Author: CONTACTcon-589113507 Sparkle Itamashii
Title: Stay with Me
Warnings: Respect the Rating. SEE PROFILE FOR DETAILS.
Disclaimer: Gundam Wing AC is NOT MINE.
"I believe in love surviving death into eternity."
Chapter Four
He wasn't there.
I returned to the club every night that entire week but not once did I see him. Treize chastised me for skipping work when he found out but after hearing me out he agreed to keep an eye out for the boy. He sounded incredibly doubtful and voiced the opinion that he wouldn't be able to recognize him if he saw him, but I was desperate. No one I asked had seen him or knew of him. The only lead I found was one from the part time bar tender, Milliardo, on Friday night.
"Kinda young guy, about twenty?" He asked idly when I inquired.
"Yeah. Shaggy brown hair, deep blue eyes, about my height."
"But no name." He concluded.
"Well… yes. No name." I agreed. "He was wearing a leather jacket." I added hopefully.
"Duo. Lots of people wear leather jackets, especially here. Lots of people look just like you've described. Hundreds of people come and go. You don't honestly expect me to remember some brown-hair, blue-eyed kid with a leather jacket, do you?"
"He was Asian." I said suddenly, remembering how odd I had found it at the time. "Japanese, I think."
"With blue eyes?" He questioned dubiously. I could see him thinking, though. Milliardo's tastes ran to the unusual side of the spectrum and this boy was certainly unusual enough to merit taking note of. "Actually…" He said slowly, "I think there was a boy who came in about three weeks ago that would match your description."
I almost asphyxiated, hands grabbing the edge of the bar counter to remain where I stood. "There was?"
"Yeah," Milliardo mused. "You were right when you said he had that exotic look about him." He scrunched his nose. "Real broody sort, he was. He seemed really upset about something, though. Had a couple drinks and left without saying much."
"Scotch?" I asked eagerly.
"Er…" Milliardo's brow wrinkled as he thought back. "Yeah, actually. I think so."
"Has he been back since?" I was almost tripping over my words trying to speak too quickly.
"Nope, haven't seen him since." He gave me a funny look. "Don't tell me the great Duo Maxwell's finally fallen for someone."
I smiled weakly. "There's a first time for everything."
Despite that lead, there was still no sign of my mystery boy. I was beginning to lose hope. Nothing Howard had found was helping, no one was able to give me more than what Milliardo had uncertainly told me, and there was no sign that he would ever show up again. I was almost ready to give up- after all he obviously really existed if Milliardo had seen him before. So either he only came to the club on weekends or I'd scared him off. I resolved to continue actively searching through the weekend but if nothing came of it I would have to give up and surrender. If I saw him again, fine, but I couldn't keep worrying about not seeing him.
I wasn't the only one worrying. Before I could even leave my apartment on Saturday Quatre had shown up, dressed to dance. I was understandably taken aback- not once since I'd met him had Quatre come over unannounced, much less to go clubbing. Somehow, though, he'd found out I'd skived work and decided he was going to help now that the weekend was around. When I opened my door to find him standing there, ready to knock, it had dawned on me just how much I needed support. There was no way I could object.
Due to Quatre's early arrival we got to the club almost an hour earlier than we normally would. Instead of entering at the most heated, thickly populated portion of the evening, we meandered in with the first wave of youngsters. The place felt bare, like it had been during the week. Strange, because it was always so packed by the time I normally got there on Saturdays.
"I'd say I'll try to find a seat but… I wouldn't have to try." Quatre said with a wry smile when he stepped inside. "Do you want to come back in a bit or just wait?"
"We're already here. I don't see him anywhere so that means he's got to come in through the door, right? So let's just sit."
I clambered onto a chair at one of the tall tables positioned around the dance floor. Quatre sat across the table behind me so that he could watch me. I asked him to keep an eye on the floor but somehow I doubted he even tried. He didn't seem particularly concerned for finding this boy except in that finding him would put me at ease again. He was sweet, worrying so much, but it was rather disconcerting to be constantly observed.
I don't know how long I sat, jaw resting on my hand, elbow on the table as I kept my eyes trained on the one entrance to the club. It could have been five minutes, it could have been five hours. I wasn't concerned with time, so long as I didn't miss anyone entering. There was no way he would be getting inside without me knowing. Not a chance. I marked every single person that passed through the tiny lobby area, making sure I didn't skip over anyone.
"Hey, Duo?" Quatre touched my shoulder gently, causing me to jump. "I'm going to dance, all right? Let me know if you see him."
Turning to look at him, I offered a teasing smile. "Okay, but you're only allowed to leave if you find something prettier than me."
He chuckled, winking cheekily. "Then I guess I'm never leaving. See you soon."
I watched him move into the crowd that had amassed, following the sway of his body as he let the music take him. I loved how Quatre never danced to the music, but as a part of the music. There weren't a lot of people who could surrender control like that. I knew I would never be able to because I'd always be afraid of what would happen. Quatre was… not fearless, but certainly more confident than anyone else I'd met.
I moved to turn my attention back to the door and froze.
Slowly, stiffly, I shifted my gaze to the bar.
He was there.
Standing there as if he'd never left, leaning back against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. He had on the same black leather jacket, the same scuffed up jeans, and the same, irritated scowl he'd worn when I first saw him. Only this time, instead of ignoring me, instead of turning his back and acting like the only thing that mattered was pretending I didn't exist he was staring directly at me. Our eyes locked and I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything but return the glare.
I had to talk to him.
I fought my sudden bout of paralysis and slipped to the ground. As soon as I moved, however, he shook his head and shoved away from the counter. My eyes widened as he rotated and began moving into the throng of people on the dance floor. With a strangled noise, I darted after him, even though I knew I would have little luck at moving through the people with any sort of speed.
I could still see him, moving steadily toward the back of the club.
Toward the back door, the emergency exit.
He was trying to escape again! I wove through the crowd but people seemed completely intent on stopping me, getting in my way at every turn. I shoved past a couple that returned obscenities that I ignored. I had to get to him. I had to catch up before he disappeared.
I had to know.
"Wait!" I cried, finally reaching clear ground. "Please wait for me!"
He disappeared through the emergency exit, into the alley behind the club. I groaned, wrenching open the door and hoping I was not too late. As I tumbled into the narrow passage I threw a hasty glance around, panting. He was there, facing the dead end's high, steep wall. I looked to my left to see why he hadn't gone out that way and saw no reason. I turned back to him, confused, and was immediately caught up in his stare. Neither of us moved, sizing up the situation and catching our breath. I didn't leave the doorway, the sounds of the dance floor filtering in through the cracked entrance.
Looking away from me, eyes cast to the ground, he began to brush past. My hand shot out to stop him almost of its own volition but he must have moved to the side because I missed. However it caused him a second of pause so I seized the opportunity to speak.
"Please don't go." I said hoarsely. "I just want to talk to you."
He shook hid head, turning away from me again. I felt like someone had taken rough hold of my heart as he began walking.
"Don't… please stop. Please stay." I pleaded, moving forward and ignoring the thick metallic clunk of the club door locking behind me. He kept walking, not even acknowledging that I had spoken. "Please!" I called, "Heero!"
He froze.
My fingers fluttered to my lips as my eyes widened.
Heero? Where had that come from?
It didn't matter.
He'd stopped.
I stumbled forward, closing the space between us and making a grab for his arm to keep him in place should he try to leave.
My hand passed right through him, followed by most of the rest of me, and I was immediately awash in biting, freezing cold. Dropping to my knees I began shivering despite the warm air that now surrounded me. I felt like I had been plunged into arctic waters and hauled back out again. What the hell was going on?
I rolled onto my side so I was mostly sitting and looked over at him. He was watching me with a pain that touched soul deep. I swallowed hard, trying to collect my thoughts and form a coherent sentence.
This wasn't right. He couldn't be…
Ghosts didn't really exist.
Did they?
He shook his head mournfully and crouched beside me, eyes never leaving mine. "Just go home, Duo. I'll find you faster next time, I promise." His voice had a strange echo to it, almost like it was changing its own sound waves and distorting them. I hadn't been able to hear it inside the club.
"Find me faster?" I choked, sitting up more. "Faster than what? Please tell me!"
"You already know."
"No, I don't know!" I cried, only getting more confused. My muscles hurt when feeling began prickling into them as they warmed.
"You do not remember but you do know." He repeated, reaching out to brush icy cold fingers across my cheek. I shivered, bringing my hand up to grasp his arm even though I knew it would only pass through.
"Please…" I croaked- my voice was thick and caught in my throat. God I didn't want him to leave. I may not have truly met him before in my life but I understood, on some level, that I needed to know him. I'd tortured myself for a week hoping to even catch a glimpse of him again, what was I going to do? Let him walk away? I couldn't.
It didn't even matter if he was real or not.
I didn't care.
I needed him on a more base level than I needed to breathe.
There was something there, now that we were alone. There was something he wasn't telling me, something that was so important. It was something I was utterly blind to understanding, a consuming need that constricted in my chest and stole my breath. This wasn't just some hallucination. I didn't want to leave him and I didn't want him to leave me. The fact that I couldn't explain why only seemed to make the feeling stronger.
"It's too late now. There's nothing we can do this time." He said quietly, rising. "Next time, okay?"
I struggled to work my limbs as he straightened completely and moved toward the exit of the alley. With clumsy balance, I helped myself up along the wall, calling to him again. There was no response, no hesitation as I stumbled after him, cold seeping from my joints as movement heated them.
"It's not okay!" I shouted after him as he reached the mouth of the alley and finally paused. "It couldn't be less okay, Heero. That's your name, isn't it? Heero?" His fists clenched at his sides and I could see his body tensing. "Please don't walk away." I whispered hoarsely. "Please don't leave me alone. I don't… I don't know what's happening and it's scaring me. I know you know. I know you can do something about this."
"I can't." His voice barely carried to me. "I can't tell you anything until you remember on your own, Duo. I have to go."
"No!" I bolted forward, rounding the corner a second after he did.
The street was empty.
There was no sign of the boy. Of Heero.
He was gone. Again.
I slumped back against the cold brick wall, tears welling in my eyes. The door opened, creaking hinges echoing in the now empty alley. A tentative voice called my name as I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face in my arms. I couldn't handle this. I hated being left in the dark, especially when it felt like this was such an important thing. Like I should already know what was happening and it was hurting me and it was hurting him that I didn't.
"Duo…?" Quatre called again as he came around the corner. I couldn't even raise my head to acknowledge his presence. "Are you all right? I saw you bolt for the back door and I came as soon as I could. What happened?"
"Can I stay at your place tonight?" I mumbled, breath seizing in my lungs as I tried to speak. God, how I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to be left alone for my thoughts to ambush me, plague me into insomnia. "Please?"
"S-sure." He stammered, probably almost as confused as I was. "That's fine. I'll go grab our stuff."
"Thanks." I managed weakly, lifting my head and letting it drop against the brick as he moved away to the entrance of the club.
I had to figure this out before it killed me…
/End Chapter Four, Stay With Me/
