Angelic Gamble Part 3
By Snow Tigra
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Pairings: 2x1, 3x4/4x3, 13x6, 13x5... am I missing any?
Author's note: This fic was inspired by the huge amount of pix there are of the Gundam pilots with wings. Being that I already love angels I only found it fair. Warning: Quatre torture. I apologize but I started this around finals, which means that I picked one character to have a really shitty time, that character just happened to be Quatre. To be honest I love the little Arabian, but he turns out to be the most hurt in this story. I apologize to all Quatre fans. Don't worry, this is not a death fic.
LIMY LEMON (which means I describe but not too much :P)
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The doorbell rang once, awakening Trowa. He opened his eyes but didn't move, not wanting to leave the room. Quatre had disappeared two days ago, leaving not a single clue behind as to where he went, besides the black feather. Ever since his disappearance Heero had walked around the house in a daze. He still kept his normal 'I-hate-the-world' glare on his face, but it wasn't nearly as effective anymore. Heero didn't leave the house; save for at night when he could fly around unnoticed looking for his younger brother. And each night he came back empty handed and looking worse then when he had left. It wasn't hard to tell Heero wasn't getting any sleep.
"Then again, neither am I." Trowa whispered softly. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, letting out a very small yawn. How long had he just been lying in Quatre's bed? Since the sun had set. Heero looked by night and Trowa looked by day, but still there was no sign of Quatre. And both were close to losing hope.
The doorbell rang again and Trowa forced himself to get out of Quatre's bed. Once again he had laid there all night without bothering to change clothes, just staring at the ceiling. Smoothing out his gray turtleneck and black jeans, and running a hand through his musstled hair he headed for the door. It would be a lot less annoying if he just told the person to go away rather then waiting for them to leave.
"Ohiyo!" came an overly cheery voice as Trowa opened the door. He found a grinning boy his age dressed in a priest's outfit with a long chestnut colored braid. At the sight of Trowa's half-awake state the boy's grin faltered slightly. "Boy, you look like you've had less sleep then me? And that's saying a lot. Is this Heero's house?"
Trowa nodded slowly but didn't move to let the boy in.
"Well I came by to drop off his homework, he hasn't been in class for a while and I figured I'd see what's up." Duo tilted his head to look past Trowa into the house. He grinned even more as he saw Heero pass through the hallway to the kitchen. Duo moved with the speed of a cat and ducked under Trowa's arm, which blocked the door.
"Hey, Heero!"
Trowa tried to turn and catch him but failed. 'I need sleep' Trowa thought, 'If I wasn't so tired and worried about Quatre he never would have been able to slip by me.' Trowa watched the energetic boy bound into the kitchen after Heero and dismissed it by shutting the door. Heero could get rid of the boy, Trowa was going to try and get some much-needed sleep.
*
Heero did his best to glare at Duo but it didn't seem to work. His glare's effectiveness was lessened by lack of sleep and the fact that it was Duo. As the energetic boy bounced into the room Heero found his eyes watching the braid rebound off the back of his outfit. He quickly tore his eyes away and sat down at the table, content to ignore Duo and glare at his full coffee mug.
A small stack of papers landed on the table by Heero and he glanced up to find Duo had ignored the fact that he was being ignored and had decided to sit down. Duo pulled a pencil out of his backpack and another sheet of paper.
"The teacher noticed you hadn't been in class so I brought your homework for you... and umm... I need some help." Duo looked a little embarrassed at that. Heero resisted cracking the smallest of smiles, Duo was cute when he looked embarrassed. Heero quickly pushed the thought away and sighed. Fine, if that's what it took to get rid of this annoying little ray of sunshine he'd help Duo with his homework.
"Which problem?" Heero asked angrily, noticing it was a sheet of math equations.
"This one." Duo pointed to a problem with a finger and started to chew on the end of his pencil. Heero grabbed his own pencil and quickly sketched out the equation and the answer, then shoved the paper back towards Duo. Duo's eyes went wide.
"Wow, you did that fast." He picked up the paper and looked at the long line of problems. "Anou... this doesn't quite help me. I see how you solved it, but I still don't understand how to do the problems."
Heero frowned and glared at Duo. What did it take to get rid of him? "Fine," he muttered tightly. "Here's how." Looks like the only way that he was going to get rid of Duo was to actually help him out. So be it. Heero set about the task of explaining the problems to Duo and how to solve them.
An hour later found Duo still in his seat concentrating on the other side of the worksheet and a whole new set of problems, but at least he was slowly figuring them out. Heero had migrated with his chair to the counter behind Duo where he was quickly finishing up his worksheets. It seemed the best course of action to send them back with Duo to school the next day, even though he had no intention of entering that classroom again, least not until he found Quatre.
Heero set down the pencil at that thought and ruffled through a few of the papers. Where was Quatre? What could have caused him to run away like that? No, no he wouldn't have run away. That black angel from the other night must have taken him, as revenge for losing the challenge. If only he could find the place where the black angels were hiding, then he could find Quatre. He'd almost combed the entire city; one section left for tonight, Quatre had to be there-
Heero's thoughts broke off as he felt a pair of long slender arms slide across his shoulders to rest draped down his front. Duo's chin rested on Heero's left shoulder.
"What'cha doin?" Duo muttered very soft voice.
Heero stiffened, and for a moment his mind was completely confused. What in the world was Duo thinking? What in the world was he doing? Heero quickly gained control of himself and shrugged Duo's arms away. Not a moment too soon, yet as the arms left contact with him a dull ache arose in his stomach... he wanted Duo to put his arms back. Heero shook off the crazy feeling and tried his best to ignore the ache, it had to be from lack of sleep and worry about Quatre. He turned to glare at Duo, but found the boy sitting back in his chair concentrating hard on his worksheet. Had he imagined it?
No, he couldn't have. But how could Duo have moved so fast without a sound? Duo didn't strike Heero as the type of human to have that much control and grace. No, not Duo. Heero shook his head and turned back to the pile of worksheets before him. Two more to go and he'd be done, then he could get rid of Duo and try again to get some sleep.
"Ne, Heero you ok?"
Heero glanced over his shoulder to see those violet eyes watching him quietly with concern. "Hn." He turned back to the worksheets, ignoring Duo's question.
Duo's chair squeaked across the floor as he stood up, confirming Heero's suspicions that he had just imagined the boy behind him before, and walked up to Heero's side. Leaning down on the counter he put himself at eye level with Heero, his braid flopping over his shoulder to lightly hit Heero's thigh.
"You don't look so good."
Heero ignored him and scribbled out a few answers on the paper. Duo leaned a little farther forward, causing the soft strands at the end of his braid to brush against the bare area of Heero's leg just below his shorts. The ache in Heero's stomach grew just slightly and he looked up to meet the boy's eyes without thinking.
"Not enough sleep," he muttered as he tore his gaze away.
"You haven't been able to sleep? Why?" Duo paused. "Is it true then? Your brother is missing isn't he?"
Heero turned a hard glare on Duo. Duo quickly raised his hands up in defense.
"Gomen! It's just that the rumors have been flying around school. You stop coming to class and so does... what was his name?... Quatre?... well he has the same last name as you so everyone figured you were brothers, even though you look nothing alike-"
"Duo."
"Hai?"
"Shut up." Heero stood up, and left the kitchen. As he walked to the door of his bedroom his voice drifted back into the kitchen "You can let yourself out." Slamming the door behind him he dropping face first onto the bed with a silent sigh. Why couldn't Duo just go away? Now was not the time that Heero wanted to deal with that boy, or anyone else for that matter.
Behind him he heard the door open slowly.
"Go away!" Heero barked, without removing his face from the pillow.
There was no response.
Heero looked up slowly but found the door silent and the room empty save for himself. He dropped his head back onto the pillow. Duo couldn't be in the room, the door always squeaked, he must have just imagined hearing it open. And hallucinations were a definite sign he needed sleep, right now. If he didn't get sleep now he wouldn't be any good searching for Quatre that night. Heero rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, waiting patiently for sleep to come.
But sleep didn't come; instead something brushed lightly against Heero's bare shoulders. Heero shifted and batted at whatever it was without opening his eyes. A bug or something most likely. He froze as two soft hands rested on his shoulders. He recovered quickly and started to roll over but the hands prevented him.
"Shhh. You've been having trouble sleeping, right? I figure I'll help." Duo's voice was very soft, like the gentle purring of a cat. Before Heero could protest the boy's soft hands began to kneed the muscles in Heero's shoulders. Heero stopped trying to resist immediately as the other boy started massaging his shoulders and back. Heero let his eyes drift shut as the tension began to ebb away from his back thanks to Duo's well-trained hands. His rational mind seemed to take a step back, perfectly welcoming the bliss of relaxation, something he'd been missing for almost a week thanks to the challenge and Quatre's disappearance.
At Duo's slight nudging Heero rolled onto his stomach so the other could massage his entire back. Relaxation flowed through his body and sleep threatened, however Heero quickly pushed it away. He didn't want to fall asleep, for he found he was enjoying the movements of Duo's hands, fists and fingers across his back. Duo never said a word, but he continued to find all the knots in Heero's back, giving each the special attention it needed to disappear.
It must have taken a good hour or two for Duo to find all the knots and get rid of them, but it seemed like longer as Heero found himself floating in relaxed bliss and struggling to stay awake. As the last knot disappeared Duo's hands slid out from under Heero's green tank top. Heero hadn't even noticed the boy's hands venture beneath the all too familiar green fabric, then again if he had noticed he most likely wouldn't have cared. Heero opened his eyes as he felt one of Duo's fingers softly caress the side of his face.
"Baka..." Duo whispered just barley above silence. "You were supposed to relax and get some sleep."
Heero just looked up into Duo's violet eyes, up at the slim figure silhouetted against the moonlight. Moonlight? It was night already? But he didn't care. Heero moved his hand slowly and wrapped his fingers around the end of Duo's braid. Slowly he pulled off the tie from the end. Heero slowly wound his fingers in Duo's long hair and sliding them down the silky strands, undoing the braid. Duo watched him silently with a small look of confusion.
Heero allowed himself the slightest of smirks and gripped Duo's braid as far up as he could reach. He gently tugged until Duo was forced to place his head at Heero's level. Then, without warning, Heero placed a hand behind Duo's head and pulled him into a deep kiss.
At first Duo tried to pull away, but Heero refused to let go. His rational mind was gone and he wanted, for just once, to step out of being the perfect solder. He deepened the kiss and was surprised to find Duo stop resisting and joining in. Heero vaguely noticed Duo's arms wrapping around his body and the strange human pulling closer. Hands began to roam and neither party objected.
Heero's awareness of the room around him melted completely aware and he only paid attention to the boy in his arms. There was nothing else in the world, just the two of them. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had a feeling that something was wrong, something was really wrong about all of this. But he didn't care. He honestly didn't care, all he cared about was the beautiful human before him. Clothes slipped away and Heero was in complete awe of the magnificent body before him shining in the thin moonlight as long strands of chestnut hair spread across his sweat covered body.
Their bodies seemed to move in rhythm, touching and caressing the other. Soft moans and heavy breathing echoed throughout the room as the temperature rose. In the complete darkness there was nothing else. It seemed to last forever, each teasing and taunting until it almost hurt then offer the smallest amount of release. The movements and explorations achieved climax after what seemed like an eternity to each party. Then there was a sudden snapping and wings shot out from the backs of both boys.
All movement stopped out of shock and they just stared at each other, not really able to comprehend what had just happened.
The suddenly the window was open and Duo was gone, leaving Heero to pant silently in his own bed surrounded by a few scattered black feathers. Heero watched the curtains around the window snap back and forth from the night wind in confusion. What had just happened?
No, he knew the answer to that question. He swallowed slowly as he let the full depth of his realization rocket through him. Duo wasn't human... and his wings were black.
*
Duo stumbled across the ground at a frantic and clumsy pace. He never glanced back, only raced through the trees, using one set of wings to cover his naked body. He ran as fast as he could, not caring what direction he was going in as long as it was away from Heero. His barefoot hit a rock and he stumbled to the ground, sending dust and leaves flying. He hit the ground in a silent thump and remained completely still, just lying there and trying to catch his breath. As his breathing and heart slowed he sat up and groaned. Leaning back he hit his head against a tree on purpose.
"Baka! What in the world did you think you were doing!?"
Duo hugged his knees and wrapped his wings around his body for warmth. He tried closing his eyes but only found images of Heero burned into his mind. He swallowed and opened his eyes to stare at the forest around him.
"You enjoyed it didn't you?" he accused himself. "That was never part of the plan! You were only supposed to find his weak spot, not..." Duo choked on his own voice. "... not become his weak spot."
He hit his head against the tree a few more times and finally stopped as it really began to hurt. Duo hugged himself under his feathers and bit his lip.
"Heero," he whispered softly into the night as the first rays of sunlight moved across the horizon. Duo shook his head and blinked away the threatening tears. He stood up slowly and made his dark obsidian armor appear from under his skin. Walking around town naked would be both cold and embarrassing. Yet he just stood there, completely confused.
"And now what am I supposed to do? I can't return to you, you'll kill me for my wings. And I can't return home because... because..."
He ended the thought silently with a pang of despair.
Because I love you too.
*
Quatre's eyes snapped open as the pain ripped through his body. Crying out his hands clutched the covers on the bed tightly. His screams echoed through the empty room as his wings rustled. He closed his eyes and tried to move, tried to stop screaming, anything, but he couldn't. His body shuddered violently and tears welled up in his eyes as he felt soft feathers falling lightly against his skin. The attack was over in less then a minute and it left him exhausted and gasping for air. The attacks continually grew shorter but each time they were more painful, and now the pain never completely left, instead it just melted into a small constant throbbing that echoed through his entire body.
After he was sure it was finished and he was able to breath normally Quatre opened his eyes to find himself surround and covered with dark red feathers. Swallowing hard he pushed himself up into a sitting position and watched the hundreds of feathers slowly drift to the ground. Quatre held his breath as he reached behind his back and lightly touched the smooth lengths of bone. He whimpered slightly as he tried desperately to find even just one feather still attached.
"They are gone."
Quatre looked up toward the door to find Zechs watching him, a solemn look across his face. Quatre shook his head and continued to search blindly with his hand for feathers. "No," he whispered. "They can't be..."
Zechs moved into the room, the red silk robe whispering around his body. He reached forward and grasped Quatre's hands softly, bringing them away from what had once been his wings. Quatre tried desperately to blink away new tears but it didn't work. He quickly looked away.
"You're like me now."
Quatre bit his lip and looked up at Zechs, his light blue eyes following the smooth silvery bones that arched out from his shoulders. "Does... does it still... hurt?"
Zechs nodded slowly. "All the time. But you get used to it."
"And the attacks?"
Zechs shook his head. "They are very rare once your feathers are gone."
Quatre took a deep breath and slowly turned his head, craning his neck until he could see his own bones, the only thing left of his wings. Closing his eyes he swallowed his sadness, why bother crying over spilled milk? His wings were gone, they'd never come back now. Now he was a freak. An earthbound angel, completely worthless and ugly. Not to mention miserable. Yet he swallowed all of his sadness, there was no point to it anymore. The sadness disappeared leaving a strange kind of hollowness. He opened his eyes and rubbed away the tears, glancing up at the solemn Zechs. As he looked at the older man's face he realized that Zechs wasn't solemn at all, instead he wore the same hollowness Quatre felt inside. Suddenly Quatre had the strange urge to call Zechs brother, for only Zechs had any idea what he was going through. Heero would never have understood.
Heero... Quatre frowned. How long had he been here with the black winged angels? A week? Something like that. It shouldn't have taken Heero that long to search the city, especially when his younger brother's life was at stake. But no, neither Heero nor Trowa had showed up looking for him. He began to wonder if they had even tried to find him. No, he thought with a soft burning anger, they probably didn't. I'm a freak to them and I was a burden, they were probably happy to see me go.
Trowa... Quatre glanced toward the stone wall and his eyes narrowed. I was a fool, he said to himself, a fool to think that you would hold me like you did before you left. If you felt anything...! Abruptly the anger melted away and he pushed the two out of his mind. Turning back to Zechs he frowned.
"I... I'm sorry. Sorry for the way I reacted toward you before. I shouldn't have run away like that."
Surprisingly the man's thin lips curved in a slight smile. "Forgiven. Perfectly understandable given the circumstances."
"Did you... were you with someone when it started happening to you?"
Zechs nodded, the smile disappearing once more. "My sister."
"Why'd you leave?"
Zechs turned his head and concentrated on the single dancing candle flame which lit the room. "She said she'd help me, but every time it happened I saw the look in her eyes… the look of horror. I was a monster to her. I wasn't her brother." His face became grim for a small second then dropped back to hollow emptiness. "And you?" he returned softly.
"My brother and lo-... friend. They had the same look in their eyes when it first happened. I snuck away to protect them but... they didn't come looking for me." Quatre's fingers gripped a bundle of bed sheets in a fist. "They said they'd protect me."
Zechs turned completely to face Quatre. "We aren't like them anymore. We are separate. They will all treat us as freaks, no matter what. I once had white wings and I know how much our kind loves their 'pure white wings'. To them we are the monsters. To them we are just as low as the black winged ones."
"But Duo... and the others..."
Zechs nodded. "They understand, in a way. Only a few have ever given me the look I received from my sister. And if they do it is never repeated. To them we are not monsters. To them we are... tortured kin."
Quatre nodded and seemed to ponder that for a second. "I need to get out of here, out of this room. I need a place where I can sit and think, where I won't be disturbed. There's a lot I have to think about."
"Of course. I will show you a place." Zechs stood and beckoned with his long elegant fingers. Quatre timidly pushed himself to his feet and took a few light steps. As soon as he was sure he was still able to walk he fell into step behind Zechs.
Zechs lead Quatre silently down the long hallways and Quatre immediately recognized the route, it was to the room where they had first met. As they moved down the halls he felt their eyes, the eyes of the black angels. He allowed himself small glances toward the silent black winged ones waiting in the shadows, watching with interest. Zechs had been right, fear and terror wasn't in their eyes, only silent wonder. Quatre smiled softly, he already felt comfortable here.
They made their way to the large oak doors and Zechs knocked lightly twice.
"Enter."
He pushed the doors open and beckoned Quatre inside, shutting the door behind them. Quatre looked around quietly, in awe of the large room. Unlike before it was now filled with dancing candlelight, making the room bright as day. Red and black silk covered everything, absolutely everything. It even hung in curtains over the walls and in long smooth waves from the ceiling. The room seemed to be made of flowing red and black water for one step caused the same ripple effect to move among the pieces. Quatre's wandering eyes finally settled on a man sitting in a large reclined chair which matched the décor.
"Zechs, who is this?"
The man had short dark blond hair and elegantly arched eyebrows that spoke of grace and nobility and leadership. He wore a long thin robe of black with a red dragon embroidered to wrap around his body from neck to ankle, amazingly detailed, so much that it almost looked alive. His deep crystal blue eyes watched Quatre with carefully trained curiosity.
"My name is Quatre," Quatre said softly. He was suddenly very aware of the man's stare and felt small and insignificant in the magnificent room.
One of his long eyebrows raised slightly. "I am called Treize. I was not aware there were others like Zechs here." He stood up from his chair, moving as if he were made of perfect silk himself. "You are welcome here, Quatre. None who live here will hurt you."
"Arigatou."
"He has requested a room of his own." Zechs said with a small wave of his hand.
"Of course. In the south corridor, there is an empty room near Noin and Une." He glanced from Zechs to Quatre. "The corridor is very quiet and few pass through, it will provide you with privacy if that is what you require."
Quatre nodded his agreement and thanks once more.
"Zechs, would you be so kind as to show him to the room?"
"Of course." Zechs gave a small bow, then he and Quatre headed for the door.
"Oh, and would you please send Wufei to my room, I have some matters to discuss with our little dragon."
At that Zechs' lips curved into his thin small smile. "I shall deliver the message, sir."
Quatre followed Zechs down the hall once more, pondering his current situation. Here he was welcome, without even a single question about his past or his origins. Treize had to have known he once had white wings, and therefore was an enemy. But Treize hadn't questioned him, or thrown him out. Instead it was instant acceptance. He knew for a fact it would be different with his 'kind'. Sure, he could live with Trowa and Heero, but that fear would always be in their eyes. Not just because of what Quatre looked like, but because of what he represented. Quatre's presence would be an ever constant reminder of something that could happen to them at any moment. After all, it had attacked Quatre without any warning or cause, what would stop the same thing from happening to Heero and Trowa or any of the other white winged angels who also lived in the city. They would all avoid him because of what he was.
No, Quatre thought, I won't go back. I am welcome here, and this is where I'm staying.
They stopped momentarily as a boy with long black hair passed them. Zechs called out a name and Quatre suddenly recognized it, Wufei? That was the angel that had faced Heero that night.
"Wufei." Zechs repeated. The boy clenched his fist and turned, glaring up at Zechs defiantly. "Treize-sama requests an audience with you."
"I have nothing to say to him!"
Zechs smirked. "He was most... insistent."
Wufei's eyes narrowed even more and he whirled around muttering a few choice words under her breath. Then he stomped off in the direction of Treize's room.
Zechs left Quatre at the door to the room with a friendly smile. He said nothing but Quatre understood. The two were brothers now, strangely. And that was a smile of acceptance and welcome. He and Zechs truly were... what was the phrase he had used earlier? Tortured kin. Yes, they were.
Quatre closed his door and a small smile slid across his face. Yet it wasn't a friendly smile, behind the curve of his lips something was hidden, something dangerous. This smile was one of thought, of a particularly pleasing thought. One that told of things to come.
By Snow Tigra
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Pairings: 2x1, 3x4/4x3, 13x6, 13x5... am I missing any?
Author's note: This fic was inspired by the huge amount of pix there are of the Gundam pilots with wings. Being that I already love angels I only found it fair. Warning: Quatre torture. I apologize but I started this around finals, which means that I picked one character to have a really shitty time, that character just happened to be Quatre. To be honest I love the little Arabian, but he turns out to be the most hurt in this story. I apologize to all Quatre fans. Don't worry, this is not a death fic.
LIMY LEMON (which means I describe but not too much :P)
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The doorbell rang once, awakening Trowa. He opened his eyes but didn't move, not wanting to leave the room. Quatre had disappeared two days ago, leaving not a single clue behind as to where he went, besides the black feather. Ever since his disappearance Heero had walked around the house in a daze. He still kept his normal 'I-hate-the-world' glare on his face, but it wasn't nearly as effective anymore. Heero didn't leave the house; save for at night when he could fly around unnoticed looking for his younger brother. And each night he came back empty handed and looking worse then when he had left. It wasn't hard to tell Heero wasn't getting any sleep.
"Then again, neither am I." Trowa whispered softly. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, letting out a very small yawn. How long had he just been lying in Quatre's bed? Since the sun had set. Heero looked by night and Trowa looked by day, but still there was no sign of Quatre. And both were close to losing hope.
The doorbell rang again and Trowa forced himself to get out of Quatre's bed. Once again he had laid there all night without bothering to change clothes, just staring at the ceiling. Smoothing out his gray turtleneck and black jeans, and running a hand through his musstled hair he headed for the door. It would be a lot less annoying if he just told the person to go away rather then waiting for them to leave.
"Ohiyo!" came an overly cheery voice as Trowa opened the door. He found a grinning boy his age dressed in a priest's outfit with a long chestnut colored braid. At the sight of Trowa's half-awake state the boy's grin faltered slightly. "Boy, you look like you've had less sleep then me? And that's saying a lot. Is this Heero's house?"
Trowa nodded slowly but didn't move to let the boy in.
"Well I came by to drop off his homework, he hasn't been in class for a while and I figured I'd see what's up." Duo tilted his head to look past Trowa into the house. He grinned even more as he saw Heero pass through the hallway to the kitchen. Duo moved with the speed of a cat and ducked under Trowa's arm, which blocked the door.
"Hey, Heero!"
Trowa tried to turn and catch him but failed. 'I need sleep' Trowa thought, 'If I wasn't so tired and worried about Quatre he never would have been able to slip by me.' Trowa watched the energetic boy bound into the kitchen after Heero and dismissed it by shutting the door. Heero could get rid of the boy, Trowa was going to try and get some much-needed sleep.
*
Heero did his best to glare at Duo but it didn't seem to work. His glare's effectiveness was lessened by lack of sleep and the fact that it was Duo. As the energetic boy bounced into the room Heero found his eyes watching the braid rebound off the back of his outfit. He quickly tore his eyes away and sat down at the table, content to ignore Duo and glare at his full coffee mug.
A small stack of papers landed on the table by Heero and he glanced up to find Duo had ignored the fact that he was being ignored and had decided to sit down. Duo pulled a pencil out of his backpack and another sheet of paper.
"The teacher noticed you hadn't been in class so I brought your homework for you... and umm... I need some help." Duo looked a little embarrassed at that. Heero resisted cracking the smallest of smiles, Duo was cute when he looked embarrassed. Heero quickly pushed the thought away and sighed. Fine, if that's what it took to get rid of this annoying little ray of sunshine he'd help Duo with his homework.
"Which problem?" Heero asked angrily, noticing it was a sheet of math equations.
"This one." Duo pointed to a problem with a finger and started to chew on the end of his pencil. Heero grabbed his own pencil and quickly sketched out the equation and the answer, then shoved the paper back towards Duo. Duo's eyes went wide.
"Wow, you did that fast." He picked up the paper and looked at the long line of problems. "Anou... this doesn't quite help me. I see how you solved it, but I still don't understand how to do the problems."
Heero frowned and glared at Duo. What did it take to get rid of him? "Fine," he muttered tightly. "Here's how." Looks like the only way that he was going to get rid of Duo was to actually help him out. So be it. Heero set about the task of explaining the problems to Duo and how to solve them.
An hour later found Duo still in his seat concentrating on the other side of the worksheet and a whole new set of problems, but at least he was slowly figuring them out. Heero had migrated with his chair to the counter behind Duo where he was quickly finishing up his worksheets. It seemed the best course of action to send them back with Duo to school the next day, even though he had no intention of entering that classroom again, least not until he found Quatre.
Heero set down the pencil at that thought and ruffled through a few of the papers. Where was Quatre? What could have caused him to run away like that? No, no he wouldn't have run away. That black angel from the other night must have taken him, as revenge for losing the challenge. If only he could find the place where the black angels were hiding, then he could find Quatre. He'd almost combed the entire city; one section left for tonight, Quatre had to be there-
Heero's thoughts broke off as he felt a pair of long slender arms slide across his shoulders to rest draped down his front. Duo's chin rested on Heero's left shoulder.
"What'cha doin?" Duo muttered very soft voice.
Heero stiffened, and for a moment his mind was completely confused. What in the world was Duo thinking? What in the world was he doing? Heero quickly gained control of himself and shrugged Duo's arms away. Not a moment too soon, yet as the arms left contact with him a dull ache arose in his stomach... he wanted Duo to put his arms back. Heero shook off the crazy feeling and tried his best to ignore the ache, it had to be from lack of sleep and worry about Quatre. He turned to glare at Duo, but found the boy sitting back in his chair concentrating hard on his worksheet. Had he imagined it?
No, he couldn't have. But how could Duo have moved so fast without a sound? Duo didn't strike Heero as the type of human to have that much control and grace. No, not Duo. Heero shook his head and turned back to the pile of worksheets before him. Two more to go and he'd be done, then he could get rid of Duo and try again to get some sleep.
"Ne, Heero you ok?"
Heero glanced over his shoulder to see those violet eyes watching him quietly with concern. "Hn." He turned back to the worksheets, ignoring Duo's question.
Duo's chair squeaked across the floor as he stood up, confirming Heero's suspicions that he had just imagined the boy behind him before, and walked up to Heero's side. Leaning down on the counter he put himself at eye level with Heero, his braid flopping over his shoulder to lightly hit Heero's thigh.
"You don't look so good."
Heero ignored him and scribbled out a few answers on the paper. Duo leaned a little farther forward, causing the soft strands at the end of his braid to brush against the bare area of Heero's leg just below his shorts. The ache in Heero's stomach grew just slightly and he looked up to meet the boy's eyes without thinking.
"Not enough sleep," he muttered as he tore his gaze away.
"You haven't been able to sleep? Why?" Duo paused. "Is it true then? Your brother is missing isn't he?"
Heero turned a hard glare on Duo. Duo quickly raised his hands up in defense.
"Gomen! It's just that the rumors have been flying around school. You stop coming to class and so does... what was his name?... Quatre?... well he has the same last name as you so everyone figured you were brothers, even though you look nothing alike-"
"Duo."
"Hai?"
"Shut up." Heero stood up, and left the kitchen. As he walked to the door of his bedroom his voice drifted back into the kitchen "You can let yourself out." Slamming the door behind him he dropping face first onto the bed with a silent sigh. Why couldn't Duo just go away? Now was not the time that Heero wanted to deal with that boy, or anyone else for that matter.
Behind him he heard the door open slowly.
"Go away!" Heero barked, without removing his face from the pillow.
There was no response.
Heero looked up slowly but found the door silent and the room empty save for himself. He dropped his head back onto the pillow. Duo couldn't be in the room, the door always squeaked, he must have just imagined hearing it open. And hallucinations were a definite sign he needed sleep, right now. If he didn't get sleep now he wouldn't be any good searching for Quatre that night. Heero rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, waiting patiently for sleep to come.
But sleep didn't come; instead something brushed lightly against Heero's bare shoulders. Heero shifted and batted at whatever it was without opening his eyes. A bug or something most likely. He froze as two soft hands rested on his shoulders. He recovered quickly and started to roll over but the hands prevented him.
"Shhh. You've been having trouble sleeping, right? I figure I'll help." Duo's voice was very soft, like the gentle purring of a cat. Before Heero could protest the boy's soft hands began to kneed the muscles in Heero's shoulders. Heero stopped trying to resist immediately as the other boy started massaging his shoulders and back. Heero let his eyes drift shut as the tension began to ebb away from his back thanks to Duo's well-trained hands. His rational mind seemed to take a step back, perfectly welcoming the bliss of relaxation, something he'd been missing for almost a week thanks to the challenge and Quatre's disappearance.
At Duo's slight nudging Heero rolled onto his stomach so the other could massage his entire back. Relaxation flowed through his body and sleep threatened, however Heero quickly pushed it away. He didn't want to fall asleep, for he found he was enjoying the movements of Duo's hands, fists and fingers across his back. Duo never said a word, but he continued to find all the knots in Heero's back, giving each the special attention it needed to disappear.
It must have taken a good hour or two for Duo to find all the knots and get rid of them, but it seemed like longer as Heero found himself floating in relaxed bliss and struggling to stay awake. As the last knot disappeared Duo's hands slid out from under Heero's green tank top. Heero hadn't even noticed the boy's hands venture beneath the all too familiar green fabric, then again if he had noticed he most likely wouldn't have cared. Heero opened his eyes as he felt one of Duo's fingers softly caress the side of his face.
"Baka..." Duo whispered just barley above silence. "You were supposed to relax and get some sleep."
Heero just looked up into Duo's violet eyes, up at the slim figure silhouetted against the moonlight. Moonlight? It was night already? But he didn't care. Heero moved his hand slowly and wrapped his fingers around the end of Duo's braid. Slowly he pulled off the tie from the end. Heero slowly wound his fingers in Duo's long hair and sliding them down the silky strands, undoing the braid. Duo watched him silently with a small look of confusion.
Heero allowed himself the slightest of smirks and gripped Duo's braid as far up as he could reach. He gently tugged until Duo was forced to place his head at Heero's level. Then, without warning, Heero placed a hand behind Duo's head and pulled him into a deep kiss.
At first Duo tried to pull away, but Heero refused to let go. His rational mind was gone and he wanted, for just once, to step out of being the perfect solder. He deepened the kiss and was surprised to find Duo stop resisting and joining in. Heero vaguely noticed Duo's arms wrapping around his body and the strange human pulling closer. Hands began to roam and neither party objected.
Heero's awareness of the room around him melted completely aware and he only paid attention to the boy in his arms. There was nothing else in the world, just the two of them. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had a feeling that something was wrong, something was really wrong about all of this. But he didn't care. He honestly didn't care, all he cared about was the beautiful human before him. Clothes slipped away and Heero was in complete awe of the magnificent body before him shining in the thin moonlight as long strands of chestnut hair spread across his sweat covered body.
Their bodies seemed to move in rhythm, touching and caressing the other. Soft moans and heavy breathing echoed throughout the room as the temperature rose. In the complete darkness there was nothing else. It seemed to last forever, each teasing and taunting until it almost hurt then offer the smallest amount of release. The movements and explorations achieved climax after what seemed like an eternity to each party. Then there was a sudden snapping and wings shot out from the backs of both boys.
All movement stopped out of shock and they just stared at each other, not really able to comprehend what had just happened.
The suddenly the window was open and Duo was gone, leaving Heero to pant silently in his own bed surrounded by a few scattered black feathers. Heero watched the curtains around the window snap back and forth from the night wind in confusion. What had just happened?
No, he knew the answer to that question. He swallowed slowly as he let the full depth of his realization rocket through him. Duo wasn't human... and his wings were black.
*
Duo stumbled across the ground at a frantic and clumsy pace. He never glanced back, only raced through the trees, using one set of wings to cover his naked body. He ran as fast as he could, not caring what direction he was going in as long as it was away from Heero. His barefoot hit a rock and he stumbled to the ground, sending dust and leaves flying. He hit the ground in a silent thump and remained completely still, just lying there and trying to catch his breath. As his breathing and heart slowed he sat up and groaned. Leaning back he hit his head against a tree on purpose.
"Baka! What in the world did you think you were doing!?"
Duo hugged his knees and wrapped his wings around his body for warmth. He tried closing his eyes but only found images of Heero burned into his mind. He swallowed and opened his eyes to stare at the forest around him.
"You enjoyed it didn't you?" he accused himself. "That was never part of the plan! You were only supposed to find his weak spot, not..." Duo choked on his own voice. "... not become his weak spot."
He hit his head against the tree a few more times and finally stopped as it really began to hurt. Duo hugged himself under his feathers and bit his lip.
"Heero," he whispered softly into the night as the first rays of sunlight moved across the horizon. Duo shook his head and blinked away the threatening tears. He stood up slowly and made his dark obsidian armor appear from under his skin. Walking around town naked would be both cold and embarrassing. Yet he just stood there, completely confused.
"And now what am I supposed to do? I can't return to you, you'll kill me for my wings. And I can't return home because... because..."
He ended the thought silently with a pang of despair.
Because I love you too.
*
Quatre's eyes snapped open as the pain ripped through his body. Crying out his hands clutched the covers on the bed tightly. His screams echoed through the empty room as his wings rustled. He closed his eyes and tried to move, tried to stop screaming, anything, but he couldn't. His body shuddered violently and tears welled up in his eyes as he felt soft feathers falling lightly against his skin. The attack was over in less then a minute and it left him exhausted and gasping for air. The attacks continually grew shorter but each time they were more painful, and now the pain never completely left, instead it just melted into a small constant throbbing that echoed through his entire body.
After he was sure it was finished and he was able to breath normally Quatre opened his eyes to find himself surround and covered with dark red feathers. Swallowing hard he pushed himself up into a sitting position and watched the hundreds of feathers slowly drift to the ground. Quatre held his breath as he reached behind his back and lightly touched the smooth lengths of bone. He whimpered slightly as he tried desperately to find even just one feather still attached.
"They are gone."
Quatre looked up toward the door to find Zechs watching him, a solemn look across his face. Quatre shook his head and continued to search blindly with his hand for feathers. "No," he whispered. "They can't be..."
Zechs moved into the room, the red silk robe whispering around his body. He reached forward and grasped Quatre's hands softly, bringing them away from what had once been his wings. Quatre tried desperately to blink away new tears but it didn't work. He quickly looked away.
"You're like me now."
Quatre bit his lip and looked up at Zechs, his light blue eyes following the smooth silvery bones that arched out from his shoulders. "Does... does it still... hurt?"
Zechs nodded slowly. "All the time. But you get used to it."
"And the attacks?"
Zechs shook his head. "They are very rare once your feathers are gone."
Quatre took a deep breath and slowly turned his head, craning his neck until he could see his own bones, the only thing left of his wings. Closing his eyes he swallowed his sadness, why bother crying over spilled milk? His wings were gone, they'd never come back now. Now he was a freak. An earthbound angel, completely worthless and ugly. Not to mention miserable. Yet he swallowed all of his sadness, there was no point to it anymore. The sadness disappeared leaving a strange kind of hollowness. He opened his eyes and rubbed away the tears, glancing up at the solemn Zechs. As he looked at the older man's face he realized that Zechs wasn't solemn at all, instead he wore the same hollowness Quatre felt inside. Suddenly Quatre had the strange urge to call Zechs brother, for only Zechs had any idea what he was going through. Heero would never have understood.
Heero... Quatre frowned. How long had he been here with the black winged angels? A week? Something like that. It shouldn't have taken Heero that long to search the city, especially when his younger brother's life was at stake. But no, neither Heero nor Trowa had showed up looking for him. He began to wonder if they had even tried to find him. No, he thought with a soft burning anger, they probably didn't. I'm a freak to them and I was a burden, they were probably happy to see me go.
Trowa... Quatre glanced toward the stone wall and his eyes narrowed. I was a fool, he said to himself, a fool to think that you would hold me like you did before you left. If you felt anything...! Abruptly the anger melted away and he pushed the two out of his mind. Turning back to Zechs he frowned.
"I... I'm sorry. Sorry for the way I reacted toward you before. I shouldn't have run away like that."
Surprisingly the man's thin lips curved in a slight smile. "Forgiven. Perfectly understandable given the circumstances."
"Did you... were you with someone when it started happening to you?"
Zechs nodded, the smile disappearing once more. "My sister."
"Why'd you leave?"
Zechs turned his head and concentrated on the single dancing candle flame which lit the room. "She said she'd help me, but every time it happened I saw the look in her eyes… the look of horror. I was a monster to her. I wasn't her brother." His face became grim for a small second then dropped back to hollow emptiness. "And you?" he returned softly.
"My brother and lo-... friend. They had the same look in their eyes when it first happened. I snuck away to protect them but... they didn't come looking for me." Quatre's fingers gripped a bundle of bed sheets in a fist. "They said they'd protect me."
Zechs turned completely to face Quatre. "We aren't like them anymore. We are separate. They will all treat us as freaks, no matter what. I once had white wings and I know how much our kind loves their 'pure white wings'. To them we are the monsters. To them we are just as low as the black winged ones."
"But Duo... and the others..."
Zechs nodded. "They understand, in a way. Only a few have ever given me the look I received from my sister. And if they do it is never repeated. To them we are not monsters. To them we are... tortured kin."
Quatre nodded and seemed to ponder that for a second. "I need to get out of here, out of this room. I need a place where I can sit and think, where I won't be disturbed. There's a lot I have to think about."
"Of course. I will show you a place." Zechs stood and beckoned with his long elegant fingers. Quatre timidly pushed himself to his feet and took a few light steps. As soon as he was sure he was still able to walk he fell into step behind Zechs.
Zechs lead Quatre silently down the long hallways and Quatre immediately recognized the route, it was to the room where they had first met. As they moved down the halls he felt their eyes, the eyes of the black angels. He allowed himself small glances toward the silent black winged ones waiting in the shadows, watching with interest. Zechs had been right, fear and terror wasn't in their eyes, only silent wonder. Quatre smiled softly, he already felt comfortable here.
They made their way to the large oak doors and Zechs knocked lightly twice.
"Enter."
He pushed the doors open and beckoned Quatre inside, shutting the door behind them. Quatre looked around quietly, in awe of the large room. Unlike before it was now filled with dancing candlelight, making the room bright as day. Red and black silk covered everything, absolutely everything. It even hung in curtains over the walls and in long smooth waves from the ceiling. The room seemed to be made of flowing red and black water for one step caused the same ripple effect to move among the pieces. Quatre's wandering eyes finally settled on a man sitting in a large reclined chair which matched the décor.
"Zechs, who is this?"
The man had short dark blond hair and elegantly arched eyebrows that spoke of grace and nobility and leadership. He wore a long thin robe of black with a red dragon embroidered to wrap around his body from neck to ankle, amazingly detailed, so much that it almost looked alive. His deep crystal blue eyes watched Quatre with carefully trained curiosity.
"My name is Quatre," Quatre said softly. He was suddenly very aware of the man's stare and felt small and insignificant in the magnificent room.
One of his long eyebrows raised slightly. "I am called Treize. I was not aware there were others like Zechs here." He stood up from his chair, moving as if he were made of perfect silk himself. "You are welcome here, Quatre. None who live here will hurt you."
"Arigatou."
"He has requested a room of his own." Zechs said with a small wave of his hand.
"Of course. In the south corridor, there is an empty room near Noin and Une." He glanced from Zechs to Quatre. "The corridor is very quiet and few pass through, it will provide you with privacy if that is what you require."
Quatre nodded his agreement and thanks once more.
"Zechs, would you be so kind as to show him to the room?"
"Of course." Zechs gave a small bow, then he and Quatre headed for the door.
"Oh, and would you please send Wufei to my room, I have some matters to discuss with our little dragon."
At that Zechs' lips curved into his thin small smile. "I shall deliver the message, sir."
Quatre followed Zechs down the hall once more, pondering his current situation. Here he was welcome, without even a single question about his past or his origins. Treize had to have known he once had white wings, and therefore was an enemy. But Treize hadn't questioned him, or thrown him out. Instead it was instant acceptance. He knew for a fact it would be different with his 'kind'. Sure, he could live with Trowa and Heero, but that fear would always be in their eyes. Not just because of what Quatre looked like, but because of what he represented. Quatre's presence would be an ever constant reminder of something that could happen to them at any moment. After all, it had attacked Quatre without any warning or cause, what would stop the same thing from happening to Heero and Trowa or any of the other white winged angels who also lived in the city. They would all avoid him because of what he was.
No, Quatre thought, I won't go back. I am welcome here, and this is where I'm staying.
They stopped momentarily as a boy with long black hair passed them. Zechs called out a name and Quatre suddenly recognized it, Wufei? That was the angel that had faced Heero that night.
"Wufei." Zechs repeated. The boy clenched his fist and turned, glaring up at Zechs defiantly. "Treize-sama requests an audience with you."
"I have nothing to say to him!"
Zechs smirked. "He was most... insistent."
Wufei's eyes narrowed even more and he whirled around muttering a few choice words under her breath. Then he stomped off in the direction of Treize's room.
Zechs left Quatre at the door to the room with a friendly smile. He said nothing but Quatre understood. The two were brothers now, strangely. And that was a smile of acceptance and welcome. He and Zechs truly were... what was the phrase he had used earlier? Tortured kin. Yes, they were.
Quatre closed his door and a small smile slid across his face. Yet it wasn't a friendly smile, behind the curve of his lips something was hidden, something dangerous. This smile was one of thought, of a particularly pleasing thought. One that told of things to come.
