Criiickch. The perfect sound to accompany an afternoon stroll through chaos. Cringing with disgust near violet eyes stared hard at the seated figure, where no muscles had moved to indicate pain. Jesus Christ! He's fucking insane. Not that the youth wasn't familiar with grating bones, but usually the recipient didn't make the sounds himself. It was a pretty mild injury though, considering the height from which he fell. Not many people could live through that, let alone come off with just a broken leg and frivolous scrapes. Still...two wrenches and a strip of cloth to set your own leg with, he'd be damned if that wasn't the most hardcore action he'd witnessed in a long time. The face of a somewhat somber angel, eyes a deep prussian blue with a lightly bronzed complexion had a hardcore body to match. This seemingly ultimate badass was clad only in a dark green tank and insanely skin hugging black spandex shorts. Shorts that accentuated every curve of the lower region as if etched from stone. Though the movements of such a finely sculpted specimen left much to be desired. For all the beauty in those eyes and limbs could not take away from the fact that sexuality simply did not leak from his being, at all. From the moment he stood, wobbling, to his disappearance into the lower cabin not a sign of any grace could be seen. Only mechanical precision and a dazzling, but emotionless, gaze at his destination.
Regardless...Duo was convinced that miracles did happen sometimes, most of them in quite mysterious ways. Standing abruptly he re-positioned his priests collar and stretched backwards, braid coiling thickly onto the floor. Stretching forward to touch the ground he let his fingers slide nonchalantly across his hips and down his side, checking for pistol, back up pistol and combat knife. A smirk spread unwillingly to his lips, purposeful strides to the cabin door laced with an almost feline seduction. Showtime.
His knuckles barely tapped the door before it swung inwards with a swift calculated move, a very naked occupant standing in the frame with a glare to torch a thousand deserts. Road rash injuries dotted his shoulders and parts of his arm, along with the occasional gash, each wound only adding to the masculinity that poured from the figure. Blinking rapidly his eyes absorbed the lean build, each feature exquisitely molded, right down to the rippling abs and deeply carved V indentation at his hips. A seductive trail abruptly interrupted by leather strap and holster that was loosely but securely draped around his slightly tapered waist. The Greek gods would have wept to see such flawless arm and chest build complete with beautifully shaped calves that narrowed into white cotton socks. All of it disappearing in tan hiking boots. To think that all this had been pressed against him during the hob-legged run they had made and even more tantalizing was the fact that such a gorgeous physique had been restrained and spread eagle on a table just a few moments ago. It was amazing what cloth could conceal. He was, Duo realized, almost perfect though slightly shorter than himself with a much more muscular build and not a bad...
"What do you want?" Growling and monotonous, the words cut through his Maxwell evaluation and snapped Duo's head back up to meet that fire wrought glare. Even the movement of his lips seemed calculated, all designated to angle here and there at this precise time with complicated mathematics. If only such perfection had life breathed into it. "If you have no business with me, leave." The last word was emphasized with a grunt akin to that of the cave men and another mechanical move to shut the door.
Back in reality Duo's foot slid forward fast enough to catch the full force of the door. His face grew serious as he silently thanked the gods for combat boots. "Hey, dude, are you forgetting exactly whose fucking boat you're on?" Assholes, sexy or not, were definitely not welcome on his territory. Even if this asshole was another gundam pilot he had just risked ass and balls to save. Shifting his foot sideways he pried the door open more while successfully gaining a somewhat defensive stance. "And I still don't know who the hell you are exactly, Hiro Yui, pilot 01 or whatever shit you want to call yourself. You are DAMN lucky, buddy, that I decided to bust your ass out of there," the last statement being only partially true as Duo was quite sure the youth in front of him would have managed by himself somehow.
Hiro stiffened at his remark and stepped back, turning as he did so to head for the cot adjacent to the doorway. Not a terrifically lengthy distance, the room being almost a cubby hole. He sat down, aware of Duo's eyes on his every movement, and proceeded to clean the minor scrapes and such he had obtained in the few moments of kissing the rocky slope. Frowning Duo entered as well, shutting the door quietly behind him.
"What? Is that all I get, Hee-chan?" Duo grinned as his view changed from the back of Hiro's gleaming russet hair to aggravated prussian eyes. "Silent permission to enter your little cubicle that I so graciously let you partake of? Thanks for nothing." He stood there a few moments, hoping to draw another reaction. None came and the crestfallen Maxwell shifted back and forth on the balls of his heels attempting a few more lines of conversation. No such success was evident as he climbed back up to the deck in time to watch their arrival at the port. Sighing softly he leaned against the railing, eyes cast down to the sparkling green they floated on. Who needs a fucking little mechanical asshole anyways?
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Night fell slowly, shadows yielding to the millions upon millions of stars that surfaced after a daylight slumber. Their brilliance seemed reflected deep within violet orbs that scanned the perimeter. Not exactly trusting of his fellow pilot Duo had slipped into the hangar to visit his baby, Deathscythe, or Shinigami as he affectionately called it. Cool metal slid easily beneath his fingertips as he murmured quietly to himself of all the hardships he had to endure. Bitching in public was strictly prohibited...but in seclusion to fall on deaf metallic ears was fine. He strode calmly around the gundam then circled back to gaze at it's companion, Wing Zero, which was neatly in it's air craft form. Swiftly looking around he hopped up onto a wing only to yelp and fall off again as the back of Hiro's hand caught him off guard in the chest. Staring up into the depths of the ceiling a derisive snort echoed many times over.
"Clumsy and without stealth. Are you sure that gundam is yours." Not a question, just a simple statement that was clearly condescending. "Do not touch my gundam again or I will kill you," an intensely expressionless face peered down at him, not even his eyes were glaring this time. Duo scowled, desperate to justify his folly.
"Yea, well if you were really on my side I'd think you wouldn't go around trying to dismantle anything that comes in your sight," irritation leaked into his voice as he stood up, rubbing the flat of his back and cursing his lame, nonsensical come back. "I wanted to see if maybe you wanted a blanket since your so hell bent on sleeping with that fucking machine, Heeeee-chan." He stretched the "e" sound, adding a bit of nasal whine to the name, just the way he knew Hiro hated it. If he couldn't figure him out, he'd at least be satisfied with annoying him.
A short pause ensued, one that Duo took as a grimace at the butchering of his name. "Hmph, I don't need your assistance or your company. Leave. My private affairs are not of your concern." The soft rustle of a leather holster was more than enough to get Duo trotting out. Being friendly just wasn't the best way to go about living with a machine. He had long since learned that there was only a minimal response capacity.
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The hum of machinery greeted industrially trained ears. Some kind of lab from the sound of a few different machines, not where he was supposed to be, for sure. Concentrating on keeping his heart rate down and brainwave activity to a minimum he laid for several minutes contemplating an escape route, oblivious to the figure that stood watching overhead. Hours or minutes passed with no promising chance of escape evident. Whatever happened he would not compromise the mission, even if self-destruction may be his only option. He had already failed miserably at it once.
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A most peculiar bird seemed to be flitting about in the control room, hovering in the vicinity of all the monitors and coming close to smashing straight into the glass window. On closer inspection it turned out to be none other than Relena Darling, though just as primped and preened as an overly decorated animal. Not seeming to be able to stay still for more than two seconds time her amethyst eyes constantly listed over to the youth strapped down on a metal cross. A most beautiful saint, whether he knew it or not.
"Exactly why are you keeping him here, anyways? I already told you he is my good friend," golden brows knit together in mock concern, she simply was not used to being denied anything. " I demand to talk with him, it's simply inhumane the way you've got him restrained and riddled with machinery. If you just talked to him I'm su-"
"Shut up!" A most unpleasant response from the actual monitor of the room. Dark and brooding the young man was not apt to take any shit from anyone. "No one cares that you're daddy is big news in the world, okay? At least not here. If it weren't for my orders to allow you in this room I'd throw you ass first out of this institution and back to that prep school you so strongly reek of." He sneered, lecherous ambitions in his eyes, "I could probably escort you back...privately..." A small gasp of distress stopped the monitor from elaborating. He was sure she'd stay silent and still for a long while now. Moments passed and paranoia infiltrated his thoughts, what he had done most definitely would not look good if she filed a complaint of harassment against him. He needed this job to pay the bills, after all. Turning to apologize he was knocked from his seat with a violent jolt that shook the very foundations of the institution. He rushed to the door, tripping over a startled and inconveniently placed Relena, running down the stairs to check the source of the explosion.
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Massive shockwaves passed through his body as debris hit the sides of his arms and face. The hell... Narrow slits of prussian blue opened fast enough to catch the image of an unlikely hero, braid swinging almost comically from side to side. Suddenly his view was filled with frantic violet eyes. Momentary hearing loss then a faint whine of noise leaked in while the voice of his savior slowly gained ground.
"Damn!! Damn damn damn!!! How the hell am I supposed to do-argh!" Aggravated and obviously not thinking straight a disgruntled priest(?) studied the metal clasps with growing defeat. He has no idea what the hell he's doing... Clamping his jaw together Hiro strained against the clasps and broke free, rivulets of blood running from his wrist. Sitting up his eyes met those of Duo's and for one instant time stood still as the outrageous brilliance of those violet orbs saturated the perfect soldier's thoughts, quickly dissipating as the last of the restraints broke off and both pilots made mad dashes to the nearest wall closest to the cliff. Hiro followed the others lead and took the miniature helicopter contraption from him as they jumped out into a blue abyss. The impression of wind hitting his face and a dizzying effect of the freefall was too much for recently recovered consciousness. His vision rolled to the back of his head and from a place far above the screams of a certain comical youth could be heard, urging him to use the item he had in his hand. He lapsed into a fuzzy little world of oblivion, limbs numb and weighted. Years could have passed if it weren't for a most rude awakening.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heeeerrrrrooooo, wake up!! Come back to me!! You promised you'd kill me!!! What about that, Heeeerrrroooo!???" Shrill, piercing and at such an ungodly pitch the voice of Relena Darling carried through the mist of unconsciousness, shocking Hiro into action. Turning the machine on too late he made contact with the rock strewn slope, feeling his right femur crack and shift into the muscle surround it. Instantly aware and righting himself, his powerful legs took over, trying their best to remain in an upright position during a rather rough slide through the gravel and dust. Toppling over once while rolling onto level ground he rose and fell, the drive to flee far far away only fueled by the constant screeching of that crazy blonde bitch atop the cliff. He could just imagine those amethyst eyes, gleaming like lasers, trying to search him out and beam him back up. It was insane, the sound seemed to paralyze all other notions, his limbs unsuccessfully trying to move without coherent thought behind it.
Splintering pain jerked him into full awareness as he realized that lithe arms had twined around him, belonging to those of Duo. Heat and an overwhelming surge of pride hindered the current movement process. Hiro Yui did not need to be carried like a feeble bodied old man. Not this perfect soldier. "Hey, man, I can't help you if you can't help me. Other words....move your ass!!" An exasperated Duo was glowering full force into Hiro's own eyes, an emotion that looked inappropriate for the facial features of this individual. Glaring at the ground in reprieve of himself he aided Duo the best way possible by doing a kind of stumbling hop to the safety of a ship. Once aboard, away from that inhumane howling, he set to work on righting his leg and mulling over possible departure options. There were some major things that simply did not work on Wing Zero, those would need to be repaired. His so-called savior would have a gundam...perfect. The first stitches to a plan fell neatly into place as he rose and headed to his room. The information picked up from his on and off listening to a rambling chestnut haired adolescent.
Going down the stairs was hell, he never realized how much a broken bone could hurt and the constant jarring of it from each descent wasn't helping. He moved quietly to his door and opened it, thinking he must have stepped into a closet for two seconds until he registered the cot in front of him. Beautiful. All he really cared about at the moment was finding his gundam and successfully "transporting" Duo's working parts to his own. Once accomplished he'd be gone, compromising the mission was simply out of the question. His thoughts ran rampant, going through each detail of the operation as he stripped down to his shoes and socks. Having spotted a first aid kit he quickly retrieved it, pulling out the antiseptics and bandages. Parts of his body had been rubbed clean of skin, dirt particles and the like embedded in their surfaces. Carefully cleaning each grievance was going to be time consuming, but he could not afford to get an infection, especially since he already had a bum leg. Peering into a mirror behind the door he checked his progress, thankful that nothing had been damaged around his strap and holster. For what was a perfect soldier without his weapon? A dead one.
A barely audible tap on the door set Hiro in motion, defensive stance and all as he opened the door, fingertips brushing his pistol. A messy looking pilot 02 stood across from him, blinking rapidly and looking slightly dumbfounded. Hiro waited a moment, allowing ample time for the black clad pilot to state his objective. Not a response came, the violet eyes seeming to focus everywhere on Hiro but his face.
"What do you want?" Angered by the obvious waste of his time the words spoken came out a bit too harsh. Not making an attempt to change his tone he waited again, still no response, though this time his eyes bored right into the violet pools. "If you have no business with me, leave." He had already started to shut the door when it stopped unexpectedly against Duo's combat boots. He glanced down at the object obstructing the path, taking note of the words that were issuing from Duo's lips in an aggravated oration. Duo was right, unfortunately, but his correctness did not need a response. Turning stiffly he made for the cot, seating himself as Duo stepped further in closing the door. Ignoring the presence of this other occupant he continued to cleanse himself, paying no mind to his ridicule or false starts at a conversation. The Perfect Soldier didn't have time to bullshit. You don't make friends in war, you complete your tasks and maybe make it out alive. An obvious message that hadn't yet stuck with the vibrant character so pathetically attempting to make contact. Suddenly gripped by the urge to actually stop being annoying, a visibly dejected Duo left to tread heavily up the stairs. Leaving Hiro time to make up a plan.
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Scuffling in the darkness and that all too familiar foot fall alerted the russet haired pilot to his presence. he figured that Duo would come in sometime, not trusting him to be alone in the hangar. It was an unusual request that had endless possibilities of betrayal tacked to it. Listening hard he lost Duo's foot falls until soft murmuring cleared the distance, giving away Duo's location. Hurried and almost affectionate sounding he sounded as if he were talking to himself. War hasn't even been raging long enough for shell shock... Concentrating on the words Hiro realized Duo was speaking to his gundam and could almost picture the scene taking place. The others' slender fingers brushing gently across the gundams surface with an almost insane amount of delicacy. A feat that could never be managed by his own calloused fingers, unless in the operation of re-wiring a machine that required efficient and miniscule movements. He paused, noticing the silence that had been stretching a few seconds. Daydreams always caught him off guard and this time it was important to know who and what was around him. Straining his hearing capacity he felt an ever so slight imbalance in the position of his gundam. Striking out non-fatally the back of his hand caught Duo solid across the chest, making the other yowl in surprise as his body hit the floor flat. Removing himself from the cockpit and quietly peering over the wings edge he stared at the wheezing boy beneath him, an almost quizzical expression forming on his face.
"Clumsy and without stealth. Are you sure that gundam is yours." His voice was quiet, the tone not reprimanding but the statement obviously not a compliment. Reviewing the information circling his brain he gave the only answer that could accommodate the situation. "Do not touch my gundam again or I will kill you," he paused for effect then winced at the feeble come back sputtering from somewhere below him. So childlike and so...
"...Heeeee-chan..." ugh, that pitch reminded him so much of Relena he was taken aback for a moment. This was dragging on too long, he had shit to get done before the nights end. "Hmph, I don't need your assistance or your company. Leave. My private affairs are not of your concern." More from impatience than actual contempt or annoyance, he pulled the pistol from his holster with exaggerated noise and was satisfied with the result it produced. With Duo gone he could make the changes before sun up and be out of there before it even hit the pilot what had happened.
Which was pretty much the scenario that ensued at dawn, Duo waving him off with compliments before cursing him to hell when he found that his precious Shinigami had been an organ donor. Shit happened, you had to deal with it, besides, he still had one more phase of his mission to complete, and soon.