Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Touched ❯ Chapter 4

Touched

(4/ 7)

Pairing : 2x5x2

Rating : R overall

Warnings : Yaoi, lime, mild angst/sap/violence

Disclaimer : GW belongs to Sunrise, Sotsu and Bandai. I wish I owned it though.

Summary : A mission finished at the expense of one pilot getting hurt. Two boys find themselves sharing space in the same safehouse, and finding a connection while learning to live with each other.

+++++ : Change of scene

~~~~~ : Scene break

< > : Recalled speech

// // : Thoughts

A/N : This doesn't follow the canon storyline. ^_^ Feedback appreciated!

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His insides clenching in dread, he sprang towards kitchen.

He could only see the mess on the floor at first - all scattered cans and broken pieces of what had been crockery, and between them a slack arm.

His eyes darted to the crumpled heap on the ground, already stained red where the metal and jagged pieces had cut.

"Duo!"

++++++++++

It felt like seeing through a mist. Nothing was clear; the outlines were all blurred and shimmered as though underwater. Something drew nearer and nearer before his vision, but it just looked like a shadowy, illusionary figure.

"Sleep, Duo."

By this time, Duo's mind was simply too blanked out to register anything else other than a bone-deep weariness. He nodded, eyes slipping shut despite his will. He heard movements beyond the darkness of his closed lids…and felt a hand slip under his head to hold it up. Something cool touched his lips.

"Easy," a gentle chiding.

The glass lifted away. Dimly, as he was slowly sinking into slumber, he felt the same hand under his head slip to one side…and fingers brushing the strands of his hair, the softest caress trailing down his face…It felt oddly comforting, the touch of another…and warm darkness began to engulf him, his last vestiges of consciousness registering the dulcet tones of an age-old melody as it lulled him to sleep.

++++++++++

<Especially when it's too much effort in exchange for only one bullet>

He remembered now. That was what had sparked the abrupt turn-around in Duo's state of mood - and mind.

Exhaling deeply, he turned to look at the form reclining on the mattress. *And* an abrupt turn-around in events. Now, he was the one who had to look after a collapsed comrade.

The chestnut-haired youth was curled up into himself, even with the mattress being more than enough to accommodate him. His braid was wound around his shoulders, reminding Wufei of a security blanket of sorts. His face, slack and unguarded in sleep, now seemed deathly weary without the brightness of his smile.

Wufei felt like he was looking through Duo's eyes. Had it been like this - now seeming so long ago - when Duo had been watching over his sleep? Unable to sleep himself for fear of letting the other wake up disoriented and alone.

Some part of him was already resigned to such a situation. It was the same part that had been growing more and more troubled by the seemingly *normalcy* that had taken over the safehouse ever since they were here. It just hadn't felt right to him, even if it hadn't felt wrong.

He lifted a hand to his own bandaged arm. He had been incredibly lucky, he supposed, and Duo had done an admirable job coaxing him back to world of the living. Night after night, and day after day, just by *being* there.

"Why...?" the word slipped mechanically from Wufei's lips. He was tired of just being on the receiving end of the whole deal, of taking and taking and not being able to give something in return.

"Ask yourself that."

He turned his head sharply. Violet eyes stared unblinkingly back at him, out of a pale, tired face. There was not the slightest hint of any usual spark in Duo's countenance. Slowly, Duo pushed himself up onto his arms.

"The mission doesn't call for unnecessary sacrifice," he continued quietly, something akin to anger flashing in his eyes.

Wufei was taken aback for a moment, simply overwhelmed by the many shades of emotion currently coursing through him. Relief that Duo was awake and appearing fine. A certain gladness that Duo even *sounded* fine. Then, both relief and gladness dissipated swiftly.

"It wasn't an unnecessary sacrifice," with legs that had fallen asleep, he squirmed around as best as he could until he faced Duo fully. "It was imperative. You steal the codes, I make sure you're alive. That was all."

"Fuck that!" Duo hissed as he struggled to sit up properly. Whatever calm he might have been reserving before was completely shattered as he matched Wufei glare for glare. "Why isn't it *you* stealing the codes, and *I* making sure you're alive? Why are *you* responsible for *me*? Why - "

"Is that what this all about?" Wufei replied, his own voice snapping with his own frustration. "About who should die and who should live? Duo Maxwell! You should know by now that doing what we do, all of us are bound to die sooner than later. It is only a matter of time."

Duo's jaw worked for a moment, before he finally shook his head forcefully. His violet eyes glittered, whether from tears or from fury Wufei couldn't tell. "Not when *you* get to decide!" his voice sailed hysterically high. "I would never die in your place! I wouldn't have taken that bullet for you!"

Those words cut like a blade.

Yet, even then, Wufei couldn't summon any hurt or even anger against them. If...there was anything he felt, it was more relief. Maybe he had already expected to hear them from Duo, or maybe he was just numbed. Neither mattered.

"I'm a selfish bastard." Duo said softly, so softly it came out more like a breath.

Wufei lifted his eyes to meet the other's pained gaze. "We all are, Duo," there was a tremble in his own voice that he couldn't control. "For our own reasons."

"I hate my own reasons," A bitter, yet wry smile lifted the corners of Duo's lips.

"So do I."

Falling silent after his own admission, Wufei stared down at his hands. He wasn't sure what had transpired between them; if he had made things worse, or better, or things hadn't changed at all. Maybe they shouldn't have gone on the mission together in the first place. If Duo had partnered someone else, they wouldn't have made such a mess during the mission, and *after* the mission.

"Hey..."

Wufei looked up quickly.

His gaze fixed on anything but Wufei, Duo fidgeted with the hem of the sheet covering him. "Can...can I be selfish just one more time?"

By the time that had sunk into Wufei's drained mind, he only just managed to flinch in surprise before the distance between him and Duo disappeared and Duo's head was at his neck.

"Just for a while, Wufei," Duo's voice was muffled against Wufei's shirt.

It was the way Duo had said that made Wufei stay where he was.

Around them, the safehouse was cloaked in the silence that always accompanied the nights here. The stillness shrouded them as it had did before, but there was a stirring between them that rose and fall with their breathing and the warmth of each other's body.

Times like these, it felt like they were shielded, not matter how temporarily, against the world outside.

Wufei lifted his arms and laid them around Duo. A part of him still questioned the logic of his own actions. Maybe Duo needed more than just his arms, or needed less. But for now, he would not think about it.

Closing his eyes, he laid his forehead against Duo's shoulder.

++++++++++

It was the prickly feeling against his eyelids that woke him.

For a moment, he just lay there staring at the ceiling, completely confused as to where he was or what he was doing there. Slowly - his whole body felt like lead - he turned his head towards the source of light. He squinted his eyes against the wash of bright sunlight streaming into the room. It felt good. He couldn't remember the last time the sunlight felt so warm on his skin.

He sat up, a little too abruptly for it felt like his brain was doing flips in his skull right after. He lifted his arms above his head and stretched, slowly, upwards, until all his muscles felt like they had been turned to mush. It was nice mush, though. He hadn't felt so rested in days.

As he felt the energy flood back through his veins, his mind did a little waking up on its own.

He was on the mattress.

Last night.

He inhaled sharply as memories came rushing back to him. First was the kitchen - that was where the world had suddenly turned black around him and he just fell headlong into *that* blackness. Logically, he must have fainted. Then, he had heard singing, or was it humming? Duo rubbed his head. That singing part was weird - maybe he was still dreaming then. And then - Duo froze in mortified realisation - he had flared up at Wufei. He didn't even remember what exactly he had said during the verbal fight, or after. As if that was not bad enough, he had then gone right ahead and fell asleep *on* Wufei.

//Real smooth, Maxwell.// He groaned and clutched his hair. //*Real* smooth.//

He couldn't remember what had happened after he had thrown himself onto Wufei. Had the Chinese pilot gotten angry? He did recall that Wufei had not said anything at all at that, though. Well, that didn't mean Wufei wasn't offended by his lack of restraint. //Shit.// Similar thoughts raced through Duo's mind as he clambered onto his feet.

First things first - Duo frowned to himself as he surveyed the living room. There was absolutely no sign of Wufei anywhere in the house. His heart skipped a beat. Could Wufei had slipped off to the town? The last Duo remembered, the supplies in the safehouse *were* running low. Then of course, Wufei could be just somewhere in the safehouse.

Duo shook his head in self-reproach. He was really starting to think - and act - like a granny. //Watch it, Maxwell.// He admonished himself. Any more of this nagging and worrying and he'd be sprouting white hair soon.

He was still thinking about white hair and grannies in black when he heard it. Swishing sounds coming from...outside. Oh! Wufei! That thought occurred to him all too suddenly, but already, he was heading for the door. Along the way, a little knot of wryness began to take root in his guts. He had just realised his little bad habit of acting without thinking was starting to really manifest itself in his every move.

He was careful to be quiet. The strange swishing sounds were coming from around the side of the safehouse, where there was a clearing - a space straight out of nowhere, usually lit up by whatever sunlight it managed to catch through the canopy of criss-crossing branches that grew overhead.

The air became stiller as Duo approached, but those odd sounds became sharper. Duo was just starting to wonder why these days he was always *hearing* Wufei first, before actually *seeing* him.

Well, not that the *seeing* part was half-bad.

Not really bad at all, actually.

He stood still and watched.

Under the play of sunlight and shadow, Wufei whirled, his form snapping like a whip through the air. Kicks, punches, turns, flips followed one after another in an elaborate display of martial arts. A quick spin, a flash of brown and again, there was that swishing noise.

Duo grinned to himself as he observed the slender object in Wufei's hand as he practised. It was none other than a...stick. There was just something a little off about seeing anything less than a gleaming sabre in Wufei's hand, but a stick...well, a stick would suffice under these circumstances. He stayed where he was a little more, watching how Wufei wielded his wooden weapon as he would a steel one, striking imaginary opponents, each sharp movement slicing through the air.

Well, there would be imaginary opponents no more. Duo carefully approached the Chinese youth. He paused for a second, before deciding to voice himself first in case he startled Wufei.

"Uh - "

He only managed that one non-word when he heard a whistling through the air and felt something rough at his neck.

"How inattentive." came a chiding delivered in drippingly derisive tones

Violet eyes rolled down, taking note of the stick positioned at his neck, before looking up into the mock-scornful expression on the flushed copper face. Resisting the urge to laugh, Duo plastered a fearful expression on his own face and held up his hands in surrender.

"Please don't hurt me!" he gasped in perfect mimicry of the helpless victim.

"Speak!" Wufei eased effortlessly into his role as the conqueror, complete with evil gleam in eye and a twitch to the lip. "You know you're supposed to stay in bed! How long were you awake?"

Those words sounded eerily familiar, then Duo remembered that they had been courtesy of none other than himself. Clasping his hands together in a beseeching gesture, he threw Wufei's words right back at him.

"Not long!" Duo pleaded earnestly.

Wufei gave in; the corners of his lips turning up in a half-smile. "How are you feeling, Maxwell?"

"Pretty well, Chang," Duo swatted away the threatening weapon at his neck.

"That's good," Wufei rolled his wrist in a couple of turns, before giving a few casual swipes with his mock sabre. "So do I."

"That makes two of us," Duo pointed out cheerfully. He was pleased to see that Wufei had not neglected his health, evident from the bandage that still protected his recovering wound.

Duo looked skywards, shading his eyes against the flickering angles of sunlight with one hand. Ah, the skies were so blue this morning. Tearing his gaze away, he had to smile when he saw that the other youth was already right back at his practice. It was slower this time, however, as if Wufei was concentrating on each and every execution of his stroke, rather than the earlier flurry of moves moments ago.

"Wufei."

Wufei paused mid-stroke, and looked up. "Yes?"

"Can I practise with you?"

"With me?" Wufei looked unconvinced. "Are you up to it?"

"Don't look down on me!" Duo tossed his head haughtily. He snatched up a dried, broken-off branch from the leaf-littered ground. Snapping off the little twigs and whatnot that still clung to it, he finally held it up - his very own stick weapon. He waved it around in a rather triumphant manner. "Wanna challenge me?" he grinned at Wufei.

Apparently having caught the drift of things, the gleam of interest in obsidian eyes became even more pronounced as Wufei positioned his own stick. "Very well. I challenge you, Duo Maxwell," he declared.

Oh, this was precious. They were fugitives, stuck at a safehouse, endured each other for days, and here they were, on the loveliest morning they had since day one, waving branches at each other.

Duo couldn't help it; he began to laugh. But he couldn't laugh for very long, when the opposing weapon came down at him from the air. Duo ducked at the very last moment, rolling himself into a ball as he did so, before climbing quickly to his feet again. Again, he heard the approaching swish of Wufei's stroke, and blocked.

Again and again Wufei struck, unrelenting in his own conviction of challenging Duo. And again and again, Duo blocked, or simply dodged. Quite obviously, he was barely anywhere near Wufei's skill with weapons, but Duo's reflexes allowed to him to dodge, and even strike out with a fist or leg if possible. Was that even allowed in true sword-wielding? Duo couldn't give a damn about it at the moment. He had his hands full trying to avoid being hit.

There was a dull clack as their sticks met.

Duo's arm strained as he tried to hold up against Wufei's blow. It was a good strain, though. He felt entirely alive and brimming with energy. Even the streaming of perspiration down his cheeks, back and just about everywhere felt good. On the opposing end, he could tell from the flush on Wufei's cheeks he was enjoying it all as well.

"My turn," Duo managed in between pants. He parried Wufei's next strike, before unleashing his own brand of Shinigami-style moves.

It was basically one wild hit after hit. He had no authentic skills with swords - or sticks - so what? Quite blindly and without thought, he rained a barrage of clumsy blows upon Wufei.

"Maxwell!" Wufei gasped as he fended them off. "Maybe - maybe a little technique - would do you good!"

"Screw technique!" Duo cackled.

Eventually, Wufei *did* give up on technique.

The air positively rang with yelled curses, bursts of laughter and the sharp clicks of wood against wood, all culminating in a messy backdrop to the scene of two fifteen-year-olds chasing and thwacking at each other with sticks.

A surprised shout, and a sudden silence followed. It was swiftly broken, though.

"That was cheating, Maxwell!"

"Says who? It was all fair!"

"I was checking you to see if I had hit you! And you took advantage of that - it was cheating!"

"You didn't say I can't cheat!"

"I didn't say you *can*!"

"I won, anyway," Duo crowed. Nobody was going to take this away from him. He tapped his stick against the side of Wufei's neck. "Admit it!"

Braced on his elbows, and one leg still bent at the knee in the action of getting back onto his feet, Wufei looked half-amused, and half-cross. "It's still cheating," he said stubbornly.

On impulse, Duo stuck a tongue out at Wufei. Around them, the surroundings had became quite a sight. The dried leaves and litter under them had been completely scattered where their feet had landed. Some of the tree trunks still bore marks where an errant blow had struck. And broken branches...and more broken branches. Their little battle had used up quite a few.

"Kindly remove your weapon."

Duo laughed and threw away his stick. He was still laughing when he looked back at Wufei, except the laughter kinda got stuck in his throat.

They were really, really close to each other.

Feeling little pinpricks of uncertainty, Duo glanced down at themselves and realised he was perched right over Wufei - who was still leaning back on his elbows. It was starting to feel like the night before.

His mind spun as images began to flash past in startling clarity.

<Can I be selfish one more time?>

He remembered saying that, then burying himself into Wufei.

<Just for a little while.>

Duo was still caught between remembering and reasoning when a hesitant, awkward touch at his cheek snapped him back to reality.

"You have a cut there, Duo."

"Must..." Duo swallowed, then continued. "Must have happened just now."

"Might have happened yesterday in the kitchen." Wufei's expression was at once guilt-stricken and dark with self-directed anger.

Right. It was *that* expression, and Duo remembered everything. The night before, he had been so broken down by his own conflicting emotions that he just grabbed any support within reach. He also remembered the warm pressure around himself.

That's right. Wufei had replied by embracing him back. The Shenlong pilot had not rejected him.

Stretching out his hand, Duo touched equally hesitant fingers to Wufei's cheek. He didn't know what he was doing, honestly. The Chinese pilot's eyes were widened into large, confounded saucers, but Duo ignored that. Almost experimentally, Duo bent his fingers so only the joints trailed over the warm copper skin. When Duo had been hazy and still stuck in semi-consciousness, this was the exact touch he remembered.

He realised then he had been lying the night before. He didn't want to be selfish just once.

Praying that Wufei wouldn't scream or he himself wouldn't freak out and bolt - whichever happened first - Duo dipped his head until his face was just an inch away from the other youth's. They were really, really, really close now. He could even feel the weak, shuddering breaths that Wufei was inhaling and exhaling. Duo paused, not wretchedly unsure of what he was trying to do. He knew he wanted to do *something*, he just didn't know *what*!

He stared hard into endlessly deep obsidian eyes, a little part of him hoping to get some answer there, except he got nothing but equal amounts of uncertainty.

Duo squeezed his eyes shut, then cracked them open again. To his utmost surprise, he was no longer looking into black eyes. Wufei's eyes were tightly closed.

Duo took it to mean acquiescence. He darted a glance at Wufei's slightly opened mouth. Taking in a deep breath, Duo then resolutely angled his head and leaned in.

And *then* the inevitable happened.

A beeping pierced the silent air, sounding abnormally loud in the stillness.

~*~ fin Chapter 4 ~*~