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"Chances"Written By: Honor Disclaimers: Ain’t mine. Ain’t gonna
be mine. I’ve just permanently borrowed them, no worries! Warnings: No spoilers, no timeline. AU, Romance,
lemon, some language (not much) Rating: NC-17 (maybe) Pairings: 2x1, 3x4 and 5xM established Author’s Notes: Drumroll, please! *crickets
chirp* Ah, yeah…anyway, here is the sequel to Take a Chance.
To all of those beautiful, wonderful people who C&Cd me, arigato!
*huggles* I truly appreciate it. If you wish to do the same to Chances,
I’m certainly not going to complain! And now, Lights! Camera!
Action! *emphasis* //phone conversations// " Chances"
Chapter Seven: Trouble Shared
“Because Heero stole my rubber band.” “Ah.” “And he wouldn’t” Duo continued with a disgusted scowl “give it back.” “Did he give a reason for this?” She wondered out loud, fighting down a smile. “Or is this payback for all the pranks you’ve pulled on him?” “Oh he gave a reason alright.” Duo smoothed his face into a neutral smirk and dropped his voice in an imitation of Heero’s. “‘Because I like it loose’. It’s a PAIN loose. I want my rubber band back!” Meiran shrugged. “I don’t have one on me.” “Nobody does.” Duo growled. He turned when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Right in front of his nose was a rubber band, dangling in the air. He grinned and took it happily. “Thanks!” Sally smiled in return. “No problem.” Duo put the band around his wrist and quickly divided his hair, braiding it. Meiran watched this with fascination. “You’re hair is really long. I didn’t realize just how long until now.” Duo sighed happily once he had his hair back into submission. “Cool. Now we’re back in business.” The lab that day dealt with DNA. The different chromosomes were being represented with multicolored rubber bands. Duo had no compunction about stealing a dozen or so, just in case. + Trowa was leaning against the truck after school, waiting for Heero. He looked up to see his brother smirking, almost gleefully so. Trowa could only think of one reason for that kind of expression. “How many?” Heero held up his right wrist, which hand a variety of multicolored rubber bands on it. “Ten.” “Not bad.” Trowa admitted. “HEERO! GIVE ME BACK THAT RUBBER BAND!” Trowa watched as Duo ran to them, hair flying all over the place. “You got the last one I take it?” “Hn.” Heero looked extremely satisfied. + Duo was walking home, throwing his hair out of his face every three steps, and cursing Heero every fourth. He had been irritated enough with him to refuse a ride home. Heero would have spent the entire time gloating anyway. There had to be a way to get even. Duo bounced through his front door, mind going a hundred miles an hour, rapidly creating schemes and discarding them just as quickly. Perhaps if he saran-wrapped Heero’s truck… “Going for a new look, Duo?” Duo froze, head coming around slowly to his right, praying with everything he had that he was making a mistake. That the voice belonged to someone else. Dekim was coolly appraising him. “You look too much like a girl with your hair loose.” Duo had taken a step back without realizing it, adrenaline racing through his body. Oh God, why now? Why did Dekim have to show up now? Just when everything was going right for once. “Duo, it’s rude not to say anything.” Aunt Helen reproved gently, coming in from the kitchen with a tray loaded with cookies and tea. Duo swallowed hard, pulling a smiling mask on his face with effort. “Sorry. He just surprised me. Last I heard you were on an off-shore oil rig.” Safely away from me. “I’m back for a short time only. Just three months.” Dekim returned banally. Three months, at that moment, seemed like eternity. “He’ll be staying here, dear.” Aunt Helen added, smiling happily. “It’ll be nice to have another man to talk to, won’t it?” That sentence had the same impact as a death sentence. Duo smiled weakly. Three months? There was no way that Duo could avoid Dekim the entire three months. “Oh dear. I left cookies in the oven.” Aunt Helen, completely oblivious to the tension in the air, went back into the kitchen. Dekim didn’t lose a moment. He pinned Duo to the wall and loomed over him. Duo froze in place, knowing better than to try to fight the man off. As strong as Duo was, Dekim was much stronger. “You know why I’m here?” Dekim breathed, pressing himself against Duo so hard that the teen could barely breathe. “You know what I’m going to do? As soon as the old bat is in bed, sound asleep? I’m going to strip you and spread you under me. Then I’m going to take you until you’re raw and bleeding and feeling like you’ve been ripped apart. And when I’m tired of that, I’m going to force you to come again and again until you’re raw and you can’t do it anymore. Then I’m going to fuck you some more. And you’re not going to breathe a sound, Duo. Not one damn sound.” Dekim broke away and resumed his seat just as Aunt Helen came back in. Duo fought down the urge to vomit and collapse. Falling apart would NOT help him right now. He had to get out, and get out fast. “Duo, are you alright?” Duo forced a smile onto his face. “Yeah, I’m good. Look, I’ll throw my stuff up in my room, alright? I have a bit of homework to finish off, so don’t expect me down for a while.” “That’s fine. Do hurry, though. I know how much Dekim enjoys your company.” “Don’t worry, Aunt Helen.” Dekim pinned Duo with heated eyes. “Duo isn’t going anywhere.” Duo turned and ran up the stairs. He simply couldn’t hold the act anymore. As soon as he hit his room, he closed and locked the door behind him. With little thought he spun for the window and opened it up, popping the screen open with a practiced heave. Oh so carefully he slipped around to the side of the roof and lowered himself down to the ground in the backyard. Then he hopped the neighbor’s fence and started running, hopped another fence in the back alley and kept running. He ran aimlessly for over an hour, stopping every so often to make sure that he hadn’t been followed, and wondering where to go. It was getting dark. It would be fully dark by 5:30 and it was 4:45 now. He had to find some place that he wouldn’t be easily spotted and think things through a little. Duo started walking, breathing hard. Dekim had always tried to get Duo alone, every since he had been a kid and Dekim the teenager. Duo hadn’t really understood why until he was about thirteen. Then a number of things started to click. By then Dekim had been a fair distance away, so Duo hadn’t seen much of him. And had sent prayers of thanks up to God for that favor. What had made the jerk come back now? More out of luck than design Duo arrived at the city park. Most of it was exposed, except for the large brown gazebo in the middle. Duo headed toward it, collapsing against the inside wall with a grunt. Once he had stopped moving, the reality of the situation started to sink in. Aunt Helen couldn’t protect him. She would never for a minute be able to believe that her favorite nephew would hurt Duo. Dekim would be able to do whatever he wanted without even getting her suspicions up. He couldn’t go home. So where did that leave him? He had to call a friend. He had to call someone now, before Dekim found him on the streets. Shifting, he pulled the cellphone out of his back pocket. He was shaking, deep tremors that vibrated his entire frame. The cellphone almost fell to the ground twice before Duo was able to put a lid on his fear. In an automatic move he flipped the phone open, only to pause in indecision. Who should he call? Who *could* he call in this situation? His mind might have been whirling around in dazed panicky circles, but his instincts had a map and a flashlight. While he was still arguing it out in his head his thumb had pressed number five. *ring* Duo was cursing himself steadily even as he lifted the phone up to his ear. Why did he push *that* button? Heero was a kinda-boyfriend, sure. But you didn’t call boyfriends in situations like these. A part of his mind popped up to inquire dryly just who was appropriate to call under these circumstances. For the life of him Duo couldn’t come up with an answer. *ring* This was a horrible idea. He should hang up and figure something else out. Solo would put him up for a night, and help him out until Dekim left. Although…Dekim would figure he would run there. And actually getting to Solo’s house would be a real trick, considering how far away he lived. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea. Surely there was someone else that could help— *rin—* //Yes?// Swallowing against his constricted throat, Duo closed his eyes. It was too late now. He hadn’t hung up. Now he had to hold to his instincts. “Heero?” //Duo. What’s wrong?// Heero wasn’t just the brightest crayon in the box, he was the whole neon section. “Hey, I never said anything was wrong.” //You never call me.// Duo winced at the snap in Heero’s voice. There was a hint of hurt in the words too that the braided teen hadn’t expected to hear. //And your voice is shaking.// “Nah. My voice is steady, it’s my hand that’s shaking.” The joke fell flat. Duo swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I’m in trouble. Serious trouble. I can’t go home. And I can’t explain this over a phone—” //Where are you?// “The gazebo at City Park.” //I’ll be there in five minutes.// Click. Duo collapsed into hysterical laughter. Five minutes, eh? It took fifteen minutes for a lead footed teenager to get to Heero’s house by normal methods. And unless Heero had a jetpack attached to that truck of his—no, he needed to stop avoiding the issue. He had to face it. He trusted Heero, unconditionally. He wouldn’t have called him otherwise. And Heero had repaid that faith. Well, okay, so he hadn’t actually done anything yet. Duo let his head drop back against the wall with a soft thump. Who was he trying to fool? Heero knew he was in trouble, and was coming anyway. The Japanese teen didn’t do anything by halfway measures. If he was coming, then he would help. It was as simple as that. Heero was more than just a kinda-boyfriend. He was his boyfriend, and so much more dearer to the heart than any words could express. It was about time that Duo admitted that too. Another shiver went through him. This was more from the cold night air though. Duo hadn’t thought to grab anything more than his wallet and his cellphone. There was a growl from a motorcycle. Duo blinked at it stupidly as it cut through the park. At a glance to his cellphone he confirmed the time. Four minutes. As the bike got closer Duo felt a surge of envy. Holy Toledo, Heero owned a Kawasaki?! A sleek, white, mouth watering Kawasaki…okay, now I can see how he made it in less than five minutes. The bike was barely settling onto its kickstand when Heero grabbed him by the shoulders, eyes taking in every detail. Duo managed to hike up the corners of his mouth into a parody of a smile. “Have you considered going into the pros?” Heero unzipped his leather jacket and threw it around Duo. “What happened?” Duo snuggled into the jacket gratefully. The warmth felt so good. “Ah…kinda hard to explain.” The only response from Heero on that was a growl. “Hey, man, chill. I’m not bleeding.” Heero didn’t believe for a moment that Duo was ‘fine’. The teen in front of him was doing a good impression of a corpse. It was scaring Heero down to the marrow to look into those pitch black eyes, usually so expressive and full of mirth. Without a word he pulled Duo to his feet. “We’re going to a hospital.” “Whoa! I said I’m fine. He didn’t touch me—” Duo snapped his mouth shut, but the damage was done. Heero whirled back around. “WHO—” “Please.” Duo dropped all pretense and folded in on himself, eyes pinched shut. “I can’t handle any questions right now. I just *can’t*.” Heero physically bit his tongue. He knew trauma when he saw it. Right now Duo needed safety and silent support, not an interrogation. “Okay. Let’s go back to my house.” + Heero drove only *slightly* slower on the return trip. It took six minutes. Duo held on tightly, afraid that he would fall off if he didn’t keep a death grip on the teen in front of him. The raw emotion that had propelled him this far had also drained him, however. When they arrived at Heero’s two-story townhouse, he barely had the strength and coordination that it took to crawl off the bike. Heero watched him anxiously, moving closer to support him if it was needed. Trowa met them at the door, the tiniest flicker of a frown on his face. He didn’t say anything, only giving Heero a silent query. Usually Duo would have said something to ease the thick tension in the air. Right now he simply wasn’t up to it. Heero silently guided him through the house and into the living room. Duo collapsed as soon as he was close enough to the couch to safely land. Trowa came into view a moment later and pressed a cup of coffee into his hands which Duo accepted with a thankful nod. After draining the mug, he felt up to talking. Well, not really. But he did feel it necessary to explain to them what they were in for by helping him. “Okay. Here’s how the story goes. I’ve got this older cousin, Dekim, a real sleazeball. Haven’t seen him in at least two years. But he showed up today, said that he was going to stay for a month or so until he had to go back home and pick up his job. My aunt was really happy and all. She’s the only one in the family that’s ever really liked Dekim. But…” Duo had to pause and take a few deep breaths. “As soon as her back was turned he pinned me against a wall, started telling me in detail exactly what he was going to do to me when she went to bed. He’d do it too. I had to get out. I ran as soon as I could and—dammit, he’ll come after me. He’s been after me for years. When he finds me, it’s not going to be pretty.” Heero moved to kneel in front of him, taking the empty mug from his hands and setting it on the coffee table beside him. Then he grabbed both of Duo’s hands tightly. “He won’t get you.” “Heero, I can’t stay here for more than a day or so. I’ll be considered a runaway, and we’ll have the law down our throats in no time.” “Duo. I won’t let him touch you. Trust me.” Duo searched the face in front of his and found only sincerity and an almost frightening level of determination. This time he managed a real smile, even though it was a trifle wan. “I trust you.” “Good. Right now, I think you should go to bed.” “Sounds like heaven right now.” Duo admitted, stifling a yawn. Because of that he missed the significant exchange between the two brothers and the slight nod on Trowa’s part. Heero led his guest up the stairs and into his room. As Duo moved in, taking off jacket and shoes he hesitated. He knew what his instincts were telling him, what he wanted. But would Duo let him? “Duo?” Duo turned, stifling another yawn. “Yeah?” “If you don’t want this, I’m not going to take it wrong. I’ll understand. I just…would you mind some company tonight?” After everything that had happened that night, Duo could understand where Heero was coming from. With what Dekim had put him through, it would be understandable if he were a little skittish about being touched. Duo shook his head, smiling gently. “Stay.” Heero relaxed, kicking off his shoes and stripping down to boxers and a t-shirt. He waited until Duo had climbed into the double bed before flipping off the light and crawling in beside the other teen. Heero paused in indecision. His strongest desire was to spoon up against Duo’s back. But he and Duo weren’t a couple, and that was just a little presumptuous for ‘friends-not-quite-boyfriends’. Duo solved the problem by turning over and snuggling next to Heero, using his shoulder as a pillow. Heero wrapped his arms around Duo in return, snagging the braid and wrapping it around one hand. “Heero?” The voice was little more than a breath of air against the skin. “Yes.” “I’m sorry I hurt you.” So he had caught that. Heero had tried to keep it out of his voice, but had failed. He wanted Duo so badly sometimes that it was a physical pain. Heero squeezed Duo slightly, letting him know without words that it was okay. “Duo.” “Yeah.” “I’m glad you’re here.” Duo smiled against the shoulder he was leaning against.
“So am I.” ~ * ~ |
