Duo opened the door to the room that had been prepared for Wufei by Quatre's staff, balancing his weight carefully on one foot as the other pushed the door open. Walking in with Wufei curled up tightly in his arms, he went over to the bed, which had the covers pulled down and placed Wufei in the midst of them. When he pulled back, he realized that Wufei had fallen asleep, with his fingers clutched tight on his shirt. With a soft sigh, he pried open the fist gently and lay it on the bed beside the curled up figure. So vulnerable...he thought.
His fingers ghosted over the exotic features, over high cheekbones, softly curled lips, finely shaped eyes, which were now closed in slumber. Duo felt a lump form in his throat. Who would want to corrupt such a precious thing? Hot tears, which he refused to shed, welled up in his eyes and he turned away, walking into the bathroom, shut the door quietly behind him. Leaning against the closed door, he shut his eyes tight and grieved for his friend's pain. Wrapping his arms around himself, he took a deep shuddering breath and looked up at the mirror. Reflected back at him, was a fine young gentleman who was healthy and well, though his eyes carried a deep sorrow. Comparing him to the figure lying on the bed, who was pale, ashen, skinny, malnourished and weak, Duo felt overwhelming guilt flow through him like liquid fire in his veins. Gods, why? Why Wufei? His mind screamed silently. There was no answer.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally got a bucket of water, shampoo, soap and a sponge and walked back into the room. Wufei had not moved from his position on the bed. He lay on his side, hands beneath his head, knees bent and curled inwards towards his chest. Duo gently moved him onto his back and removed the scrap piece of clothing that covered Wufei's body. Tears once again began to well up and he forced them down. Then he got to work bathing Wufei's body.
It was fairly simple, since Wufei was unaware of what was going on, until he reached Wufei's thighs. One, he felt uncomfortable cleaning those areas, Two, he was horrified at the dried blood and other disgusting, unidentifiable things crusted on those thighs. Still he forced himself to mechanically clean the torn and bruised flesh and went to change the water. Coming back, he moved Wufei up until his head hung over the side, so that he could wash his hair. Once free of the dirt and grime, the glossy fine hair shone and its texture felt like silk. Also now that Wufei was clean, the bruises were clear to see. It looked as though he had a broken cheekbone, a couple of broken ribs and a fractured wrist on his right. And of course the broken leg that they had known about earlier.
After cleaning up, Duo dressed Wufei in boxers and one of his large T-shirts. The sleeves came up to the raven-haired boy's elbows and the shirt came below his knees. To Duo, Wufei looked like an innocent child sleeping. Pulling up the covers, he kissed the pale forehead softly and left the room, quietly closing the door.
Downstairs, in the living room, he found Trowa and Quatre spending some much needed time together and went into the kitchen to fix something up for a snack. Sitting down on the dining table with his sandwich, he lost himself in his thoughts until Heero came home.
Entering the kitchen, Heero found his lover sitting at the table with an empty plate, staring off into space. Walking over, he placed a hand on Duo's shoulder, shaking the braided pilot from his reverie.
"Huh? Oh, hey, Heero. When did you get home? I didn't hear you." He got up, smiling nervously and took his plate to the sink. He moved around putting things right (well, as right as they could get, it was the Winner mansion's kitchen after all). Heero frowned at Duo behavior. The braided baka was never nervous about anything, except the one time he had to go to an interview with Lady Une, who he had named 'the scary woman'. Moving until he was behind Duo, he turned the other pilot around to face him. Duo resisted at first, then with a sigh, let himself be turned around.
"Duo...what's the matter?" Heero asked, stroking up and down the American's arms. "You're too tense, love." He tried to meet Duo's eyes, but the braided pilot just turned his face away.
Heero grew worried. Duo never acted like this. Had everything gone all right when they had gone to retrieve Wufei? "Is everything okay with Wufei?" He asked concerned.
Duo bit his lower lip and shook his head. Reaching for Heero, he wrapped his arms around the Japanese pilot's neck and nestled his head somewhere in the came vicinity. This was what he could always come back to, no matter how hard things got. Heero. He sighed softly. "No, Heero. Wufei is...He..." He couldn't quite finish the sentence.
"He was raped." Trowa's quiet voice broke through. The couple turned to see him and Quatre at the doorway. The little blonde's eyes were red-rimmed, a clear sign that he had been crying. Trowa led his lover to the chair that Duo had recently occupied and brought him a glass of water to drink. Quatre gave him a grateful smile, one that Trowa returned. Kneeling down next to the chair, Trowa continued.
"He was tortured in that cell. Beaten brutally. Broke his damn spirit." Trowa spat out in contempt. "Not a word he speaks now." His voice dropped to a whisper. "He's too traumatized." Quatre reached forward with his hand and cupped Trowa's cheek. Lifting the Latin pilot's face, Quatre was surprised to find those beautiful emerald eyes filled with tears. His eyes closed, letting the tears fall as Quatre's gentle hands brushed them away. Those hands guided him to lay his head on the lap on his beloved, taking the comfort offered.
Heero turned back to look at his own lover, who at the moment was shedding tears of his own. "He's hurt so bad, Heero." He choked out. "So scared that someone will hurt him again." He sobbed brokenly in Heero's arms.
Heero, for his part, crooned softly and gently rocked duo back and forth. "Shh...it'll be okay...don't cry now..." He murmured, saddened by his lover's sorrow. They stayed like that for a while, until Duo's sobs reduced to an occasional hiccup.
Suddenly a loud crash issued from somewhere in the house. Trowa's head shot up from Quatre's lap and whipped around to meet Duo's frantic eyes. Both of them said one word, "Wufei." Before they raced upstairs, Heero and Quatre following them.
They burst into the large room, finding Wufei tangled up in the sheets in the midst of a nightmare. Beside him, on the floor, lay a bedside lamp, smashed to bits. Wufei must have knocked it off the bedside table unconsciously. Duo and Trowa rushed to the bed and climbed on top of it. Duo held Wufei by the shoulders and shook him. "Wufei! Wake up! Please wake up! It's just a nightmare! Come on! Wake UP!" he yelled. Trowa was voicing the same message, in a little less-frantic manner.
Wufei turned and twisted, eyes clenched tight. They popped open and wide onyx eyes looked at Duo in fear. He wrenched himself away, escaping Duo's grip, who was surprised at the moment, and scrambled towards a corner on the bed, curling up into a tight shivering mass. He put his hands over his head, as though expecting a blow from any one of them.
"Wufei!" Duo called, reaching for him. The Chinese pilot flinched and shuddered violently as Duo's hand came in contact with his shoulder. Duo drew back confused and hurt. Trowa looked at Duo, reassuring him with a small nod and called to Wufei softly.
"Wufei, its us. Me, Trowa. And Duo. We're here. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you..." He murmured soft reassurances until Wufei's trembling ceased and the Chinese pilot looked up, fear receding in his eyes. Trowa opened his arms as an invitation and Wufei threw himself at the taller pilot, wrapping his scrawny arms around Trowa's neck as Trowa wrapped his own arms around the shivering body. "Shh. It's okay. We're here. No one's going to hurt you anymore. You're safe...calm down...it was just a nightmare...can't hurt you." Wufei let Trowa's voice wash over him and calm him until he lay still. Looking up, he stared at Trowa, as though asking 'you're not mad at me?'
Trowa chuckled. He shook his head, his bangs bouncing. "No, little one, I'm not mad." Wufei gave him a look of relief and turned towards Duo, who was watching him, concernedly. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the braided pilot. Gazing into amethyst eyes, he gave a silent apology by hugging him again, picking up the braid and holding it in his hands.
Duo smiled at the innocent gesture and kissed the top of the raven-haired head, holding Wufei to him. "It's okay." He replied softly. Wufei's only response was to clutch his braid tighter. Duo noticed his body become tense and became worried. "What's wrong, Wufei?" he asked.
The Shenlong pilot pointed towards the other two in the room, who were standing still, awed by the incident. Quatre looked at Wufei and moved slowly, meeting Trowa's eyes for permission. The emerald eyes-pilot nodded, as he scooted closer to the edge of the bed.
"Wufei," he called softly. Onyx orbs turned trustingly towards him. Trowa caught Quatre's hand and drew him closer. "This is Quatre. Do you remember him?" Quatre knelt down beside the bed to be at eye-level with Wufei.
The Chinese pilot tilted his head, looking at Quatre curiously, as though he was trying to remember. Slowly he reached forward with his hand, stopping inches away from Quatre's cheek to look at Trowa for permission. After Trowa nodded, Wufei touched Quatre's smooth cheek, his fingers trailing up to trace over finely shaped eyebrows, over the forehead, into the hair and back to the cheek. He leaned back and looked at Trowa and nodded. Quatre smiled happily and moved back. Turning, he called out. "Come on, Heero."
Duo's eyes lifted towards his lover as he walked slowly and knelt like Quatre had done. Wufei looked back at Trowa and nodded, but made no move to touch Heero. The Japanese pilot was a bit grateful and hurt that Wufei didn't move out to reach for him. He stood up, a little stiffly and walked out of the room. Trowa, Quatre and Wufei didn't notice as they played? Or at least had fun with each other, but Duo's eyes watched his beloved walk out of the room, his pride wounded.
That's it for now....probably will update in a couple of days...that is, if I get reviews! .O
