Standard Disclaimer: How many times do I have to tell you people that the Gundam pilots aren't mine!?!?! Oh! And "Hanging by a Moment" isn't mine either, it's the property of Lifehouse.
Warnings: Shonen ai
A/N: This is not a song fic. A song is just mentioned. A sailor moon character is mentioned here too, but it's not a crossover. You need not be beefy to lift a lot of weight. My friend, Matt, is a wiry guy with a slim build who can still seriously press some poundage. Keep that in mind. Also, in the words of the wonderful Kasra, Duo needs to be hit by the clue-by-four. Should we give it to him folks?
[blah] = thoughts
/blah/ = song lyrics
Renaissance
By skyprincess
Chapter 13:
The braided boy sat in his bed, red-eyed, watching the sunrise. After Quatre had left the night before, a cold feeling enveloped him. He tossed and turned all night, as nightmares of his ominous vision flooded his sleep. "Talk about your out of body experience," he mused, "Well, I suppose more of an in of body experience. Whatever." He felt edgy and tense. [I need to work some of this off. Clear my head.] He rolled out of bed and scurried to the bathroom to wash his face, and throw on some clothes. He walked into the kitchen wearing a royal blue Adidas t-shirt and black mesh soccer shorts. Grabbing a water bottle, the violet-eyed boy paused to scribble a quick note of whereabouts, before heading out the door. [No better place to relieve stress than the gym. Heero taught me that.]
The russet haired pilot strolled merrily down the concrete walkway, his long braid lightly bouncing with each step. He made his way through the mostly empty schoolyard to Ridgemont's athletic center.
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Quatre rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he shuffled towards the kitchen. His ivory satin robe trailed behind him like a regal cloak and his sunny silk pajamas almost matched the color of his slightly mussed hair.
He reached up into the cabinet and grabbed the kettle for his morning tea. Today, a small post-it was attached to one side.
Quat~
Went to workout. Back in a flash.
~Duo
[Hmm . . . I'm glad he's out and about. He must be feeling better, but I hope he doesn't overexert himself.] The little Arab set the note on the counter and continued his tea making. Afterwards, he headed for his window with a fresh cup, and sat, slowly sipping in the sunlight, while listening to the CD of his favorite violinist, Michiru Kaio. [What a beautiful morning to enjoy a lazy day.] The bright sun shown clearly through the cloudless blue sky. Several leaves played hopscotch along the pathways after being caught by the rushing breeze. Tree branches swayed back and forth, dancing to the simple melody of the robins. It truly was the perfect day for relaxing.
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Duo lay on the bench, barbell above his chest, as he completed pressing his second set of reps. "18, 19, 20," he breathed each number as his arms fully extended. He racked the bar and sat up. After wiping some sweat off of his face, he chugged a bit of his water bottle. Duo looked around, pleased. The gym was deserted. Most students spent their days off at the beach or in town. [I love days off.] He walked to the already playing radio. [No competition for weights, no inane teenybopper gossip, and I get to listen to whatever I want.] He cranked the volume up and returned to the bench press to finish his set. He had the stereo tuned to WHFS for the latest rock hits, and just as he lifted the bar, a familiar tune came over the frequency. [Hey it's that song by Lifehouse. Cool.] Duo loved this song. He'd heard it many times before, but as he began his last set of reps; he listened to the words for the first time, and the lyrics slapped with a dose of reality.
/Forgetting all I'm lacking,
Starving for truth,
I'm closer to where I started . . .
I'm chasing after you. /
The words obviously affected Duo, because he began to concentrate more on listening to the song than the weight above his chest.
/I'm falling even more in love with you.
Letting go of all I've held on to.
Standing here until you make me move.
Just hanging by a moment here with you. /
As he listened to the lyrics, an amazing realization set in; something that his subconscious knew far before his active mind would admit. In the midst of his emotional revolution he forgot where he was and what he was doing. Thus, 190 pounds of metal crashed onto his chest, but he didn't cry out in pain or even flinch. The deathscythe pilot simply lay with the barbell resting on his chest, staring at the radio inquisitively. He blinked twice; returning to his conscious thought and effortlessly lifted and racked the bar. He rolled to a sitting position at the end of the bench and just sat that way for a while, rolling these thoughts around in his head. "Who'da thought?" he chuckled to himself, standing to return to his dorm.
Unsure of how exactly to act, Duo silently crept into his and Quatre's room. Upon reaching the end of the hallway, he found Quatre perched at the window. The blonde pilot's legs were drawn up and held with clasped hands. His delicate chin rested on his kneed and his bright cerulean eyes stared out the window. As brilliant overhead rays illuminated his slender form, reflecting off of his shiny robe, which cascaded over his body and onto the floor, he seemed to exude light. Beautifully sweet, he looked like a celestial being. Engrossed in his lazy day thoughts, he had no idea Duo stood in the doorframe, gawking at him.
Duo watched him a few moments more before breaking his wistful gaze and hanging his head. [Never. I could never . . .]
Finally aware of another's presence, Quatre turned around to face his roommate. The soft spun gold strands brushed against his flawless rosy cheeks. "Hey Duo! How's it going?" the blonde asked smiling widely.
"Uh . . . fine, I guess," Duo mumbled uncomfortably, "My ribs are a little sore."
"Ribs? I thought your legs hurt?"
"Oh they did last night," Duo shifted nervously, "But now my ribs hurt 'cause I dropped a weight on 'em."
"How'd you do that?!"
"I guess I wasn't paying attention while I bench pressed, and lost my grip on the bar. But it was only 190 pounds," Duo stared at the ground intently as he spoke.
"Sweet Jesus Duo! You should be more careful! Are you alright?! Did you break anything?!"
"I'm fine, Q-man," Duo said, turning away, "I just need to go think about some stuff."
Quatre watched the braided boy disappear into his bedroom. [Ever since last night, he's been acting very strange. I hope he's okay. I wonder what he needs to think about?]
