Summary, Warnings and Disclaimer: If I ever have anything else to say about these categories, I'll mention them here.
Everyone leave me stranded
Forgotten
Abandoned
Left behind
I can't stay here another night…
-Evanescence, "Solitude"
"Duo. Duo! Wake up!"
Duo stirred sullenly, only opening an eye with extreme reluctance at his friend's urging. "Yeah, Quat? Wha' is it?" he muttered, still half-asleep.
"We're here. We need to get out so the taxi can leave," the little Arabian said, looking at the braided boy with a concerned smile.
"Oh, okay." Duo smiled back sleepily, before his mind caught up with him. Wait, taxi? I thought we were in a shuttle…oh. The pilot relaxed a bit as memories of a spaceport filled with crying children and sharp-eyed businessmen even at that late hour flashed through his mind. Damn. I must have been more tired than I thought…
Rubbing a hand over his eyes, Duo stepped out of the cab into a light drizzle that did nothing for his mood but wonders for waking him up. Behind him, he could hear Quatre asking the driver how much they owed as the American found his eyes drawn to their newest, if temporary home.
It was odd. The house was pleasant enough to look at even in the post-midnight darkness, a rather large two-story with a nice lawn, but for some reason Duo was already starting to dislike it. Maybe it was how all of its siblings had been replaced long ago, by homes that looked nothing like it, yet the building still exuded a feeling of having come off of an assembly line.
Say whatever you like for conformity, Duo would always come down on the side of originality.
Turning when Quatre called his name, the teenager caught his duffel as the blonde tossed it at him. The boy closed the cab door firmly, and it drove off into the night. With his back to the house, Duo never saw the pair of eyes that watched them from an upstairs window.
Not that he could have anyway.
The drowsiness was already re-conquering the American as he stood blinking in the front hallway. The dusty hall had been revealed when Quatre turned on the lights, and he could tell the blonde was embarrassed at the lack of housekeeping.
"So where are the bedrooms?" he asked, resettling the bag's strap on his shoulder so it didn't cut so much into his skin.
"Upstairs, I believe. I'll pull up the blueprints tomorrow for us to memorize. Um, you'll probably want to change the sheets, too."
"Gotcha. See ya in the morning, then?"
Quatre grinned teasingly. "Don't you mean afternoon, Duo?"
Rolling his eyes, the braided boy stuck out his tongue and ran up the stairs. Up top, a wide hallway stretched the length of the house, with doors located at intervals along it. Shrugging, he went to the far end and opened up the first door.
Inside was an enormous four poster bed, and across the room was another door that Duo could only imagine led to a private bathroom. Must be the master suite. Q'll want that for him and Tro, then.
Backing away, he shut the door and went on to the next one. The room within the former street rat could only describe as opulent. The bed was almost as large as the one in the master bedroom, though oddly enough it looked like it had been reinforced for some reason. Around the room, on every available surface rested what must be hundreds of toys, covered with their own patina of dust.
Curious, the teen walked in and over to one of the bookcases, though from the look of it he doubted it had ever held actual books. Duo poked gingerly at one of the toys, a miniature tank that looked like it had seen better days. Grimacing, he walked back to the bed and leaned on it with one hand, letting out a small cry as it sank in past his wrist.
Hell no. Duo turned and walked out of the room, a frown on his face. It would have been interesting to see what all the toys did, but there was no way he'd ever be able to sleep on something that soft. Growing up on the streets had seen to that. Even now he had trouble getting to sleep on normal beds, let alone things like that monster. He'd toss and turn until early the next morning, then sleep 'til noon to make up for it.
'Course, the others probably just thought he was lazy and liked to sleep in- which actually had a gem of truth in it, come to think of it, but sometimes the fifteen-year-old wished he had a choice when it came to sleeping in. Even just for watching the sun rise, or something.
Unseen, his watcher chuckled soundlessly to himself. Even now no one liked the fat lug's room.
Back in the hall, Duo walked across and opened the next door he came to. Much better, he mused, poking his head through the doorway. Inside, the only furniture was a simple desk and chair, a chest of drawers, and a surprisingly dust-free single bed.
Grinning, he tossed his duffel on the bed and walked back to the head of the stairs. "Hey, Q? I found my room," he called, vaguely hearing the blonde's confirming response. Turning back, the American flopped down on the bed and pulled off his shoes, before curling up and for once falling almost instantly to sleep.
Had the pilot realized there was another person in the room, he never would have let himself relax to that extent, but as it was… He couldn't really be blamed for not knowing. After all, his watcher didn't want to let himself be seen as he gazed down at the sleeping boy.
The watcher sighed, both from jealousy and… relief. Jealousy, for what he was, that the observer wasn't, and because this was his room, but…
Now, maybe, he wouldn't be so alone.
With an ironic, if invisible smile, the watcher turned away. Exerting his will as much as he could, he reached out and flicked off the light switch, plunging the room into darkness before letting himself rest.
A/N: /sighs/ I seem to be unable to write long chapters for this particular crossover. Dunno why.
Kou: Not to mention you were supposed to work on the other one…
Hey, you'll have to be a bit more specific than just muttering "Work on the HP/GW crossover…" inside my head. Otherwise, it's open to interpretation.
Kou: …
Well, at least I got it out in relatively good time. Oh, and I've vaguely decided it's going to be DuoxHarry, though that's subject to change. I just realized while I was writing this how eerily appropriate it is, the God of Death falling in love with… well, I suppose I better not clarify that just yet, though some of you will probably guess it with this chapter.
Review Responses:
Minako Nine: Um, thanks! ;) I hadn't really planned to do that, though… sorry.
And thank you for not telling me to rush this, even if I want to. It's nice to hear that someone wants it to be good instead of wanting it all at once.
Mithros: /blinks/ You know, you almost sound happy about it… But thanks anyway!
Rav Rev: Nah, no time travel. I find it to be a bit overdone with this particular crossover. I am planning for Duo to have magic, though.
Shino Ryu: Really? I thought it seemed kind of rushed… but I'll bow to your undoubtedly superior judgement! /beams/
Anyway, thanks for supporting me in this from the beginning. The first reviewers for each story always have a special place in my heart…
Kou: Dear God, stop with the sappiness…
/smacks him over the head/ Insensitive baka…