Trapped

Chapter II

By The Vampyre's Widow

A/N: Yes! Second chapter is out! W00t! Now…what do I have to say? Oh yea…I had fun writing this chapter. I had a chance to get inside Duo's head, but it was also a bit hard to write. After the series and Endless Waltz, what happened in the space of time between then and now? And how was Duo to react to all this? Yes, I had many headaches. Worth it however! Enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing/Endless Waltz, or I'd be rich pimping them

Dedication: To my girlfriend, Kitty-chan, who made me write this

Reviews:

ffpanda – I can't kill Duo! I'd shoot myself! That boy is too awesome to kill

charlie00 – Ok! Ok! I updated! See! Don't hurt me…

Serenity Maxwell – Thank you

Zhanael – I know…guy sex, ew…

Damn his head hurt. Right there in the back of his head. It felt like somebody had tried to permanently lay him out. Which wouldn't have been far off the mark. "Shit…" He didn't want to open his eyes, didn't want to know if he'd been captured by the cultist freaks.

As the ache in his head started to recede he became aware of something hot and then cold on his face. The heat smelled like a turkey sandwich. What? Turkey sandwich? He cracked open one eye and then gasped.

All around him were steel beams, metal sheeting and broken wood. One arm protruded from the pile to his right, a pool of dark blood on the floor. A cultist? Well, whoever it was had died a grisly death. Probably served them right.

The biggest shock was Heero.

The brunette's straining body was the only barrier that kept the blonde from being crushed. To either side of his head, the muscular arms quivered. "Heero?" The face above him was sweating, the small beads of salt peppering the wood around him and running down Duo's cheek.

His mind couldn't accept that the only thing between him and a painful death was Heero's body. Later on he would regret the first thing that popped out of his mouth when his partner opened his eyes. "You should have brushed your teeth after lunch. Your breath stinks!"

Heero glared down at him. His blue eyes showed his irritation though Duo could see the corners of his mouth twitching. "Be quiet."

"Why? I'm not the idiot who's trying to be a martyr!" The minute it was out of his mouth he flushed. "Sorry…" Heero was trying to save him and here he was being rude and ungrateful.

"It's…nng…ok…" The muscles in the brunette's neck and arms bulged, the pressure point in his neck fluctuating wildly.

He couldn't imagine how much pressure the Pilot was supporting and could only be amazed at how strong he was. You couldn't tell by looking at him that he was as strong as he was. Knowing him as long as he had, and seeing him on missions had given Duo a newfound respect for the control Heero had over that.

And that strength was keeping him from death.

"Why?" Amethyst eyes scanned the face above him.

There was silence for a long moment, and Duo could see Heero weighing his answer. A sense of nervousness clawed his stomach. What was he nervous about? He already knew that Heero would say it was for the mission.

"For the mission."

There it was.

"Damnit, you could have left me behind! You're compromising the data!" Duo shouted, his concern for his friend translating into rage. "You idiot!"

His partner only gave a ghost of a smile. A small grunt escaped when the brunette shifted his weight. The pile of lumber and steel gave an eerily human groan as their support changed. Heero ignored his partners growling, concentrating only on his task. Damned if he'd let his partner die this way. "Duo."

"What?" The question was practically hissed out.

"Transmitter."

The blonde scrambled for the small object in his coat pocket. Quatre had given them the transmitter as a just in case. In the back of his mind he silently sent a word of thanks to the blonde Arab. He was monitoring their mission somewhere nearby and was ready to move if they needed help. Without the transmitter it was possible that no one would know they were still alive.

"Active." Duo's hand held the small piece of metal and wires like it was a lifeline. Considering their position, that was an accurate way of viewing it. Through the thin skin of his fingers, the blue eyes could see the red glow.

The smooth metal was an assurance to the braided man. Quatre would find them and get them out. He continued to watch his partner's face, unable to look elsewhere. If it weren't a life and death situation he'd be appreciating the position they were in. Heero would definitely be straining about something else.

No! He couldn't be thinking like that. Not now at least.

It was damned hard to keep his thoughts on a more mundane train of thought. When you're inches away from death the last thing you want to think about is paperwork. He'd been close to death many times before but it wasn't the same. Then, he would have died alone with Deathsycthe.

"Stop."

"Stop what?" Duo asked.

"We're not going to die."

The brunette became the receiver of a glare. "Quit reading my mind!" Duo huffed as he looked around the very small space. He could move his fingers a fraction of an inch and brush the debris. Or the arm of the dead cultist. Ew.

He hoped that Quatre got them out soon.

The two lapsed into silence, each staring at the other. Duo didn't know how long they stayed like that. They followed their own train of thought, seeing but not seeing the other.

Duo watched the body above him, tracing the hidden curves. The small space smelled like Heero. Patchouli, musk and male. It was a heady combination. He wanted to reach up and bury his head in his partners' neck and breath it in. The scent did strange things to his body, making his heartbeat wildly and lower regions stir. It was a good thing that Heero wasn't able to see him full view.

Emotionally, his heart was wrenching to see the Perfect Soldier striving to keep them from being crushed. His body ached in response to the quivering muscles and bulging tendons. Heero had to be hurting, though he didn't say anything. His heart broke a little for the selfless action.

"Heero?" The question was soft, almost timid.

The blue eyes focused on the elfin face beneath them. "Yes?"

"How…how much does it hurt?"

The thin lips curled into an almost smile, blue eyes sliding shut. "Not much."

"Seriously."

"Like a bitch."

Duo couldn't help the giggle that escaped his mouth. Heero only grunted in response, the cobalt eyes squeezing shut. His body seemed to shake and bow before he straightened again.

The braided man had no way of knowing if only the first floor of the manse had collapsed or if the explosion had brought all of the three floors down on them. There had to be upwards of a ton, maybe two tons, of debris around and over them. Even with Heero's super strength he wouldn't be able to last much longer under the strain. He was, after all, only human.

Duo let his mind wander, wondering what Quatre was doing. The transmitter was still in his hand, a warm reassurance. Matter of fact, what was Wufei doing? The Chinese man had been married not even a week ago to Preventer Doctor, Sally Po. It hadn't been a big shock; everyone had noticed the growing attraction and coy looks that had been exchanged.

The American would have laughed his ass off at the mental image of Wufei – Enforcer of Justice – giving anyone a coy look. He'd seen it firsthand though. It had come out looking like a hybrid of a leer and a…he wasn't sure if it could be called puppy eyes or a wink. Whatever it had been caused the taller woman to burst out in giggles.

Poor Wufei…he'd been red-faced for the rest of the day.

The couple should be in the Caribbean's, in the vicinity of Jamaica. Sally had told the younger man that they would hopping all over the Earth, spending a couple days in places that had caught their interests. Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, New York…

He was glad that Wufei had finally found somebody. Out of all five he seemed to be the one that held back from any kind of deeper relationships. Even with the other Pilots. Duo had found a report with the dark-haired mans history in it. After the death of his wife at fourteen years of age…he could see why he wouldn't let anybody close to him.

Trowa and Quatre were doing well on their own. You didn't have to know them long to know that the two were utterly wrapped up in each other. It was very irritating to be talking to either one and find them staring at the other. Not to mention you could rarely find one without the other.

The feeling of something warm and thick broke him out of his thoughts. Now aware of his surroundings once more, the scent of copper filled his nose. The warm liquid on his cheeks was no longer sweat, but blood.

Shocked violet eyes watched the blood that saturated the chocolate brown locks trailed down Heero's cheek. It hovered on the edge of his chin before joining it's fallen comrades. All along his neck the red spread and the shirt and jacket of the Preventers uniform was becoming soaked.

The scent was becoming overpowering, as the drops of blood became more frequent, running back into his chestnut hair. "Heero?" Duo asked frantically, hands coming up to wipe the blood off the tanned skin. He ignored the surprise in the blue eyes, doing his best to wipe the pouring blood off, but only succeeding in spreading it further.

There was something else in those eyes, an emotion that he couldn't pin. His body recognized it and responded. Breath became short, almost gasping to pull in air. "Heero?" This time it was softer, still filled with concern and worry.

"We won't die." Heero stated, the drop of blood on his lip quivering.

Duo doubted that as he watched his partner struggled to keep from collapsing. The muscles and viens were almost bursting through the Perfect Soldiers skin. His gaze dropped down to the one in his neck, which was throbbing almost violently now. Heero was near the end of his limits, having been almost a half-hour since the collapse.

He didn't want to die. There were things he still wanted to do, besides the fact he was too young to die! He'd wanted to climb Mt. Everest the old way, listen to Sally and Wufei's recollections about their honeymoon, get under Quat's skin and make Trowa laugh some more. Most of all, he wanted Heero. He wanted to watch him type out his daily reports, wanted to go running with him like they always did, wanted to…fuck, he even wanted to watch the man eat in their kitchen!

Not to mention he wanted to know what Heero tasted like, what he looked like in the middle of passionate lovemaking.

There had been a point in time that he'd been shocked at the thoughts that popped up concerning Zero's Pilot. Hilde had been a good shoulder to lean on and a listening ear to his problem. Of course she had summoned it up in three words.

"Your in love."

He had been more than ready to write it off as lust instead of love. During Operation Meteor and the ensuing wars, they had been unable to do all the things that regular teens did. Date, experiment, sneak out of the house…It must have been his way of filling in for that.

The only problem was, was that it didn't go away.

It got worse.

Finally he had to admit defeat. He did love Heero. Every strength, every weakness. They way he talked, the way he listened. All the facets of the human that bore the name of being the Perfect Soldier.

Heero let out a pained grunt, bowing under the weight on top of him. The expression on his face was pure pain, the taut, bloody skin pasty white. "I'm sorry, Duo…"

"I love you." It was a whisper, but he knew that he had heard. Duo pulled Heero's head down to him, ignoring the fresh wave of blood and the groaning of steel.

He tasted like Heero, like blueberries and mouthwash. There was an edge of desperation to the kiss that came with death. They explored each other's mouths, running over even teeth. Neither broke it as strength bled out and the weight began to crush them both.

A/N: Yes yes! Not really a cliffhanger ending but it's not over yet! Please review!