GUESS WHAT!!!
Well, other than DVG being EXTREMELY late with this next chapter and also being terribly sorry for the delay...I won an award! ^_______________^ I got TWO in fact! I had entered 'Nowhere To Run' into a fanfic contest about a month and a half ago, and I won awards for Best 1x2 and Honorable Mention (meaning that the person who owned the contest liked my story best out of -all- the stories entered into the contest.)
Isn't that awesome? I feel special.
BUT YES! Now for my millions of 'I'm sorry' bows to my readers for taking so long with this! You don't know how many times I went through and rewrote this chapter and edited it. I wanted everything to be -perfect-. It's even reviewer-friendly. ^_^ There's lots of angst, drama, and 3x4 cute-ness. I also leave a lot of questions unanswered, yet answer many questions at once, if that makes any sense whatsoever. I can't divulge further, because that would ruin this chapter, but see the Author's Notes at the end of the chapter!
Reviews!
Solain-Rhyo- YAAY! I get LKH books! ^_____^ Jean-Claude is -awesome-. I can't wait to see how he is in the rest of the books, because he was positively -sexy- in 'Guilty Pleasures'. And I won't leave ya hanging anymore! Here's the next chapter!
Sapphire Angel- Actually, I don't really don't mind death threats. ^_^ On the contrary, I find them very amusing. They even help inspire me more sometimes than other reviews.
Goddess of Bakas- Thankies and here's the next chapter!
Avenged Suffering- *evil grin* No, a vampire Duo would not be a bad thing, but yes it would in this fic. Oops...I think I just gave away what happens, but oh well.
Lady Rune- Yes, I love writing fics just to let out all my little hentai dreams about the G-boys. ^^;;;; I'm actually beginning to grow quite fond of 3x4 and feel a good story coming on that centers around them...Hmm...But yes! There are so many different choices in shounen-ai, you can't pick just one! ^___^
Mars- EEP! Don't kill yourself now! *sweatdrop* That would definitely not be a good thing! *gives Mars ice for her chin* It's gonna be all right babe, don't worry! ^___^
Lexington: Haha! Here's the next chapter! Yes, I know I am evil...Buwahahaha! But I granted the reviewers' wishes anyways! I'm not THAT evil now.
Iruka-Yuywell- *1x2x1 flag waves proudly along with 2x5x2 and 3x4x3* I'm such a hentai...but I'm glad you're enjoying this story!
Smiley-person- You'll see...you'll see...I can't say anymore because it will give everything away!
Lil Black Cat- OMG! I love that! 'Damn it all to hell!' That's cute! But yeah...*ahem* o.O;;; don't worry, here's the next chapter! I don't mean to make you suffer so much, I swear!
(Duo: You know you love watching them suffer. Just admit it. Look at the shit you put -US- through! And we're supposed to be your BELOVED G-boys!
DVG: You're right! *evil, evil grin*)
Yami Crystal- Updated! Read and be left hanging yet again! *sweatdrop* (I need help)
And last, but certainly not least on my list of favorite review- people...
SHELLA!- I actually waited for your review this time before I posted this chapter. I love your reviews! And my chapters feel naked without me spending a page in reply to your wonder-full- ness reviews! ^^;;;; Just don't go psycho on me! *Meep!* And if you do something really, really, really, really horrible to me, then I can't finish my story! O.O;;;
*ahem* Now that that's through with...ON WITH THE STORY! YAAY!
***
"He's NOT like you..."
It all dissolved into darkness; the last thing Duo saw was those damned blue eyes of Heero's. Maybe he was stupid, he should have seen that trap coming a mile away, he knew his weakness and he played on that, but Duo had been so wrapped up in his own troubles that he didn't realize until too late what had happened like the stupid idiot he was.
'Damn him!'
He tried desperately to hold on to that furious thread of reality, repeating 'Damn him!' like a broken record to keep from falling under, but it didn't work. The anger faded to nothing, oblivion washing over his mind, relaxing his tense muscles and splintering his steely resolve.
This was the point where the warm, tingling sensation was supposed to step in, to make you feel like you weren't dying a slow death, no one was draining all the blood out of you, you were only sleeping. No pain. Nothing. Like crawling into your soft, comforting bed after a long day of work when all you want to do is curl up and forget the world even existed.
That feeling didn't come though. Something was wrong. Really, really wrong. It was as if time had just stopped completely and Duo was drifting in the emptiness without any disturbances. But that wasn't how it was supposed to be, something in reality was wrong and all he could do was sit there in the darkness unaware of whatever was going on without his knowing.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't see.
He couldn't hear.
He couldn't sense.
Couldn't breathe.
There was only the endless oblivion.
It was the worst possible form of torture ever conceived. To not be able to do a single damn thing, to be powerless when you -knew- your whole life depended on it.
It could truly drive anyone insane.
Wait-
He was moving.
The obscurity shattered like glass, his skin prickling as if millions of needles were being jabbed in as the body-engulfed numbness diminished. Duo felt cold rain pelting him, making his tight black pants stick rather unpleasantly. Someone was carrying him and they were running.
Well, at least this meant he wasn't dead. That had to be a plus.
Duo muttered incoherently and whoever was carrying his sorry ass slowed down to a stop, two sets of puddle splashing footsteps following close up behind them.
"Is he coming to?" It was Quatre. He sounded quite upset, though given the compromising position he must have been discovered in with Heero; he had every right to be upset.
"Yes."
Hold on a second, he recognized that voice...
"Are you sure Wufei?"
Duo forced his leaden eyelids to open at Trowa's skeptical inquiry and blinked underneath his dripping wet bangs. If it weren't for his voice, he wouldn't have been able to actually identify Wufei at first. His long black hair clung to the sides of his face and neck, instead of being in the ponytail and out of the way. Not that he was complaining or anything.
Wufei slowly eased Duo down to his feet, keeping a close arm about the braided boy's waist as he sagged a bit before regaining his balance. They stood just outside the apartment building in the rain; he had been under for nearly the entire way back from the party. Wufei had bore his practically dead weight the whole time. No words needed to be said.
Duo kept a steadying grip on the Asian's shoulder as they headed into the building as exhaustion settled on him heavily in the aftermath of 'waking up'. In decent lighting, the other three looked terrible, to point out the obvious. Soaked, bedraggled, worried, and pale were a few more words to describe them. Duo was almost afraid to see what -he- looked like.
As the elevator doors shut, he broke the strained silence timidly. "What happened?" Probably not the best question to ask at that time, but he hated being left uninformed. "I- I mean, I know it must've seemed really bad-"
"-Seemed-?" Wufei caught Duo off guard as he rounded onto him and took him by the shoulders, not even giving Quatre or Trowa a chance to speak up. "Listen to someone who speaks from experience, the instant -he- laid his hands on you, you weren't safe. The instant he gets you in his sight and makes up his mind; there's no changing it. And unless I'm mistaken, tonight wasn't just by chance, was it?"
Duo turned his face away as it went red, his eyes beginning to sting as he swallowed hard. "No."
"Back off," Trowa interrupted, there was no tone to his voice, but his words were enough to give off the vibe that he was pissed. Very pissed. "Release him and back off."
"Trowa, please-" Quatre began soothingly, but Wufei had complied and stepped away.
Duo shook his head, glancing anxiously over at the tall boy as he talked. "Before anyone jumps down each others' throats, let me explain. But I want you guys to tell me what went on back there, so don't think you're off the hook. You more than well deserve more of an explanation right now then I do Wufei. I think there's some things your buddy's been keeping from you."
"Heero is not my 'buddy'," he corrected roughly. "I've surmised as much, but obviously the extent of this is more than I imagined. My ignorance proven by the little incident tonight."
"If anyone's stupid here, it's me," Duo said quietly, shaking his head again to intercept anyone's disagreement with that statement. "But that's not the point. Yes Wufei, tonight wasn't by chance. Because of a naïve slip up on my part, Heero was kinda let on to what I was helping you with, and I guess he took it a bit too personally. Of course, I wasn't exactly very -nice- about it, but still...I've gotten nothing but hell over this. First there were those crazy girls he sent to kill me then-"
"Wait, were there three women?" Wufei cut in, thinking of earlier when Heero told him about Hilde, Relena, and Sally.
"Yeah..." He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Two blondes and a blue haired chick. Man, if there's one thing I will never forget is the Relena girl's -voice-, God it was horrible. I pissed her off 'cause I laughed at her, trying to be all scary and intimidating when she sounded like a banshee, I just couldn't help myself. If they hadn't started fighting though, I would have been one dead slayer. Then, when I finally got away, I was hauled ass to get to that bar- We found ways to undo the vampirism."
Quatre smiled graciously. "Don't be modest, Trowa and I only gave you references, you did all the research." He couldn't decide who was the happier one after Duo's announcement, Duo himself or Wufei; both of their moods had taken an immediate upswing when he had said it. The former's tired expression had broken into an awkward grin while the latter was torn between kissing the former or staying politely silent so he could finish his story, the result ending with an equally awkward uncertainty on what exactly to do.
There was a brief moment of quiet as the elevator doors opened on their floor and they went out.
Duo cleared his throat uneasily and continued. "Like I was saying, I was going to the bar to give you the news, that was when I saw you running out, then I ran into Heero. We started, okay so -I- started, arguing until Sally pops out right beside to tell the bastard about Relena and Hilde and that was when I figured it all out, so then I was REALLY not nice with him. I got myself two justly earned punches and only succeeded in royally pissing the hell out of Heero even more, being the stupid guy I am. That basically sums up everything I should think- Duo was being stupid and brought it all onto himself by opening his big mouth."
"It isn't all your fault, so don't talk about yourself like that!" Wufei protested as Quatre and Trowa entered the apartment ahead of them. "I was the one who approached you in the first place."
"I didn't have to agree," he dissented, though quickly added, "But I would gladly do it again if I had to," before ducking into his bedroom. Wufei stopped abruptly in the hallway outside the room in shock as the insinuation behind what he said struck him.
Out in the living room, Quatre observed it all with visible intrigue. The situation was definitely becoming more interesting as he discerned different views and angles. He couldn't remember ever feeling so much fear coming from a single person as he had earlier that evening when Trowa and he had caught up with the Chinese vampire. And it seemed now that Duo wasn't the only one in conflict with his emotions.
Duo reemerged before Wufei had fully recovered from the surprise and handed him a fresh set of clothing and a towel. "I didn't know if you are going to leave later or not, so I thought- well, I sure wouldn't want to be stuck in damp clothes and all- er, yeah-" His cheeks tinged slightly pink and he retreated back into the room.
Wufei blinked at the closed door bewilderedly for a second then turned around to find the bathroom. As he began to peel his soggy tank top off, there was a loud slam out in the hallway and Duo's thoroughly annoyed voice rang through the apartment.
"QUATRE! Get me something sharp so I can hack these damn pants off!"
A highly vivid image surfaced in Wufei's mind and a nosebleed threatened to pour as he forced the picture to go away.
***
After changing into the biggest set of clothes he owned and semi- drying his hair; Duo came into the living room to be greeted with quite the uncommon scene.
Trowa and Quatre were perched in their usual spots in the loveseat, but Quatre was in deep discussion with Wufei, who was in the armchair beside him (and looking rather good clad in all black), and Trowa appeared a little irked at being ignored by his blonde beau.
The instant the braided boy entered the room though, the conversation lulled and three pairs of eyes glanced over at him.
"Just the person we wanted," Quatre smiled slightly. "Well, Duo, I left the honors of telling Wufei his options to you; I've filled him in on everything else."
Duo hesitated as he sat down in the chair across from them, watching them warily. They were trying to avoid -his- questions by bluntly bringing up the un-vampirism issue, he was sure of it by how Quatre had immediately stopped talking when he walked in. That, and the barely noticeable way he fidgeted in the seat when he had spoken. It seemed whatever had transpired at the party was still too fresh for the three to discuss. He would have to wait then to get the information -he- wished for, something he didn't particularly like to do.
So Duo proceeded to disregard the obvious change of topic and began recounting the methods he had read in the books. His opinion about the first was confirmed as Wufei automatically shot down the possibility of killing his sire, with the fact that he didn't know who it was made that choice invalid, something he had pointed out with a touch of bitterness that only Quatre sensed.
'Of course not, it would only make things easier if all they had to do was hunt down a vampire and kill it to cure him. Everything had to be nice and difficult to add more to pain already endured,' was the basic gist of what the empath perceived.
However, that was -before- he had heard of the second, morbid Walt Disney method of un-vampirism with its extremely complicated, macabre sappiness.
-After- the revelation, well, the situation seemed pretty damn hopeless.
"Somebody up there REALLY doesn't like me right now, do they?" Wufei asked offhandedly, waving up towards the ceiling in place of the heavens. Duo snorted at the sarcasm, but Quatre gazed at the Asian somberly. He didn't, or rather choose not to, notice the penetrating glance seeing past the banter.
"Don't worry Fei, this was all I could find in just those coupla days, I'm sure there's got to be other ways," Duo amended reassuringly, having had taken note of the blonde's reaction. "There are still tons of books to skim through, you never know, we c- could-" he paused, stifling an enormous yawn and slouching a bit further into the armchair. "-we could come across something new."
"No, no, it's fine. You've done more than plenty for me, much more then I deserve, and I am very, very grateful for the assistance," Wufei interrupted softly, yet forcibly. "I've caused you all enough trouble as it is, I don't want to make it any worse than it already is."
"But I -want- to help you," Duo insisted indignantly, sitting back up.
"You've nearly been killed THREE times because of this and I don't think I could take the guilt of knowing that if you -died- it would be because of -my- selfish request!" he burst out loudly.
The room went dead silent.
Not even Quatre had seen that coming.
Duo stared, utterly blown away. His mouth moved wordlessly as he tried to decide whether he was angry at Wufei not thinking he could take care of himself in their current predicament (he was a slayer, damn it!), or admire how he would give up his hope of becoming mortal again just to keep him safe from harm's reach.
Trowa broke the stunned hush, clearing his throat uneasily. "...Well..."
"I should leave," Wufei said abruptly, starting to rise from the chair.
"No!" Quatre protested suddenly, jumping to his feet before he got up all the way and blocking him. Everyone went quiet again, watching him curiously for an explanation. "I- I mean, you have to stay here, you can't go out there. Not after what you did tonight for Duo-" He stammered, blushing at all the attention. Wufei dropped back down, avoiding the blonde's eyes and looked at his lap.
"Am I ever gonna hear about what happened, or are you gonna keep on talking as if I'm not in the damn room?" Duo's voice returned to him in his anger.
Quatre stepped away from Wufei's chair and faced the braided boy. "I'm sorry," he apologized hastily, flustered. There were so many powerful emotions clashing and grating his already near shattering nerves, trying to appease them all was almost unfeasible. "I'm sorry, we don't mean to, it's-" he kneaded his throbbing forehead exasperatingly. "There's just too much! This is too much! I can't handle this! I- I have to go lie down..."
In a flash, Trowa had his arms around Quatre supportively as he went pale and ushered him into their bedroom.
Duo gripped his bangs in frustration and let out an aggravated sigh. "DAMN IT!"
"I'm sorry."
For a moment, he had forgotten he wasn't the only one in the room. "What are you apologizing for Wufei? I didn't think about all the shit he had been through tonight before I opened my big fat mouth and upset him more. I was the self-centered asshole, as per the norm." He sighed again, but this time it was tired and regretful.
"He is a very sensitive person," Wufei acknowledged, nodding slightly.
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you know he was an empath? It's kinda expected with them."
"A what?"
"Jesus, you're -really- uninformed, aren't you? Empaths are like psychics; they feel other people's emotions and can read minds and stuff like that. He's the reason we haven't been killed yet in our line of work, because of those abilities." Duo turned his gaze over to the hallway where the two had disappeared with a grateful expression.
Wufei shifted uncomfortably. If all he had said was true, then the blonde must have had a heyday after running into him. He hadn't exactly been attempting all too hard to hide how he was feeling either, but it -would- explain why he had been surveying him so closely at the party and the odd way he had been acting around him ever since they had entered the apartment.
Duo chuckled. "Don't worry, Q-man would never take a peek into your mind without permission," he winked, guessing the Chinese boy's unease correctly. "He may feel what you do, but he won't say anything about it."
Wufei let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, causing Duo to raise his eyebrow again in interest.
He took Quatre's empty spot on the love seat beside the Asian and turned serious. "Can -you- at least tell me what happened?" he asked tentatively. "Please? I don't want to wait until the two lovebirds decide it's fine."
"You're very stubborn aren't you?"
"YES! You don't know how much it -sucks- to feel stupid- okay, well obviously Heero hasn't been telling you a lot of things, so maybe you can relate, but still..." Duo grabbed Wufei's hand, forcing him to look at him and gave him the kittenish pout no one could resist. "-Please-?"
"All right...It's not very pleasant though..."
***
Quatre pulled away from Trowa as soon as they shut their bedroom door behind them, leaving him standing in the middle of the room confused.
"Are you okay?" Trowa inquired, barely masking his bafflement.
"Oh yes, I'm fine," Quatre turned around and smiled.
"Then what was all that about?"
"I wanted Duo and Wufei to be alone for a while," he replied with a casual shrug. "There are things they need to sort between them, and we didn't need to be hovering over them."
Trowa shook his head, the empath apparently had his own agenda in this situation, and not being graced with the same capabilities as his lover, he had no clue what Quatre was going on about. "Things?"
"Yes," the blonde's smile went mischievous. "Things."
"I see...so you're going to be sly about it too, aren't you?" Trowa replied amusedly, catching on.
"My intentions are wholly good, I don't know what you're getting at..." Quatre dismissed indifferently, though not losing the playfulness in his expression. "...but even angels are allowed to play dirty every once and a while."
"Well, then let's give them all the time they need to 'sort things out'..."
***
w00t, Quatre the sneaky little devil. ^___^ He's like my tool for creating lovely lemon-y-ness in all my fics. If no one's noticed by now, with the exception of 'Nowhere To Run', it's always Quatre giving Duo or whoever I'm pairing Duo with that extra little -push-. I love making him evil. It's just so fun.
And -yes- I do plan on explaining what happened. I know this chapter probably pissed everyone off, but I wanted to show how they got Duo from Heero's point of view. (So no, he's not dead either. I -know- some of you people are thinking that right now! But no. He's still alive. There's still more evilness I must put them all through.) But I just wanted you all to know, I'm not purposely avoiding the subject! I have something AWESOME planned. Er, I don't think -awesome- is exactly the right word for it, but you know what I mean, right? *sweatdrop*
Wow, this has to be the longest chapter I've ever written.
Now click! Review! Flame! As I wander off and work on the next chapter...
Well, other than DVG being EXTREMELY late with this next chapter and also being terribly sorry for the delay...I won an award! ^_______________^ I got TWO in fact! I had entered 'Nowhere To Run' into a fanfic contest about a month and a half ago, and I won awards for Best 1x2 and Honorable Mention (meaning that the person who owned the contest liked my story best out of -all- the stories entered into the contest.)
Isn't that awesome? I feel special.
BUT YES! Now for my millions of 'I'm sorry' bows to my readers for taking so long with this! You don't know how many times I went through and rewrote this chapter and edited it. I wanted everything to be -perfect-. It's even reviewer-friendly. ^_^ There's lots of angst, drama, and 3x4 cute-ness. I also leave a lot of questions unanswered, yet answer many questions at once, if that makes any sense whatsoever. I can't divulge further, because that would ruin this chapter, but see the Author's Notes at the end of the chapter!
Reviews!
Solain-Rhyo- YAAY! I get LKH books! ^_____^ Jean-Claude is -awesome-. I can't wait to see how he is in the rest of the books, because he was positively -sexy- in 'Guilty Pleasures'. And I won't leave ya hanging anymore! Here's the next chapter!
Sapphire Angel- Actually, I don't really don't mind death threats. ^_^ On the contrary, I find them very amusing. They even help inspire me more sometimes than other reviews.
Goddess of Bakas- Thankies and here's the next chapter!
Avenged Suffering- *evil grin* No, a vampire Duo would not be a bad thing, but yes it would in this fic. Oops...I think I just gave away what happens, but oh well.
Lady Rune- Yes, I love writing fics just to let out all my little hentai dreams about the G-boys. ^^;;;; I'm actually beginning to grow quite fond of 3x4 and feel a good story coming on that centers around them...Hmm...But yes! There are so many different choices in shounen-ai, you can't pick just one! ^___^
Mars- EEP! Don't kill yourself now! *sweatdrop* That would definitely not be a good thing! *gives Mars ice for her chin* It's gonna be all right babe, don't worry! ^___^
Lexington: Haha! Here's the next chapter! Yes, I know I am evil...Buwahahaha! But I granted the reviewers' wishes anyways! I'm not THAT evil now.
Iruka-Yuywell- *1x2x1 flag waves proudly along with 2x5x2 and 3x4x3* I'm such a hentai...but I'm glad you're enjoying this story!
Smiley-person- You'll see...you'll see...I can't say anymore because it will give everything away!
Lil Black Cat- OMG! I love that! 'Damn it all to hell!' That's cute! But yeah...*ahem* o.O;;; don't worry, here's the next chapter! I don't mean to make you suffer so much, I swear!
(Duo: You know you love watching them suffer. Just admit it. Look at the shit you put -US- through! And we're supposed to be your BELOVED G-boys!
DVG: You're right! *evil, evil grin*)
Yami Crystal- Updated! Read and be left hanging yet again! *sweatdrop* (I need help)
And last, but certainly not least on my list of favorite review- people...
SHELLA!- I actually waited for your review this time before I posted this chapter. I love your reviews! And my chapters feel naked without me spending a page in reply to your wonder-full- ness reviews! ^^;;;; Just don't go psycho on me! *Meep!* And if you do something really, really, really, really horrible to me, then I can't finish my story! O.O;;;
*ahem* Now that that's through with...ON WITH THE STORY! YAAY!
***
"He's NOT like you..."
It all dissolved into darkness; the last thing Duo saw was those damned blue eyes of Heero's. Maybe he was stupid, he should have seen that trap coming a mile away, he knew his weakness and he played on that, but Duo had been so wrapped up in his own troubles that he didn't realize until too late what had happened like the stupid idiot he was.
'Damn him!'
He tried desperately to hold on to that furious thread of reality, repeating 'Damn him!' like a broken record to keep from falling under, but it didn't work. The anger faded to nothing, oblivion washing over his mind, relaxing his tense muscles and splintering his steely resolve.
This was the point where the warm, tingling sensation was supposed to step in, to make you feel like you weren't dying a slow death, no one was draining all the blood out of you, you were only sleeping. No pain. Nothing. Like crawling into your soft, comforting bed after a long day of work when all you want to do is curl up and forget the world even existed.
That feeling didn't come though. Something was wrong. Really, really wrong. It was as if time had just stopped completely and Duo was drifting in the emptiness without any disturbances. But that wasn't how it was supposed to be, something in reality was wrong and all he could do was sit there in the darkness unaware of whatever was going on without his knowing.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't see.
He couldn't hear.
He couldn't sense.
Couldn't breathe.
There was only the endless oblivion.
It was the worst possible form of torture ever conceived. To not be able to do a single damn thing, to be powerless when you -knew- your whole life depended on it.
It could truly drive anyone insane.
Wait-
He was moving.
The obscurity shattered like glass, his skin prickling as if millions of needles were being jabbed in as the body-engulfed numbness diminished. Duo felt cold rain pelting him, making his tight black pants stick rather unpleasantly. Someone was carrying him and they were running.
Well, at least this meant he wasn't dead. That had to be a plus.
Duo muttered incoherently and whoever was carrying his sorry ass slowed down to a stop, two sets of puddle splashing footsteps following close up behind them.
"Is he coming to?" It was Quatre. He sounded quite upset, though given the compromising position he must have been discovered in with Heero; he had every right to be upset.
"Yes."
Hold on a second, he recognized that voice...
"Are you sure Wufei?"
Duo forced his leaden eyelids to open at Trowa's skeptical inquiry and blinked underneath his dripping wet bangs. If it weren't for his voice, he wouldn't have been able to actually identify Wufei at first. His long black hair clung to the sides of his face and neck, instead of being in the ponytail and out of the way. Not that he was complaining or anything.
Wufei slowly eased Duo down to his feet, keeping a close arm about the braided boy's waist as he sagged a bit before regaining his balance. They stood just outside the apartment building in the rain; he had been under for nearly the entire way back from the party. Wufei had bore his practically dead weight the whole time. No words needed to be said.
Duo kept a steadying grip on the Asian's shoulder as they headed into the building as exhaustion settled on him heavily in the aftermath of 'waking up'. In decent lighting, the other three looked terrible, to point out the obvious. Soaked, bedraggled, worried, and pale were a few more words to describe them. Duo was almost afraid to see what -he- looked like.
As the elevator doors shut, he broke the strained silence timidly. "What happened?" Probably not the best question to ask at that time, but he hated being left uninformed. "I- I mean, I know it must've seemed really bad-"
"-Seemed-?" Wufei caught Duo off guard as he rounded onto him and took him by the shoulders, not even giving Quatre or Trowa a chance to speak up. "Listen to someone who speaks from experience, the instant -he- laid his hands on you, you weren't safe. The instant he gets you in his sight and makes up his mind; there's no changing it. And unless I'm mistaken, tonight wasn't just by chance, was it?"
Duo turned his face away as it went red, his eyes beginning to sting as he swallowed hard. "No."
"Back off," Trowa interrupted, there was no tone to his voice, but his words were enough to give off the vibe that he was pissed. Very pissed. "Release him and back off."
"Trowa, please-" Quatre began soothingly, but Wufei had complied and stepped away.
Duo shook his head, glancing anxiously over at the tall boy as he talked. "Before anyone jumps down each others' throats, let me explain. But I want you guys to tell me what went on back there, so don't think you're off the hook. You more than well deserve more of an explanation right now then I do Wufei. I think there's some things your buddy's been keeping from you."
"Heero is not my 'buddy'," he corrected roughly. "I've surmised as much, but obviously the extent of this is more than I imagined. My ignorance proven by the little incident tonight."
"If anyone's stupid here, it's me," Duo said quietly, shaking his head again to intercept anyone's disagreement with that statement. "But that's not the point. Yes Wufei, tonight wasn't by chance. Because of a naïve slip up on my part, Heero was kinda let on to what I was helping you with, and I guess he took it a bit too personally. Of course, I wasn't exactly very -nice- about it, but still...I've gotten nothing but hell over this. First there were those crazy girls he sent to kill me then-"
"Wait, were there three women?" Wufei cut in, thinking of earlier when Heero told him about Hilde, Relena, and Sally.
"Yeah..." He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Two blondes and a blue haired chick. Man, if there's one thing I will never forget is the Relena girl's -voice-, God it was horrible. I pissed her off 'cause I laughed at her, trying to be all scary and intimidating when she sounded like a banshee, I just couldn't help myself. If they hadn't started fighting though, I would have been one dead slayer. Then, when I finally got away, I was hauled ass to get to that bar- We found ways to undo the vampirism."
Quatre smiled graciously. "Don't be modest, Trowa and I only gave you references, you did all the research." He couldn't decide who was the happier one after Duo's announcement, Duo himself or Wufei; both of their moods had taken an immediate upswing when he had said it. The former's tired expression had broken into an awkward grin while the latter was torn between kissing the former or staying politely silent so he could finish his story, the result ending with an equally awkward uncertainty on what exactly to do.
There was a brief moment of quiet as the elevator doors opened on their floor and they went out.
Duo cleared his throat uneasily and continued. "Like I was saying, I was going to the bar to give you the news, that was when I saw you running out, then I ran into Heero. We started, okay so -I- started, arguing until Sally pops out right beside to tell the bastard about Relena and Hilde and that was when I figured it all out, so then I was REALLY not nice with him. I got myself two justly earned punches and only succeeded in royally pissing the hell out of Heero even more, being the stupid guy I am. That basically sums up everything I should think- Duo was being stupid and brought it all onto himself by opening his big mouth."
"It isn't all your fault, so don't talk about yourself like that!" Wufei protested as Quatre and Trowa entered the apartment ahead of them. "I was the one who approached you in the first place."
"I didn't have to agree," he dissented, though quickly added, "But I would gladly do it again if I had to," before ducking into his bedroom. Wufei stopped abruptly in the hallway outside the room in shock as the insinuation behind what he said struck him.
Out in the living room, Quatre observed it all with visible intrigue. The situation was definitely becoming more interesting as he discerned different views and angles. He couldn't remember ever feeling so much fear coming from a single person as he had earlier that evening when Trowa and he had caught up with the Chinese vampire. And it seemed now that Duo wasn't the only one in conflict with his emotions.
Duo reemerged before Wufei had fully recovered from the surprise and handed him a fresh set of clothing and a towel. "I didn't know if you are going to leave later or not, so I thought- well, I sure wouldn't want to be stuck in damp clothes and all- er, yeah-" His cheeks tinged slightly pink and he retreated back into the room.
Wufei blinked at the closed door bewilderedly for a second then turned around to find the bathroom. As he began to peel his soggy tank top off, there was a loud slam out in the hallway and Duo's thoroughly annoyed voice rang through the apartment.
"QUATRE! Get me something sharp so I can hack these damn pants off!"
A highly vivid image surfaced in Wufei's mind and a nosebleed threatened to pour as he forced the picture to go away.
***
After changing into the biggest set of clothes he owned and semi- drying his hair; Duo came into the living room to be greeted with quite the uncommon scene.
Trowa and Quatre were perched in their usual spots in the loveseat, but Quatre was in deep discussion with Wufei, who was in the armchair beside him (and looking rather good clad in all black), and Trowa appeared a little irked at being ignored by his blonde beau.
The instant the braided boy entered the room though, the conversation lulled and three pairs of eyes glanced over at him.
"Just the person we wanted," Quatre smiled slightly. "Well, Duo, I left the honors of telling Wufei his options to you; I've filled him in on everything else."
Duo hesitated as he sat down in the chair across from them, watching them warily. They were trying to avoid -his- questions by bluntly bringing up the un-vampirism issue, he was sure of it by how Quatre had immediately stopped talking when he walked in. That, and the barely noticeable way he fidgeted in the seat when he had spoken. It seemed whatever had transpired at the party was still too fresh for the three to discuss. He would have to wait then to get the information -he- wished for, something he didn't particularly like to do.
So Duo proceeded to disregard the obvious change of topic and began recounting the methods he had read in the books. His opinion about the first was confirmed as Wufei automatically shot down the possibility of killing his sire, with the fact that he didn't know who it was made that choice invalid, something he had pointed out with a touch of bitterness that only Quatre sensed.
'Of course not, it would only make things easier if all they had to do was hunt down a vampire and kill it to cure him. Everything had to be nice and difficult to add more to pain already endured,' was the basic gist of what the empath perceived.
However, that was -before- he had heard of the second, morbid Walt Disney method of un-vampirism with its extremely complicated, macabre sappiness.
-After- the revelation, well, the situation seemed pretty damn hopeless.
"Somebody up there REALLY doesn't like me right now, do they?" Wufei asked offhandedly, waving up towards the ceiling in place of the heavens. Duo snorted at the sarcasm, but Quatre gazed at the Asian somberly. He didn't, or rather choose not to, notice the penetrating glance seeing past the banter.
"Don't worry Fei, this was all I could find in just those coupla days, I'm sure there's got to be other ways," Duo amended reassuringly, having had taken note of the blonde's reaction. "There are still tons of books to skim through, you never know, we c- could-" he paused, stifling an enormous yawn and slouching a bit further into the armchair. "-we could come across something new."
"No, no, it's fine. You've done more than plenty for me, much more then I deserve, and I am very, very grateful for the assistance," Wufei interrupted softly, yet forcibly. "I've caused you all enough trouble as it is, I don't want to make it any worse than it already is."
"But I -want- to help you," Duo insisted indignantly, sitting back up.
"You've nearly been killed THREE times because of this and I don't think I could take the guilt of knowing that if you -died- it would be because of -my- selfish request!" he burst out loudly.
The room went dead silent.
Not even Quatre had seen that coming.
Duo stared, utterly blown away. His mouth moved wordlessly as he tried to decide whether he was angry at Wufei not thinking he could take care of himself in their current predicament (he was a slayer, damn it!), or admire how he would give up his hope of becoming mortal again just to keep him safe from harm's reach.
Trowa broke the stunned hush, clearing his throat uneasily. "...Well..."
"I should leave," Wufei said abruptly, starting to rise from the chair.
"No!" Quatre protested suddenly, jumping to his feet before he got up all the way and blocking him. Everyone went quiet again, watching him curiously for an explanation. "I- I mean, you have to stay here, you can't go out there. Not after what you did tonight for Duo-" He stammered, blushing at all the attention. Wufei dropped back down, avoiding the blonde's eyes and looked at his lap.
"Am I ever gonna hear about what happened, or are you gonna keep on talking as if I'm not in the damn room?" Duo's voice returned to him in his anger.
Quatre stepped away from Wufei's chair and faced the braided boy. "I'm sorry," he apologized hastily, flustered. There were so many powerful emotions clashing and grating his already near shattering nerves, trying to appease them all was almost unfeasible. "I'm sorry, we don't mean to, it's-" he kneaded his throbbing forehead exasperatingly. "There's just too much! This is too much! I can't handle this! I- I have to go lie down..."
In a flash, Trowa had his arms around Quatre supportively as he went pale and ushered him into their bedroom.
Duo gripped his bangs in frustration and let out an aggravated sigh. "DAMN IT!"
"I'm sorry."
For a moment, he had forgotten he wasn't the only one in the room. "What are you apologizing for Wufei? I didn't think about all the shit he had been through tonight before I opened my big fat mouth and upset him more. I was the self-centered asshole, as per the norm." He sighed again, but this time it was tired and regretful.
"He is a very sensitive person," Wufei acknowledged, nodding slightly.
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you know he was an empath? It's kinda expected with them."
"A what?"
"Jesus, you're -really- uninformed, aren't you? Empaths are like psychics; they feel other people's emotions and can read minds and stuff like that. He's the reason we haven't been killed yet in our line of work, because of those abilities." Duo turned his gaze over to the hallway where the two had disappeared with a grateful expression.
Wufei shifted uncomfortably. If all he had said was true, then the blonde must have had a heyday after running into him. He hadn't exactly been attempting all too hard to hide how he was feeling either, but it -would- explain why he had been surveying him so closely at the party and the odd way he had been acting around him ever since they had entered the apartment.
Duo chuckled. "Don't worry, Q-man would never take a peek into your mind without permission," he winked, guessing the Chinese boy's unease correctly. "He may feel what you do, but he won't say anything about it."
Wufei let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, causing Duo to raise his eyebrow again in interest.
He took Quatre's empty spot on the love seat beside the Asian and turned serious. "Can -you- at least tell me what happened?" he asked tentatively. "Please? I don't want to wait until the two lovebirds decide it's fine."
"You're very stubborn aren't you?"
"YES! You don't know how much it -sucks- to feel stupid- okay, well obviously Heero hasn't been telling you a lot of things, so maybe you can relate, but still..." Duo grabbed Wufei's hand, forcing him to look at him and gave him the kittenish pout no one could resist. "-Please-?"
"All right...It's not very pleasant though..."
***
Quatre pulled away from Trowa as soon as they shut their bedroom door behind them, leaving him standing in the middle of the room confused.
"Are you okay?" Trowa inquired, barely masking his bafflement.
"Oh yes, I'm fine," Quatre turned around and smiled.
"Then what was all that about?"
"I wanted Duo and Wufei to be alone for a while," he replied with a casual shrug. "There are things they need to sort between them, and we didn't need to be hovering over them."
Trowa shook his head, the empath apparently had his own agenda in this situation, and not being graced with the same capabilities as his lover, he had no clue what Quatre was going on about. "Things?"
"Yes," the blonde's smile went mischievous. "Things."
"I see...so you're going to be sly about it too, aren't you?" Trowa replied amusedly, catching on.
"My intentions are wholly good, I don't know what you're getting at..." Quatre dismissed indifferently, though not losing the playfulness in his expression. "...but even angels are allowed to play dirty every once and a while."
"Well, then let's give them all the time they need to 'sort things out'..."
***
w00t, Quatre the sneaky little devil. ^___^ He's like my tool for creating lovely lemon-y-ness in all my fics. If no one's noticed by now, with the exception of 'Nowhere To Run', it's always Quatre giving Duo or whoever I'm pairing Duo with that extra little -push-. I love making him evil. It's just so fun.
And -yes- I do plan on explaining what happened. I know this chapter probably pissed everyone off, but I wanted to show how they got Duo from Heero's point of view. (So no, he's not dead either. I -know- some of you people are thinking that right now! But no. He's still alive. There's still more evilness I must put them all through.) But I just wanted you all to know, I'm not purposely avoiding the subject! I have something AWESOME planned. Er, I don't think -awesome- is exactly the right word for it, but you know what I mean, right? *sweatdrop*
Wow, this has to be the longest chapter I've ever written.
Now click! Review! Flame! As I wander off and work on the next chapter...