Acherontia Atropos Part 4
My ass was a sorry ass indeed the next morning when it got hauled
out of bed. Note that I said "got hauled" instead of "got up." I
didn't have the pleasure of waking up on my own. Heero did it for
me.
I suppose I should've been grateful that he'd been thoughtful
enough to wake me up so I wouldn't oversleep and miss yet another
day of class. Instead, I was just pissed. I'd never thought that I
could hurl a chair with such accuracy, especially right handed.
Heero ducked, so it made a nice dent in the wall.
Heero had woken me up from a nice dream that involved him, a can
of whipped cream, and a set of handcuffs. So I had a good excuse
to be cranky.
School was the same old stuff as always. Boring teachers, even
more boring lectures, and yet another lab in science where the
teacher's assistant wouldn't let me have a Bunsen burner.
Chemistry is only interesting when it's hands on. When you have to
sit back and watch everyone else playing with potentially lethal
substances, it just sucks. You'd think that after a couple of
months, they'd start to let me participate again, but no, the
teacher's assistant was being a dork. I mean, geeze, his eyebrows
had grown back okay.
As predicted, I was cornered by a group of girls and forced to
endure their distressed cooing over my face until Quatre took pity
and rescued me. Normally, I wouldn't have objected to the
attention I was getting from the ladies. A guy could only take so
much pity before he started losing patience with it, though.
Especially when the guy had as much on his mind as I did.
"Hey, thanks man." I said as soon as we were out of earshot. I
dusted my jacket off. One of the girls had been eating potato
crisps, and gotten crumbs all over me.
"No problem." Quatre said. In companionable silence, we hit the
cafeteria for a leisurely dinner, just the two of us. We took our
time enjoying the calm until the custodian chased us out so he
could close the room and start cleaning. It was time to go back to
our cells - er - dorm rooms.
"How the new gun working out for you?" I asked.
Her snorted. "Haven't had occasion to try it out in the last few
hours. I'll let you know when I do." Quatre shrugged. "I'm still
not certain why Trowa didn't take it. I suppose he's still
counting on his knives."
I grinned slyly at Quatre "How go things with Trowa, hm?"
I was rewarded with a very cute blush. That was Quatre, all over.
He'd admitted to me a long time ago that he had the hots -- well,
let's be fair to Quatre -- MORE than the hots for Trowa. And I was
all for it. The two of them were too damn cute. The only problem
was that Trowa was
being about as affectionate and open as Heero. Well, maybe not
quite that bad, but still, it was a source of endless frustration
for Quatre. He and I sometimes got together for bitch sessions
over tea when we were feeling too frustrated to deal with the
other guys, or rather lack thereof. I'd have to say next to Wufei,
Quatre was my best friend.
He didn't let the blush stop him from getting me back. "About as
well as things with Heero, I imagine." Looks could be deceiving;
he had humor and a quick mind to go with the kindness and patience.
Not just another pretty face, you could say.
"Ouch! Stung!" I clapped a hand to my forehead in a dramatic
gesture, and immediately wished I hadn't. "Damnit!"
Quatre peered at me with concerned eyes. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, fine." I shook my head. "I'm too absent minded."
"Yes, you are."
"You don't have to agree!" I grinned, and Quatre grinned in return.
"Is Trowa still upset about me throwing that cup at him?"
"I don't think he was ever mad about it at all. We all know what
you're like in the morning."
"I'm a real monster, huh?"
"Until you get your coffee, yes."
We passed through the school lobby. The floor was actual varnished
wood, a real departure from the grey-speckled off-white tiles that
were usual school fare. It had wood paneling, too, and the main
office had actual glass doors. Very impressive. The only school
I'd ever seen that was nicer was that Relena girl's school, but
considering how rich she was, it wasn't that surprising.
I scowled. Why the hell did I have to think of Relena now? I
pushed the thoughts away, just in case, like the devil, thinking
about her would draw her attention. I must have been muttering
pretty murderously to myself.
"What's up this time?" Quatre asked.
"Ruminations on the she-beast, destroyer of afternoons and piercer
of eardrums." We turned down a hallway, heading for the dorms.
Quatre laughed, but looked embarrassed as well. "She's really not
that bad, Duo. She just doesn't fit into our world - we should be
grateful for that. No one should be able to when you come down to
it, not even us."
I shook my head. "Save it, man? you know I don't have the patience
for her."
"I know. Hope springs eternal."
"I think we're both experts in that."
"Yeah. Hope for freedom, hope for an end to war, hope for love, I
guess."
"Hope we'll make it through each mission in one piece," Quatre
said.
There was something in his voice, a discordant tone of worry. I
glance at him, noting his closed expression. Pensive Quatre never
equaled good news. "What's up?"
"They're doing split-off missions again."
"Ones and twos? Damn, I hate those, even if they are tactically
sound for us." I shook my head, a wry grin bubbling up. "Kind of
funny, yanno? We all used to do solo. Wonder how the hell we got
caught up in being a team."
Quatre shook his head. "Trowa and Heero are on tomorrow. Supply
depot, I think."
I stopped in my tracks, head buzzing. We'd just been on a mission,
so they'd be alert and doubly dangerous. Danger and risk were our
family, though. No, what bothered me was the fact that Heero
hadn't breathed a word of this to me. "Really," I said, voice
hollow, "Trowa let you know, huh?"
"Yes." Quatre touched my arm with his pale fingers. "Is something
going on?"
"Nothing to worry about," I said, smiling, "I'll catch you later,
okay? I ought to go wish Heero some luck. Break a leg and all that
jazz."
He let me go without comment, though as I walked away I thought I
heard him mutter, "I hope you're not being literal?"
I wasn't. But damn, it was tempting.
center* * */center
Ceilings have got to be just about one of the most boring things
in the world to look at. They're blank, white, unadorned, and
totally uninteresting. So why the hell was I laying in bed,
staring at mine?
Easy. The answer was sitting at the desk, typing on that damn
laptop. I was really starting to hate that stupid machine.
"Hey, Heero?"
"What?"
"I'm bored." Yes, it sounded childish, but what else could I say
in that situation? 'Heero, I lust after your body?' I think not.
He didn't even bother turning around. "Do your homework."
I curled my lip at that particular suggestion. The homework in
question was laying in piles on the floor around my bed, a nice,
pretty scattering of books and papers. I hated homework. I didn't
figure that I'd need it anyway, considering I was probably going
to get killed before I saw graduation. "Heero?"
"No." He said, very flatly.
That annoyed me. "You didn't even know what I was going to ask!"
"You should do your homework."
I waved my middle finger at his back. "I was going to ask for your
help, jerk."
"You're smart enough that you don't need my help. You're just
being lazy."
I could have gotten a little more pissed about that comment if I'd
known it wasn't true. But really, it was. I just wanted an excuse
to get Heero close to me. Though considering how he was acting, I
had no idea why. Whatever bug had crawled up his ass lately was
really starting to wear thin. "C'mon, Heero?"
"What?"
Still no emotion. For all I could hear, I wasn't even annoying him.
Fine then. The real question. "Why didn't you tell me you were
going on a mission tomorrow?"
He actually stopped typing. Will wonders never cease. "I didn't
think it was important." He said quietly.
"You didn't think it was important?" I was suddenly on my feet and
stalking over to Heero. I couldn't even remember getting up. "So
you were planning to just go off on the mission tomorrow without
even telling me?" I could hear my voice getting a little louder
with each word, but at that point, I didn't care. "Did it ever
occur to you, that as your friend, I might get a little worried?"
Heero shrugged. "Quatre would tell you. He obviously did."
"It's not the same if you hear it from someone Ielse!/I"
Heero shrugged again. That was it. I turned around and stalked out
of the room, slamming the door behind me.
center* * */center
So I found myself outside, taking a walk. Again. Without a jacket
or a gun. The jacket wasn't that big of a deal, since it had
warmed up even more in the last couple of days, but the gun was a
real pisser. I wasn't going to go back to the room and get it,
though. No way. I might be tempted to shoot someone, even though
it would waste a silver bullet.
So I shoved my hands in my pockets and slouched off along my
normal walking route, toward the woods. I was feeling jumpy,
taking in to consideration the fact that I had been attacked
several nights ago right here. My stubborn was apparently
overruling my smart.
My skin felt too small. My hands itched like they were collecting
static electricity, and my head felt fuzzy with it. I cautiously
felt my bangs to see if they were standing on end. They weren't. I
had no idea what it was, but being outside, under the night sky
with the full moon was making it a hell of a lot stronger.
I'd been feeling that way all night, which was probably why I had
been so quick to jump on Heero. Not that I was sorry about getting
on his case, lord no. I was just kind of mad at myself. The way
I'd been going after him, I'd sounded more like a scorned date
than an angry friend. Not good. I didn't think Heero would notice,
though. Quatre would have, and maybe Trowa or Wufei, but Heero was
way to obtuse when it came to emotions to get it. I hoped.
A flash of light color against the dark grey world caught my
attention. I wasn't the only one walking out to the trees tonight.
I couldn't quite make out his or her face, so I sped my pace and
moved to intercept. I reached the kid pretty quickly. He was one
of the boys from my class, Yan. He was still half dressed in his
school uniform sans jacket and tie.
"Hey, Yan! Wait up!" I sped up a little more so that I could catch
him. He didn't even pause or stop, like he hadn't heard me. He did
stop, though, when I grabbed his arm. "What're you doing out
here?"
Yan blinked a couple of times, like I had just woken him up, and
looked at me, surprised. "Maxwell?" Yan was a nice kid, and a real
refreshing guy to get to know after having spent so much time with
the other pilots. He actually acted his age. He was pretty good
looking too; golden skin with a permanent tan, dark sloe eyes,
very classic oriental features. Hell, he and Wufei could have been
distant cousins, they looked enough alike. He had something Wufei
didn't, though; he was still innocent. "Duo?" He asked. "What are
you doing out here?"
"Taking a walk. What about you?" I didn't relinquish my hold on
his arm. Something was bothering me, but I couldn't quite put my
finger on it.
"I was taking a walk too?" Yan made it sound more like a question
than a statement. He waved his free hand vaguely toward the woods.
"I told some friends that I'd meet them out here tonight."
The hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end, and I
glanced toward the woods. There was a light shape there, shining
in the moonlight. It looked almost human. As I watched, another
joined it. Something told me, though, that they weren't human. Not
by a long shot. All of a sudden, I really wished I had my gun. I
started backing away, pulling Yan with me. "Yan, those aren't your
friends."
"Yes they are." He looked back at them. "I've been meeting them
here for a couple of days."
"Where'd you meet them before, then? Ain't normal to just meet
strange people in the woods, Yan." I said, trying a little logic
on him. "They look way too old to be students."
His brow wrinkled with confusion. "I? don't know." A shadow seemed
to pass over his face, something changing him from the outside to
make him complacent once more. "Oh, you now. A dance," he said
vaguely.
I just stopped in my tracks, doing my best to keep an eye on the
two...wait, no, there were three now...figures at the edge of the
woods. With a trembling hand, I reached up and pulled down the
collar of Yan's school uniform. He had two sets of neat puncture
wounds, already starting to heal,
on his neck. Without really knowing why I was checking there, I
reached down and pushed up the cuff of his right sleeve. Two more
punctures on his wrist. "Oh shit." I said, very quietly. "Yan,
come on, let's go back inside. Now. Please." I started to pull him
back toward the school again. There were four figures at the edge
of the woods, now.
Yan did something totally unexpected. He glanced back toward the
woods, and then his face twisted with sudden, inexplicable fury.
And then dear little innocent Yan yanked his arm out of my grasp,
kneed me in the groin, and took off running.
My ass was a sorry ass indeed the next morning when it got hauled
out of bed. Note that I said "got hauled" instead of "got up." I
didn't have the pleasure of waking up on my own. Heero did it for
me.
I suppose I should've been grateful that he'd been thoughtful
enough to wake me up so I wouldn't oversleep and miss yet another
day of class. Instead, I was just pissed. I'd never thought that I
could hurl a chair with such accuracy, especially right handed.
Heero ducked, so it made a nice dent in the wall.
Heero had woken me up from a nice dream that involved him, a can
of whipped cream, and a set of handcuffs. So I had a good excuse
to be cranky.
School was the same old stuff as always. Boring teachers, even
more boring lectures, and yet another lab in science where the
teacher's assistant wouldn't let me have a Bunsen burner.
Chemistry is only interesting when it's hands on. When you have to
sit back and watch everyone else playing with potentially lethal
substances, it just sucks. You'd think that after a couple of
months, they'd start to let me participate again, but no, the
teacher's assistant was being a dork. I mean, geeze, his eyebrows
had grown back okay.
As predicted, I was cornered by a group of girls and forced to
endure their distressed cooing over my face until Quatre took pity
and rescued me. Normally, I wouldn't have objected to the
attention I was getting from the ladies. A guy could only take so
much pity before he started losing patience with it, though.
Especially when the guy had as much on his mind as I did.
"Hey, thanks man." I said as soon as we were out of earshot. I
dusted my jacket off. One of the girls had been eating potato
crisps, and gotten crumbs all over me.
"No problem." Quatre said. In companionable silence, we hit the
cafeteria for a leisurely dinner, just the two of us. We took our
time enjoying the calm until the custodian chased us out so he
could close the room and start cleaning. It was time to go back to
our cells - er - dorm rooms.
"How the new gun working out for you?" I asked.
Her snorted. "Haven't had occasion to try it out in the last few
hours. I'll let you know when I do." Quatre shrugged. "I'm still
not certain why Trowa didn't take it. I suppose he's still
counting on his knives."
I grinned slyly at Quatre "How go things with Trowa, hm?"
I was rewarded with a very cute blush. That was Quatre, all over.
He'd admitted to me a long time ago that he had the hots -- well,
let's be fair to Quatre -- MORE than the hots for Trowa. And I was
all for it. The two of them were too damn cute. The only problem
was that Trowa was
being about as affectionate and open as Heero. Well, maybe not
quite that bad, but still, it was a source of endless frustration
for Quatre. He and I sometimes got together for bitch sessions
over tea when we were feeling too frustrated to deal with the
other guys, or rather lack thereof. I'd have to say next to Wufei,
Quatre was my best friend.
He didn't let the blush stop him from getting me back. "About as
well as things with Heero, I imagine." Looks could be deceiving;
he had humor and a quick mind to go with the kindness and patience.
Not just another pretty face, you could say.
"Ouch! Stung!" I clapped a hand to my forehead in a dramatic
gesture, and immediately wished I hadn't. "Damnit!"
Quatre peered at me with concerned eyes. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, fine." I shook my head. "I'm too absent minded."
"Yes, you are."
"You don't have to agree!" I grinned, and Quatre grinned in return.
"Is Trowa still upset about me throwing that cup at him?"
"I don't think he was ever mad about it at all. We all know what
you're like in the morning."
"I'm a real monster, huh?"
"Until you get your coffee, yes."
We passed through the school lobby. The floor was actual varnished
wood, a real departure from the grey-speckled off-white tiles that
were usual school fare. It had wood paneling, too, and the main
office had actual glass doors. Very impressive. The only school
I'd ever seen that was nicer was that Relena girl's school, but
considering how rich she was, it wasn't that surprising.
I scowled. Why the hell did I have to think of Relena now? I
pushed the thoughts away, just in case, like the devil, thinking
about her would draw her attention. I must have been muttering
pretty murderously to myself.
"What's up this time?" Quatre asked.
"Ruminations on the she-beast, destroyer of afternoons and piercer
of eardrums." We turned down a hallway, heading for the dorms.
Quatre laughed, but looked embarrassed as well. "She's really not
that bad, Duo. She just doesn't fit into our world - we should be
grateful for that. No one should be able to when you come down to
it, not even us."
I shook my head. "Save it, man? you know I don't have the patience
for her."
"I know. Hope springs eternal."
"I think we're both experts in that."
"Yeah. Hope for freedom, hope for an end to war, hope for love, I
guess."
"Hope we'll make it through each mission in one piece," Quatre
said.
There was something in his voice, a discordant tone of worry. I
glance at him, noting his closed expression. Pensive Quatre never
equaled good news. "What's up?"
"They're doing split-off missions again."
"Ones and twos? Damn, I hate those, even if they are tactically
sound for us." I shook my head, a wry grin bubbling up. "Kind of
funny, yanno? We all used to do solo. Wonder how the hell we got
caught up in being a team."
Quatre shook his head. "Trowa and Heero are on tomorrow. Supply
depot, I think."
I stopped in my tracks, head buzzing. We'd just been on a mission,
so they'd be alert and doubly dangerous. Danger and risk were our
family, though. No, what bothered me was the fact that Heero
hadn't breathed a word of this to me. "Really," I said, voice
hollow, "Trowa let you know, huh?"
"Yes." Quatre touched my arm with his pale fingers. "Is something
going on?"
"Nothing to worry about," I said, smiling, "I'll catch you later,
okay? I ought to go wish Heero some luck. Break a leg and all that
jazz."
He let me go without comment, though as I walked away I thought I
heard him mutter, "I hope you're not being literal?"
I wasn't. But damn, it was tempting.
center* * */center
Ceilings have got to be just about one of the most boring things
in the world to look at. They're blank, white, unadorned, and
totally uninteresting. So why the hell was I laying in bed,
staring at mine?
Easy. The answer was sitting at the desk, typing on that damn
laptop. I was really starting to hate that stupid machine.
"Hey, Heero?"
"What?"
"I'm bored." Yes, it sounded childish, but what else could I say
in that situation? 'Heero, I lust after your body?' I think not.
He didn't even bother turning around. "Do your homework."
I curled my lip at that particular suggestion. The homework in
question was laying in piles on the floor around my bed, a nice,
pretty scattering of books and papers. I hated homework. I didn't
figure that I'd need it anyway, considering I was probably going
to get killed before I saw graduation. "Heero?"
"No." He said, very flatly.
That annoyed me. "You didn't even know what I was going to ask!"
"You should do your homework."
I waved my middle finger at his back. "I was going to ask for your
help, jerk."
"You're smart enough that you don't need my help. You're just
being lazy."
I could have gotten a little more pissed about that comment if I'd
known it wasn't true. But really, it was. I just wanted an excuse
to get Heero close to me. Though considering how he was acting, I
had no idea why. Whatever bug had crawled up his ass lately was
really starting to wear thin. "C'mon, Heero?"
"What?"
Still no emotion. For all I could hear, I wasn't even annoying him.
Fine then. The real question. "Why didn't you tell me you were
going on a mission tomorrow?"
He actually stopped typing. Will wonders never cease. "I didn't
think it was important." He said quietly.
"You didn't think it was important?" I was suddenly on my feet and
stalking over to Heero. I couldn't even remember getting up. "So
you were planning to just go off on the mission tomorrow without
even telling me?" I could hear my voice getting a little louder
with each word, but at that point, I didn't care. "Did it ever
occur to you, that as your friend, I might get a little worried?"
Heero shrugged. "Quatre would tell you. He obviously did."
"It's not the same if you hear it from someone Ielse!/I"
Heero shrugged again. That was it. I turned around and stalked out
of the room, slamming the door behind me.
center* * */center
So I found myself outside, taking a walk. Again. Without a jacket
or a gun. The jacket wasn't that big of a deal, since it had
warmed up even more in the last couple of days, but the gun was a
real pisser. I wasn't going to go back to the room and get it,
though. No way. I might be tempted to shoot someone, even though
it would waste a silver bullet.
So I shoved my hands in my pockets and slouched off along my
normal walking route, toward the woods. I was feeling jumpy,
taking in to consideration the fact that I had been attacked
several nights ago right here. My stubborn was apparently
overruling my smart.
My skin felt too small. My hands itched like they were collecting
static electricity, and my head felt fuzzy with it. I cautiously
felt my bangs to see if they were standing on end. They weren't. I
had no idea what it was, but being outside, under the night sky
with the full moon was making it a hell of a lot stronger.
I'd been feeling that way all night, which was probably why I had
been so quick to jump on Heero. Not that I was sorry about getting
on his case, lord no. I was just kind of mad at myself. The way
I'd been going after him, I'd sounded more like a scorned date
than an angry friend. Not good. I didn't think Heero would notice,
though. Quatre would have, and maybe Trowa or Wufei, but Heero was
way to obtuse when it came to emotions to get it. I hoped.
A flash of light color against the dark grey world caught my
attention. I wasn't the only one walking out to the trees tonight.
I couldn't quite make out his or her face, so I sped my pace and
moved to intercept. I reached the kid pretty quickly. He was one
of the boys from my class, Yan. He was still half dressed in his
school uniform sans jacket and tie.
"Hey, Yan! Wait up!" I sped up a little more so that I could catch
him. He didn't even pause or stop, like he hadn't heard me. He did
stop, though, when I grabbed his arm. "What're you doing out
here?"
Yan blinked a couple of times, like I had just woken him up, and
looked at me, surprised. "Maxwell?" Yan was a nice kid, and a real
refreshing guy to get to know after having spent so much time with
the other pilots. He actually acted his age. He was pretty good
looking too; golden skin with a permanent tan, dark sloe eyes,
very classic oriental features. Hell, he and Wufei could have been
distant cousins, they looked enough alike. He had something Wufei
didn't, though; he was still innocent. "Duo?" He asked. "What are
you doing out here?"
"Taking a walk. What about you?" I didn't relinquish my hold on
his arm. Something was bothering me, but I couldn't quite put my
finger on it.
"I was taking a walk too?" Yan made it sound more like a question
than a statement. He waved his free hand vaguely toward the woods.
"I told some friends that I'd meet them out here tonight."
The hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end, and I
glanced toward the woods. There was a light shape there, shining
in the moonlight. It looked almost human. As I watched, another
joined it. Something told me, though, that they weren't human. Not
by a long shot. All of a sudden, I really wished I had my gun. I
started backing away, pulling Yan with me. "Yan, those aren't your
friends."
"Yes they are." He looked back at them. "I've been meeting them
here for a couple of days."
"Where'd you meet them before, then? Ain't normal to just meet
strange people in the woods, Yan." I said, trying a little logic
on him. "They look way too old to be students."
His brow wrinkled with confusion. "I? don't know." A shadow seemed
to pass over his face, something changing him from the outside to
make him complacent once more. "Oh, you now. A dance," he said
vaguely.
I just stopped in my tracks, doing my best to keep an eye on the
two...wait, no, there were three now...figures at the edge of the
woods. With a trembling hand, I reached up and pulled down the
collar of Yan's school uniform. He had two sets of neat puncture
wounds, already starting to heal,
on his neck. Without really knowing why I was checking there, I
reached down and pushed up the cuff of his right sleeve. Two more
punctures on his wrist. "Oh shit." I said, very quietly. "Yan,
come on, let's go back inside. Now. Please." I started to pull him
back toward the school again. There were four figures at the edge
of the woods, now.
Yan did something totally unexpected. He glanced back toward the
woods, and then his face twisted with sudden, inexplicable fury.
And then dear little innocent Yan yanked his arm out of my grasp,
kneed me in the groin, and took off running.
