A/N: Part the second. Duo's POV. It's meant to be a little disjointed. Don't be too confused.
I come up out of sleep with a start. Someone touched me. For some reason, it's really hard to open my eyes. My body feels really heavy. Panic starts up slowly. I'm drugged.
"Hush, Duo."
Trowa. I finally get my eyes open and blink muzzily up at him. He is leaning over me, a hand on my shoulder. He says nothing else, merely nods and rolls me over onto my back. I let him, feeling heavy and really, really sleepy. I'm drugged up good, I realize slowly. Oh, yeah. I think I broke my arm. Maybe. I'm not really sure. My brain feels kinda fuzzy and out-of-focus. I lie still and watch Trowa try to untangle me from the blanket. I "flop" when I sleep, and blankets and pillows wind up either in knots or halfway across the room.
Trowa unwinds one arm and sets it across my chest, then does the same with the one dangling off the side of the couch. "Stay up there," he mutters.
I look down. Yeah, my left arm is in a cast, and there is a vague-fuzzy-throb there. It doesn't really hurt. I must be on the really good drugs. I shift clumsily, trying to help Trowa. He sighs at me, and instead pulls me up to sit, leaning against the armrest and supported by his arm on my shoulders.
"Here." Heero appears, leans over, and deftly frees my legs from the tangled blankets. He picks up the blanket and folds it, 'cause he's a neat-freak like that.
"Thanks." Trowa slips his other arm under my knees. I realize, finally, that I am being moved off the couch, and reach up with my unbroken arm, attempting to get a hold on Trowa. He stops, and removes his arm briefly to place mine over his shoulders, making sure my hand lands on the shoulder of his shirt. I grab a handful and hang on as he scoops me up and stands. Heero has moved away, and I don't bother trying to find him. I'm too tired.
I'm so drugged. Everything is hazy, even though I know our apartment like the back of my hand. Drugs work really good on me. I was an orphan, so I never got any drugs before, and since I'm just not used to them, well, they can really knock me out. I'm the only one of us with that problem, though. Quatre's got a good resistance to most meds, 'cause he used to take a lot of 'em. Trowa and Heero are fine, though Heero don't often take drugs 'cause he's got a really really high tolerance for pain. Wu Fei hates drugs. They do some funky-weird things to him, and don't always do what they're supposed to. So he just don't take 'em half the time. Not that I care. When the others drug me up they make sure I stay drugged up. Yeah...it's kinda nice, I...I guess...
I startle awake again. Trowa lurches, kicking the bedroom door shut. He's got great balance, though, so I don't worry about him dropping me. I just keep my eyes shut. Too much hard work to open 'em anyway. He carries me over to the bed. I'm not used to being carried, 'specially not like this. Most of the time I get carried I'm hurt and on a mission, and then it's the old fireman's carry, and that's really rough on the gut. Of course, not many people can carry me now. Wu Fei's too short, Heero's almost too short, and Quatre's just too tiny. I can't carry anybody, 'cept maybe Quatre. He's little. I mean, I'm scrawny, but Quatre's got me beat. He was born with something wrong with his heart, he said, and that's why he's so little. He's still taller than Heero and Wu Fei, though. I might could pick Heero up, if we were in big trouble, but I don't think any of us could lift Wu Fei. He's like a block of steel or somethin'; really really heavy. He weighs more than I do. But everyone does, anyway, 'cept Quatre.
"Oh, I'll get that," Quatre says. I blink one eye open. Quatre's fresh outta the shower, 'cause he's only in a towel. He's wet, too, and smells like oranges and spice. He smiles at me, and flips the covers back on the bed so Trowa can put me down.
Whoo, I must be pretty bad off. I never get to sleep in the bed unless I get 'nough pity.
Usually, I sleep on the pallet on the floor. There's only two bedrooms in the apartment. Quatre, Trowa, and me all share one, and Heero and Wu Fei share the other. I get to sleep on the floor, 'cause I snore. Quatre says I kick, too, and he's had the bruises to prove it...
"So are we getting him up for supper?" Quatre.
"Yes. He slept through lunch." Trowa.
"I see. Well, at least the pills are working." Quatre dislikes people missing meals. I flinch a little when his hand touches my shoulder. He tucks in the sheets, murmuring something. "His braid looks terrible. I'll redo over supper...if he can stay awake that long."
"Good luck."
Trowa sounds amused. He's probably playing with Quatre's monkey. I can hear the little furry trouble-maker chirping. I dunno where Quatre got the thing, but it's his pet and he loves it to death. Heero wanted a cat, but Quatre got a monkey first. I swear that monkey is the devil incarnate. It'll tear stuff up and make a real mess anytime we're not watching it when it's not in its cage. Quatre loves it, though. Dunno why. I'm with...with Heero. I think a cat would have...been...better...
"Duo. Duo, wake up."
I groan and open my eyes. Quatre is leaning over the bed, smiling a little. It's really dark. The lamp beside the bed is on, though.
"Come on. You need to eat." He shifts his shoulder, and the little monkey appears, grinning at me. "Qerd, there you are," Quatre says, smiling at the monkey.
I scowl at them both. I'm really sleepy. And I'm not really hungry. And I don't really like the monkey. Quatre knows it, too. I roll over and haul the blankets up over my head with my good arm.
"Ah, Duo..."
A hand hits the doorway and I jump. "Quatre, keep your infernal monkey out of my room," Wu Fei demands, sounding mad. "Having trouble with Duo?"
"He needs to eat. He's only had a piece of toast this morning."
I have? Whoa. News to me.
Wu Fei snorts. "I'll get him. You go put your monkey up."
"Thanks."
Quatre moves away. I can't hear Wu Fei come up, but he burrows a hand through the covers to poke my ribs. I squeak. I'm ticklish, and Wu Fei knows it. He laughs a little. "Up with you. You need to eat. Your braid is unraveling, too."
I fumble for my braid, alarmed. I know how much of a mess it can get when it comes unbraided. While I'm doing that, Wu Fei, the trickster, snatches the blankets away and sits me up. Wu Fei's sorta nice, though, so he lets me find the hair-band and tie off my braid again. Only a few inches has come undone. Wu Fei pulls me to sit on the edge of the bed, waits, then stands me up, an arm slung over his shoulders. It's funny, and I laugh, because the top of his head comes only to my shoulder now.
"Walk, Duo."
It's an unsteady trip down the hall, across the main living room, and into my chair at the table. Our table's shoved up against the wall, so only four of us can sit there. But if it's dark, then Trowa's probably at work. Heero's already at the table, and he grabs my arm to keep me upright.
"Baka," Heero snorts.
"Moron," I say, only it comes out really funny. Heero rolls his eyes.
Quatre sets a plate in front of me. For once it looks like plain spaghetti and sauce. Quatre cooks weird stuff sometimes. I'm far more interested in the glass of juice he puts down. I like juice. It's good. I'm clumsy but don't spill it. Heero is keeping an eye on me, though he's eating. He always watches everything around him. Quatre comes back, and sits beside me. Wu Fei takes Trowa's place and starts eating.
I'm drugged up good, so I'm really slow and sloppy. I'm only half-done by the time Wu Fei's washing dishes. Since Quatre cooked, he should be washing dishes, but he's brushing out my hair instead. I like it when other people play in my hair. It feels really, really nice. Makes me feel warm and sleepy. All relaxed-like. I only let people I trust play in my hair, though. I dunno where Quatre learned to braid, but he does a good job. And it feels nice. Really nice. I push my plate away and lay my head on the table. I can't quite go to sleep, though, because of all the tangles Quatre keeps hitting. And there's a spot at the back of my neck that has this nasty mat that always gets there when I don't brush it enough. Quatre's really patient, though, and he's gentle. Heero just yanks through the tangles. Ouch. So does Trowa, until he remembers to be careful. But Wu Fei's nice and careful. And he braids better than Quatre. But he doesn't like my hair. My hair's thick, really really thick, and has a mind of its own.
Quatre starts braiding. One-two-three twists, and he stops to straighten everything out. One-two-three, and brush out. My hair's so long that if anyone starts braiding it and don't straighten out the ends, it gets all kinky and snarled and nasty. But Quatre knows better. It's a nice sort of rhythm. Comfortable. Very comfortable...
Heero wakes me up. He's the only one that never says anything, just shakes. And so I know it's him. He sets a glass of juice down. "Here. Take your pill."
I obey. If I don't, they'll make me take it. Usual methods begin with a spoonful of jelly-and-pill, and end with threats of suffocation "now swallow the stupid thing Duo!" It's just easier to take it. Besides, my hand feels kinda funny, not quite so fuzzy and more hey-that-might-hurt if I thought about it. So I don't. Besides, Heero is talking again.
"Get up."
Easier said than done. I'm not quite so out of it now, but I'm still kinda wobbly. And Heero is only three inches taller than Wu Fei's five feet. But he's strong, like Wu Fei, and can pretty much manhandle me any way he wants. So up we go, across the darkened living room and back down the hall. The bedroom is empty. I dunno where Quatre is, or Trowa. Wu Fei's in his room, though, 'cause the lights are on. Heero doesn't steer me towards my pallet. Instead it's back to the bed. The pillow smells like Quatre--orange and spice. Heero, ever the neat-freak, straightens the tangles sheets and flips them over me.
"G'night," I mumble at him.
"Oyasumi," he answers absently, picking one of Quatre's towels off the floor. Scowling, he fetches up a discarded pair of pants as well--Trowa's, 'cause the seat is out. He marches off with them, shutting the door behind him.
I swap pillows. Trowa's don't smell as sweet. I mean, I like oranges, but not for sleeping on. Trowa's pillow still smells like spice--he uses Quatre's shampoo sometimes--but it's muskier, not as sweet. The covers are too straight. I wriggle around and make a comfortable nest. It takes the sheets a long time to get warm, but at last I think my toes are not...not so cold...
A/N: Duo was surprisingly fun to write. Next up: Heero! But first, translations below.
Qerd -- Monkey (Arabic) So Quatre's white-headed capuchin monkey is named "Monkey," more or less.
Baka -- Idiot or moron (Japanese)
Oyasumi -- Good night (Japanese)