Work Text:
Chance
by Vel
Friday, November 28th
“Hi, mind if I squeeze past you?” Duo asked of the man seated in the middle seat.
Rough luck, he thought. The middle seat sucks.
There wasn’t anyone seated in the aisle seat yet, so the other man got up to let him pass.
“Duo,” he offered with an outstretched hand after he was seated.
“Heero,” the other man replied as he reclaimed his own seat. He shook the offered hand, then asked, “Are you on your way home?”
“Yeah, I was visiting family for Thanksgiving.”
“Same,” Heero replied.
An older woman wearing noise cancelling headphones dropped into the aisle set and promptly closed her eyes.
The two men shared a look and a shrug.
It was a 6 hour flight leaving at close to midnight. She certainly wouldn’t be the only one wanting to catch a few winks where they could.
It was close to a half an hour later when the flight attendants made their safety speech and instructed everyone to buckle up.
The atmosphere changed in the cabin as everyone fully settled and all the bags were secure. Not long after they were in the air and the lights dimmed.
“So,” Duo began softly, “you were visiting family too?”
“My step dad,” he confirmed. “It’s the first time I’ve had the chance to see him in person since I moved for work a few years ago.”
Duo nodded in understanding.
“I went about a year without seeing my folks when I first moved away. I thought my ribs were gonna crack when my mom hugged me. Was it the same with your dad?”
Heero chuckled. “Odin isn't overly affectionate, and the only thing we really have in common is that we both loved my mother, but we get on well enough.” Heero finished with a shrug.
“What area of the city do you live in?” Duo asked, taking a bite from the burger he had picked up in the airport before boarding the plane. He offered Heero some of the fries.
He took one and popped it in his mouth with a nod of thanks.
“Downtown, near Brooksbank,” he replied after he finished the fry.
“Me too,” Duo exclaimed in surprise. “The Cobbles building-”
“-on Woodcress?”
“You live there too?” Duo asked and Heero nodded. “Ok, this is kind of freaky.”
Heero just laughed and helped himself to another fry.
“Did you drive to the airport?” Heero asked.
“No, I don’t own a car. You?”
“I don’t own one either so I took a cab. If you want, we can share one to get home.”
“Sounds great,” Duo smiled.
The plane had been slightly delayed and arrived just after 7 in the morning. As they walked to baggage claim, Heero called for the taxi.
“It should be here in about twenty minutes,” he said after he disconnected the call. Then he pulled a dark green suitcase from the carousel.
“How’d you know which one was mine?” Duo asked as he reached for the bag.
Before Heero could reply an identical green bag came by. Duo grabbed it and saw Heero’s name neatly printed in the tag, and the address was indeed the same building where Duo lived.
They laughed and swapped bags, then side by side walked to where the taxi would pick them up.
Though the ride was quiet, the driver made it clear that he thought they were a couple, and honestly, neither minded.
“I’ll see you around,” Duo stated as he pressed the button for the elevator.
“Absolutely,” Heero replied with a smile and waited until the elevator door closed taking Duo up to the second floor, before he walked down the hallway to his own ground floor apartment.
*
December 3rd
“Good morning,” Duo sing-songed when Heero opened the door to his knock about a week later. “Some of your mail ended up in my mailbox.”
“Oh, thank you,” Heero replied as he accepted the envelopes. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
Heero stepped aside and invited Duo into his apartment. It was warm and smelled of coffee and toast.
Duo looked around the room with a curious gaze, taking in all of the differences between his apartment and Heero’s.
Heero’s space was a one bedroom where his own was a studio. Though it was considerably larger, it was a bit dated and looked as if it hadn’t been modernized like Duo’s was. He had heard somewhere that his studio had once been part of a larger apartment and had been converted into smaller units about 5 years prior.
His attention turned back to Heero when the other man motioned to the coffee supplies set out neatly on the counter.
“You can use this travel mug, and help yourself to the creamer and sweeteners,” he said as he placed a stainless steel mug down.
“Thanks,” Duo replied with a grin and started fixing his hot drink. “You’re saving me from the long lines at Starbucks.”
“Where do you work?” Heero asked. There were only two Starbucks nearby, one of which was in the lobby of the office building where he worked.
“Stranton Place, troubleshooting and tech support.”
Heero laughed, and pointed to himself, “cybersecurity.”
“You’re shitting me!”
“Nope, I have a basement cubicle and everything.”
“Ahh, a cave-dweller. No wonder I've never seen you there.”
“I work from home a lot so that's also a factor,” Heero replied. “I really only go to nurse the servers, or if another team needs support.”
“Are you going in today?”
“I am.” Heero confirmed. “I go in on Wednesdays and Fridays.”
“Want to walk with me?” Duo asked.
“Absolutely.”
Heero filled a second travel mug before Duo topped up his own drink, then they left for work.
The walk was only about a mile and the pair talked about what they actually did and how long they had worked there.
They parted ways just past security with the promise to meet at the main entrance so they could walk home together as well.
Over the next few days a new routine developed. Duo would stop at Heero’s apartment and they would share a cup of coffee. On the days Heero went in they would walk together. On the days he worked remotely, Duo would come a bit earlier with breakfast.
It was nice and they both enjoyed the new routine.
Sunday, December 21st
Heero leaned against the kitchen counter waiting for the water for his dinner to boil when his phone rang, sending a loud, distinctive, siren-like tone echoing through his apartment. It was unexpected as he normally kept his phone on silent.
It was laying on the counter so he leaned closer and saw a National Wireless Emergency Alert flashing on the screen
//WINTER STORM WARNING- Blizzard warnings in effect for the area until 8am. Heavy snow of 12 inches in 24 hours and accumulation of ice ¼ to ½ inch is expected.//
He glanced out the window and saw gentle flurries and nothing was sticking yet, so he tapped the weather app and looked at the hourly forecast to see exactly when this storm was supposed to get worse and learned he had about three hours until it was expected to pick up.
He turned the boiling pot off and moved it away from the hot burner, then put his coat on and made his way to the shop to stock up. He usually shopped on Sundays but didn’t want to have to trudge the 10 blocks to the market in 1 foot of wet, deep snow.
He pushed the cart through the aisles adding in just what he thought he would need, while keeping in mind that he had to carry it home afterwards. He was so focused on his task, and avoiding the many others who had the same idea, that he didn’t notice Duo until the other man dropped a box of cereal in his cart.
“Mind if we share?” He asked. “All the baskets were gone when I got here.”
Heero chuckled. “Go right ahead.”
Duo smiled and added his milk and a few cans of soup. “How’d you manage to get one in this zoo anyway?”
“I fought an old lady for it,” he teased and Duo nudged his shoulder. “Ok, ok. She was loading her car and I offered to help by bringing the cart back for her.”
“Smart.”
Since Heero had pretty much been done by then, Duo added a few more things to the cart then they went up to check out.
They had both brought backpacks for the shopping so they paid and loaded up their bags before venturing back outside.
The snow wasn’t any worse than it had been about an hour prior so they didn’t rush back home.
“Want to get something to eat?” Duo asked as they reached a street that had a few restaurants on it. “We can grab something and eat it back at my place so we don’t have to worry about the weather getting worse while we're still out.”
“How does curry sound?” Heero asked. The curry shop was the first restaurant on the street and didn’t look too crowded.
“It sounds great.”
They ordered far more than they could possibly finish that night and juggled the bags between them, then walked back to the apartment building.
They stopped first at Heero’s place so he could drop off his groceries and get the perishable items in the fridge. Then they went up to Duo’s studio.
It wasn’t the first time Heero had been to Duo’s place. Over the past few weeks they had been to one or the other’s place nearly every day for one reason or another.
Heero was also quite fond of Duo’s cat Shin.
“Make yourself at home,” Duo said as he started to put his own groceries away.
Heero set the bags of curry on the breakfast bar, then sat on one of the tall stools lined up there, he’d only been seated a moment when Shin found him and jumped into his lap.
He stroked the shiny black fur and watched as Duo tidied away the food.
“You can start eating if you want,” Duo said over his shoulder as he put the cereal on a high shelf.
“I’ll wait,” Heero replied. “I’m occupied at the moment.”
“I think she likes you more than me,” Duo said and as if to agree, Shin began purring loudly, making both men laugh.
After everything was sorted, the pair dished up their meals, then went to sit on Duo’s futon so they could watch TV.
Heero was enjoying the holiday film Duo had chosen, so he didn't notice the other man swipe a bite from his plate.
“Holy hell, what is that?” Duo wheezed around his mouthful and dashed to the kitchen.
Heero watched with affection as Duo spit the bite into the garbage before pulling a pint of Ben and Jerry’s from the freezer. He shoveled a couple of large spoonfuls into his mouth, then breathed a sigh of relief.
“Lamb Phall,” Heero replied. “It’s pretty much a British creation.”
“It’s the spiciest damn thing I’ve ever eaten. How do you even have tastebuds left or a stomach lining left?”
Heero took another bite and shrugged. “I’m used to it.”
Duo shook his head and came back to sit beside him, ice cream still in hand.
“Your food choices are interesting,” Duo commented as Heero continued to eat his phall.
“Says the man eating Cherry Garcia when it’s below freezing out.”
“Looks like we finally found something different between us,” Duo laughed and ate another bite.
He sat back, his shoulder brushing against Heero’s as they finished their movie.
December 23rd/24th
The snow hadn’t come in as badly as expected- at first. However it did continue to fall steadily and around 11pm on Tuesday night the power went out.
By the dawn of the 24th it was announced that there was a widespread blackout, with thousands of affected homes and businesses and the crews were already working on it, but it wasn’t expected to be fixed for a few days at least.
What had become usual for any work morning Duo knocked on Heero’s door, only this time he came with breakfast from the bakery next door that had gas ovens so they were one of the few places able to stay open.
He was pleasantly surprised to be hit with warmth when Heero opened the door.
“How?” He asked after Heero let him in.
“The fireplace still uses gas,” Heero replied.
“If the power says out, Shin and I might just move in with you.”
“You’re more than welcome to,” Heero said with sincerity.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. I love y- I love your cat.”
Duo gave him a look that let him know he had clearly heard the slip up, but he didn’t say anything. He just gave Heero a peck on the lips, then dashed out the door to get his cat and a toothbrush.
Heero just stood there with a silly smile on his face.
He returned about 10 minutes later with the same back pack he used for the groceries, and a grey pet carrier with a howling cat inside.
“I need to go back up to get her litter box and food. I could only get so much with the elevators out.”
“Let me help you,” Heero said as he donned his coat and grabbed his keys.
Duo led the way up to the next floor.
Once back in his apartment he went right to the cat box and dumped it out into the bathroom wastebasket. Then he grabbed the poop scoop and a jug of fresh litter. He handed the jug to Heero, then went to the kitchen to grab the bag of dry food, and a few cans of chicken pâté.
“Is there anything else you need?” Heero asked. “The news said it might be another two or three days before the entire power grid is repaired.”
Duo looked around the apartment, then stooped to pick up a catnip mouse and tucked it in his pocket before answering.
“I’ll bring some of my food,” He replied. “We both might as well eat it before it goes bad.”
“Good idea.”
Heero set the litter on the breakfast bar and held the shopping bag open while Duo filled it with things from his fridge that were probably only still fresh because of how cold the apartment was.
Duo grabbed a few canned things and a half a loaf of bread that he added to the bag with the cat food, then picked up the cat box with the poop scoop inside and the jug of litter while Heero carried the bag of food, then he locked up and they went back down to Heero’s place.
Heero clicked on his electric kettle to reheat the water so they could have a quick cup of instant coffee.
“How is it you still have some electricity?”
“I’ve been here for four years and this isn’t the first bad power outage I’ve had to get through. Right after the first time it happened I bought a generator that has a solar panel I can stick in the window. It keeps my phone charged at least.”
“I charged mine at work, while I was there yesterday,” Duo said as he went to let Shin out of her carrier.
“Would she be terribly upset if you closed her in the bathroom while we’re at work today? It's only that I’d like to be able to keep an eye on her as she gets used to the apartment.”
“We’re out early today so I’m sure she’ll be fine for a few hours. Let me go set up her litter box and food and water. Then we need to get out of here or we’re going to be late.”
Heero made Duo’s coffee the way he knew the other man liked it, before he made his own and set them on the table, then he put on his coat.
Duo slipped out of the bathroom, quickly closing the door behind himself.
Since he had never taken off his coat he was already ready to walk out the door so he grabbed what had become his mug and followed Heero out to the hall.
With the door locked, they started for work munching the bagels Duo had brought for their breakfast.
The day went quickly as the office closed early for Christmas Eve.
Most of the businesses on their walk home were closed because of the outage. Even the traffic lights were still out, and all the while the snow continued to fall.
The walk that usually took no more than 20 minutes was closer to 45 and the pair were soggy and tired by the time they got home.
“It’s a good thing all the water heaters are gas,” Duo said as he pulled off his soggy boots and put them on the boot tray beside Heero’s. “I need a shower.”
“Go ahead before the sun goes down. It’s pretty dark in there with the power out, and I’d like to save the candles.”
Duo nodded and grabbed his backpack.
Shin made a break for it the instant the door opened and somehow ended up in Heero’s lap a second later, where she stayed until Duo was done showering and Heero got up to take his own.
Duo left a bottle of body wash in the shower and had placed his tooth brush next to the sink. Heero looked at it for a moment and smiled.
Though they had only really known each other for less than a month, he could already imagine a future with Duo.
He showered and went back to the living room.
He sat beside Duo who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, dressed in his pajamas and thick socks messing with his laptop.
He turned the computer so Heero could see the screen.
“I charged it at work so we could have some entertainment. I thought we could look through Netflix and pick something to watch.”
“That sounds good,” Heero agreed. “What do you think you’d like for dinner?”
“Soup is fine. I’ll just pop it in a pot and stick it in the fireplace.”
“I’ll do it,” Heero said, but as he made to get up, Duo placed a hand on his knee.
“Let me. You’re letting us stay, the least I can do is warm up some soup.”
Duo accidentally scorched Heero’s oven mitts while trying to stir the soup as he held a pot over the fire, it heated quickly in the fireplace, so he poured it into bowls, then rinsed the pot out and made some hot cocoa too.
Soon they were seated together on Heero’s sofa watching holiday movies on Netflix.
As the sun went down they sat closer and closer and by the end of the third film they were hip to hip with Shin stretched across both of their laps.
They called it a night around 10pm and Duo settled into the couch for the night while Heero went to his room.
Christmas Day
Heero woke to Shin purring softly on the pillow right next to his head and the smell of eggs wafting in from the open doorway.
He padded to the living room with the cat in his arms and found Duo at the fireplace with the scorched mitts on his hands stirring something in the same pot he had used the night before.
“Hey, good morning,” He greeted with a smile when he saw Heero. “There’s hot water in the kettle.”
Heero set Shin on the sofa then crouched beside Duo and kissed him good morning.
“Umm, toast?” Duo asked, sounding dazed as he held up a fork with a slice of dark toast speared on it.
Heero smiled and gave him another quick kiss.
“After I make the coffee,” He replied, then stood and went to make coffee while Duo finished cooking the eggs.
They ate together and watched “Die Hard” on Duo’s computer, then Duo suddenly announced that he had forgotten something and threw a pair of jeans over his pajamas and ran upstairs to his place.
He came back with a paper grocery bag in hand, looking a bit nervous.
“I got you a Christmas present,” he said, holding the bag out.
“I got you one too, it's in my bedroom,” Heero replied, accepting the bag.
He took the wrapped package out of the bag and set it on the coffee table, then hurried to his room to get the gift he had stashed there.
They sat together as they unwrapped their gifts.
Duo had gotten Heero a new coffee machine as his was getting old and had a power button that didn’t work very well.
Heero had gotten Duo a new computer bag so he wouldn't have to fight with a fraying strap anymore.
The power stayed out and the storm continued, dropping far more snow than was originally predicted.
All the while they talked, and cuddled and watched movies.
Just around 4 in the afternoon the power finally came back on.
“Alleluia,” Duo said, plugging his phone in to charge as it had died a while earlier. “I was beginning to dread the inside of my fridge if the power stayed off much longer.”
Heero looked a bit disappointed but smiled anyway.
Duo noticed. “How about we finish the movie, then see if the Chinese restaurant is open?”
“Ok,” Heero replied and they settled in together again.
Shortly before the movie ended, Duo's phone rang. He checked the ID then answered.
“Hey Kat.”
“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you all morning!"
“The power was out here and my phone died. It only just came back on about a half an hour ago and I plugged my phone in right away.”
“Our power was restored yesterday,” Quatre replied. “If I had known I would have invited you over.”
“It’s ok, I’ve been at Heero’s place since yesterday. He has gas heating so he let me sleep on his sofa.”
Heero raised an eyebrow when he heard his name, but didn’t say anything as Duo listened to the reply.
“Ok. I’ll call you later. Bye, Kat.” he disconnected the call, then turned to Heero. “That was Quatre Winner, he works in my department and we’ve been friends since practically the day I started work. He’s invited us to his New Year’s Eve party.”
“Us?”
“Yes, us,” Duo confirmed. “I mentioned you to him last week when I was hoping we could be more than just friends. He’s been dating the same guy for about a year now so I knew it would be ok to tell him that I wanted to date a man too.”
“Stay?” Heero asked quietly. “Tonight, here with me.”
Duo’s smile was like the sun and he kissed him.
“Let’s get dinner first,” he said when he pulled back. “I get the feeling I’m going to need the fuel.”
Heero blushed, then coughed gently to clear his throat. “Call and see if the Chinese place is open. If not we’ll have to Google and see if there’s anywhere else open that’s within walking distance.”
Duo liked the Chinese place well enough that he had the number saved in his contacts, so he called them and was pleased to learn that they had been open all along, just like the bakery, and would be open for another 6 hours.
They both got dressed and walked hand in hand through the snow the two blocks to ‘Charlie Chow's Dragon Gill’. It felt much more like a date than any other dining experience they had had so far.
They shared noodles and shrimp and fortune cookies before bundling up and heading home. Once again holding hands, a bag of leftovers dangling from Heero’s free hand.
They cleaned up the apartment a little, washing up the dirty dishes and tidying away the extra quilts they had used when cuddled on the sofa.
They showered and changed for bed, then they stood awkwardly in the dim bedroom for a few moments before they started laughing and climbed into the bed.
Heero’s alarm woke them the next morning and they lay there for a few moments, bare bodies pressed together.
Heero kissed the top of his head and his arms briefly tightened around him before he sat up.
“Go shower first while I start the coffee,” He said. “We’ll have to leave a little earlier if the sidewalks are still bad.”
Duo yawned and stretched before climbing from the bed and padded naked to the bathroom, fully aware of the feeling of Heero’s eyes on his backside as he went.
He was greeted with the smell of coffee and toast, just as he had the first time he had come to Heero’s door and closed his eyes as he breathed deeply through his nose. He knew at that moment that those aromas would forever be tied to that wonderful man.
Heero gave him a quick kiss as he pressed a coffee in his hand, then went to take his own shower.
He stepped out several minutes later, fully dressed and freshly showered.
Duo looked up with a smile from where he sat, scrolling the news on his phone with Shin on his lap.
The cat hopped down and twined around Heero’s legs. He stooped down to pick her up and scratched her chin and around her ears before setting her back down, then he brushed her fur from his clothes.
He sat with Duo and had his coffee and toast, then they put on their coats and boots, and with refilled coffees in hand they went to work.
December 31st
Duo stayed every night of ‘Dead Week’ in Heero’s bed and Shin had not been taken back upstairs yet. There was an unspoken agreement that Duo would go home after the new year, but as the days passed, the less Duo actually wanted to.
They got on remarkably well and had easily fallen into a comfortable routine. But they really had only known each other for about a month, and it was far too soon to move in together permanently.
Duo’s lease was up for renewal in May and Heero’s was up in August. Five months was a good time to reevaluate their relationship and possibly make a move.
“Do you want to get something for dinner before the party?” He asked when Heero came back from the bathroom. “We can stop somewhere on the way home from work.”
“Where were you thinking?”
“I dunno, somewhere we can fill up on carbs. I've been to one of Kat’s parties before, there’s going to be loads of alcohol.”
“Denny’s? We could fill up on pancakes, eggs and hashbrowns before we go.”
“Perfect.”
They left for work a short while later, and Duo was surprised when Heero showed up in his department a few minutes before the day ended.
They spoke quietly, then Heero handed him a bag before leaving again.
“Was that Heero?”
“Yep,” Duo replied as he returned to his desk. “He has a meeting upstairs and asked me to hang onto his computer so he won’t have to go back down to the basement when he’s done.”
“Good lord, he's gorgeous!” Quatre exclaimed, “How have I never seen him before?”
“Get your ogling over with now, before your boyfriend sees the way you’re looking at my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend? It’s official now?”
“As of Christmas morning,” Duo replied with a grin.
“And I’ll definitely see you both at the party tonight?”
“Yes Kat, we’ll both be there. We’re going to have dinner first, then we’ll be there around eight, just like I promised this morning.”
“Fantastic. I’ll see you later then.” Kat waved and headed for the door, wrapping his scarf around his neck as he went.
Duo finished up and logged out, then he picked up both his and Heero’s computers and went down to the lobby to wait for Heero.
He didn’t have to wait long, and Heero joined him about twenty minutes later.
They walked to the diner, which was a few blocks farther from the apartment than work was. But the snow had finally stopped and the sidewalks were relatively clean, so the walk was comfortable.
The meal was wonderful, just like every other time they had gone out to eat together.
When they got back to the apartment building, Duo went upstairs for the first time in a few days.
He showered, took time to dry and style his long hair, and then dressed in the outfit he planned for the party.
When he got back downstairs, Heero was still in the shower.
When he came out a few minutes later, Duo had to wipe the drool from his chin.
“Gods, you’re hot,” Duo breathed and Heero flushed and ducked his head, but he looked pleased.
Duo stepped up to him and gently coaxed Heero’s face up with a finger under his chin and kissed him.
They were so distracted as the kiss deepened, that they were almost late for the party.
“Nice hickey,” Quatre said after they had been mingling for a while. Heero and Trowa had hit it off and were over in the corner with another mutual friend named Wufei. They three were deeply engrossed in conversation about something Duo had no real interest in, so he had wandered off and had immediately been pounced on by a gossipy blond who had already had a bit too much to drink.
“Thanks, it’s a late Christmas present from Heero,” Duo replied, touching the spot just below his jaw. “He has a matching one in almost the same spot.”
“Staking your claim?” Quatre laughed.
“Damn right,” Duo replied as they made their way back to their S.O.’s. Sure enough, Heero did have a mark on his neck too.
They talked, and nibbled snacks as the party grew larger, packing Quatre’s small apartment full like a noisy can of sardines.
Midnight couldn’t come soon enough and the body heat and thumping music made them want to leave early. But since Duo had promised to stay until the ball drop, they stayed in the corner and cracked a window.
Wufei and two young women named Sally and Relena stayed with them while the rest of the party moved on around them.
At around 5 minutes too, plastic champagne flutes started appearing in people’s hands and the noise increased.
“Quiet down, there’s two minutes to go!” Quatre shouted and slowly the noise level went down and everyone turned to the television where New Year’s Rockin’ Eve had been playing the entire party. At the 30 second mark it was quiet enough to hear the countdown, then everyone was counting along.
Heero and Duo were already kissing by the time ‘Auld Lang Syne’ started playing, and they were out the door before Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' was done.
They took a cab back to the apartment as it had started snowing again, and coincidentally it was the same driver that had picked them up from the airport.
When they got home they bid a happy new year to the driver and walked into the building, hand in hand.
They gently undressed each other before climbing into bed.
“I love you,” Heero whispered against his lips.
“I love you too,” Duo replied. “Happy new year, you wonderful man.”
Heero kissed him again.
Off in the distance somewhere they could still hear fireworks and the flashes of light painted the room in brilliant colors.
Owari