Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.
A/N: So... it's a little late... sorry! Usually I write best when I'm stressed coz I find writing a stress reliever so I predicted that with my MCAT prep classes starting my stress level will go through the roof and so I will write... unfortunately it turns out that they give so much friggin homework that I end up crawling to bed in exhaustion by the time I'm done.
I managed to get some time this weekend so here it is! I really like it towards the end coz by then the words were flowing easier. I always have trouble with starting. Once I get going it gets smooth then :D
RECAP: Heero goes to visit Derosia in jail. He is in an electric cell and the visit doesn't go that well. Heero asks for an explanation of Duo's behaviour from him later. Heero realises he's being an idiot and he should move on and so he goes home and kisses Duo because of which they are now a couple :)
Now on with the story!
Posted 2nd June 2007
I rubbed my hair with a towel as I stepped out of the washroom. I had a towel tied around my waist and I was suddenly self conscious of the fact that I was almost naked.
I mean Duo’s seen me in this state hundreds of times and yet I find it hard to walk into the bedroom knowing that Duo’s sleeping in there.
It was only last night that I put Derosia behind me and have decided to forgive Duo and move on.
It seems to surreal… it feels almost like nothing’s changed and at the same time it feels as though everything has changed. We’re still living together, eating together, going to work together… but somewhere everything feels different…
I peeked into the bedroom and saw Duo sprawled on the bed, the covers kicked off and his mouth hanging open, lightly snoring.
I smiled leaning in the doorway. I can’t believe I ever decided to hate him forever.
I should have known that would be impossible.
With one hand I clutched the towel around my waist tighter as I tip toed into the room and opened my closet quietly.
Pulling out my uniform and his as well I started getting dressed trying to keep myself from going completely naked at any given point.
After buttoning the last button I turned around to see Duo sitting up and staring shamelessly at me.
“What are you doing?” I asked feeling myself flush slightly. Did the towel slip at all? Did I unknowingly flash him? Why is he smiling like that?
“Admiring my boyfriend.” He answered smoothly and I blushed deeply. Boyfriend… I liked the sound of that…
“Well you’re getting late.” I turned away trying to hide my red face. “I’ll go make breakfast.” And I hurriedly went to the kitchen.
I was still new at this and had a long way to go before I would be comfortable with Duo like that. I had thought that it would be easy to be with Duo since I already knew him for so long and then I had lived with him for a while as well. So technically there would be no more surprises right?
Then why am I so conscious about everything all of a sudden? Like how last night Duo asked if we could push the beds together now that we were a couple and I refused.
Luckily, Duo had been pretty awkward as well so he didn’t make a big deal about it.
I distinctly feel as though I am in enemy territory without any sort of plan or blueprints or mission parameters. Just lost in the new territory… and one wrong move could destroy what we have.
Am I paranoid?
My dreams are getting worse. This is the third night I have spent lying awake in a row and I doubt I will be able to keep my exhaustion in check any longer.
Duo’s been worrying but he doesn’t know that I know. He doesn’t say anything but he forces me to eat, forces me to go to bed early and then watches me until he falls asleep.
So he’s confused. He sees me eat, sees me sleep, sees me not stressing about anything and yet I look tired.
“Hee-chan?” I jerked awake and looked around confused for a second. I was at work, organizing papers… and Duo was leaning over my desk. When did I fall asleep? And better yet… why did Duo wake me from a nightmare-free sleep?
“What?” I asked before I had a chance to hide my irritation at him for having awakened me.
“Are you all right? Do you want to go see the nurse?” He asked softly and touched my cheek gently.
“I’m not a child Duo. I don’t need to see the nurse.” I told him still unable to mask my irritation.
“I know but –“ His words were cut off when we heard storming footsteps in the hallway.
“MAXWELL!” I heard a roar and I stood up quickly as Duo jumped behind me to use me as a shield.
“Duo, what did you do?” I growled at him and he grinned at me and held my shoulders to keep me in between him and the door.
The door ripped open and slammed into the wall making all the items on my desk tremble.
White stood in the doorway, his eyes wide with fury and his hands fisted in anger.
“You BASTARD!” He roared and Duo squeaked.
“Save me Heero!” He begged me and I felt my exhaustion seep in again.
“What did you do Duo?” I asked as calmly as possible hoping that my voice of reason would calm White down as well.
“I’ll suspend you for this Maxwell! Did you really think you could get away with this!?” White asked incredulously and Duo laughed.
“No you can’t! Trowa’s your boss now and he won’t let you fire me!” Duo countered confidently.
“What did he do sir?” I asked and White’s attention came back to me.
He looked like he was debating himself on whether to tell me or not and then he came to a decision. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me.
I unfolded it and had to hold in a chuckle. On it was a rather graphic drawing of White and Janice in lewd positions… complete with sound effects penned in.
“Has Janice seen these?” I asked.
White’s face turned redder if it was possible but his voice was quiet with embarrassment. “She took the rest of the day off.” He answered and Duo howled with laughter.
As my eyes scanned the paper I saw that on the right hand corner of the paper was Duo’s name signed in.
He signed his own prank? Just how confident was he?
“Duo.” I said in my scolding voice and he leaned over my shoulder to look at his work.
“Gives you ideas doesn’t it?” He said in a deep voice and bit my ear discretely before stepping out from behind me.
I froze shocked at the intimate moment we had just had when we had just been acting like friends for a while now.
“Well…” I cleared my throat. “No harm done, no one has to see these…” And to make my point I shredded the page right then.
“Hee-chan! You don’t give me enough credit! I made copies! And they’re pasted all over the office!” He quipped and I resisted the urge to strangle him.
“I’ll kill you!” White shouted and I panicked. I grabbed Duo by his shirt and pulled him out of the office before White could catch him and we both ran down the hallway trying to get to Trowa’s office before someone lost a head… or an arm...
Trowa shook his head looking as though he wanted to be angry but was more amused than anything else.
“Come on Tro… it was funny! Admit it! You want to laugh!” Duo grinned and I resisted the urge to pull my hair.
Trowa’s promotion to Head had boosted Duo’s ego and now he thought he was invincible.
“You have to learn a lesson Duo…” He said managing to keep a straight face.
“I did! I learned my lesson! Can I go now?” He asked distinctly like a child being reprimanded by his principal.
“Duo…” I groaned.
“I did! Why doesn’t anyone believe me?” Wufei raised an eyebrow at that but still didn’t say anything.
There was a moment of silence and then Trowa sighed.
“Go do five laps or something of the track. Dismissed.” He said and sat back down in his chair.
Duo gave me a victorious smirk and then sauntered out of the office looking extremely please with himself. I grudgingly followed.
Trowa really was spoiling him. He knew five laps were nothing to Duo. This was not a punishment at all.
If anything, it was encouragement.
What was to say Duo won’t pull another one on White?
“Duo. I need to ask… why’d you do it? It served no purpose except to infuriate White.” I said when we reached our office.
He plopped down into his chair and put his feet on the desk.
“I don’t like him. And it really had a purpose. You just don’t know it.” He shook a finger at me and I felt my irritation rising.
“Duo!” I growled.
He sobered up and sat up straight.
“It’s just that… I thought he was being unfair when he kept targeting you and coming after you again and again when you hadn’t even done anything. You don’t say anything either… you just let him yell…”
I sighed. “But I still don’t see how…”
He got up abruptly and came to me hugging me lightly. “Now… he has another target. It’s not just you anymore… it’s us.” He whispered into my ear and kissed my neck softly. “No one screams at my Hee-chan and gets away with it.”
I smiled into his shoulder, my irritation dissipating entirely. I hugged him back tightly.
“I love you.” I said my face flushing. In answer, he kissed me.
My bare feet slapped against the cold, hard concrete as I ran blindly through the darkness, my one hand staying in contact with a stone wall to guide my movements.
I wheezed, not being able to breathe deeply enough, as I turned a corner, my feet slipping when I refused to slow down to take the sharp turn.
I barely managed to regain my balance as I recited directions under my breath that I don’t remember how I know.
“Right, left, a door to the right.” I whispered to myself as I willed my pursuer to lose sight of me.
It was so dark… I felt along the wall searching for the door risking slowing down in the process.
“Please, please, please be here, be here…” I chanted to myself. I was on the verge of tears and I didn’t even know why.
As my hand curled around the handle of the door I suppressed the urge to give a whoop of joy and jiggled the door knob.
It was locked.
I went pale and my breaths became short.
“No, no, no, no, no.” I fisted my hands in my hair. “Break the door down, break the door down. Break the door, yeah break the door.”
I kicked the door as hard as I could and felt the force of my kick reverberate through the door and then travel down the walls.
“Shit, shit, shit.” I slammed into the door again using my shoulder instead and it didn’t give.
“Please open up, please.” I prayed but it didn’t budge. I heard a growl down the hall and I felt fear course through every fibre of my being.
He’s found me.
Turning the opposite direction I gave up on the door and ran blindly forward not bothering with guiding myself using the wall.
All of a sudden I slammed into a wall and fell to the hard concrete floor.
I heard the growling behind me turn into a snarl and I felt paralyzed with fear.
I turned and raked my nails over the wall hoping it was give way but it didn’t work. I heard the clacking of sharp claws behind me as the animal came closer to me… slowly… the chase was over, he had his prey.
“Please, please, help… some one please…” I felt tears flowing down my cheeks but I didn’t concern myself with them and I continued to scratch at the wall with my nails feeling them crack and splinter and then bleed but they didn’t hurt.
I turned around and tried to look in the general direction of where I could hear the claws but I was blind. All I could see was black. No shadows, no colors, nothing.
I pushed myself back into the wall trying to crawl away from the sound of the claws.
“Please help.” I whimpered and the clacking of the claws grew faster.
He was running towards me. He was going to get me! I’m going to die in this place! Help! Help! Somebody!
Suddenly my back was slammed against the wall, claws tearing into my shoulders but I felt no pain. I stared straight at where the head of the beast should be but did not see anything, only heard the snarling inches from my face.
Suddenly the face of the beast came into light and I could see again, but only the beast… my surroundings remained in darkness.
“No…” I whispered seeing what… or rather who had been chasing me.
“Miss me Hee-chan?” Derosia said leaning close. His face was on a dog’s head, the rest of the body belonging to a large black hound but the face… the face…
He opened his mouth and a large lapping tongue came out and licked my face.
“You’re mine!” He growled as he bared his teeth, sharp dog teeth, and then bit my neck as I screamed.
“Heero!”
I screamed harder trying to dislodge the monstrous dog from my neck.
“Heero! Wake up! It’s just a nightmare!”
I dug my fingers deep into the dog’s fur and tried my best to rip him apart with my bare hands.
“Get AWAY FROM ME!” I screamed and pushed my nails deeper into the skin feeling it break and I felt warm liquid oozing through the wound.
“Heero! Let go! Ah!” The voice echoed but I didn’t acknowledge it.
“HELP! HELP ME PLEASE!” I screamed into the darkness.
“Heero! I’m here, I’m here, shh…” I felt gentle hands rubbing my back and soft kisses on my cheek and neck. “You’re safe… you’re safe…”
It was then that I realised that my fingers didn’t feel any fur at all, only smooth skin and a warm body.
Opening my eyes slowly I saw that Duo was leaning over me, his body stretched out along mine on my bed, his eyes soft with concern even as he flinched when I removed my hand.
“Duo…” My throat hurt… I had screamed out loud?
“You okay?” He asked me leaning down so that his cheek was in contact with mine.
I started to say yes but changed my mind and shook my head instead. “I’m sorry… I hurt you…” I felt the guilt starting to claw at me. Duo was only trying to help me and I had sunk my nails into his back.
“It’s not your fault. And it doesn’t hurt, really.” He pulled back to let me see the honesty in his eyes.
“Maybe…” I gulped trying to talk around the soreness in my throat. “Maybe you should wear a shirt when you sleep from now on.”
He looked confused for a second and then he smiled. He nudged my nose with his.
“If I did, then you won’t be able to ogle me.” He said slyly and I blushed, the last grips of the dream leaving me. “And I like you ogling me.” He grinned.
I pinched his side playfully and he squirmed.
As I watched him I felt something come over me as I pulled him down and kissed him fiercely, smashing my lips against his he moaned into my mouth. I pushed his head down more and more and raised my own so that our lips were crushed between our teeth.
My lips hurt from the abuse but I didn’t stop.
Duo made a sound of protest when I bit his lip quite harshly but I didn’t let him go.
“Ngh, Heero… stop…” He gasped out before I pulled him down and kissed him again.
“Hee- Stop… Stop!” He managed to pull my hand away from his head and then pushed me back. “Heero!” He scolded when I tried to follow his lips.
I lied back down watching him carefully.
His lips were swollen and red and his lower lip was bleeding slightly where I had bit him. Why do I keep hurting him? Why did I do that? What's wrong with me?
We watched each other for a little while, his eyes boring into mine and then I turned away, breaking the eye contact.
“Why did you do that?” He asked and I wondered the same thing. I hadn’t thought… I had just done what came into my mind right then... something had told me to do that and I had blindly listened... I didn't know a reason...
“Heero! Talk to me!” He said and I still didn’t look at him.
“I don’t know… Can we sleep now?” I asked keeping my eyes averted.
“Oh… okay…” He said and started climbing off of me.
“No!” I grabbed his arm, absently noting the small half-moon wounds on his back. “Stay… please?”
He smiled at me and then climbed back into my bed, “Scoot.” He said affectionately and pulled me close to his chest before getting comfortable.
Right before I drifted back to sleep I heard him say, “You can hurt me all you want Hee-chan… It doesn’t hurt if it’s from you.”
In answer I kissed his chest and fell promptly into a deep sleep.
I had no more nightmares that night.
The next day, we pushed the beds together.
“It didn’t work Duo.” Quatre’s voice drifted from the living room as I tip toed down the hallway to listen to their conversation.
It was a hot night, the air was heavy and humid and made everything stuffy and sticky. This was one of the hottest nights of the year and I had been glad that I had managed to actually fall asleep in that heat.
But I woke up when Duo tried to slide away from me and went to the living room to make a call to Quatre.
He didn’t know I was awake so I decided a little eavesdropping never hurt anyone.
“What’s going on?” He asked echoing my thoughts.
“Derosia got ten years in jail for torture but Orner was unable to get him a life sentence even. None of the jurors believed that Derosia deserved a death sentence. Orner then tried to convince them to give him lifetime but they didn’t agree to that either.” Quatre explained.
Ten years? Only ten years?
“Ten years is too little Quat… we have to do something.” Duo said squinting at the vid phone, the blue glow from the screen lighting up his face in the darkness.
“We can’t do anything else Duo.”
“Nothing legal.” Duo murmured and I frowned.
“Don’t do anything stupid. If you get caught you’re not the only one who will lose something. Heero’s in this as well. You want him to give you up so soon after you two got together?”
I watched Duo’s expression as he thought hard.
“I can’t just sit by and watch Derosia get out ten years later after putting Heero through all that…”
“I understand… but remember you had a large role in it as well.” Quatre’s voice took a slight colder edge and Duo flinched.
“I’ll take Heero away from here. We’ll go somewhere he won’t be able to find us. We’ll change our names, cover our tracks…”
I sagged against the wall, my bare back sticking slightly to it. I never wanted to see Derosia again… but I didn’t want to run either… I had a good life here…
Quatre was quiet for a bit and Duo chewed on his bottom lip. “Where is he imprisoned?”
“Base 9 prison block. He got the electric cell again when Orner mentioned Derosia’s ability to bend metal.”
“I hope he dies in there.” Duo spat out with so much venom he scared me for a moment. I had never seen such hatred in his eyes, not even when he had discovered I was gay.
“We all do.” Quatre said quietly. “Good night Duo. Take care of Heero.” And the screen switched off casting the whole room in darkness.
I stayed listening to Duo’s breathing in the living room for a few minutes waiting for him to come to bed.
When he didn’t come I peaked into the living room and saw him sitting on the couch, holding his head in his hands.
I quietly entered the living room and stood in front of him, wondering what to do next.
He didn’t look up and instead reached out and grabbed my hips pulling me forward. He then wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his face into my stomach.
I ran my hands over his hair trying to soothe him.
“I’m okay Duo… don’t worry so much.” I said softly to him. “Ten years is a lot of time. And we get to spend them together.” I smiled when I said that hoping that Duo would hear it in my voice.
“Aishiteru Hee-chan. Zutto.” Duo said into my stomach and I froze.
“Where did you learn that?” I asked resuming the movements of my hand.
He shrugged and squeezed me tighter. “I am in love with a Japanese guy, I had to learn Japanese, right?” I could hear his smile in his voice and I laughed.
“How much do you know?” I asked.
“Just that and baka, onna, and omae o’koros… or something like that.” He said his face still buried in my stomach.
I laughed again. “Come on let’s go to sleep… baka.” I added and he looked up at me, his eyes sparkling with humour.
He let go of my waist and got up, heading to the bedroom. “You coming… onna?” He said mischief dancing on his face.
I stopped when I heard that. “Duo… do you know what onna means?” I asked.
He nodded and I burned.
“You little…” I stalked towards him and he dashed down the hallway, laughing, and disappeared into the bedroom.
I chuckled at his childish behaviour and followed him.
Duo and I were in the men’s locker rooms of the Preventeer gym when Janice walked in.
She sent the entire room into a state of panic as naked men ran to cover themselves up and the half dressed ones stared at her audacity.
She walked up to us and glared at Duo who was sitting next to me putting his shoes on. When her eyes came to rest on me she looked like she was ready to murder one of us.
“Agent Barton wishes to see you.” She said in a clipped tone. “Both of you.” She looked down her nose at Duo as if he was filth. Seeing her giving my lover that look burned me.
“Understood. And next time, wait for us. It is indecent for a lady to walk into a men’s room.” I said in a clipped tone as I pulled my shoes on as well and waited for Duo to get ready.
When I saw he was done I marched out of there and Duo followed me practically skipping all the way.
I heard Janice huff and stalk out of there as a collective sigh of relief sounded through the room.
“I don’t believe this!” Duo exclaimed and I nodded unable to say anything more.
“What’s going on?” Wufei asked as he entered Trowa’s office.
“Relena’s guards are MIA. Again.” Trowa explained as he rubbed his forehead.
“What’s Relena saying?” I asked.
“She says that one day she woke up and they were gone. She’s hysterical claiming that she needs someone strong and dependent. She says, and I quote ‘I need a powerful man to protect me, not some grade-school thugs’ unquote.” Trowa read from a paper.
I felt a headache forming between my eyes. I already knew what Trowa was going to say next.
“She’s demanding Heero to be her personal bodyguard.” He finished and my headache bloomed.
“Like hell!” Duo yelled.
“And… she has exclusively demanded that you not be paired with Heero.”
Duo looked like a fish out of water at that and his eyes were wide with outrage but he was interrupted by Wufei's quiet, speclative voice, “Something’s not right.”
“Where is she right now?” I asked.
“Upstairs.” Wufei answered.
“Upstairs?” Duo asked confused.
“Upstairs.” Trowa confirmed.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked.
“I have to assign you to her. She said that if I don’t then she will stop supporting the work of Preventeers and even went as far as to threaten that she will pin any danger to her person as our fault directly.” Trowa sighed.
“I want to be assigned along with Heero.” Duo stated.
“I can’t do that.”
“If you don’t then I’ll follow him there unofficially.” Duo argued.
“If you do then you will be a civilian and can therefore be arrested.” Trowa explained.
“What if I refuse?” I asked stopping Duo before he could say anything else.
“Not an option.”
“Something’s not right.” Wufei said again and this time our attention came to him. He looked down on the table thoughtfully while we all willed him to explain.
As he took a breath to explain the door burst open and Relena walked in, her face streaked with tears and her lip trembling pathetically.
When her eyes landed on me though it was as though someone had opened a tap somewhere. She just burst into hysterical sobs as she came and draped herself all over me. From the corner of my eye I saw Duo fist his hands and look away in order to control his temper.
I patted her back awkwardly and waited for her to get off me but she seemed to take my patting as encouragement and hugged me tighter.
“Relena,” Trowa cleared his throat, “How did you know we were here?”
“A girl told me.” She paused in her crying to answer and then promptly burst back into tears again.
“A girl?” Wufei raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, this blonde girl who hates Duo too." Relena recalled tapping her chin thoughtfully.
Janice?
“Oh Heero!” She howled. “Someone’s out to get me!” I patted her back again not knowing how to handle her hysterics. From the corner of my eye I saw Duo turning absolutely livid.
“I want to be assigned with Heero.” Duo growled at Trowa.
“No way!” She turned her tear streaked face towards Trowa. “He hates me! I don’t feel safe with him!”
“Relena, you have to understand. Duo and Heero are a perfect team, Heero’s weaknesses are Duo’s strengths. When we put them together we get a formidable team. I ask you to reconsider.”
“No!” She said stubbornly, shifting so that she was shamelessly sitting in my lap. Next to me Duo dug his nails into the wood of the table and made an obviously conscious effort to ignore the sobbing girl in my lap.
“Relena, please get off me.” I said trying to push her off but she didn’t listen.
Trowa switched tactics. “If you don’t take Duo as well then I’m afraid Heero’s weaknesses will prevent him from being an excellent bodyguard. I will have to assign you a different team that offer you better protection than Heero alone.”
“I want just Heero.” Relena pushed.
“You claimed that any danger to your person will be treated as a failure of the Preventeers. I am not willing to take that chance. Either you take Heero and Duo or I assign you a just as good, second team.”
Relena bit her lower lip and thought it over.
“Fine! Duo can come. But he says one thing to me that makes me fear for my life and I will have him court marshalled.”
Duo stood up. “Agreed!” He said quickly. “Now Heero and I have work to do.” He said as he pulled me out of the chair with Relena still in my lap. The sudden movement had her slipping off me and she almost fell down.
I reached out and grabbed her arm to hold her up which earned me a starry eyed look from her and a vicious betrayed look from Duo.
“Let’s go Heero.” Duo ground out and I nodded at him.
“I’ll send the mission files to you via email. Look them over ASAP and you’ll be getting assigned to this position in two days time.” Trowa called after us.
“Why was I called?” I heard Wufei ask just as I was leaving. Unfortunately I didn’t hear Trowa’s answer as Duo dragged me out of there and into our office.
As soon as the door closed behind us Duo grabbed me and kissed me deeply, pushing his tongue into my mouth and holding me tightly against him.
I moaned into his mouth as he pushed me into a wall and trapped me rubbing his hands all over my body.
“Duo…” I gasped as he let go of my lips to bite my neck. He licked the spot slightly getting rid of any pain that I might have felt and continued sucking on the spot.
Slowly he let go of my neck and just hugged me. I felt my hammering heart start to calm down and I kissed his cheek softly.
“You’re mine.” He growled and I smiled.
“I’m yours.”
A/N: And there it is... I am estimating... five more chapters or so till the end of this fic... wow, this turned out alot longer than I had originally assumed. It was only going to be about ten chapters long. Wow...
Hope u liked! I'll go do the rest of my homework now.
And time for a little honesty - my summer's a lot more hectic than I had estimated at the start so my chapters will be in spurts. You might see double updates at one time and then no chapters for like a month or so. Sorry abt that!
Until next time!
Persephone