Title: After the Fact

Author: Hawk Clowd

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing and I want nothing. I'm more than happy just to get to play around with them every once in a while.

Warnings: Yaoi -- because that's what I write. Also, disappointing after-sex. Rated R-ish, but only because I felt like it.

Author's Notes: Yikes. What a way to get back into the fandom, eh? ;;; To be completely honest, this is a lot like the stuff I write for Gravi... But I guess slow transitions are okay. Yes?

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"So, now what?" Duo asked. He lay with his back against the floor, his arms crossed behind his head, and he stared purposelessly at the ceiling.

Heero frowned and turned his head slightly to look at the other man. "What do you mean, 'now what'?" he asked. His voice was a little rougher than he had intended it to be.

Duo's lips curved downward into a small frown. His eyes seemed almost vacant. "You know what I mean."

"No," Heero replied stiffly, "I don't."

"You know," Duo repeated.

Had he not just said that he had no idea? Heero fought the urge to scowl. "No," he said again, "I don't."

Duo sighed exasperatedly. "We just had sex," he pointed out. That, Heero thought, was rather obvious, but he said nothing. "So what now? What are we?" He propped himself up on one elbow and stared down at Heero. "Do we go back to just being friends and housemates? Do we pretend nothing happened? Or... Or did we just commit ourselves to being something more?"

Heero shrugged. How was he supposed to know? It wasn't exactly as though the two of them had set out to fuck each other silly, after all. They had been living together and sharing the apartment for well over a year, simply as acquaintances at first and then as friends. And then, today, Duo had come downstairs for coffee, Heero had complained that his feet were cold, and now...

And now they lay prone on the kitchen floor, sweaty, sticky, and gloriously naked. Not to mention aching, leaking, and sore. Heero wasn't sure what hurt more -- his rear, his knees, or his back. People simply weren't meant to bend like that...

Duo sighed and sat up. He leaned back against the refrigerator and began to comb through his hair with his fingers. "Never mind. Forget about it. I'm in a relationship and you're just getting out of one and neither of us are gay. So we'll just forget about it. It never happened."

But it had happened, Heero argued silently. The two of them were still painted with the evidence and the tub of margarine (bright yellow with blue writing) was on the floor, the contents smeared in their hair, under their nails, and on various parts of their anatomy. Heero's breakfast lay mostly untouched on the table and Duo's coffee had spilled long ago. It was now cold and soaking into the tabletop. Heero still had the salt and bitter taste of Duo in his mouth. It all served as evidence and it all...

Duo stood and began collecting his clothes. "M'gonna go take a shower."

"Yeah," Heero responded numbly. "All right."

Duo began to leave. Heero sat up and made a weak attempt at stopping him.

"Duo..."

The braided man stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Heero. "Yeah?"

Heero faltered. "It... It's my turn to do laundry. Just leave your stuff in the laundry closet and I'll take care of it."

Duo nodded. "Okay." And then he left to shower.

Heero got up and cleaned the kitchen. Then he threw all of their clothes in the laundry. He brushed his teeth and, once Duo was out of the shower, cleaned himself off. The ache faded a few hours later and the soreness left soon after that.

And the two of them went on as though nothing had happened.

--- end ---