Thanks for your reviews, i'm glad you like my fan fic!
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own the fabulous characters of Gundam Wing, they belong to Bandai/Sunrise
I don't think i'll be able to update this until Wednesday next week at the earliest, i have an exam on Tuesday that i haven't even started to study for! Oh well, enjoy!
Duo crept into the house, sliding his shoes off quietly as he tiptoed through the doorway. He gave a small sigh of relief as he saw the empty living room before him.
"Looks like Heero's not up yet", he wiped his hand across his forehead, wiping away the droplets of sweat which had gathered there."I'll just keep these in my pocket just now, and i'll slip into the the room, and put them back later."
The braided pilot made a beeline for the kitchen, slinging his jacket on the floor, it's usual place in the cold and bare house. He rumaged through the cupboards, knowing that it'd probably be a good idea to make something - if they had anything.
"Ah!", Duo cried triumphantly, holding up a loaf of stale bread,"Guess we're having toast this morning!"
"We sold the toaster Duo", a cold voice pertruded from the kitchen entrance,"Six weeks ago. Remember?"
The colour drained from Duo's face rapidly. The american began to open the bread nosily, not giving himself an excuse to turn around."Oh yeah", he mumbled, grabbing two cracked plates from the pile of dirty dishes on the draining board. "I'm in for it now", he panicked frantically, trying in vain not to let his worry show. The last thing he needed right now was the third degree, he had other things to think about - more important things.
"Where did you go?", Heero asked, calmly approaching his lover.
"Nowhere", Duo replied, flicking his bangs from his forehead, and turning around, a false smile frozen on his tanned face."Bread?"
"No thank you", Heero said, disgusted,"I don't take things from those who lie."
"I'm not lying!", Duo said hotly, his eyes filling with mock innocence.
"That doesn't work on me Duo, and you know it", the Wing pilot said, pivoting on his heal, retreating from the kitchen."If you're not going to tell me the truth, then don't bother talking to me."
Duo slammed his own plate down on the counter, and it smashed immediatly, shards of glass spilling across the dirty wooden floor.
"Come back Heero!", he commanded, dashing after his partner.
"I don't take orders from you", Heero retorted cooly, grabbing his jacket from their bedroom,"I'm going to see Relena."
"Wait", Duo pleaded, following Heero to the door,"Let me explain. Alright, i was out this morning, but i had to go, it was urgent."
"So urgent that you couldn't even tell me that you were leaving?", Heero locked eyes with Duo, and the american could see the hurt behind the prussian blue specks.
"It's just that", Duo began to argue, but faltered. He realised that if he told Heero about Trowa's problem, then eventually, he might have to explain what had happened between them.
The chinese boy misunderstood the expression on Duo's face. "You see!", he cried anrgrily, narrowing his eyes as his lover."You don't even have an excuse! How could you just walk out on me this morning, after last night? Not a word of explaination, or even an apology. Do you know what it feels like Duo? To be left alone after something like that? I bet you didn't even stop to think about me when you left this morning, you probably don't care what happens to me, or how i feel."
"That's not fair Heero!", Duo shouted back, his voicebox beginning to ache. What he wanted to do more than anything in the world was to just crawl back into bed with Heero, and tell him the whole story, but he couldn't, he just couldn't. Not only was that making his own situation worse, but he didn't know if Trowa wanted the world to know that he was pregnant.
Heero ran his hands uncertainly through his hair. He had been so sure of Duo's personality - or at least,he thought he had. Never, in a million years would he have imagined that Duo would leave him alone, and ignore the feelings in his heart. Duo had seemed to be a cheery pilot, one of those 'happy go lucky' type of men. In the end, it had been his trust that had won Heero over. And now it was his trust that was driving Heero away. The Wing pilot closed his eyes, and sighed. For, however much Duo had upset him, he still couldn't bare to hurt the Deathsycthe pilot's feelings.
"I think i need some time to think about this", he sighed, not wanting to say something that he would regret later,"If you decide to come clean about what you did, come and look for me, you know where i'll be. And, if you don't come looking for me, there's no garuntee i'll be back for you."
Duo felt tears well up in his kind violet eyes as he watched his lover depart. "You didn't give me a chance to explain Heero", he whispered quietly, focusing on the wall, wishing now, more than ever, that it would just swallow him up, and he'd disapear.
"I don't need to", Heero replied, edging the door closed behind him as he stepped out into the pouring rain.
Duo sank to the ground, hunched up in a ball, trying his best not to burst into tears.
"Oh Trowa", he sobbed, closing his eyes,"Your problem has gotten me into more trouble that i ever thought was possible.
Trowa.
Duo slowly began to come to his senses. He had to help Trowa. Sure, he had a problem with Heero, but, with some grovelling, and a very heart-felled apology, that could be solved. His friend's burden was a heavy one, and he was going to have to carry it for the rest of his life. He had to support Trowa, whether that meant with food, or money, or wether it meant admitting what had happened between them to both Heero and Quatre.
"Could it be true?", Duo wondered out loud,"Is it possible that i could be the father of Trowa's child?"
*****************************Flashback************************************** ***
"Come on Duo", Trowa sighed heavily, pushing his friend up the stairs. "Never", he gritted through his teeth,"Never again am i getting drunk with Duo Maxwell. The guy drinks 6 glasses of champagne, and he's completely smashed. I, on the other hand...well...i do feel a bit woozy."
"Trowa!", Duo called happily, tugging on his friend's arm,"look, it's bright outside. Can we go and see the twinkly lights? Please?"
"They're street lights Duo", Trowa replied, pulling on Duo's shirt, trying to get him to move forward."You can see them from your window. Now let's get you up the stairs, and into bed."
"Bed Trowa?", Duo said, beaming at his friend,"Did you just say you wanted to go to bed?"
Trowa sighed exasperatedly as he pushed open the front door. "Yes Duo", he seethed,"I did. Now let's get you inside before you collapse out here in the cold."
Duo followed his friend amicably, whistling slightly as he walked. He turned to the Heavyarms pilot, a grin plastered on his face.
"I'm glad you want to go to bed Trowa", Duo drawled as he stumbled into the room,"I've had a crush on you for ages. I was just waiting for you to get rid of Quatre, i knew he wasn't your type. I'll bet he's useless, isn't he?"
"Well, sometimes i do get a bit", Trowa bit down hard on his tongue, drawing blood. But he didn't feel the pain, he was more concerned about what he'd just said. "Could it be?", he pondered, gazing at the drunken Duo, who was now lying on the floor,"Have i just let my feelings slip out to Duo? Duo, of all people! Why couldn't it have been someone who was going to listen to me? Or at least someone who wasn't completely zoned out! And what's he talking about, having a crush on me? He's going to be with Heero forever. Damn this stupid drink, it's going to make me think about things that i'd rather not. Like the way i feel about Duo..."
Duo's face lit up as he saw Trowa's reaction. "It's true, isn't it! I was right!" The american had to consider his last words before he continued. It wasn't very often that he was right about anything like this.
"No", Trowa said, a little too sharpely. He was disgusted that he had let something like that slip out. Of course he cared for Quatre, sometimes more than life itself. It was just that....
"No!", he silently scolded himself for daring to think otherwise, even for a moment. He loved Quatre. He was always going to love Quatre. But there was a nagging feeling in his mind that if he didn't confront his feelings about Duo, they'd never go away..
"Where's Heero?", Trowa asked his friend, trying to avoid those deep questioning violet eyes, focusing instead on the hair, watching the long, luscious locks slowly unravell from their usual daytime plait.
Duo's eyes flickered as he took in Trowa's question. He seemed to be having a tough time finding an answer. "Don't know", he slurred eventually, rubbing his eyes vigerously. "Don't change the subject Trowa....i've told you about my crush on you, so tell me how you feel about me. I promise i'll never tell anyone else."
"Ha!", Trowa scoffed,"You've had too much drink Maxwell! Think i'm going to tell you something like that of my own free will? You'd hold it against me forever! Talk about taking advantage of friends when they're drunk!"
Something on Duo's face seemed to change all of a sudden, as if he'd sobered up, even for a second. "Let me tell you something Trowa", he addressed the emerald eyed boy seriously, "I know i'm always going to love Heero - there's nothing that can change that. But, i also know that i have feelings for you, and if i don't deal with them now, it'll haunt me until i die and i'll never be able to claim that i truely love Heero."
Trowa gulpped, wanting to reveal the lust he had for Duo, especially after his friends confession, but it would be wrong, he'd be betraying Quatre. He watched silently as the long, flaxen brown hair tumbled down Duo's back, and was overcome with a twist of emotion.
"Duo?", he said silently, striding toward the boy,"Can i plait your hair?"
Duo gave a small nod, and sat up as best he could, still swaying awkwardly from the drink.
Trowa wove the silky strands into place with his fingers, letting it wash over his cuticles softly, inhaling the sweet smell of roses. His own acohol intake was starting to kick in. He may have been able to consume as much alcohol as Duo, but when he began to feel queasy, his sharp senses began to fade.
"I'll admit it", he said grudgingly,"Sometimes, i feel attracted toward you Duo - who wouldn't? You're such a cheerful guy, Heero's lucky to have you."
"You've got Quatre", Duo replied, gazing up into the circus boy's shining green eyes,"He's great."
"I know", Trowa sighed, thinking of all the wonderful nights he'd spent alone with the arab,"But, sometimes, i get urges, to be with you. I like you Duo."
"I knew it!", Duo said triumphantly,"I knew you liked me! You just wouldn't admit it."
"Oh, stop going on about it Duo, will you?", Trowa asked, feeling as though someone had just run him over with a 30 tonne truck.
"I will", Duo retorted,"If you do something about it."
Trowa stared, his mouth wide open."No Duo", he said, the words sounding very slurred,"I can't, i'm with Quatre."
Duo grasped Trowa firmly by the shoulders, and gazed into his eyes."And i'm with Heero - but, we'll never know if they're the right people for us unless we try, will we?"
It all became too much for Trowa, the pressure of weighting up both the guilty and exciting feelings causing him to collapse to the ground. Finally, with a great effort, his eyes flickered open, and he gave a weak smile."Yes Duo."
The Heavyarms pilot was silent as Duo's body descended upon his own, warming him in the cold night air. He gave a soft moan, and then everything went black.
*********************End Flashback*******************************************
Duo gritted his teeth at the memory of that night, the guilt of decieving Heero eating into his heart.
The pilot knew that if both of them hadn't been drunk, they would never have spent the night together, and it had been his fault that both of them had gotten completely smashed. He had encouraged Trowa to come drinking with him, saying that it was time for the silent boy to loosen up a little, to let his hair down. Trowa had protested wildly against it, but, Duo, being the person that he was, had won the argument, and so they had gone to the nearest bar they could find.
"I never would have pressured him if i'd had any idea that something like this might happen", he thought saddly, Trowa's burden once more flashing across his mind. "But, then again, what if the child doesn't belong to me? It might be Quatre's."
"Well", his conscience fought back,"You can't ask him if he slept with Quatre around the same time he did with you - especially not in front of the poor other boy."
"I know that!", Duo snarled back. He rolled his eyes."What the hell'm i doing?", he questioned himself,"I'm talking back to my conscience."
Duo moved toward the kitchen, eyeing the pile of dirty dishes. "I might as well do something useful while i wait for Heero to cool off, and for Trowa to calm down", he sighed, beggining to rinse out the plates. "I have to find out if that child is mine", he muttered worridly,"But more importantly, i have to find out what Trowa is going to do with it."
The thought of something swimming around his body, exploring places that he himself had never seen haunted Trowa's dreams as he lay in the hospital bed. He still could not believe that somewhere, beneath his skin, a small child was floating around.
"What did i do to deserve this", he asked himself continually."Surely, the doctor must have got my diagonosis wrong, i cannot be carrying another life around inside my own."
Trowa caught eyes with the sleeping Quatre, whose gentle snores made the tense atmosphere inside his heart bearable.
"I do not want a child", he growled,"I will not have one. Nobody can make me."
"Think Trowa", the doctor entered the room silently."You have been placed in charge of a life. This was obviously meant to happen to you. Everything in this world happens for a reason."
"I don't care if it happens for a reason", Trowa barked back,"There is no way that i'm going to jepordise my life by having a baby. And you should not be in here, this is private."
The doctor smirked as he shook his head."This is a hospital Trowa, i'm allowed to see any patient that i choose to. And right now, i want to talk to you about that child."
"What child?", Trowa said bitterly,"I'm not having a child." He placed his hands on his stomach, running them lightly down his tanned body. He could feel it. His frame was swollen, painful to touch. The redness around his chest was slowly beginning to darken, becoming more and more dilate. His mental focus and poise was beginning to weaken ever so slightly, his reflexes becoming slower by the day.
"You are in denial", the doctor informed him,"You won't think about what's going to happen because you don't want it to. Trust me Trowa, i've dealt with more patients than you could ever dream of, it's a common problem."
Trowa sat up in the bed, a heated frown crossing his face."I do not have a problem. There is nothing wrong with me, i'm leaving this hospital right now, you cannot make me stay."
The doctor sighed, holding his hands in the air."You're right Trowa, i can't make you stay, but think about your options once you leave here. What will you do? Where are you going to work? How will you support this child without help from your, eh, friends?", he asked gently, raising his brows at the sleeping Quatre.
Trowa narrowed his eyes."Are you emplying that i'm not fit to look after a child?"
"You won't be if you leave here with no idea of your next move", the doctor retaliated."You have been blessed Trowa. So many women in our world are unable to have children, and they want them so badly. You, on the hand, have been handed a gift, one that many people would give up their own lives for. You can't just throw something as powerful as that away. It would be almost criminal."
Trowa felt tears spring to his eyes, and he hurried to hide them. Deep down, he knew that the doctor was right, but he couldn't let his own wants be pushed out of the picture. He did not want a child, especially not one whos father's identity was unknown. Of course, he couldn't tell his feelings to the doctor, the man would only laugh, so Trowa continued to glare at the medical surgeon.
"And what is he going to do", the doctor went on, motioning toward Quatre."What if he wakes up one morning, and finds you dead? From what i've seen of his will, i don't think he'd be able to survive on his own for very long. He's going to need you Trowa, as a co-parent."
Trowa drew breath. The doctor was certain that Quatre was the father of his child, and if he thought that, maybe everyone else would too.
"But what about Duo?", the voice in his head fought back,"And what about.."
"Shut up!", Trowa snarled.
The doctor's mouth dropped open, as he began to leave the room in protest.
"No", Trowa apologised,"Not you, just, just...someone else."
"Oh", the doctor said, sitting back down again, wrinkling the perfect bedcovers with his overcoat."Well Trowa..i know you don't want this to happen to you, but, sooner or later, you're going to have to face it - you're having a child, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Trowa sat completely still, his face void of any expression. Anger welled up inside his chest. This doctor had no right to tell him how to live his life, he didn't know the circumstances, the confessions that would have to be made if this child was born.
"Go away", Trowa whispered, burying his face in his hands,"Please, just go away. I can't deal with this yet, i'm not ready."
The doctor frowned, but removed himself from the bed, striding from the room.
"Sooner or later you'll have to accept it Trowa", he muttered, watching the sobbing boy,"Just make sure it's not too late."
"Stupid kid!", Trowa pinched his arm until there was a small, bright red, visible patch,"It's all your fault! If you had never shown up inside me, i wouldn't have to deal with all of this, i wouldn't have had to dredge up those memories that i'd forgotten about. It's all your fault!"
Trowa began to grip his skin, as if trying to force the child out. Out of his body. Out of his mind.
"No", he realised suddenly, releaseing the skin he was grasping."It's not the child's fault. It's my own. If i hadn't slept with Duo, or i'd prevented the inevitable with Quatre, or i hadn't sucomed to pressure with him, then none of this would have happened."
The Heavyarms pilot was silent once more as he glanced at Quatre. "He's here to protect me", he sobbed slowly,"He is here because he loves me, and cares for me...but, i haven't returned his love. I abused it by sleeping with others....if i hadn't listened to Duo, or gone to the bar, then there wouldn't be a chance that he could father this child.
But, then again, if i didn't love Quatre with all my heart, then i wouldn't have submitted to that man's torture."
Trowa rolled over slightly, gazing at his scar as the painful memories ripped through his mind.
"I'm so confused....what am i going to do? If this child is born here, and it doesn't belong to Quatre, then i'm going to have to explain what i did to him. And that, i fear would break his heart.
Yet, if the child is Quatre's i need never explain what i did...i could live with the guilt alone, he'd never need to know."
Trowa began to get out of his bed slowly, in the utmost silence, desparate not to awaken the arab. "But i cannot take that chance", he whispered reculantly, easing the spare trousers that Quatre had brought in preparation over his legs. He turned to the bed, and removed the spare pillows from underneath it. He arranged them carefully under the light cotton covers, trying his best to make it look as if there was a body sleeping peacefully there.
Luckily for Trowa, his hospital room was on the ground floor, and the window was already wedged open.
The brown haired boy wiped a tear from his eye as he turned to his blond haired lover. "I'm going to miss you", he said quietly,"But it's for the best, i don't want you getting hurt."
Not willing himself to look back, Trowa eased his swollen body out of the window, and took off into the night, trying to forget everything that had happened.
"You're sure?"
"Yes sir. You asked me to inform you if anything unusual was recorded, and that, to me qualifies as unusual."
Millardo Peacecraft sneered at the phone he gripped tightly in his left hand. "No need for sarcastic remarks doctor, i get enough of those from my son."
"I apologise your excellency", the doctor's crisp voice sounded over the line."It is denfinate. Trowa Barton appeared at the hospital this morning, brought in by Quatre Winner."
The little rich kid, Millardo thought acidly, thinking back to when the operation to rob him of his fortune had all gone wrong. He hated the blond haired boy with a vengence, ever since his friend had helped him escape from his clutches.
Now, Millardo laughed. The friend who had saved Quatre from certain death was Trowa...Trowa Barton. The man cackled with glee as he remembered the torture he had put them both through before they had managed to escape, he was surprised it hadn't ruined their relationship, but, then again, maybe they had complied with the orders that he had given them.
Whatever the situation,there was a chance for revenge here, and Millardo was not going to waste it.
"Inform me of any movements", he commanded down the phone line,"If i know Barton as well as he knows himself, he'll be feeling guilty right about now. In fact, i'll be surprised if he's still in that hospital bed."
"Will do sir", the doctor agreed quickly, attempting to indicate that it was time for him to leave.
Millardo hung up the phone, and called through the monitor for his chaffeur. He was going to find Trowa...he wanted revenge for missing out on the Winner fortune, but he had another reason why he wanted to find Trowa.
"I wonder if he's remembers", he said wickedly, grabbing his afgan coat from the chair."Doesn't matter, i'll find out soon enough."
As all this was going on, Quatre Winner lay in a deep slumber at the hospital, dreaming happily about his future with Trowa and their child, completely oblvious to the fiendish work that was going on around him.
Well, that was part 2, sorry if it kind of sucked! Feel free to review, and thanks for taking the time to read this fic.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own the fabulous characters of Gundam Wing, they belong to Bandai/Sunrise
I don't think i'll be able to update this until Wednesday next week at the earliest, i have an exam on Tuesday that i haven't even started to study for! Oh well, enjoy!
Duo crept into the house, sliding his shoes off quietly as he tiptoed through the doorway. He gave a small sigh of relief as he saw the empty living room before him.
"Looks like Heero's not up yet", he wiped his hand across his forehead, wiping away the droplets of sweat which had gathered there."I'll just keep these in my pocket just now, and i'll slip into the the room, and put them back later."
The braided pilot made a beeline for the kitchen, slinging his jacket on the floor, it's usual place in the cold and bare house. He rumaged through the cupboards, knowing that it'd probably be a good idea to make something - if they had anything.
"Ah!", Duo cried triumphantly, holding up a loaf of stale bread,"Guess we're having toast this morning!"
"We sold the toaster Duo", a cold voice pertruded from the kitchen entrance,"Six weeks ago. Remember?"
The colour drained from Duo's face rapidly. The american began to open the bread nosily, not giving himself an excuse to turn around."Oh yeah", he mumbled, grabbing two cracked plates from the pile of dirty dishes on the draining board. "I'm in for it now", he panicked frantically, trying in vain not to let his worry show. The last thing he needed right now was the third degree, he had other things to think about - more important things.
"Where did you go?", Heero asked, calmly approaching his lover.
"Nowhere", Duo replied, flicking his bangs from his forehead, and turning around, a false smile frozen on his tanned face."Bread?"
"No thank you", Heero said, disgusted,"I don't take things from those who lie."
"I'm not lying!", Duo said hotly, his eyes filling with mock innocence.
"That doesn't work on me Duo, and you know it", the Wing pilot said, pivoting on his heal, retreating from the kitchen."If you're not going to tell me the truth, then don't bother talking to me."
Duo slammed his own plate down on the counter, and it smashed immediatly, shards of glass spilling across the dirty wooden floor.
"Come back Heero!", he commanded, dashing after his partner.
"I don't take orders from you", Heero retorted cooly, grabbing his jacket from their bedroom,"I'm going to see Relena."
"Wait", Duo pleaded, following Heero to the door,"Let me explain. Alright, i was out this morning, but i had to go, it was urgent."
"So urgent that you couldn't even tell me that you were leaving?", Heero locked eyes with Duo, and the american could see the hurt behind the prussian blue specks.
"It's just that", Duo began to argue, but faltered. He realised that if he told Heero about Trowa's problem, then eventually, he might have to explain what had happened between them.
The chinese boy misunderstood the expression on Duo's face. "You see!", he cried anrgrily, narrowing his eyes as his lover."You don't even have an excuse! How could you just walk out on me this morning, after last night? Not a word of explaination, or even an apology. Do you know what it feels like Duo? To be left alone after something like that? I bet you didn't even stop to think about me when you left this morning, you probably don't care what happens to me, or how i feel."
"That's not fair Heero!", Duo shouted back, his voicebox beginning to ache. What he wanted to do more than anything in the world was to just crawl back into bed with Heero, and tell him the whole story, but he couldn't, he just couldn't. Not only was that making his own situation worse, but he didn't know if Trowa wanted the world to know that he was pregnant.
Heero ran his hands uncertainly through his hair. He had been so sure of Duo's personality - or at least,he thought he had. Never, in a million years would he have imagined that Duo would leave him alone, and ignore the feelings in his heart. Duo had seemed to be a cheery pilot, one of those 'happy go lucky' type of men. In the end, it had been his trust that had won Heero over. And now it was his trust that was driving Heero away. The Wing pilot closed his eyes, and sighed. For, however much Duo had upset him, he still couldn't bare to hurt the Deathsycthe pilot's feelings.
"I think i need some time to think about this", he sighed, not wanting to say something that he would regret later,"If you decide to come clean about what you did, come and look for me, you know where i'll be. And, if you don't come looking for me, there's no garuntee i'll be back for you."
Duo felt tears well up in his kind violet eyes as he watched his lover depart. "You didn't give me a chance to explain Heero", he whispered quietly, focusing on the wall, wishing now, more than ever, that it would just swallow him up, and he'd disapear.
"I don't need to", Heero replied, edging the door closed behind him as he stepped out into the pouring rain.
Duo sank to the ground, hunched up in a ball, trying his best not to burst into tears.
"Oh Trowa", he sobbed, closing his eyes,"Your problem has gotten me into more trouble that i ever thought was possible.
Trowa.
Duo slowly began to come to his senses. He had to help Trowa. Sure, he had a problem with Heero, but, with some grovelling, and a very heart-felled apology, that could be solved. His friend's burden was a heavy one, and he was going to have to carry it for the rest of his life. He had to support Trowa, whether that meant with food, or money, or wether it meant admitting what had happened between them to both Heero and Quatre.
"Could it be true?", Duo wondered out loud,"Is it possible that i could be the father of Trowa's child?"
*****************************Flashback************************************** ***
"Come on Duo", Trowa sighed heavily, pushing his friend up the stairs. "Never", he gritted through his teeth,"Never again am i getting drunk with Duo Maxwell. The guy drinks 6 glasses of champagne, and he's completely smashed. I, on the other hand...well...i do feel a bit woozy."
"Trowa!", Duo called happily, tugging on his friend's arm,"look, it's bright outside. Can we go and see the twinkly lights? Please?"
"They're street lights Duo", Trowa replied, pulling on Duo's shirt, trying to get him to move forward."You can see them from your window. Now let's get you up the stairs, and into bed."
"Bed Trowa?", Duo said, beaming at his friend,"Did you just say you wanted to go to bed?"
Trowa sighed exasperatedly as he pushed open the front door. "Yes Duo", he seethed,"I did. Now let's get you inside before you collapse out here in the cold."
Duo followed his friend amicably, whistling slightly as he walked. He turned to the Heavyarms pilot, a grin plastered on his face.
"I'm glad you want to go to bed Trowa", Duo drawled as he stumbled into the room,"I've had a crush on you for ages. I was just waiting for you to get rid of Quatre, i knew he wasn't your type. I'll bet he's useless, isn't he?"
"Well, sometimes i do get a bit", Trowa bit down hard on his tongue, drawing blood. But he didn't feel the pain, he was more concerned about what he'd just said. "Could it be?", he pondered, gazing at the drunken Duo, who was now lying on the floor,"Have i just let my feelings slip out to Duo? Duo, of all people! Why couldn't it have been someone who was going to listen to me? Or at least someone who wasn't completely zoned out! And what's he talking about, having a crush on me? He's going to be with Heero forever. Damn this stupid drink, it's going to make me think about things that i'd rather not. Like the way i feel about Duo..."
Duo's face lit up as he saw Trowa's reaction. "It's true, isn't it! I was right!" The american had to consider his last words before he continued. It wasn't very often that he was right about anything like this.
"No", Trowa said, a little too sharpely. He was disgusted that he had let something like that slip out. Of course he cared for Quatre, sometimes more than life itself. It was just that....
"No!", he silently scolded himself for daring to think otherwise, even for a moment. He loved Quatre. He was always going to love Quatre. But there was a nagging feeling in his mind that if he didn't confront his feelings about Duo, they'd never go away..
"Where's Heero?", Trowa asked his friend, trying to avoid those deep questioning violet eyes, focusing instead on the hair, watching the long, luscious locks slowly unravell from their usual daytime plait.
Duo's eyes flickered as he took in Trowa's question. He seemed to be having a tough time finding an answer. "Don't know", he slurred eventually, rubbing his eyes vigerously. "Don't change the subject Trowa....i've told you about my crush on you, so tell me how you feel about me. I promise i'll never tell anyone else."
"Ha!", Trowa scoffed,"You've had too much drink Maxwell! Think i'm going to tell you something like that of my own free will? You'd hold it against me forever! Talk about taking advantage of friends when they're drunk!"
Something on Duo's face seemed to change all of a sudden, as if he'd sobered up, even for a second. "Let me tell you something Trowa", he addressed the emerald eyed boy seriously, "I know i'm always going to love Heero - there's nothing that can change that. But, i also know that i have feelings for you, and if i don't deal with them now, it'll haunt me until i die and i'll never be able to claim that i truely love Heero."
Trowa gulpped, wanting to reveal the lust he had for Duo, especially after his friends confession, but it would be wrong, he'd be betraying Quatre. He watched silently as the long, flaxen brown hair tumbled down Duo's back, and was overcome with a twist of emotion.
"Duo?", he said silently, striding toward the boy,"Can i plait your hair?"
Duo gave a small nod, and sat up as best he could, still swaying awkwardly from the drink.
Trowa wove the silky strands into place with his fingers, letting it wash over his cuticles softly, inhaling the sweet smell of roses. His own acohol intake was starting to kick in. He may have been able to consume as much alcohol as Duo, but when he began to feel queasy, his sharp senses began to fade.
"I'll admit it", he said grudgingly,"Sometimes, i feel attracted toward you Duo - who wouldn't? You're such a cheerful guy, Heero's lucky to have you."
"You've got Quatre", Duo replied, gazing up into the circus boy's shining green eyes,"He's great."
"I know", Trowa sighed, thinking of all the wonderful nights he'd spent alone with the arab,"But, sometimes, i get urges, to be with you. I like you Duo."
"I knew it!", Duo said triumphantly,"I knew you liked me! You just wouldn't admit it."
"Oh, stop going on about it Duo, will you?", Trowa asked, feeling as though someone had just run him over with a 30 tonne truck.
"I will", Duo retorted,"If you do something about it."
Trowa stared, his mouth wide open."No Duo", he said, the words sounding very slurred,"I can't, i'm with Quatre."
Duo grasped Trowa firmly by the shoulders, and gazed into his eyes."And i'm with Heero - but, we'll never know if they're the right people for us unless we try, will we?"
It all became too much for Trowa, the pressure of weighting up both the guilty and exciting feelings causing him to collapse to the ground. Finally, with a great effort, his eyes flickered open, and he gave a weak smile."Yes Duo."
The Heavyarms pilot was silent as Duo's body descended upon his own, warming him in the cold night air. He gave a soft moan, and then everything went black.
*********************End Flashback*******************************************
Duo gritted his teeth at the memory of that night, the guilt of decieving Heero eating into his heart.
The pilot knew that if both of them hadn't been drunk, they would never have spent the night together, and it had been his fault that both of them had gotten completely smashed. He had encouraged Trowa to come drinking with him, saying that it was time for the silent boy to loosen up a little, to let his hair down. Trowa had protested wildly against it, but, Duo, being the person that he was, had won the argument, and so they had gone to the nearest bar they could find.
"I never would have pressured him if i'd had any idea that something like this might happen", he thought saddly, Trowa's burden once more flashing across his mind. "But, then again, what if the child doesn't belong to me? It might be Quatre's."
"Well", his conscience fought back,"You can't ask him if he slept with Quatre around the same time he did with you - especially not in front of the poor other boy."
"I know that!", Duo snarled back. He rolled his eyes."What the hell'm i doing?", he questioned himself,"I'm talking back to my conscience."
Duo moved toward the kitchen, eyeing the pile of dirty dishes. "I might as well do something useful while i wait for Heero to cool off, and for Trowa to calm down", he sighed, beggining to rinse out the plates. "I have to find out if that child is mine", he muttered worridly,"But more importantly, i have to find out what Trowa is going to do with it."
The thought of something swimming around his body, exploring places that he himself had never seen haunted Trowa's dreams as he lay in the hospital bed. He still could not believe that somewhere, beneath his skin, a small child was floating around.
"What did i do to deserve this", he asked himself continually."Surely, the doctor must have got my diagonosis wrong, i cannot be carrying another life around inside my own."
Trowa caught eyes with the sleeping Quatre, whose gentle snores made the tense atmosphere inside his heart bearable.
"I do not want a child", he growled,"I will not have one. Nobody can make me."
"Think Trowa", the doctor entered the room silently."You have been placed in charge of a life. This was obviously meant to happen to you. Everything in this world happens for a reason."
"I don't care if it happens for a reason", Trowa barked back,"There is no way that i'm going to jepordise my life by having a baby. And you should not be in here, this is private."
The doctor smirked as he shook his head."This is a hospital Trowa, i'm allowed to see any patient that i choose to. And right now, i want to talk to you about that child."
"What child?", Trowa said bitterly,"I'm not having a child." He placed his hands on his stomach, running them lightly down his tanned body. He could feel it. His frame was swollen, painful to touch. The redness around his chest was slowly beginning to darken, becoming more and more dilate. His mental focus and poise was beginning to weaken ever so slightly, his reflexes becoming slower by the day.
"You are in denial", the doctor informed him,"You won't think about what's going to happen because you don't want it to. Trust me Trowa, i've dealt with more patients than you could ever dream of, it's a common problem."
Trowa sat up in the bed, a heated frown crossing his face."I do not have a problem. There is nothing wrong with me, i'm leaving this hospital right now, you cannot make me stay."
The doctor sighed, holding his hands in the air."You're right Trowa, i can't make you stay, but think about your options once you leave here. What will you do? Where are you going to work? How will you support this child without help from your, eh, friends?", he asked gently, raising his brows at the sleeping Quatre.
Trowa narrowed his eyes."Are you emplying that i'm not fit to look after a child?"
"You won't be if you leave here with no idea of your next move", the doctor retaliated."You have been blessed Trowa. So many women in our world are unable to have children, and they want them so badly. You, on the hand, have been handed a gift, one that many people would give up their own lives for. You can't just throw something as powerful as that away. It would be almost criminal."
Trowa felt tears spring to his eyes, and he hurried to hide them. Deep down, he knew that the doctor was right, but he couldn't let his own wants be pushed out of the picture. He did not want a child, especially not one whos father's identity was unknown. Of course, he couldn't tell his feelings to the doctor, the man would only laugh, so Trowa continued to glare at the medical surgeon.
"And what is he going to do", the doctor went on, motioning toward Quatre."What if he wakes up one morning, and finds you dead? From what i've seen of his will, i don't think he'd be able to survive on his own for very long. He's going to need you Trowa, as a co-parent."
Trowa drew breath. The doctor was certain that Quatre was the father of his child, and if he thought that, maybe everyone else would too.
"But what about Duo?", the voice in his head fought back,"And what about.."
"Shut up!", Trowa snarled.
The doctor's mouth dropped open, as he began to leave the room in protest.
"No", Trowa apologised,"Not you, just, just...someone else."
"Oh", the doctor said, sitting back down again, wrinkling the perfect bedcovers with his overcoat."Well Trowa..i know you don't want this to happen to you, but, sooner or later, you're going to have to face it - you're having a child, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Trowa sat completely still, his face void of any expression. Anger welled up inside his chest. This doctor had no right to tell him how to live his life, he didn't know the circumstances, the confessions that would have to be made if this child was born.
"Go away", Trowa whispered, burying his face in his hands,"Please, just go away. I can't deal with this yet, i'm not ready."
The doctor frowned, but removed himself from the bed, striding from the room.
"Sooner or later you'll have to accept it Trowa", he muttered, watching the sobbing boy,"Just make sure it's not too late."
"Stupid kid!", Trowa pinched his arm until there was a small, bright red, visible patch,"It's all your fault! If you had never shown up inside me, i wouldn't have to deal with all of this, i wouldn't have had to dredge up those memories that i'd forgotten about. It's all your fault!"
Trowa began to grip his skin, as if trying to force the child out. Out of his body. Out of his mind.
"No", he realised suddenly, releaseing the skin he was grasping."It's not the child's fault. It's my own. If i hadn't slept with Duo, or i'd prevented the inevitable with Quatre, or i hadn't sucomed to pressure with him, then none of this would have happened."
The Heavyarms pilot was silent once more as he glanced at Quatre. "He's here to protect me", he sobbed slowly,"He is here because he loves me, and cares for me...but, i haven't returned his love. I abused it by sleeping with others....if i hadn't listened to Duo, or gone to the bar, then there wouldn't be a chance that he could father this child.
But, then again, if i didn't love Quatre with all my heart, then i wouldn't have submitted to that man's torture."
Trowa rolled over slightly, gazing at his scar as the painful memories ripped through his mind.
"I'm so confused....what am i going to do? If this child is born here, and it doesn't belong to Quatre, then i'm going to have to explain what i did to him. And that, i fear would break his heart.
Yet, if the child is Quatre's i need never explain what i did...i could live with the guilt alone, he'd never need to know."
Trowa began to get out of his bed slowly, in the utmost silence, desparate not to awaken the arab. "But i cannot take that chance", he whispered reculantly, easing the spare trousers that Quatre had brought in preparation over his legs. He turned to the bed, and removed the spare pillows from underneath it. He arranged them carefully under the light cotton covers, trying his best to make it look as if there was a body sleeping peacefully there.
Luckily for Trowa, his hospital room was on the ground floor, and the window was already wedged open.
The brown haired boy wiped a tear from his eye as he turned to his blond haired lover. "I'm going to miss you", he said quietly,"But it's for the best, i don't want you getting hurt."
Not willing himself to look back, Trowa eased his swollen body out of the window, and took off into the night, trying to forget everything that had happened.
"You're sure?"
"Yes sir. You asked me to inform you if anything unusual was recorded, and that, to me qualifies as unusual."
Millardo Peacecraft sneered at the phone he gripped tightly in his left hand. "No need for sarcastic remarks doctor, i get enough of those from my son."
"I apologise your excellency", the doctor's crisp voice sounded over the line."It is denfinate. Trowa Barton appeared at the hospital this morning, brought in by Quatre Winner."
The little rich kid, Millardo thought acidly, thinking back to when the operation to rob him of his fortune had all gone wrong. He hated the blond haired boy with a vengence, ever since his friend had helped him escape from his clutches.
Now, Millardo laughed. The friend who had saved Quatre from certain death was Trowa...Trowa Barton. The man cackled with glee as he remembered the torture he had put them both through before they had managed to escape, he was surprised it hadn't ruined their relationship, but, then again, maybe they had complied with the orders that he had given them.
Whatever the situation,there was a chance for revenge here, and Millardo was not going to waste it.
"Inform me of any movements", he commanded down the phone line,"If i know Barton as well as he knows himself, he'll be feeling guilty right about now. In fact, i'll be surprised if he's still in that hospital bed."
"Will do sir", the doctor agreed quickly, attempting to indicate that it was time for him to leave.
Millardo hung up the phone, and called through the monitor for his chaffeur. He was going to find Trowa...he wanted revenge for missing out on the Winner fortune, but he had another reason why he wanted to find Trowa.
"I wonder if he's remembers", he said wickedly, grabbing his afgan coat from the chair."Doesn't matter, i'll find out soon enough."
As all this was going on, Quatre Winner lay in a deep slumber at the hospital, dreaming happily about his future with Trowa and their child, completely oblvious to the fiendish work that was going on around him.
Well, that was part 2, sorry if it kind of sucked! Feel free to review, and thanks for taking the time to read this fic.