Note: Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year. Stay safe out there, folks!
Trowa corners Heero in the bathroom when he's brushing his teeth with one of the toothbrushes included with their new clothes. Heero raises his eyebrows as Trowa slips in, closing the door behind him. They lower into a resigned frown when he sees Trowa set Sally's bag on the counter.
He spits into the sink, rinses his mouth with tap water. "This is getting repetitive," he states.
"Sorry, were you expecting something else?" Trowa asks. Heero catches the curl of a smile in the mirror and rolls his eyes.
"How do you want me?" He watches Trowa while he rinses the toothbrush and stores it in the plastic travel tube.
"This is fine to start with," Trowa replies.
"Meant to ask, did you have a hand in the selection?" Heero questions as he unbuttons the shirt he's wearing.
"I suggested buttons, yes. They were easier for you in Europe." Heero nods, shrugs the shirt off and Trowa removes the bandage, head bent to examine the burn, breath soft against his shoulder. "Good news, it doesn't look infected. How's your range of movement?"
"Feels like it pulls," Heero replies. "I'm not sure if that's the burn or the bandage though." He feels Trowa's fingers smearing the antibiotic cream along the edges of the burn.
"Could be the bandage. I'd leave it off but you toss and turn too much."
"Too much noise," Heero replies.
Trowa shakes his head, recaps the cream and sets it on the counter. They're quiet as Trowa recovers the burn with a fresh piece of gauze and tapes it in place. Heero watches as Trowa's hands reach around him, press lightly against the black-purple-blues covering his ribcage. He lifts his arms to give Trowa better access. Trowa makes a humming sound in the back of his throat in response.
"The bruising isn't pretty," Trowa murmurs, fingers skating over the bruises mottling Heero's pale skin. "But the ice last night seems to have reduced the swelling. Do you want more tonight?" Heero shakes his head and Trowa nods, rests his hands on either side of Heero's chest, fingers splayed along each side of his ribcage. "Take a deep breath."
Heero rolls his eyes but breathes in deeply. Trowa adjusts his hands and repeats the directive. Heero breathes in again and Trowa nods, stepping back. "All good?" Heero asks.
"Your breathing doesn't seem impaired any. I couldn't feel any complete breaks."
"I've behaved."
"Surprisingly." Trowa tugs at one of the belt loops on Heero's jeans. "Let me see your leg. I want to make sure the stitches are holding." Heero undoes his jeans, letting them drop. Trowa kneels to help guide the material over the bandage.
"How did it go with the Gundams?"
Trowa hums as he peels away the bandage. "Quatre's suggested taking them somewhere uninhabited and detonating them," he replies. "Can you bend your leg? I need better light." Heero shifts, letting Trowa manipulate his left leg as needed.
"Are you going to?"
"We didn't last a year without a new threat requiring the Gundams. What makes us think next year won't be the same?" he asks quietly.
Heero rests his forearms on the counter, bends his head to study the patterns in the stone. He can feel Trowa reapplying a new bandage. There's a burst of noise in the next room as Quatre or Duo turn on the television before the volume is quickly lowered. "I don't know," he admits. "Is that why you're against my plan?"
"That and I think it's asking for trouble. You can redress." Trowa releases his leg and Heero looks up to see Trowa standing behind him again. He sighs, turning to face him, not bothering to pull his clothes back on. "How was Relena?"
"She…" he trails off at Trowa's stare. It's the one that he used during the war when he wasn't buying Heero's bullshit about his arm being alright. "She's doubting her beliefs."
Trowa frowns, confused. "But the people upheld her beliefs. They demanded peace."
"I told her that," Heero replies. He leans against the counter and stares at the garden painting behind Trowa's shoulder. "She's disillusioned with politics."
"Did she ask you to stay?" Heero looks up and Trowa chuckles. "You just saved her life. Again," he reminds Heero. "It makes sense she'd want you nearby in case someone goes after her again."
"She knew I'd say no." Heero shifts, listens to Duo and Quatre moving around in the next room, the muffled sounds of the television set. "She did ask that I keep in touch this time."
Trowa smirks and Heero knows he's remembering Antarctica. "She's resourceful; she'd track you down if you didn't."
"I know," he agrees.
"What will you do? If this is really peace, what now?"
Heero looks at him but Trowa is focused on repacking the bag and throwing away the used bandages. "I haven't decided yet." He bends, grabs his new jeans and picks up the shirt from the counter. Trowa raises an eyebrow when he simply bundles them under one arm. "No use getting dressed just to take it all off again to go to bed."
"Of course not," Trowa replies, and there's a smile hovering around his mouth when he says it.
Duo has some action movie on when they enter the bedroom again. Quatre is passed out in his bed, snoring once more. Trowa wonders if Heero will give in and actually smother Quatre in his sleep tonight. Heero drops his clothes on the table and climbs into bed. Trowa places Sally's bag on the table by his bed and grabs his own toothbrush, disappearing back into the bathroom. Heero can feel Duo watching him and he sighs.
"What?" he asks. He turns to look at the other bed.
Duo shrugs. "It's just surprising to see you willingly accept help," he says finally. Heero frowns and Duo shakes his head. "I tried to help you and first you tried to kill yourself, then you stole parts from Deathscythe to fix the Gundam you torpedoed."
"I didn't know you," Heero replies. They're quiet as the pipes groan and the shower starts up.
"And now?" Duo asks, eyebrows raised. "If I had told you to go to the hospital, would you have? What about Quatre, would you do what Quatre told you?" Heero's frown deepens and Duo shrugs again. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, Heero. It's actually nice knowing you'll listen to someone."
Heero shakes his head and turns his attention back to the TV screen. Duo lets out a breath and twists to face the other bed. "Look, you okay, Buddy?" Heero glances at him, eyebrow raised questioningly. "I might be joking about you listening to someone, but you are, which isn't usual. So, I gotta ask. Everything okay?"
"I'm fine, Duo." Heero stares at him. "Trowa mentioned Quatre's plan."
"About detonating the Gundams?" Duo replies. He fiddles with the end of his braid.
"Yeah. What are your thoughts on it?"
Duo shrugs and rolls his shoulders. "Honestly? I dunno, man." He scrubs a hand over his face. "Sometimes I feel like we're just courting trouble, keeping them around."
"We didn't have them a month ago," Heero points out.
"And look where that got us," Duo replies. He glances over at Quatre and they're quiet, listening to the blonde's snores. "Quatre thinks it'll work. I don't know if he's crazy or a genius. What're your thoughts? Going to detonate Zero?"
"If I can get Zero away from Preventers," Heero grumbles. He settles back against the pillows and studies the television screen. "You saw the civilians at the bunker, how were they? Think they actually want peace?"
"Maybe, they seemed sincere," Duo replies. "But hey, we thought they were ready for it before, huh?"
Trowa chooses that moment to exit the bathroom, crossing the room lightly to climb into bed next to Heero. "What're are you watching?" he questions as the woman on screen gets her throat slit suddenly.
Heero turns back to the movie with a shrug and Duo sighs. He tosses Heero the remote, not surprised when he catches it mid-air. "I'm crashing; you can finish it or shut it off or whatever. Quat mentioned going back to the warehouses tomorrow morning if you want to join."
Heero flicks through channels until he comes to an all-night news station. He turns it to mute and watches scenes of the attempted coup cross the screen. Duo is quiet in his bed, breathing deep and slow. Heero envies his ability to drop to sleep so easily. He turns his attention back to the scrolling newsfeed.
It's the same, repeated images that have graced the screen for the past couple of days. Shots of the presidential bunker before-and-after the crash, clips of Relena walking from the wreckage mixed with clips of Relena giving speeches, and interspersed throughout are photographs of Dekim and Mariemaia. There's an aerial shot of Zero, mostly obscured by the debris and tarps the Preventers have secured around it.
Trowa reaches over, prying the remote from his hand and turning the TV off. The room plunges into darkness except for a strip of light from where the curtains don't overlap properly. "Go to sleep," he mumbles.
Heero sighs, rolls over onto his stomach and settles into the bed. Trowa shifts next to him and Heero counts heartbeats, listens to footsteps overhead. He jumps when he feels fingers in his hair, arm half poised for a counter attack before he realizes. The fingers move slowly, pressing in small circles against his scalp. "This usually helps Leo calm down."
"I'm not a lion, Trowa," Heero growls. Trowa huffs a laugh, the breath minty fresh against his neck.
"Just close your eyes. You need to sleep."
"Trowa-"
"And stop talking."
The fingers do feel nice against his scalp, especially when Trowa's short nails scrape a little. He closes his eyes, burrows his face in the pillow. Even if it doesn't work, he'll humor Trowa for a few minutes.