UNDERLYING AGENDA
CHAPTER TWELVE
The downpour began not long after she departed. It beat down on the glass walls so violently that it turned the view of downtown into an abstract rendition in watercolor. Dropping his boots by the door, Duo shrugged out of his jacket and made a short call to Heero before he abandoned the phone on the coffee table and sat down with a discontented sigh.
"How long will y'all be gone for?"
"One week, approximately. And you?"
"I don't know. Sally just said not to leave him."
A strange clamor had him rushing back into the bedroom several hours later, fighting against the elements and rain ruined drapery to secure the balcony door before it swung its final time.
The impact breakage marring the custom glass reminded Duo of how fragile life could be if tried one too many times.
The light of the bedside lamp revealed that some color had returned to Zechs's cheeks, and Duo found the ruddy shade comforting among all the ashen hues of the apartment. Duo looked around. Beside the king bed were two matching bedside tables of black lacquered wood, a silver digital clock adorning one. A partnering chest of drawers sat across from it with a Samsung HDTV mounted on the alpine white wall above. No films, no music. Beside the balcony doors sat a single, low bearing chair, its dark upholstery making its modern design appear misshapen and demonic. No dog-eared books nearby, no toed off slippers. It was all entirely pedestrian. No warmth, uninviting, completely devoid of personality. Duo turned back to the sleeping prince and thoughtfully tilted his head. It made him all the more uniquely striking.
The bathroom was equally dismal, but the towels were surprisingly fluffy and soft and Duo reveled in it as he swept it across his wet face and bangs. Cotton was a treat on L2. And so was Redken texturizing shampoo, weightless conditioner, and invigorating body wash. The combination of mint and ginseng were heavenly. They reminded him of Zechs. With a devious smirk and twinkle in his eye, Duo slowly began unbuttoning his work shirt and removed the rest of his clothes as the water heated up. Mindful of the sleeping blonde, Duo decidedly left the bathroom and shower door open and watched him over his shoulder while he pulled apart his braid. The moment he was engulfed by the multi-head luxury shower system from all sides, however; Duo Maxwell, Gundam Pilot 02, briefly escaped from his harsh realities just as his temporary ward came to.
Nausea had quietly trickled in for some time. It flooded his consciousness until it viciously ripped him from his sleep. Sliding across the perspiring tiles, instinct propelled him to the toilet with vomit already bursting passed his lips, turning a peculiar color as it mixed with the blood that began seeping from his chin. He knew not he had split it open on the ceramic rim, even when his knees gave out and he fell unceremoniously before it. Organs shook with each tremor, threatening to be dislodged and dispatched through the raw and constricted esophagus with every violent heave. Sweat and salty tears coated him liberally but failed to cool his quickly overheating body, and when the last vestiges of strength and focus fell away, he found himself rescued by a force entirely independent of his pitiable fate.
The sudden movement of a second figure through the textured glass startled Duo into action, and he abandoned the shower and reached the fallen royal just as his painful grip slipped from the soiled bowl. "I've got you…" Duo secured an arm around him and tenderly wiped his sweaty brow clean of his matted fringe with the other, stilled by what he discovered. "Oh shit, but you're fucking scalding." With only a few precious moments to act, Duo abandoned all grace and quickly hauled him into the stall and adjusted the shower to run cold while he upended the kitchen in search of something, anything to help cool him down. With three cold-packs in hand, Duo returned and joined him beneath the freezing spray. "You're turn, Zechs," he said, forcing the lethargic blonde into a sitting position. Placing two against his chest he guided Zechs to hold them firmly against his core. "Stay with me and hold them there," he commanded, anchoring the other against his shoulder and letting Zechs's head fall back until the base of his neck rested there. The water was freezing as were Duo's limbs, but his lips, also his equal, never lied. Pressing them against Zechs's temple, Duo quietly gauged his temperature. It was still alarmingly elevated. Cradling him steadily between his arms and legs, Duo shut his eyes and forced his mind to leave his body, the cold, the fear.
Forty-five minutes later and nearly hypothermic, Duo gratefully turned off the water and ripped an idle towel from the shower door to wrap around Zechs's shoulders. "About damn time," Duo whispered, pearly whites chattering as he smiled against his much cooler skin. He managed to haul Zechs's out of the stall and back into bed where he didn't think twice about jumping in behind him to start generating some serious heat. Pressing his cheek flush against the blonde's, Duo cocooned him in on all sides and gave a contented sigh as the prickly feeling of blood returning to his extremities lulled him to sleep.
A/N: Thanks again for reading! Please review! All feedback welcome.