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TDM 009: I'M IN LIKE WITH YOU
| TDM 009: I'M IN LIKE WITH YOU |
00. Arrival This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore. Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased. With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the “comfortable” new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. I. STARGAZER On the first night that new arrivals wash ashore, the moon rises. It's full and beautiful and surrounded by stars. The robots quickly bring old, dusty telescopes out of storage and line them up on the beach to help people get a truly spectacular view. "Look to the heavens! Behold, the chicken, the cat, the owl, the donkey!" It's... the cock, the pussy, the hooters, and the ass. For the rest of the night, characters will become fixated on the specific asset associated with the constellation they've gotten an eyeful of. Whether this leads to some body worship or just casual appreciation is up to you. You can learn about the stars and constellations later this month in some of the rare, non-pornographic books in the library. (More info will go up soon, so please be patient!) II. STIMULATING CONVERSATION An ancient courting ritual has been announced! It involves the give-and-take of candy hearts with slogans printed on them. Of course, since these hearts are being manufactured by robots, their sense of taste is a little... off? Or perhaps off-putting? "You'll do." "5/10." "Acceptable." "Sloppy Seconds." Receiving a negative heart makes one feel insecure, jealous, and submissive. "Be mine." "Nicest ass." "Swell bulge." "They're good lays, Bront." Receiving a positive heart will make one feel confident, boastful, and dominant. Your friendly neighborhood 'bots will give them out to anyone who asks - and maybe even those who don't. III. Eat Or Dare The robots have set up a stall by the beach with a banner that reads: Eat Or Dare. They have procured bigger candy hearts than ever before -- fist-sized and larger -- with actions written on them instead of derogatory slogans. "Take a dive." "Lick me." "Get handsy." The name of the game is to follow the instructions or forfeit the challenge by making the evidence disappear into your mouth. Delicious! Those who eat the candy hearts will feel themselves getting giddy and unreasonably invested in the love affairs of others. They will feel compelled to play matchmaker to spread the cheer. N A V I G A T I O N |
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The silly heart candy falls from his grip and hits the ground, forgotten in favor of pulling Duo into his grasp, hands on slender hips. ]
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[ Duo had missed him, though perhaps not in the way that Heero is thinking of. He hadn't seen the other man in.. he isn't sure how long, since they had parted ways after the Mariemaia Rebellion. So yes, Duo misses Heero, misses seeing him, misses even their casual interactions.
Coming here and finding out they apparently had something, before?
The cherry on the cake, if he's honest. The other boy's hands come to rest on his hips, and Duo leans into his solid form. When he pulls away from the kiss he doesn't move very far, just enough to meet Heero's eyes, trying not to be as ridiculous as he feels, cracking one of those sideways smiles. ]
That's why you've been so... off..
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[ Heero sounds genuinely surprised to hear this, though it's little more than the subtlest of shifts in the tone of his voice. It's probably enough. He forgets how easily Duo and even Relena can read him, these days - and sometimes he forgets that there is anything there to read. In so many ways he still thinks of himself of that cold and broken soldier standing alone on the battlefield, having nothing and deserving nothing.
Strangely enough, it took being dragged to this barren planet to make him realize that he has quite a lot. Right here in his hands.
A hand wanders up Duo's side, almost like Heero has to touch him to believe that he's back, even here standing nose-to-nose with him. ...he's allowed to touch now, right? ]
I wasn't sure.
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Yeah. A little. [ Duo pauses as he thinks of how to describe it. Of course it had all been subtle, small things that had eventually tipped Duo off that more was wrong than just being in this alien place with alien rules and all sorts of new complications for them as people. ]
It was like you weren’t sure. Like you’d come in some times with a purpose in mind but then back off of it at the last second. [ he supposed fighting the urge to kiss him, now that they’re here and they’ve done it, honestly. Or to ask
For a certain proximity and remembering that he didn’t remember them before and slamming the brakes. ]
I don’t blame you. It’s - this whole place is just - A Lot. [ Duo laughs for a few moments at himself for stating the very obvious. ]
I wasn’t sure how you would feel or if you would ... want that. Or be ready for it. I know I’m not completely in my head sometimes even with the war over and I wouldn’t blame you for wanting time to yourself to figure it out.
... But I missed you, out in space, back in our world. Just, you know.
Didn’t want to crowd you while we’re all figuring it out.
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Ironic that they were both holding themselves back for precisely the same unfounded reasons. It doesn't make any sense, when Heero thinks about it now. Duo isn't the type to wait and waffle around, and Heero has never figured anything out by having time to himself.
They just have to act when the moment is right. ]
I can handle it.
[ Now wasn't the first time Heero's promised that much, and it probably wouldn't be the last. But they'd both been through circumstances a lot more terrifying than this, hadn't they? ]
And we work well together.
[ A big admission, from him. But it was true - there wasn't anyone else in the Earth Sphere that Heero had trusted more when he'd needed someone's help. Why should it be different here? ]
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We'll see, huh? [ Duo teases in relation to Heero handling things. He can't help it - he has to tease Heero a little or he just may shrivel up and die for having to hold his comments in. No drama involved at all, of course. None.
One of Duo's hands strays, slightly, instead of being balled in Heero's shirt to press flat against his chest, as the other moves up to loop around the other boys' neck. It may seem to be to keep him close, and it's sort of that, but mostly because it's a bit more relaxed than the whole fist in the front of his shirt positioning.
He doesn't intend to break from the proximity anytime soon, anyway. ]
Yeah, we do, don't we? [ Other than the shooting incident.. but they're far past that now he'd like to think. ]
Just... I guess we gotta be better at actually.. you know. Talking about things sometimes. I know we can do the whole silent agreements thing but I don't wanna have any weird conflicts here, you know?
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Duo is met with a pensive silence while he slings that arm around Heero's neck, though there isn't an ounce of tension in Heero's shoulders to suggest any discomfort with it. Quite the opposite - he almost seems to relax into this more intimate hold, reassured that this moment won't slip away from him at any notice. ]
Mm.
[ It's a sound of agreement, but it takes Heero another moment before he finds the words he wants to string together. ]
Duo, this place... [ He stops, and then seems to think better of it. He doesn't need to explain what the Nameless Island is like. Duo's been given that rundown already. ] You do what you need to do. And what you want to do. I won't stop you.
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[ Like this, leaned close to each other and talking lowly, despite the fact that they're in a crowd.. it feels like they're just in a little place together. No pressure, no one else looking in that could hear them.. nothing like that.
At least they agree that communication is key, here. That's a relief.
But what Heero follows with.. confuses him a little. Duo's head tips ever so slightly as he tries to puzzle it out. It's plain enough, but at the same time... Duo prefers to be very clear, when it came to relationships he valued.
Grey area left room for mixed feelings or potential bad turns. ]
What d'you mean? I wanna make sure we're like.. crystal clear because I.. [ Duo hesitates, pushes down his own demons for a moment - ] ... I don't wanna deal with any of this without you.
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Case in point: right now. Heero's weight shifts from one foot to the other, uncertain of how to proceed even though he knows exactly what he wants to say. They didn't have this conversation, the first time around.
Fortunately, Duo gives him exactly the words he needs. Heero shakes his head emphatically. ]
You won't. We've been in this together from the start, nothing can change that.
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[ Duo doesn't mind talking to fill space, really. It's easy enough with Heero around, and he knows the specific look that means 'shut up' versus the one that says the other boy is listening. At least he would hope he does by now, anyway.
What Heero says is what he needs, sort of, anyway. The braided pilot nods, happy to hear it, if he's honest. He's sort of stepping out of one world and diving head first in to... whatever this is with Heero after one kiss but..
Well, this is Duo. None of this is surprising. Absolutely none of it. ]
So we.. can go and do whatever, whoever.. but at the end of the day it's us, at the core of it. Me an' you. [ Duo rephrases it more for himself than anything else, happy and yet - ]
You're puttin' yourself at a shit end of a deal, you know?
throws in a wrench on purpose
He isn't alone on the Island anymore - so many from the Earth Sphere have arrived here, and many more may come - but the kind of understanding he and Duo have with one another, as pilots? That can't be replicated anywhere else. And Heero doesn't build that kind of trust easily. ]
No. This kind of place... and with Relena here. I need you.
LORDT
[ it’s a bit of an ice cube down the front of his shirt, in a way. Of course Relena would factor in. He’s a fool for not even considering it in the very beginning - from the very beginning.
The hand on Heero’s chest slips down and away, the arm around his neck unwinding just as easily.
Less intimate, now, more business.
He was needed to help with Relena. Of course. So he’ll cram down something a bit more dramatic, brewing slightly, hands quickly shoving in his jacket and their ‘moment’ changing in a heart beat as Duo reverts back to something more aloof. ]
Right. ‘Course ... Relena.
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Heero doesn't immediately make the connection between what he'd said and what Duo must be thinking, but his hold on the other pilot loosens. He doesn't want to let go, but it doesn't feel right to keep Duo trapped if Duo wants to pull away. ]
Duo?
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It’s business, right? [ so no need for all this superfluous affection. A means to an end so that Heero can achieve what he wants, and so Duo...
Shrinks. Guards, immediately, already building a wall there to prevent the mix of what he wants versus what he very obviously will not have, already leaning away from Heero’s hold.
Attempting, in his own way, his usual running and hiding, slamming the door in someone else’s face before it can be slammed in his. ]
So it stays business.
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Ah.
The 'business' Duo was referring to - he must be talking about himself. ]
No. It isn't.
[ He can't reach for Duo's hands when they're shoved into his pockets. Whether that was intentional or some subconscious defensive gesture that Duo had learned long ago, it won't stop him. Heero grasps the crook of Duo's elbow, tugging him back into that private sliver of space they had come so close to creating for themselves. ]
You're more than that.
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It is. [ Duo insists, allowing himself to be pulled back in, though his head turns away. Less chances for Heero to kiss him, if he isn’t facing him, and less open body language to invite touch if his hands are tucked away.
A nagging, almost mocking little voice in the back of his mind tells him he should’ve known better, and Duo frowns, brows knitting as if he’s intensely displeased at something out in the crowd around them.
The tender moment before is an almost direct opposite to now, Duo’s mood soured by being told he’s needed - maybe wanted - and then qualified with Heero’s constant duty to Relena.
Of course. He’s an idiot for not assuming, and will proceed to mentally kick himself for a while now. ]
You need me to make things more comfortable for Relena. Fine. We’re clear. [ so why does he sound so irritated. Duo pauses for a moment, reels himself in, resets his face in to something neutral and removed, and shoves all of this in some cubby hole to deal with much later. ]
I should find Chang.
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Were anyone spying on their little scene, they'd probably be shocked by how quickly the two of them had shifted from something intimate and sweet to growling at each other like a couple of territorial street dogs.
His fingers tighten slightly over Duo's jacket. ]
Obviously we're not clear.
[ Heero definitely hears the irritation in Duo's voice. He tries not to let it get a rise out of him. Predictably, he fails. He knows he isn't very good at this, but it's insulting for Duo to ask him to talk and then refuse to listen. ]
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What the fuck are we not clear on, then? [ Duo finally turns to look at him again, though this time it’s with that usually contained temper barely held in the blue violet of his eyes and the determined set of his jaw.
Or the barely contained venom as he repeats back : ]
We work well together.
With Relena here, I need you.
It’s business, Yuy. That’s pretty damn clear. [ Surnames are usually reserved for Heero when Duo is putting him at arms length, angry, or both. ]
In your own words, even.
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Heero studies the other boy for a beat, silent, his expression severe - but there is also a tugging at those thick brows that hints at concern. Worry, even.
He didn't start this conversation with any intention to hurt Duo this badly. ]
...that isn't what I meant.
[ His tone is subdued again. Chastised. ]
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Shut up. [ Duo, possibly, wouldn't have reacted so badly if Heero’s unintentional dots didn’t form a line, in Duo’s mind, to every little bit of insecurity Duo has.
It’s why, in turn, he rips back his affections so hard, slams the brakes, and simultaneously becomes furious at himself.
Shutting down completely is the easy way out to explaining to Heero that he is so damn assured that he’ll continue to be nothing and no one to anyone, and teenage fumbling of two people who have no idea how to cope or communicate like regular people stand a damn good chance at stepping on these many, many emotional land mines.
The same ones that have Duo pulling away again, this time physically, muttering to himself as if in reminder - ]
This is why I just fucked off to space and didn’t bother with anyone. The rest of you will always be up to the same shit.
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His is the face of someone who knows when further protest will only bring further punishment.
And, well. He doesn't want to hurt Duo anymore, either, and that's all Heero seems to be doing. Which is why he lets Duo pull away this time, with nothing but a silent, inscrutable stare in answer to the other pilot's grumbled barbs. ]
Find Chang, then. I'm going back.
[ Heero doesn't elaborate any further than that before he turns away, giving Duo - and himself - his space. ]
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Whatever. [ Duo more than likely will not be back that night. Not without Heero bringing him back, if he can manage it in any form or fashion. It wasn't like he wasn't used to sleeping rough when he needed to, or would disagree on doing it when the situation was as it was currently.
Considering the concern was Relena, so far as he could tell, it wasn't exactly fair to fight as they do with her stuck in the apartment with them, either.
He may not necessarily be Relena's biggest fan, but he doesn't really want to make her that uncomfortable, either.
He has no idea where he's going but, with a huff, Duo walks in to the crowd, intent as ever on disappearing as soon as possible.
.. And maybe finding some cigarettes or booze. Whatever came first and worked. ]