"Ahh" Duo let out a small, sharp gasp as he woke up to a stinging sensation
on his back. 'Oh crap, I hope I can make it.' He lept out of his bed and
ran as fast as he could to the bathroom, which, luckily, was only two doors
down from his. Duo threw the door open then, as quietly as he could, he
closed and locked it. He ran over, beginning to feel the real pain across
his shoulders, and crawled into the bathtub. Throwing his boxers as far as
he could from the tub, he was soon forced to his knees by the pain. The
bathtub curtain was already pulled all the way to a side, which had given
him a quick leap into the tub. Unfortunately, it also gave him a good look
at the huge mirror across from him.
On his back, specifically, on the back of both his shoulder blades, blood was beginning to well up from two cuts. Looking at himself, Duo could see the pain and traces of fear as he watched himself in the mirror. Slowly, painfully slow, the cuts on his back began to grow longer and longer, until they stretched about a foot going up and down his back, on both sides.
Even more frightening and disgusting than the randomly occurring gashes on Duo's back were the bumps. Running from the top of his shoulders all the way down to his knees, a long bump had begin to rise and shift under his skin. It was like watching two snakes writhing inside his back. Duo's eyes widened to an impossible size and his jaw hung open slightly as he saw this, the one thing he feared more than anything else in the world.
There, in those gashes, were two lines of black. Each long, thick line of black began to push it's way out of Duo's skin. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth to hold back the pained scream that was trying to wrench it's way out of his throat. The black continued to rise, and push through the skin, but it was obvious by the strangely upraised line that whatever this thing that was in Duo's back was far too big to fit through the tiny two foot long slices.
The poor boy began to tremble and had to use all his willpower to keep from screaming. He glanced up to the mirror and was horrified by the blood which was pouring down his sides, across his chest, down his legs. Then, as suddenly as it had began, the pain stopped. Duo looked up and sure enough, his skin was being pulled upward as something black that seemed to be folded up inside him had a blood covered, triangular part poking through his skin. Duo couldn't help but notice that his back resembled a shark, or possibly a dolphin, except that he had two fins on his back, black and glistening red.
Finally, after a few minutes of nothing, a faint and strange feeling came to Duo, he watched, now calm and relieved of the agony as the black points retreated back into his back, folding in odd shapes to set the bumps back to where they had come from. His skin relaxed as it was no longer being pulled upward, and soon, his back looked normal, with the exception of the gashes, which were also beginning to heal up. Only about fifteen minutes after he had come into the bathroom, Duo was back to normal, but now covered in scarlet blood and quite a bit shaken. 'That is the LAST time I watch that. Eww, that just totally gives me the creeps. Way worse than Heero and that stupid leg of his.'
'Heero.' Duo let himself think his mind drift to his beautiful friend. Duo had known right from the start that he had a crush on the Japanese pilot. His messy hair. His perfect soldier's body. Even his annoyingly aggressive personality had entranced him. And his eyes, those incredible, intense gold eyes. 'Wait a minute, Heero has blue eyes. Intense, COBALT blue eyes. Get it together Duo, you can't be distracted on this mission.' But despite his mental orders, Duo's mind soon drifted to another boy, equally attractive to Heero, but who Duo was sure he had no feelings for; with the possible exception of contempt and hatred.
Quietly, ensuring that the others wouldn't wake up, Duo cleaned himself and the bathroom up, then slipped his clean boxers on. He slipped out into the hallway and snuck back to his room. 'Man oh man, this is nerve racking, there are only five people in the world who can hear me sneaking around, oh, and look, how convenient, four of them are right here in this house.' Finished with his bitter ravings, Duo climbed into his warm and dry bed and drifted off to sleep, still clinging to the hope that this nightmare would soon be over, without his fellow pilots finding out.
* * * * *
It was eight the next morning when Duo came running down the stairs. He was super hyped over the mission, after all, he was the best at breaking and entering, so naturally he'd be chosen to go in with Heero. Of course, just the idea of battle was exciting for Shinigami, it was what he lived for, it was his lot in life. And he loved it.
"Morning all!"
"Morning Duo." Or various versions came from the other four. Heero was leaning over Wufei's shoulder going over the last few directions he had for the data transferal. Quatre and Trowa were reading over the schematics of the base and debating over the way they should carry out the mission. Then, of all the strange things that could happen at that very moment, the doorbell rang.
'Kind early for a visitor.' All five pilots thought.
"I'll get it!" Duo yelled and ran over to the door, noting comfortably that his gun was tucked in under his waistband along his back, for the mission, but also in case of hostile UPS delivery men.
Carelessly grabbing the doorknob and throwing it open, Duo froze and stared ahead. The other four pilots became curious at the lack of a happy greeting from the loud pilot and turned their heads just in time to see a sight that was the most suprising thing any of them could have imagined.
An eighteen year old boy stepped over the threshold casually, as if he belonged there, and then, taking another stepped forward, kissed Duo full on the lips. The pilots were shocked into silence, Quatre and Trowa confused, and Heero and Wufei enraged. Each had some very interesting thoughts on the newcomer.
'He's kissing Duo. My Duo. He's dead.'
'Poor Duo, that isn't right, people should have more manners than to come running into a person's house uninvited and then assaulting them.'
"Hm, I wonder if he knows Duo?'
'Ah, that's what my heart was telling me. I knew something was going to happen. Looks like there are going to be love complications in the house.' Quatre looked over at Heero who had a disgusted look on his face, one he recognized easily as jealousy. 'Oh yeah, this is gonna be bad.'
Before anyone else could react, and at the same time these many thoughts were running through his friend's minds, Duo did something that made them all very proud. He pulled his lips out of the strangers grasp and punched him hard in the face. Then he kneed him in the stomach and took a step back, wiping his lips with his sleeve.
Now that the "crisis" had been averted, everyone took a moment to observe the mysterious man. He wore a normal, light pair of jeans, slightly baggy and torn from use. His shirt was royal blue and about as plain as t-shirts come. He also had on a long black leather jacket. Even through both the shirt and jacket, it was obvious that the boy was nicely cut.
"Jeez kid, you'd think that you'd have learned some manners. That ain't the way you greet an old friend." The smirk the boy held seemed to not be able to fall, despite having just been punched.
"Duo, do you know this guy?" Trowa asked, though he kept his eyes permanently glued on the newcomer.
"Solo."
On his back, specifically, on the back of both his shoulder blades, blood was beginning to well up from two cuts. Looking at himself, Duo could see the pain and traces of fear as he watched himself in the mirror. Slowly, painfully slow, the cuts on his back began to grow longer and longer, until they stretched about a foot going up and down his back, on both sides.
Even more frightening and disgusting than the randomly occurring gashes on Duo's back were the bumps. Running from the top of his shoulders all the way down to his knees, a long bump had begin to rise and shift under his skin. It was like watching two snakes writhing inside his back. Duo's eyes widened to an impossible size and his jaw hung open slightly as he saw this, the one thing he feared more than anything else in the world.
There, in those gashes, were two lines of black. Each long, thick line of black began to push it's way out of Duo's skin. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth to hold back the pained scream that was trying to wrench it's way out of his throat. The black continued to rise, and push through the skin, but it was obvious by the strangely upraised line that whatever this thing that was in Duo's back was far too big to fit through the tiny two foot long slices.
The poor boy began to tremble and had to use all his willpower to keep from screaming. He glanced up to the mirror and was horrified by the blood which was pouring down his sides, across his chest, down his legs. Then, as suddenly as it had began, the pain stopped. Duo looked up and sure enough, his skin was being pulled upward as something black that seemed to be folded up inside him had a blood covered, triangular part poking through his skin. Duo couldn't help but notice that his back resembled a shark, or possibly a dolphin, except that he had two fins on his back, black and glistening red.
Finally, after a few minutes of nothing, a faint and strange feeling came to Duo, he watched, now calm and relieved of the agony as the black points retreated back into his back, folding in odd shapes to set the bumps back to where they had come from. His skin relaxed as it was no longer being pulled upward, and soon, his back looked normal, with the exception of the gashes, which were also beginning to heal up. Only about fifteen minutes after he had come into the bathroom, Duo was back to normal, but now covered in scarlet blood and quite a bit shaken. 'That is the LAST time I watch that. Eww, that just totally gives me the creeps. Way worse than Heero and that stupid leg of his.'
'Heero.' Duo let himself think his mind drift to his beautiful friend. Duo had known right from the start that he had a crush on the Japanese pilot. His messy hair. His perfect soldier's body. Even his annoyingly aggressive personality had entranced him. And his eyes, those incredible, intense gold eyes. 'Wait a minute, Heero has blue eyes. Intense, COBALT blue eyes. Get it together Duo, you can't be distracted on this mission.' But despite his mental orders, Duo's mind soon drifted to another boy, equally attractive to Heero, but who Duo was sure he had no feelings for; with the possible exception of contempt and hatred.
Quietly, ensuring that the others wouldn't wake up, Duo cleaned himself and the bathroom up, then slipped his clean boxers on. He slipped out into the hallway and snuck back to his room. 'Man oh man, this is nerve racking, there are only five people in the world who can hear me sneaking around, oh, and look, how convenient, four of them are right here in this house.' Finished with his bitter ravings, Duo climbed into his warm and dry bed and drifted off to sleep, still clinging to the hope that this nightmare would soon be over, without his fellow pilots finding out.
* * * * *
It was eight the next morning when Duo came running down the stairs. He was super hyped over the mission, after all, he was the best at breaking and entering, so naturally he'd be chosen to go in with Heero. Of course, just the idea of battle was exciting for Shinigami, it was what he lived for, it was his lot in life. And he loved it.
"Morning all!"
"Morning Duo." Or various versions came from the other four. Heero was leaning over Wufei's shoulder going over the last few directions he had for the data transferal. Quatre and Trowa were reading over the schematics of the base and debating over the way they should carry out the mission. Then, of all the strange things that could happen at that very moment, the doorbell rang.
'Kind early for a visitor.' All five pilots thought.
"I'll get it!" Duo yelled and ran over to the door, noting comfortably that his gun was tucked in under his waistband along his back, for the mission, but also in case of hostile UPS delivery men.
Carelessly grabbing the doorknob and throwing it open, Duo froze and stared ahead. The other four pilots became curious at the lack of a happy greeting from the loud pilot and turned their heads just in time to see a sight that was the most suprising thing any of them could have imagined.
An eighteen year old boy stepped over the threshold casually, as if he belonged there, and then, taking another stepped forward, kissed Duo full on the lips. The pilots were shocked into silence, Quatre and Trowa confused, and Heero and Wufei enraged. Each had some very interesting thoughts on the newcomer.
'He's kissing Duo. My Duo. He's dead.'
'Poor Duo, that isn't right, people should have more manners than to come running into a person's house uninvited and then assaulting them.'
"Hm, I wonder if he knows Duo?'
'Ah, that's what my heart was telling me. I knew something was going to happen. Looks like there are going to be love complications in the house.' Quatre looked over at Heero who had a disgusted look on his face, one he recognized easily as jealousy. 'Oh yeah, this is gonna be bad.'
Before anyone else could react, and at the same time these many thoughts were running through his friend's minds, Duo did something that made them all very proud. He pulled his lips out of the strangers grasp and punched him hard in the face. Then he kneed him in the stomach and took a step back, wiping his lips with his sleeve.
Now that the "crisis" had been averted, everyone took a moment to observe the mysterious man. He wore a normal, light pair of jeans, slightly baggy and torn from use. His shirt was royal blue and about as plain as t-shirts come. He also had on a long black leather jacket. Even through both the shirt and jacket, it was obvious that the boy was nicely cut.
"Jeez kid, you'd think that you'd have learned some manners. That ain't the way you greet an old friend." The smirk the boy held seemed to not be able to fall, despite having just been punched.
"Duo, do you know this guy?" Trowa asked, though he kept his eyes permanently glued on the newcomer.
"Solo."