Disclaimer: I own nada.
A/N: Thanks to WCInsane for betaing this, for content advice AND being so incredibly patient with me! Also thanks to cjmarie for help with the finer points of the plot. This story would reek if she hadn't helped me out! All mistakes are mine.
A/N 2 - Warnings: Bad Language, as usual, and LENGTH! This is a long chapter folks, couldn't stop writing.
Hope you like!
Posted on 13th April, 2008
Heero Yuy had an appetite. A big one. Now I don’t know if that was because he was injured and healing… or if he just ate that much normally. I mean, no average man can down three cups of ramen noodles at once. I have trouble finishing one. Which works out for me since then I can stretch one cup to cover two meals… but three? The man’s a monster!
I had twenty bucks left from my stash of forty from the other day and suddenly I realized that I may very well end up spending it on food of all things! Money aside, living with Heero Yuy wasn’t all that easy either.
Like, right about now.
“Seriously, when was the last time this place saw a broom?” He huffed at me and I stuck my lower lip out and blew on a strand of hair that had fallen on my nose in annoyance.
“Recently enough.” I said to him and resolutely ignored a dust bunny the size of a tumbleweed roll by between us. Heero gave me the bitch-face; the one where he narrowed his eyes, jutted his chin out and thinned his lips into this stony expression. I sighed. “Recently enough.” I stressed again. His eyes narrowed further and his chin jutted out more and his lips thinned even more and I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Fine! I’ll borrow a fucking broom from fucking Bruno so you can calm down your fucking OCD!”
“Keeping the place habitable is not OCD!” He retorted.
“No? OCD is when you kill thousands of baby spiders! Innocent baby spiders!” I shot back at him. “What did the innocent little baby spiders barely hatched ever do to you?”
“They were living in your oven!”
“And it was being used more then than it is now!” I said to him, crossing my arms smugly when he gaped at me.
“You’re unbelievable.” He said with a sort of resignation that probably came at the end of the five stages of grief or something.
“Why thank you.” I said to him, mock bowing and he shot me the bitch-face again. “Now if you’ll excuse me honey I’ll go borrow that broom so you can clean the house like a good little wife while I go earn us some chow.” I said to him and his bitch-face worsened. “Oh don’t make that face… it’ll get stuck that way.”
In a fit of anger he grabbed the shitty couch’s cushion and threw it at me before I could warn him against it. See, the logic is that unless you don’t know what’s rotting under there the smell is bearable. Now that he has ripped the cushion off, the hidden sinister contents of the shitty couch were exposed and even I fought to keep myself from gagging.
“Oh shit.” I said eloquently as Heero turned green and took several steps away from the couch. I, on the other hand, stepped forward to finally see what could make such a disgusting smell. The moment of revelation was short lived when I realised it was beyond recognition. “What the hell is that crap?”
It was black, for one, and it was kind of chunky. It was a big splat in the form of a coffee spill… and it had little green circles scattered sporadically all over it. Damn. I knew a bacterial infestation when I see one and that was not hygienic.
I heard a thump behind me and I saw that Heero had dropped the cushion still in his hands as he noticed the same colonies growing on the underside of it. “Oh god.” He choked out and then hobbled quickly to the washroom to empty his stomach out.
Great. Now he’ll be hungry in a little bit again.
I rolled my eyes at him and mumbled ‘such a big baby’ none too quietly as I passed the bathroom and he glared at me from his position bent over the toilet. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut. I went into the studio and grabbed the dirty laundry from there, picking up Heero’s sweater too. I frowned at the sweater. That little, thin grey sweater had caused more problems than I would have foreseen when I picked it out in Goodwill for a ridiculous three dollars. Turns out, Heero knows a three dollar sweater when he sees one and he hadn’t looked all that happy at having been presented with it. I distinctly remember him muttering speculations about the sweater’s whereabouts before reluctantly shrugging it on. He had then pointedly scratched himself and complained about the itchy material enough that had I told him to go fuck himself.
Honestly, what does the guy have to do these days to get a little fucking gratitude? Bastard.
And he should be thankful I didn’t just get him just one sweater I also picked up a light blue tee for him which looked too large on him but I didn’t care. Hey, it was only a dollar fifty.
So aside from our constant fights – who would’ve known Heero Yuy was such a little bitch? – I also had to worry about the eviction notice hiding in my closet. It was like it had it's own presence, a black hole in the apartment that hummed and whined a high keening sound constantly. I didn’t have enough money and I had about five days to secure a hundred and fifteen dollars. I was getting just desperate enough to call Quatre up for monetary help. Pride be damned.
And don’t think I didn’t choke when I found out exactly how much Mr. Heero Yuy was worth when handed over to the cops. Fifty thousand dollars. Just like that. That easy.
Fifty thousand fucking dollars.
I was sitting on fifty thousand dollars. Well not literally. Although I wish. But living with him is making me rethink my obsession with him. Ya know the whole deal with not judging the book by its cover? However, what exactly do you do when the fucking cover is made of the shiniest, smoothest and just plain mesmerizing paper? You buy the damn book, that’s what.
So what I’m trying to say is, I’ll happily hump his leg – or other parts – if he’d let me. Personality, and bitchiness, be damned.
“Laundry!” I shouted, grinning like a mad man. Well, it’s about time to take the cover off, isn’t it?
“No.” Came the voice from the doorway and I saw Heero leaning against the doorway, the afternoon sun filtering through the dust clogged windows to bathe him in a golden light. It accentuated every sharp angle of his body hidden under the tattered blue shirt, the curve of his strong arms and put the features of his face in sharp contrast. Damn but if that guy wasn’t gorgeous. I felt my mouth going dry and I swallowed several times to get my salivary glands back into working order.
“No?” I said to him, trying to keep myself from drooling at him now that my saliva was flowing freely again. “You want to run around in dirty clothes, be my guest.” I said to him, trying to goad him into getting naked.
“We’re getting rid of the couch first.” He said and turned around to go into the living room. My eyes widened and I darted out after him.
“Don’t you dare touch the couch!” I threatened him but froze when I saw him holding a knife over the couch. “No, no don’t slash the couch! What are you five?!”
Heero raised an eyebrow and then very pointedly stabbed the couch, several times while I howled with phantom pain. “Stop! What has the couch ever done to you?!” I wailed at him and he ignored me.
When the couch lay in tatters, he finally stopped. “Now you can’t use it.” He said smugly and then held out his hand, curling his fingers inwards in the universal gesture for ‘come here’. “Help me put it outside.”
I whimpered but then decided to grab the edge of the couch anyway and help him push the poor beloved shitty couch out the front door and down the stairs. Dragging it out of the building and into the alley behind it, we let it sitting in front of the large garbage bins. My poor little shitty couch!
Deed done, I sprawled on the couch, hugging it, apologizing to it for abandoning it like this. It had been a good couch, seen me through good, bad and ugly. It had been a constant, always smelling shitty, always sitting in the corner of the room making the entire room reek… now what will cause the apartment to have that extra ripe smell? Nothing I tell ya! It’ll smell… clean… for god’s sake! Ugh!
Okay fine, so I’m being overdramatic but the couch really had grown on me. Maybe even literally. Who knows?
Trudging back up to the apartment I bumped into Heero none too gently several times. I didn’t even notice his more pronounced limping, so mad was I. The living room looked way too empty without the couch, and it suddenly didn’t smell right. It smelled like… dust… and that’s it.
Unfair man. Totally unfair. It doesn’t even smell like home anymore dammit!
Bastard.
In my pissed off state I shoved Heero hard when he wasn’t expecting it and he stumbled a bit but didn’t fall. “Happy now?” I snarled at him and he threw me a shocked look. Gritting my teeth I pushed him again, but this time I tripped his good leg causing him to lose his balance and fall down, his bad leg slamming against the bed.
He hissed with sudden pain and clutched at his leg, sitting down on the ground beside the bed. He had his eyes closed and his lips pressed in a hard line. I instantly felt bad and started reaching for him. “Hey man, I’m sorry.” I said softly, the guilt eating at me when he shook his head and slapped my hand away. “You okay?” I asked him but instantly felt stupid for asking. Here he was obviously in pain, caused by me, and I was asking him if he was okay.
He exhaled slowly through his mouth and pressed harder on the wound on his leg which had just began closing up properly. “Here, let me look at it.” I asked, trying to pry his hand away from his leg but he kept swatting my efforts away. “Dammit Heero! Just let me…”
“Stay away from me.” He growled at me and I snatched my hand back. “I’m sorry I’m trying to make your living conditions a little better. I’ve learned my lesson.” He said to me through his teeth and then braced himself against the bed and tried to get up, putting all his force on his left leg, favouring the injured right. Slowly he leaned against the bed, straightening his injured leg with a wince and rubbing the flesh around the wound.
“I’m sorry…” I said choking on the guilt. It had seemed like such sweet revenge to hurt him for hurting my couch but now I just felt petty. When he didn’t answer I went into the kitchen and made him the last of the ramen noodles, bringing two pain pills with me. I handed him the noodle cup quietly and he just stared at me. “You can’t take painkillers on an empty stomach.”
He shot me his bitch-face but took the cup anyway, putting it aside. Instead he just dry swallowed the pain pills. I realised that he probably didn’t feel like eating while his leg was in agony but it still hurt to see him dismiss it that easily. I reached for the hem of his sweatpants pulling it up. Surprisingly he let me and I pushed it all the way up to expose his wound. I looked at the bandage covering it and it didn’t seem to be bleeding. Thank god for small favours.
“It’s not bleeding.” I said to him and started kneading the surrounding flesh. “I really am sorry.” I said to him looking up at him only to find him staring at me, his bitch-face gone. “What?”
“Are you groping me?” He asked me and I stilled, glancing down at my hands that were kneading earlier but now were definitely groping. My fingers twitched with realization, digging into firm, sculpted muscle and I swallowed thickly again, my mouth going dry again. Unconsciously my fingers tightened again, cataloguing the difference between the feel of his strong, muscled thighs and my own scrawny, thin ones.
“Umm…” I responded eloquently. “Yes?” I offered with a half smile. His lips twitched with the effort to stay angry and then he smiled, looking away. “I take it the pills are starting to kick in?”
He grunted but there was a mild blush dusting his cheeks now. “You’re still groping me.” He said.
I grinned fully this time. “Yes I am.” And then pointedly slid my hands down sinewy flesh to grasp his calf and then pushed back up again, brushing the underside of his knee and then curling around the strong muscle on the back of his thigh.
Oh god I was in heaven.
My mouth watered with the urge to kiss the path my fingers hand taken and I felt myself break out into a sweat. I maintained eye contact with him as I dared to push my hand further up his thigh. He grabbed my wrist holding it in place and I flushed with shame and disappointment. I snatched my hand away, clearing my throat as I tried to collect my bearings again.
“I’ll uh… go… get some more food… and money… and stuff…” I said nervously. “You’re umm… feeling better right?” I asked him and he nodded once, looking thoroughly amused at my discomfort. “Right. Then I’ll be uh…” I gestured randomly in the direction of the kitchen. “I’ll be going out the… the…” What was that word again? I mean… what was it?!
“Fire escape?” He supplied oh so helpfully.
That was it! “Right! Fire escape. I’ll go now. Buh-bye.” I waved my hand and almost ran into the kitchen and jumping out the window onto the creaking metal. Buh-bye?! What the hell was wrong with me?
I flew down the fire escape stairs and then jumped down the last ladder. The wind was chilly, moisture heavy in the air and the ground soft and damp. It was going to rain soon, judging by how fast the cloud cover was moving in.
I zipped up my jacket all the way to my neck and stuffed my hands down my pockets, controlling a shiver. I headed towards Old Mac’s Pawn Shop hoping to do something indoors. As I passed a convenience store I saw a ‘Now Hiring’ sign in the window and I felt hope and worry creep up my spine. I walked in and asked the girl at the cashier’s about the job. She asked me to leave a resume and I thanked her, feeling deflated.
I didn’t have much of a resume… well actually, my resume made people run so I tried to keep it under wraps. If I edited it to remove all the offensive material, then I didn’t have much of a resume. Also, any job that requires paperwork… not good. I hate paper trails. Paper trails make you traceable.
Even my apartment is under another name. Bruno doesn’t kick me out because no matter how late I always pay the rent. But really, it’s not even in my name. Am I paranoid? Maybe. But you’re not paranoid when they’re really after you, right? Right.
So I resumed my walk to Mac’s Pawn shop and entered the place with a merry jingle of the door. I found a couple of guys, three total, inside harassing old man Mac. “I don’t know… the rabbits come and go… merry go round, round and round…” He muttered, his toothless jaw quivering. When Mac dissolved into random phrases it usually meant he was scared out of his mind.
“Hey!” I called out and they turned to look at me. The minute I saw them I stilled, watching their familiar features dissolve into surprise and then glee. There were three men, one with dark hair and just as dark eyes dressed down in casual jeans and a simple jacket. The other two were rather tall and wiry looking, both brown hair and dressed casually... dangerous.
“Oh look it’s the pretty girl!” The man with the dark hair who I recognized as Derek said. Derek and I… we have history, let’s just say that. I felt my blood run cold and my hands twitched, feeling empty without a weapon. “Bill’s been looking for you.” He said to me and jerked his chin in my direction. “Get him boys.” He ordered and the other two men rushed forward. I stepped back ripping the shop-door open and running out. I felt them grab at my braid but somehow they were unable to grasp it and I ran as fast as I could seeking crowds.
They yelled and called after me, their voices close. I pumped my arms, praying my legs won’t give out under me and continued to run towards Downtown. I crossed a street against a light and almost got run over and then rushed past the Glass Orchid, my vision narrowing with fear of what would happen if they catch me.
Unfortunately they were faster than me, stronger than me, and healthier than me. Before I knew it they had wrapped a hand around my braid and pulled, forcing me to skid on the cement, skinning my knees and the front of my legs. It was starting to drizzle and I looked up at them through the small drops of water caught on my eyelashes.
“Please let me go.” I said to them and their hand in my hair tightened. I yelped in pain when I felt a few hairs get ripped out by the root. “Please…” I begged.
“Call him.” The guy with his hand in my hair ordered the other man and he whipped out a cell phone.
“Derek?” He said. “Yeah, we have him… In front of Hasty Market… Yeah we’ll wait.” He switched his cell off. “He’s coming with a car. He’s going to call Bill too.” He informed the other guy.
At Bill’s name I felt my panic rise and I renewed my efforts to get away, even wishing that I had a knife so I could cut my braid off and make a run for it. “Come on, please!” I begged them. “Please don’t take me back there! Please, I’ll do anything, please don’t let Bill get me!” I ignored the ache in my legs where my jeans were staining with slowly seeping blood and tried to kick out at them.
They ignored me and with one kick to my shin had me howling in pain. I hyperventilated to the point of dry heaving onto the pavement. As soon as I got some breath in me I yelled, “Help! Somebody help me! Please!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Shut the fuck up.” The cell phone guy snarled at me and tried to muffle my screams by covering my mouth with his hand. I bit him so hard that I tasted his blood in my mouth and then resumed screaming. He snatched his hand back with a ‘Fucker bit me!’
“Let me go! Let me go you bastards!” I hollered. “Help! Somebody please help!” Around me I saw a guy dial on his cell as he noticed me and I hoped to god it was 911. Unfortunately my kidnappers noticed him too.
“I’d advice you to keep walking mister.” They snarled at him and he paled. He quickly turned and walked the other way.
“No! No! Please don’t leave!” I called at him and instead got my braid yanked again. “Damnit!” As a last ditch effort I twisted around and latched onto his thigh, biting hard through his dirty denim and feeling my canines sink into his flesh. He screamed with pain and the other guy sucker punched me, forcing me to let go of his partner’s thigh in order to catch my breath again.
“How long?” The one holding me captive barked, inspecting the wound on his thigh, and the other pulled his cell phone out again. I didn’t hear his conversation while I tried to get air back in my lungs. My captor seemed happy with the answer though and he pushed my head back so that I was looking up at him. “He’ll be here soon you little bitch!” He growled at me.
Just as he was saying that I saw a car pull up to the curb, a sleek black one and out came Bill, just as wide and tall as I remembered him with a balding head and two gold teeth in place of his top front teeth. He had thick black rimmed glasses and he was sporting a horribly clashing purple suit. “Duo! My pretty baby, where have you been? Good to see you’re back on your knees!”
See, he’s the reason I’m afraid of paper trails.
I spat a big glob of saliva laced with his henchman’s blood at him and it landed on his rather large stomach.
“Just as frisky I see.” He said jovially, producing a napkin out of his pocket and cleaning up the spit stain easily. “My clients have been asking for you, you know? You’re rather hard to forget.”
“Please don’t! I don’t want to do that again, please!” I begged him and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“You know… maybe you can persuade me.” He leered at me, his hand ghosting over his crotch. I swallowed thickly and then shot him a withering glare. I knew his game. He’d make me blow him, and then say ‘compelling argument, but I’m not convinced’ and then he’ll take me away anyway.
“Go fuck yourself.” I hissed at him and he laughed.
“Such a dirty mouth on you.” He said and then jerked his head towards the car, “Put him in the car.” He ordered his men and I was hauled into a standing position by my hair.
Just as I had resigned myself to my fate I heard the distinct wail of a police siren and I saw the panicked looks the three men passed each other. Halleluiah!
Elbowing the guy behind me I twisted, making it difficult for them to get me in a position to push me into the car. “Hurry!” Bill said and stuffed himself into the backseat. The other guy tried to grab my legs and push me in But I shot out both my arms and grabbed onto the car, keeping them from closing the door. Kicking my legs I managed to nail one in the face and the other in the stomach. I yelled loudly, hearing the sirens come even closer and in a desperate effort the guy tried to knock me out by slamming my head into the car’s side. It didn’t work, although it gave me a colossal headache.
Just a little longer and the police will be here.
With a guttural cry I hauled all my weight backwards tripping the guy and causing them to land in a heap. As the cop car screeched to a halt they let go of me abruptly.
“Go! Go! Go!” One of the henchmen cried and they piled into the car as it peeled away from the curb, skidding around a corner and disappearing from sight.
Relief so strong flooded into me that I sank to my knees. Honestly, which god did I piss off to deserve this?
“Are you all right son?” A kind looking, middle-aged cop with greying hair and soft eyes kneeled down next to me, rubbing my back comfortingly and I found myself shaking. He spoke briefly into a walkie-talkie, something with numbers and stuff. “Don’t worry, I got their license number, we’ll find them.”
“M-may I use your… umm…” I frowned, my mind blank. “Uh…” I thought hard for what I wanted but the word kept escaping me.
“Do you need to go to the hospital? We can drop you off?” The cop offered and I shook my head.
“I’m okay.” I said getting up, my trembling subsiding a little. “I just… home…” I said, stuffing my shaking hands into my jacket pocket.
“Do you need me to drop you off? I can come over later and fill out a complaint form.”
“No!” I said a little too quickly, fearful that he’ll come with me and see Heero Yuy and then arrest him and stuff. “I mean… I’m okay, I just need to lie down. I live nearby.” I said. “Th-thanks for coming…”
“We got an anonymous call telling us a man was being harassed here. I was the closest.” The officer explained and I gave him a shaky smile. The guy who they had threatened may have made that call anyway. God I could kiss him!
“You have someone home with you? Take care of you?” The officer asked me and I saw that he was genuinely concerned.
My thoughts drifted to Heero waiting at home, but I didn’t expect much comfort from him. “Yeah… yeah I’m good.” I said to him, nodding.
“Are you sure?” He asked me again and I gave him another smile, a little more genuine this time.
“Yes, really. Thank you.” I said to him and he patted me on the back.
“Just drop in at the police station and we’ll take a statement okay?” He said to me and I nodded at him, already planning on skipping that. “You sure you don’t want me to drop you off?”
“I’m sure, thanks.” I said jogging lightly away from him, ignoring the way my jeans snagged painfully on the torn skin of my shin and knees. He stayed standing there for a little bit longer before getting in his car and pulling away.
Now I just needed to call Quatre… maybe he wouldn’t mind dropping in for a few minutes. Phone! That’s right, that’s the word I had been looking for earlier! I spied a payphone at the corner of the next street and I squashed down the paranoia of the guys waiting around the corner to ambush me. Stubbornly I headed towards the red box, fighting the creeping anxiety.
I got to about fifteen feet of the booth before I turned tail and ran towards my apartment, obsessively checking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t being followed. I dashed through the front doors of the building, not bothering with the fire escape and banged my fists against my apartment’s front door when it refused to budge.
I needed to be inside. Now!
The door jerked open to a confused Heero who immediately noticed my anxious expression and my bloody jeans.
“Duo! Are you okay? What happened?” He asked me and I stepped inside quickly, closing the door behind me and bolting it for good measure.
“Could you call Quatre please?” I asked him, sinking down to my bed and trying to control the inevitable panic attack. I hadn’t had one in ages, not counting the one provoked by Steve McQueen running off with my wallet, and I didn’t want to have one in front of Heero Yuy.
“What happened?” He asked me instead and I pulled at my hair, feeling my scalp sting with the memory of the ripped out hair.
“Just call Quatre please.” I begged him, wanting him to just call my best friend so I could cry onto his shoulder rather than be forced to explain everything to him.
He nodded and then looked around a little confused before asking, “Uh… where’s your phone?”
I looked up at him through my bangs, feeling irrationally angry at him. “I don’t own one fucktard. Now go downstairs to Bruno and ask him for a goddamned phone!”
Heero put on the bitch-face again at the insult and his eyes narrowed at me. “You know if I go down there they’ll recognize me.”
I swallowed around the lump in my throat, my head throbbing horribly with frustration and now anger as well. “Fine. Fuck you. I’ll go down myself.” I spat at him and got up, my wounded knees protesting the movement. “God forbid anyone ask Mr. Heero Yuy to do anything.” I muttered to myself.
“Don’t blame me, it’s not my fault you went and got into a fight.” He said sounding annoyed and I felt like kicking the shit out of him. Instead I just pushed him to the side and walked out of the apartment, managing to keep my back straight and all traces of pain invisible until I was out of sight. Flinching and wincing my way downstairs I knocked on Bruno’s door.
“Who is it?” He called out.
“It’s Duo. I need your phone.” I said to him loudly in order to be heard across the door. My voice came out hoarse and raspy due to the screaming had done earlier.
“Rent first—” He started but I interrupted him.
“Just… I don’t feel like fighting right now. I need the phone man, please?” I called out sagging against the doorway. I heard him unlock the door and open it just a sliver and he watched me through it.
“What the fuck happened to you?” He asked me and I gave him a lopsided grin.
“Phone?” I asked again and he nodded, handing me a cordless receiver.
“Just bring it back when you’re done.” He said to me and I nodded my thanks to him. He closed the door behind him and I went to the side, sitting down on the first few steps of the stairwell.
I dialled Quatre’s number from memory and sighed in relief when Quatre picked up. “Hello?”
“Quatre…” I said.
“Duo? What happened to your voice? Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?” He asked quickly, worry evident in his voice.
“I was screaming, I’m fine and yes please?” I answered his questions with a small smile and I heard Quatre ask Rashid to take the car out.
“What happened?” He asked.
“Bill found me.” I told him and there was silence on the other side for a few tense moments.
“And Derek?”
“Him too.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes okay? I’ll be right there.” He said and ended the call. I put the phone down to the side, curling my legs to my chest, ignoring the scrape of the rough denim against torn skin and wrapped my arms around my knees, resting my chin on them.
Bill… and Derek… They must have a general idea of where I am now. I’ll have to be careful where I go and who I talk to. They’ll be looking for me. They’re nothing if not persistent.
‘Oh look, it’s the pretty girl.’ Derek’s words rang in my ears and I shivered.
“I’m not a fucking girl.” I muttered even though it was too late to actually retort to it. “Girl, girl, girl… if he wants a fucking girl then he can go get a fucking hooker, leave me out of his stupid mind games and dress up and crap.” I ranted, my volume reducing until I was more or less mumbling to myself, the words dissolving into incoherency.
By the time I realised I probably looked like a mad man, talking to myself like this, I was on the verge of tears. Oh god what I wouldn’t give to go back three years and change everything.
A/N: So, I outlined this story, and I think it may turn out to be much MUCH longer than originally anticipated (currently, halfway point occurs somewhere after 16 chapters). This one's here for the long haul. Is that good or bad depends on how much I mess this over!
Thanks for reading! Review please? They make my day!
Take care,
Persephone