Title: I Want to Touch the Sky Part 3 of 5 (Might go up to 7, depending on the next chapter)
Author: HeeroDuo1x2x1 (aka Pico-Pico Noriko-chan If you get it, give yourself a biscuit)
Rating: T-M?
Feedback: Please? Flames will be used to roast marshmallows and keep my ice-cold heart toasty!
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue, blah, blah, blah, bitch, bitch, bitch
Genre: I wish I knew. But if I had to guess, I'd say somewhere between romance, supernatural, and drama. Best label I've heard so far: WTFK? (Who the fuck knows?)
Warnings: Some SERIOUS OOCness, 1+2+1, 5+2, Evil Wufei, AU, cursing, even more Duo molesting (eventually), etc, etc
Babble: OMFG, I'm actually UPDATING this! It's a freaking miracle:Big smile: So finally figured out why the hell I stopped writing this. My draft of this chapter SUCKED and I hated the idea after a while. So instead of just trying to reword it or something, I defenestrated it and decided "REWRITE TIME!" and did a little dance. My new idea makes the fic a chapter longer, (but no one cares about that) and maybe this chapter will be better than the last 2.

It wasn't often that one saw the inside of the Beast's domain. Even rarer still was one who'd seen the halls of the burgundy palace and lived to tell of his experience. The strange boarder at the Maxwell residence was one such being. Heero Yuy had escaped from the Beast (though it had been quite difficult at the time) and in retaliation against the cruelty he had undergone, the white winged demon had slain the other's favourite lover. He had revelled in the pixie's anguish at his death, and even more in the Beast's anger and pain as Heero flew from the burgundy halls.

The Beast, of course, held a grudge. He'd never had one of his toys escape before, let alone murder another to do it. His urge to find Yuy and make him feel the pain he'd suffered was great, greater even than he had realized, and he wanted nothing less than to see the white-winged demon fall to his knees before him. The Beast would do whatever it took to break that smug mask off of his face. He would take great pleasure in watching Heero Yuy die, pleading, at his feet. But how to do it?

The busy sounds of the city kept Duo's mind at bay. The events of the past two weeks had left him exhausted and confused, no longer really sure of what was going on around him. The cars in front of him sped along, completely oblivious to the turmoil behind the braided boy's wide blue-violet eyes as he tried to work through all that had been thrown at him. He groaned, grabbing his head with both hands and letting out an angry sigh. He sat alone in front of some giant building, leaning against the marble fountain behind him. Working through what he'd been told was only giving him a headache, and he found himself not caring much about the nervous looks that passer-bys were giving him.

He'd hopped on the train into the city early the morning after finding out that he wasn't what he thought he was. Duo had been stuck between wanting to punch that damn Heero Yuy for doing this to him and wanting to kiss the demon for making his dream of the skies so much more attainable. It was conflicting thoughts like this that made him pull at his hair in frustration, constantly aware that he wasn't normal anymore and somehow liking the idea. The feeling of wings on his back had been amazing, but he wasn't sure if it was worth all the emotion turmoil he was now going through. Tossing his head back to stare up at the small patch of blue sky visible through the tall buildings, he let out another sigh, asking of the stoic heavens, "What the hell am I gonna do?"

He heard someone laugh, and he darted his eyes from the sky to watch an auburn-haired man plop down next to him, "What'd you do? Get some chick knocked up?"

Duo's eyes widened at the comment, and he pulled himself into a more on guard position. The man continued watching him with a grin on his face, and Duo wasn't sure of his intentions. He would admit that the man was handsome, and that his unusually styled hair just added to the intrigue that radiated from him. The way his plaid pants hugged his figure, and the jingle of the chains and zippers on his broken-in leather jacket seemed to fit with the youth, and Duo couldn't help but suddenly feel at ease around him. Remembering the question, Duo shook his head in the negative.

"No."

"Then what happened? Man, you looked ready to smash your head into the sidewalk just then. That, or jump in front of the next train outta Penn Station." The punk watched him from his one visible emerald eye, "Didja get kicked outta your apartment or something?"

Duo laughed at that, "God, I wish it was that simple. I'd LOVE to be kicked out of my house right about now."

"Yikes. Worse than losing your house. Man, that sucks. Learn you were adopted, maybe?" He pulled a pack of Marlboros from one of the pockets on his jacket, wordlessly offering Duo one.

Without much thought to it, he accepted the offered cancer-stick and dug in his pants pocket, looking for the Zippo he kept on him at all times. Popping it out, he flicked it open and lit the cigarette, taking a long drag and nodding at the other in thanks, "Kinda. I think. Fuck, I dunno. My whole world's just been turned upside down, shaken a bit, and then tossed out the proverbial window from the 132nd floor!"

The look of curiosity on the other's face made Duo continue.

"My mom runs a boarding house in Westchester, and I met this guy who had the balls to just, out of nowhere, plant his fucking lips against mine and kiss me! So I freak out and go home, only to find that the same bastard's just rented a room." Duo exclaimed, wanting to get as much of it off his chest as he could without making the punk assume that he was insane, "And then he has the audacity to mock me in front of my mother, who, by the way, was completely oblivious to the fact that I'm glaring death at this guy, and then I end having to show him to the room. We're barely up the stairs before the fucker shoves me into the wall and starts trying to make out with me in the fucking hallway!"

The auburn-haired punk raised his eyebrows at this, "Your moms was downstairs and the guy's feelin' you up? Man, that musta sucked."

Duo's face darkened, "Oh, it gets better. Next thing I know, I've pushed him away, he almost falls down the stairs, and then he smiles and says that I passed his fucking 'test' and that he won't mess with me. He goes to his room, I go to mine and not even ten minutes have passed before he's at my door, apologizing and asking to make it up to me!"

"What's wrong with that?"

"I'm getting to that," Duo sighed, fighting back tears as he took another drag from his Marlboro, "So two weeks later, yesterday, he's back in my room, telling me that he found out some crazy shit about me, and that I'm not who I thought I was and that my mom might not really be my mom, and that the man who I thought was my father might not have been."

The punk shook his head with a mildly disgusted look on his face, "Fuck-er. So the guy decides to make it up to you by making you a panicked wreck?"

"Among other things, but they're even crazier than all that, and I'm not sure I really wanna believe it or if I should just write him off as a looney." He mentally added, 'Even if I have the wings to prove it.'

"Man, oh man. I can see why you'd rather have just been kicked out."

"Yeah."

They were both silent, the only sounds being the endless droning of the city around them.

"Oh, hey, sorry, man! I completely forgot! I'm Trowa," the punk put offered his hand to Duo with a slight grin, "Trowa Barton."

"Duo Maxwell," he provided, taking Trowa's hand and shaking it before grinning back, "S'nice to meet you."

Trowa nodded, putting the remains of his cigarette out on the sidewalk beside him and tossing the butt into the sea of pedestrians walking down 5th Ave, "So what're you gonna do 'bout this guy, Duo?"

"I really don't know. I mean, I can't help but think that he's telling the truth, but at the same time..." Duo trailed off.

"You think he's fucking insane?" Trowa provided.

"Pretty much. I think maybe I'm the one losing my mind. I can't decide if I wanna kill him or kiss him. And just to prove that I'm nuts, I think I'm leaning towards the latter." He paused, glancing at Trowa with a look that showed his complete uncertainty, "I'm fucked up, aren't I?"

"Aren't we all? You never know. Maybe he's fucking with you, maybe not. How old is?"

Duo shrugged, "19? 20, maybe? I really don't know. He might be older. It's hard to tell with him. Fucking Heero!"

Trowa's eyes widened at the name, "Heero? His last name Yuy?"

"Uh, yeah..." Duo blinked at Trowa, unsure as to how the green-eyed punk knew the demon.

"Ah, shit." Trowa cursed, spreading his legs out in front of him with a resound clank from the zippers on his pants, "The magnificent demon grump-meister himself. I'm guessin' when he was feelin' you up he was doin' his whole 'I'm controlling your mind because it's so damn easy' deal?" He continued at Duo's awed nod, "Man, he never changes. So he stopped trying to make out with you when you resisted his mind-holding charms. Typical Yuy."

"How the hell do you know him?" Duo was bewildered, staring at the man next to him.

Trowa laughed, "The bastard's my little brother, that's how."

If he was concerned before, this new bit of information did very little to alleviate the uncertainty that shrouded him. If nothing else, it probably served to make it even greater and Duo wasn't sure he wanted any more surprises.

"You're a changeling then." the emerald eyed demon stated, not bothering to even phrase it as a question. He watched Duo for a moment, noting the way his chestnut hair framed his face and hid his eyes from view when he nodded; noting the way he wrung his hands in his lap and the way he bit his lip in confusion at the term. It was obvious he wasn't positive as to what a changeling was. "A demon or a faery or hell, anything really, exchanged for a human child. The human's parents rarely, if ever, find out about the switch. Hell, the demons that're shoved into the life of a human almost never figure it out."

"I guess I figured it out then." Duo muttered, still fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

"Yeah, it looks that way," he paused for a moment, watching Duo's momentary silence, "Well, since it's him, don't worry to much."

Duo furrowed his eyebrows at Trowa's comment, "Huh?"

"He might be a jerk sometimes, but he doesn't play around with emotions and he's mostly honest," the green-eyed demon elaborated, shrugging, "Sure, he'll play some mind tricks, but when he decides he wants something, or someone... well, let's just say he doesn't like to string folks along just for the amusement." A pause, "When he kissed you, it was because he likes ya. Hell, maybe even loves ya. Sometimes it's hard to tell with him. He's damn secretive, especially since the Beast."

"The Beast?"

Trowa waved him off, "Don't worry your pretty little head about it. I don't even understand what happened with him."

By the time Duo walked in the door to his house, it was well after two in the morning. He was the one of the only people on the train, very few willing to take the last train home on a Saturday night. He'd calmed down a bit. The unexpected talk with Trowa had helped on that front, and it felt good to get all his worries off his chest and aimed at someone else's. He fingered the demon's cell phone number in his pocket, the faded receipt it was written on crinkling reassuringly as he quietly made his way up the stairs and towards his bedroom. He glanced fleetingly at Heero's door, noticing the dim light spilling out into the hall from the crack under the door. He sighed, wondering if he was still awake or if he had just fallen asleep with the light on.

His unspoken question was answered as he started to push open his bedroom door, only to hear the soft creaking of floorboards and the whisper of the other door opening. He paused in entering his room when Heero's voice penetrated the almost-darkness of the unlit hallway, "You're back."

"Oh, uh, yeah." he muttered, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the other tenants on the floor (an overly optimistic girl and a woman who insisted on being called "Lady") as he stumbled out his answer. He glanced in Heero's direction, noticing that the demon was clad in little more than a pair of long black sleeping pants and a tight grey muscle shirt and that he was standing aside, offering Duo entrance into the room without saying a word.

He pulled his door closed and padded as softly as he could across the hall towards Heero, slipping into the room with little more than another glance at the cobalt eyed demon. The door clicked shut behind him.

"Have you calmed down?" Heero whispered, his hand suddenly at Duo chin, gently lifting the braided boy's face so he could get a good look at his eyes. He could see that he had, indeed, relaxed.

Duo nodded slightly, "I'm fine now. I just had to get my thoughts in order, you know?"

"Indeed," he paused, letting the hand that held Duo's face stroke the soft skin with reverence, "I apologize for confusing you."

"Yeah, well, it's just hard, you know, to think one thing one minute and then, BAM, have everything you ever thought about yourself suddenly be a lie. It's really... disconcerting. More than really. Painful and mind-numbing."

"And for that I am sorry." Heero looked down, his face hidden behind his mop of chocolate brown hair. Duo was sure that if he could see his eyes, they would be swirling with self-deprecation, and that made him feel slightly better.

The braided teen shrugged, taking a step away. He glanced around the room, noticing for the first time that it was bare of everything except a bed and a single, abused looking suitcase. He didn't remember Heero bringing it in, but dismissed it as an unimportant detail. "It's okay, I guess. I mean, you weren't trying to fuck with me, right?"

Heero saw the suspicion on Duo's face loud and clear, "No, I wasn't. I spoke only the truth."

He watched Duo nod, accepting the answer. The room was silent, long agonizing moments were both wanted to fill the silence but afraid to do so. Without looking at the demon, Duo broke the emptiness, "I met someone interesting on 5th Ave today."

Heero said nothing, instead sitting on his bed and staring at Duo as he chewed his lips and looked everywhere but at him.

"A guy," Duo added, glancing at Heero, "who said his name was Trowa Barton." He watched as Heero's face went from mild shock, to amusement, to annoyance, before he shook his head and let out a low chuckle.

A small smirk on his lips, Heero asked, "Did he tell you I'm a cruel and heartless monster?"

"No. More of a round-about compliment. He said you don't play with people's emotions."

"I don't," he looked down, realizing that he had done something similar to Duo when he's first made himself known, "I didn't play with your emotions."

"You just influenced them," Duo cut Heero off before he could apologize again, "And stop saying you're sorry or else I'll kick you in the fucking face. I'm not mad at you, fuck, if anything, after talking to that brother of yours, I'm starting to think that maybe you're not as big of a bastard as I thought you were. Why don't we start over? Wipe the slate clean and all that jazz."

Heero raised an eyebrow.

With an exasperated sigh, Duo shuffled to the bed and sat down next to Heero, sticking his hand out, "I'm Duo Maxwell. It's a pleasure to meet you."

A laugh escaped from him as he grasped Duo's warm hand, "Heero Yuy, and the pleasure is mine."

It was a few weeks before anything of interest occurred. It was a cool autumn evening, and Duo had decided to take the longer way home from his after-school job. This wasn't an odd occurrence; in fact, he rarely ever took the shortcuts he'd memorized. They never really seemed necessary.

The sun hung low on the horizon, bathing the well-kept streets in a benevolent pre-dusk haze. Duo's mind wandered as he stared at the sky in wonder, his thoughts pinned to Heero and their new-found truce. It was odd, really, that his thoughts about the reclusive demon were no longer hostile or suspicious. In fact, he was rather looking forward to being near Heero when he got home. To some extent, he found himself wondering what it would be like to feel Heero's lips pressed against his again, and rather than fighting against him, kissing back. He violently pushed the thought down. He'd just decided to start over - it wasn't like he actually wanted the handsome demon to touch him, right?

"Yeah, right. And monkeys fly," he muttered to himself, knowing full-well that he wouldn't have minded at all if Heero had suddenly appeared before him with every intention of shoving his tongue down Duo's throat. "Well, at least I know it's not one-sided."

"What's not one-sided?" The familiar tone of Heero's slightly nasal voice, laced with amusement, came from the branches of the tree above, and Duo wasted no time in turning to look up at the object of his musings.

"What're you doing in a tree?" He deadpanned.

Heero's sunglasses rested at the tip of his nose as he stared down at Duo with a petit smile, "Answer mine and I'll answer yours."

Duo rolled his eyes, "It's nothing. Just the mutterings of a deranged lunatic, s'all."

"Well, it is an answer, I suppose," He leaped down from the branch, the smart looking trench coat trailing behind him, "Since you were so kind, I'll answer yours. In short, I was following you."

"Why am I not surprised?" Duo sighed, crossing his arms in a huff. He should have known that Heero in a tree above his head signified "stalking."

Instead of a witty comeback, Heero just shrugged before starting to walk, "In all honesty, I was taking a walk. I just happened to end up in a tree."

Falling in step next to the taller demon, he gave him an unconvinced look, "Uh-huh."

"Really," Heero insisted, his eyes smiling where his lips were not, "It seemed a good time to hide on a branch."

Duo snorted, "Keyword being 'hide'?"

"Indeed. Although, if you really wanted to you could --" Heero paused, glancing up at the sky with a frown on his face.

Duo followed the other's eyes to where he thought Heero was looking and saw nothing but a bird. Confused, he inquired, "What's wrong?"

The only response was a shake of his head and a muttered "nevermind."

Disregarding it as a random quirk of his friend's, he scrunched his nose and kept on walking. "Well, if you won't tell me..." He trailed off when he felt Heero grab his arm, holding on insistently but not forcefully, "Heero?"

"Would you be angry with me if I were to kiss you right now?" Heero's voice was soft, and Duo almost missed what he had said. Almost.

Hadn't he, only moments before, been thinking those very same thoughts? He stared at Heero for a moment, seriously pondering the question. The expression on Heero's face was somewhere between uncertainty (a strange look on that face) and determination. Would he get angry? The answer was ridiculously simple, "No, I won't be angry."

That strange expression melted into a pleased almost-smile only a moment before he moved, faster than Duo could follow, to bring his lips to Duo's. There was a hesitant moment on the braided youth's part before he tossed his concerns to the dogs, wrapped his arms around the other demon, and responded to the kiss with enthusiasm.

The bird circled one more time before flying off. The looking-glass holding the birds vision cleared, leaving the Beast with nothing more than his own reflection. He smirked, the look obviously natural to his tanned face. Ebony hair fell around his face as he let out loud guffaw.

"So Yuy has a toy, eh?" The Beast's smirk widened into a crazed smile, glancing again at the mirror. He turned away, leaving the darkened room with thoughts of vengeance running endlessly through his mind.

A/N:happy squeal: I did it, I did it! OMG, do you know how much this hurt to write? My brain is fucking melting at this point. I just spent a good four (I think) hours on this, and at this point I'm ready to fall over and scream hallelujah. Of course, I should probably save the celebration for when I've actually finished the damn thing. Which might be soon, if this chapter is any indication. Only the reviews will tell. :smile, smile: And to the reviewers: Thank you soooo much. I love you all bunches.

P.S. Is anyone else completely shocked at what I've done to Trowa? Because, honestly, I didn't realize I'd written that entire part until it was done. Oo And yay! Wufei is evil!