Disclaimer: GW does not belong to me I'm only an obsessed ff writer. The lowest of the low...
Dying for a Life Worth Living - A Lady Syndil story
Chapter Summary: Heero wakes up to find that life has taken a very interesting turn. But a whole life lived brings with it baggage and fears that Heero must overcome.
Main pairing 1X2, Side pairs 3x4 5xS
Warnings: Shonen Ai, Yaoi. Slight angst, Language, Lime. Current rating is T but later chapters will change to M as the story and life progresses.
Chapter 3 - Day 1, Morning
Heero got her 'bath', the next morning. It was not nearly as embarrassing as she had feared. The nurse had been kind and very professional about it. But as 9:30 rolled around she started getting anxious, yes Heero's memories told her that Duo's was NOT a morning person, neither was she, unlike the old Heero. But she had been awake now for quite some time thanks to her morning bath, the nurses checking her vitals, a very light breakfast delivered by a far too awake and cheerful intern, etc…. She was Bored, and a touch worried as she over thought things.
She kept 'telling' herself that Duo had to get home, eat, sleep, shower and probably wash his hair, which normally took forever just by itself. But also Heero had asked for him to bring her a few things so he would need to do that as well. Damn, it was only 9:35…. Please come, please come, please come soon Duo, I need to know that yesterday wasn't a dream. (Meaning the time they had spent alone)
The counterpart of Duo, the one that had died in that other life had been severely damaged, abused physically, mentally emotionally and even sexually as a child. He had had serious problems with true intimacy (not always meaning sex). Almost always after an especially beautiful time together, he would freak out and violently push her away from him. It got to the point that she was terrified of letting go or allowing him to get to close. Then she would forget, and they would revel in the bond they shared. Then tragically the cycle would start all over again.
Heero knew Duo's cell phone number obviously, from the memories, but she fought with herself over whether or not she should call him and see when he was going to be there. The old Heero would have called him at sunrise and briskly threatened the sleepy ex-pilot to get his ass over here and he meant now. But she wasn't the old Heero, despite her seeming confidence yesterday she had quite a bit of baggage. Finally fingers trembling, she dialed his number, silently berating herself for being weak, and then again for the way her heart flipped in her chest as the groggy voice on the other end answered.
"Hello?" Despite knowing that having called using the hospital phone and that Duo wouldn't recognize the number on caller ID, Heero out of habit greeted him simply with a…
"Hey."
"Heero? Wha.. Oh hell, what TIME is it?" The relief Heero felt as she heard what sounded like the braided male falling out of bed was immense.
"About a quarter to 10."
"Fuck, shit, shit, shit… Damnit Heero, I figured you would have called me hours ago."
"I, ah, you needed the sleep, and I didn't want to push you."
"Push me? What the Fuck are you talking about? You're the one who leapt from a jet plane during takeoff." Heero continued to hear the sounds of running around. "Ah Hell, damnit! I still need to take a shower, I wanted to wash my hair…. Crap, crap, crap."
"It's fine Duo, take your time and wash your hair."
"S'ok 'Ro, Really?"
"Yeah really, when do you think you'll be able to make it?" Heero heard Duo sigh as he calculated how long everything he had to do plus the drive to the hospital would take.
"Ah, let's see, I should be able to be there in about 2 hours give or take. So noonish? Hey, you want me to pick ya up something for lunch?"
"Baka, Sally would strangle you with your braid." Duo busted out laughing.
"She would too, wouldn't she?"
"Hai."
"Alright let me hop in the shower I'll be there soon as soon as I can."
"I'll be here, 'sides it's not like I can go anywhere anyway." Heero chuckle, he could almost see Duo grinning on the other end of the phone it was in his voice.
"K, bye,"
"Bye."
As Heero hung up, a sense of overwhelming relief surged thru her again. She closed her eyes to savor the feeling, it was very strong, too strong to be just one persons. She wondered if like in that other life, she was feeling Duo's feelings as well as her own, it seemed likely. Was he relieved that she had called, or that it had gone so well….. or, could it be? He was relieved she wasn't angry with him for not already being there, somehow that answer felt right. As Heero dropped into a light doze, tired from all the fretting earlier, she realized that perhaps the hardest thing she was going to need to learn wasn't the old Heero's skills, but to trust again. Like she and the original Heero, Duo and his counterpart were one and the same, but they were very different too. Where 'he' had always walked slowly with his eyes upon the ground, Duo bounced thru life, with his bright glorious violet eyes open to all that was around him.
Trust, believe…. She was here for a reason, she had to believe in him.
He arrived just before noon, a duffle bag over his shoulder, slightly winded from taking the stairs too impatient to wait for the elevator. Dropping the bag on a chair near the door, he turned and sparkling violet eyes met the deep cobalt blue ones, they paused, their breathing hitched as they faced one another. Taking in each other's appearance, each very glad they were clean and presentable. Duo's chestnut hair shone in the sunlight streaming thru the window with red and gold highlights, he'd braided it loosely, and only half way, obviously in a hurry.
"Hey."
Heero said, if she had been able to get up and go to him she would have. But she was quite literally, physically unable too. But she held out a hand to him. Duo walked across the room and took the hand offered to him and stared deep into Heero's eyes, and asked.
"C-can I?"
"God Yes."
Soft lips met soft lips and both males sighed into the kiss. This was not a kiss of passion, but of reaffirmation. There would be plenty of time for kissing and passion, later, most likely even later today. What they needed was to strengthen the bond and learn about each other as they were now, not as each 'had' been. They came apart with a second quick kiss, as Duo touched his forehead to Heero's briefly before sitting on the bed.
"So it is real, not a dream. I-I was worried that I had dreamed it all." Heero started, it had been Duo who voiced that, not her, all she could say was.
"Me too." Duo smiled softly, then asked something that he'd been thinking about all night long.
"So ah, Heero, what was your name in that other world? You didn't tell us that yesterday."
"Huh? Sure, it was Lisa, nothing special, my friends often called me Lee for short." Duo looked thoughtful.
"Lee huh? Hmmm,.... I got it!" Duo snapped his fingers and grinned. "I'll call you Hee-chan. Lee, Hee, get it?"
"Ah all right…" Duo grinned bubbled over, acting more like himself than he had in weeks.
"Well I was thinking about it last night, and this morning and on the way over here… well you get the idea. Anyway, I was thinking, sure your Heero, but you're not quite the 'Ro I used to know, you're new, and this thing between us, is new, and different. A good different, don't get me wrong. And well you used to a girl and…
"Duo."
"Yeah yeah, I'm getting there. So anyway, I figured I needed a new nickname for 'You'. Cause you know, that's how I am I have nickname's for everyone. And you needed your own."
"Hee-chan huh? Not bad, I guess I could get used to that. I will probably answer that quicker, seeing as it sounds so close to my old one."
"See that's just what I was thinking." Duo bounced a little in his excitement over having come up with the 'perfect' nickname for the new Heero. Heero grinned at the open happy expression on the sweet heart shaped face….Sweet…Heart. Ahhh
"You need a new nickname too. I can't keep calling you idiot in Japanese that was the old Heero. I was just using it from his memories. But there's not much you can do with Duo, I suppose…." Heero's cobalt blue eyes took on a mischievous gleam. "I could call you, (he-he) Dew-dew or something."
"De-de-dew-dew, are you kidding me Hee-chan? Dude look, there is no way I'm letting you call me 'Dew-dew'. Sure I may be gay, and (blush) a-a bottom, but, but…" Duo blushed furiously. He hadn't meant to say 'that', at least not yet. I mean, it was bound to come up eventually, but…
"Well, that's good, cause I'm topping."
"Huh?" Duo's breathing hitched. Had Heero really just said that? Oh God, the little fantasy he'd had indulged in while showering this morning flashed thru his mind. Oh God...
"Maybe Baka, is the best nickname for you."
"Hey!" Duo snapped back to the present, and Heero winked at him. Damn, his insides were now turning to mush.
"I was kidding about the nickname. Actually I was thinking more along the lines of Koi or sweetheart, you know something like that." Duo's bright violet eye's softened, appearing more amethyst in color.
"K-K-Koi?" Heero's heart leapt at the expression on Duo's face.
"Hai, I didn't come here for your hot luscious body, that's, well that's just a great extra benefit. We won't be 19 forever, we could both or either of us end up fat and bald." Duo blinked, he was used to guys coming after him for his looks and his looks alone. He 'knew' inside that Heero wasn't after him just for his looks, but to hear it. His breathing hitched, he had to know.
"So, if went out there, right now, grabbed a scissors and cut off my braid you wouldn't care?"
"Care? Yes, of course I would care, cause that would be a decision made on a whim. Someday, you may actually cut your hair, if you do I'll back you 100%." Heero's cobalt eyes stared into the violet one willing Duo to understand. Duo's violet eye's glistened with unshed tears.
"He-He-Hee-chan…" He fell into the Japanese males embrace and lips met again, the kiss deepening this time, mouths falling open without thought to let the other in. The world narrowed down to the just the two of them and their joined mouths.
Syn: And the day has only begun..... What else awaits our 'new' Heero.