Chapter 5

The long haired ex-pilot settled back on his cushioned couch. Heero followed suit, though remained hunched and tense, hair shielding his face. His wings draped off the sides of the couch and landed gently on the floor.

Duo took in his whole form. He looks like a fallen angel. Hesitantly, the boy reached out slender fingers to touch the white. The moment his fingers brushed the exquisite softness, Heero convulsed and jumped up.

"Don't!" He muttered hoarsely, eyes panicked.

"Why?" Duo said softly without thinking as he examined his hand. It tingled with the remembered sensation, the unthinkable beauty interpreted by the sensory overloaded nerve endings in his dazed finger tips. They trembled with the need to touch, to explore the alien forms sprouting from the Japanese boy's back, trembled with anticipation.

"Just…don't."

"Alright." Duo answered puzzled and a little hurt. He buried his fingers in his lap, willing them to stop shaking…and demanding.

Instead of sitting back down on the couch Heero sat in a nearby chair. He almost shuddered. I can't let him do that again. If he does… He could still feel that hesitant touch, knew exactly which feather had been blessed with it. I shouldn't have come. But where else could I have gone? Heero tried to relax, but found that he couldn't, he was strung so tight he could feel his fatigued muscles beginning to shake under the strain. His body was not used to carrying the added weight of two wings, light as they were.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. Heero's head snapped up and he became even more tense if that was possible. Duo examined him. He's gonna pop! I better give him a couple of seconds.

"I'll get it!" Duo got up, went to the front door, and opened it.

Heero got a brief glimpse of Wufei's startled face when their eyes met for a second, then the door shut with Duo outside.

Duo gently shut the door behind him.

"Shimatta! Duo! I-is that Yuy?!" Wufei asked dazedly. He had obviously dressed hastily because both he and Sally were in wrinkled clothes and his socks were mismatched.

"Nani?! What…did you…see?!" Sally asked still panting from her rush up the stairs. She looked at the rapidly paling Wufei.

"Wu-chan? Wu-chan?!" Sally poked the wobbly Chinese man in the shoulder. "Saaa! Wu-chan! Are you ok?!"

"Of course I'm alright onna! I am not a weakling! And what have I told about you calling me Wu-chan?!" Wufei's outrage had quickly banished his prior unstableness.

"Sh! Guys keep your voices down! Look, Heero's got some…problems right now. Doctor J did something to him, I'm not sure what. Sally, he wants to know if you can reverse the changes made. Be gentle with him! He's…different! Something's wrong. If either of you hurt him…" Duo left the sentence hanging ominously.

Wufei watched his friend's actions and unexpectedly a small smile flitted across his face. "Do not worry, Duo. We will not harm your…friend." His lips curved up even more at the last word.

"Good." Duo said, cautiously watching Wufei who was positively smirking.

"Um ok. I guess you can come in now." Duo turned and pushed his door open, waiting for Sally and Wufei to enter, and then following.

Heero was exactly where Duo had left him.

"Ok Heero, they're here." Duo said somewhat soothingly, but not enough to be insulting. He pulled his head up and glanced at Sally and Wufei, ignoring their gasps of astonishment. Heero was still tense.

"Well Yuy, I must say, you look like hell warmed over." Wufei said as he leaned against the doorjam. That did it. The tension seeped out of Heero's form as he glared at Wufei.

"Hn."

Sally was still staring at him but her fingers were twitching as if she couldn't wait to examine him. [1] "May I?" She managed to get out.

Heero nodded. She walked slowly over to him and waited. Heero examined her carefully through weary eyes and finally stood up and walked over to her.

Sally reached trembling fingers towards his wings, and though Heero blanched, he stood still and let her examine them. With exclamations of surprise and awe Sally studied his new features and asked about his new capabilities.

Duo watched enviously. How come she gets to touch his wings and I can't?! I thought I was his best friend!

"Hn!" Duo snorted and tossed his braid behind his shoulders.

"What was that Maxwell?" Wufei asked.

Duo flashed Wufei a glare and turned back to Sally and Heero, ignoring the Chinese's smirk. Unfortunately they were talking in lowered voices, Duo strained his ears trying to make out what was said, and began to worry when he saw Sally frown and shake her head. Heero flicked a look over is shoulder and their eyes caught. Duo felt a shiver work its way through his scalp and down to his toes. Finally the powerful gaze was directed in another direction as Heero resumed his conversation with Sally.

God. What was that? Duo shook himself out of his stupor and turned to Wufei who was smirking even more widely.

"Why the hell do you keep looking at me like that?!" Duo asked irritably.

"Like what?"

"LIKE THAT!!"

"Why Maxwell, I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about!" Wufei said innocently.

"FINE!!! BE that way!!!" Duo snarled and walked over to Sally.

"So babe, what's up? Can ya fix him?" Duo said slinging an arm around the blonde doctor.

Sally visibly hesitated and Heero tensed. "Well…I'm not sure. I'll have to run a sample of the serum through my lab. Maybe…I can analyze it and figure out a way to make the transformation regress…" she hesitated again.

"And…" Duo prompted.

She sighed. "I find it highly unlikely though. Doctor J was a genius, no…much more than that. I just don't think I can do it." Heero's shoulders slumped. Duo watched him carefully but his cobalt eyes gave no recognition of what he'd heard, they were glassy, focused on something far away, they were the eyes of the Perfect Soldier.



[1] Not that you hentai!! ^_^