"ALL I WANTED TO DO IS COME AND VISIT YOU HEERO!" he shouts, defending himself from big bad horrible me. I sigh and think back on what started the fight this time. Yep you guessed it. I was fast asleep and he woke me up. When he came in, he slammed the door, then kicked his boots off against the wall my headboard shares with the living room, then decided to yell loudly to see if I was home. I was wide awake by the time the force of his clodhopper boots hitting the wall knocked my reading lamp onto my head.
As I was getting dressed, Duo burst into the room carrying Chinese food. I think its gross and he knows it.
Long story short, Duo thinks I'm not talking to him because it took me all of five minutes to get a word in edgewise and tell him that I was asleep. That was five minutes more than Duo preferred apparently because the next thing that spews from the lips I used to love to kiss so much is "Geez Heero….You sleep too much. Maybe we should go out tonight"
"Why tonight?" I ask him. He looks at me as if I've said I wish he'd die. "But Heero…I…I thought-" now I was getting angry. "YOU THOUGHT WHAT DUO?? We are not dating anymore. I DON'T want you in my apartment! I DON'T want you to tell me what I do right or wrong, and wipe that look off your face because I'm NOT sorry!" Duo stared at me shocked as I continued on. "I don't care if you cry all day but you're NOT gunna do it here! We. Are. OVER. Do you hear me? OVER!!" Duo stumbled back a few steps before tripping on a throw rug and falling to the floor. As he fell his hand unconsciously reached towards my desk, grabbing at anything that would keep him upright. He grabbed my letter opener.
There was a moment of heavy silence in the small bedroom. That's when he looked up at me and cocked his head ever so slightly. "So…that's all? After all we've been through together, after all we've shared, and experienced…You're willing to just throw that all away? How can you say it all so easily Heero?" said Duo standing. "Didn't any of it mean ANYTHING TO YOU??? You were the first and only person I gave myself to after my life on the streets. And you learned to open yourself up to people through me. And yet you can still stand there and tell me we're over…That you're not willing to try…" I could hear Duo's voice tightening as his hidden eyes filled with tears. "That you're going to throw it all away….Our first real steps as human beings in the real world?? And you don't wanna hold onto it?"
After a pause I quietly looked away and nodded.
That's when the dam holding Duo's tears broke, and they all came flooding out. "You're an asshole Heero Yuy!" he cried. "Do you know how much what you said hurts? Do you know at all? Do you even care??" I didn't respond.
Duo let out a disgusted huff and stomped towards me. He brought his face close to mine and ground out, his word full of pain and anger: "Well let me show you!"
At that moment I realized what was about to happen and I regretted everything I said. For the split second before Duo grabbed my upper arm in his powerful grip and sliced it open with the letter opener, I wanted to scream that I was sorry. But I never got the chance. Because as soon as Duo felt my blood hit his thumb, he had turned and bolted from the room. Had I known he was going to disappear seemingly from the face of the planet, I would've run after him. Instead I sat down on my bed, and pulled the gauze out of my bedside table, preparing my apology to him for when he came back later.
He never did.
Two years later I quit my online sorting job and decided to go for a college education at a local University nearby where I lived.
The day of registration, after I had my schedule I decided to travel the buildings and see what the place looked like on the inside. My first Class was Biology so I headed to the middle building on the second floor. After watching the class's pet frogs and turtles sit and check out all the students passing back and fourth, I moved on to my second class. Art History.
That class was in the building on the far left on the top floor. That class looked as though it was going to be interesting. A lot of the art pieces in the room had information about the time period and things of that nature beside it. I went and read most of those before going to My last class for Mondays and Wednesdays.
Mechanics.
When I entered the garage there was a small group of students sitting on and around a greasy, tattered teachers desk in the corner. They were discussing something quietly and every now and then they'd laugh about something and glance across the room. I wasn't sure exactly what to make of that, so I ignored it and went over to examine what the class would be working on this year. An old black piece of shit Cherry Nova. I looked in the window of the car to check out the interior. Wow. What a mess. Suddenly the car door across from me opened and a hand reached over to the glove compartment. I looked up and decided I should say hello. "Hey…cool car isn't it? Man I cant wait to work on it." The boy across from me gasped and bumped his head on the doorframe as he backed up. I cringed and stood as well so I could talk to the stranger properly.
This kid was covered in grease. He had brown chin length hair and green eyes with a skin tone similar to my own. "Geez. Are you ok? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you like that. Stupid me huh?" The boy smiled shyly and turned to go to another part of the garage. Clearly he was busy, but he could've at least said SOMETHING to me. As I stood and watched him walk off, the group in the corner laughed and called out to me. "Hey dude! That's Cory. He doesn't talk much."
"Oh." I said. "Are you his friends or something?"
"Tch! Hardly!" one of them said. "We just like to play with his mind. He's really smart. He's fun to watch. Arentcha Zippit??" the kid yelled across the garage to Cory. Cory turned, scowled and turned his attention back to the bookself full of textbooks.
"That's what we call him-Zippit. He hates it…he only talks to us when we don't call him that…"
"Or when we're not doing this: " said a pudgy boy, demonstrating how they pelt Cory with spitballs.
I watched Cory repeatedly wipe the wet wads of paper off the back of his neck and ignore the classmates from hell until the group of bullies were rolling on the floor laughing. That's when Cory shrugged out of his shop jumpsuit and stormed up to them.
The one who had told me his name silenced his friends and then awaited Cory's delicious response. I just stood quietly and watched. Feeling horrible for this guy.
"OH! AHAHA! LOOK! He's crying! Awww come on Cory! Don't cry sweetheart!" I could see the shoulders of this boy, quivering with anger. "Hey really now…come on….I'm sorry….I was just playing around. Are you ok?"
The ringleader of these yahoos got up out of his chair and came over to Cory, wrapping a protective and apologetic arm around him. Cory nodded that he was alright and wiped his eyes. He looked up at the one holding him and somehow became entranced, because the next thing I knew, the two were kissing.
Cory melted into this guy and allowed the kiss to continue. I felt embarrassed watching, but at the same time I felt jealous and I was reminded of Duo and how much I loved to hold him like that and kiss him the same way. That's when a flash went off and a muffled scream rang out.
I snapped out of it in time to see one of the students that was at the desk run off with a camera. I was in shock. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Now I'd had enough. The guy who had kissed this poor boy wasn't letting go and his hand was starting to travel south of the border. I made a quick decision and grabbed a wrench, then threw it at this guy. He dropped Cory, who had enough sense to scramble towards me.
"If you want to die tonight…just try to follow us." I threatened as I led the now pale Cory away from the school and back to my house.
When we arrived I took off my shoes and Cory came in and sat down. "Are you ok?" I asked. He nodded. "I can call someone for you if you'd like." He shook his head no. "Wont you talk to me?" again he shook his head no. I soon sat down beside Cory and turned to study his expression, thoroughly concerned.
That's when I saw it. This boy had three scars that caught my interest, one on either side of his neck on his collarbone, and one at the high point of his forehead. Those kind of scars can only come from one thing….
Fine.
Two can play that game.
"So." I said. "Do you have…someone that you consider special to you? Someone that you can call family?" Cory didn't answer. He wouldn't even look at me. "Is that a no?" I asked.
For the second time that night I saw him cry. I honestly hadn't expected that. Not one little bit. "Hey. Why are you crying. You do have someone special to you? Is that it?"
I leaned back and smiled. "I have someone special to me. I fucked up….hurt his feelings real bad. He ran away and I haven't seen him since. I think about him every day and wonder if he's still alive. If I could see him just one more time….just to know he's ok….I'd be so happy……" I hooked my fingers under Cory's chin and turned his face to look at mine. "I'd be so happy if I could tell him I still love him." There was a pause before Cory whispered quietly "How did you know it was me Heero?"
I smiled at my love and leaned forward kissing the scar on his forehead, then slowly I kissed down the side of his face to one shoulder, then from there I kissed across his chest to the other shoulder.
"These scars only come from one place Duo. The seatbelt and dashboard of a gundam going at full speed."
Duo smiled and wrapped his arms around me. He sniffled a few more times before muttering an "I love you Heero. Now and forever."
Owari Talented Torture January 22, 2005