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Widening Gyre
A Gundam Wing FanFic by shärl-tn
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Part 2
The halls were still quiet. It was early yet, the sun just barely up, casting bright white spots across the tiles. Heero knew that within an hour these same silent halls would be a bustle with activity as a hundred students prepared frantically for another day of classes. But for now, it was quiet, as the students slept off their last few hours of night.
Slept? Heero grunted to himself quietly, a slightly annoyed sound. He was certainly looking forward to just that – he'd been on a particularity gruelling mission these past four days and had barely slept the entire time. He, for one, would most definitely not be joining the students in their morning rush, there was no way he was going to school today. This fine morning was going to be slept away.
He almost smiled at the thought of it. Almost. But of course, Heero Yuy rarely smiled.
Mind, rarely doesn't mean never.
Heero's thoughts were cut short at the door to the room he shared with Duo Maxwell. He had slipped the key into the lock, no problem there. He had turned the brass handle, which twisted loosely in his hand, also functioning properly. And yet, the normally easy door had not swung open as it should have, it didn't rotate open on its well-oiled hinges like it typically did. Heero gazed with confusion at those very hinges he had fixed himself, fixed them so they opened without a sound so no one would hear him or Duo returning at odd hours of the night. They looked fine, so he pushed on the door.
The wood panel opened slowly, a few inches, then stopped. Kneeling, Heero reached his hand through the opening and around the door to see what was in the way. Grabbing something he pulled it carefully out of the path of the door. The door opened about a foot more before stopping again. Heero stood, bringing the object, a knapsack up with him, thinking something along the lines of him going to have to have a talk with his roommate about throwing his things all over the floor. He did not want to have to deal with malfunctioning doorways after four days on little sleep, he thought to himself as he slipped in through the opening in the doorway.
He carefully set the knapsack off to the side as he entered and was halfway through the door when he was stopped again, a quick startled breath escaping his lips the only sign that something was amiss. Not moving, he automatically shut the door behind him as he took in the sight of his roommate, unconscious… on the floor.
Heero stared for a moment, and watched as Duo, curled on the floor, twisted tighter at the sound of the door closing. Heero calmed slightly, he wasn't unconscious, just sleeping. But why was he on the floor? And a mess…
Quickly analysing despite his sleep-drained mind, Heero took in the sight, Duo was still wearing his jacket, black baseball cap and shoes. In the edges of his hair Heero could see glimpses of metal, Duo obviously had not yet removed his tools, and by the state of that hair he hadn't yet brushed it. His youthful face looked tired and drained, but that wasn't a big issue, he had just completed a mission as well, and Heero thought he probably didn't look much better right then. But there was something to his face that was distinctly out of place. Running tracks through the combined dirt of days working in stealth, were the marks of what Heero assumed had been tears.
Heero knew better than to wake the sleeping pilot, waking would mean questions, questions would take time, and Heero was much to tired to take that time. Not to mention that Duo probably needed the sleep as badly as he did.
But what should he do then? Dropping his own backpack on his desk, Heero rolled the sheets down on Duo's bed, and then walked back over to his friend. Moving slowly and carefully he untied and loosened Duo's shoes, pulling them off. He carefully pulled off the baseball cap and put it by the door. So far, he'd been lucky. Duo had barely reacted when he had removed the shoes and hat, but Heero wasn't sure he'd be able to get Duo to his bed without waking him.
Shrugging, and inwardly preparing for an angry outburst, Heero knelt, and slid his arms beneath Duo's waist and knees. Instantly Duo's body tensed and Heero froze, ready for Duo to wake and a startled tirade to begin. But after a long moment, Heero realized that his friend, though tensed, was still asleep. Heero nodded to himself, recognizing the response as a trained one, very similar to what he would have done if someone had grabbed him while he slept, and moved to disable his sleeping friend. He whispered quietly, "Duo, it's okay… Go back to sleep," his voice was oddly soft, and Duo reacted nearly instantly to the prompt, his form relaxing into Heero's arms.
Taking it as a sign that Duo would not wake any time soon, Heero lifted his light form and walked slowly towards the bed. Placing Duo softly down, he pulled the covers up to his shoulders and stepped back. His eyes wandered slowly over Duo's sleeping face, and the dirty tracks the tears had left down his cheeks, wondering again what had warranted the breakdown. As he watched, Duo shifted in his sleep, pulling the covers over his head as he curled into a ball under the sheets.
Heero snorted quietly at this undeniably adorable act and turned to take care of himself. He tightly shut the curtains from the morning sun, kicked off his own shoes and pulled the covers back from his own bed. Pulling himself beneath his own sheets he let out a deep breath, exhausted.
He would have to find out what was wrong with Duo later. For now the first priority, for them both, was sleep. Relaxing, Heero closed his eyes and fell asleep to the quiet sounds of Duo's breathing and students waking.
TBC
Widening Gyre
A Gundam Wing FanFic by shärl-tn
-----
Part 2
The halls were still quiet. It was early yet, the sun just barely up, casting bright white spots across the tiles. Heero knew that within an hour these same silent halls would be a bustle with activity as a hundred students prepared frantically for another day of classes. But for now, it was quiet, as the students slept off their last few hours of night.
Slept? Heero grunted to himself quietly, a slightly annoyed sound. He was certainly looking forward to just that – he'd been on a particularity gruelling mission these past four days and had barely slept the entire time. He, for one, would most definitely not be joining the students in their morning rush, there was no way he was going to school today. This fine morning was going to be slept away.
He almost smiled at the thought of it. Almost. But of course, Heero Yuy rarely smiled.
Mind, rarely doesn't mean never.
Heero's thoughts were cut short at the door to the room he shared with Duo Maxwell. He had slipped the key into the lock, no problem there. He had turned the brass handle, which twisted loosely in his hand, also functioning properly. And yet, the normally easy door had not swung open as it should have, it didn't rotate open on its well-oiled hinges like it typically did. Heero gazed with confusion at those very hinges he had fixed himself, fixed them so they opened without a sound so no one would hear him or Duo returning at odd hours of the night. They looked fine, so he pushed on the door.
The wood panel opened slowly, a few inches, then stopped. Kneeling, Heero reached his hand through the opening and around the door to see what was in the way. Grabbing something he pulled it carefully out of the path of the door. The door opened about a foot more before stopping again. Heero stood, bringing the object, a knapsack up with him, thinking something along the lines of him going to have to have a talk with his roommate about throwing his things all over the floor. He did not want to have to deal with malfunctioning doorways after four days on little sleep, he thought to himself as he slipped in through the opening in the doorway.
He carefully set the knapsack off to the side as he entered and was halfway through the door when he was stopped again, a quick startled breath escaping his lips the only sign that something was amiss. Not moving, he automatically shut the door behind him as he took in the sight of his roommate, unconscious… on the floor.
Heero stared for a moment, and watched as Duo, curled on the floor, twisted tighter at the sound of the door closing. Heero calmed slightly, he wasn't unconscious, just sleeping. But why was he on the floor? And a mess…
Quickly analysing despite his sleep-drained mind, Heero took in the sight, Duo was still wearing his jacket, black baseball cap and shoes. In the edges of his hair Heero could see glimpses of metal, Duo obviously had not yet removed his tools, and by the state of that hair he hadn't yet brushed it. His youthful face looked tired and drained, but that wasn't a big issue, he had just completed a mission as well, and Heero thought he probably didn't look much better right then. But there was something to his face that was distinctly out of place. Running tracks through the combined dirt of days working in stealth, were the marks of what Heero assumed had been tears.
Heero knew better than to wake the sleeping pilot, waking would mean questions, questions would take time, and Heero was much to tired to take that time. Not to mention that Duo probably needed the sleep as badly as he did.
But what should he do then? Dropping his own backpack on his desk, Heero rolled the sheets down on Duo's bed, and then walked back over to his friend. Moving slowly and carefully he untied and loosened Duo's shoes, pulling them off. He carefully pulled off the baseball cap and put it by the door. So far, he'd been lucky. Duo had barely reacted when he had removed the shoes and hat, but Heero wasn't sure he'd be able to get Duo to his bed without waking him.
Shrugging, and inwardly preparing for an angry outburst, Heero knelt, and slid his arms beneath Duo's waist and knees. Instantly Duo's body tensed and Heero froze, ready for Duo to wake and a startled tirade to begin. But after a long moment, Heero realized that his friend, though tensed, was still asleep. Heero nodded to himself, recognizing the response as a trained one, very similar to what he would have done if someone had grabbed him while he slept, and moved to disable his sleeping friend. He whispered quietly, "Duo, it's okay… Go back to sleep," his voice was oddly soft, and Duo reacted nearly instantly to the prompt, his form relaxing into Heero's arms.
Taking it as a sign that Duo would not wake any time soon, Heero lifted his light form and walked slowly towards the bed. Placing Duo softly down, he pulled the covers up to his shoulders and stepped back. His eyes wandered slowly over Duo's sleeping face, and the dirty tracks the tears had left down his cheeks, wondering again what had warranted the breakdown. As he watched, Duo shifted in his sleep, pulling the covers over his head as he curled into a ball under the sheets.
Heero snorted quietly at this undeniably adorable act and turned to take care of himself. He tightly shut the curtains from the morning sun, kicked off his own shoes and pulled the covers back from his own bed. Pulling himself beneath his own sheets he let out a deep breath, exhausted.
He would have to find out what was wrong with Duo later. For now the first priority, for them both, was sleep. Relaxing, Heero closed his eyes and fell asleep to the quiet sounds of Duo's breathing and students waking.
TBC