Disclaimer: This is fanfiction based on the characters and universe of Gundam Wing.


Another Version of Events
by Karan Seraph
Chapter 94


"I have them all too", Heero said and showed Duo the discs in cases and set box, which he had just taken from one of the plastic crates their belongings were stored in. They had unpacked a lot into the rooms they used, but here were still other things that had not found a home or were awaiting completion of the house, like their combined collection of media. Only some of the discs had made it onto the living room shelves thus far.

Duo grinned and shifted uneasily as he showed his set of discs in slightly less legitimate or pristine state. "Downloaded and burned." He was naked, but for bondage gear, and though Heero had seen him naked, and even seen Duo move about former residences naked, it seemed clear to him that Duo was not comfortable with being naked while involved in such activity that was unrelated to sex, sleeping or hygiene and grooming. Or perhaps he was uncomfortable with being naked because Heero said he should be and in a place where they could hear the evidence of many men armed with hammers and nail guns.

Heero shook his head at the fidgeting. He was in as risky a position. He was wearing a frilly dress, outfit complete with bunny ears and tail, thigh-high stockings with attached satin bows, lace gloves and white patent leather maryjanes. The shoes had been rather difficult to find and though Heero thought almost nothing of spending money to indulge sexual fantasies, that small margin 'almost' allowed was currently pestering him to come up with some other costume ideas that he could wear the same shoes with.

"Oh, except Animatrix, it was a download too, but a paid legitimate one." Duo lifted the fourth disc from the box. "So, your copies or mine?"

"Are they good copies?"

"The video itself isn't bootleg, it's just the licensing's been cracked."

"Then we can watch yours and put mine of the shelf for show."

"You did watch yours?"

"Oh yes, many times. When I was a child, there was often something to be done, a chore, or packing bags or… but sometimes there was nothing to do, but wait for orders."

"Yeah. We had some moments like that, huh? Same with the time I was with the Sweepers. There were times when every part of the ship you were living out of had been checked over twice and there was no new deal to make or wreckage to sweep. I read a lot." Heero smiled. "You are somewhat self-educated. The method agrees with you. I read fiction later, but when I was with Lowe still, younger, I watched movies. I think, that is probably what I did when I was with Karen."

"I don't even want to know", Duo said, as if sick. He already knew, but he really meant, Heero was certain, that he did not want to hear that the prostitute had sat the neighborhood assassin's adopted son in front of a monitor while she went to service the soldiers of the occupying forces, perhaps free of charge and at the risk of arrest should she fail to please.

Heero shrugged. "I have all of these memorized, though, I think there are levels I never understood. There are so many devices, metaphor and symbolism and allusion. I understand the references to Alice in Wonderland…"

"How far down does the rabbithole go?"

"Yes. I think the ending is reminiscent of Aurthurian myth, but I do not actually know much about Arthur legends."

"Yeah, it is, it is, but it could also be like other things."

"They are deep." He saw Duo put the first disc in the most convenient compatible device and port that to the monitor. They had a lot of devices and Heero thought one day, if they were still together, they might come upon the perfect method of arranging them all for use. "Did you finish reading Burroughs?"

"Yeah, did you?"

"I did not actually finish my book."

"Oh?" The menus came up and Duo used the remote to start the movie.

Heero rose and knelt again on the couch. "If it is important to you, I could finish. I suppose I just got involved with other things and had not made it a high priority on my lists."

"No big deal." Duo sat on the couch beside Heero, toyed with his bondage belt.

"It's not actually uncomfortable?"

"No, no. It's fine. I like wearing it."

"There was a leash. Have you seen it recently?"

"Yeah, it was in the box with the stuff I got to keep. Do we need it? Oh! I went shopping!"

Heero had been wondering if Duo would offer to show him what was in the bags all over the entryway or he would have to ask to see. Heero nodded emphatically. "Show me! It is OK if we talk during the movie?"

"We've both seen these so many times, I just thought it would be kewl to watch them together. I am all for doing other things while they play."

"I will just hop into the bedroom and get the leash, if you get the bags together."

"Uh, you'll really hop?"

Heero considered it for a moment, shrugged and then nodded. He was willing to hop. Heero knew Duo loved him, but all those Stanford students might start to look tempting. Heero thought it best he do whatever he could to make certain Duo knew there was always something more interesting waiting at home. And, he liked seeing Duo's eyes look at him when he was really turned on.

Heero got up from the couch and made many small hops toward the bedroom. "Get the camera too", Duo squeaked. Heero turned and twitched his nose as he looked over his shoulder at Duo. He loved that look in Duo's eyes.

Heero returned to the couch first, being he had walked on the way back and Duo was struggling not to feel aroused to the point that he had a hard on. It was cute, though Heero knew he should never say that aloud and if he heard Duo say it about him, he would be angry. 'Cuteness' should not go along with erections.

Duo brought the shopping bags containing sex toys, implements of torture and such to the couch and sank down. Heero passed the camera to him. "Just let it happen", he said and moved his gaze to Duo's lap.

"But…"

"Just capture the photo, and then I want you to tell me all about how you feel." Heero stepped away from the couch, reached beneath the back of his skirt to feel that the tail was in place and then bent forward from his hips. He twisted his upper body such that he could look back around his legs to Duo, on the couch.

Duo gasped and bit his lip and then lifted the camera to his right eye to use the viewfinder. "You could give straight boys nosebleeds!"

Heero laughed and Duo snapped a second photo, likely capturing the laugh. "Nosebleeds?" Heero asked as he straightened and stretched.

"Yeah, rock hard, blood-dark and dripping hard-ons too, but I mean like real nosebleeds, blood vessels popping in the brain from overload and everything!"

"Do not have an aneurism on me."

Duo smiled and shook his head as Heero sat in his lap. He draped his arms over Duo's shoulder's loosely and settled down to watch Duo's eyes widen. "Oh god!" Duo cried and just melted.

Heero smiled at him. "Panties and tail are made of real rabbit fur."

"Is it totally wrong to be turned on the feeling of fur on my dick?"

Heero shook his head. "Depends who is wearing the fur."

"Have you felt…?"

Heero nodded. "So, why were you trying to fight it? This is good."

"So good." Duo's hands grasped Heero's thighs. "How much do real rabbit fur panties cost?"

"Does not matter. You want me to go down on you, or you want to fuck me, or shall I just give you more of this?"

"Ah, back off a little. I don't… I mean, fuck. I wasn't embarrassed to be turned on! I've been wanting to fuck you since I got out of the shower, no, since last night, but…if I do it, that's it. I like the costume. I wanted to play around, just a little while."

"What do you mean?"

"The costume rule. If I fuck you now, I'll come so fast and then it will be over, and…"

Heero climbed off of Duo's lap and sat beside him. Duo panted breaths and cursed under his breath. "I never made a clear rule except to tell you that when you saw me in the femmy costumes it meant I would be receptive to anal penetration, did I?"

"I-I guess you didn't. But…"

"So, I can make the rule now. The rule is: when you see me in the femmy costume, that's the signal that I am in the mood to be receptive, and until I put on something else, that stands as true. If I am still in the costume, or if I was in the costume but sexual activity led to removing it and I have not yet put on my regular clothing, then I am still in that mood. Maybe sometimes it will be a one-act thing, but maybe other times I would be willing to play this game longer. Maybe, if you make me like it, you can have my ass and then have my ass again later. Of course, if you are getting to do it twice, I probably would not like it so rough the second time, though we both know I prefer it that way by default. I might still be receptive, but with few exceptions, I have done it to you the way you prefer."

"Uh… of course! Heero, that's right, damn few exceptions. You're a great lover. Seriously. You don't have to tell me, I wouldn't hurt you. The costume doesn't mean I can take advantage of you in any way."

Heero nodded. "I know", he said seriously, "I just like to be sure that we understand. I only wanted to say it, officially."

"Yeah, that's good. I can appreciate that."

Heero rolled his shoulders and then turned to look at Duo again, and smiled. "Do you want to try now, or do something else?"

"Hey, ya think you want to blow me? You can just do it quick if you want…"

Heero licked his lips. "I watched some porn while you were away. I would love to blow you, but I promise, I will be doing my best not to be quick. I want to try what I saw, see if I can do it better than before."

"It was perfect before, I mean, you were. You were good at it, Oh God!"

Heero was already kneeling on the floor and leaning toward Duo, between his legs. He had confidence in his ability to bring Duo off with oral stimulation, but after watching that movie, Heero was motivated to do even better.

He listened eagerly for the sounds Duo made: "Ah, ah, ah, ha ha," audible swallow, "Heero!"

"Mmmn. Hmmm."

"Ha, huh, ha, ah."

Heero reached for the information, fairly confident in this ability as well. It came, the link with Duo's mind, the data, what he felt. Heero thought this was like masturbating, in the sense that one felt at once what it was to do and to be did, and thus one knew every moment, without having to ask or wait, how their actions brought physical response and had a clear vision of how results could be improved. He knew now if his actions felt too hard, light, fast, slow, sharp, or dry to Duo. He knew if Duo was close to climax.

Heero knew, so he could avoid it.

"Aaah, ahhh, no, don't, don't stop!"

"Breathe. It's OK. I'll make you come, eventually."

"Oh, God, just…"

"Sssh, I will."

Duo had only asked Heero to blow him, but Heero made it last as long as he could, until he knew his jaw was going to ache. He was finished in good time to see the lobby disintegrate in Bullet Time, which was his favorite scene.

He liked many things about the movie, including that it held some nostalgic value only because he had seen it many times as a child, but he loved seeing Neo and Trinity load up with weapons and walk into that lobby… and the wire stunts. And the guns. Heero greatly disliked killing, he knew from experience, but he rather liked gunshots and explosions and resisting the kickback when he had pulled the trigger.

A gun made him feel safe and powerful. One of the better and more frightening things about Duo was that he made Heero feel he did not need a gun.

Still, it was thoroughly enjoyable to lie on the couch alongside Duo, cheek pressed to his chest, hand on the leash attached to his collar, and see that lobby destroyed.

"You are missing the best part."

"I'm not asleep. I was just resting."

"Duo-chan…"

"Yes?"

"Go get me a cold pack from the freezer."

"Huh?"

"My jaw hurts. We keep some gel packs in the freezer so they will always be cold when we need them."

"Guess you found the place for those, though it makes sense." Duo slipped from beneath Heero and stood beside the couch. Heero loosed the leash just as it went taut and lifted his head to watch Duo walk to the kitchen.

Heero sat up then, turning to watch the monitor in the corner. When Duo returned, he climbed over the bags in front of the couch and sat beside Heero. The rings and bells on his bondage gear jingled as he dropped. Heero took the cold gel pack from Duo and lifted it to his jaw, flexing the pack so that it touched both sides of his face.

"This is like the part where it's obvious Neo's the One", Duo said.

"Yes. At least, he surpasses Morpheus' ability. I do not think it is an official sort of thing until he dies and comes back to life later."

"Kinda Jesusy."

"I have read a lot of theories about the movies;" Heero said, "it would seem the concept of the One and the escape from the prison for the mind are Gnostic, but yes, there is a lot of Christian and also Buddhist influence in the Trilogy. I know, because I have read about it, and I understand what is happening in the movies because I have just seen them so many times and reasoned out the order of events and the implications of all the dialogue given, but I still do not always recognize the symbolism or allusion."

"But the movies are good, even if you only understand them on one level."

"True. It is good and acceptable to have that surface understanding, but I am aware that a lot more can be read into the stories and the visuals. Apparently, a lot of the visuals are parallels to other works of art or movies made before. I do not really know that much about American Film History."

"They have classes", Duo said. "This thing with the helicopter, all of it, it's just impressive any way you look at it."

"Can you pilot a chopper?"

"Yeah, but I haven't had to many times. Don't know if I could dodge bullets, but I think…vI probably could make the bullets not hit me."

"Neo has not thought of that yet. It is a virtual world, and so everything only is as real as the mind makes it. You see, that's what they told him when he asked what happens if you die in there. They said you die in the real world 'because your mind makes it real', but then that potential told him 'there is no spoon', and he is going to understand, that he can do whatever he believes he can do. He does not have to understand how, he just has to know that he will do it, and he will. He is only limited by what he can believe, and at times, especially in this first movie, that is what limits him."

"But then, after a while, it's what enables him to do seeming miracles."

"Yes. He understands that you do not bend the spoon, you remember there is no spoon."

"That's kinda weird, like one hand clapping or something. It's like I get it, but I don't know if I could get it…"

"How do you change the channels without the remote?"

"I know how the device works."

"Oh. You are limiting yourself." Heero turned and looked at Duo seriously. "Duo, there is no spoon."

"Yeah…" He sighed. "I don't know how you even do what you do."

"There are theories about it, sensitivity to electromagnetic properties of brain waves and such, but I do not think about it. Master Yoda said it also. 'there is no try' and 'always you question'. I think, there are certain things in life that work better if you do not wonder how they work but simply do them. It is not only 'magical' power. I mean, sometimes, a person without training can do some impressive feat of strength, like lift a car off a body to drag them out or something…"

"That's all adrenaline and endorphins and such."

"That does play a part, but why did the body produce those chemicals at that time? They were needed, and that need is perceived by the brain. Also, people who believe they will recover often do recover more quickly or fully than those who fear they may not recover. The brain, or the mind… it really is something humans do not fully understand. It really seems, if you believe…" Heero paused for a moment and just watched the movie.

Trinity knew Neo was going to be left behind, but it was too late to do anything except trust he could take care of himself.

"It is like ZERO. If you had a clear vision of your goal, if you had determination and belief that you could accomplish a goal, you could… but ZERO was a crutch. I think that people can do those impressive things without machines. Machines are very useful and I like them, but humans are very impressive."

"But you are special."

"So are you. I am not so special. I am strong because I trained my body under simulated high gravity. I need to work to keep the strength, I was probably stronger then than I am now. And maybe many people can do the other things I can do, and we just do not know."

"But, Heero, you know. They can test for it. We're different."

"Yes, but human. In the future, we might all be like this. Maybe it just makes it easier… but probably, there are people with no new genome and they can do miraculous things."

"But how can it really just be as simple as believing it can happen? How does that work? You just decide you can do something and you'll be able to? If that were true, why doesn't everyone just read minds or fly or whatever?"

Heero laughed. "I do not know if we can fly, but…" Heero concentrated for a moment, "You know there are many people who believe a monk levitated and if you stopped wondering how the miracles happened or whether the documentation of saints in history has been valid maybe you could keep your feet from touching the ground."

Duo's expression said he had been thinking about saints. "I could walk on water?"

"Well, the ratio of weight to surface are would have…" Heero stopped. He frowned, aware that his forehead wrinkled just slightly. "I am sorry. Sometimes I do it too. I should have said 'yes'. If you could do it, then you could do it over water as well. I should have said 'yes'."

"Are you certain it works better if you do not know how?"

"I am not perfect or an expert, Duo, I was only speaking from my own experience and knowledge."

"Maybe your way is not my way. Maybe I could do it better if I understood the science of how it could, in theory, be done. I would just have to know that however the feat could be accomplished in theory, the last step would always be willing those conditions so. It is impressive enough to be able to convince myself of that! That just willing the conditions so will make it so!"

Heero nodded slowly.

"Could I read minds?"

"I do not know, but if you could, doubting would not be the way to ever accomplish it. If you are asking me to be entirely logical, then perhaps it may be that people have metaphysical aptitudes as they have physical aptitude. Some builds are better for certain types of athletics or sports and it will be easier for those people to be good at those things. Another person might find a way to be good, but they will have to work more for it. Maybe it is like that. Maybe something makes me have an aptitude for…" Heero looked up to Duo, "It is always more information related, is it not? And you, the moving and manipulation of devices, it is much more mechanical."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is. Huh? And that's kinda your expertise otherwise."

"You think it is 'trite' when she kisses him and he comes back to life?"

"Nah, don't really. A kiss like that is from another type of deeply symbolic and metaphorical work. Faerie tales say a lot about coming of age and sex and fears associated with those things, but anyway, the kiss that wakens is like always the metaphor for sexual awakening. But, it is awakening, and 'awakening' is another way of saying 'becoming enlightened', but the waking usage fits here, because of the 'dream world' and 'Morpheus' references they have already made."

"The first thing she says to him in the movie, in text through the computer, is 'wake up, Neo.'"

"Exactly, so it's entirely fitting she does the thing with the kiss. The dialogue is important too, because, as we know, it is very important what you believe to be possible, and she believes he is the One and she believes she loves him. It's not 'trite' at all. It's pretty brilliant. If you heard it called that, you were probably reading something written by a guy who only watches action movies or something."

"Not a romantic?" Heero smiled.

"No." Duo chuckled a laugh. "I watch action movies, but I also like faerie tales."

"I like faerie tales too", Heero said. "even if they have girls in them."

"Those things could happen to anyone, girl or boy. Sometimes maybe a girl rescues a boy, and maybe sometimes a boy rescues a boy."

"Maybe sometimes a girl rescues a girl?"

"Yeah!"

Heero laughed. "Should we watch Animatrix now, or after the others?"

"Where do you think it fits?"

"I think some before the first movie, but which would spoil the movie, but others should be watched before Reloaded, because then it would just be annoying to learn how the Kid was freed after you already saw he was free. We should watch it now, and then Reloaded and then Revolutions."

"That was the same kid? The one that is always pestering Neo and becomes the ammo runner?"

"Yes. Did you not realize that?"

"Guess not, just thought them separate occasions…"

"It is the same 'Kid'", Heero said authoritatively. "Did you know there was a game?"

Duo shook his head.

"There was more than one, but I have not found a disc for the online game, though I know someone who runs an unofficial server. I have an emulator for the first game, but I also have the disc, and now, I also have the console to play it. You can be Niobe."

"She's kewl!"

"The game, Enter the Matrix, also reveals more of the plot. I think Animatrix helps one to understand the point of view of the Machines better. Smith is not important to Animatrix and their origins, but after I saw Animatrix a few times, I understood how Smith was very important. He was not just a villain. He had a very important role other than just the usual villain of plot convenience. He was almost the same as Neo, like to the Machines what Neo was to the Humans. Everything that happened with him was relevant, so that his end could achieve what it achieved."

"You watched these a lot."

"A lot", Heero agreed.

Duo walked to the machine, removed the disc and then inserted the Animatrix disc.

"Last Flight of the Osiris is also fairly relevant to the main plot of the Movies."

"You just need to know that they are the ones that sent the information that they have at the beginning of Reloaded?"

"Mainly. It and Enter the Matrix sort of fit between the movies. You can see time has passed at the beginning."

"Right."

"We still have not gone through your purchases."

"Yeah, but don't distract me too much, anime is my thing."

"Heero looked at the bags. There seemed a lot. "How much did you spend? Only the cash card I gave you?"

"A little bit more, but mostly what you gave me. They gave me a discount, because I'm me."

"You?"

"They had seen the Magazine interview and when I walked into the shop the employees recognized me. They actually applauded. I'm still not sure for what exactly, but I didn't complain about getting a discount." He turned from the monitor to grin at Heero.

"So, when you purchased all of this, they knew who you were, and who you were with, and what you did?"

Duo shrugged and watched the screen.

Heero took the first item that his fingers touched from the nearest bag. It was the cat they had seen online.

"Aw, ya gotta try that for size. They said I could return it if it wasn't right for you. They're like swords, ya know? The balance and proportion has to be right for the one who will wield it."

Heero smiled. Duo had hardly looked away from the screen, but he knew what Heero had found. Heero put his right index finger beneath the handle, just where the thongs fell, and then he released the handle from his left hand. The cat wobbled and then balanced. He laughed softly; cat's were known for balance. "Nyaa", he said and then leaned toward Duo to lick his face.

Duo laughed, not turning from the monitor. "You know how to use that?"

"Not really, but I will do some reading and practice on my own so I can learn for you."

"Good. There are some research materials in the bags there; I bought those with my money."

"Really? Heero leaned down and rifled through the bags and found some magazines and discs and one coffee table style book. "You did not have to buy all this. You could have used my money."

"Nope! I spent all your money on gifts for me!"

Those would all be for Heero to use as well. "Maybe they read between the lines. The part about 'roles' and 'therapy' was left in, though they did some editing for length."

"Who? The interview? I noticed. I was glad actually. They took out the parts where I sounded most goofy or needy and doubted how I would sound in the final version."

"The people at the store where you shopped. Maybe they read between the lines and that is why they applauded. Maybe they liked that you let the world know how you were."

"How we are."

"Yes. That is true. How we are, together."

"Most of this is eye candy."

"You like eye candy. Would you exploit access to a virtual reality construct to play around with your…partner?"

"I think 'partner' is OK, Heero", Duo said levelly. "I'd use it even if I could say 'spouse' or 'husband', I'd use it instead of 'boyfriend', because seriously, that can sound kinda trivial."

"I think you have used it."

"Works for us in a lot of ways, I mean, we aren't all buddy cop now, but we have worked together like that in the past, so it applies in that respect as well."

"Hai, hai, but if you had access to virtual reality, would you spend time inside with your partner? Not training?"

"Seriously? I don't think I would. We have a yard, Heero. I'd much rather run around in the real world."

"Aa, but if you did not have a yard? If no one had a yard? If you were homeless and living in a run down Colony floating in space?"

"Hell yes! In that case, I'd go in any time I had a chance. Probably program in blue skies and wonder if I ever got the color right."

"They probably starved for green as well."

"Yeah. I've known that. Starving for color. Really. It's kinda weird how people look at you when they are starving for color, like if you have pretty eyes or hair, especially if they are colors that most people around you don't have."

Duo's pretty eyes and hair were among his best features, even in Heero's thinking, and he did not currently starve for color, which was a very real and disturbing thing in the Colonies. In Duo's Colony, they did not even have the Big Blue Ball in the sky to look at, because it was always behind the Moon, which they got to see in the opposite phase from everyone else. So much metal and lunar concrete. And in Duo's Colony, the majority of the population had shades of brown skin, brown hair and brown eyes. There was a rainbow of browns, from nearly yellow to nearly black, but still…they starved for color. A girl with green or grey eyes would have drawn a lot of attention.

Duo's eyes were heaven in stained glass.

Heero knew, he had stopped trying not to do it, and so he just knew. Sometimes Duo had worn sunglasses at home, and sometimes he had forgotten why he was wearing them and removed them to better look at something, and then someone would see his eyes.

Heero closed his eyes, removed the fur panties, and climbed into Duo's lap, in that order. He lifted his hands to feel for the position of Duo's face, and then kissed him. There was a moment in which Duo seemed in his tension and posture as if he would tell Heero he really would rather watch the video, but it passed.

They were totally making out, and Duo did not even know why. He deserved it, Heero thought. He deserved to be absolutely cherished. But this kiss was not done for pity's sake. Heero did it because he was very aware at the moment that he absolutely cherished Duo.

Duo's hands slipped under the skirt and Heero felt that there was something Duo preferred over anime. He felt justified in this when Duo fingered his asshole.

"Do me", Heero said. "Fuck me. Fuck me hard."

There was another moment of doubt, when Duo did not answer or move, and only continued kissing Heero in the same way he had been, but then approximately seventeen seconds later, Heero's back was on the couch cushions and Duo was leaning over him, not quite grinning, but definitely smiling, as he looked at Heero's face.

Heero had learned quickly that he wanted this. That first time he had put on the schoolgirl costume, just for Duo, because he remembered Duo's reaction to the joke about keeping him interested, Heero had seen this look on Duo's face. It made him feel like he was falling to earth and crashing into the ocean. He had done that at least twice; it was freeing and devastating at the same time.

Heero trembled. Tomorrow this would probably all be out of his system, purged by a night of being about as femmy and submissive as he was ever going to get and demanding to be fucked. Right now, he wanted Duo's dick in him.

It was good, he thought, the way it was good that there was evil in the world or pain in life. It made one appreciate their opposites. Tomorrow he was going to really enjoy fucking Duo, and after today, Duo was going to be glad he was a self professed bottom boy. This would be good, and tomorrow, that would be good too.

There probably were people who always did things in one way, but Heero thought it was good to go the other way once in a while, so you could appreciate what you had.

The dress was pure kink, but Heero cross-dressed every day, Duo would probably hate it. This way, Heero showed him something special and rare and Duo could still call him Fashion Plate as he appreciated Heero's body in perfectly masculine garments.

But that look, that heated gaze, to try to be romance novel about it, would make it all worthwhile, even without the other sound reasons to end up pinned to the couch in a dress and stockings begging Duo to fuck him.

"I bought some lube", Duo said quietly.

"Good. We were nearly out."

"I so fuckin' love you!"

When Duo fucked him, it was everything Heero had wanted it to be. He had not gone completely out of body and forgotten to breathe, but that was because he was leaning to process these feelings without overload. In a lot of ways, his capacity had grown. His subconscious had cataloged all the sounds Duo had made while his consciousness had been reduced to registering nothing but pleasure. He had actually cum in Japanese; he was aware of that.

It had been so perfectly rough. So perfectly freeing and devastating at the same time. Heero was certain he was still chemically off balance, he could laugh maniacally or burst into tears at any moment. Like having stabilizers shot off a fighter maybe…

Duo had exhausted himself in giving Heero what he wanted. He lay heavily atop Heero's body, his breath deep and heavy at Heero's right ear. His right hand had settled awkwardly into Heero's left armpit. And somehow Heero had missed, in all the many sensations, the fact that Duo's dick was still inside his ass. It did not seem it was hard, in fact Heero was sure it could not be, and it was not sitting very deep, but it was there, like it had just stopped instead of slipping all the way out.

Heero thought it would slip if he moved. He did not want Duo to think he was just pushing him out on purpose, but not trying to move, consciously, only made him twitch. Heero felt Duo's dick slip from him, and he laughed.

Heero thought he felt Duo's body shake with silent laughter, but truthfully it was difficult to distinguish the movement from the movement his own laughter caused.

"Usually, you only laugh like that when blowing shit up."

"I killed you."

That time, Heero was sure Duo was laughing.

Duo settled and then rested for several minutes. He lifted his head then and suggested they get cleaned up a bit and get some lunch before watching Reloaded. Heero agreed, but suggested robes for traveling to the bathroom. Duo's was red, satin and stolen from a hotel. Heero's was white, fluffy and complimentary from a high priced hotel.

They washed up, made sandwiches and instant coffee and returned to the living room. Heero had removed the dress, ears and tail, and so he was wearing nothing beneath the robe and only stockings and shiny white shoes otherwise. Duo was still dressed only in bondage gear and a robe, and Heero allowed the robe, especially as they were eating. It sometimes seemed a tempting idea to eat while naked, but dealing with picking crumbs from pubic hair was just really distasteful. Heero started Reloaded and they ate their sandwiches and drank coffee from their mugs as they sat on the couch and watched.

Heero said that Reloaded, the middle movie in the trilogy, had taken him longest to understand. Some of it seemed to make more sense after seeing Revolutions.

"I kinda thought Revolutions would be more confusing, all that stuff with the train station."

"You should have known that one."

"Me."

"Because you know about limbo and ascents into Hell an such. Revolutions was full of such things. And Reincarnation possibly."

"I was a bit confused, because Sati means the self immolation, a sacrifice, but it's also the name of an Egyptian archer goddess who had no special connections with 'sacrifice'."

"Then you know sacrifice is part of it."

"Of course. He had to learn that it was necessary to stop fighting and surrender, even if it meant he died…for the good of everyone. That movie was all about sacrifice."

"This one is more about love."

"Yeah, I kinda agree there. I don't think you can be motivated to sacrifice if you don't first understand love."

"But to really love another, there must be great sacrifice."

"Perhaps that is true."

"In the sense that you will put another before yourself, sacrifice your self interest."

"Definitely… I."

"What is it?"

"I think Saint Mother Teresa said that. She said, 'If you really love one another properly, there must be great sacrifice'."

"I don't know that Saint."

Duo shrugged. "She's only been a saint hundreds of years, not thousands. She did good works in India when there were many poor starving people and then after her deaths some miracles were attributed to her. There have to be miracles and such in order to make someone a saint."

"She would think we were doing a good job."

"Yeah, like Sister Tess at the school." Duo laughed, "I think back then the church still very officially objected to homosexuality."

"I see."

There was an awkward lull in conversation, and then Duo said, "Seraph is kick ass!"

Heero smiled. "Aa. He's an angel."

"Duh, I mean a seraph is an angel, one of the highest, all the symbolic names in the movie are not lost on me."

"Oh, I know you are an intellectual. I meant, in the computer sense, he would be a Daemon, but he's not part of the underworld crowd, so he's an angel, though, he's somehow lost his wings. Merovingian comments on it in the next movie."

"It did seem like they knew each other."

"Yes. I think they must have, from long ago, before they were in the Matrix and both served in the machine mainframe. The Merovingian feels Seraph betrayed him. Maybe it has something to do with the oracle. He doesn't seem to like her."

Duo laughed. "Seraph's a guardian angel."

"Yes, he is."

"Do you think Merovingian is like Lucifer… Satan?"

"Not fully certain of that. I would say he is definitely like an underworld god from some polytheistic pantheon, but I am not certain if he is… though, I do believe we should consider him alike to a fallen angel. I do not know if he should be Lucifer specifically."

"Did ya know that Lucifer isn't really Satan's name? It was a sort of mistranslation. I don't think the proper name of the Adversary is ever given."

"But now, if you say Lucifer, it's understood you mean the Devil, and so the name has come to mean that…"

"Kinda like me being Duo. Fair enough."

"I think that within these movies, the devil would have to be one who offered more knowledge, and the Merovingian does not seem to really impart knowledge, more like he hordes it and traffics it for high prices."

"I guess in the Gnostic slant the creator is more the evil one, the Demiurge, and the serpent really like your friend who's trying to show you the truth."

"Yes. I think that is how the theory that the movies are based in Gnosticism goes: in Reloaded the Architech is the Demiurge and Neo is the serpent leading others to the truth and they do not meet the real 'God' until the next movie."

"The MCP."

Heero laughed. "You saw that movie?"

"It played really late at night on one of the Disney channels."

"It did look like the MCP! I think that was 'God', the collective voice of the machine mainframe."

"Kinda all Deus Ex Machina."

"Actually I think that is the character's name."

"But it really wasn't plot convenience. It seemed so well thought out."

"That is why it is clever."

"You know, I think these movies are really deep."

"That is what I have been saying."

"We should watch them all again sometime, maybe with Quatre."

"He would bring a different perspective."

"What's with Smith?"

Heero laughed. "You just have to remember that he is Neo's equal and opposite. He is becoming more like a human while Neo is becoming more like a machine."

"You mean how he can fry the squidies?"

"Maybe. Few agree on why he can do that. That spawned the Matrix within a Matrix theory and the dual Matrix theory. I think maybe he acquired the ability simply because he had been to the source by that time, though some people think it has to do with the candy."

"The piece of candy the Oracle just gave him? He just pocketed it."

"Yes, but they do not show that he does not eat it either."

"Well, they don't show that he eats it."

"Yes, but there are cuts and edits. Action can happen between scenes."

"You think it was just being to the source?"

"It seems the simplest solution, it does not rely on information that cannot be confirmed within the films."

"Ockham's Razor."

"Yes."

Duo turned his head away from the movie, to look directly at Heero. Heero saw the movement from the corners of his eyes and shifted his gaze toward Duo. "I feel like we are on a date", Duo said.

"Ee?"

Duo grinned. "I do. I feel like we are on a date."

"But we can do this all the time, if we are both home."

Duo turned his head, seemed to look nowhere in particular. "Do you know…when you were away, there were a few people who knew I was a little interested in you. I tried not to let on. They sometimes would tell me how you and I were so different. Maybe they wanted me to understand it was no one's fault if we would never hang out or work together again, or be friends. Heero, you really are someone I would be friends with. God, I love the sex." His voice said he loved the sex. "But I like that you can talk to me about stuff and just… you know… not because of who I am or…"

"I understand." Heero corrected himself, "I know. That is how I feel, too. Just hanging out is fun."

Duo laughed and looked toward Heero again. "Hangin' out with you is more fun when you are wearing so little!" He leaned toward Heero, rather quickly, and it actually startled Heero.

"We just…" Heero flounded, just not being able to find the rights words that were neither too crude or too sappy.

"Heero, I want you. Our love is sacred and profane!"

Heero laughed happily as Duo nipped at his ear. He knew exactly what Duo meant.

on to chapter 95

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