here's another chapter for everyone
this one has a bit of 3+4ness for all you Quat&Trowa fans 3
enjoy!
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Noise.
Ah, silence.
Noise again. A low growl rumbling throughout his body.
Silence…
Noise. Make it stop!
Duo blinked awake, his claws and hair standing on end as he tumbled over onto a less-soft and much cooler surface. He vaguely noted the heating and lights were back on.
The couch?
He grumbled, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Heero was standing, growling at something. Looking up, he realized his partner was glaring in the direction of the kitchen and grunting at something he had pressed up against his ear.
The mynioka pushed himself up, into a sitting position and watched his human get more and more angry at the tiny object that he was pressing against the side of his face. Lines marred his sleepy features as he gave an affirmative grunt before he snapped the small thing shut.
Duo's curiosity was piqued as he wondered what was going on. Heero just stood there for another moment with his eyes closed, rubbing his forehead. He sighed, sinking down onto the couch and letting his head fall back.
The boy frowned. Although his body appeared relaxed, the human still had those lines on his face. He slowly crept up and set one of his hands on one of his partner's much-bigger knuckles.
"What happen?" he asked, taking his gaze from the difference in their hands to the dark-headed man's face. Duo blinked as he sighed again and opened his eyes. Heero sighed when he was stressed and needed to relieve tension…was that why he did it all the time?
"I have a meeting," Heero stated, looking frustratedly down onto his small partner. Duo blinked; a meeting?
"We're going to have to take the tram." He sighed again, looking at his watch and jumping up with a muttered curse. "It's a few hours away, and we don't have much time."
Duo watched as his partner scrambled to a closet. He pulled out a large bag and hurried to the bedroom. Perplexed, Duo swung a leg off the couch, toes searching for the rug below. After a few locating swishes of his tail, he plopped onto the carpet and scrambled around the decorative screens.
Heero was pulling clothes out of his wardrobe and folding them neatly into the bag with quick precision. Duo watched as he dug through the top drawer and glared at a small hole in the seat of a pair of slacks. With a grunt, he shoved them back in and dug out an identical pair, sans the imperfection. But what was the bag for?
Duo leapt onto the side of the bed then climbed his way to the top for a better look. He stood on tiptoe, trying to see into the unzipped bag, but the sides were stiff and he could barely get his nose to the upper ridge, let alone see the interior.
Bouncing up, he balanced on the edge of the bag only to have it shift under his weight and pitch him forward, onto the neatly folded shirts within. A moment later his partner's frowning face glowered down at him, just before he was roughly pulled out and set onto the bedspread.
"Duo, I don't have time to play," he growled, checking his watch again. "I need to leave within the hour." Heero stepped towards the wardrobe again before he froze, looking back at the still slightly confused boy.
"You can't…" Heero rubbed his eyes, swearing. "You're going to have to come with me." With a forced sigh he went to Duo's clothing and started to fold it into the bag as well. Duo sat still and watched the nearly frantic scene. Suddenly, fabric landed on his head, obscuring his vision.
"Put those on," he vaguely heard his partner growl from across the room. He pulled the offending pants away from his somewhat crumpled ears only to have a sweater land in their place.
He quickly redressed, knowing the human was merely stressed and would hopefully get over it soon. Heero surely wasn't frowning and sighing because of him, was he? As a pair of socks whizzed past his arm and skidded to a stop on the blanket behind him; he really wondered if that was the big problem.
He looked over to the human, who had flung his hoodie to the side and was quickly pulling on an undershirt and dress shirt as his unbuttoned slacks slowly slid back down his legs. After a moment he jerked them back up and stuffed his shirt into them, then turned and dug around for some socks with one hand while buttoning with the other. Duo stifled a giggle as he tried to pull a sock onto one foot while nearly falling over, making him hop around, one side of his hair still mussed from sleeping on the couch. Red-faced, Heero scowled over at him, pulling on the other sock.
"Hurry up!" he growled angrily, rushing to the bathroom for more supplies. Duo realized he'd been idle and quickly fumbled with his socks, hoping if he was ready real fast, Heero would be happy again.
No such luck. After a few more packing blunders, a hurried routine in the bathroom, and a quick meal, a cap was jammed over his ears, and his arms and tail stuffed into his coat. Heero slung the bag over his shoulder, grabbed the boy, and quickly shuffled out the door.
Within minutes, Heero had shuffled down the snowy sidewalk and arrived at the tram station. Few people were braving the snow-covered streets and chilly station, so it took little time for them to get onto the tram.
Duo's nose and eyes were in overdrive, discovering what was around him. He squirmed, trying to get from his partner's lap to the floor to explore, but Heero grunted and gave him a warning glare which somewhat stifled the urge. He started as he felt the tram jerk forward and build speed as it rumbled along the dark tubes.
For a moment Duo wondered why it was suddenly so black outside the windows before he realized they were underground. With a small whimper, he looked up to his partner with wide eyes. They were…underground. What if the ground fell in? Grabbing a hold of Heero's coat, he buried his face in it, trying to find some comfort from his anxiety. What if something else was following them down the tunnel…like a big snake! What if the tunnel ended…or if there was a snake in front of them? They'd never be able to stop in time! What if—
"Duo," Heero said tiredly in a quiet tone. "What are you doing?"
He paused with one of Heero's black gloves halfway on his head, the fingers dangling limply onto his shoulder.
"Uh." He bit his lip nervously, looking up at the stern, yet tired, face above him sheepishly. "Hiding?"
With another sigh, Duo found himself being scooped up and pushed into the warmth of his partner's half-unzipped coat. He immediately clung to the soft inner sweater, feeling the heat coming from the skin beneath and calming instantly. A soothing hand was tucking his stray hair down.
"What are you hiding from?" Heero asked him quietly, his eyes flicking to the only other passenger, an elderly lady, who had her face stuck nearly against the page of the morning paper, silently mouthing the words of the article as she read it through the thick glasses perched at the end of her nose.
"Snakes." Duo shuddered, burying his face against his partner's sweater again, relishing the familiar scent after being exposed to so many new ones. Heero just sighed again.
"What's matter?" Duo asked, looking into his face and forgetting his previous fear. Heero frowned at the ad he had been reading above the seat across from them.
"Nothing."
"'Ro?" The mynioka patted his partner, knowing it was a lie.
"I said nothing!" he hissed, scowling down at the boy for a moment before glancing toward the elderly lady, who was evidently oblivious to anything else the tram car. Duo stared up at him a moment before snuggling down into the human's warm coat to contemplate his actions.
Why wouldn't Heero say what was bothering him? They were partners, and partners shouldn't keep secrets. Partners have to work as a team. Then why was Heero not telling him anything? Unless…
Duo stiffened, his eyes blinking. What if Heero was stressed because he was there? Maybe he didn't really want him; he did say that he didn't know how to be around kits. Perhaps he…really didn't want him at all.
With a sniff, the boy frowned at that thought. Heero wouldn't take him to a meeting if he didn't care about him. Unless…he was going to get rid of him! No, that surely wasn't right!
The mynioka felt tears prickle his eyes. Heero wouldn't just give him away or leave him somewhere, would he? He wasn't going to get left, Heero wouldn't do that.
He swiped his sleeve across his wet cheeks and buried his face into the side of his warm partner, who grunted irritably. Duo shook his head, wiping his tears into the fabric. No, Heero couldn't leave him; he'd never, never do that.
"Stop that, Duo!" Heero whispered in a warning hiss.
The boy stilled and muffled a small sob. Maybe it was true.
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Duo blinked awake as his surroundings shifted. He was still inside Heero's coat, pressed against his ribs, but they were walking. The boy lay still, listening to their surroundings and trying to memorize the last few moments he would be with his partner.
When Heero stopped, he could hear the lock of a door click open. Duo feigned sleep when he felt his partner slowly pull him out of his coat. He was placed on a cool, but still soft surface before Heero stepped away, moved about the room for a moment, then opened the door and stepped out.
The mynioka couldn't hold his tears in any longer when he heard the finality of the lock clicking into place. He'd really left, after all. Duo sobbed, pushing his face down into the fabric beneath him.
The room around him was small; a lamp sat on the table next to the bed he was on, with curtains and a window past that. A small vid station sat in the corner. He didn't know where he was, but this was definitely not home.
What was going to happen now? He had no other purpose than to be with Heero. He vaguely hoped that unwanted partners simply ceased to exist; at least it would be an easy end. Maybe…
He sniffled again, pulling his legs close and curling his tail around him. Hopefully it didn't take him too long to disappear; he'd hate to stop his disappearing process just so he could eat dinner.
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It seemed like forever, the time it was taking to finally drift into oblivion. But his process was suddenly halted with the sound of the door behind him being opened. Maybe someone had to make him disappear, and they were finally here. His eyes overflowed again as he paid a sniffling farewell to the world.
He started when something warm touched his back. "Duo?" a familiar voice asked softly. The boy felt himself being picked up and cradled in an arm.
"'Ro?" he asked, not believing his senses. What if it was all a dream and he'd wake up alone? A grunt stilled his thoughts.
"Are you ill?" he asked. Duo shook his head.
"Look at me then."
Cracking open his eyes, he blinked up at his partner, who was staring back at him with a concerned frown. Duo gaped into the deep blue eyes for a moment before turning and latching onto the fabric of the sweater next to him, crying desperately.
He could feel comforting fingers twine themselves in the hair on the back of his head, gently soothing him. Heero was moving, sitting down.
"Did you have a bad dream?" he asked softly. Duo shook his head, giving a muffled reply against his partner's chest.
After a few minutes the boy calmed, then pushed himself up higher to press against the human's neck before he mumbled a question against the skin there. Heero pulled him away, holding him out.
"What?" he quietly asked the squirming boy, who was trying to latch back onto his shirt.
"Don't leave!" he cried, still making futile swipes toward his partner's chest in hopes of catching the warm sweater there.
"What?" Heero asked again, his brow furrowing in confusion. "The meeting's ove—"
"You were mad!" Duo yelled, trying to twist out of the hands holding him up. "I'm trouble! Too much! You leave me—you don't want me!" With that, he tumbled to the bed below.
He flung himself off the side and scurried under it, wanting to hide. Everything was so messed up! He was so confused. "You don't want me. You don't want me…" he continued to sob out, curling into a ball in the darkness under the bed.
A large hand closed around his middle, startling him. He automatically fought back, sinking his claws into the skin, but the hand didn't release him. Instead, he found himself being pulled out into the dim light and pressed against the warm sweater he'd been close to, minutes before. He latched on, burying his face and clawing into it.
"I'm sorry," his partner said quietly, smoothing down his hair. Duo slowly blinked up at him, leaving his anger for confusion and curiosity. "I'm not mad," he stated simply, looking down at the boy's tear-stained cheeks and red eyes.
"I hate going to these meetings," he explained, his face nearly blank, but his eyes troubled as he looked away. "They're annual inspections. They call in random Preventer officers and test them. They never give hardly any warning so that people don't try to train in the last minute, but you're in trouble if you're late. They make me nervous," he admitted.
Duo stared up at him, making connections in his head.
"I thought you were asleep." His gaze turned back to the boy. "So I left you in here."
Duo sniffed. It was going to be okay.
"Where is 'here'?" he asked softly, looking around. There were a dresser and two doors behind them.
"We're in a motel," Heero answered, confused. "We'll go home tomorrow."
"Oh." The mynioka stared at the wall, feeling stupid. "So you still want me?" he asked honestly, looking back at his partner.
"Of course," Heero intoned. They locked eyes for a moment before Duo started at something wet seeping into his shirt. His partner's bloodied hand was still around him. He felt a wave of guilt. Heero's sleeve was somewhat shredded as well.
"It's not bad," the human said, as if reading the boy's thoughts, taking them both through one of the doors and into a bathroom. Duo was placed on the counter as he washed his hand. After a minute it became apparent that the marks weren't as deep as they seemed.
"Sorry," Duo said dejectedly, his ears drooping almost to an uncomfortable level.
"It's all right," Heero countered. "I didn't explain things to you. It's not your fault."
The mynioka continued to stare sadly at him as he dried his hand after it had stopped bleeding.
Heero picked him up, and after a few minutes of rummaging in the travel bag, helped him change into a pair of orange shorts and a t-shirt.
"No underwears?" Duo asked, pulling his tail through the hole provided for the purpose.
"No, not where we're going," his partner answered, pulling a gray pair on himself. Duo watched as he snagged one of the white robes hanging on the wall and put it on. After picking up his keys, he took the boy's hand and led him out the door.
Duo soon found himself in a large, steamy room with huge bathtubs; or rather, huge squares of water in the floor. His shirt was taken off, as was his partner's robe, and he was led to the side of the odd bath.
Two kit-age human girls were splashing each other at the other end, and to the side an elderly couple sat in a smaller tub. He watched as Heero slid into the water, coming back up with his hair matted to his head and a small smile on his face.
"It's not cold, come in," he said, while reaching for the boy. Duo protested as the wet hands lifted him and placed him in the water; then they suddenly left him. He immediately panicked, reaching out for the human as he sunk. His head dipped down into the water, but a second later he was being pulled back up, sputtering and scared.
"'Ro!" he coughed, vainly trying to cling to his partner's wet chest.
"No claws," Heero reminded, holding him halfway into the water. "Now kick your legs." Duo did as he was told, building a small froth. "Easy, don't kick so fast. Now use your arms to balance yourself."
Duo concentrated, dipping low a few times, but always coming back up quickly. He laughed gleefully when he saw that he was no longer being held.
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Bump. Bump. Thunk. Thunk. Crash!
Heero was instantly conscious, out of bed, and in a defensive stance before his fogged brain kicked into "awake" mode. His eyes were riveted on the center of the commotion, who was presently doing a bad job of untangling himself from the fallen phone's cord.
The clothing from their bag was strewn across the floor along with a large amount of shaving cream. The can lie near the bed, along with a tube of toothpaste.
"'Ro," the boy called, distressed as he flailed his arms in frustration. The curled cord was wrapped around him many times, inhibiting his movement.
Heero ignored him. Surely he could get himself out. He began scraping the foam off the shaving cream-strewn clothing with slight irritation. The mess had mostly gathered on top of the clothes, for which he was glad; shaving cream carpet stains would be difficult to explain to the management. Hopefully it would come out of clothes decently enough; he frowned.
He was almost finished when a frightened squeak brought him out of his silent debate of whether or not he had enough laundry soap to complete the washing job. His partner, who was still hopelessly tangled in the cord, had plopped backwards into a pile of cream.
"'Ro!" He coughed, staring up at the human and pushing a glob of foam away from his nose. The corners of Heero's mouth quirked as he picked his sputtering partner up. Duo tugged at the sleeves of his shirt with intent to snuggle closer than from an arm's length, but the human carried him into the bathroom and deposited him into the tub.
"Put your clothes over the side," Heero instructed, turning on the water and adjusting the temperature. Duo pulled his sleeping outfit off and looked down the large expanse of white plastic with a worried expression.
"Bath is big," he said quietly, nervous about his last encounter with a bathtub.
"You swam in the pool last night; that was much bigger," Heero reminded him while snagging some shampoo off the counter behind him. Duo flicked ineffectually at the water pooling around his legs.
"I know," the boy said in a small voice, still worried. The human watched his partner fidget for a moment before turning off the water.
"Come here," he said quietly, holding a hand out to steady the mynioka as he stepped through the water. Duo sat near the faucet, somewhat calmed by the hand his partner held against his shoulder blades as his hair was washed.
By the time his hair was being rinsed, the boy was purring with contentment, all nervousness about the bath forgotten.
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"Heero!" a voice rang from the other end of the lobby. The dark-haired Preventer turned to the rapidly approaching person from his stance in the line.
"Quatre," he greeted the enthusiastic blond as Trowa, his partner, stepped to his side.
"I was hoping you hadn't left yet." The cheery mynioka smiled, eyeing the long line of customers waiting to turn their room keys in. "I wanted to meet your new partner."
Heero set his suitcase down and half-opened the zipper of his full coat without a comment, revealing the small person who was tucked inside.
"Oh, he's so tiny!" Quatre exclaimed with glee as Duo eyed him carefully while maintaining a firm grip on his partner's sweater. Heero winced, hoping the comment wouldn't affect the sensitive boy.
"He is rather small," Trowa quietly agreed.
Duo turned his face into the sweater, feeling self-conscious.
"Aw, I'm sorry, —" Quatre's eyes flicked to Heero's face.
"Duo," he supplied.
"I'm sorry, Duo," Quatre placated in a soothing tone. "I bet you'll grow quickly in your later stages."
The boy blinked at him warily, a frown secure on his face.
"Duo," Heero said softly. "Why don't you get to know Quatre and Trowa while I check out of the room?"
The small mynioka blinked up at his partner, then shook his head and buried his face back into the sweater.
"It's all right Heero, if he doesn't want to—" Quatre interjected.
"Duo," Heero whispered, undeterred. "You need to get to know both of them sooner or later. We are in the same department." After another silent moment, Heero brought his unoccupied hand up and stroked the boy's soft hair.
"Please?" he asked, his deep blue eyes connecting with bright violet. After a minute, Duo nodded and gazed back at Quatre's barely-contained grin.
The boy's tail curled self-consciously under him as he was held under his arms by the adult mynioka. He looked up at the man's smiling face with wide, wary eyes.
Heero looked back to the front of the line, where a blonde woman chatted amiably with the irritated-looking desk clerk. He knew Duo would need to begin his studies after they got home. Myniokas were made to teach themselves from the materials provided, one fact which Heero was curious about. He looked over at Quatre, who was currently being climbed on by the giggling boy as if he were a piece of playground equipment. How would Duo focus enough; how would he teach himself? He barely could eat a meal without needing attention, let alone for him to sit, staring at a book, for hours? Some things about the boy just didn't seem possible.
Heero stepped to the counter and quickly checked out. The clerk eyed him with slight interest, probably wondering if he was going to break into a fake grin and spout polite formalities about the room and service. Instead, Heero quickly gathered his things and walked to the corner of the lobby where Quatre and Trowa were seated.
Duo was sitting on Trowa's knee with his tail brushing across Quatre's leg. He was grinning up at the silent man as his hair was stroked. Upon seeing his partner, the boy bounced to the floor and skittered to the human's booted feet then tugged hopefully at his pants, looking up with a wide grin.
Heero picked him up, cradling him in one arm as Duo tried to climb higher to touch his nose to his partner's chin in greeting. They were both startled by Quatre's jovial laugh.
"He's very facially oriented. I wouldn't have guessed your partner would be, Heero." Quatre smiled at the boy, who had lost interest and was playfully batting at his partner's ear. The dark-headed man's confusion was evident as he ignored the small hand that was making swipes by his face.
"Facially-oriented?" he asked the blond. Quatre's grin must have been infectious; a smaller version was now spread across Trowa's face as well.
"Myniokas orient themselves with one trait of their human partner," the tall brunette said quietly.
"I liked Trowa's hair," Quatre smiled fondly at his partner. "So, I was always wanting to play with it. Duo, though, seems to like your face and neck."
Heero turned his head slightly towards his partner and blinked at him. The boy had been attempting to gain his attention by pressing his nose under the human's jaw and giggling.
"Was this in the mynioka instruction booklet?" Heero asked, his eyes still on the boy who was smiling in contentment now that he was basking in his partner's attention.
Surprisingly enough, it was Trowa who snorted at his comment. "Barely, Heero. They mention that myniokas often identify their partners by a distinguishing physical trait, but they never spoke of a life-long fixation."
"That might just be too easy," Quatre added slyly, his eyes fixed on his partner's hair and his mouth curved slightly. Trowa seemed to be oblivious to the blond's gaze; he stood and picked up his bag.
"There are many things that aren't in the manual, Heero," he intoned. "You have to figure them out for yourself."
"We'll see you in the office, Heero." Quatre was to his feet and following his partner as he walked to the main lobby doors. "Bye-bye, Duo!" He waved enthusiastically at the blinking boy, who feebly waved back. He'd been preoccupied by rummaging in his partner's coat pocket for valuables and was now confused at why they were standing there in the first place.
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The shuttle ride proved too long for the boy, as he was asleep and curled in his partner's arm only a few minutes after they sat down. Heero watched over him silently.
He was growing so quickly now and was almost too big to fit comfortably inside even Heero's big, puffy coat. One of his fragile ears twitched to the side as a person across the car shifted their bags, but the boy slept on. Evidently, he could detect the difference between a sound and a threat even when he was asleep.
Experimentally, Heero shuffled the morning newspaper on his lap. Strangely enough, the boy's ears didn't move. Did he not register his partner's movements and sounds? It doesn't make sense, Heero thought. How can he trust that implicitly?
A cough from the back of the car alerted the boy's upper ear into movement again, yet the boy still slept. Heero tentatively touched the ear, lightly rubbing it under the fine hair, where it connected to his scalp.
The human watched as Duo's body visibly relaxed and he nuzzled his face into the fabric of his partner's coat. A minute later the boy sighed and began to emit a soft purr.
Heero could feel the corners of his mouth turning up and a warmth spreading throughout his body. It was a strange but comforting feeling, one that he wouldn't mind getting used to. He vaguely wondered if Duo was feeling the same way…when the boy's face split into a grin or as the mynioka giggled and pressed that small nose to his cheek.
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The walk back to his house was a cold one, but it helped having another source of heat snuggled inside his coat. Duo slept until the human roused him after the bag had been unpacked.
Sleepy violet eyes blinked up at him as the boy woke. Heero amusedly watched as he grunted and burrowed further into the blanket he was resting in.
"Duo," Heero rubbed the mynioka's small back. "I've got something new for you."
That got a reaction. Duo wriggled out of the blanket immediately and grinned up at him excitedly with still-sleepy eyes.
"Ja?" he asked, his tail twitching with eagerness.
"But you have to eat dinner first."
Duo's face contorted into a look of disgust.
"Ick!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "Fun now, food later?" he asked hopefully.
"No," the human shook his head and handed him a bottle. "You're going to be busy later, but I'm going to make sandwiches and you can have half of one when you're done."
"Oki-day." Duo accepted the bottle. He liked sandwiches, or pretty much anything his partner made. Perhaps, he thought, it was because it was his partner who made them.
Duo drank the protein drink and ate the half-sandwich in quick succession, then looked up to the human expectantly.
"Do you want another?" Heero bemusedly asked with a large bite of sandwich in his mouth, making one of his cheeks bulge. The boy shook his head, the grin on his face reflected in his eager eyes. A small smile tugged at Heero's face.
"Fine," he smirked. "It's in the bag on the table. Start at the top." Heero watched the boy skitter across the room and bounce up to a chair, then onto the table and pull the top book out of the bag. The second he excitedly opened the cover, his whole body froze.
Alarmed, Heero got to his feet and crossed to him with quick strides. The boy's eyes were moving rapidly across the page, reading its contents, but his body was completely still, even with one leg still hanging off the side of the table.
So this is what they meant by the mynioka's strange learning habits, Heero mused as he pushed Duo's leg up and settled him into a more comfortable position. The boy's eyes were still locked on the page in front of him though, still combing through the text rapidly.
Heero picked up his work files and made himself comfortable on the couch, finishing his sandwich and contemplating how long his partner would be stuck in that silent, immobile state.
TBC
3? /3?
Comments, thoughts, whatnots, and such are loved 3