Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Helping Hands ❯ Part 13 ( Chapter 13 )

Author's Notes:

 

Hi, guys, here's the next part. I keep forgetting to remind you guys that GW takes place nearly 200 years after the space colonies were established, and, last I checked, we don't currently have any space colonies and probably won't for a number of years. That said, Katherine is blunt and outspoken because she probably died around our time period, if not later. I've heard and participated in conversations with people who talk a lot like Katherine does to Heero, that's where she came from. That said, she's misbehaving in this part too, so be prepared. Heero and Duo are a little OOC, I'm sure, but I tried to keep them in character, for the most part. I don't own them and I shift POV a lot, which you should be used to by now. ^_^ I think that's everything, so enjoy!

 

Helping Hands 13

Heero always woke up abruptly, fully awake and alert, and the next morning was no different. He noted the silence of the old house around him, the now faint scent of sex in the air, the soreness of his body, and the warmth and weight filling his arms before he even opened his eyes. He and Duo were lying on their sides, chest to back, with Heero behind Duo, arms around him, holding him close. Duo's hair had been draped out of the way, across the top of the pillow the two of them were sharing. Heero considered getting out of bed and carrying on with his usual routine, but decided against it. He didn't have any missions right now, and he was a little concerned about what would happen when Duo woke up, so he wanted to spend as much time as he could just holding him, savoring the way he felt in his arms. He thought about Katherine, briefly, deciding that she would want them to spend the day together, and would be very angry if they didn't take a break from searching for the journal. He squirmed around a bit, getting more comfortable and, coincidentally, even closer to Duo, before closing his eyes and drifting back off to sleep.

A couple of hours later, Duo reluctantly drifted awake, more than half convinced that he had only dreamed of making love with Heero throughout the night. He didn't want to face another day of hiding his feelings from his partner, so he kept his eyes closed and lay motionless, refusing to acknowledge the coming of the new day. That is, until he noticed the weight of the arm across his waist and the warm breath tickling the back of his neck. He jerked upright, hair flying, and turned to stare in shock and growing delight at Heero, lying beside him. Heero, having been awakened by Duo's abrupt movement, looked at him questioningly.

Duo smiled at him, a rare smile of true happiness. "It was real," he whispered softly. He lay back down, pushing his hair back across the top of the pillow and out of the way as he moved, and snuggled up against Heero. Heero wrapped his arms around Duo again, pulling him closer, loving the way Duo felt, lying against him. They lay there for a while, in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence. Duo, of course, was the first one to speak.

"Heero? Are you okay?"

"Hai."

"I mean, I know you're sore, but you're not in too much pain, are you? After all, last night was your first time. Maybe we shouldn't have..."

"Duo, I'm fine."

Duo tapped lightly on the arm around his waist and Heero granted the silent request, releasing him. He rolled away and moved to sit cross-legged on the bed, facing Heero, grumbling under his breath as his hair kept interfering with his movements. Heero rolled onto his back and watched, amused, as Duo continued to struggle with his hair, wincing whenever he accidentally pulled it. Duo caught the amused look and paused to glare at him.

"This is one of the biggest reasons why I always keep my hair in a braid!"

Heero's amusement faded and he gave him a thoughtful look. "What are the other reasons, Duo? And why do you keep your hair so long, anyway? It may be beautiful, but it's certainly impractical."

Duo, having finally reached a truce with his hair, bit his lip and looked down for a moment. When he looked back up, he had a wide grin plastered on his face. "It's not important. And, besides, you shouldn't try to change the subject. I'm still not convinced you're really okay. I've seen you set your own broken leg, you know, so..."

"Duo," Heero interrupted, frowning, "I told you, I'm fine. If you don't want to answer me, then just say so. You don't have to...to hide from me."

Duo froze and the false grin vanished. He took a long, deep breath and forced himself to look into Heero's eyes. "Gomen, Heero. Of the two of us, who would've thought that I'd be the one having trouble opening up?" He sighed heavily and looked away.

"My hair, and the braid I wear it in, serve as reminders of the people that I loved who have died. I'm the only one left to remember them, so I have to make sure that I never forget."

Duo's eyes were full of pain as he lost himself in his memories, and Heero regretted asking him. He never wanted to be the cause of such sorrow. He sat up and leaned forward to gently place a finger on Duo's lips, stopping him from continuing.

"Enough. You don't have to tell me any more."

Heero's touch and voice drew Duo out of the past and back into the present, but the pain and sorrow didn't fade from his eyes. He reached up to clasp Heero's hand in both of his, smiling slightly when Heero's fingers curled around his own. Their eyes met, and Duo pressed a brief kiss to Heero's fingers, before releasing his hand and getting up to go stand by the window. Heero frowned as he watched Duo. He didn't like this. Duo was always laughing and smiling, constantly on the move. The still, silent figure that stood before him, staring out the window, was not the Duo he knew, and it made him uneasy.

"Duo?"

Duo responded without turning around. "I'm alright, Heero. It's just that...well, if I'm going to stop hiding from you, then there are some things you need to know about me."

Heero's sense of unease grew. "Duo, you don't have to..."

"Yes, Heero, I do." Heero started to get up and go to him, but Duo, hearing him move, stopped him. "Don't. Please. Just stay over there and listen. If we want to have a relationship, other than friendship, then we both need to try to make some changes. You've stopped shutting me out, and I do have to stop hiding from you." He paused, waiting to see if Heero would comment. Hearing only silence, he continued.

"Sometimes I laugh and joke around to keep anyone from knowing how I really feel. My cheerfulness is a disguise, a persona that I've adopted to protect myself, just like the Perfect Soldier is for you."

"Hn."

Duo smiled slightly, unseen by Heero. "Yes, I know that that's what you do. It's kinda obvious, now that I know how you really feel. You use the Perfect Soldier as a mask, to hide your doubts whenever you're uncertain or confused about something. I use laughter the same way, but I also use it to help me deal with my past."

"I don't care about your past."

"Maybe you will, once you've heard about it."

"Iie."

"Heero, please. Let me tell you. If I don't tell you now, then I might not ever be able to, and I need to. For my own sake, if not for yours. I don't want to spend my time wondering when you're going to find out something about me that will make you turn away from me."

"Hn. Alright. But nothing you say will change the way I feel about you." Heero settled back down, sitting on the edge of the bed, and Duo, still staring out the window, relaxed slightly.

"Arigato, Heero."

Duo took a few deep breaths and began playing with his hair, using his fingers to work out some of the tangles, as he collected his thoughts. He was terrified that Heero would reject him, once he knew everything, and he waited until he was certain that his voice wouldn't betray that fear before he began to speak.

"I don't remember my parents or any of my family. My earliest memories are of being out on the streets and being taken in by a gang of street brats, led by a kid named Solo. It was tough, but we managed to survive, at least, until the plague hit. There was a vaccine for the disease, but they weren't gonna give any of it to worthless brats like us, so I went and stole some. Solo was sick, but he insisted that I give it to the younger kids first. By the time I'd given it to everyone else, well....he was my best friend and he died in my arms. Before he died, he told me that I would never be alone, that he would always be with me, so I named myself Duo, for the two of us. I didn't really have a name before then, at least, not that I remember. After that, I eventually ended up at the Maxwell Church orphanage."

Heero inhaled sharply, the first sound he'd made since Duo began speaking.

Duo nodded his head.

"Yes. That Maxwell Church. As far as I know, I'm the only survivor. And the only reason that I lived, was because I was out aggravating OZ to the point of destroying the church and killing everybody inside."

"I don't believe that!" Heero snapped, startling Duo enough that he turned to look at him. "Hai, I've heard of the Maxwell Church Massacre. When we became partners, I wanted to know more about where you came from, so I did some research on L2. I never saw anything about a child causing the commander of the local OZ forces to order the slaughter of innocent men, women, and children."

"But..."

"Iie. I know that you believe that it's your fault that they died, but I don't believe it, and I never will. Don't even bother trying to convince me."

Duo gave him a long, searching look and, concluding that Heero meant what he said, turned back to the window. "Anyway, a nun named Sister Helen taught me how to braid my hair. The church was named for Father Maxwell, and, when he and Sister Helen died, along with everyone else, I took his name as my own, and became Duo Maxwell. Dr. G found me shortly after that and, because of all of the deaths I've caused, with and without Deathscythe, I became Shinigami."

Duo fell silent, and, after several minutes, Heero spoke. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"No." Duo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Heero...Heero, there are only a few ways a kid on the streets can make money, and ...and, well..."

"Stop. Duo, look at me."

Duo turned, slowly and reluctantly, to face Heero again. Heero waited until Duo had raised his head to look at him, although he wouldn't quite meet his eyes. "Duo, let me tell you a little something about my past." Duo blinked at him, slightly confused, and nodded for Heero to continue. He wasn't sure why Heero wanted to tell him about his past right now, but Duo was grateful for the break from disclosing his own.

"My earliest memories are of traveling and training with a man named Odin Lowe. I don't know whether or not he was my father, since he died just before Dr. J found me, but he was an assassin, and he taught me a lot of what I know." He paused for a moment, taking in Duo's attentive expression. "Duo,...Odin told me something once. He told me to never look down on the people who stood on street corners and sold themselves to strangers, because we had similar jobs."

Duo's eyes widened and he stared at him blankly. Heero sighed and stated, bluntly, "Duo, he was saying that I should never look down on a whore, because assassins sell themselves to the highest bidder, too. Whores at least provide pleasure. Assassins just give death."

Duo flinched at the word "whore" and looked down. "Maybe, Heero, but does the assassin ever learn to enjoy his work?" he asked, tensing as he awaited Heero's reaction.

"Baka!" Heero made a disgusted sound and got off the bed, coming to stand in front of Duo. He reached out a hand to cup Duo's chin, lifting his head until their eyes met.

"Did you really think that I hadn't noticed your sexual experience and guessed how you had gotten it? And do you really think that I mind that you learned how to please yourself, when you were forced to please others?"

Shaking off the hand holding his chin, Duo stared at him in shock. "But, Heero..."

"I didn't care last night, and I don't care now."

Duo's shock faded slightly and his eyes narrowed as something occurred to him. "Wait a minute. You figured it out last night?"

"Hai."

"When?" Duo demanded.

"Nani?" Heero asked, slightly puzzled.

"When, exactly, did you figure out that you were sharing your bed with an ex-whore?!" He was obviously getting angry and Heero didn't know why, but he told him what he wanted to know.

"While I was waiting for you to come back with the towels and the lotion."

"Heero!" Duo exploded, "How could you risk yourself like that?! If you knew before we made love, then why didn't you at least suggest some type of protection? You may be inexperienced, but you're not ignorant, and you know damn well that whores are often carriers of various types of sexually transmitted diseases! You had no way of knowing whether or not I'm clean!"

"Aren't you?"

"Yes, but you couldn't have known that!"

"Duo, you asked me to trust you. I do."

Duo's mind went blank and he froze, staring at Heero in total shock. His mouth worked silently as he tried to form a coherent thought, only now beginning to realize just how thoroughly Heero had committed himself to Duo when he admitted that he loved and trusted him.

"You said that you loved me. I knew that you wouldn't risk making love with me if there was any danger to me."

Duo finally found his voice. "Oh, God, Heero," he whispered hoarsely, before stepping forward to fling his arms around Heero, hiding his face against his neck. Heero wrapped his arms around Duo's shaking body, slowly stroking his back and hair. "I'm sorry, Heero. I didn't realize...I didn't understand..."

"It's alright, Duo. But do you believe me now? That I meant it when I said that nothing you say will change the way I feel about you?"

Duo nodded, without raising his head, and tightened his hold on Heero.

They stood there for a long time, long after Duo had stopped shaking, until a soft voice interrupted them. "Hey, you two. Don't forget, you have company arriving this afternoon."

They looked around and found Katherine, standing at the foot of the bed, smiling gently at them. A smile that quickly turned into a smirk, as she looked them up and down. "Love the fashion statement, boys, but I doubt your friends will enjoy it quite as much."

She snickered as Duo, only then realizing that he was still naked, yelped and dove for the bed, snatching up the blankets to cover himself. He might be something of an exhibitionist, but full nudity was a bit much, in his opinion. Heero didn't bother with a cover, he simply crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. Katherine, unrepentant, grinned back at him.

Her grin vanished almost immediately, to be replaced by a sultry look. "You know, Heero," she said, as seductively as she could manage while suppressing laughter, "you look pretty good in your spandex, but I'd have to say, you look even better without it." Heero's eyes widened and his arms twitched, as he resisted the urge to conceal what Katherine was so blatantly eyeing. He was determined to keep from reacting to her teasing.

Katherine, gleefully accepting the unspoken challenge, sidled a little closer. "And how do you keep that lean, muscular body of yours in such good condition?"

She took a step towards him, and Heero stubbornly stood his ground, his expression becoming slightly panicked. "Really, Heero. With that hair, those eyes, and that body, you look good enough to eat. And I haven't eaten in centuries, you know." She licked her lips suggestively and took one more step towards him.

That did it. Heero broke, ducking around her and heading straight for Duo. He snatched at the blankets and turned to face her, glaring, as he hid himself from her view. Duo, who had been desperately trying to control his amusement, promptly fell to the floor, convulsing with laughter, although he had enough presence of mind to make sure he was still covered by a blanket. Several minutes passed as Duo tried to calm himself down, but he burst out laughing again every time he looked up, to see Heero glaring daggers at Katherine, while she smirked back.

Eventually, Duo regained enough control to speak. "Heero, she's a ghost! It's not like she can actually touch you or anything."

Heero's glare was transferred to Duo for a moment, and then went back to Katherine, who started snickering again. Duo didn't notice, due to the fact that his hair had taken advantage of his distraction to launch a full scale attack. A few more minutes passed until Duo, having temporarily gotten the upper hand against his hair, managed to rise to his feet. Finding the other two still locked in a staring contest, he decided that he had had enough.

"Oi, Katherine, back off a little, will ya. He's mine, you know."

The smirk disappeared and the sultry expression came back, this time directed at Duo. "Well, if he's off limits, tell me, Duo, have you been...claimed...by him?"

Duo gaped at her, torn between laughter and outrage, and Heero growled at her, trying to ignore the fact that his face was turning crimson. Katherine smirked again, her gaze going back and forth between the two, waiting for them to respond. Duo cleared his throat and gave her a stern look, shaking his finger at her.

"Bad ghost. Naughty ghost. Hentai. You should be ashamed."

Katherine attempted looking contrite. "I'm sorry, Daddy, but I just can't help it," she whined. "I know I've been a bad girl." Her expression turned sly again. "Maybe Daddy should give me a spanking," she said, eyeing what she could see of them.

Duo opened his mouth to respond, but Heero, remembering some of the things he had read in her journal, wasn't about to let them continue. "Duo," he barked, "Don't encourage her!"

Both of them gave him slightly annoyed looks, and Katherine went so far as to stick her tongue out at him and blow him a raspberry . Heero rolled his eyes in response, causing Duo to snicker.

"Did you have a reason for disturbing us?" Heero asked, before she could distract him again.

"I just wanted to remind you that your friends are arriving this afternoon. You might want to get cleaned up, eat something, and make up a couple of beds for them."

"It is beginning to get a little late. We need to get moving pretty soon. Thanks, Katherine," Duo said, absent-mindedly dismissing her. All of his attention was focused back on his partner and, realizing that they still had a couple of things to resolve, Katherine took the hint and vanished. Heero and Duo simply looked at each other for a moment.

"Heero, can I ask you something?" Heero nodded, slightly wary. Duo rarely requested permission before he asked a question. He usually just asked what he wanted to know.

"The other day, you drew a parallel between your life and Katherine's." Heero winced. He had thought that that might be what Duo wanted to know about. "Heero, I've already figured out that you feel trapped into repeating the missions over and over again, but, eventually, the war will end. You'll be free then. We all will be."

"Iie."

"What do you mean, no?"

"I'm a soldier, a terrorist, an assassin. Causing death and destruction is all I've ever known. What happens when I'm no longer required to kill and destroy? What do I do then?" Their eyes met, and Duo was shocked to see the lost expression in Heero's eyes. He reached out and tugged on the blankets that Heero was still holding, pulling them out of his hands and dropping them on the floor, before stepping forward to embrace him.

"Oh, Heero," he whispered into Heero's ear. "I'll be with you. I'm not exactly your normal citizen, either, but I bet we can find a way to make it work. I'm sure Quatre can help us, or at least, help us find somebody, who can teach us what it is to live a normal life, where we don't have to kill anymore."

Heero hugged him back, fiercely, and, after a few moments, Duo pulled away slightly, to look at him searchingly. "There's something else, isn't there."

Heero was a little dismayed to hear the certainty in his voice. He reluctantly met Duo's gaze and could easily read the determination in his eyes. Duo wasn't going to let him keep silent about it any longer. He sighed heavily and nodded.

"There is this...emptiness...this void inside me. You...being with you...seems to make it go away. I...it..." Duo silenced him with a kiss, hard and passionate. Heero responded instantly, without thought, and, when they broke for air, Duo spoke.

"What you're talking about is probably loneliness. That's why being with me makes you feel better, you're not alone any more. I can't always be with you, though, so there will still be times when you feel that way. Heero, koi, I love you and I will never abandon you, no matter what happens. I want you to remember that, and, when you're feeling lonely, think of me. Think of the love we share and just how much you mean to me. It may not completely fill that void, but it should help."

Heero looked into Duo's eyes, and the love he saw in them took his breath away. Duo felt as much love for him as he did for Duo. He had never even dared to hope that anyone would ever love him so, much less someone he loved in return. He took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded, accepting Duo's words and the emotion behind them. Duo smiled at him before closing the distance between them and kissing him again.

Heero broke off the kiss after a moment, and brought a hand up to gently caress Duo's cheek, smiling at him slightly. "Enough. Go. Take a shower and get your stuff. We're moving into the master bedroom. Quatre and Trowa can have these rooms."

Duo pouted at him. The embrace had aroused both boys, and Duo wasn't exactly willing to ignore their condition. He looked at Heero, looked at the bed, and then back at Heero, obviously believing that it wouldn't take much to convince Heero to go back to bed. Heero smirked at him.

"Iie. If we get back in bed, Katherine will probably interrupt us again. At the worst possible time, too." Duo eyes widened. He had somehow managed to forget about the ghost.

"Oi, Heero, you don't think she was watching us last night, do you?"

Heero just smirked at him again and then turned and walked away, slowly, making sure that Duo was watching him. He bent down to get some clean clothes, rifling through the contents of a drawer, and giving Duo plenty of time to enjoy the view. Eventually, he found what he was looking for, and headed for the shower, deliberately swaying his hips as he padded into the bathroom and shut the door.

Duo, mesmerized by Heero's little show, stared at the closed door in disbelief. He looked down at his aching arousal and then back at the door, shaking his head. "Just what I needed, Heero, the Tease. Hmm, now how can I make him pay for that?" Several minutes passed as he stood there, considering various ways of making his lover pay. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he grinned, wickedly. "Oh, tonight's gonna be fun!" Snickering, he headed for his own room.

Katherine watched him leave, wondering if she should see about finding a way to get her journal to him. She shook her head, grinning, as she decided it wasn't necessary. Duo had plenty of ideas of his own. She could hardly wait to see what he was going to do!


tbc....