why not? Do they make French toast?"
"They make fantastic French toast!"
Duo hopped down from the channel rim. "After you, my man!"
------------~.~
and that concludes part 074b. Does anyone like it?
