Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. Surprise.
Author's note: I can't say anything here; it'll spoil the story.
The roar of machinery was deafening to his ears. His back was screaming in protest with his every move. They were surrounded, and their equipment was failing. He was wet and cold, his body ached, and he felt like he was coming down with something.
Overall; Duo Maxwell was NOT in a good mood.
It seemed a pointless battle. They had been at it for hours now; it was obvious the other Gundam Pilots were tiring, even Heero. Heero, Trowa, and Wufei all had looks off utter concentration on their faces, but Duo knew they were being wore down, just like he was. It gave him a bit of comfort, knowing that they were all in this struggle together.
He stifled a groan as a muscle in his back twitched. It'd been bugging him since he was hit. Sneaked up on him; the little bees-turd did; luckily, Wufei nailed him before he could do much damage. But of course, that's what caused his injury... But the little bees-turd's friends were swarming around them; not doing anything; but sitting and waiting for the perfect moment to strike... But the little bees-turd that got him? Ha; wasn't much left; legs broken, bleeding all over...
Bees-turd? Well, Duo certainly didn't want to use the real word around Quatre; he didn't want to offend his Arabian friend.
Duo paused for a moment to think about his platinum blonde friend. It wasn't very long before Quatre was taken upstairs by Death himself; poor guy didn't have much of a chance. Duo missed him, even though he hadn't been gone for very long. But he reasoned that his friend was safe and warm where he was, although probably worrying over all of them.
"Maxwell!" came Wufei's voice. "Stay focused!"
A low rumble from off in the distance reached his ears. 'Reinforcements...'
Duo dearly wished he had a grenade or a detonation switch. It would do a lot more good than the pieces of junk they were using...
Another stab of pain in his back made him grunt. He felt like giving up; he was exhausted, he hadn't eaten anything yet that day and was starving, he was in pain, the list never seemed to end... Yet his comrades needed him, and he couldn't just ignore that. But he had the most uncomfortable feeling that he wouldn't survive the next attack...
Duo was startled when a loud noise sounding like an explosion came from his left, right next to him. There was no time for him to avoid the flying projectiles. It felt like many little pinpricks on his entire left side; his face, arms, legs- everywhere. A moment later, his left side was covered with a dark liquid. He could only stand there in shock; his mind slowly realizing what had just happened, as he suddenly felt very cold.
Once he fully realized what had happened, he threw down his equipment with a frustrated cry. "THAT'S IT!"
The other four pilots looked up at him from their work, shutting off their equipment so they could hear him. However, it wasn't necessary, as Duo had entered full-rant mode.
"That's the THRID TIME this thing's exploded on me!"
"It doesn't explode," stated Wufei plainly. "The connection between the hose and the vacuum is weak. It is an old vacuum-"
"This is POINTLESS!" he continued, ignoring Wufei's explanation. "It's STILL raining; ANOTHER storm is coming; this FILTHY basement is STILL FLOODING; there's SPIDERS EVERYWHERE; my back STILL hurts; I'm HUNGRY; I'm COLD; I'm WET; this place REEKS; these vacuums are PIECES OF-"
"Shut up; you idiot!" yelled Wufei. "You'll wake up Quatre!"
"Duo, go up and check on Quatre," ordered Heero calmly. "See if his fever has gone down."
"Better than being down here," the braided American muttered as he climbed up the steps, his wet boots squeaking on every wooden step. 'After all, I was the one that told him he should go get some sleep...'
He removed his boots at the top of the stairs before stepping into the only other level of their current safehouse. The main level was the direct opposite of the basement; while the basement was dark, dirty, and foreboding, the main level was bright, clean, and cheerful. Duo immediately felt better stepping into the living room. Sock-footed, he traveled though the living room and into a hallway. His dark clothes were a stark contrast from the light walls and floor. He stopped at the second door on his right and knocked lightly. When there was no response, he slowly opened the door and peeked in.
"Quatre?"
Very little could be seen of the blonde Arabian; most of him was hidden under the masses of blankets on top of him. The only thing that could be seen was a few tufts of platinum blonde hair and half of his sleeping face; the rest was covered with the blankets or had sunk deep into the pillow. A glass of water was on the nightstand nearby. Rain pattered on the window across the room, but didn't seem to disturb the sleeper at all. He did seem a bit paler than usual; making him blend into the light colored blankets and pillow all the more.
Duo quietly crept further into the room until he was at Quatre's bedside. He could clearly hear his friend's slow and steady breathing. It seemed he would be sleeping for a while yet. The American headed back for the door, planning to stop at the kitchen next.
"Duo?"
The voice was so quiet, Duo was surprised he even heard it. He looked back over his right shoulder to see Quatre's one visible blue eye had opened.
The braided boy turned around to face his friend, offering him a smile. "Hey; you're awake!" He walked back to the bed, but didn't sit down, minding that he was still wet.
The Arabian smiled weakly as he slowly sat up, the blankets sliding down to his waist. He was still wearing the same clothes from earlier that day; the light pink shirt was a bit wrinkled from him sleeping in it, while the purple vest was at the foot of the bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blinked as he looked up at his friend. "How long have I been sleeping?"
"Not long; a few hours. How ya feelin'?"
"A little better."
Duo carefully felt Quatre's forehead with the back of a clean hand. Quatre sat and waited patently. After a few moments, the hand was removed. "Still a little warm, but not as bad as it was a few hours ago."
"I thought I heard some yelling coming from the basement earlier. Is everything going okay down there?"
Duo shrugged one shoulder slightly, acting as though it was no big deal. "Spider crawled on my back and Wufei killed it with a five-gallon bucket."
Quatre's eyes suddenly became worried. "While it was still on you?"
"Yeah, but it only left a bruise. Nothing serious." Quatre visibly relaxed with this friend's reassurance. "Hey; I'm heading for the kitchen next; do you think you could handle some food?"
Quatre seemed to pause as he thought the idea over. "I think I could," he said after a few moments.
"Right!" His smile suddenly grew. "I'll try to clean myself up a bit, then see what I can make for us!" He turned and headed for the door, but instead of reaching for the door, he coughed into his hand. It didn't sound like a healthy cough.
Quatre instantly became concerned. "Are you all right Duo? I hope I didn't give you whatever I have..."
Duo just turned and flashed him a smile. "Don't worry about it. Besides; if it'd keep me out of the basement, I'd let you cough and sneeze on me all you wanted."
The ill Gundam Pilot laughed a bit with that, although it was a weak laugh.
With a grin, Duo opened the door and stepped though. "I'll be back with some food soon!" He left the door open and walked back into the hallway.
Author's note: I am evil. And yes; flooding basements are a pain to clean up. I learned that.