Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ [temp title] Beyond the Bounds of Earth ❯ Part Five ( Chapter 5 )

>> Begin Part Five

That morning Heero awoke to find himself entangled in Duo's limbs.

He sighed contently and moved his head back and forth slightly so that his cheek rubbed against Duo's soft braid.

He was beautiful when he slept; there was no doubt about that.

But that was merely an observation of a truth, nothing more than that!

Slowly Duo also awoke, pleased to find his sleeping arrangements as such. He smiled at Heero though sleepy, half-opened eyes.

"G'morning," Heero greeted with his own smile.

"Good morning," he mumbled.

"You still use perfect English, huh?"

Duo nodded slightly.

They had breakfast together and with Heero's approval, Duo drove him home.

"I...I enjoyed it," Heero spoke softly, looking at the house with a feeling for dread.

Duo nodded. "Me too. You can come back whenever you want."

Heero didn't give any sign that he had heard what Duo said; he couldn't tear his eyes away from the ominous building that was once his home.

He opened the door and stepped boldly out of the car.

"Duo?" he asked, turning to look at him.

Duo continued to stare up at him. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

Duo smiled. "Of course."

With that, Heero crossed the gap between Duo and the door. He hesitated and Duo watched, but he turned the doorknob and walked through the threshold.

Duo released a breath he didn't realize he was even holding before shaking his head and pulling out of the driveway.

"You are falling for him, Duo.... You are falling...."

>>

Heero was surprised to find his mother wrap her arms around him and smoother him in words of thanks to God.

He wasn't even sure how he should react.

So he just stood there.

When she realized his discomfort, she backed away and looked up at him.

"I'm so glad that you are back. I thought that you had been taken."

"No," Heero replied coldly, "I had escaped."

"I called the police. It would have been okay."

"No, mother, it wasn't okay," Heero replied angrily. "Where is he?"

"He's coming back Wednesday."

"Then I'm not coming home Wednesday."

His mother was appalled by this declaration.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to be here until you divorce that jerk."

"Don't talk about your father like that!"

"My father?" Heero snorted. "He's not my father. Not the one I loved."

"Heero!"

"He hits me and he rapes you. What kind of man is that?" Heero asked, tears deep in his eyes. "He's not my father."

"It's not his fault."

"It's not his fault? It's not his fault?! Then whose fault is it? It's not mine, is it? Is it yours, mother? Whose fault is it if it's not his? He should be able to control himself at all times. You taught me that. *He* taught me that. How can you teach a person something you don't believe or follow yourself?" Heero asked, leaving his mother speechless. "You make me sick."

With those words, Heero disappeared into his bedroom, locking the door behind him.

>>

Monday wasn't fun.

Somehow someone found out about the police taking his father away and it was brutal torture. Nothing he said, no threat he made, and nothing he did would shut them up.

He had a slight escape at lunch because Hilde would glare at anyone who walked up and no one messed with Hilde. It was rumored she carried a knife under her trench coat and that she went to juvenile detention for killing someone.

They all became quite attached to Heero and wanted to help him and felt sorry for him seeing as he obviously had no idea what to do in the situation.

He let his head rest on the table so no one could see him shed a few tears. The last thing he needed was for people, to harass him for crying.

He felt Duo's hand on his back, massaging it.

He needed to talk to Duo....

But he couldn't do it here. No....

>>

Tuesday was just a day closer to Wednesday. People cooled down on the dysfunctional family jokes, but Heero was still upset.

He survived the day, however Duo was taken out of calculus early and this upset Heero. Usually they walked through the parking lot together, but Duo was away until the end of class. What did they need him for?

Heero thus began searching for him around the school. He didn't like his schedule to be interrupted, especially where Duo was concerned.

Duo's car was still there, so Heero continued his search.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey pretty boy," Wufei growled and heard a body hit the stonewall of the building and give a small cry.

"Stop it!"

"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...."

"Hey little fag. You know what we do to fags?"

Heero let his eyes drift over the corner and he froze.

Wufei was pushing Duo repeatedly into the wall while threatening to kill him because he 'liked cock'.

Heero realized a number of things all of a sudden. Wufei was probably gay. Wufei was probably unwilling to admit it. He probably picked Duo to beat up because not only was Duo gay, but Wufei was confident that he could wing.

He chose Duo because he was confident he could win.

"Stop it, Wufei," Heero threatened, making his presence known.

Wufei sneered. "He's probably sucking *your* cock," he spat, shoving Duo hard into the stone, his face already scratched up and bloody from the harassment.

"Please, not again! Please don't hurt me...again.... Please...."

"I said stop!" Heero screamed, punching Wufei across the face.

He would not let Wufei treat Duo like his father treated his mother.

"You only choose him because you can win! Don't ever touch him again you fucking bastard!" Heero screeched, bringing his fist down into Wufei's stomach.

"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.

The copper taste in his mouth...his nose and lips were now bleeding.

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

'Not again! Oh God, Lord, please, don't let him hit me again!'

"He just choose me because he could win...." Heero whispered and let his right hand fall limp at his side. Wufei was cringing and trying to crawl into the wall.

'Not again! Oh God, Lord, please, don't let him hit me again!'

Heero couldn't beat him up, so instead he threw him to the ground.

He was disgusted with himself.

How could he let himself turn into his father?

'Not again!'

He lifted Duo into his arms, brushing his bangs away from his abused face with his nose.

Duo's eyes shown with tears and gratitude.

Slowly Heero walked him back to his car and held him in his lap in the passenger seat, pulling out some Kleenex to wipe off Duo's bloody face.

"I'm sorry," Heero murmured, petting his bangs slowly.

"For what?" Duo inquired.

"For loosing control.... For the fact that you had to endure Wufei's shit...."

"No Heero, you did well. By letting him go you showed him that you could defeat him, but he was not worth your time. You see? It is more affective that way."

"But I turned into my father...."

Duo looked up at him with eyes of sympathy and slowly stroked his cheek with one long, nimble hand.

"Yes, but do you not understand? You learned from this and now you are a stronger person because of that."

"I guess...."

"Never guess Heero, just know."

Heero let his arms fall away from Duo's body as he climbed out of the car.

"I will see you tomorrow."

"Wait!"

Duo looked at him with curiosity. "Yes?"

"What were you called to guidance for?"

Duo winced slightly, but he knew he couldn't lie.

"They wanted me to tell them if you were doing okay and such...." Duo spoke softly.

"And?" Heero asked nervously.

"I did not tell them a thing."

Heero smiled at the other boy. "Thank you."

Duo nodded. "Of course."

>>

Slowly Wednesday dwindled down to the dreaded evening.

Heero admitted his longing just to go home with Duo, however Duo knew the importance for Heero to stand up to his fears and though he would have enjoyed Heero's company, he urged Heero to face his demons. With Duo's encouraging words, Heero decided to stop thinking of escape and start building courage.

He had to face his father.

Heero was nervous as he walked through the door. He couldn't smell and drugs, which was a good sign, however he was still cautious.

"Hello, Heero," came the strong, deep voice of his father, drifting from the living room.

"Heero."

Such twisted emotions.... He craved nothing more than the attention of his father, but now there was such fear....

The entire house smelled of beer....

Just get to my room, lock the door....

"I'm home," Heero called back, rather evenly for his shaken state.

He then continued to walk upstairs as if it were any normal day.

But it wasn't a normal day.

The tension was obvious.

And it only built at dinner.

Very few words were exchanged. His mother tried hard to get a conversation going, but both Heero and his father worked against her.

He then once more retreated to his room and absorbed himself into his computer.

However that didn't help much.

He found himself writing a love letter. To Duo.

He was truly losing his mind....

>>

"Duo, um...I was wondering if maybe I could go to your house after school so you could help me with the math homework. I'm somewhat confused about it."

"Of course, Heero," Duo replied, smiling.

Heero knew it was a lame excuse. A lame pathetic excuse. But Heero was beyond caring. This was beyond his fear. This was beyond his dysfunctional family.

He just wanted to be close to Duo.

Hilde watched this all very carefully.

>>

"Hey Heero!" the familiar voice called between classes and Heero turned around to see Hilde chasing him down the hall.

"Yeah?" he asked, questions in his eyes.

"Hey Heero, I know you got all defensive and shit when I first asked, but I was also just joking around, too."

"What are you talking about?" Heero asked wearily, not in the mood to play one of her little games. She had a thousand of them.

"You like Duo, dontcha?"

Heero sighed.

"Yes, Hilde, he is my friend."

"No, Heero! Not like that. You *like* Duo, dontcha?"

Heero stopped and rubbed his forehead with one of his hands, not knowing whether to lie or to cry or what to do, really.

"What in the hell do you think this is?" he growled, reaching into his book bag and pulling out three sheets of paper and shoving them into her face. "It's bad enough that I wrote that shit, but I printed it out, too!"

Hilde's eyes grew about the size of teacups as she read over the three sheets of paper that ended abruptly.

"I didn't know that you dug him *that* much...." Hilde spoke, blown away by the amount of affection that he had poured into the paper. "I was thinking like a little crush or something...."

Heero snatched the papers back angrily.

"Me and you both."

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"First of all, I am *not* going to tell him. You are *not* going to tell him. He *isn't* going to find out. Understand?"

Hilde nodded. "Understood. I mean, I can tell he kinda likes ya, but I'm not sure if he likes you *that* much and it might kinda creep him out, ya know?"

"Fuck, Hilde, it creeps *me* out...."

"Heero...."

"Yeah?" he asked, still on the verge of a mental break down.

"You...you do know that I like him too, right?"

Heero paused before shaking his head in confusion. "What?"

"I...I love him, Heero.... I just know that he'll never love me back.... I only want the best for him, so I hope.... I hope that you can be what I never had a chance to be...."

"Oh Lord, Hilde...." Heero whispered as the first bell rung.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve before turning and giving him a huge, false smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Heero!" she spoke happily before skipping off.

Heero was left in confusion.

What in the hell was he going to do now?

>>

Heero walked into the class as the late bell rung.

"You are late," Duo observed. "Where were you?"

"Talking to Hilde," he whispered back.

"I had no idea you two were such good friends."

"We might not be anymore."

Duo looked at him in confusion. "What did you talk about?"

Heero sighed. "You might know sooner than I'd like."

>>

"Heero, you seem to understand these problems perfectly," Duo pointed out as they finished up their study session.

"I wasn't sure...." Heero replied, looking down at the carpet nervously.

Slowly Duo reached over and brushed a few of Heero's bangs softly away from his forehead.

"You wanna go get some fast food?" Heero asked. "My treat for making you waste your time with me doing boring math."

"Sounds great!"

Heero smiled.

Another glorious thirty minutes with Duo....

>>

Another glorious thirty minutes with Duo at the magnificent Chickfila.

Every minute he spent with Duo was cherished.

They ate their chicken and laughed....

He was so happy around Duo. He was never so happy around any of his other friends. He was never so happy around Wufei. All he did was bitch around them. With Duo he could talk about anything and it was fun.

Fun.

He liked it. A lot.

"Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to protect you."

Duo looked at him in confusion.

"Protect me?"

"Yeah."

"From what?"

Heero paused. "From anything that will hurt you. You make me so happy and you've helped and protected me so much.... I just want to do the same for you...."

"You make me happy too, Heero," Duo replied, blushing slightly. "I enjoy your company very much, but you don't have to do anything more than what you are now."

"But--"

"No, Heero, change is good, but I do not want you to change drastically. I love the way you are. Stay that way. You are a good person."

Heero was quiet.

He didn't feel like he was a good person. He didn't feel like he did enough for Duo.

But Duo wouldn't like to him.

If Duo said he was a good person, Duo would know, wouldn't he?

"Are you sure?"

Duo nodded. "Positive."

Heero smiled. "Okay. As long as you're sure...."

>>

Heero dropped Duo off at his house too soon for his liking.

Upon his return home he could not find his mother or father and considered this a blessing.

He lie down on his bed and just saw Duo.

It got to the point where all he could think about was Duo.

How funny Duo was, how smart Duo was, just how Duo might react under his gentle hands and soft lips and teeth....

He was obsessed.

It frightened him a little, but at the same time, it felt so good....

The only way it could be better was if he could hold Duo in his arms.

But that was something he could never have, so he was content with his obsession.

>>

Friday...was.

Next week was finals so everyone was excited about Winter Break and Hilde, Cathy, Heero, and Duo decided to get into a study group for Saturday since they were taking mostly the same classes.

Both Hilde and Heero, however, were dreading it.

For the same reasons.

>> End Part Five