Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Death Becomes Him ❯ That Maxwell Charm ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

SUNDAY:


Duo: Oh, so *this* is your little plan...
Shi-chan: I felt like writing...
Duo: Two chapters of this one in one night? Sheesh...

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Death Becomes Him
~By Shimegami-chan
Part 6
Preview: Trowa drags Quatre out for a psychiatric checkup, and Duo's problems collapse in on him. But when Quatre explodes, it's up to Duo to take charge--literally.




This was a truly disturbing scene for Trowa to absorb. Quatre and 'Duo,' had suddenly stopped and began having an emotional conversation that left Quatre shaking and almost in tears. He seemed to be reassuring himself that everything was okay, he stared intently at nothing. Finally he was quietly weeping, sitting in the grass.

Trowa was thrown for a loop. Quatre had been more affected than he had imagined, but he dared not disturb the little Arab from his reverie. Quatre looked as though his might shatter at any moment.

The unibanged pilot stood a few feet away for what seemed like forever, until Quatre gathered his wits and got to his feet. He extended a hand to 'Duo' and presumably assisted him in getting up, then he turned to Trowa. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize." Trowa led Quatre out of the park and down the empty streets.

"I guess now you really think I've flipped." Quatre gave him a smile that sent chills up Trowa's spine.

"I don't want to see you like this anymore, that's all. Come on, it's almost time for your appointment."

Quatre heaved a sigh. "You don't mind if I talk to..." Trowa thought he saw Quatre wince when he said the name. "...Duo...do you?"

"If you think it will help." Trowa said stoically. Quatre looked glad. He started whispering something quietly to his invisible compainion, and Trowa heard a giggle slip out.

//I don't like this,// Trowa thought. //I don't like this at all.//




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Duo was a little surprised with himself for spilling all his problems on Quatre, but it felt good to get it all out. However, he didn't like the idea of his getting Quatre clapped up in the local mental hospital if it was avoidable. But Duo wasn't quite sure what they were going to do about that yet.

The little blond looked a lot happier now that Duo was smiling and laughing again and for the first time in the last few days Duo actually *felt* like laughing and smiling.

They arrived at the small clinic and Trowa went to talk to the secretary while Duo and Quatre sat in the waiting room.

"Now what?" asked Quatre.

"I think Trowa should come in with us. Maybe once you tell him...he'll understand..."

"*Should* I tell the doctor anything?" Quatre looked worried.

"Sure, go ahead. I just don't want Heero to find out about any of this, no telling what he'll do. Tell the shrink anything you like. Trowa, too." Duo fliched visibly at the word 'shrink.'

"If you think so..." Quatre shrugged.

Trowa walked up to them. "Quatre, he's ready."

The Arabian pilot got to his feet and took Trowa by the wrist. "I'm not going in there without you."

"That's probably against regulations, Quatre."

"I don't care. You're coming."

Trowa let out a worried sigh and let Quatre drag him into the office, Duo following close behind.


The three boys sat down and the doctor introduced himself as Dr. Naya. "So, which one of you are we going to be talking with?"

Quatre raised a sheepish hand. "Me, sir."

Naya settled himself in his chair. "What's bothering you?"

Duo sat back as Quatre began to explain the events of late. "Sir, I had a friend who I was very close to. His name was Duo, and several weeks ago he died of cancer."

"I see." Naya wrote some of the details down on a pad of paper.

"Another friend of mine--his name is Heero--was involved in a serious romantic relationship with Duo. A few days ago he tried to commit suicide by throwing himself off a cliff. He was saved by Duo--his spirit, or his essence, or something, but Duo came back when he felt Heero in danger. He brought Heero back to the house and they were both nearly freezing.

"We talked--I realized that I seemed to be the only one who could see Duo standing there, who could hear him talking to me." Duo noticed that Quatre had left out the part about Heero trying to seduce Duo while he was in Quatre's body. "He's been staying in the house since then, and neither of us can figure out why he's still here."

Quatre looked Duo pointedly in the eyes. "He's having a lot of problems with the whole situation. And you think I'm nuts."

"Not at all." Naya shook his head. "This isn't such a rare occurance. It's natural for you to be missing him, and it might seem to you that he's with you in spirit like he was before he was sick. Don't you think so?"

Quatre turned his ice-blue gaze on the doctor. "It sounds insane. But he's really here."

Trowa spoke up. "Quatre, we're just worried. He's trying to help."

Duo didn't like the look in Quatre's eyes at all. "You needn't worry about me."

Naya sighed. "Quatre, have you had any previous mental health problems?"

"No." Quatre growled, steel in his voice.

Naya looked at Trowa, who sighed.

"Quatre, I'm very sorry, but I think this may be slightly out of my league. I'd like to reschedule you for a full psychiatric assessment--"

"NO!" Quatre screamed in rage.

Trowa jumped to his feet. "Quatre!"

Quatre's soft blue eyes were streaming tears of helplessness. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! HOW CAN I MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND?!?!"

"Quatre!" Duo rushed to Quatre side and held him by his shoulders. "Quatre! Don't freak out!"

"I can't, Duo! I promised!"

"Promised what?" Duo looked into the frenzied pools of blue.

"I promised you it would be okay! I promised Heero it would be okay! I promised myself that I wouldn't let my friends down anymore!"

Duo grimaced. "Relax! I'm perfectly okay. I'm worried about *you.*"

Trowa seemed unsure of what to do. "Quatre...I'm sorry..."

"DON'T BE!!!" Quatre shrieked.

This was not going well. It was Duo's turn to have it out with Trowa now.

With a silent apology, he slipped once again into Quatre's body.



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Trowa didn't know what to do next. Quatre was sobbing and yelling at him and the doctor, his fists clenched in rage, his eyes red-rimmed and panicked.

Then suddenly he stopped.

The scene froze for a few seconds. Quatre's arms hung limply at his sides, his head bowed. Then he straighted. "Sorry 'bout that."

Naya looked up from behind his clipboard. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Quatre said nonchalantly.

Trowa, still uneasy, folded his arms. "What just happened?"

"Did he just get reassessed or what? Damn. What were you about to say, Doctor?" Quatre bit his lip and swung his arms up behind his head in a very un-Quatre-like way.

Naya blinked. "Uh...I was reccommending that you have a full assessment done. I'll schedule it as soon as possible, we can get you the best help."

"No." Quatre said simply.

"No?" Naya looked stressed.

"He's not insane." Quatre put his hands on his hips.

"Who?" asked Trowa carefully.

"Quatre." The blond boy seemed to steel himself for Trowa's response.

Naya's voice adopted a childlike tone. "Quatre...please...who are you then?"

Quatre looked into Trowa's emerald eyes and fingered a gold cross necklace that Trowa hadn't noticed he was wearing. "I think you already know."

Trowa stared into the ice-blue gaze--was it his imaginiation, or did the deep eyes seem to flicker a more violet color? "Quatre..."

"Sheesh...you don't get it, do you?" The little Arab flopped into the chair behind him. "I'm not Quatre. I'm Duo."

There was something deep within Trowa that suspected the other pilot might be telling the truth, but his sense of logic took over.

"Everything Q-man said was the truth. That's why he flipped out. I don't know why I'm here, how I got here, what I'm supposed to be doing. It's heaping tons of stress on us both."

Trowa couldn't beleive this. Quatre had adopted Duo's dialect, his mannarisms, his attitude. It was like it really was Duo in the that small frame, with platinum blond hair and that sweet face. Duo sitting there, wearing the gold cross he always had around his neck, smiling the Maxwell smile that made women and Heero Yuy melt, flicking his long brown braid over his shoulder.

It was that telltale gesture that threw Trowa off. Quatre reached up to brush his hair back, but his hand encountered nothing. Confusion flickered for just a second across his face before he regained himself. "Aren't you gonna say anything?"

"Quatre...or Duo, or whoever you are...I know how much you want me to beleive you. But it's hard to swallow. It's impossible. And with your breakdown in Wing Zero last year, it makes it really hard for us to take in what you're trying to say."

Those violet eyes--no! They were blue!--burned into Trowa's soul like nothing he'd ever felt before. There was a hurt, betrayed look on Quatre/Duo's porcelain face. //I can't. I can't beleive you.//

Duo sighed. "I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way. Sorry, Trowa." He got to his feet and walked toward the unibanged pilot. Trowa did not move.

The blonde boy took Trowa by the shoulders and stared him in the face.

Then, everything went black.





//Trowa.//

Trowa snapped back into alertness. Quatre's blue eyes closed and Trowa felt his body dive to catch the smaller pilot, but something was terribly wrong. He couldn't move his arms. He couldn't move his legs. All he could do was watch as someone else controlled his movements, as that someone picked up the semiconscious Quatre and seated him in the chair.

//Trowa.//

/Who's that?/

//It's me, Trowa. Duo.//

/That's impossible./

//Isn't that why you didn't beleive Quatre?//

/Where are we?/

//Inside your head.//

/You're controlling me, aren't you./ It wasn't a question.

//Yes. I think I have your complete and total attention now, don't I?//

/So you do./

//Shall I leave?//

/Where will you go?/

//Quatre. We needed to make sure that you didn't get him sent to the psycho ward. You *do* beleive me now right?//

/Have I any choice?/

Quatre stirred and sat up. Trowa/Duo was sitting in the chair beside him, staring at the wall. "Trowa?"

Aloud, Duo said "No, it's me." His hand came up to the gold cross at his neck.

/I think I understand./

//Do you?//

Suddenly Trowa was in control once more. He slumped into his chair a bit before he realized it. "What?"

When he opened his eyes again Quatre was saying something to him worriedly. Duo was kneeling beside him too, looking concerned.

Duo.

Trowa started. "Duo?!?"

The chestnut-haired boy looked up. "What?"

Trowa bent over and leveled his face with the other pilot's.

Duo skittered back. "What the hell!?"

Quatre looked ecstatic. "Trowa! You can see him too!?"

"I beleive so, unless I'm hallucinating." The familiar form of Duo Maxwell was half sprawled over a chair he had just encountered behind him. Duo jumped to his feet and adjusted the black baseball cap on his head.

"Thank Allah..." Quatre sighed.

Dr. Naya cleared his throat. "Excuse me, what just happened?"

All three pilots glared at him. Duo began to drag Trowa and Quatre out the door, Trowa marveling at the sight before him. Duo's callused hands around his wrist seemed as solid and real as his own.

Quatre offered the doctor a sheepish smile. "I'm terribly sorry, we won't be needing your services anymore. Please charge the bill to Winner Enterprises. Thanks!"

Duo gleefully pulled Trowa out of the office, leaving the poor confused doctor staring after them. "I think I need a vacation."






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Heero: zzzzz....
Duo: No fair, he gets to sleep while I've gotta be in the fic...
Shi-chan: Aiya...
Quatre: That crying part!!! Ack!
Shi-chan: o.O;; Hai...but it kind of lost its effect cause it wasn't a cliffhanger this time...
Quatre: I hate cliffhangers!
Shi-chan: Oivey...till next tomorrow...