Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ [temp title] Beyond the Bounds of Earth ❯ Part Three ( Chapter 3 )

>> Begin Part Three

"So, how was your weekend?" Wufei asked, snickering.

"Surprisingly good," Heero replied smugly.

"How? Did Duo get sick or something?"

Heero shook his head. "No, we still met. He's a little offbeat, but he's pretty cool. We hung out."

"What?!" Wufei cried in outrage. "After complaining about him so bitterly?"

Heero blushed slightly. "Well, yeah...."

"That was immature of you to have me endure your complaints and now you are hanging out with him."

"I know...but he's so smart I guess I was intimidated by him," Heero explained as Wufei rolled his eyes.

"He's probably a fag. Are you out of your mind, Heero? Not only is he probably a total dumbass, but he'll probably rape you."

Heero tried not to wince or punch Wufei hard in the mouth.

"He hasn't even attempted to touch me!" Heero seethed. "Why are you so damn narrow-minded?"

"So he *is* a fag?"

"And a better person than you!"

Wufei snorted. "Like hell."

Heero stood. "I don't want to be around you Chinese trash anymore," he announced, turning up his nose and trying to ignore the angry fire that lit in Wufei's eyes.

"You're half oriental yourself, you half-breed bastard!" Wufei shouted at him as he stormed away from his usual table and up to Duo's.

"Can I sit here?" he asked.

Duo looked up at him and noticed immediately how angry he was.

"Okay," he agreed easy as Heero pulled out an empty chair and sat down.

Heero realized that everyone was shocked by his sudden change of heart, seeing as most people considered him a 'jock'.

Duo tried to keep their previous conversation going, but now everyone's interest was redirected to Heero.

"How do you know Heero?" Hilde asked Duo as Heero sat there, still trying to calm himself.

"I sit next to him in calculus. We had to work on this two-hundred problem packet together last weekend," Duo explained.

Hilde nodded as Heero spoke, still glaring at the table.

"I hate how he thinks he knows everything and he's so fucking close-minded."

The little group looked at Heero as though he had just grown another eye and turned green.

"And what do you think you are, Heero?" Hilde spat.

"Hey," Duo spoke, not wishing to have a fight between them.

"What do you mean?" Heero asked, looking up to meet her eyes.

"You and your fucking posse is always in our faces about every damn thing!" Hilde cried in exasperation. "You seem to feel the need to stick the label 'freak' on all of us just because we don't like Polo and Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie the Bitch. I hate to tell you, buddy, without the label, everything Campbell's is just soup."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize it earlier, but I have now," Heero replied. "Maybe you should try not to put your own label on me because I'm not everything you stereotype me as."

"Just most of it," Hilde bit back.

"Less than you might think."

"Explain."

Since neither seemed angry anymore, Duo decided that it might be fun to see what would come of this debate.

"You think I wear what I do to show off status or cash, right? I never felt that way. I just believe in looking nice. It's also a respect thing. I want people to respect me, that's all.

"I'm a football player only because my parents want me to be. I'm much more musically inclined. Most of the football players I talk to because it's required and they talk. Maybe they only talk about fucking chics and how much they can bench, but they talk to me and that's more than I can say for most people.

"I've never beaten anyone up. I've watched and occasionally encouraged it, but I just wanted a few friends. I don't think that's too much to ask."

There was a long pause before Cathy spoke up.

"So what changed your mind?"

"Huh?" Heero asked.

"Why all of a sudden did you come and try to be all friendly with us when you could go hang with your jock friends?" Hilde translated.

"Didn't you just hear me? I don't agree with their ways. I want a few smarter companions. I want to meet new people. Besides, I want to get to know Duo a little better...."

Hilde whistled a little with a wide ass smile across her face as both Heero and Duo began to blush.

"That's not at all what I meant!" Heero cried, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment as Hilde and Cathy and even Trowa laughed.

"So, Heero," Hilde asked, leaning over the table with her chin resting on her hands, "do you think Duo's sexy, eh? Be careful what you say, we're big fans of him here...."

"I-I--" Heero stuttered. "It's not that he's not sexy," he tried, unable to figure out what to say. Duo was very pretty, but he was a man and dating men was something that he could not do. It was okay for others, but not him. He was supposed to be perfect. "I just don't think I like men like that."

"Oh, well you're no fun," Hilde scoffed. "All you football players are always smacking each other's asses anyway...."

But Hilde's questions were more unsettling than she knew.

>>

The next day at lunch no one thought twice about Heero joining them.

But poor Heero was slowly being driven out of his mind.

Every time he looked at Duo he wondered what it would be like to kiss a man. Granted the fact he hadn't kissed many women, he just had a more intense desire to find out.

Then he started to wonder if Duo thought he was attractive. It may have seemed stupid, but he had to wonder. Did other men think he was hot? Why? If not, what would make him more attractive to them?

And then he was forced to wonder why he was thinking about any of this. He wasn't gay; he shouldn't worry about it. Right?

>>

Heero wasn't stupid. He knew that his parents weren't having the best time. He could here them fighting through the doors. They just acted perfect when he was in view.

He'd taken to listening at the doorways, trying to hear what they would say. They wouldn't tell him and he felt he had a right to know if they were thinking divorce, so he would just have to find out himself.

But that night what he heard at the door hurt him so badly....

The first indicator that it wasn't going to be pleasant was the heavy smell of marijuana at the door. He knew his father had taken in some unhealthy habits recently, marijuana and drinking being two of the worst. He always got so violent when he was drunk.... At least he didn't sound like he was drunk, thank god for that.

"Do you think that Heero is...?" he heard his mother ask softly.

"I don't like to think about it."

"He hasn't ever had a very healthy interest in women."

"He's my son. Like hell he's a fucking fag," his father growled.

Heero's heart stopped unwillingly. How...?

"I just--"

"We raised him better than that, didn't we?"

"Of course.... We raised him perfectly...."

Suddenly he heard his mother cry out slightly and his nerves tensed up.

What...?

"Please, Richard," she begged softly and he could hear nothing but bed springs for a few moments.

Once more, louder, she begged for him to let go.

Heero's mind was spinning.

What was his father doing? Was he going to rape her?! Could you rape your wife, or was she yours to do whatever you wanted with? Well, you could rape anyone! If was unwilling, it was rape, right?

"Stop it!"

Her voice was shrill this time and he heard a loud smack of what was unmistakably skin on skin and a woman's sob.

His mother was crying.

What was he doing to her?!

"Please, not again," she pleaded desperately. "I'll call the cops! I swear, this time, I'll call them.... Please don't hurt me...again.... Please...."

Slowly her voice faded into nothing but pain-wracked sobs. Heero slid to the floor, hugging his knees tightly to his chest.

How many times had this happened?

He felt like his entire world was suddenly crumbling apart as tears began to slip down his cheeks, faster and faster with each of his father's brutal moans and slaps.

He respected his father. He'd looked up to his father as a role model. He'd listened to him and took his opinions as the truth. He'd shaped himself after his father in as many ways possible.... How could he have proven himself so utterly wrong...?

>>

"Something is wrong," Duo spoke as they walked out of math class together on Friday. They now began to walk together through the parking lot every day, along with passing each other notes about the teacher during math while trying not to giggle stupidly.

Heero didn't know what it was about Duo that released everything inside of him that was just dying to get out. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't care about what happened to you or what you are, he just cared where you were going. He was the first person that treated him like another human being instead of fearing him or telling him that he needed to stop concentrating on computer programming and math and music if he wanted to get a football scholarship. After all, you wouldn't want all that 'great football talent' wasted, would you?

He just felt like there was something so much more besides football and he didn't have a way of finding it besides Duo.

"Nothing is wrong, Duo," he replied, trying not to bite down hard on his lips while he said it either. He didn't want to start crying...but he didn't want to lie....

"You are obviously lying to me. What is it, Heero? Sometimes it helps to talk."

Heero shook his head vigorously. "No. It can't help."

Duo watched his facial features carefully and wrapped an arm around his shoulder as they walked through the parking lot.

"Look, Heero, I know you do not wish to talk about it at this moment, but if you ever need to speak to me, I will always be around to listen. Any time. Okay?"

Heero nodded his head a little and tried not to meet his eyes.

It was so shamefully to be so weak.... He shouldn't have people offering him their help. He should be able to support himself! Why couldn't he support himself?

"I'll be fine...."

Duo noticed the tense chord in his voice and he removed his arm from Heero's shoulder.

"Okay now.... I will see you tomorrow, no?"

Heero nodded. "Tomorrow."

>>

Heero tried to avoid home for the past two days by going to the library to study and then eating fast food for dinner, but eventually he returned home Friday night to find his mother's car missing from the driveway and the entire house smelling of beer.

'Oh God, please.... I just want to get into my room and then I'll lock the door.... Just let me get into my room....' Heero begged silently.

He was most certainly not looking forward to dealing with his father while he was drunk.

"Heero."

Hearing his name aloud contained such twisted emotions for him. There was a time when he craved nothing more than the attention of his father and would give the world to hear him speak his name, but now it rose such fear in his heart that he wished his father would do nothing short of disappearing.

He saw the ominous shape of his father loom in the doorway and he tried to ignore the drunken figure. Why did it all come down to this? Why were all the smiles fake and all the warmth gone chill? What had happened to his perfect family?

"Yes?" Heero replied nervously, trying not to hug the wall too tightly and stand strong against his father's figure.

But then a fist came down hard on his face.

Heero was stunned even as he felt his back smack into the wall and his legs loose their strength.

His father just hit him.

His father just hit him, and he hit him *hard*.

"What are you--?" Heero tried to demand, his jaw throbbing from the pain.

"Where were you?" his father asked violently as he shoved him harder into the wall.

"St-studying!" Heero stuttered out. His mind was boggled in his head. A thousand different things flashed up at once, all of them different. He shouldn't fight back, but he had to fight back, he couldn't let himself be beat up, but it was his father! Did his mother leave forever? Did he hit her? What if he couldn't go to school tomorrow? What if he *died*? What if his father killed him? What about Duo? Would they know? He was only eighteen, what about the rest of his life? Did he deserve life? What did he do wrong? Wasn't he perfect?

His mind then stopped functioning as normal when he felt his father's fist connect with his stomach. He began to gasp madly for air as his body hit the floor in no gentle manner.

Now his mind was screaming a new message.

I CAN'T BREATHE, I CAN'T BREATHE! I CAN'T BREATHE!!

The whole world was passing in a blur to him as he was lifted from the ground and once more shoved brutally into the wall, his father's unbelievably strong hands sure to leave bruises on his abused skin as he pinned him there.

"You fucker," he hissed, "you shouldn't stay out late like that."

"It wasn't even nine o'clock!" Heero cried in frustration, only getting another slam across the face.

He felt a distinct wetness on his face and it suddenly came to him, with the copper taste in his mouth, that his nose and lips were now bleeding.

Oh Gods, he *was* going to die! His own father was going to kill him!

Then suddenly his father was roughly dragged away and all he could hear were sirens and everything was moving so fast.... No longer supported by his father, he fell to the ground weakly, his body shuddering violently in shock.

What was going on? Why were there suddenly so many people there? What were the sirens? Were they an ambulance? What was going on...? What was going on...?

He heard shouting down the stairs and he felt hands trying to life him up.

'Not again! Oh God, Lord, please, don't let him hit me again!' Heero begged pitifully in his mind as he struggled against the hands that were holding him.

He had to get out. He had to go somewhere. He had to get away and he had to get away *now*! Now might be the only chance he had....

But why were there so many people?

No! He had to get away! He couldn't let them stop him! He didn't want to be there anymore! He didn't want to be hurt any more!

So he just began running.

He dodged all the frantic hands he could and dashed back behind his house, out of sight of the glaring lights.

The dark.... It was so nice in the dark. No one could find him there. He was safe....

He wiped the blood on his face against the back of his sleeve, but it didn't stop bleeding.

He was overcome with the overwhelming need to cry, but he couldn't stop running yet. He was safer in the shadows, but it wasn't positive. He had to be somewhere no one would find him.

He didn't want to be hit again.

The next time he found himself he was banging on a window. Why was he doing this? He was suddenly so confused. Where...where was he?

The blinds folded up and he found himself staring through the window down into Duo's beautiful, deep indigo eyes.

He immediately threw open the ground level window and beckoned for Heero to come into his room via the before mentioned entrance.

Heero collapsed against the wall as Duo quickly shut the window and locked it, pulling down the blinds.

Here he was safe. He could feel it.

"Heero?" Duo asked, surprise obvious in his voice as he walked out of the room and came back with a wet washcloth. "What in the world are you doing here?" Slowly he began to wipe at Heero's face, washing away the sweat and blood, noticing the ugly bruises that were slowly beginning to form on his face and trying to be as gingerly as possible with them.

Heero was flinching back every time Duo's hands even came near his body and Duo wondered at this. In the parking lot earlier Heero didn't even react when he threw his arm over his shoulders. Why the sudden change and how did he get hurt so badly?

Once Heero was cleaned up and Duo had gotten him to drink a little water and calm down considerably, Heero began to think once again.

"Holy fuck.... My God, I'm sorry Duo, really, I...." He began to blush a brilliant shade of red as Duo giggled a little and settled down on his bed.

"Nah, it is okay, Heero."

"Your parents...."

"Are not home at this current time. They are, ah, on a cruise."

Heero blinked. "They went on a cruise without you?"

Duo nodded and waved his hand nonchalantly. "It is a normal occurrence. They are rarely home now that I can fend for myself. Sit down, no?"

Heero sat down on the opposite side of Duo's bed and stared down at the floor. He took off his shoes carefully so as not to get Duo's carpet any dirtier than it already was from his mess.

Duo leaned against the wall and waited for a few minutes before speaking.

"You came here to talk, did you not?"

There was a long pause between the two boys.

"I don't know, Duo," Heero whispered. "I just ran."

"Well, you must have come here for a subconscious reason then. If you do not wish to talk about it, I will be slightly upset. I think that it would help you dramatically if you did."

For the next few minutes they sat there in total silence. Duo watched Heero's profile intently. He was perfectly stoic, but suddenly his face twisted in pain.

"He hit me," he whispered so softly Duo barely heard it the first time.

Heero sniffled and blinked rapidly.

He didn't want to cry any more!

"He hit me and my mom. He's a drunken bastard.... He.... He raped my mother.... Why...?"

Once more Heero stopped, too overwhelmed with emotions that he didn't want to show. He didn't want to show his weakness, especially not to Duo. There was something expressly wrong with that and he couldn't put his finger on just what.

"Heero," Duo spoke softly, letting his hands fall softly on his shoulders and Heero jumped at the touch in fear. "Heero, shh.... Lay down for a minute.... I think that it would do you some good to cry," he murmured in that soothing voice of his as he slowly pushed Heero down onto the bed, stroking his messy dark brown hair with light hands. "Shhh," he comforted, "shhh.... I will not think any less of you...."

And that was all Heero needed to believe it.

He curled up in a little ball on Duo's bed and just began to sob.

He was beyond the point of thinking, he was beyond the point of caring. His life had hit it's ultimate low and he didn't know how to handle it at all. His entire life had been perfect. He never had to worry about anything and all of a sudden he began to see everything that was hidden from his child eyes. He couldn't cope with something as drastic as that. He never learned how to. He couldn't even imagine that he would ever be able to step inside his house again.

How did some people do this?

And the fact that other people had been experiencing this for so much longer than he had and dealt with it perfectly made him cry even harder. He was so fucking weak if he couldn't suck it all up. He should be able to. He shouldn't be crying so pitifully like this, but then again, what in the hell did it matter? Nothing mattered anymore.... Nothing....

"Duo...?" his voice whispered out in a croak.

"Yes Heero?" came the reply. He felt the warm, damp breath on his forehead and he realized that Duo had lain down next to him and had him locked in a tight embrace.

"Can I...can I stay here tonight?" he asked, his throat constricted with tears and pain. "I'm afraid...afraid to go...go back...."

He felt Duo's arms tighten a little around him.

"Of course you can, Heero.... Of course...." he murmured back, grabbing the blankets and pulling them over both of their bodies, stroking his hair to placate the terrified, shaking boy. "I do not want you to hurt ever again...."

>> End Part Three