Tainted for life

Chapter 4

Duo groaned as he turned in his bed. His whole body ached, not one part of him will be any other colour then blue the next morning, except his face. He only got one punch against his cheek, the rest was aimed to his stomach and legs and arms and once he was down on the ground he got some kicks against his back. His father didn't forget to tell him that he'd always wanted to do that after Duo told them he was gay.

God, how could Duo ever forget the smirk on his fathers face as he kicked him into oblivion. It would haunt him in his sleep for the rest of his life, he was sure of that. But at least it gave him a damn good reason to leave this cursed house as quick as possible. He wasn't going to make the same mistake as his mother, if she was okay with this madman controlling her life, then that was her problem. Not that he didn't care about her, but he was to busy with himself now. He realised how selfish that sounded, but she didn't quite jump to HIS aid over the past aid, so he why should he? She could leave any time and find a better man, she still had the looks. If he left, he was nothing more then a homeless homosexual unemployed loser.

He turned again, as his current position made his bruises scream and protest, but he soon figured out there was no such position as a comfortable one. He now longed for his dayly visit to the tattoo-shop more then ever.

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He looked terrible! No make-up could cover up the big bruise on his cheek that had all the colours of the rainbow. He looked at himself in the mirror, even his big sunglasses didn't cover it. He looked like a sissy that got into a bitch fight... and lost without a doubt.

'Are you fussing about your looks again? Geez, you really are gay huh?' Hilde's mocking voice said. He saw her reflection in the mirror, she didn't look at him and walked into his room and sat down on his bed. How dare she! How dare that evil devil to walk into HIS room and vacate it's ass on HIS bed!

He turned around in his chair that stood in front of the mirror and gave her a look that could kill any mortal. But she wasn't mortal, she was a demon. His look disappeared though when she gasped in shock and stood up, slowly walking towards him.

'Duo, what happened!' She said and held her hand out, reaching for the bruise with her eyes and mouth wide open.

He smacked her hand away 'Don't pretend to care about my wellbeing demon-sister.' He spat.

'Duo, I know you're angry with me but-'

'Angry! You think I am angry with you! You sure lack the ability to read body language, sister. I'm ready to kill you on the spot.' He said and pushed her away roughly, walking past her as she still looked at him with shock.

'Duo! How can you blame this all on me!'

He whipped his head around and the flames of hell must have burned in his eyes for she took a surprised step backwards. He didn't even make an effort to try and explain her why he'd hate her for the rest of his life and just continued to walk away. In the hall way he almost bumped into his mother. Her face was passive, but her eyes all but shed tears for him.

Thanks mom. He though sarcastically and walked out of the house. He didn't get the car, he was already so deep in quicksand he could barely breath.

He took large steps to get to the shop as fast as possible. He was an hour early, the shop wasn't even closed yet, but he couldn't wait any longer. He tried his best to ignore the surprised stares of other pedestrians. Giving him the pity-look he hated that look. He got it enough at home, from his mother. At this moment, he had the feeling that he was capable of hating everyone around him. Even Heero, the boy he never really talked to but had a major crush on. Hopeless love, devil-sister, 'spanked' by his father, the pity-look from his mother. What could make this day, his life, worse?

He had to ask, had he?

He stormed into the shop and people in the waiting room looked surprised or angry at him for breaking the peace and silence.

Cat's eyes widened as she saw him and immediately left her post and grabbed him by his shoulders.

He hissed, as even his shoulders weren't left out last night.

'Duo! Dear god! What happened to you!' She looked him straight in the eyes. Damn, she gave him the pity-look, but somehow, it wasn't all that bad when she did it, though he still certainly did not like it. 'Come on, let's go to the back.' She ushered him away from the strange glances through the back, the two tattoo-artists looked up as they passed them by, neither was Heero. They entered a small room, that looked like a storage room. She pushed him into a chair and grabbed some ice. He hissed again as the cool bag was connected to his cheek. She said in a chair opposite of his, holding the ice bag against his cheek.

'Duo, what the hell happened to you. Who did this?'

'None of your business!' He spat, not meaning to get mad, but like he said before, he was now able to hate everyone. No exceptions.

'Duo, I'm your friend, please, I just want to help.' Then it hit her and she gasped and looked him up and down, 'oh my god... your father... how... why?'

Duo sighed 'He said he had wanted to this ever since I told him I was gay.' He didn't know why he told her, but he did feel better now.

'Oh Duo.' She leaned forward and hugged him, but she was quick to pull back when she heard his pained groan.

'Stop this!' He protested, as the look was starting to annoy him to the fullest. God, he didn't want her to make him so angry he could strangle her!

'What's going on in here?'

That's what went wrong.

In the door opening stood the exotic, mysterious, boy he had dreamed about so many times. Heero. The blinding light behind him gave him a heavenly halo as he leaned with his shoulder against the doorframe, just as casual as you please. His eyes boring holes into the side of Duo's head. The side, for he did not have the nerve to look at him, then he would see the bruise.

'Cathy, we made some strict rules. No boyfriends in the storage closet.' He joked and Duo could FEEL the intensity of his gaze lessen.

'Heero, this isn't my Boyfriend! This is Duo, my friend whom I told you about?'

'Oh yeah! I remember you. I'll tell you, I never forget a braid when I see one.' He joked again, probably because he noticed Duo's mood was as low as a striptease would go for a hundred bucks.

He finally pulled himself together and turned his head towards Heero. Smiling at him. The poor jokes did made him feel a bit better. But what he saw made him feel like flying. Heero still stood in the same position, but only now he noticed his clothing that, once again, made him look like a god, or an angel, that fell from the heavens above. He wore the same tight jeans, this time a black, skintight tanktop and over it a sand coloured button-up shirt, open. The shirt concealed some of his perfect figure but he still looked amazing. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he once again wondered where his other tattoos would be and how he looked naked. God, why was he acting like a little schoolgirl!

Cat first looked at Duo, then at Heero and then at Duo again before she smirked and said: 'Did someone call me? I better go check up front.'

No one had called, she just looked for an excuse to leave the two of them alone.

As soon as she left alone, Heero fully entered and took her seat in front of Duo. Grabbing the ice and holding it against Duo's cheek like Cat had done.

'Got beaten up, ne?'

Heero didn't gave him the pity-look and Duo wondered why he was suddenly disappointed. He hated that look! But he couldn't help but wonder if Heero didn't care about his bruises that much, not enough to give him the look.

'Yeah, pretty badly.' He said softly. Lost in the blue sapphire eyes that were so close to his now. So close. Their faces were barely a feet away from each other.

'Yeah, I know how that feels.' Heero said with a sigh and adjusted his hold on the ice. He was just as absorbed into holding it like he had been into tattooing that guys arm when Duo saw him for the first time.

'You do?'

'Yeah. When I was young I took a lot of hits. No I don't get them, I give them.'

Duo raised his eyebrow.

Heero laughed 'don't worry, I don't go around beating people into oblivion for the kick of it! I mean that I've learned to defend myself instead of falling to the ground and curling into a tight ball, trying to protect my head and chest.'

Exactly the same as Duo had done last night. But his back still wasn't happy with that move.

Heero sighed 'You'd just gonna have to bear it. You should have put some ice on it sooner.' He stood up and put the ice back in the freezer before he left the small room he turned around and said seriously: 'Don't forget Duo. Fight back the next time.'

Maybe he will.

'And!' Cat curiously asked as she happened to be unneeded up front exactly when their conversation ended.

'What do you mean 'And?'?' Duo asked and grinned 'Of course we kissed and i didn't want to have sex immediately but he changed my mind so... you know... Sorry about the spots on the wall though.'

She immediately turned around and looked at the wall Duo had nodded to. She frowned 'I don't see any spots.'

Duo sighed 'You really think that we had sex! God Cat! You Pervert!'

'Ah! It's Miss Pervert to you boy.' She warned and smiled, then blushed 'I didn't really believe you.'

' 'Course you didn't.' He gave her a pat on the shoulder 'Wow... unbelievable how much better I feel.'

'I told you!' she called excitedly, 'You guys are a match made in heaven!'

'Or one made in Hell.' Duo stood up. 'Can't you close the shop a bit sooner. I want to get out.'

'Sorry Duo, you have to wait for an hour. I can't close with so many people waiting.'

'I understand.' He sighed and he could feel her give him the pity-look again. But he asked for it, no point in blaming it on her.

'You just stay here, I don't want to have you disturbing customers.' She said with a grin and left the room.

Only god knows how he stayed in that boring room for a whole hour without so much even thinking about how bored he was. It was front page news for someone like him. Finally Cat opened the door and he could see that the chairs were all empty. He smiled and stretched his arms and legs when he got up. Frankie entered the room to grab his broom. Duo vaguely noted he took three. One for himself, one for him, for whom was the other. Cat had made it clear she was no maid and refused to even look at the broom as she always organised the little administration they did after a day.

But he was soon to find out as he saw the third standing in the middle of the 'tattoo-room' between the chairs. He smiled, showing off his perfectly white teeth and took the broom from Frankie. Duo could only catch the last half of his sentence: '-okayyyy, because Cat practically begged me.'

Cat begged him? The lights went on in Duo's head. She had begged him to stay for more bonding between Heero and him! That bitch, where was she, he had to slowly torture her to death. He didn't want Heero around when half of his face was blue and he groaned with every movement he made because of the aching in his body. He tried to tell her just that by only using his eyes but apparently she didn't get it. For she didn't run away in fear, screaming for help.

'Gee Heero, that's so kind of you to help.' She said mockingly, while giving a fuming Duo a wink. 'Why now? On this day?' She continued, waiting for him to say: Because I love Duo so much and I want to get to know him better!

Unfortunately, that wasn't what he said.

'I would've helped before if you had just asked me.'

'Yeah sure.' Cat retorted, rolling dramatically with her eyes.

'It's true!' He protested with a smile and Duo felt his heart smelt. Could anyone be cuter or more perfect? ... Of course not! It was a rhetorical question, you're not supposed to answer it!

Duo shook his head and continued cleaning. But once in a while he stole a glance in Heero's direction. Again he had that intense look on his face. He dared to bet Heero was a perfectionist. He shook his head again when he wondered if he had the same intense look on his face while making love. He raised his eyebrow when Heero looked at him, smiling. 'What?'

'Why do you shake your head so much? Fleas?'

'Anything more to say mister King of Comedy?' He said sarcastically, but Heero misunderstood the sarcasm and backed away.

'Take it easy, I was just joking, no need to chew my arm off.'

After that they weren't even within ten feet of each other and didn't talk as they pretended to be absorbed into the task of scrubbing the floors, wiping the chairs and replacing interments.

'Good job men.' Cat barked in the end as a General of an army. 'give me twenty and then hit the showers.'

'That's not funny Cat.' Frankie said dryly.

She rolled her eyes 'Whatever. If you pansies are done we can hit the road.'

Duo thought she meant dropping everyone off at home for it was getting quite late but they ended up in a new night club between sweaty moving bodies as they tried to reach the bar.

Finally getting there cat ordered: 'Three beers and a..' She fell silent and turned towards Duo. Her eyes asking: what do you want kid?

'What do you expect me to say? 'A coke please'?' He turned to the barman and thought for a while 'A Martini, dry.'

'Coming right up.'

Cat and Frankie looked a bit more then mildly surprised but he didn't want them to think he was some kind of twenty one year old baby who never had a strong drink. Okay, so he never in his life DID have an alcoholic drink, but how bad could it be?

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'Damn Duo, you're wasted.' Heero commented, struggling a bit to drag Duo to car. For some reason Cat had insisted HE carried Duo, instead of Frankie. But carrying him was near impossible for he was a good five inches shorter and not as strong as he looked.

If Duo would have been conscious enough to notice he had his arm around Heero's shoulders and Heero's arm around his waist he would have been drooling. But he was totally lost.

'Hey! Howsare you dsoing?' He slurred to a stranger passing them by. The man gave Duo an angry look and tightened the hold on his girlfriend.

'Duo, why didn't you tell us you never had a drink in your life? Then we would have stopped you when you went for your tenth martini.' Cat asked, though knowing it was futile. Duo would never be able to answer her question in the state he was in.

Heero all but threw him into the car, glad to have that weight off his shoulders.

'Damn Heero, didn't knew you were sucha wussy.' Frankie said as he sat Duo in the seat, upright and strapped him in.

'We can't drop him off at home like this. His father will beat the crap out of him.'

Heero looked at cat, shocked. 'His father did that?' He asked and pointed at the bruise.

'That and more.'

'So, what are we gonna do with him?'

'Ask him what he wants himself?' Frankie suggested but he got looks from his friends that clearly said: And how much did you drink tonight?

'I'll take him home with me.'

... who will take him home? Only one way to find out, read the next chapter... as soon as I wrote it --'

Crimson Waterfall

PS: I am dying for reviews! Please, put me out of my misery!