Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 30 Days of Drabble ❯ Day 18: Marred ( Chapter 18 )

A/N: I think I've discovered that I like to pick on Duo since I keep writing things where he starts off critically injured or sad and depressed. [Rules for this challenge are in chapter one.]

Day: 18
Date: February 27, 2010
Prompt: supplicate /SUP-luh-kayt/, intransitive verb; 1.To make a humble and earnest petition; to pray humbly. transitive verb: 1.To seek or ask for humbly and earnestly. 2.To make a humble petition to; to beseech.
Fandom: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
Characters: Duo & Quatre
Disclaimer: Bandai, Sotsu and Sunrise own Gundam Wing. I just use the characters for my own amusement and with any luck at all, your amusement as well.

Warnings: some language, potential character death (depending on how you interpret the ending)

Marred

"Duo, please, just stay here, stay quiet and stay out of sight until we come back for you. Please?"

Duo bristled at the words. If it were anyone else, anyone else at all, who had beseeched his cooperation, Duo would have told them where they could shove that little suggestion and that, regardless of his current condition, he was damned well capable of extracting his own sorry ass from his present situation. But no, it had to be the golden boy. Quatre had this way of asking things that made it hard to argue against him. In this case, Duo was pretty sure that it had something to do with the fact that Quatre didn't display outright pity, just concern over their chances, as a complete group, to extricate themselves from a mission gone sour.

Duo allowed his head to fall back onto the tree trunk holding him upright, immediately regretting the action as it jarred his nervous system back to full alert mode and caused a jolt of pain that ran from his neck all the way down to the tips of his toes. He held in a curse, squeezing his eyes shut and willing the pain to pass quickly. As it eased to a bearable state, he opened his eyes and caught the blonde's gaze with his own. It wasn't as if he didn't believe the soft-hearted kid's words, but he knew that intentions and reality often didn't line up that neatly. No one was going to come back for him and even if they did, there wouldn't be anyone left to rescue; the amount of blood he was losing was seeing to that, but hell, at least they could save themselves. "Sure, Quat. Whatever you say."

Quatre gave him a "look." It was one of those expressions that said that he knew what Duo was thinking and that he was displeased with those thoughts. "I'm serious. Just give us a couple of hours."

"Not a peep, Quat. I promise." As the adrenaline wore off and the blood loss took its toll, Duo could feel his energy plummet. When his eyes drooped again he didn't fight it.

"And you won't go off on your own?"

One side of his mouth quirked at that. "Do I look mobile to you?"

"No." The kid hesitated a moment before continuing. "You'll be alright?"

Duo still hadn't reopened his eyes. "I always am. Now, git before Heero decides you're a liability and leaves you behind, too."

"We aren't leaving you behind!"

That was somewhat more resentful than Duo was expecting and if he didn't know better, he would have guessed that it was accompanied by a stamping foot. He licked his lips, cringing at what he was about to do, but it was for the best. "I know," he lied. "Now, go on. I'll be here when you get back."

"Duo?"

"Just go." He heard the sound of footsteps beating away in an almost frantic pace. "Save yourself," he whispered to the retreating figure, only now, cracking an eyelid. "'Cause there's nothing that can save me now." He supposed that at the end he would be allowed one tiny lie. If he wasn't, one more mar on his soul was worth the price if it would save his friends. It had to be. It just did.

His eyes fluttered shut once more. He was too tired to think, too tired to worry anymore.

- END -

A/N (additional): Gah! Don't murder me! Duo's not dead yet! He might live until Quatre and the others get back to rescue him. You know Quatre wouldn't give up especially after promising Duo he'd be back. It's a possibility, right? Would anyone like a puppy to hug right about now? [The puppy offer is a tribute to my lone reviewer (on FF.net), snowdragon.]