#dufei

Duo woke to an empty bed, reaching over to find his bedmate gone and his usual spot cool to the touch.  Wufei had been up for a while, then.  Rolling onto his back he stretched luxuriously, arms and legs askew, spread-eagle on the bed, before climbing off the edge, snagging his pajama pants off the floor. Tugging them on over his hips, he left to go in search of coffee and his lover, in that order.

On his way out of the bedroom he pocketed the small black box that had been rattling around in his pockets for weeks, almost without thinking. He was still waiting on the perfect moment to present it.

Armed with caffeine and minty fresh breath, he started the manhunt.

Not that it was a difficult task. The house was only so big, after all, the size more quaint and cozy than sprawling. And anyway, Wufei was invariably tucked away in the office. It wasn’t a very challenging game of hide and seek.

He was pretty sure Wufei had fallen in love with the house entirely because of the office.

Sure enough, when Duo made his way there, he found Wufei ensconced on the window seat, morning sun shining through the window. He was reading a book, hair loose, glasses sliding down his nose, with his own cup of coffee forgotten beside him.

Duo leaned against the door frame, sipping his coffee, silently admiring the view.

The sun cast a warm glow over the entire room, illuminating the warm wood tones of the floor, the built in bookshelves, but Duo was totally entranced by the way it played over Wufei’s hair, painted his skin in shades of gold.

It occurred to him that the perfect moment he’d been waiting for might be upon him. He stuck his hand in his pocket, fiddling with the stupid thing.  He’d bought it weeks ago, in a fit of romantic fervor, and he’d been second guessing his decision ever since.

Not his feelings, by any stretch, but he was… concerned about Wufei’s reaction.  He knew exactly how he felt, he just wasn’t sure how Wufei was going to respond.

It was complicated.

Watching Wufei sitting in the sun, perfectly angled to make the most of the rays, totally engrossed in his novel, Duo knew he’d made the right decision.

He just hoped Wufei thought so too.

Strolling over to the bench seat, he pulled the innocuous little cube out of his pocket, reaching over to drop it in Wufei’s lap before settling himself at the end of the cushion, pulling Wufei’s feet into his lap.  

Dark eyes looked up, momentarily startled and confused, before warming into something soft and welcoming.  “Good morning,” Wufei murmured, setting his book aside, leaning up for a kiss.

Duo obliged, leaning forward to meet him, lips moving against one another softly.  “Mornin’,” he said, when they parted,  putting his coffee on the wooden sill, rubbing the top of the other man's feet.

Wufei picked up the offering.  “What’s this?”

Duo shrugged a shoulder, concentrating on his self-appointed task of amazing foot massage.  “Open it and see.”  He glanced up at Wufei out of the corner of his eye.

The other man’s brow was furrowed in confusion, examining the package.  “You got me a gift?”

“It’s really more of a question,”  Duo responded, kneading insoles.  

He listened as the box rattled while Wufei opened it, cardboard scraping, then the sound of hinges as the smaller box inside was flipped open.  There was a long pause…

“Is this what I think it is?”

Duo risked a glance up, trying to gauge Wufei’s reaction.  

The other man was staring into his palm, a look of curious astonishment on his face.

He cleared his throat.  “Well, depends on what you’re thinkin’ I guess.”  

Wufei pulled his feet out of Duo’s lap, bending his knees to dangle them over the sides of the window seat, and scooting closer, box clenched in his fist.  He drew nearer until they were pressed up next to each other, the dark blue velvet box between them.  Duo looked down at it, polished gold winking back up at him.

“Duo, is this… are you proposing?”

Clearing his throat again, swallowing a few times, a lump there he couldn’t seem to get rid of, and Duo felt his face flush all the way up from his chest.

This was stupid.  He should have done something… better.  More romantic, or more planned, or just… more.  More something.

He hadn’t even been sure Wufei would want to get married again, the first time being such a disaster, but… Duo wanted to, wanted to marry him, and he hadn’t been brave enough to really bring it up, and then… well, ever since Trowa and Quatre’s wedding last year he’d been, well, it had been on his mind, and he had wanted…

He’d wanted everything, to be honest, and he’d wanted to give Wufei everything he hadn’t had the first time, and…

This was really, really stupid.

He should have probably said something first.  

Of course, it was far, far too late to be realizing that now.

“I, ah-” he cleared his throat again, working to speak past that blasted lump, “yeah, I mean… I’d, um… yes, basically.  I’ve mucked it up, though, I think.”  He couldn’t bring himself to look at Wufei, staring at the plain gold band instead.  “Just, um, think about it?”

Deft fingers reached out to pluck the band from where it was nestled in blue velvet, Wufei gently, easily sliding it onto his left hand, Duo watching in disbelief.  Those same fingers reached out, nudging his chin upward, and then his mouth was covered with another, warm lips pressing against him as fingers were buried in his hair.  

The kiss was slow, easy and reassuring, Wufei’s left hand coming to tangle with Duo’s right, and Duo reached out with his thumb, brushing it across the smooth metal, tugging the other man closer with his left hand.

They parted slowly, lips clinging to each other, hands wrapped in smooth locks of hair, both of them breathing a little more heavily than normal.

“So,” Duo ventured, looking up into dark, bemused eyes, “is that a yes?”

Wufei smiled, at once content and mischievous, and he leaned in for another slow, leisurely kiss.  “Yes, I’ll think about,” he responded, tone teasing.

Rolling his eyes, Duo fingered the band on Wufei’s hand.  “You’re already wearin’ it ‘Fei, seems like an agreement to me.”

Squeezing Duo’s fingers, Wufei chuckled warmly, dipping in to steal another kiss. “It does, doesn’t it?” he asked, more kisses following his words.  “I guess you’ve got your answer then, don’t you?”

Duo could feel his answering smile spreading across his face, so wide it made his cheeks hurt.  He brought Wufei’s hand up to his mouth, kissing the palm, leaning his face into it.  “I guess I do.”  

“Leave out the ‘I guess’ part at the altar, if you please.”