Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Witches Shoe ❯ Chapter 4
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: deathangel125 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance / Suspense | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.26.2015 | Pages: 10 | Words: 6.8K | Visits: 286 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Romance / Suspense | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 12.26.2015 | Pages: 10 | Words: 6.8K | Visits: 286 | Status: Work In Progress
Warnings and disclaimers in first section. Don’t forget
to look or you might get a surprise or three!
Sedatives piss me off, for a number of reasons. I can’t fight them and when I’ve been dosed enough to pass out I can’t wake myself up. This is bad because I tend to relive the worst times in my life when I’m asleep and that time was no different.
My dead…my ghosts, my regrets, had me surrounded, each of them planning to get their pound of flesh in retribution for letting them die before they sent my soul to hell, where my old buddy Deathscythe was waiting to torture me for eternity, possibly for blowing him up. Is it weird that he was in my dreams? I’ve never thought so; he was my partner for a long time, longer than anyone else had ever been.
Metal hands were reaching for me with the promise of crushing my bones when I forced myself from the nightmare, my good hand clenched into a fist as I sat up in my bed, eyes searching the shadows of my room for any sign my own demons had followed me into the real world.
Did you really have any doubts that I’m crazy? I’m fairly certain I am a complete whack-job, to use medical terms. Reassuring myself I was alone, I tried to recall how I had gone to sleep in the first place. As soon as that memory clicked into place I was off the bed and out the door, searching my Hellion for the jerk that had sedated me on my own ship. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t mad. I was flaming pissed and thought I was well within my rights to tear Trowa limb from limb and jettisoning his corpse in space.
You probably don’t understand why I was so furious. I’ll tell you. The Hellion isn’t just a ship to me. She’s my home. Imagine how you would feel if a guest in your own home sedated you and then spent the hours you were unconscious prowling around your house. The Hellion was the one place I felt completely safe and Trowa had violated that in a way that was, to me, unforgivable. I know all of the Hellion’s secrets and she knows mine.
In addition to the enhancements and modifications I had made after getting my ship, I had also hired a friend to do some artwork for me. She had painted anything I had asked for; we had spent weeks going over what I had wanted and it had been months before the job had been finished. The result was a lot like me, really. Eccentric, eclectic, and varied. My hopes, dreams, fears and pain had gone into creating the interior of my ship and I didn’t like knowing someone had been able to see every bit of it without me knowing.
I eventually found him sitting in the galley that had been painted to look like one of the hideouts I had lived in as a child. It was one of the few fond memories I have of my childhood and I hated the way he sat staring at the huddle of children that had been painted in one corner, laughing at something the leader had said as he stood over them. Solo had always been good at making us laugh, even in the worst of situations.
Seeing me, Trowa stood, backing up quickly when he got a good look at my face. His death must have been written there because he threw his hands up, “Wait, Duo, let me explain.”
“Nothing to explain. You either get the hell off my ship when we get to Strauss or I space your ass. Take your choice.”
“You needed to rest.”
“I needed to be in control of my own ship,” I tossed back, fuming.
“Your ship is fine. I didn’t touch the controls.”
The real fear on his face was what made me take a few calming breaths. I was expecting him to understand the way it was for people like me, people who had nothing but their ships and no one to count on but themselves. Trowa had fought in the war, had been a damn good pilot, but he wasn’t like me. He didn’t know the rules. In his mind, he had been trying to help.
Apparently sensing I had decided not to kill him, he took a cautious step forward. “I only wanted you to rest, Duo. You were so hurt; I thought some sleep would help.”
“It didn’t. For me, sleep never helps. The time would have been better spent getting ready.” Crossing to the fridge, I grabbed a cold bottle of soda, jabbing in a straw and sucking greedily. Acknowledging I wouldn’t feel better until I knew for sure, I stared at my past gang, “How much of the ship did you explore?”
“I stayed between here and the flight deck.” My surprise must have been visible because he lowered his voice, “After seeing your room and this one, I realized this wasn’t just a piece of machinery to you. Everything is so…private here, so personal.”
Perhaps he understood more than I gave him credit for. “Thanks for that.” Giving him a brief glance, I found him watching me. “You’re the first person I’ve ever taken on as a passenger.”
“Heero was on board earlier.”
Accepting this, I yearned for pockets to put my hands in. Instead I crossed them over my chest, “I said passenger. I didn’t have a choice about him being here. Besides, I was with him the whole time.” My temper finally calmed enough for me to face him without choking the life out of him. “That was a low blow, Trowa. Don’t ever tranq me again or I will space you, got it?”
Confusion was his first reaction, “I don’t get it. Heero overheard you muttering something about a sed. We both assumed you wanted a sedative.”
Complications I hadn’t thought of before agreeing to this insane idea had me groaning. “Do us both a favor…don’t assume anything. If you aren’t one-hundred percent positive about something, do and say nothing. A simple mistake like that’ll get us killed on the Shoe.”
“What mistake did I make?” Trowa dogged my heels as I went to the flight deck, checking our course and making some small adjustments. “You have to tell me or I won’t know the difference.”
Propping my feet on the console, I shoved my good hand into my hair, letting my injured and heavily bandaged hand lie in my lap, not quite as sore as it had been. Even my eye was less swollen after my nap, the only good thing about the whole situation. “If I had wanted a sedative I would have said tranq. A sed is slang for a soother, Trowa.”
His face was blank for a long moment before realization dawned in a horrified look, “A soother…like a drug? You take drugs?”
“Only when I’m having a rough time.” Green eyes continued to stare at me until I admitted something no one else knew. “That sedative was the first drug I’ve had in over a year, okay? I had…a problem…before that. I still crave it, but I don’t do it.”
Trowa took a seat in the co-pilot’s chair, too comfortable there for me to be happy about it. Strangely, he seemed to fit into my personal space like no one had before. Noticing it made me want to locate Quatre and get the job over with as soon as possible. Sex is okay. Anything more…I’m not cut out for. I’d rather face ten Allbrights than have to deal with the complications a relationship imposed. It’s sad and pathetic and lonely as hell, but it’s the way I chose to be. Getting close to someone meant getting hurt. Not gonna happen to me ever again.
“How did you get started on soothers?”
Instinct had me ready to ignore the question until I saw the real worry in his eyes. Trowa doesn’t show emotions the same way other people do, but I had learned a long time ago to read what was in his eyes. “I was on a job and got hurt, was out of work for a while. Soothers, jinxers, pills, drink, whatever.” It was the sympathy I could see that had me shrugging, holding back that the job had been done for Une. She didn’t need to know what had caused me to do a vanishing act for four months; the woman had enough guilt where I was concerned.
“Why did you stop? Someone helped you?”
The thought had me laughing out loud. Flinging my arms wide, I gestured to the otherwise empty ship. “Do you see anyone that would give a shit if I died running around in here? I stopped because I take care of myself and I couldn’t do that stoned out of my mind.” Out of frustration and anger at myself, I snorted, “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on taking anything. We’ll get Quatre back.”
“If we had known…”
“What?” I demanded, wishing he would stop acting like he cared. His main concern, as it had always been, was Quatre. “Were you gonna drop everything to come and take care of me? Don’t make me laugh. We both know as soon as I left Earth the four of you forgot about me.”
“Duo, that’s not true. We talked about you often, wondering what you were doing or where you were. No one had any idea where you were or how to get in touch with you until Quatre went missing. Une was the one that told Heero you might be able to help. We…missed you.”
The idea had me snorting as I rolled my eyes, “Why would you miss me? I never fit in with the rest of you, not from day one. I was always on the outside looking in.” Well, that had sounded more than a little bitter, didn’t it?
“You were one of us.” He was frowning at me, the expression one I’m not accustomed. Guess I confused the poor, pretty thing.
“I was never one of you, not really.” I needed to do something to distract myself from the way he was staring at me. I’ve never noticed how intently he can focus on something when he wants to…or maybe that focus was always directed at Quatre.
Facing the console, I flexed my battered hand as much as I could beneath the gauze wrapping it, wincing as bones ground together. None-too-bright had done a helluva job on me, that spineless bastard. Wonder what would’ve happened if it had been just me and him without all his lackies there to help him out. It’s not easy to ignore someone staring a hole into you, but I think I did pretty well, composing several emails to some contacts and a longer one to Une, thanking her for telling Heero and Trowa of my whereabouts, giving the PSP a reason to target me in the process. She would have understood the sarcasm.
I did such a good job of ignoring Trowa that when he spoke I almost jumped out of my seat. Guess I was still nervy from being locked up. “What?”
“You were one of us, Duo. How can you doubt that?”
Trowa didn’t get the idea that I wanted to drop this subject and one look is all it took to know he was going to discuss it whether I wanted to or not. Was he always that damn stubborn? “I was and I wasn’t, okay? You guys trained for years, I had about a year and learned most of my shit as I went. You were assigned to your Gundam, I stole mine.” At Dr. G’s insistence, but Trowa didn’t need to know that. “You had someone to give you orders, I went where I thought I could do some good. What time is it?”
There was surprise at the change of subject. Yee-haw for me, I surprised Trowa twice in one day. “0728.”
“Damn, I slept a long time. It was time I could have used, you know.” I glared and he had the sense to look a tiny bit sheepish, but he didn’t look away like Heero would have. I needed to work on that. “I’m going to get some food.”
On my way back to the galley I tried to think. Don’t laugh, it’s not easy when you find yourself with someone after being alone on board for nearly six years, especially since Trowa apparently decided to stay right behind me. Nerves jittering, I stopped and turned quickly, quirking an eyebrow when he almost ran me over. “What time did we board yesterday?”
“Around 1900, I think. I retrieved you from your cell at 1750, between the guard change.”
“Where the hell did you sleep last night?”
He stared at me, probably unable to keep up with the way my brain worked, then stunned me by blushing and looking away. “I took a nap in the co-pilot’s chair, but I wanted to be awake in case you needed something.”
I needed something, all right. I needed him to give me a bath with his tongue instead of pumping me full of sedatives. Rolling my eyes, I made for the galley again, “Been taking care of myself for a long time, Tro. I don’t need help from you now.”
“You have it, whether you want it or not, Duo. We’re in this together.”
In the galley, I raided my stash of fresh vegetables, glad no one had found it while my Hellion had been docked. Those veggies are worth more than some cargo in space and I would not have been happy about parting with them. Wielding the knife with precision, I quickly sliced some potatoes and put them in a small skillet, cooking them with appliances that pulled out of the wall. It was an odd arrangement, but the ship was my home and I got real sick of eating prepared food all the damned time. I don’t have to worry about things banging around during travel; all the appliances and dishes have a place to store and lock them down in.
“You’re wrong. We may be in this together, but I don’t need your help. The only reason you’re along for the ride is because it gives my story more plausibility.”
“What story?”
If he would have stopped staring at me for five seconds I might not have been so damn mean, but he made me jittery, watching me constantly. “You’re my new partner. I have to show you the ropes. People will buy it and it’ll explain why you’re so damn clueless.”
“I am not clueless.”
It seems I’d hit a nerve. Oopsies. “Yes, you are.”
“I’ve seen the way you look at me. I’m not clueless.”
The look on his face was smug, as if he’d beaten me. Poor, deluded man. Slicing a green pepper and sliding it into the pan, I shrugged, “You’re attractive, I’m gay, and I haven’t had sex in over a year. Of course I look at you, but I’m not talking about that. Sex is easy and luckily, it’s the same everywhere.” Pointing at him with the knife, it was tempting to laugh at his confusion, “You are clueless about how the world works.”
“No, I’m not. I can function well in normal society.”
Did he always talk like that when he felt insulted? If he did, we were in serious doodoo. “Normal society…good for you. Where we’re going isn’t normal. Actually, it’s about as far away from normal as you can get. Your world and my world are as different as night and day.” I said this more as a warning to myself than Trowa, a reminder that he can’t fit in my world for an extended amount of time. He had a life in normal society to get back to. There was a sneer in the mental words to myself. I hate the thought of normal society, in case you haven’t noticed.
“What do you mean by your world?”
“The world of a smuggler, Trowa.”
“You admit you’re a smuggler.”
“I never denied it.” Diving in the fridge, I found six eggs I had gotten from a friend at the last stop before my unexpected visit from the PSP. “You just didn’t ask.”
“You said your cargo was legal.”
“It is, now. I’m basically a delivery man, Tro. You need something to get from one place to another, I’m your man, even if the items aren’t on the up-and-up.”
“Weapons or drugs?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” he had finally sat down but I could still feel his eyes on me, following my every move.
“I don’t move weapons because I’m not a terrorist…not anymore, at least. There’s enough bad shit out there without supplying more. Drugs? Never have, not even before I got hooked on them. My clients know me and have never asked me to deliver those things.”
Thankfully he stopped asking questions, likely bothered by my answers. I have a pretty fucked up view on life, but it’s my life and it’s fucked up. I was happily eating my omelet when I felt his eyes on me again from his spot across the table, his food untouched. “You think sex is easy?”
Of all the damn questions, he’d had to ask that one. “Sure. It’s basic attraction between two people. You have sex then walk away. What’s not easy about that?”
“It sounds…cold, without emotion.”
“Emotion isn’t involved, not for me. If you consider that cold, I guess it is. I make no promises with anyone. That’s how I prefer sex, fun and with no ties.”
“I don’t recall you being so heartless during the war.”
Setting my fork down, I met his eyes, “We spoke a handful of times, and those weren’t in depth conversations. You never knew me.”
His damn green eyes looked into me again. He’s probably hell during an interrogation. All he would need to do is stare at the bad guy and they’d break down babbling. “I knew you,” he announced firmly. “You’ve changed. What happened to make you so cold?”
Warning! Warning! Personal questions off the starboard bow!! I had no intention of answering that. My demons are mine and mine alone, thanks so much. If I ever shared my experiences, it would be with someone I plan to have a future with and since that ain’t gonna happen…it was best to end this once and for all. “If we had sex, you’d realize I’m not cold at all.”
“Sex with no emotions involved. I don’t think I’m made that way.”
That was what I had been depending on. “Yeah, well, it’s how I am. You want some fun? Happy to oblige. You want a relationship? Don’t look my way.” Why were we still having this conversation?
Finished eating, I got up and cleaned the dishes I used, not speaking when Trowa’s plate appeared at my elbow, food gone. Seconds passed before I relented enough to order, “Go get in bed.”
He froze, hand gripping the plate so hard his knuckles turned white. “Duo, I can’t sleep with someone just for fun.”
“Got that, and duly noted. There’s only one bed, Trowa. We have to share. That doesn’t mean sex has to be involved. Go get some sleep while I make some arrangements. Where did you put the stuff I told you to buy?”
“In the cargo hold. Duo…” he finally looked away from me so I glanced up to see that he was blushing again. Score two for me. “If I could have sex without the emotions, I’d take you up on your offer.”
“If I ever change my mind and decide I want it to be complicated, I’ll let you know.” Where the hell had that come from? Had I lost all of my marbles? I didn’t have that many to start with, damnit.
Several minutes passed as he just stood beside me so I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything else. Two worlds were what we lived in, two different outlooks on everything. I shouldn’t have had to keep reminding myself of that. I know what happens when one of those worlds tries to merge with another and the result is heartbreak and pain.
He finally walked away as I finished up the last of the dishes, drying and storing them before making sure the appliances were locked down. Giving him plenty of time to get into my cabin, I pressurized the cargo hold and opened the door, finding the supplies I had asked for in front of the hatch, where there was no chance of me missing them.
Taking the packages back to the galley, I separated the items into three piles, clothes for Trowa, some for me, and a few things I would need on my search for information about Quatre’s disappearance. I also found some items I hadn’t asked for and added them to Trowa’s pile, assuming they were for him. I made my way to the flight deck, har-har, again and fiddled with equipment, making minute corrections in the auto-pilot that wouldn’t affect our course at all. When we finally reached communication range for Strauss several hours later, I turned on my radio and tuned to a channel I knew very well. “Asher-four-ten, this is the Hellion, do you read?”
“Hellion, this is Ash,” came a female voice with a deep southern accent. “That you, D?”
“Who else? Is your other half available, Layla?”
“With a client right now. You in need, darling?”
“I’m gonna be in your area and need a favor.” I couldn’t believe I was doing this, and momentarily wondered why I was. To save Quatre, that’s it. This was part of the plan and had nothing to do with Trowa. “Remember that thing I said I’d never need? Guess I was wrong.”
“When will you be here?” The southern belle was gone, replaced with the serious tone of someone that knew I had a major problem.
“Four days or so, depending on traffic. Can you clear a spot for me?”
“Come for dinner at seven on Thursday, D. We’ll take care of everything then.”
“About dinner, can I bring a friend?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d like to meet the person you’d do this for. You need help getting through the residential?”
“I think I’ve got it covered.”
“See you at seven.” As is her habit, Layla cut transmission before I could say anything else.
With nothing left to do to keep me occupied until we reached Strauss, I slid my finger into a small space hidden under the console and felt around for a second. There are spaces like it all over the ship, each holding money, weapons, and a set of fake ID’s. In the smuggling business, you take precautions whenever you can. This particular stash had something the others didn’t and I pulled out the photo and stared at it for a while. “Nico, you son of a bitch,” was my comment as I looked at the picture of the two of us. Nico had been someone I had actually considered changing my life for and he was the best reminder I had that my world didn’t fit in with the normal one that others lived in.
I actually felt my lip curl in disgust as I crumpled up the photo and let it drop to the floor. Pretty stupid, seeing as how I was gonna be the one to clean it up later, but it made me feel better. That was the last time I had let emotions cloud my judgment and I was determined it wasn’t something I was likely to do again.
“You dropped something.”
It’s not often that I get surprised, but Trowa had almost made me jump out of my boxers. “Don’t do that! I’m armed, remember?” Turning the chair toward him, I tapped meaningfully on the side of the seat where I stored my gun.
Trowa didn’t even have the decency to nod, simply bending down to pick up the crumpled photo. If I’d had it placed on a holo-crystal like I had planned, I could have smashed the damn thing. Unfolding it, his eyes studied the picture for a few minutes, whether that’s good or bad…who knew? “He seems like a nice guy.”
“He was.”
“He’s gone?”
“Nope. I just don’t see him as a nice guy anymore.”
We still had days before we arrived at Strauss, but I needed an excuse to get away from Trowa. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared about what I was wearing and would have been just as happy to remain in my underwear while going on a colony, but Strauss was different than everywhere else; I wouldn’t have made it out of the docking bay in my boxer shorts, so I journeyed to my cabin to plan what to wear. By the time I got there, I already knew he was right behind me again. If he was this damned determined to get answers from me, I think he had found the best way to do it. I would have answered almost anything just to get him to stop dogging my steps. “His name is Nico Braire. His family owns a metal recycling center on the outskirts of Italy and they do a lot of business with salvagers. We met a few months after the war, when I was still salvaging.”
Finding some clothes appropriate for the odd port on Strauss, I shook my head and sat on the edge of the bed, forced to remember. “It was good for a while. We got along pretty well and I enjoyed the time we could spend together. Salvage was already getting sparse, keeping me in space longer and longer. I finally managed to get a nice delivery job, a legal one that paid out the ass. I got done early with a job and went to see Nico for a surprise visit. I got a surprise, let me tell you. I was on my way to the salvaging center when I saw him walking down the street with another guy. I walked up behind them, intending to…” I had planned to kiss him and thank the hells I hadn’t. “It only took an instant to realize I’d been conned. While I had been thinking what we had was special, I was just a side-piece until his boyfriend came back from school.”
“Are you sure?”
My laughs can sound like all kinds of things: real laughter, hysteria, insanity. What came out of my mouth resembled a sob so much I slapped a hand over my mouth to make sure another one didn’t sneak its way out. Trowa was looking at me with sympathy, something I hate. “I heard them, Trowa. Talking about me. I left Earth for good after that and began lining up some contacts for my current business. I haven’t been on planet since.” Have you heard of ground penetrating radar? I think Trowa has something like that, something that lets him see inside a person and reveal all their secrets. I like my secrets hidden, thanks much. “Stop staring at me like I’m pitiful. I got over it.”
“Then why do you keep the picture?”
“To remind me nothing is permanent and those different worlds don’t mix. My world is simple and straight forward compared to yours. If someone looks at you like they want sex, they want sex. If someone’s looking at you like they want to kill you, they want to kill you.”
He didn’t leave the room and I was tired of wasting time trying to explain. Standing, I pulled off my boxers and started working tight leather pants up my legs. It’s a miracle I hadn’t needed lube to get into the damn things, but I finally got them on, pulling the strings loose on the sides so there was skin showing through, patches of white surrounded by black. On went the vest, a skin-tight match to the pants, and finally the half boots that completed my ensemble. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been sure the clothes were still going to fit, hence the early dress rehearsal.
Trowa’s eyes were so wide that they had looked like they were going to pop out of his head. The comical expression had me laughing so hard I was afraid I was going to rip a seam, but the leather held up. “I’m taking a guess you don’t know much about Strauss.”
“I know the residents there keep to themselves and they have exotic tastes for things rare or beautiful.”
“Understatement; Most of those exotic tastes are aimed at their slaves. They keep to themselves because the rest of the colony doesn’t want to be associated with Strauss. Honestly, if I ever wanted to settle down, Strauss might be a good place to live.”
“Slavery is illegal.”
“So are jinxers, but I know at least a dozen suppliers I could call right now if I wanted. Being illegal is half the fun. It’s not like the slaves are complaining, trust me.”
“I don’t have to wear something like that, do I?”
Watching him closely for a reaction, I smiled slowly, “Nope; you’re my owner.” As I had hoped, I wasn’t disappointed when his mouth fell open. He really does have the same expressions as the rest of us and I’ve seen the proof. Hallelujah.
“I’m your what?”
“Owner. I’m not going out there alone. Unclaimed slaves are like bait to those people. It’s like a piranha feeding frenzy and I do not want a bite taken out of my ass…unless you’re willing?” Batting my lashes, I snorted as he swallowed hard. I might have had the shit beaten out of me two days previous, but I still knew how to attract attention if I wanted it. “Do you have any tattoos where they can be seen?”
“I have one on my back.”
“Let me see.”
Turning, he pulled his shirt over his head. Boy, oh, boy, I had no idea a back could be so sexy, but Trowa’s was. Settle down, boy. Not for you. Untouchable. Off limits. Different worlds. Okay, maybe I could do this without drooling.
Lightly I ran my fingertips over the small set of dots that would be unrecognizable if you didn’t stare at the stars as often as I do. “The constellation Leo. Fitting.” He jumped a little at my touch, probably because my hands stay damn cold most of the time. “Can you recreate it, just above my shoulder blade?”
“I am not giving you a tattoo, Duo.”
“I have some ink that won’t wash off for a few days and will stand up to scrutiny; it won’t smear if someone swipes at it.”
“I don’t know if this is a good idea. What happens if someone doesn’t believe us?”
“Jail, if we’re lucky. I’ve done this before. You won’t have to talk because most owners don’t speak to anyone other than their slaves. Part of the whole, ‘I’m too rich to speak to you’ thing. Most slaves do all the talking in public.” At the doubtful look on his face, I began to wonder about the wisdom of bringing him along instead of Heero.
Giving an irritated flick of my wrist that’s an insult in most of the ports I frequent, I let him know exactly how I felt as I pulled at the gauze wrapping my other wrist. “Forget it. I’ll get someone else to do this. Apparently, I was wrong about you. I should have brought Heero. He might get me killed once we get to the Shoe, but at least I could’ve gotten there. At this rate, we won’t even make it that far. Do us both a favor and send Une an email; tell her to make arrangements to pick you up. I need someone I can count on. That ain’t you, Trowa. You’re hot and all, but that’s not enough to help save Quatre.”
More than a little irritated, let’s face it, I was pissed he wasn’t as good as I thought, I sashayed my way back through the ship, making sure not to touch him as I pass. The sashay wasn’t deliberate, by the way, I have to walk that way in those leather pants or I’ll lose something vitally important to me. Point is, having to change my plans put me in a pisser of a mood.
“What do you need me to do?”
“I told you already. Send Une a message. You aren’t cut out for this kind of thing. Pack your shit and go back to your normal life,” damn, I’m good at making insults.
“I can do this. I can do whatever you need me to do.” He sounded determined even though his voice was as soft as usual.
Whirling around, I almost hit myself in the face with my own hair, tossing a hand up to protect myself. It happens a lot and the weapons I keep hidden in there sometimes make it more than a little painful. The expression he had was as determined as his voice, but determination wasn’t going to be enough to change my mind. “Can you really do what I need you to do? If you can’t be convincing, we’ll either be thrown in jail or killed and no one will be able to find Quatre. Honestly, if you can’t do this, you’ll likely be beat to death and I’ll get screwed in a number of inventive ways, literally. This is the best chance we have. If you can’t do it, you’ll stay on the ship while I go by myself.”
“You need someone to be your owner,” he told me, practically begging me to argue.
Of course, I obliged him, “It would be easier, but I’ve done this before as a free slave. I can do it again, but it’ll take days to do what I need to do instead of hours. Free slaves can be temporarily claimed by any owner. They get paid well, but the amount of time an owner keeps them around can depend.” Faced with blatant confusion, I rubbed my eye carefully, hoping some of the swelling went down before we docked. “Trowa, think high-class hookers.”
If his eyeballs popped out of his head, I swore that Heero would be the one coming to clean up the mess. I guess it took some time to unglue his tongue, but he did finally manage to form words. “You would have sex with strangers?”
“Sex doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s a commodity I’ll use when I can and I’ll enjoy the hell out of myself. Sex is a tool that can be used to get what I need if there isn’t another way. If you can’t do this, sex is my next option.” I had skirted the line between truth and a lie, but again…he didn’t need to know that.
“You’ll have to tell me what to do.”
He was still wearing the thick black pants and tank top he wore while saving my ass from the PSP and looked hot as hell, but that look wouldn’t work for where we were going. “We have a few days until we get to Strauss. You better be paying attention, because you have a helluva lot to learn and a short time to do it in.”
Sedatives piss me off, for a number of reasons. I can’t fight them and when I’ve been dosed enough to pass out I can’t wake myself up. This is bad because I tend to relive the worst times in my life when I’m asleep and that time was no different.
My dead…my ghosts, my regrets, had me surrounded, each of them planning to get their pound of flesh in retribution for letting them die before they sent my soul to hell, where my old buddy Deathscythe was waiting to torture me for eternity, possibly for blowing him up. Is it weird that he was in my dreams? I’ve never thought so; he was my partner for a long time, longer than anyone else had ever been.
Metal hands were reaching for me with the promise of crushing my bones when I forced myself from the nightmare, my good hand clenched into a fist as I sat up in my bed, eyes searching the shadows of my room for any sign my own demons had followed me into the real world.
Did you really have any doubts that I’m crazy? I’m fairly certain I am a complete whack-job, to use medical terms. Reassuring myself I was alone, I tried to recall how I had gone to sleep in the first place. As soon as that memory clicked into place I was off the bed and out the door, searching my Hellion for the jerk that had sedated me on my own ship. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t mad. I was flaming pissed and thought I was well within my rights to tear Trowa limb from limb and jettisoning his corpse in space.
You probably don’t understand why I was so furious. I’ll tell you. The Hellion isn’t just a ship to me. She’s my home. Imagine how you would feel if a guest in your own home sedated you and then spent the hours you were unconscious prowling around your house. The Hellion was the one place I felt completely safe and Trowa had violated that in a way that was, to me, unforgivable. I know all of the Hellion’s secrets and she knows mine.
In addition to the enhancements and modifications I had made after getting my ship, I had also hired a friend to do some artwork for me. She had painted anything I had asked for; we had spent weeks going over what I had wanted and it had been months before the job had been finished. The result was a lot like me, really. Eccentric, eclectic, and varied. My hopes, dreams, fears and pain had gone into creating the interior of my ship and I didn’t like knowing someone had been able to see every bit of it without me knowing.
I eventually found him sitting in the galley that had been painted to look like one of the hideouts I had lived in as a child. It was one of the few fond memories I have of my childhood and I hated the way he sat staring at the huddle of children that had been painted in one corner, laughing at something the leader had said as he stood over them. Solo had always been good at making us laugh, even in the worst of situations.
Seeing me, Trowa stood, backing up quickly when he got a good look at my face. His death must have been written there because he threw his hands up, “Wait, Duo, let me explain.”
“Nothing to explain. You either get the hell off my ship when we get to Strauss or I space your ass. Take your choice.”
“You needed to rest.”
“I needed to be in control of my own ship,” I tossed back, fuming.
“Your ship is fine. I didn’t touch the controls.”
The real fear on his face was what made me take a few calming breaths. I was expecting him to understand the way it was for people like me, people who had nothing but their ships and no one to count on but themselves. Trowa had fought in the war, had been a damn good pilot, but he wasn’t like me. He didn’t know the rules. In his mind, he had been trying to help.
Apparently sensing I had decided not to kill him, he took a cautious step forward. “I only wanted you to rest, Duo. You were so hurt; I thought some sleep would help.”
“It didn’t. For me, sleep never helps. The time would have been better spent getting ready.” Crossing to the fridge, I grabbed a cold bottle of soda, jabbing in a straw and sucking greedily. Acknowledging I wouldn’t feel better until I knew for sure, I stared at my past gang, “How much of the ship did you explore?”
“I stayed between here and the flight deck.” My surprise must have been visible because he lowered his voice, “After seeing your room and this one, I realized this wasn’t just a piece of machinery to you. Everything is so…private here, so personal.”
Perhaps he understood more than I gave him credit for. “Thanks for that.” Giving him a brief glance, I found him watching me. “You’re the first person I’ve ever taken on as a passenger.”
“Heero was on board earlier.”
Accepting this, I yearned for pockets to put my hands in. Instead I crossed them over my chest, “I said passenger. I didn’t have a choice about him being here. Besides, I was with him the whole time.” My temper finally calmed enough for me to face him without choking the life out of him. “That was a low blow, Trowa. Don’t ever tranq me again or I will space you, got it?”
Confusion was his first reaction, “I don’t get it. Heero overheard you muttering something about a sed. We both assumed you wanted a sedative.”
Complications I hadn’t thought of before agreeing to this insane idea had me groaning. “Do us both a favor…don’t assume anything. If you aren’t one-hundred percent positive about something, do and say nothing. A simple mistake like that’ll get us killed on the Shoe.”
“What mistake did I make?” Trowa dogged my heels as I went to the flight deck, checking our course and making some small adjustments. “You have to tell me or I won’t know the difference.”
Propping my feet on the console, I shoved my good hand into my hair, letting my injured and heavily bandaged hand lie in my lap, not quite as sore as it had been. Even my eye was less swollen after my nap, the only good thing about the whole situation. “If I had wanted a sedative I would have said tranq. A sed is slang for a soother, Trowa.”
His face was blank for a long moment before realization dawned in a horrified look, “A soother…like a drug? You take drugs?”
“Only when I’m having a rough time.” Green eyes continued to stare at me until I admitted something no one else knew. “That sedative was the first drug I’ve had in over a year, okay? I had…a problem…before that. I still crave it, but I don’t do it.”
Trowa took a seat in the co-pilot’s chair, too comfortable there for me to be happy about it. Strangely, he seemed to fit into my personal space like no one had before. Noticing it made me want to locate Quatre and get the job over with as soon as possible. Sex is okay. Anything more…I’m not cut out for. I’d rather face ten Allbrights than have to deal with the complications a relationship imposed. It’s sad and pathetic and lonely as hell, but it’s the way I chose to be. Getting close to someone meant getting hurt. Not gonna happen to me ever again.
“How did you get started on soothers?”
Instinct had me ready to ignore the question until I saw the real worry in his eyes. Trowa doesn’t show emotions the same way other people do, but I had learned a long time ago to read what was in his eyes. “I was on a job and got hurt, was out of work for a while. Soothers, jinxers, pills, drink, whatever.” It was the sympathy I could see that had me shrugging, holding back that the job had been done for Une. She didn’t need to know what had caused me to do a vanishing act for four months; the woman had enough guilt where I was concerned.
“Why did you stop? Someone helped you?”
The thought had me laughing out loud. Flinging my arms wide, I gestured to the otherwise empty ship. “Do you see anyone that would give a shit if I died running around in here? I stopped because I take care of myself and I couldn’t do that stoned out of my mind.” Out of frustration and anger at myself, I snorted, “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on taking anything. We’ll get Quatre back.”
“If we had known…”
“What?” I demanded, wishing he would stop acting like he cared. His main concern, as it had always been, was Quatre. “Were you gonna drop everything to come and take care of me? Don’t make me laugh. We both know as soon as I left Earth the four of you forgot about me.”
“Duo, that’s not true. We talked about you often, wondering what you were doing or where you were. No one had any idea where you were or how to get in touch with you until Quatre went missing. Une was the one that told Heero you might be able to help. We…missed you.”
The idea had me snorting as I rolled my eyes, “Why would you miss me? I never fit in with the rest of you, not from day one. I was always on the outside looking in.” Well, that had sounded more than a little bitter, didn’t it?
“You were one of us.” He was frowning at me, the expression one I’m not accustomed. Guess I confused the poor, pretty thing.
“I was never one of you, not really.” I needed to do something to distract myself from the way he was staring at me. I’ve never noticed how intently he can focus on something when he wants to…or maybe that focus was always directed at Quatre.
Facing the console, I flexed my battered hand as much as I could beneath the gauze wrapping it, wincing as bones ground together. None-too-bright had done a helluva job on me, that spineless bastard. Wonder what would’ve happened if it had been just me and him without all his lackies there to help him out. It’s not easy to ignore someone staring a hole into you, but I think I did pretty well, composing several emails to some contacts and a longer one to Une, thanking her for telling Heero and Trowa of my whereabouts, giving the PSP a reason to target me in the process. She would have understood the sarcasm.
I did such a good job of ignoring Trowa that when he spoke I almost jumped out of my seat. Guess I was still nervy from being locked up. “What?”
“You were one of us, Duo. How can you doubt that?”
Trowa didn’t get the idea that I wanted to drop this subject and one look is all it took to know he was going to discuss it whether I wanted to or not. Was he always that damn stubborn? “I was and I wasn’t, okay? You guys trained for years, I had about a year and learned most of my shit as I went. You were assigned to your Gundam, I stole mine.” At Dr. G’s insistence, but Trowa didn’t need to know that. “You had someone to give you orders, I went where I thought I could do some good. What time is it?”
There was surprise at the change of subject. Yee-haw for me, I surprised Trowa twice in one day. “0728.”
“Damn, I slept a long time. It was time I could have used, you know.” I glared and he had the sense to look a tiny bit sheepish, but he didn’t look away like Heero would have. I needed to work on that. “I’m going to get some food.”
On my way back to the galley I tried to think. Don’t laugh, it’s not easy when you find yourself with someone after being alone on board for nearly six years, especially since Trowa apparently decided to stay right behind me. Nerves jittering, I stopped and turned quickly, quirking an eyebrow when he almost ran me over. “What time did we board yesterday?”
“Around 1900, I think. I retrieved you from your cell at 1750, between the guard change.”
“Where the hell did you sleep last night?”
He stared at me, probably unable to keep up with the way my brain worked, then stunned me by blushing and looking away. “I took a nap in the co-pilot’s chair, but I wanted to be awake in case you needed something.”
I needed something, all right. I needed him to give me a bath with his tongue instead of pumping me full of sedatives. Rolling my eyes, I made for the galley again, “Been taking care of myself for a long time, Tro. I don’t need help from you now.”
“You have it, whether you want it or not, Duo. We’re in this together.”
In the galley, I raided my stash of fresh vegetables, glad no one had found it while my Hellion had been docked. Those veggies are worth more than some cargo in space and I would not have been happy about parting with them. Wielding the knife with precision, I quickly sliced some potatoes and put them in a small skillet, cooking them with appliances that pulled out of the wall. It was an odd arrangement, but the ship was my home and I got real sick of eating prepared food all the damned time. I don’t have to worry about things banging around during travel; all the appliances and dishes have a place to store and lock them down in.
“You’re wrong. We may be in this together, but I don’t need your help. The only reason you’re along for the ride is because it gives my story more plausibility.”
“What story?”
If he would have stopped staring at me for five seconds I might not have been so damn mean, but he made me jittery, watching me constantly. “You’re my new partner. I have to show you the ropes. People will buy it and it’ll explain why you’re so damn clueless.”
“I am not clueless.”
It seems I’d hit a nerve. Oopsies. “Yes, you are.”
“I’ve seen the way you look at me. I’m not clueless.”
The look on his face was smug, as if he’d beaten me. Poor, deluded man. Slicing a green pepper and sliding it into the pan, I shrugged, “You’re attractive, I’m gay, and I haven’t had sex in over a year. Of course I look at you, but I’m not talking about that. Sex is easy and luckily, it’s the same everywhere.” Pointing at him with the knife, it was tempting to laugh at his confusion, “You are clueless about how the world works.”
“No, I’m not. I can function well in normal society.”
Did he always talk like that when he felt insulted? If he did, we were in serious doodoo. “Normal society…good for you. Where we’re going isn’t normal. Actually, it’s about as far away from normal as you can get. Your world and my world are as different as night and day.” I said this more as a warning to myself than Trowa, a reminder that he can’t fit in my world for an extended amount of time. He had a life in normal society to get back to. There was a sneer in the mental words to myself. I hate the thought of normal society, in case you haven’t noticed.
“What do you mean by your world?”
“The world of a smuggler, Trowa.”
“You admit you’re a smuggler.”
“I never denied it.” Diving in the fridge, I found six eggs I had gotten from a friend at the last stop before my unexpected visit from the PSP. “You just didn’t ask.”
“You said your cargo was legal.”
“It is, now. I’m basically a delivery man, Tro. You need something to get from one place to another, I’m your man, even if the items aren’t on the up-and-up.”
“Weapons or drugs?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” he had finally sat down but I could still feel his eyes on me, following my every move.
“I don’t move weapons because I’m not a terrorist…not anymore, at least. There’s enough bad shit out there without supplying more. Drugs? Never have, not even before I got hooked on them. My clients know me and have never asked me to deliver those things.”
Thankfully he stopped asking questions, likely bothered by my answers. I have a pretty fucked up view on life, but it’s my life and it’s fucked up. I was happily eating my omelet when I felt his eyes on me again from his spot across the table, his food untouched. “You think sex is easy?”
Of all the damn questions, he’d had to ask that one. “Sure. It’s basic attraction between two people. You have sex then walk away. What’s not easy about that?”
“It sounds…cold, without emotion.”
“Emotion isn’t involved, not for me. If you consider that cold, I guess it is. I make no promises with anyone. That’s how I prefer sex, fun and with no ties.”
“I don’t recall you being so heartless during the war.”
Setting my fork down, I met his eyes, “We spoke a handful of times, and those weren’t in depth conversations. You never knew me.”
His damn green eyes looked into me again. He’s probably hell during an interrogation. All he would need to do is stare at the bad guy and they’d break down babbling. “I knew you,” he announced firmly. “You’ve changed. What happened to make you so cold?”
Warning! Warning! Personal questions off the starboard bow!! I had no intention of answering that. My demons are mine and mine alone, thanks so much. If I ever shared my experiences, it would be with someone I plan to have a future with and since that ain’t gonna happen…it was best to end this once and for all. “If we had sex, you’d realize I’m not cold at all.”
“Sex with no emotions involved. I don’t think I’m made that way.”
That was what I had been depending on. “Yeah, well, it’s how I am. You want some fun? Happy to oblige. You want a relationship? Don’t look my way.” Why were we still having this conversation?
Finished eating, I got up and cleaned the dishes I used, not speaking when Trowa’s plate appeared at my elbow, food gone. Seconds passed before I relented enough to order, “Go get in bed.”
He froze, hand gripping the plate so hard his knuckles turned white. “Duo, I can’t sleep with someone just for fun.”
“Got that, and duly noted. There’s only one bed, Trowa. We have to share. That doesn’t mean sex has to be involved. Go get some sleep while I make some arrangements. Where did you put the stuff I told you to buy?”
“In the cargo hold. Duo…” he finally looked away from me so I glanced up to see that he was blushing again. Score two for me. “If I could have sex without the emotions, I’d take you up on your offer.”
“If I ever change my mind and decide I want it to be complicated, I’ll let you know.” Where the hell had that come from? Had I lost all of my marbles? I didn’t have that many to start with, damnit.
Several minutes passed as he just stood beside me so I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything else. Two worlds were what we lived in, two different outlooks on everything. I shouldn’t have had to keep reminding myself of that. I know what happens when one of those worlds tries to merge with another and the result is heartbreak and pain.
He finally walked away as I finished up the last of the dishes, drying and storing them before making sure the appliances were locked down. Giving him plenty of time to get into my cabin, I pressurized the cargo hold and opened the door, finding the supplies I had asked for in front of the hatch, where there was no chance of me missing them.
Taking the packages back to the galley, I separated the items into three piles, clothes for Trowa, some for me, and a few things I would need on my search for information about Quatre’s disappearance. I also found some items I hadn’t asked for and added them to Trowa’s pile, assuming they were for him. I made my way to the flight deck, har-har, again and fiddled with equipment, making minute corrections in the auto-pilot that wouldn’t affect our course at all. When we finally reached communication range for Strauss several hours later, I turned on my radio and tuned to a channel I knew very well. “Asher-four-ten, this is the Hellion, do you read?”
“Hellion, this is Ash,” came a female voice with a deep southern accent. “That you, D?”
“Who else? Is your other half available, Layla?”
“With a client right now. You in need, darling?”
“I’m gonna be in your area and need a favor.” I couldn’t believe I was doing this, and momentarily wondered why I was. To save Quatre, that’s it. This was part of the plan and had nothing to do with Trowa. “Remember that thing I said I’d never need? Guess I was wrong.”
“When will you be here?” The southern belle was gone, replaced with the serious tone of someone that knew I had a major problem.
“Four days or so, depending on traffic. Can you clear a spot for me?”
“Come for dinner at seven on Thursday, D. We’ll take care of everything then.”
“About dinner, can I bring a friend?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d like to meet the person you’d do this for. You need help getting through the residential?”
“I think I’ve got it covered.”
“See you at seven.” As is her habit, Layla cut transmission before I could say anything else.
With nothing left to do to keep me occupied until we reached Strauss, I slid my finger into a small space hidden under the console and felt around for a second. There are spaces like it all over the ship, each holding money, weapons, and a set of fake ID’s. In the smuggling business, you take precautions whenever you can. This particular stash had something the others didn’t and I pulled out the photo and stared at it for a while. “Nico, you son of a bitch,” was my comment as I looked at the picture of the two of us. Nico had been someone I had actually considered changing my life for and he was the best reminder I had that my world didn’t fit in with the normal one that others lived in.
I actually felt my lip curl in disgust as I crumpled up the photo and let it drop to the floor. Pretty stupid, seeing as how I was gonna be the one to clean it up later, but it made me feel better. That was the last time I had let emotions cloud my judgment and I was determined it wasn’t something I was likely to do again.
“You dropped something.”
It’s not often that I get surprised, but Trowa had almost made me jump out of my boxers. “Don’t do that! I’m armed, remember?” Turning the chair toward him, I tapped meaningfully on the side of the seat where I stored my gun.
Trowa didn’t even have the decency to nod, simply bending down to pick up the crumpled photo. If I’d had it placed on a holo-crystal like I had planned, I could have smashed the damn thing. Unfolding it, his eyes studied the picture for a few minutes, whether that’s good or bad…who knew? “He seems like a nice guy.”
“He was.”
“He’s gone?”
“Nope. I just don’t see him as a nice guy anymore.”
We still had days before we arrived at Strauss, but I needed an excuse to get away from Trowa. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared about what I was wearing and would have been just as happy to remain in my underwear while going on a colony, but Strauss was different than everywhere else; I wouldn’t have made it out of the docking bay in my boxer shorts, so I journeyed to my cabin to plan what to wear. By the time I got there, I already knew he was right behind me again. If he was this damned determined to get answers from me, I think he had found the best way to do it. I would have answered almost anything just to get him to stop dogging my steps. “His name is Nico Braire. His family owns a metal recycling center on the outskirts of Italy and they do a lot of business with salvagers. We met a few months after the war, when I was still salvaging.”
Finding some clothes appropriate for the odd port on Strauss, I shook my head and sat on the edge of the bed, forced to remember. “It was good for a while. We got along pretty well and I enjoyed the time we could spend together. Salvage was already getting sparse, keeping me in space longer and longer. I finally managed to get a nice delivery job, a legal one that paid out the ass. I got done early with a job and went to see Nico for a surprise visit. I got a surprise, let me tell you. I was on my way to the salvaging center when I saw him walking down the street with another guy. I walked up behind them, intending to…” I had planned to kiss him and thank the hells I hadn’t. “It only took an instant to realize I’d been conned. While I had been thinking what we had was special, I was just a side-piece until his boyfriend came back from school.”
“Are you sure?”
My laughs can sound like all kinds of things: real laughter, hysteria, insanity. What came out of my mouth resembled a sob so much I slapped a hand over my mouth to make sure another one didn’t sneak its way out. Trowa was looking at me with sympathy, something I hate. “I heard them, Trowa. Talking about me. I left Earth for good after that and began lining up some contacts for my current business. I haven’t been on planet since.” Have you heard of ground penetrating radar? I think Trowa has something like that, something that lets him see inside a person and reveal all their secrets. I like my secrets hidden, thanks much. “Stop staring at me like I’m pitiful. I got over it.”
“Then why do you keep the picture?”
“To remind me nothing is permanent and those different worlds don’t mix. My world is simple and straight forward compared to yours. If someone looks at you like they want sex, they want sex. If someone’s looking at you like they want to kill you, they want to kill you.”
He didn’t leave the room and I was tired of wasting time trying to explain. Standing, I pulled off my boxers and started working tight leather pants up my legs. It’s a miracle I hadn’t needed lube to get into the damn things, but I finally got them on, pulling the strings loose on the sides so there was skin showing through, patches of white surrounded by black. On went the vest, a skin-tight match to the pants, and finally the half boots that completed my ensemble. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been sure the clothes were still going to fit, hence the early dress rehearsal.
Trowa’s eyes were so wide that they had looked like they were going to pop out of his head. The comical expression had me laughing so hard I was afraid I was going to rip a seam, but the leather held up. “I’m taking a guess you don’t know much about Strauss.”
“I know the residents there keep to themselves and they have exotic tastes for things rare or beautiful.”
“Understatement; Most of those exotic tastes are aimed at their slaves. They keep to themselves because the rest of the colony doesn’t want to be associated with Strauss. Honestly, if I ever wanted to settle down, Strauss might be a good place to live.”
“Slavery is illegal.”
“So are jinxers, but I know at least a dozen suppliers I could call right now if I wanted. Being illegal is half the fun. It’s not like the slaves are complaining, trust me.”
“I don’t have to wear something like that, do I?”
Watching him closely for a reaction, I smiled slowly, “Nope; you’re my owner.” As I had hoped, I wasn’t disappointed when his mouth fell open. He really does have the same expressions as the rest of us and I’ve seen the proof. Hallelujah.
“I’m your what?”
“Owner. I’m not going out there alone. Unclaimed slaves are like bait to those people. It’s like a piranha feeding frenzy and I do not want a bite taken out of my ass…unless you’re willing?” Batting my lashes, I snorted as he swallowed hard. I might have had the shit beaten out of me two days previous, but I still knew how to attract attention if I wanted it. “Do you have any tattoos where they can be seen?”
“I have one on my back.”
“Let me see.”
Turning, he pulled his shirt over his head. Boy, oh, boy, I had no idea a back could be so sexy, but Trowa’s was. Settle down, boy. Not for you. Untouchable. Off limits. Different worlds. Okay, maybe I could do this without drooling.
Lightly I ran my fingertips over the small set of dots that would be unrecognizable if you didn’t stare at the stars as often as I do. “The constellation Leo. Fitting.” He jumped a little at my touch, probably because my hands stay damn cold most of the time. “Can you recreate it, just above my shoulder blade?”
“I am not giving you a tattoo, Duo.”
“I have some ink that won’t wash off for a few days and will stand up to scrutiny; it won’t smear if someone swipes at it.”
“I don’t know if this is a good idea. What happens if someone doesn’t believe us?”
“Jail, if we’re lucky. I’ve done this before. You won’t have to talk because most owners don’t speak to anyone other than their slaves. Part of the whole, ‘I’m too rich to speak to you’ thing. Most slaves do all the talking in public.” At the doubtful look on his face, I began to wonder about the wisdom of bringing him along instead of Heero.
Giving an irritated flick of my wrist that’s an insult in most of the ports I frequent, I let him know exactly how I felt as I pulled at the gauze wrapping my other wrist. “Forget it. I’ll get someone else to do this. Apparently, I was wrong about you. I should have brought Heero. He might get me killed once we get to the Shoe, but at least I could’ve gotten there. At this rate, we won’t even make it that far. Do us both a favor and send Une an email; tell her to make arrangements to pick you up. I need someone I can count on. That ain’t you, Trowa. You’re hot and all, but that’s not enough to help save Quatre.”
More than a little irritated, let’s face it, I was pissed he wasn’t as good as I thought, I sashayed my way back through the ship, making sure not to touch him as I pass. The sashay wasn’t deliberate, by the way, I have to walk that way in those leather pants or I’ll lose something vitally important to me. Point is, having to change my plans put me in a pisser of a mood.
“What do you need me to do?”
“I told you already. Send Une a message. You aren’t cut out for this kind of thing. Pack your shit and go back to your normal life,” damn, I’m good at making insults.
“I can do this. I can do whatever you need me to do.” He sounded determined even though his voice was as soft as usual.
Whirling around, I almost hit myself in the face with my own hair, tossing a hand up to protect myself. It happens a lot and the weapons I keep hidden in there sometimes make it more than a little painful. The expression he had was as determined as his voice, but determination wasn’t going to be enough to change my mind. “Can you really do what I need you to do? If you can’t be convincing, we’ll either be thrown in jail or killed and no one will be able to find Quatre. Honestly, if you can’t do this, you’ll likely be beat to death and I’ll get screwed in a number of inventive ways, literally. This is the best chance we have. If you can’t do it, you’ll stay on the ship while I go by myself.”
“You need someone to be your owner,” he told me, practically begging me to argue.
Of course, I obliged him, “It would be easier, but I’ve done this before as a free slave. I can do it again, but it’ll take days to do what I need to do instead of hours. Free slaves can be temporarily claimed by any owner. They get paid well, but the amount of time an owner keeps them around can depend.” Faced with blatant confusion, I rubbed my eye carefully, hoping some of the swelling went down before we docked. “Trowa, think high-class hookers.”
If his eyeballs popped out of his head, I swore that Heero would be the one coming to clean up the mess. I guess it took some time to unglue his tongue, but he did finally manage to form words. “You would have sex with strangers?”
“Sex doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s a commodity I’ll use when I can and I’ll enjoy the hell out of myself. Sex is a tool that can be used to get what I need if there isn’t another way. If you can’t do this, sex is my next option.” I had skirted the line between truth and a lie, but again…he didn’t need to know that.
“You’ll have to tell me what to do.”
He was still wearing the thick black pants and tank top he wore while saving my ass from the PSP and looked hot as hell, but that look wouldn’t work for where we were going. “We have a few days until we get to Strauss. You better be paying attention, because you have a helluva lot to learn and a short time to do it in.”