Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Happy Trails ❯ Chapter 11

Warnings and disclaimers on first part


Aware Heero’s eyes were on him, Trowa turned from the window, the view outside it making him uncomfortable and jumpy. Taking the offered bottle of beer, he gave his host a strained smile, “Don’t even think about asking. I’m fine, Heero.”

“That’s the same thing Duo said when he was here, staring out that same window. He looked like he was thinking about running back to the ranch, too.” Gesturing to the couch, Heero sat and waited for Trowa to do the same. “You’ve been here almost two weeks, Trowa. When are you going to explain why you’re here instead of where you really want to be?”

Lifting the beer to his lips, Trowa shrugged, unable to stop his eyes from going to the sky, saddened by the grey clouds that blanketed the city constantly, deeply missing the clear sky above Duo’s ranch. “You’re imagining things, Heero. Why would it bother me here? I’ve lived in cities for a long time.”

“We both know you lived where Quatre wanted you to live. If you wanted to be here, you wouldn’t stare out the window constantly.”

“I’m just getting used to it again. It feels like I was out of the city a lot longer than a week.” And it felt like he had been separated from Duo for a month, his heart aching to see the braided man again.

“What happened between you and Duo?”

Unable to control his reaction, Trowa jerked, hitting the rim of the beer bottle on his teeth. Wincing, he sat the bottle down on the floor by his feet since there was no table. “Nothing happened,” he mumbled, putting a hand to his mouth to see if he had broken a tooth.

“You didn’t try to get him wine and strawberries?”

Heero’s query had Trowa recalling the night before he had left, his leg jerking and knocking the bottle over. “Damn,” he growled as he grabbed the beer, hoping to keep most of it from spilling out. When Heero went to the kitchen to get a towel, Trowa hissed, telling himself to get his brain working. “Sorry I’ve been such a klutz lately. I don’t know why I can’t seem to do anything without knocking something over or dropping something.”

Crouched down to clean up the small spill, Heero glanced up at him. “You only do things like that when I mention Duo. I’m assuming you did get him some strawberries and wine.”

Feeling the need to move, Trowa stood quickly and walked around the room, eventually moving back to the window without realizing it, much as Duo had done when he had been trying to avoid a question. “I got them.”

“And?”

“And what, Heero? He didn’t want me to stay.”

“Did you tell him you’re in love with him?”

“He wouldn’t let me say it,” he muttered without thinking. Spinning to face Heero, he was going to apologize when he saw the smile on his friend’s face. “At least you think it’s funny.”

“I don’t think it’s funny. I was wondering how long it would take you to admit it. You didn’t last as long as I thought you would, to be honest.” Tossing the towel into a chair carelessly, Heero picked up his own beer. “If you had shown any interest in him before, I wouldn’t have had a chance. It seems fitting that after I messed up he has a real chance to be happy.”

“What do you mean? It was always you.” Trowa swallowed hard as he could hear Duo’s voice in his head, saying the same phrase while they had been intimately joined. Shaking his head, he frowned, “During the war the two of you were always together.”

“Together, but not together; I told you we only talked about becoming involved briefly, but we never even kissed. He was attracted to you for a long time, Trowa. It was only after Quatre made sure everyone knew you were off-limits that Duo paid attention to me in a way that had nothing to do with friends or teammates. There were times after that I could still see him look at you and I was jealous. I wanted him to look at me that way. What’s your excuse?”

Trowa surprised himself by telling the other man everything, including Duo’s reaction to learning about the family connection between Quatre and Cal and the last night they had spent, wrapped in each other. When he finished he angrily wiped away the tears on his face, wishing he knew what to do.

“Do you want my advice?”

“Why not?”

“Go back to him and tell him how you feel. Tell him how miserable you are here and tell him you’re staying with him. Don’t let him stop you from saying how you feel. I don’t think anyone’s ever told Duo they loved him, Trowa. It’s the most powerful weapon you have. Tell him, show him, and make him believe you.”

After a moment, Trowa nodded. “I’ll leave in the morning, if that’s okay.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but why wait? I would rather you leave tonight than spend another night tossing and turning because you’re unhappy.”

“I didn’t mean to keep you awake.”

“I’ve never needed a lot of sleep, Trowa. You didn’t keep me awake, I just heard you. Come on and I’ll help you pack.”

Trowa was almost finished packing when Heero’s phone rang. The prussian-eyed man went to answer it, coming back several minutes later, face pale. “You have a phone call. It’s Quatre.”

With a snort, the tall man shook his head, “Tell him we have nothing to discuss.”

“You need to talk to him. He says he needs to tell you something about Duo. I don’t know what,” Heero shook his head before Trowa could ask. “He wouldn’t tell me, but he said you would want to know.”

Baffled at what could cause Heero to look so worried, Trowa went to the phone. The first thing he noticed was the background behind Quatre. The blonde clearly wasn’t at his home or office, the blue sky behind him clear of smog or clouds. “Quatre, what did you need to tell me about Duo?”

“You should have never let him touch you. It was a very foolish thing for you to do, Trowa.”

Finally seeing trees in the background, Trowa’s heart rate tripled. “Where are you? We can talk about this. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“I won’t regret anything that I do or have done. As I see it, he brought this on himself.”

Trying to keep from panicking, the tall man clenched his hands into fists, “What have you done?”

“Nothing yet, but since Duo took something that belongs to me, it’s only fair that I take something from him that he holds dear.”

“I don’t belong to…” Heero shaking his head frantically had Trowa swallowing his next angry words. After taking a deep breath, he tried to sound reasonable. “Why don’t you and I meet somewhere and talk before you do anything?”

“It’s too late for that. Things have already been set in motion. It’s a shame, really. They looked like such a happy family. The big one was more of a problem than I anticipated, but we had enough tranquilizers to knock out a horse, if you’ll excuse the pun. The other two were surprisingly cooperative once the black one was down.”

Horrified when he realized what Quatre was talking about, Trowa put his hands on the table in front of the phone, his eyes pleading. “Please don’t hurt them, Quatre. You must know how Duo feels about them.”

“Of course I do. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have taken them.” The blonde paused before giving Trowa an intent look. “You never looked at me the way you did him. You never touched me the way you did him. Why didn’t you watch me that closely or wake me after I was asleep?”

Trowa had nothing to say that wouldn’t anger the blonde even further, so he shook his head, “You’re using the horses as bait.”

“I don’t know why he would care, but from what I’ve heard and seen, those three are what he cares the most about on that farm, after you left. Before that, you were what he paid the most attention to. I’m not happy you took someone else as a lover, Trowa, even if it was only for one night.”

“Meet me and we’ll talk about it,” he suggested softly, hoping to distract the other man and give Heero enough time to warn Duo. “If you tell me where you are, I’ll come to you.”

Light blue eyes studied him for a minute, “I’m on a tight schedule right now, Trowa. I’ll call you in the morning and tell you where to meet me. By then, Duo should be out of my hair for good. You will answer your phone, won’t you? I will not be pleased if you ignore my calls again.”

“I swear I’ll answer the phone anytime you call. Where are you now? I’ll come and …help you.”

“You know where I am, Trowa. It’s interesting, really. Duo seems so sad since you left. He’s taken long rides every day on that black…thing. It won’t be much longer before he realizes his horses are gone. I’ll call you later. Make sure you answer the phone.”

When the screen went blank, Trowa stumbled, falling to his knees. Forcing himself to think, he punched numbers on the phone, growling in frustration when Duo didn’t answer. “Son of a bitch; either he’s not in the house or he’s avoiding me.”

“What was Quatre talking about?”

“Duo’s horses, three of them, one just a few weeks old. Those horses mean a lot to Duo. When he finds out they were taken, he’ll go after them and walk right into Quatre’s trap. We’ve got to stop him and he won’t answer the damn phone.”

“Grab your gear. We’ll take my truck. It’s a lot faster than yours.”

Less than ten minutes later they were in Heero’s truck, the blue-eyed man behind the wheel with a grim expression. “Do you think Duo will listen if we suggest not going after the houses?”

“No. He’ll go after them even if it means he’ll die. To him, those horses are more than animals. They’re his friends and family, especially Scythe.”

They made the two hour drive in just over an hour with Heero not even discussing the possibility of being followed by the police. Trowa assumed he would let any cop foolish enough to try and catch them to follow and ask for help once they arrived at Duo’s.

Giving Heero directions, Trowa had him pull in front of the house, getting out of the truck the second it stopped. Rather than waste time knocking, he ran to the kitchen door and jerked it open, stopping in his tracks when he saw Duo standing at the table, calmly putting bullets in a clip. The look in the cobalt eyes was one of confusion at his appearance, determination lurking just underneath. “You can’t go after him, Duo. He wants to kill you.”

“I know that.” When Trowa reached for the smaller man, Duo backed away. “You can’t stop me.”

“Like hell I can’t,” Trowa hissed, wondering how to get the other man to listen to him. Seeing the resolve on the face of the man he loved, he sighed, “You won’t go alone, damn it.”

“Why not? They’re my horses.”

“I happen to be fond of Evie, you know. I was there when Shin was born. You aren’t doing this alone.”

Duo stared at him for a moment before turning away, “Why are you here, Trowa?”

“Because Quatre called my house and told Trowa what he planned to do. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen Trowa panic, Duo. We came as fast as we could to keep you from doing something stupid.”

The braided man spun to stare at Heero in bafflement for long seconds before looking at Trowa again, tears in his eyes. “I have to get them.”

“I know that, but you aren’t going alone.”

Trowa was stunned when the small man was suddenly in his arms, face buried in his chest as Duo spoke, voice thick. “I can’t let you go with me. I’m okay with getting hurt or killed, but I can’t let you get hurt, either of you.”

“Get over it. We’re coming with you,” stated Heero, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Do you have a plan?”

“Not really,” Duo admitted, hands gripping Trowa’s shirt with desperate strength. “I can’t just leave them there, guys. I promised Scythe I would take care of his family. I won’t break that promise.”

“You know where they are?”

Moving away from Trowa for a moment, Duo put the loaded pistol in the waistband of his pants, pulling his flannel shirt over it to conceal it from view. “Trowa, do you remember the old buildings I showed you while we were in the air? The ones on the land I want to buy?”

“The buildings that border your property,” nodded the tall man, his mind pulling up an image of the surrounding area. “Is there even a road that leads up there?”

“There’s a road, but your truck will fall to pieces before it gets up there. It’s an old road that hasn’t been used in a while. How the hell Quatre got the horses there in the first place I don’t know. Getting a horse trailer up there must have been damn near impossible.”

“I didn’t bring my truck. We brought Heero’s. Were you planning to use the jeep to get there?”

“No, but that’s the best option for you. I doubt Heero’s truck can make it up that road, unless it has four-wheel drive.”

“It doesn’t,” confirmed Heero, blue eyes narrowing. “How were you planning to get there, Duo?”

Trowa didn’t even have to ask, “Which horse are you taking?”

“Scythe’s the fastest, but after him is Wing.”

Angry at himself for not taking more time with the horses so he could ride, Trowa reached out to cup Duo’s face in his hands, looking down at the man he would give his life for. “I’ll take the damned jeep. Heero can ride with you.” When Duo opened his mouth, likely to argue, Trowa kissed him, pouring all the emotions he had into it, uncaring that Heero was watching. “I don’t want you to be alone. I can’t ride, but I’ll be damned if you go up there by yourself. Quatre could be planning to shoot you as soon as you show up. Heero’s presence will make him hesitate. He doesn’t know we’ve told Heero everything. Please do this, Duo, for me.”

“Damn it,” Duo hissed, clearly frustrated. “Fine, but you be careful, too. Quatre’s not going to be happy to see you there. If something happens, you get the hell out of there, understand?”

“Not without you.”

“Trowa…”

“I love you and I won’t leave without you and those horses. I’m rather fond of Evie and you.” It wasn’t how he had planned to tell Duo how he felt, but the brilliant smile proved it didn’t matter. “Heero, the saddles are in the tack room, to the left of the last stall. Can you saddle the white and red horses while I talk to Duo for a minute?”

“I can do that. I’m assuming the big building behind the house is the barn?” Trowa rolled his eyes at the question, remembering Heero hadn’t been there, though the answer should have been obvious. “Duo, so you know, he’s been depressed for two weeks. All he’s done is mope around my house and stare out the window. Every time I said your name he dropped things. He broke two of my glasses.”

“Thanks a lot, Heero,” Trowa growled, his face red.

“He needed to know and you wouldn’t have told him.” Heero was gone after the last parting shot, leaving Trowa to stare at the door as it shut.

“Is that true?” Duo’s soft question pulled his eyes back to the braided man, abruptly forgiving Heero for opening his mouth.

Putting his arms around the smaller man, he pulled Duo as close as they could get together. “It’s true. I hated it there. All I could think of was how much I wanted to be back here, with you.” Breathing deep, he closed his eyes as he put his nose in Duo’s hair. “I meant what I said, Duo. I love you. I did before I left here and being in the city didn’t change a damn thing.”

“You know we should talk about this later.”

“I know, but I need to know something first.”

Looking up, Duo smiled. “Yes, I love you, too. I told you, it’s always been you. It’s why I fought you so much. I knew Quatre would find a way to pull us apart and he almost succeeded, but only because I didn’t want to risk you.”

“Risk me how?”

Shaking his head, Duo leaned into the tall man, “It doesn’t matter now. I have to tell you that I’ve been terrified of what I felt, Trowa.”

“Don’t feel bad. I’ve been scared since I realized what I felt for you was stronger than anything I ever felt for Quatre.”

“Is that something you figured out after you left here?”

“That was something I figured out as soon as I saw you get out of that damn tow truck,” Trowa admitted ruefully. “I didn’t understand it at the time and it took me a while to figure it out, but I knew there was something. In days you changed my entire life, Duo. I don’t want to go back to the life I had before I came here. After this is all over, I’m staying here with you.”

“After this is over, you can stay if it’s what you still want.”

Trowa’s reply was drowned out by the fervent cursing from outside the kitchen door. Seconds later Heero ran in, looking behind him like something was after him. “Is it Quatre?” Duo asked, moving forward quickly, hand moving to the gun he had hidden.

“I think it’s a horse, but it’s the largest one I’ve ever seen. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it’s demonic…and pissed off.”

“Scythe!” Duo was out the door in a flash with Trowa two steps behind.

Sure enough, it was Scythe and as Heero had said, the horse was not happy. Duo walked into the center of the open area, eyes turning to watch the black horse that had stopped about a hundred feet away from the house, ears laid back against his head and teeth bared in a frightening way. When the animal pawed the ground then began to run straight for Duo, Heero started to rush past Trowa, clearly concerned. Instinct had Trowa reaching out to grab the other man. “If you get in Scythe’s way, he’ll kill you without stopping.”

“You’re going to let him run Duo down?”

“Watch, Heero. Scythe won’t hurt him. We’ve been through this before,” Trowa hissed, though he still held his breath as the horse finally skidded to a stop less than two inches in front of Duo.

“Are you sure there isn’t some dinosaur mixed with that thing? I swear I’ve never seen a horse that big. It looks scary as hell. How did Duo get him?”

“Duo didn’t get him. The best way to put it is that they found each other,” commented Trowa softly as Duo wrapped his arms around the horse’s neck, Scythe’s massive head towering over the small man. The tall man shook his head as Scythe abruptly closed his eyes for an instant, lowering his head to rub Duo’s back with his head in what appeared to be a strange hug.

“Like you and Duo found each other.”

Glancing at his friend in surprise, Trowa thought about it for a moment and nodded slowly. “Duo found Scythe when they needed each other and I found him when I was in need of something. You won’t let him go inside alone, will you, Heero? If I can get Quatre’s attention and distract him somehow, it’ll be easier to keep Duo safe. I can’t live without him.”

“How do you plan to distract Quatre? He’s likely aware that we’re here, Trowa.”

“But he doesn’t know why. If I can talk to him long enough, you and Duo can figure out a way to get the horses out.”

“Is there any point in making a plan?” Heero lifted his eyebrow while Duo checked Scythe over quickly. “Whatever we decide to do will go all to hell when Duo walks in. The look on his face says he’s ready to confront Quatre and be done with all of this.”

He hadn’t wanted to admit it, but the look of purpose on the braided man’s face said Heero was right. “Do what you can to keep him safe, Heero.”

“You don’t even have to ask.”

“Go get Wing…the white horse. Duo will ride Scythe, probably without a saddle.” It was something he had asked the braided man about before. Duo explained Scythe didn’t like a saddle, though he would wear one. Of course, Duo didn’t like making the horse do anything he didn’t want to do.

When Duo waved them over to the jeep, Scythe was a step behind, following his owner and standing silently as Duo retrieved a map from the back of the vehicle, covered in plastic. Quickly, the braided man found a marker and drew a line along the road Trowa would have to take to get to where Quatre was holding the other horses. “You want the fastest road, right?”

“I don’t want you going inside before me. You stay with Heero until after I go in.”

Cobalt eyes flashed in irritation, “They’re my animals, Trowa.”

“You’re mine, Duo. I don’t want you hurt.”

Heero snorted at the exchange, smirking when Duo subsided. Looking behind the small man, he commented nervously, “Are you sure you should take him? He’s been tranquilized at least once.”

“Three times; there are three injection marks on his rump. He’s going, one way or another, Heero. If I don’t ride him he’ll just follow us.”

“Lock him up.”

“He’ll jump the fence or break out of the stall,” Duo shook his head. “Look at him, Heero. Do you really think a fence could hold him if he didn’t want to be there?”

“What is he going to do when we get there? Will he stay outside?”

“If he’s not needed, yes; it’s his wife and son in there. He won’t do anything to put them in more danger.” It was clear Scythe agreed when he stretched his neck and bumped Duo with his nose.

“I swear he knows what we’re saying,” Heero stated, jumping when large black eyes turned to him and gasping when the massive head bobbed once.

“Let’s go. If Shin and Evie are separated, Shin won’t survive for long. He needs to be fed and if Evie’s been tranquilized, he’ll get the drugs from her in the milk. I don’t know how that will affect him. He’s too young for drugs. I’ve already got the vet on stand-by just in case I need her.”

There were a hundred things Trowa wanted to say, but he said none of them as he climbed in the jeep, not surprised to see the keys already in the ignition. He was already a mile down the road when a black bullet flew past him. For just a moment he allowed himself to look at the beauty of the horse and rider, hair flying behind them as they disappeared into the tree line, soon followed by Heero on Wing.

“Take care of him, Scythe.”