(no subject)

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo is once again in an armchair by the fire. He's sitting sideways, legs tossed over one of the arms. In his lap is a book on the anatomy of birds, open to a page about the bone structure of wings.

His feet are bare, and he's dressed in old faded jeans and a sweatshirt that's obviously too big for him. Apparently this is an evening of comfort.

Comments

[imperfecthero01.livejournal.com]

Heero Yuy has not spotted Duo, not yet. This is... well, a good thing. For if he had spotted him, he might have continued to play the avoidance game he's played throughout the day, and that would not be condusive to interaction.

So there is no caution about wandering into the area. At least, not until he gets there... it's then he sees who is already occupying it.

Fleeing may or may not be the best reaction, but he doesn't even know if he's been seen, yet.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo doesn't need to see Heero. The guy has a presence that stands in the middle of his senses like...well. Something very solid, anyway.

He shuts his book. "So. Wanna explain to me why you were avoiding me all day?"

[imperfecthero01.livejournal.com]

...spotted. He could just move on, but. Avoiding was one thing, and outright ignoring was another.

"You know exactly why," he says, instead.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo slaps the book on his lap and turns to face Heero properly. "I actually sort of thought we were finished with that oh-so-enjoyable phase of being ignored. What exactly did I do, Heero?"

[imperfecthero01.livejournal.com]

"We'll be done with that phase when you're done pretending you didn't do anything." Heero crosses his arms.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Excuse me? Did I ding your car in the parking lot? Did I leave your files out of order when I took one off your desk? Did I steal your lunch money? What, Heero?"

[imperfecthero01.livejournal.com]

You know, Heero isn't all that surprised. Duo had indicated that he might be like this. But that doesn't mean it's pleasing. At all.

"So this is all just to mess with my head?"

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Mess with your...?" Duo starts to look less pissed and more worried. "Heero, what do you mean? Was it something at work?"

His mind flashes back to the nasty rumors about the results of their last mission.

[imperfecthero01.livejournal.com]

"No, it wasn't something at -- " Heero trails off, too frustrated to find words for the moment, really. He settles for giving Duo a Look, instead.

[maxwellsdemon02]

He raises an eyebrow, and Heero gets his Look right back. "Something you need to tell me?"

[imperfecthero01.livejournal.com]

...

"This is not the way to go about this."

He may not know anything, but he does know that.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo plants his hands on his hips. He looks a little silly with a frazzled braid and the too-long sleeves covering his fists.

"Please explain to me how we should go about whatever this is, then."

[imperfecthero01.livejournal.com]

"We can't get -anywhere- until you stop pretending nothing happened."

[yami-no-yugioh.livejournal.com]

"Your literary choices are always interesting," says Yami from above him, crossing lean arms against the back of Duo's armchair. Reaching out, he flips one page back, then lets it fall again, arching a brow.

"Birds? Or just wings?"

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Just wings. Did you ever see... no, I guess you didn't. I got the idea in my head I wanted to go flying. Raven helped me make myself some wings, with the magic I was learning."

Duo taps the page. "This is to get a better idea about how they work. Because I wanna try and make some for Heero. And since I won't be able to feel them, I want to make sure I get it right."

[yami-no-yugioh.livejournal.com]

"You can make yourself wings?" Interest truly piqued, Yami arches the other eyebrow, regarding Duo speculatively for a moment. "How much magic do you know?"

He pauses a moment, eyes shifting, going distant. "We spoke to Raven earlier this evening. Something is troubling him, certainly."

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Not much. But enough, for someone who never thought it existed before." Duo holds out a hand and conjures a small ball of green fire. It jumps and flickers, floating just above his skin.

He turns to blink at Yami. "I wouldn't want to mess with anything that bothered him. I hope he's okay."

[yami-no-yugioh.livejournal.com]

Yami curves his lips, reaching out to the ball, then drawing his fingers back again from the heat. "Interesting."

Don't burn our fingers, Yugi protests, so he leans his cheek against one hand, behaving himself.

"As do I. I think the trouble is temporary, whatever the cause. I am fond of him," he admits with a truer smile.

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo flashes a grin at him. "Isn't it? Man, I was so pumped when I found out I could do this. I can manipulate the elements, mostly. I suck at doing anything with water, though."

He nods, fanning his fingers out and playing with the fire's shape. "Me too. He's scary powerful, but he's on our side, I think."

[yami-no-yugioh.livejournal.com]

"I think that depends upon the weather," Yami chuckles. "Or on the relative level of his sanity. And the price of action or inaction, I suppose."

He tilts his head, still regarding the flame, its light flickering in his eyes to strangely metallic effect. "Elemental magic," he repeats. "Useful. My talents seem limited to the mind. The spirit and the soul." He likes to think his power was not always so suited to destruction. He has directed it toward the protection of his other half, after all.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Point," Duo admits with a grin.

"You're the opposite of me, then." He dismisses the fire with a flick of his hand. "I don't think I'd want to mess around with that stuff anyway, even if I could. But I guess if you've had a long time to get used to it, it'd be easier."

[yami-no-yugioh.livejournal.com]

"It isn't something to use against friends," Yami murmurs with a twisted sort of smile. "Your magic seems far more suited to practical use. What does your friend think of having wings?"

He chuckles to think of how Kaiba might react to such a thing.

Maybe if they were made of metal, and completely technologically sound, Yugi grins at the back of his mind. Then they wouldn't be some sort of delusional fantasy.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Well, he wants to try, but I said I wasn't even coming near him with the intent to use magic until I had all the info I needed. I mean, what if I got it wrong and he fell right outta the sky?"

Duo shakes his head. "I'll do my research and try mine out a few more times, to make sure I can get it all connected right."

[yami-no-yugioh.livejournal.com]

Yami gives him a narrow grin. "Probably better not to start by throwing him off the roof, then. I like to think I would be so responsible before attempting anything similar." Possibly not--Yugi warned him repeatedly against impatience. Then again, he would never attempt any plan of which he wasn't fully confident.

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Not like that would be anything new," Duo mutters.

"Yeah, he's starting on the ground, just like I did. He's gotten better, but he's still got less sense of self preservation than I'd like."