1 Chapter. Complete. 1+2. Rated G. 426 Words. Written in 2002 and the first fiction I ever posted at GWA.
Fluffy
"Fluffy," Duo said.
"What?"
"See, it says fluffy." Duo shoved the bottle of fabric softener closer to Heero's face. Heero frowned and leaned back to study the label.
"Right there on the label it says, 'Makes clothes fluffy, soft, and fresh smelling,'" Duo smiled in triumph.
"I never said it didn't. I just questioned the need for fluffiness. Clothes should be clean. Towels should be absorbent. That's all."
"They don't NEED to be fluffy," Duo rolled his eyes. "It's just nice when they are. Especially the towels."
Heero scowled and grabbed the laundry basket from Duo.
"Fine. Whatever."
Heero waited until Duo had left the room, then he took the top off the bottle of fabric softener and placed it under his nose. It did smell pretty good.
He picked up a towel that Duo had used after showering this morning and held it up to his face. He could smell the fabric softener, Duo's shampoo, and Duo himself.
Glancing around self-consciously, he replaced the towel in the basket. He hoped that no one ever discovered his weakness. Some smells almost had a kind of power over him. He liked the smell of machine oil. The cockpit of Wing often smelled of machine oil. But the smell of burning oil was another matter. Even now, if he passed a car with engine problems, the smell of burnt oil made his stomach muscles clench. Then there was the liniment Professor J had used. He could still smell that sometimes. From time to time, if he passed a bakery, the smell of bread and cinnamon brought back a wisp of a memory. He never could pin it down, but he knew that it pre-dated Professor J. It made him feel warm and uneasy at the same time.
Picking up the towel, he held it up to his face again. He loved the smell of Duo's shampoo. It wasn't so much the shampoo itself, but the fact that it was Duo's. Sometimes he used Duo's shampoo just so he could carry the scent with him all day. At other times he found himself making excuses to be close to his braided friend, making sure to breathe deeply as often, and as surreptitiously as possible.
Loading the machine, he carefully measured the right amounts of fabric softener and detergent.
Later that day, Duo helped fold the towels.
"Mmmmm," Duo buried his face in one of the still-warm towels. "Feels and smells like heaven." He didn't see Heero's eyes close, a smile on his lips, as he did the same.