Warnings: Some violence. Not very graphic, yet. Some blood later on, a lot more in coming chaps. Some coarse language, in English, later on. Maybe more.
Disclaimer: ............I don't own it! Don't sue me! You won't like what you get.
Rating: PG-13. Soon to go up, even if I do say so myself.
Pairings: It's pretty obvious in the first chapter.
Author's notes: .......... * hides*
If One Goes, then Two Must Follow.
Duo twisted and writhed on the floor, tearing at his bonds for all he was worth. It was just no use. Scraping them against the rock didn't help, nor did tearing at them with his teeth. It was...
"Useless."
Duo looked upside down to where his partner, a guy named Heero Yuy, stood against the wall. His face was calm and emotionless, but terribly alert. He was a killer, a murderer, a strong, silent type, who didn't tolerate weakness of any kind.
"You know, you could have told me that earlier, Heero. Now I've got a taste like rope in my mouth," he complained, spitting saliva onto the floor. Heero raised and eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Duo sighed and gave up on trying to lure the other Pilot into conversation, and started talking to himself instead, more like observing, really. "I don't know why I try. I am, after all, the friendliest guy in the world, and what do I get? I get stuck with the most close-mouthed guy in the universe, that's what. And why? I haven't the faintest. I mean, it's not like I've done anything reprehensible lately, well, besides blow up a few OZ bases, but that's it! What am I supposed to do, invite them over for tea?! I'm Shinigami, for cryin' out loud!!" He was now feverishly working his bonds across the floor, hoping that the friction would soften the material long enough for him to bite through it. The fact that he'd already tried it did not seem to register. At least they had not cut off his braid, he thought, looking lovingly at the brownish-gold length of twisted hair beside him. Then he turned back to his work as another thought came to his flitting mind. "Hey, you think Quatre made it out before the base blew?" He hoped so, he really liked the kind-hearted boy. Heero shrugged.
"Most likely. He's resourceful." 'Unlike some I could name. He talks a mile a minute. Doesn't he ever get tired?' Heero thought, putting one hand to his aching ear.
"Yeah, you're right. Quat's smart. He definitely jumped the gun on 'em." He laughed at his own joke, causing Heero to roll his eyes. "Aw, come on, Heero. Lighten up! We'll be outta here soon. After all, I'm here!" He said proudly, regretting the fact that his position made his pronouncement less than heartening. Heero looked back at him, a mixture of curiosity and amusement in his eyes.
"Oh? And what are you going to do, talk them to death?" he asked. Duo gasped, putting on a theatrical mask of hurt and sadness.
"Oh, cut me to the quick, Heero!" He said, falling over and back onto the floor. Heero ignored him, watching the door leading from the cells with fixed concentration.
'They should be coming back any time now,' he thought. 'It's been over a night since their last visit, and they're going to try something new, I know.' He looked back at Duo, who had finally abandoned the chewing ropes idea, and was currently trying to stand with his shackles. His first try yielded less than dignified results, and Heero sighed, rolling his eyes, and moved to help the fallen Shinigami. They both tensed as the door to their cell swung open, and four big men filled the doorway.
"Well, well. Ain't this just the cutest picture I ever did see." A sleezy voice filled Heero's already abused ears, and his mood rapidly deteriorated.
'You will not survive this,' he thought, looking at the brazen soldier, obviously the leader, who had voiced the comment. Then Duo started laughing, and laughing and laughing. Heero stared at the boy who was struggling not to fall out of the Wing-0 Pilot's arms. 'Has Duo gone mad?' He looked at him under the honey bangs, and caught a mysterious wink, before the brunette collapsed back in his arms in laughter, his arm straight out and finger pointing at the soldiers. Heero took the hint and looked. The door...was open. The OZ soldiers had left the door open behind them. Had Heero not had a childhood of training under Doctor J, he would have jumped up and yelled for joy. Instead, he simply waited. Duo had a plan, and was currently engrossed in his roll. The four soldiers were becoming angry, their faces turning red or scowling.
"I-gasp-can't believe that OZ-gasp-would send you to try and-gasp-question us!" He finished, drawing in another breath before rushing on. "But the funniest thing is-gasp-that you actually expect to make us talk!" At this, the leader pointed at Duo, still partially held in Heero's arms, and said in a quiet voice:
"That one. Pretty boy with the braid." The other three moved to comply, only to find themselves face-to-face with a very unpredictable DeathScythe Pilot. Duo bounced right up to them, waving his hands in the air.
"No, it's not bananas! It's oranges, you pervert!" He smacked the shortest one hard enough to shock him. The other two looked on in bewilderment, wondering what had just happened. "And YOU!" He turned on a suddenly frightened leader, now seeming shrunken under a ridiculously angry Duo. "You just met Shinigami," he whispered, a soft click and then a muffled thud resounding within the metal chamber. That was Heero's cue. Duo ducked over the now lifeless body, shooting out the door with the stolen handgun, and Heero sailed over him, passes the four three dead bodies, and out into the corridor. He ran up the simple flight of stairs, found the room he was looking for, grabbed the two sets of keys, and returned to Duo.
Heero ran through the forest, dense foliage no obstruction for the young Pilot. Duo kept an easy pace at his side, swerving every now and then to avoid a tree or branch. It was dark, but the light of the full moon made it possible to see roots and rocks obstructing their path. Duo found it necessary, vital even, to talk while they streaked across the ground, covering more distance than should have been possible for normal sixteen-year-olds. Heero briefly thought about killing him right then and there, but swiftly pushed the thought aside as absurd. Duo was a valuable asset in that he was a Gundam Pilot. To loose even one was considered to be a failure in itself, and especially to something as mundane as insane chatter. Duo, unaware of his partner's homicidal urges toward him, kept on talking.
"I mean I really don't know where the idea came from. I've never even heard of a joke or anything containing a banana and an orange. The connection made no sense whatsoever. Oh well. It doesn't really matter now. The banana's dead, and well, the orange is sure as hell dead now." He snickered as he dodged a low branch, careful not to let his braid snag. They were on their way to their safe haven, their base away from Base, and their snug little cabin in the wilderness that no one else knew about, or could track them to. Duo sighed as it came into view and Heero pulled out the key. "Finally we're here!" he said, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them. "I was 'bout to freeze." He followed as Heero shoved the door open, standing still as soon as the door shut and the warm air hit him. "Oh yeahhhhh." He sighed lustily, feeling his fingers and nose begin to tingle pleasantly. "This feels great." He murmured, and then opened a violet eye. "Hey Heero, where'd you go?" He asked the empty room.
"In here," came the partially muffled reply from the open bedroom door. Duo peeked in, and finally leaned against the doorway, shaking his head and sighing.
"You just can't enjoy the moment, can you?" Heero was at the table, standing while typing on his laptop, his fierce blue eyes fixed on the screen. His long, slender fingers flew over the keyboard, and he didn't spare Duo a glance as the DeathScythe Pilot came into the room and sat on the edge of his bed, arms resting on the baseboard and watching the screen while Heero informed HQ of the mission's completion. As soon as he had signed out, Heero shut down the laptop and put it away, along with the rest of their gear in the storage closet, and made his way to the bathroom. Duo stayed in the bedroom, his legs swinging off the edge of the bed and fighting boredom, valiantly, when he heard a partially stifled groan cut through the air. Duo leapt off the bed and rushed through the open bathroom door, to end up with a gentle smile on his face. Heero was seated on the edge of the tub, his shirt off one arm and still halfway buttoned, leaving most of his upper torso bare, while Heero tried to examine the back of his left shoulder in their low-set mirror. He noticed Duo and started to shrug his shirt back on, but winced slightly when he moved his shoulder. Heero mentally cursed himself, and then vented.
'Stupid baka. How could you let him see you like this? You were utterly open. Baka.' He tensed as Duo sat down next to him, edging a bit closer so that their bodies touched slightly, and leaned over him, one hand halting his in the fastening, and the other gently touching his shoulder.
"Here. Let me?" Heero almost fell over from shock: two incomplete sentences from Duo in one day? Maybe a bullet had ricocheted and grazed his head somewhere... Oh wait, he was talking again. Yes, he was fine. "I'm not saying it won't hurt or anything, but it will cause a lot less pain for me to do it than you haphazardly going in with only a side-view-"
"Duo?" Heero cut in, in a tired voice.
"Yeah?"
"Shut up and do it," he said firmly, pulling his shirt back down, ignoring the searing pain and dull aches that little touch had given it. Duo sighed and shook his head, still smiling slightly.
"Whatever Heero-man. Just don't deck me in one of your throes of pain, got it?"
"Hn."
"I'll take that as a yes," he said cheerfully, and rummaged around in the cupboard below for the med kit he knew he had stored there a while back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
So? What'd you think?
Heero: Damn you.
What??
Duo: You've got him all OOC'ed.
Well sooooorrrry! I was trying to write a half way interesting fic here.
Heero: What are you implying?
Oh, just shut up. You KNOW I'm almost as scary as you, so just go somewhere and think. On second thought, Duo, you go with him.
Duo: ME?! * Face pales*
Heero: HIM?!
* Wufei runs across open doorway, screaming something about injustice while shrieking incoherently. Trowa follows a moment after, with both arms thrown over to protect his head. Quatre races by seconds later, scissors in hand*
Quatre: Come on guys! It won't look bad, I promise!
* All three in room sweatdrop, and Duo grabs his braid and runs behind my chair, ducking down*
Duo: Don't let them get me!
......Um...... * Looks over at Heero*
Heero: Where's a mission when you need one?
Yeeeeeeaahh, okay. Please review! You know you want to tell me how bad it sucks, or how (edit, severe warning to children)! *Slow smile *