The Vampire Heero
Part Three
By Lady AngelFiren
At break I ran hurriedly to the dorm and into my room. Heero wasn't there, so I left and went to my next class. At lunch I checked the room with no more success, and headed to the dreaded Cafeteria to see if he'd gone there, and to eat. I was ravenously hungry, having skipped breakfast, and shuddered to think of all the things that might happen when I walked into that hot, crowded room. Fortunately, nobody bothered me. In fact no one said two words to me, and I got through the entire food line without having my ass grabbed even once. Surprising, to say the least.
I got myself a stack of ham sandwiches on white bread and went over to a deserted table, sitting down heavily. You'd have thought I was fifteen years older just by the way I sat, thankful to get off my feet even though I hadn't really been on them all that much. I sighed, and I swear, nobody would have recognized me from the smiling maniac I usually was, when compared to the contemplating, weary figure I had become. My eyes drooped a little, and I had a headache just from worrying so much over what had happened that morning. Needless to say I wasn't able to eat a single bite, despite my stomach's rumbling protests.
I just couldn't understand! What was going on here?! With Heero, and with me. Yes, me. Running the past few weeks through my mind like a movie, I watched myself submit more and more to Karl, letting him touch me, and kiss me, and do a few other things that I wasn't exactly proud of. I was filled with curdling, ripened revulsion for myself, and it only got worse when I got to the scene of Heero jumping in and saving me. That wasn't really the worst part, it was the look in his eyes, that glimmering confusion that I suspect was a little unmasked sliver of the real Heero Yuy. The puzzlement of how I could let that happen to me, when it was obviously not what I wanted and I was perfectly capable of stopping it.
I swirled my finger around in a circular pattern on the table and sat there for the rest of lunch period, thinking over the even stranger thing that had happened. Heero cried. He cried, he held me, and his tearshis tears were blood. It was very upsetting. Maybe one of the infamous Dr. J's little techniques, something to stop him from ever crying? Definitely a possibility, the old scientist _was_ completely nuts, and it would be a good idea to have your perfect weapon unable to cry like a normal person, just in case he ever got caught. But everything that he'd done, it was so, so _not_ Heero. The tender way he'd crushed me to him in those impossibly strong arms, running a hand softly through my hair, and telling me it was ok, that I shouldn't hate myself. I never knew he valued life like that. Sure, other people's lives, like those he saved by fighting, but his own? And mine?
/Duo, I don't think you can begin to understand how wrong you are. Quit letting people walk all over you. You are important. Life is so short, try and be happy. Go after what _you_ want while you can./
It played through my mind, over and over until it was a blur of soundless words, all washed through in a sheet of thick red tears. His words. Heero's words, spoken honestly, with a streak of immeasurable pain that had been hidden for so very long. He was hurting too, and now that he'd let me see a little piece of himself, I wanted more, I wanted it all, even if it was mostly pain. We'd both suffered in our lives, and misery does love company. If we couldn't find a way to be happy, then at least we could take some small pleasure in being together. I knew I was taking this a little too far, getting too excited, and thinking too much just because he'd slipped his mask a little, but I couldn't help it. I was caught up in my little reverie, and nothing would have pulled me out of it as I sat there alone and as someone, someone entirely swallowed by their musings.
The bell went and I dumped my untouched food mechanically, not really thinking. Heero was in my next class, would he show up? I couldn't decide how to approach the situation, and thinking about it all lunch hour had not helped a bit, in fact, I was worse off now. If he showed up, I'd just act normal, like nothing had happened. I didn't want to make him uncomfortable, or stop him from sharing any part of himself with me, so I wouldn't push.
I plastered a huge grin on my face as I walked in the door, and began to talk to a few of my friends, joking over something or other. I was instantly thankful for my mind's ability to carry out a conversation unconsciously, like breathing. I had no idea what I was saying to the kid across from me who snickered and said something back to me. Whatever it was, I guess he thought it was pretty funny, because he just couldn't stop laughing. The majority of my thoughts were on the figure seated in the row second from the front, center desk. Ramrod straight spine, tousled, dark brown hair, steely cold eyes, Heero. He was especially tense, and I think even the teacher had noticed his hands clenching tightly together then relaxing, only to tense again. I watched him, as if he couldn't see me, because I was still talking to someone on the other side of me, but once again, I wasn't even sure who. I felt like a guest in my mind, as if I were simply using another person's body to watch from without being noticed. It was very strange.
Halfway through class, when everybody (even me) was quietly taking notes, there was a loud *snap* and we all turned to see Heero with his pen crushed on his desk. He had snapped the end off, and mashed the long part of the pen into a sad little heap. The teacher looked at him and didn't say anything. She was scared of his eyes, I guessed. They were icy hard, a Death Glare to rival all Death Glares, a little of that unusual silver luminescence showing, and as ink spilled across his paper I saw him working to cover his face with the stoic mask once more. It took him a few moments, and it didn't help that the entire group was staring at him like he had ten heads, but he finally got himself under some semblance of control, and asked to go get cleaned up. The poor teacher just nodded and scurried back to the board to finish her notes.
He left and did not return to class, and I spent the rest of the day wondering what had made him so dangerously angry or upset (although I kind of knew) and thinking of how he had managed to maim a pen.
/God he must be strong, maybe J gave him some kind of super strength too, I wouldn't be surprised. I just don't ever want him mad at me, 'cause I have this sneaking suspicion that I won't make it out alive/
It was torture to sit through last period, thinking the same little thought circle over and over, but somehow I managed to make it through, and was beyond thankful to be free of classes for the day. I went to the library (I am _so_ cool) to do my homework before I ate, so that I wouldn't have to do it all later. Dragging my heavy bag along for the ride (I swear the damn thing weighs 50 kilos), I made my way to the evil Caf in time for dinner and quickly took my tray of food with me back out the door. Karl was in there, he just hadn't seen me yet, and I was now hungry enough to eat my textbooks, so I didn't need him messing with me. I wasn't exactly _aloud_ to eat in the dorm, but I really couldn't have cared less. Fuck the school, I was not dealing with bullies while I ate. Hopefully Heero had found some nice OZzies to kill, so I wouldn't have to deal with him, but I knew there would be no such luck.
I still hadn't thought of anything to say to him when I keyed myself in and dropped my bag on the worn carpet with a *pound!*, tray of food balanced easily in one hand. He was seated at his desk, typing furiously on his laptop. The keys stopped clacking when I got in, and started up again only a second later.
"Hi Heero," I said casually, seating myself on my bed and pulling the tray of hot food into my lap. "Hungry? There's enough for two, and I brought an extra drink."
Heero ignored my offer, but turned around in his chair and stood up almost mechanically. I could see the tension building in him again, and I quickly stuffed any hopes I'd had of this being a pleasant evening away in a dark corner of my head where I would never find them again. Ever. But I was still puzzled as to what was making him so especially angry. I knew he wasn't into the whole show your emotions thing, but yeesh! He looked at me like I'd murdered his whole family and laughed! I was ready to start trembling any second, but his words stopped me. His voice was calm and smooth, like it had been buttered up and kept all warm, but had remained just a little rough. Despite the strange mood in the room, I could only think how great that voice would sound if it moaned in pleasure, or screamed my name, or
/Duo! Bad! Think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts. He is standing there like he wants to kill you, and you're thinking about peeling his clothes off and making him moan? BAD DUO!/ I scolded myself, but it was a sad attempt. He was turning me on, and I couldn't do a damn thing about it.
"I'm going out, I'll be back in a few hours. I guess then I'll talk to you about what happened this morning." He left, not bothering to don a jacket despite the fact that it was after dark and rather cold out.
I ate in silence and finished up the rest of my homework. Several hours had passed, and Heero still wasn't back. I was worried about him; what if he was caught by OZ? I got ready for bed and pulled out a novel to pass the time.
~~~~~~~~~~
He came in around eleven, quietly entering, then shutting the door with a soft click before he turned to me.
"Why are you still up?" he asked (as if he didn't know)
"Three guesses, and the first two don-hey! What the hell happened to you?" I was startled to see his tank top torn to shreds in the front, bloody and very dirty. I don't think it was any of his blood though, because he was perfectly calm and obviously unharmed. He did appear a little flushed, his colour was a darker tan than usual.
"Nothing. I'm fine. Go to sleep Duo."
He turned the light out by my bed and pulled the book from my hands, drawing the covers up to my chin. There was no room for argument in his tone, so I played along, closing my eyes and allowing my breathing to slow, as if in sleep. I never actually meant to fall asleep, but it was inevitable. I was tired from everything that had happened that day, and laying there under the soft warmth of sheets and blankets, I fell into a comfortable slumber.
~~~~~~~~~~
When I opened my eyes and looked at the clock it read 2:30AM. I'd fallen asleep, and had awoken to the sound of a dresser drawer being opened. Heero was standing there with his back to me, stark naked in the gentle moonlight that spilled in from the window, which was wide open.
I watched in complete silence, careful not to disrupt my breathing pattern, as he pulled on a pair of light blue boxers and climbed easily onto the windowsill, sitting cross-legged and staring out at the moonlight as he'd done before.
/What the hell is he doing?/
Heero sat there for awhile, virtually unmoving as my mind raced over possibilities as to why he would just be sitting there. The moonlight traced him softly, and he looked more like a smooth marble sculpture than a person. It was eerie. His whole body appeared to be made of stone; velvety and almost powdery looking, but I knew he wielded strength and power too.
/I want to get to the bottom of this, I _will_ find out what's going on!/
I sat up easily and he turned slowly towards me. "Heero, what's going on?" I asked in a gentle tone that demanded no answer.
I gasped when I saw him.
