The next day, things seemed to have lightened up. They all went to the lake for the day. It was not the sort of thing they usually did and Wufei, Trowa and Heero had to be dragged, tooth and nail. Duo and Quatre had the time of their lives. It was too cold to swim, but that didn't stop Duo trying to kick water all over Quatre. Quatre retaliated but missed and doused Heero. It was only a matter of time before everyone was involved. It would have been an odd sight for anyone who had seen news reports on the infamous gundam terrorists to see them playing around at a lakeside, kicking water at each other, laughing and smiling. It was easy to forget that they were all just children.
They were all soaked and shivering as they returned to the safe house, but happy. Except for Wufei. He refused to see the funny side. He got the hot shower first.
Despite the fact that some refused to be amused by the day's events, that evening was peaceful and quiet. Trowa and Quatre were practicing a duet in the living room. The sweet music they played lilted and swayed with the good mood. Wufei was reading a book in Chinese with a contented, knowledgeable statement on his oriental face. Heero and Duo, as always, were sitting together. They were on the sofa. Heero was listening to the music with much pleasure. He was contented, and finding how much he enjoyed the simple pleasure of being content. Duo was dozing under his arm.
"Heero?" Duo suddenly said softly.
"Um?" Heero responded drowsily.
"Why am I dead?"
The air was shattered by Quatre's violin giving forth an unearthly screech as his bow slipped, Trowa almost choked on his flute and Wufei tore the page he was turning almost completely in half. To his credit, the only physical reaction Heero had was to snap his eyes wide open.
"What do you mean?" he asked, an edge in his voice.
Everyone had fallen into a shocked silence. They all felt as if an icy bomb had crashed through the roof. Now they all waited to see if it would explode.
Duo sighed and sat up, pulling out of Heero's embrace. He did not seem to notice that the rest of the room had fallen deathly quiet.
"Don't be mad at me," he said carefully. "But after you left last night…I sorta followed you…"
There was a pause and you could have dug bits of the tension out of the air with a spoon.
"Well, I was just so scared, Heero," he tried to explain, mistaking the silence for malice. "It's not that I didn't trust you, it's just…I don't know," he looked at the floor and twisted his fingers. "But I was so afraid you were going to see Relena…" Heero frowned. Why would anyone want to go and see Relena? "But you got there," Duo continued. "And you went to that graveyard. After you left I went to see what grave you were sitting at…"
The other three pilots exchanged glances. How much had he figured out?
"I managed to get back before you and I did a little research using the laptop," Duo could not bring himself to meet Heero's piercing stare. "There are loads of reports and things about me dying seven months ago. The Oz files are full of it. There were newspaper articles and everything."
He looked up at Heero's face with a pitying look in his eyes. He took Heero's hand. Heero was frozen to the spot. He saw Duo sitting before him but he was blurring around the edges. Was he going to lose this special feeling so soon after finding it?
"Why didn't you guys tell me you thought I was dead?" Duo asked them all, but gazed into Heero's eyes.
Heero felt a guilty relief along with the others. But none of them could think of anything to say. All that mattered was that he hadn't figured out the whole truth…yet.
"It explains so much," Duo continued. Heero's face was blank. "It's alright, I understand," he said, not really knowing what to make of the silence. "I thought something weird had happened." He got up, still holding onto Heero's hands. "I don't know why you never thought to tell me though." He kissed Heero on the cheek and went to go to the kitchen.
"I'm gonna make some coffee," they heard his voice from the kitchen. "Anyone want some?"
"Yes please," said Quatre in a weak voice.
"And me," said Trowa, equally shaken.
"Me too," said Heero.
"Me three," croaked Wufei.
"Ok," Duo called. "How do you all want it?"
"Black!" all said in unison.
We can't carry on lying…Quatre laid down his violin with shaking hands, no longer in the mood for music.
Later that evening, Heero stood in his bedroom staring out at the night. The cold rain lashed against the window as if it were trying to get through to soak him with its misery. Heero had an awful sinking feeling in his stomach. That afternoon Duo had come closer than ever to finding out the truth…he knew it couldn't be long until the clone discovered everything else and he didn't know what would happen. His entire life that had so recently been built up around him was going to be torn away after only a few days. He couldn't bare the certainty.
He felt warm arms encircle him from behind, wrapping around his chest and hugging him close. He almost felt tears come to his eyes. You're mine…he inwardly begged. Please, always be mine, no matter what happens. I can't go on without knowing you'll be with me forever.
Duo rested his head on Heero's shoulder and nuzzled his neck playfully. "Had a nice day, Hee-chan?"
Heero turned in Duo's embrace and gazed upon him for a while. He still could not believe that he had been so lucky as to get Duo back, but was he now going to be torn away again?
No! Heero thought with certainty as he leant forward and kissed Duo ravenously. No! I won't let him leave me again.
Duo murmured with pleasure softly at the back of his throat and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. Heero eased Duo backward towards the bed and lay him gently down upon it. He climbed on top and once more claimed Duo's mouth in a fiery kiss. He kissed the tender throat, feeling it so warm, smooth and real beneath him. He was real, he was right here. But for how much longer?
He buried his face in Duo's neck and just lay there, holding him, breathing his clean scent. For once in my life, I won't let my happiness be ripped away from me.
"Hee-chan?" Duo's voice was soft. "Is something the matter?"
Heero raised his face so he could look directly into Duo's violet eyes. "Duo, promise me you'll never leave me."
"What?" Duo asked, slight confusion twisting his brow.
"Promise me, Duo!" Heero pleaded. "Promise me that whatever happens you won't leave me again."
"I promise, Heero," Duo tenderly stroked Heero's face. "I've wanted you for so long, I'm not going to let you slip away. I'm yours, forever."
Those words eased the cold pain inside the Japanese boy. Then hot desire and passion washed away the rest. Temporarily.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And so all rolled lazily and happily along until Friday. Trowa, Quatre Wufei and Heero left at midday, all eagerly expecting an easy mission with the aftermath of an entire month of relaxation. Something had changed in all of them since the appearance of the clone that made them easily forget painful things. None of them thought of the evening a few nights ago when all had been terrified that the clone might have found out that they had been lying to him.
Duo waved from a window of the safe house until their stolen truck was out of sight. He still did not understand why he was not part of the mission. Sure, he was not as good as hacking as Heero, but he was sure as hell on par with Trowa.
He turned away from the window and stared around the empty living room. He wrapped his arms around him. The feeling of loneliness that seemed to creep up on him quite a lot lately stole over him once again. He didn't want to distrust his friends…but he just suspected that there was something not quite right here.
The telly offered no temptation. He contemplated having a go with Quatre's violin, but decided he wasn't in the mood. I'm all by myself…
How about getting drunk? Nah, it was barely twelve thirty. He'd save that for later.
His eyes landed on Heero's laptop.
They were all soaked and shivering as they returned to the safe house, but happy. Except for Wufei. He refused to see the funny side. He got the hot shower first.
Despite the fact that some refused to be amused by the day's events, that evening was peaceful and quiet. Trowa and Quatre were practicing a duet in the living room. The sweet music they played lilted and swayed with the good mood. Wufei was reading a book in Chinese with a contented, knowledgeable statement on his oriental face. Heero and Duo, as always, were sitting together. They were on the sofa. Heero was listening to the music with much pleasure. He was contented, and finding how much he enjoyed the simple pleasure of being content. Duo was dozing under his arm.
"Heero?" Duo suddenly said softly.
"Um?" Heero responded drowsily.
"Why am I dead?"
The air was shattered by Quatre's violin giving forth an unearthly screech as his bow slipped, Trowa almost choked on his flute and Wufei tore the page he was turning almost completely in half. To his credit, the only physical reaction Heero had was to snap his eyes wide open.
"What do you mean?" he asked, an edge in his voice.
Everyone had fallen into a shocked silence. They all felt as if an icy bomb had crashed through the roof. Now they all waited to see if it would explode.
Duo sighed and sat up, pulling out of Heero's embrace. He did not seem to notice that the rest of the room had fallen deathly quiet.
"Don't be mad at me," he said carefully. "But after you left last night…I sorta followed you…"
There was a pause and you could have dug bits of the tension out of the air with a spoon.
"Well, I was just so scared, Heero," he tried to explain, mistaking the silence for malice. "It's not that I didn't trust you, it's just…I don't know," he looked at the floor and twisted his fingers. "But I was so afraid you were going to see Relena…" Heero frowned. Why would anyone want to go and see Relena? "But you got there," Duo continued. "And you went to that graveyard. After you left I went to see what grave you were sitting at…"
The other three pilots exchanged glances. How much had he figured out?
"I managed to get back before you and I did a little research using the laptop," Duo could not bring himself to meet Heero's piercing stare. "There are loads of reports and things about me dying seven months ago. The Oz files are full of it. There were newspaper articles and everything."
He looked up at Heero's face with a pitying look in his eyes. He took Heero's hand. Heero was frozen to the spot. He saw Duo sitting before him but he was blurring around the edges. Was he going to lose this special feeling so soon after finding it?
"Why didn't you guys tell me you thought I was dead?" Duo asked them all, but gazed into Heero's eyes.
Heero felt a guilty relief along with the others. But none of them could think of anything to say. All that mattered was that he hadn't figured out the whole truth…yet.
"It explains so much," Duo continued. Heero's face was blank. "It's alright, I understand," he said, not really knowing what to make of the silence. "I thought something weird had happened." He got up, still holding onto Heero's hands. "I don't know why you never thought to tell me though." He kissed Heero on the cheek and went to go to the kitchen.
"I'm gonna make some coffee," they heard his voice from the kitchen. "Anyone want some?"
"Yes please," said Quatre in a weak voice.
"And me," said Trowa, equally shaken.
"Me too," said Heero.
"Me three," croaked Wufei.
"Ok," Duo called. "How do you all want it?"
"Black!" all said in unison.
We can't carry on lying…Quatre laid down his violin with shaking hands, no longer in the mood for music.
Later that evening, Heero stood in his bedroom staring out at the night. The cold rain lashed against the window as if it were trying to get through to soak him with its misery. Heero had an awful sinking feeling in his stomach. That afternoon Duo had come closer than ever to finding out the truth…he knew it couldn't be long until the clone discovered everything else and he didn't know what would happen. His entire life that had so recently been built up around him was going to be torn away after only a few days. He couldn't bare the certainty.
He felt warm arms encircle him from behind, wrapping around his chest and hugging him close. He almost felt tears come to his eyes. You're mine…he inwardly begged. Please, always be mine, no matter what happens. I can't go on without knowing you'll be with me forever.
Duo rested his head on Heero's shoulder and nuzzled his neck playfully. "Had a nice day, Hee-chan?"
Heero turned in Duo's embrace and gazed upon him for a while. He still could not believe that he had been so lucky as to get Duo back, but was he now going to be torn away again?
No! Heero thought with certainty as he leant forward and kissed Duo ravenously. No! I won't let him leave me again.
Duo murmured with pleasure softly at the back of his throat and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. Heero eased Duo backward towards the bed and lay him gently down upon it. He climbed on top and once more claimed Duo's mouth in a fiery kiss. He kissed the tender throat, feeling it so warm, smooth and real beneath him. He was real, he was right here. But for how much longer?
He buried his face in Duo's neck and just lay there, holding him, breathing his clean scent. For once in my life, I won't let my happiness be ripped away from me.
"Hee-chan?" Duo's voice was soft. "Is something the matter?"
Heero raised his face so he could look directly into Duo's violet eyes. "Duo, promise me you'll never leave me."
"What?" Duo asked, slight confusion twisting his brow.
"Promise me, Duo!" Heero pleaded. "Promise me that whatever happens you won't leave me again."
"I promise, Heero," Duo tenderly stroked Heero's face. "I've wanted you for so long, I'm not going to let you slip away. I'm yours, forever."
Those words eased the cold pain inside the Japanese boy. Then hot desire and passion washed away the rest. Temporarily.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
And so all rolled lazily and happily along until Friday. Trowa, Quatre Wufei and Heero left at midday, all eagerly expecting an easy mission with the aftermath of an entire month of relaxation. Something had changed in all of them since the appearance of the clone that made them easily forget painful things. None of them thought of the evening a few nights ago when all had been terrified that the clone might have found out that they had been lying to him.
Duo waved from a window of the safe house until their stolen truck was out of sight. He still did not understand why he was not part of the mission. Sure, he was not as good as hacking as Heero, but he was sure as hell on par with Trowa.
He turned away from the window and stared around the empty living room. He wrapped his arms around him. The feeling of loneliness that seemed to creep up on him quite a lot lately stole over him once again. He didn't want to distrust his friends…but he just suspected that there was something not quite right here.
The telly offered no temptation. He contemplated having a go with Quatre's violin, but decided he wasn't in the mood. I'm all by myself…
How about getting drunk? Nah, it was barely twelve thirty. He'd save that for later.
His eyes landed on Heero's laptop.