Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ El Lupe en Tora ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

El Lupe en Tora

Chapter 2: The Raid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the longest that they had ever been cooped up in one place together, all by themselves, and Duo could not yet label it as bad or good. It was nice being with Heero, but it was also very nerve wracking, the boy he was in love with being next door to him. They shared the same bathroom, ate meals together, watched TV together. If Duo squinted hard enough, he could make himself believe that there was no war going on outside their little house, they were just two best friends hanging out together. Of course, for that to work, he would have to ignore the reason why they were in this house to begin with: OZ. Their last mission had been a success, but they had almost gotten caught and that near capture had fueled OZ's blood and they were looking for them frantically now, practically foaming at the mouth. Duo wondered how long they were going to be here for, weeks, months? He wanted to get back into the action, but it was also kind of nice to just relax, especially after all of the missions he had taken lately. It had been a constant barrage, one after the other, and it had worn at him. But now, after five days of relaxing and just enjoying life, he was all better, he just wished he had something to do so he could keep himself from staring at Heero's butt. It was a nice butt, hence the staring, but the last thing he wanted was for Heero to know that he had been looking. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were soldiers and weren't supposed to create attachments like love; and he was sure by now that it wasn't just lust and friendship, he knew that Quatre and Trowa were together, it was the fact that he had a hard time reading Heero. One minute he was going out of his way for that Relena girl, then the next he was cursing her name to anyone that would listen. Love was a complex emotion, perhaps that was just Heero's way of dealing with his feelings for her, or, Duo kept his fingers crossed, he really was annoyed with her.

As the days went on, Duo found himself watching his partner more and more closely. After three days of this, Duo started to pick up little things about Heero that were different. But, he had to wonder, was there something wrong with Heero or had he just never noticed those things before? For one, there was the smell. Heero had always smelled earthy, like moss or grass along with the slight smell of gunpowder, but now Duo smelled something else underneath it, something strong and deadly. Heero smelled like Trowa did after working at the circus with the animals. It was a feral, musky smell and Duo couldn't figure out if it had always been there or something was going on. That smell bothered him deep inside, but he couldn't figure out why. Then, there was Heero's appetite. Duo had always made sure that there was plenty of meat in the house since it was the one thing in the colonies that was hard to find, but here on earth it was everywhere and Duo never wanted to get used to that anymore than he could get used to the fact that earth was almost completely covered in water. The other weird thing was that Heero would lock himself in his room at night. Duo couldn't remember if Heero had always done that, but now it was pretty obvious. At first he thought that Heero was being paranoid or that he was avoiding him, but after last night, Duo began to worry. As the sun had start to set, Duo had begun to pace. He had to figure things out or he would go insane. Then there was the phone call the night before that that Heero somehow hadn't heard. Heero was the perfect soldier, how could he have not heard a telephone ring? Yet, if Heero had heard it, he didn't ask Duo about it and that, itself, was very out of character for him. So, Duo, never being a patient person, and especially never being able to simply let a problem go without resolving it, had stormed up to Heero's room. For whatever reason, Heero had not locked the door that night and what Duo had seen scared him still, right down to the bone.

Duo shuddered. There were hundreds of things that he had thought he would see when he had gone through that door, but his partner and secret love sitting on the floor with a needle in his arm that was filled with some unknown sinister liquid, was not one of them. In that moment, Duo had wanted to scream and rant at Heero about drugs. Fuck! He had lived through the horrors of the streets, he knew exactly what that shit did to people, and here he had found the person that he loved and looked up to doing it?! But, though the furious words and memories flashed through Duo's mind, he was frozen, he couldn't do anything. His memories swirled in his head, scenes of prostitutes doped up so badly they could barely stand, homeless men puking up their guts, little kids turned whores by pimps who had injected them with heroine just to make them slaves, the same pimps coming after Duo, but not being quite as fast as he had been, G injecting some terrible serum into his neck that made everything burn and made him scream…

Duo shuddered again. He had wanted to be mad at Heero, to hate him and cuss him out, but mostly he was just worried, and a little bit betrayed. Heero had told him they were vitamins, but Duo wasn't sure that he wanted to believe that, yet he had let it go, giving Heero the benefit of the doubt, even when he had desperately wanted to interrogate him further. He wanted to contact J and ask him is he knew that his protégée was doing drugs or if they really were vitamins. But, if J knew that Duo was suspicious of his perfect soldier, G might get involved and that was the last thing that Duo wanted. So, instead, here he was sulking in his room, thinking about the phone call, Heero, his hormones, and the drugs. He didn't know what to do. He supposed he could steal some of what Heero had been injecting himself with and test it. He had a kit just for that in his bag for when one of them got captured and they had to know what drugs had been administered, but that would mean going behind Heero's back and invading his privacy. He just couldn't do that…

There also was the matter of the phone call and his guilt. He had tried to avoid Heero after last night, because every time he saw him, he wanted to confess, but Heero seemed to be stalking him, because whenever he tried to get away, Heero would be right there. If he had been taking drugs, maybe he was worried that Duo would tell his controller? Duo debated about whether or not he should tell Heero that Relena had called for him and Duo had hung up on her, but in the end, he was just too selfish. What if Heero got mad for, not only not telling him she had called, but hanging up on her? He never wanted to be the source of Heero's animosity. Besides, Duo didn't want to deal with Relena, either. There was no one on the earth that made him feel like trash like Relena Darlian-Peacecraft. It was absurd! He was a Gundam Pilot where so many twice his age had failed G's stupid tests, he had survived the streets and the plague and even the bombing of Maxwell church and his time in jail after that. Yet, whenever she was around, he felt like once more like that little, lonely kid in school with hand me down clothes, being teased for being poor, unadoptable, and smelling like a sewer. His mind tallied all the things about her that were better than him. She was pretty, the epitome of the perfect girl; sweet, kind, blonde with blue eyes, she was rich and everyone loved her, Heero was always protecting her and seemed incapable of killing her, and, best of all, she was human. His mind tried to counter.

Solo said I was pretty.

Heero's tried to kill me a couple of times, yet here I am.

But these were the only things he could come up with. He realized that he still was that lonely little kid. He was a bit older and had a few more scars, but he didn't feel like he had changed at all. But, despite all these facts, he still wanted to be with Heero. But, his feelings had no place in a war. Quatre and Trowa had found each other, but that was different. Duo was a tool, G had made that perfect clear, and tools didn't deserve to fall in love.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

There was something wrong with Duo. Heero didn't need his sensitive senses to see that. He was acting so meek, so unlike Duo. Duo was strong, bold, and stubborn. Duo said that he may run and hide and never told a lie, and he was certainly running away now. That sort of behavior was making Heero feel edgy. He followed Duo around, hoping to find some clue as to why Duo was acting so strange, but he couldn't figure it out. Was it because of last night? He knew that Duo wouldn't be placated by his answer, and it had meant a lot to Heero that he hadn't pried like a lot of other people would have. Still, the last thing that he wanted was to lose Duo's respect. But, it wasn't like he could say: no, they aren't vitamins, but if I don't take them, I turn into a terrible beast at the full moon. Anyone else would laugh at him or call him crazy. Duo would think that he was being teased and would shut himself off even further. Why did this caring thing have to be so goddamn hard?

Dinner came and Duo's behavior hadn't changed. It hadn't even been twenty four hours since Duo had found out about the drugs and had started to act this way, but it was already driving Heero crazy. Duo was acting like he had to walk on eggshells around Heero and he hated that. Duo tenderly took Heero's plate from him and that one, tentative move broke Heero. He had had enough. Duo was doing the dishes without being asked, something that he would always jokingly complain about. Heero knew that Duo would never shirk his duties and that he put on a `woe is me' front for laughs, but Duo didn't complain this time. Since it was just the two of them, it took Duo no time at all to finish the dishes and he left for the living room and sat down on the couch in front of the TV. Heero stalked him and stood in front of Duo, slamming his hands down on the coffee table. Duo jumped, so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed Heero following him.

“What the fuck is the matter with you?!” he demanded. Duo bit his lip.

“Don't be mad, ok?” Duo insisted. Heero just stared at him. Duo couldn't believe that he was actually going to admit to this, but he never should have hid it in the first place.

`Why would I be mad?' Heero thought, perplexed, he doubted that Duo could do anything that could get him mad. They had argued at times, but the fear in Duo's eyes was for something different, Heero could tell. Did he think that he was going to hit him? No matter how angry Heero was, he would never hit the long haired boy. `Is that look in his eyes purely fear or is it guilt as well? Is that why he's been avoiding me, because he's guilty of something?'

It was just like Duo to run and hide because of his own conscience.

“Relena called you. She wanted to see you,” Duo admitted. Heero had to struggle to keep from smirking. Only Duo could feel so guilty over something so little.

“I know how much you like her,” Duo said.

`Do I, do I really? I seems the most logical conclusion, but I can't presume to know anything about their relationship. It's none of my business if Heero is in love with her! But I wish it was…'

“But I- I hung up on her. I'm sorry,” Duo apologized. Heero swore internally. Oh, he was mad alright, he was mad that Relena had gotten their phone number. How the hell had she found them again? She was putting himself and, more importantly, Duo, in danger! Her continued existence was becoming more bothersome than her death. Not only had she found them and made a call using a public line, she had upset Duo. Heero wasn't an idiot, he knew that there was something about the girl that made him uncomfortable. Heero knew very little about Duo's past, but he did know that Duo was very self conscious and didn't come from a rich family, so that was probably one of the reasons why he didn't like being around her. Relena had a way of putting people down just by her mere presence.

“I know you hate her.”

Duo looked up at him in surprise.

“Yes,” Duo said, ashamed.

“I don't like her,” Heero assured him, “I tolerate her, there's a difference, but I can see how you could come to that conclusion. I'm not mad at you for hanging up on her. It was a smart thing to do. Hopefully, no one managed to trace her call. She's endangered this team too many times already.”

Duo seemed less troubled by Heero's confession and brightened.

`So, he doesn't like her, either! It doesn't mean that he likes me like that, or any guy at all, but it's something! And he's right, Relena claims that she loves him, but she continues to put Heero in danger! If she really loved him, she'd stay away. But… if I was in her position… would I be able to stay away from Heero?'

Duo thought about that. Would he be able to trade his happiness for Heero's safety?

`Yes. In comparison to Heero's safety, my feelings are irrelevant. But, I guess I'm a hypocrite, I mean, I'm putting him in danger just by being here!'

Heero watched as the tension that Duo had been displaying started to disappear and he sighed in relief. At least that was over. He never would have guessed that it was because of Relena instead of the drugs.

`He's such a baka,' Heero thought in amusement.

`But he's my baka,' the animal growled protectively, `he's mine, my mate, and if anyone ever hurts him, I'll tear their throats out!'

 

 

 

*****

 

The full moon had ended last night and now it had started to wane by mere inches. Still, Duo looked up at it in trepidation. He sighed and slipped into bed. It would be fine. The full moon was gone and the pain wouldn't be back until the next one. Still, the nights were dangerous, but he had at least some self control.

`Behave, behave, behave…' he begged the beast silently as he fell asleep.

 

*****

 

Heero waited until for Duo to fall asleep. It was his sense of smell that was the most powerful. Odin had told him that when it came to smell and stamina, wolves were the best of the shape shifters, but compared to cats, they weren't quite as good with sight, hearing, and speed, but compared to humans… well there was very little to compare there. A cat would be able to hear Duo's heartbeat from where Heero stood on the other side of the door, but Heero could only hear his breathing and used that to judge when the boy had fallen asleep. When he was sure that Duo was long gone, he finally could partake in his favorite night time activity: Duo watching.

There are many sides to people and one of them is the side they show in sleep. This was true of Duo, Heero thought, the boy was so hard and stubborn when he was awake, but when he was asleep and relaxed, Heero could look at him without fear and if he looked closely, he could see the child that Duo had been. Heero was sure that the others knew what he did at night, but as long as Duo never found out, he didn't care. This was the only time of day that he could really watch the one he loved; there was that word again, yet he couldn't exactly bring himself to call it simply lust, without fear of being caught. One of these days, he thought, he would have the courage to not just look, but run a hand through Duo's hair and see if it was as soft as it looked. Suddenly, Heero heard someone knocking on the door and Duo jerked in his sleep. Heero growled. Thankfully, Duo didn't seem to wake up fully.

Someone was in their territory. Someone needed to die. Heero prided himself on his sense of smell, so he should have recognized the person's scent as he raced down the steps. He didn't want the person's knocking to wake Duo up. The thought was absurd, someone had found them and needed to be neutralized and he was worrying about disrupting Duo's sleep. Still, as he reached the door, he was too consumed in his anger to recognize the scent. By the time it came to him, he had already opened the door and been assaulted, not only by the person's pink clad form, but the perfume the girl was wearing, far too thick for Heero's senses and struggled not to sneeze.

“Heero!” Relena cried happily, wrapping herself around him. He wanted to tell her to shut up, didn't she know that Duo was sleeping?!

“Relena…,” he growled. She just smiled, not realizing how close he was to whipping out his gun and shooting her between the eyes. He should, really. J had ordered him not to hurt her, but giving the circumstances, he was sure that his controller would forgive him.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?!” he snarled, realizing that it was the only thing he get out that didn't sound like an animal snarling at a threat.

“Oh, I know it's rather late, but I really wanted to see you. It took me so long to find you again and when I did… oh, I missed you so much! Then that Duo person hung up on me! I was worried that something had happened to you! I must lecture him on proper telephone manners!” she said, obviously upset as she realized that Duo had hung up on her and Heero had been here all along.

“Relena, leave,” Heero commanded, but she only hugged him tighter. He wondered if she was being deliberately ignorant.

 

*****

 

Duo awoke suddenly, but he couldn't figure out why. He had been dreaming, about what he couldn't remember, but Heero had definitely been in it and it had been pleasant. Something was wrong, really, really wrong. Then, he heard it; a deep humming noise, almost like a low vibration, but it was coming from outside… he quickly pulled on some clothes and ran to the window, opening it and peaked his head out. As his eyes focused and he looked out into the pitch blackness, his pupils narrowed into slits and he swore.

 

*****

 

Heero was about to bodily throw Relena out of the house when Duo came running down the stairs, his and Heero's bags slung over his shoulders.

“Heero!” Duo yelled, frantic, shoving Heero's bag at him. Relena was surprised by Duo's entrance and backed away from Heero.

“OZ has found us!” Duo explained. Heero swore. If Duo knew about it, then that meant that a mobile suit had tripped the perimeter and was only a few minutes away from descending on them. If Duo hadn't noticed it, it would have been too late to escape.

Duo noticed Relena.

“You!” Duo snarled. Relena backed away in fear at the fury in his violet eyes. Heero glared at her. That… bitch… had brought them here! Now thanks to her, Duo was in danger! Hell, if it weren't for Duo, they would have been captured. Heero made a grab for Relena. That was it, the bitch was going to die! No one put his pack in danger, no one!

Heero stopped as Duo put an hand on his arm.

“Heero, there's no time!” Duo snapped. “We have to go or we'll never get the shuttle off the ground.”

Heero backed off, wanting to smack himself. Of course, their Gundams were with Quatre, they were only going to get out of here by the shuttle they had gotten here on and that took several minutes to get into the air. They weren't going to make it! Heero grabbed Duo's arm and started to drag him out of the house, but Relena grabbed onto him.

“Heero, tell me what's going on!”

“Bitch!” he snapped and pushed her. She fell down and looked up at him, sobbing hysterically.

“Heero…” she said mournfully.

“You led them here!” he snarled, “you could have killed us!”

`You could have killed Duo!'

He raised his hand to hit her, but Duo stopped him again.

“Heero, she's not worth it.”

Heero nodded, his fury subdued by the soft, yet firm touch on his arm. Instead, he reached down and pinched the back of her neck, causing her to faint in a limp heap.

“Heero, we can't leave her!” Duo said, realizing what Heero was planning.

“Sure we can,” Heero muttered, in awe of Duo's kindness towards a girl that he hated, “we don't have time, Duo and OZ wouldn't dare kill her.”

Duo bit his lip, but let Heero drag him out of the house, his desire to protect those that were weaker than himself stung at him, but Relena's actions and the sound of mobile suits in his sensitive ears made it a bit easier to leave her there.

 

 

End of chapter 2

 

By now it should be obvious what Duo is (see second part of title) and before people start e-mailing me saying that Duo being a fellow shape shifter doesn't make sense because he seemed shocked at Heero's shot and if he was a shape shifter, he would need that serum to not transform as well, don't worry, it does make sense, just wait for me to explain it.