Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Storm Clouds ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing.

Recap: Hmm... A recap is not really needed here coz of the double update but meh, let's stick to the normal routine.

Duo has been giving Heero the silent treatment and Heero's losing his mind because of it. Meanwhile an agent has complained about Heero's attitude and Derosia has offered an alternative to therapy and Heero's agreed to it without knowing what it is. Last we saw him leaving with Derosia to go to his apartment.

Now onto the story...

Chapter 9: Friends and enemies

Posted on: January 15, 2007

“Come in Heero. Please close the door behind you.” Derosia said as he shuffled about the apartment picking up random things while I hesitated in the doorway.

I didn't want to be here. I wanted to go back to Duo and apologise to him. For what? I didn't know but I wanted - needed - to apologise to him.

He's been silent for a week. If it goes on any longer I'll melt. I've become so used to his non-stop chatter and inane conversations being without is driving me insane.

The apartment is eerily silent without him annoying me or talking to me or fighting with me about something or the other.

And right now I wish so badly that Duo was here beside me. I wouldn't feel so threatened if he were.

Although, I don't even know why I feel threatened. Derosia was being absolutely normal and hasn't tried to attack me or anything… yet…

But the feeling that something is wrong won't go away.

I lingered in the doorway to the apartment a little longer. Derosia's place was big and looked expensive. It was a penthouse, why wouldn't it look expensive?

But it all seemed too impersonal. It was a nice place, decorated tastefully with blue couches accented with cream cushions, the carpet was soft and cream too, but it looked a little too like some of the safe houses we'd used during the war when we'd holed up in one of Quatre's apartments. They had looked the same: empty, as if no one lived there and they'd be decorated by commission instead of by choice.

I sniggered to myself; if this place had seen Duo then the carpet wouldn't be so clean. Coffee spills anyone?

But something about the place screamed sterile.

And coming from me, that is an issue. I happen to like things clean. I'm a neat freak, as Duo likes to call me. I just like to be able to reach into my sock drawer and pull out a sock not a leftover beer can and consider it nice to be able to walk to the kitchen table instead of having to perform acrobatic stunts over the garbage to reach the chair, which in Duo's world, would probably be full as well.

But this, this felt hospital sterile. I didn't even want to sit on those couches lest I dirty them.

“Come in, Heero.” Derosia said again, looking at me directly this time. I hesitated some more.

“Heero?”

“I think I should go. I didn't finish my work and the deadline is tomorrow.” I started to back out, “Don't worry about dropping me off I'll take the subway.” And I turned to leave.

“Heero!” He barked and I froze. “Come back in here.”

I turned to look at him again but stayed rooted to my spot. He has no right to order me around like that.

“Come inside Heero. We need to talk.”

I still didn't move.

“That's an order Heero.”

“Sir, with all due respect don't call me Heero.” I asked him, still standing in the doorway.

His eyes darkened momentarily as his lips tightened into a thin line.

“Then what would you prefer?” He said taunting. “Hee-chan?”

Okay, calling me by my first name was bad enough, but now he has resorted to nicknames. And not just any nickname, no. That was Duo's name for me and NO ONE calls me that but Duo. No one.

I glared at him with everything I had and curled both my hands into fists.

He seemed amused and then changed his tactic.

“That glare won't work on me, Heero. Come take a seat. We are not as unrelated as you seem to think we are.” He nonchalantly sat down on a couch. With one hand he unbuttoned his Preventers' jacket and lounged on the couch relaxed.

Intrigued I closed the door behind me and stiffly walked to the couch across from his to sit down, back straight looking at him intently.

If he tried to pull anything I'd be able to make a beeline for the door that I had left unlocked, just so it won't cause a problem.

I also positioned myself so that my hand was near my gun holster.

And I still don't know why he sets me on edge like this.

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“Remember before I assigned you the Darlian mission I asked you about J?”

I nodded once to let him know I remembered.

“Well right after J picked you up and started training you… I believe you were about five… I escaped from his clutches.”

“You worked with J?” I stared at him in astonishment, though I suppose many still would have interpreted it as a glare. I thought I was the only one J had trained.

“You thought you were the only one J trained didn't you? Well it wasn't like that. Before you, it was I. He trained me the way he did not train you. He corrected all the mistakes he made with me and didn't make any with you.”

“What mistakes?”

“The problem with emotion. He had originally trained me to believe that emotion could be used to derive power from when needed. He trained me to be in tune with my fears and especially my anger. He drove out my fear and then used it to fuel my anger. As he had predicted, the anger made me a formidable foe.

“It got out of hand, however, when I turned that anger on him and attacked him. I wanted to take you with me, but I was unable to for many reasons. I escaped. You didn't.

“Because of my reaction, J started a new training plan. Instead of using emotion as a tool he forged a better one by erasing it and turning you into a robot incapable of feeling, strictly concerned with efficiency and success.

“If I hadn't escaped, you and I… we would have been partners.”

I sat quiet. Stunned.

So that's what his questions the day he gave us the mission was about.

But… he's the reason why J kept such a close eye on me?

“Sir…”

“Christian.”

“Pardon?”

“Call me Christian. I call you Heero after all.” He smiled at me encouragingly and I tried saying Christian to myself a couple of times in my head. I didn't like the feel of it and I decided I wasn't ready to call him by his first name just yet.

“Sir.” I said stubbornly and I saw his eyes narrow again. “What does that have to do with the alternate suggestion that you had? The one I chose?”

“What this means is,” He exhaled loudly and leaned back into the couch lounging again, “is that I know what training you went through so I can help you counter it more intimately than any psychologist in the universe.”

Is it just me or did he put a tad more significance on the word `intimately' than normal?

“I see.”

“And you agreed to it.” He said leaning forward again and bringing his hands in front and clasped them loosely between his legs.

“I did.”

Derosia then narrowed his eyes at me, the strange glint was back in them, and he smiled slyly.

“Let's begin then.” He said and got up. As he made his way to me and came and sat next to me I could feel myself becoming more and more tense. “Tell me Heero, why are you not in a relationship with Janice?” He asked me staring at me intensely as though trying to dissect me with his gaze.

“I don't care much for her.”

“And Miss Darlian? I believe you care for her. In fact you have saved her life numerous times when you didn't need to, even when it jeopardized your mission. Why are you not in a relationship with her either?”

“I'm not interested in her that way.”

“Heero?” He sighed then and I glared at him. I didn't like the interrogating tone he'd taken so far. “Am I right in assuming you are gay?”

Cold fear raced through me as he said this. If Duo found out... he'd hate me forever.

In a fit of anger and fear I got up and started walking towards the door.

“Heero!” He called, and I stopped, but I didn't turn around. “Just say yes or no.”

Fuck off. The Duo in my head said and I listened to it.

“Fuck off.” I told him as calmly as I could and I went straight out of the door.

As I walked out of his apartment building I realized that I had no idea in what direction the nearest subway station was and I needed to find it to get home since Derosia was clearly not dropping me off.

I whipped out my cell phone and was calling Duo before I remembered that we weren't talking. I watched the phone ring once, twice and then I hung up.

I stood there for a few minutes wondering what to do next when the annoyingly chipper ringtone Duo had programmed into my phone went off. The caller ID stated that it was Duo.

“I'm picking you up. Where are you?” He asked curtly. Oh God it felt good to hear his voice.

Unable to keep a huge smile from blooming I answered, “I'm at the intersection of James and Main.”

“I'll be there in fifteen.” And he hung up.

I waited idly on the sidewalk, absently watching at the lights go on and off in Derosia's apartment. There he was in the living room. Then the lights went on right beside the living room, I'm assuming that's the bedroom. Then he headed back to the living room and came out to the balcony.

Now he was standing there just staring at me.

What is his problem? What does he care if I'm gay or not?

I glared back at him letting him know I was not intimidated. I'm pretty sure from this distance he can't decipher my glare but that's never stopped me before.

A few minutes later Duo's blue Camry pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building and I climbed into the passenger seat, but not before shooting another hateful glare at Derosia.

Duo was quiet again.

And I had thought I had won.

We made the whole trip back to our place in complete and utter silence. As Duo again headed to the kitchen, no doubt to get another cup of coffee, I stood near the door.

Feeling the complete and utter resignation I decided I could not take any more of this.

Duo needs to talk.

To me…

And I need to hear him.

“Duo?” When he didn't answer I followed him into the kitchen. “Duo?” I called again and he stopped making coffee and turned around to look at me.

“I'm sorry.” I said quietly shuffled in my place uncomfortably. I'm not used to apologising and it makes me feel awkward. “I'm sorry, Duo. Please talk to me now?”

I chanced a glance a look at Duo and saw that he had broken into a huge smile and all my tension and stress broke and a huge sense of relief flooded through me.

“Hee-chan! I've been dying to hear you say that!” He announced as he bounced across the kitchen and swooped me into a tight hug.

I held back just as tightly, enjoying the way he fit against me. I was so glad to have it over with. Having Duo broken off had been killing me over the last week.

“I missed you Duo.” I let it slip as I nuzzled my face into his neck. I decided saying it out loud won't kill someone. It won't kill me. There's nothing wrong with showing emotion.

Fuck Derosia. I don't need his help to get over it. I have Duo right here.

“I missed you too Hee-chan.” He answered back without hesitating and I felt that familiar warmth that had been missing recently flood back again.

I smiled into his neck. The apartment felt right again.

Duo let go of me then and I let go just as quickly. True I wanted to show more emotion, but I wasn't going to tell Duo that I was attracted to him anytime soon either.

I watched Duo bounce to the coffee maker and I shouted out, “No coffee at night Duo! You won't be able to sleep.”

He turned around with his goofy grin back on his face, “I bet you've been dying to say that to me all week haven't you?”

I smiled back at him. Life is good.

And there's no way I'm letting Derosia ruin the one good thing in my life.

The best thing in my life.

The only thing.

Duo.

A/N: Next chapter's almost done so it'll be up soon. Really soon. (by that I mean in about a week's time if not earlier).

My muse is back! YAY! I'm typing a mile a minute recently and I'm having fun doing it! You know what that means? Faster chapters!

And ya know what a fast author needs? A fast fantastic beta! These two chapters couldn't have been the quality they are if Dragonborncrystal hadn't betaed them with lightning speed. All hail Dragonborncrystal!

Until next time,
Persephone