Thus far warnings are the same. Will continue to do micro-updates as I can, because something is better than nothing. Sorry!
Heero's house - the thought still made his toes curl - was nestled deep in the woods, an hour away from civilization. To all but the realtor - A cozy cottage ready to remodel your way! - it was a haikyo. Long ago the place had ceased to be anyone's home though the vestiges of tenancy remained: a naked Kewpie doll in the bathtub; pills beaded around the edge of the sink like a string of pearls; an unmatched, mouse-chewed slipper squashed by the over-turned kitchen table. Nature had moved in and now stubbornly resisted eviction. The smell of mildew wafted through the house and leaf mold patinated the roof.
"So," said Duo, slamming the car door, "this is where you bury the bodies." Drifts of leaves over a mat of pine needles transformed the front yard into a field of unmarked graves. The front door and windows were boarded up. A sign threatening trespassers with a dire fate was stapled to the wood.
Heero stared at Duo, not sure if he was supposed to say something reassuring or simply laugh. He had enough sense to know that "A person can disappear without all that effort" was not the desired response, and so he said nothing. Instead he snagged the bag of dirty, blood-stained uniforms from the back seat, pulled a tarp over the car and headed around the side of the house.
Whatever Duo had been expecting, this was not it. He loitered by the car for a few disconcerted seconds before jogging to catch up. Turning the corner, Duo discovered that Heero was nowhere to be found.
But there was fresh glass in two of the windows that faced the rear garden and the screen door swung crazily from one hinge. Duo ducked inside.
Darkness greeted him; it felt the same as Heero's earlier welcome - cold, unyielding and inhospitable. He groped along the wall for a light switch. Just as his fingers brushed against the little nub, a strong hand pinned his to the wall. Duo froze, expecting the threat of a knife at his throat. Time unraveled. Whether it was seconds or minutes before Heero's fingers finally slackened, Duo would never know.
"You'll short the circuit." Warm breath tickled Duo's ear. "Stay," said Heero, at last letting go. He pushed past Duo and strode out into the night.
Stay was not a word in Duo's vocabulary. Not when his host appeared hell-bent on leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere with a bag of bloody clothes (evidence?). He had no desire to explore the house the way a blind man would, turning his body into a map of bruises.