Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Sticks and Stones ❯ chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Author: Aravis Tarkheena

Title: Sticks and Stones

Pairing: 2x1 (Duo/Heero)

Warnings: AU, angst, melodramatic Heero >.>;; violence, abuse, mention of attempted NCS (nothing bad

don't be scared) , yaoi ( duh )

Disclaimer: Not mine

Rating: R

Sticks and Stones: Chapter Two

Heero woke to the sound of breathing next to his ear. He started and tried to sit up but the pain in his abdomen stopped that movement in its tracks. Heero tried to look around, scared that he wasn't safe. That someone would come and hurt him while he couldn't move.

Panicked thoughts whirled around in his head until he caught sight of the boy resting his head near Heero's and breathing in his ear.

It was Duo. And he was safe.

Heero let out a sigh of relief and winced. It hurt to breathe deeply, and his left arm was trapped under the sleeping boy, and it had seemed to have lost access to blood some time ago and was tingling uncomfortably. Heero didn't want to move lest he wake Duo up, but his arm was really starting to hurt. Maybe if he just moved his fingers a little…

Duo shot up nearly hitting Heero's head with his own.

"Oh `Ro, you're awake! How ya feeling buddy? You ok? Want me to call a nurse or somethin'?"

Heero just looked up at the longhaired boy and shook his head. He tried to reach out for the boy, but his left hand was still tingly and his right was in a sling. He glared at the sling as if it could sense his malice, and Duo laughed.

"The doctor said that you can't move it around for awhile, so it can heal better."

Heero transferred his glare to his friend as he looked up at him though messy bangs. He noticed that the blood had been washed from his hair and it no longer clumped with the dried brown substance.

"Hey it's not my fault either you know! I didn't tell them to put it on, or dislocate your arm either!" Duo exclaimed.

"Hn." Was all Heero said, and left it at that.

Suddenly Duo turned serious. "'Ro you scared the hell outta me. What happened? You're totally fine in school, making plans to play basket ball with `Fei and I, and then at like one in the morning you show up at my door step covered in blood and pass out. I was worried sick. You scared the hell outta my mom, and my dad is demanding to know what kind of bastard beat you up this bad and what sort of trouble you got into to warrant it. I told him you're a good kid and you don't do anything wrong, but he keeps asking. What am I supposed to tell him `Ro? The doctors can't get a hold of your uncle he's not answering the phone and you don't have anyone else listed in your charts to call."

Violet met sapphire as Duo looked into Heero's eyes.

"They asked me if you've had any history of domestic abuse Heero. They say there's evidence that you've been beaten before, but that you refuse to press charges. They think that now the person hurt you this bad you might change your mind. They said they're calling the cops to come and talk to you, and that afterwards they're going over to your house to talk to your uncle."

"IIE! IIE! They can't do that!" Heero shouted as he tried to sit up, but pain engulfed him and he gasped. He felt a firm hand pushing him back into the bed. He looked up to see serious eyes looking down on him. Eyes that looked incongruous on Duo's usually smiling face.

"Tell me what's going on `Ro. "

Heero turned away and looked at the wall. He heard Duo make a frustrated noise and the rustle of clothes as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You gotta tell me `Ro. I need to know what's going on."

His voice softened.

"I wanna help ya `Ro, I'm worried about you buddy."

Heero kept staring at the wall. Duo didn't need to know. He didn't want Duo to know. Duo's life was wonderful. He was innocent. Why should Duo be tainted just because he was? He should have known better than to become friends with Duo. He should have known better than to taint this pure, beautiful thing.

Heero mentally chastised himself for his selfishness. How could he do this to Duo, who had been nothing but nice to him? How could he?

"I think you should leave Duo." Heero managed to rasp out. His throat was dry and it hurt and there was a stinging at his eyes he knew wasn't from the beating he had received. And he couldn't stand to look. He couldn't stand to look into Duo's eyes and see the disappointment there. He couldn't watch that pure face fill with sadness as Heero rejected him. But it was for the best. It was better this way. Duo deserved better. He didn't deserve to be tainted by Heero's life. He didn't need to know. He couldn't know. Heero wouldn't let him know.

He was foolish going to Duo's house that night. He wasn't thinking properly and regretted it now. He shouldn't have gotten Duo involved in all of this. Then a voice broke into his thoughts.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Heero glanced up.

"Nani?"

"I said I'm not going anywhere."

"I told you I didn't want you here. Leave." Heero grated out glaring at the braided boy standing next to his bed.

"And I told you I'm not going anywhere."

"Leave."

"No."

"Yes."

"Make me."

"Don't tempt me Maxwell." Hero almost growled.

"You couldn't if you tried Yuy, remember you got the shit beaten out of you last night. You may have forgotten but it's foremost on my mind right now."

"Kisama! I told you to GET OUT!" Heero nearly yelled and began to cough. His throat was so dry. He wanted a drink, but wasn't about to ask for one. He tried to sit up, but once again the pain shot though him along with the coughing. He turned over onto his side and his right arm fell flat against the bed, moving it at a new angle and he tried not to cry out in pain. Heero tried to bite his lip in order to stop the coughing and shouting but found when he bit down that there were stitches and it hurt even more to bite there. This time he did yell.

"AH!" He cried out and that made his throat hurt even more. Kami-sama, he hurt so bad. He wanted it to stop. He needed the pain to stop. He couldn't think. All he could concentrate on was the pain and then he felt it. It was a warm hand on his arm rolling him back onto his back, fixing his arm and softly whispering soothing words. Then the warm hand and soft words went away, replaced by a cold hand and rough voice speaking to him in harsh tones and he was scared. His eyes were shut tight with pain. He couldn't see the person. He didn't want to open his eyes. What if it was J? What if it was one of his friends? One of his terrible friends with bad breath and angry voices. Heero was scared.

He tried to pull away from the hands, but it hurt and he cried out again. It hurt so bad but he needed to get away from those cold hands. Those stranger's hands. He HAD to get away. He NEEDED to get away. He was so tired. All he wanted was to be safe. He wanted to be safe and he wanted the pain to go away. But where was it safe? It wasn't safe anywhere. Except for that house. The house with it's neatly painted pourch and well groomed garden. The house with the clean cut lawn. The house that smelled like cooking food and Duo. Duo's house. He needed to get to Duo. But where was he now? He wasn't where he should be. Was he lost? What if he couldn't get to Duo? To that safe house. What if he couldn't get there?

Heero began to struggle again. Ignoring the pain he felt as his stitches tore open. Ignoring the pain of his injured arm and bruised rips. Ignoring everything but the need to find Duo, to get to Duo. The need to be safe. He needed to be SAFE. He needed Duo.

"Duo! Duo! DUO!"

Someone was calling out Duo's name. Did they need to be safe too? Were they scared too? Did they need to get to that house? That safe house? That house that smelled of food and Duo? Did they need to get there too?

Then Heero realized that it was him who was calling out to Duo. It was his voice, shouting, desperate, longing. Needing to find Duo. Needing to be safe.

Then those hands were back. The good hands. The warm hands. Duo's hands. The hands that would keep him safe. He moved towards the hands, into their embrace. The hands moved to his face and he nuzzled against them. Finally calming. Finally safe. The pain was still there, but at least he was safe.

Heero opened his eyes and looked up into a pair of worried violet ones.

"'Ro? You OK man?"

Heero nodded and nuzzled more. But something was wrong. There was a reason he shouldn't be doing this. But he couldn't remember what it was. He couldn't remember and he didn't want to try.

"You tore out some of your sutures Mr. Yuy." A strange voice told him. "It will be harder now to re-sew them."

"Gomen nasi." Heero muttered. His throat still hurt but he didn't want to ask for water. If he did those warm hands might go away. Duo's hands.

"I'm going to re-sew the stitches you pulled out and then the police officer is going to come in and ask you some questions. Is that ok?"

"Hai, demo… uh… can Duo stay? Onegai?"

There was a smile in the doctors voice when he replied. Heero could hear it in the way the man spoke.

"Yes he can stay so long as you behave yourself. No more thrashing around and yelling and hurting yourself more ok?"

"Sou des." Heero replied and closed his eyes, rubbing his face into Duo's soft hands. Heero didn't understand it. Duo played basketball with him all the time. They both loved sports. But Duo's hands were so soft and smooth, while Heero's were covered in calluses and rough skin. It didn't make any sense. But then a lot of things about his best friend didn't make sense to Heero. His friend. Heero liked having a friend. He was alone for so long…

"Tomodachi." He muttered and smiled a little, sleepy.

He hardly felt the prick of the syringe as it entered his skin to numb the area up, or the pull of the thread going though the tiny hole the needle opened in his skin. He didn't notice as his skin pulled up with the thread when the doctor stitched him up. He was too sleepy and compared to the other pain all over his body the small pricks and uncomfortable pulls were nothing.

"Hold still now, we're going to try to re-sew the one on your lip ok?"

Heero nodded.

"How many times have you had this area stitched??" The doctor asked. "It's so full of scar tissue it's hard to do."

Heero would have shrugged if he felt inclined to move, but he didn't so he remained silent.

Finally the doctor was done with his task.

"Ok now the police officer is going to come in soon so try and stay awake alright?"

Heero nodded again, not wanting to move his lips just yet, they were still slightly numb.

Duo sat with Heero as he rested, waiting for the feeling to return to his lips. He held Heero's hands and just looked at him. Heero wanted him to speak to him, say nice things to him in his soft gentle voice. But Duo just sat there staring at him, giving him time to think.

The pain dulled Heero's mind and he was having a hard time concentrating on what was going on. He was about to ask Duo to explain it when he heard the door open again.

He saw the uniform and everything came back to him.