"Shadow Man"

Written By: Kaeru Shisho

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story.

Rating: NC 17

Warnings: Yaoi, AU, angst, sap, romance, drama

Pairings: 1x3, 2x4, 5xC

Summary: Hardly more than a shadow himself, Trowa glimpses the shade cast across the concrete of another young man, who is about to make a fatal mistake.

A/N: This story takes place in a universe more like ours today, where the colonies exist, but not in space, and where the world is on the cusp of change

" Shadow Man"

Chapter 6

I didn't tell Heero that I knew about his interest in star watching, because it would have given away some of our real past and I didn't want to live in that world after going to all the trouble of creating a new reality. It wasn't a good memory to re-live, either.

This incident took place early in my first year of attending the private high school, the high school closest to the circus. Being forced from the circus schools into the mainstream had rubbed us all the wrong way. I hadn't known what to expect. Then I saw all the classes and clubs the school offered- they looked amazing, a little daunting, but for a day or so I actually felt excited and believed the change would be a good one. Astronomy club announcements drew me in immediately. The first meeting was on Friday night in back of the old outdoor drive-in movie theatre, long closed. It was a good choice, I thought, dark, but with plenty of parking. New members welcome. I liked that, too, so I went.

That was the first time I'd seen Heero and the Winner guy out of school. I'd already noticed them practicing goal kicks on the first afternoon on my walk to the bus. Cute guys in shorts. This evening, both had brought their impressive telescopes and were comparing lens qualities. The sidereal clock attachments alone had to have cost them what would have amounted to a year's wages for me.

"You bring your 'scope?" the adult in charge asked me.

"No."

"Well, you can borrow these binoculars and help the others with spotting tonight. Next time, bring your telescope from home."

I nodded, knowing that agreeing with the man would send him away, but I had no intention of coming to another meeting. Apparently, no one shared here. No one offered me a look even, although I didn't ask either. Thinking back, I should have just asked to share, but I shouldn't have had to. What pissed me off was how the signup sheet hadn't just stated: Don't bother showing up if you don't have your own gear.

It was easy to slip away unseen. I almost took the binoculars with me. I was tempted. I'd never had a pair that good- focal point 10 maybe? But I set them down. It wasn't as if I cared if someone came after me for them, but I didn't want to tarnish the image our circus had spent years building. We'd all been warned not to "tarnish the image of the circus" as we blended into the rich kid school. I hated to spoil the Ringmaster's "vision", but from what I could tell, people on the outside thought us circus folk were just this side of convicts and delinquents. Anyway, I wasn't likely to brighten the image, but I wouldn't taint it with my crimes either.

And I hadn't, for the most part, been a blemish on the roster of circus freaks the school had had to endure. But thinking about that brought me up to the here and now and how I needed to talk to my sister about my current near-criminal record sneaking Heero into the circus. I also got to wondering about what would become of Heron's nice things now that he was Heero?

All the way home that night, I thought about how Heero would fit into my life at the circus. He'd need clothes, for one thing. He was slightly shorter than me and more heavily muscled than Wufei, though maybe not after lying about for three months. That got me to pondering his personal things at home, his telescope, computer, probably, tons of things he might like to have, if he knew he had them, or would once he remembered having them.

And that's what got me to planning a break-in to his house, not to steal-no- but to retrieve his things. If I did it right, I wouldn't get caught and maybe I could make it look as if he'd done it.

Thinking about that took me up to the trailers. Plural. There, not far from my old one was a nicer one all lit up on the inside. I could hear laughter coming from inside, then the door opened and Wufei hopped out, turning back to take a pair of large, empty boxes from Catherine.

She saw me and waved. He saw me and waved a box. "Just in time. Cathy! He's here. What did I tell you? As soon as the heavy lifting gets done he'd show up?"

"I'm good that way," I said. I smiled and felt pretty good in general.

I stepped inside the old trailer and looked around. Devoid of the girly stuff, it was pretty empty. Good. Heero'd need the space for his stuff, once I retrieved it, and there would be medical equipment, probably, still around for a while. I noticed Wufei's blanket on the lower bunk where my sister had slept, and guessed he'd planned on moving to the lower bunk until Heero arrived. Leaving Heero to sleep alongside me? Just to make sure, I'd have to talk to him about the new arrangements.

I checked the cupboards to see if my sister had left me any food or dishes. "She didn't take anything to eat?"

"The other trailer came very well equipped," Wufei told me. "You'll need to cook to take care of...Heero when he gets here."

"Yeah," I agreed. "We should talk about that."

His ponytail bobbed when he gave me a quick nod. "Cathy would like to have a discussion as well."

So, we went next door, where Catherine was whistling and putting clothes away in drawers built in under the bed.

"Hey! Come on in. Isn't it nice?"

"Yeah." It was nicer than the other trailer. Newer and cleaner.

I wasn't sure I liked Wufei's easy way about my sister's new kitchen. He set out tea cups while water boiled and knew right where to find the tea box. He looked up and meeting my eyes with a direct, open gaze.

"I put the food away, so I know where to find things," he explained. I don't know how he read me so easily, either. Maybe I was losing my mask of indifference?

"Wufei's been such a help!" Catherine trilled. She trilled, happy as a lark.

"I was wondering," I began, feeling more the cat to her bird for no particular reason except I didn't understand why she should be so happy. Sure the place was nice and all, and, okay, it was her first place on her own, but was I so onerous a brother that sharing with me had brought her down?

Maybe it had been the addition of Wufei?

About that I was righter than I knew.

"About what?" she asked, suddenly guilty-looking.

"Mostly about what all you'd done for me, for Heero, hiding his identity here at the circus."

"You should be eternally grateful for what she's done," Wufei remarked. He tapped the spoon on the side of the teapot, freeing a few more leaves as he measured.

"I am!" I growled. I didn't need him to make me say it. "I am grateful. I just wanted to know what was up now. You notified the school? No one's come around looking for me."

"I told them you were injured and in the hospital here. That accounts for the ambulance to the hospital. They were perturbed that no one there had been told, but once I'd assured the school that we weren't suing them, they settled down. They even sent a paper with contact numbers for the teachers you might need in order to make up classes."

"It's in the top drawer," Wufei said, and pointed over his shoulder, as in out the door, to where I could go to get it.

I didn't make a move. "Later."

Catherine wasn't bothered by attitude, his or mine. "Since then, no one has called, written, or stopped by to check on anything, including looking for Heero."

"That wasn't his real name. Authorities would come asking for information about Heron Lowe," Wufei put in.

"Rumor has it," I said, "Heron eloped with a girl named Relena."

"Relena Peacecraft? She's nobility!" Apparently, Big Sis Know-it-All didn't know everything, but she followed the society pages.

Wufei wore a strange smug smile. "We discussed that the first week he was hospitalized, not that you remember," he said to me.

Okay, so I was a little fuzzy on the particulars. "His ex-girlfriend, actually."

Now Catherine was staring at me, probably thinking I was insane for bringing him here. "And who thinks they eloped?" she asked.

"I ran into a friend of his in town, Winner, and-"

"Quatre Raberba Winner? The son of the Winner Corporation!" Apparently, Wufei also had a pretty good handle on the upper crust of Sanc, because I hadn't told him about that meeting, I was positive.

"That's the one. He's the one who told me about the rumor. But I know she was transferred to another school by her older brother."

Catherine met my stare. "That note," she said, remembering, probably, having stuck her nose into his private business.

"Yeah. Why no one knows about her transfer, why that's a secret, I don't know." Nor did I much care.

"I hope you haven't brought the wrath of the rich upon your sister, us, the circus, by bringing that boy here. Cathy couldn't have known about these wealthy friends of his and to what ends they might go to get him back."

"Nearly all the students not associated with the circus are from wealthy families, Chang! She knows that, if you didn't."

"Why are we all yelling?" she asked, breaking us apart.

Why indeed? "I just wanted to thank you for all you've done and find out where I stood with the school, the paper trail, cover up... that stuff," I said, petering out there at the end. I wasn't angry at her, exactly. I was irritated by my friend and how he was acting protective of her, and something more I couldn't put a finger on.

"That's all right," she said. "We're all tired and have a busy day tomorrow. I want my tea and some rest. Can't we all take a deep breath and relax together?"

I settled down, but I kept my eyes averted from the careful glances between my friend and my sister. I'd never felt more like an outsider around them than that evening.

Catherine wasn't actually my sister by blood. We'd sorta adopted each other, being orphaned kids about the same age, her a bit older. The circus treated everyone like one big family, thus the "like a brother" position Wufei held and instant acceptability of "cousin" status for Heero. Between Catherine and me, there'd never been any romance. We'd met up as kids and nothing developed later, especially since I'd discovered my preference for the male anatomy. We just never had any sexual interest in one another.

But that's what I was noticing now. Wufei had that interest in her, and that was my problem. He looked at her in that way, and I couldn't get over it right then.

I sipped at my hot tea then stood, tossed out the tea, rinsed my cup, and set it on the countertop. "You're right. I'm too tired to think about all this right now. Catch you in the morning."

Once I was alone in my trailer, a very strange feeling, I pulled myself up into my bunk, slipped off my shoes, and discarded my jeans and shirt while lying on my back.

What was wrong with me? I had Catherine and Wufei and others who cared for me. I liked working with the animals and flying on the trapeze. It wasn't a bad life. Maybe it wasn't the one I dreamed of having, but it wasn't terrible. Still. I wanted to be a pilot and to be free of this place. And since I couldn't have what I wanted, I hated what I had. There was more to it than that, but that was the root of my problems.

I fell asleep shortly after reaching that conclusion, so I guess I'd really been tired after all. I didn't even wake up when Wufei came in or when left before me the next morning.

(o)

After a breakfast of cold cereal and soymilk, I headed for the lion cage. Feeding the animals was a pleasure, so I took my time. My routine took me next to the trapeze. The circus was abuzz with the report that the Sanc army had requested a special circus show. I was warming up with Wufei doing his own Chinese exercises close by, when Dooey, a dwarf clown, asked us what we thought of the idea.

I was always polite to the little people, once being short myself, when I was two. "The ringmaster won't do it because he'd be afraid he'd lose too many young people to the recruitment effort," I said.

I heard a snort from Wufei and watched him move further away. He'd been too close to the war and wouldn't talk about it.

Folks in Sanc rarely talked about the war, I'd discovered. My history teacher had bemoaned how there always being a war someplace and how we should focus on our own goals, changing the subject. Catherine wouldn't speak of it either. She was afraid I would join up and leave the circus, which I would if I could. And I'd tried and failed once, thanks to her.

And I couldn't until I was eighteen, not very far off, and with my debt paid. It took years to pay for the trailer, my training, food, and clothes. It would be years more before I had paid for Heero's care. If I was lucky, Heero would want to work off part of that debt with me. If I took off without clearance from the Ringmaster, I'd probably never be allowed to return, and since Catherine, Wufei, and the rest of the circus was the only family I could remember, being excluded from that world was an undesirable and intimidating thought. So, as much as I wanted to enlist, it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Still, I liked to keep up on the test aircraft and weapon designs, so I'd read what I could find and talk to anyone who knew anything. Wufei sided with Catherine to the point of refusing to say a word about the war. Ever. And they weren't alone.

"Kids wanting to get themselves killed in the war? What a stupid idea! We outta put on a show. We could use the business," the clown said, dismissing my logic entirely. "It'll come down to money, mark my words."

"Consider them marked." I felt I was right; a military-only show would never happen. No reason to press my point.

As soon as Wufei told me he had my chores covered, I ran to the hospital. I ran around the far side of the building looking up at Heero's window to see if he could look out, and he was there! I waved and I could have sworn I saw him move a hand, not that he could possibly do that in traction. I tore into the building and to his room.

"Hi."

"I saw you outside," he said.

"Your arm's free," I told him.

"One, yeah. It's the left one that's in worse shape. I showed them I could move my right fingers and they x-rayed that arm this morning."

"It's healed?"

He nodded. I satisfied him with my look of awe. "Were they properly amazed?"

"Yes." His smile turned smug. "I'm a special case. Super healing powers."

I noticed the TV remote on his lap. "So, now you're catching up on the soaps?"

"Cooking shows," he corrected me. "I wish I had a computer. I feel as if I used to have one."

"Laptop. You carried it everywhere but the playing field. Probably not the shower either."

His eyes riveted on me. "Wufei tell you that? Does he know me that well? He's hardly come to see me."

I knew too much and I'd said too much and I knew it. A certain amount of obfuscation was necessary in life, but out-and-out lying was more trouble than it was worth. My lying had caught up to me.

"If you know more about me, if you can tell me things, tell me! I need to know! I hate feeling like I have this big hole in my brain."

It wasn't as if I'd been counting on him falling for me, or anything, and we'd just start this new idyllic life. Things didn't work out that way for me. No. I had to tell him the truth. Worst case, he'd hate me, and, since he didn't especially not hate me before, I had virtually nothing to lose.

"I was waiting until you seemed capable of, ah, dealing with stuff," I said.

"Tell me."

"So, might as well get this over sooner as later."

"Now."

So I did. I told him his real name and about his remarkable rooftop leap that missed and how I sneaked him into the circus hospital.

"Why the circus hospital?"

I told him I was hiding him. Then I told him about the cell phone call I accidentally took from Odin Lowe. He didn't react to the name at all, so I went on to say I had his backpack here on the floor of the small patient closet. "Phone won't work. The batteries died."

"I want it."

I pulled the pack from the back of the closet. "Here it is," I said, opening the bag near his arm.

He lifted his wallet and the few other items one by one.

"I hid your ID, but I've got it." I went as far as fanning out all the cards I had in my pocket.

"Don't... Keep it. Hide it," he said waving off my hands.

I pocketed everything again.

When he came to the wadded up note I warned him. "I think that had something to do with your jumping. I didn't read it. My sister did and... well... told me."

I watched as he smoothed it open against his blanket and read it carefully. He just stared at it.

"Do you remember any of this?" I asked.

"No." His eyes searched mine as if he thought I was pulling a prank on him. "Not at all. None of the names you've mentioned mean a thing to me. The phone...maybe is familiar. There's this feeling I've got. I don't want to go back. Not that home."

I breathed. I'd been holding my breath without thinking. "I wasn't sure what to do. You fell-"

"Jumped. Just say it. You're thinking it, so just say it. I jumped not thinking I'd make it."

"You tried, I think, to reach the other roof. At the last minute you changed your mind, I think. You and I weren't ever...close. Not even friends," I finally admitted.

His eyes shut. "You could have run away and left me."

No, I couldn't have. I opened my mouth to say that, but he beat me to the draw.

"-But you didn't." His free hand moved to touch mine. "Thanks."

My heart pounded in my chest, after skipping a beat. He was telling me we were friends now. "Maybe I did you no favors."

"I'm alive. I'll be strong soon. I can start over. You've given me that chance."

"You were rich. Had things. Being a circus freak is of questionable value, just warning you." But he took all that very well, lifting my spirits measurably.

He hadn't much to say, because he didn't know much and was too smart to go on about what he didn't know.

"This Odin Lowe man was my guardian, you say, not my father?"

"Yeah."

"He hasn't tried very hard to find me. No one has."

I really felt his pain, the desolate, empty ache of loneliness. "Well, it's hard to get information, to be honest. The circus is a separate part of the kingdom, with our own rules for the most part." Then I told him about running into Quatre Winner and what he'd said about the Relena elopement.

"Ha!" he laughed a little. Because the idea was funny? Because he knew he was gay? Or was he remembering something?

I didn't know. I let the new information soak in and allowed him to work out his own questions.

"What do you suppose happened to those 'things' of mine?" he asked.

I hadn't expected that out-of-the-blue question. "I don't know. They could still be at your home."

"Could you check?"

"I guess."

"I wouldn't ask, but by the time I can walk, it might all be gone."

"No, it's okay. I was thinking about getting your clothes. I'd have to break into your house. I don't know if anyone else lives there or not."

"I'll make it easier for you." From his hand dangled a set of keys. "Found them at the bottom of the bag."

I couldn't help smiling as I took the keys from his hand, especially when our fingers touched and his lingered over mine a precious few seconds.

"It doesn't matter if we were friends before or not," he said.

I don't know if he understood just how good his saying that made me feel. I didn't want to ruin the moment with blubbery words. I think he got that we were poles apart anyway.

He saved me from having to invent some brilliant response by changing the topic. "So, the staff here tells me there's going to be an armed forces parade and that the circus might put on a special performance for them."

"I doubt it," I said, and went on to explain why, relieved to have something "safe" to talk about.

Neither of us understood the politics behind the war, but we were both knowledgeable and excited about the weaponry involved. We compared mental notes and argued the finer details of laser beams versus cannon recoils, with him saying we'd settle it once he got his computer and we could look up everything on the internet.

We ended the visit discussing my raid on his house, prioritizing what I should look for first, what I should take if I only could make one trip. Too bad he didn't remember the layout of the house, which room was his, or if his things were all spread out or not. Having the keys, however, changed it from a felony to a misdemeanor, if I got caught, and I wasn't planning on getting caught.

"I'll do it tonight," I promised.

"Be careful," he warned unnecessarily.

It was late already when I left him, which was perfect. I drove to the right street, passed by the Lowe house twice, once to check the number and another time to make sure the lights were all out, and then parked a ways down where a few other cars collected. Mine was a borrowed old pickup, which, thankfully, didn't stick out in a crowd. There was only one street light on the block and it was at the other end and most of its light was blocked by a tree. The houses all looked nice. Pretty average. Not mansions, but far and away bigger than a trailer. His was more average than most and set back from the street. I wondered if the man had chosen that house because it was so inconspicuous and hidden?

I stuck to the shadows. It was quiet, still, dark. I crept around to the back door, which was really a side one off the driveway, and was about to step up to the door and try the key, when I felt a presence and heard a voice right next to my ear. Fuck.

"Don't move."

I didn't. I considered moving a lot. I thought about running like hell and about snapping the neck of whoever it was who was hovering at my elbow. But it wasn't an unkind sort of voice, so I didn't move right away. I gave it a chance.

"Be quiet."

That irritated me a little. I was being quiet; he was the only one talking. The voice came out of the darkness enough for me to recognize the face. "You, again?" I couldn't believe it was someone I'd know. The guy with the long hair in a braid.

"That's right. Funny the places we meet."

I didn't think there was much funny about this meeting, but didn't say so.

"I figured you'd show up here sooner or later," he said.

Had he been staking out the house, or me? I felt a frown form between my eyebrows. He warned me to be quiet, but seemed to get louder himself.

"Oh, you can talk now. No one's home," he said. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "And the lady next door just went back inside."

"You've been watching for me for how long?" He couldn't have been following me for weeks; I would have noticed. That was crazy.

"Been watching this place. Only for the last week or so, at night. I'm glad you finally showed up, Tro'. I've been short of sleep, ya know?"

Tro'? What a nickname! He was crazy. Now, how was I to get rid of him?

"You don't know my name, do ya?"

"No," I admitted, a little embarrassed.

"We were in five classes together. Guess I didn't make much of an impression on you." He stuck out a hand. "Duo Maxwell."

I took it and squeezed. He was strong and had calluses. "Call me Trowa."

"Heh, heh... sure. So, how're ya fixin' to get in? I'm a wiz at locks, if you need a hand." To convince me, he pulled a wire out of his insanely long braid. "It's works!"

He was going to pick the lock. "I have the key," I told him, although, it was a pride thing. I had no reason to think I should trust him or tell him that.

"You shitting me? Cool. Let's go."

I didn't move. What did this guy think? I'd just fall in line like we were old friends?

"You are collecting Heron's stuff, right? You can't do it all in one trip without another pair of hands, I can tell you that, even with that laundry bag to carry crap. Plus, I know where his stuff is."

As lovely as that all sounded, I wasn't dumb enough to believe he wouldn't blow cover and call Lowe or the cops on me. I didn't even pretend I would move in this lifetime.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I told him.

"Yeah, you do." He puffed out some air in as exasperated sort of way. "Okay, there's no real reason for you to trust me. You don't know me, so I'll tell you," he leaned closer and lowered his voice again, "Quatre is Heron's best friend and he's worried sick about him being missing. Quat's my better than best friend, if you get my drift?"

He stared at me and I concentrated on not blushing.

"That's right. So, making Quat happy is like numero uno on my to-do list, which brings me here."

"Here, to Heron's house." I wanted to make sure that was what he meant.

"Yeah, and finding you here, too. I planned to look through his stuff, trying to find a clue as to what happened to him. Based on how you both disappeared at the same time, we even put together a scenario where he ran off with you to the circus- guys do that, right? That's what I've heard."

I felt the blood drain from my face and my hands go ice cold. Good thing it was dark out and my hair hid my face.

"I was willing to bet Lowe had hurt Heron real bad. The man is like a fucking, pervert bastard of the worst sort, mixed up in the underground somehow. He's got a gun collection that doesn't include hunting rifles- all special ops looking stuff."

"You know what special ops arms should look like?"

He huffed at me again. "I watch movies and study pictures on the internet. Don't you?"

I did. I shrugged, giving him that. Weaponry fascinated me. Apparently, not just me. Heero shared my interest. And apparently Duo, too.

"-but we didn't see where Relena's disappearance fit into the mix. Not right away. You see, Relena is related to this other guy, who was a particularly close friend of Heron's; however, as hard as he tried, Quatre couldn't get any answers from him except that he and Heron were...through."

I know he was testing how much I knew about Heero. If I knew he was gay. If I knew about him and Zechs. I don't think I batted an eye.

"You think his guardian is capable of murder?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, mean bastard-I don't wanna go into that, but that's why Quat's so worried. Lowe mighta killed him! We're actually really hoping he's hid away someplace safe. Thing is, if I can get back to Quat some information about his bud, then I'll feel good about this night."

And there I was gazing back into a pair of pretty, spectacular eyes. And an expectant expression, turning sly.

"You know," he said, "I feel like I'm crowding the conversation here. Quat said you were quiet, but it's like... just the two of us here... I could use carrot. You know, dangle it out in front to make me go? Some encouragement for me here?"

"I hate carrots," was out of my mouth before I thought about it, making him chuckle.

"No one hates carrots!" he assured me.

"I don't like them...immensely."

And his grin encompassed me with a warmth that had to be friendship. Duo didn't feel evil. Not at all.

"He's safe, recovering," I said. Noticing his face grow serious and worried, I went on. "He had an accident. He, ah, missed a jump from the cafeteria roof to the gym. I saw it and called for help."

Duo was shaking his head, but when I paused his hand waved me on for more.

"I called an ambulance and they took him to the hospital."

"No, they didn't, not the one downtown." His voice broke and I could see his face run through all these changes as he figured out that I'd gotten Heron to the circus hospital. "You had him taken to the circus hospital! How did you do that? How did you know-?"

I pointed to my head. "Special powers?"

His incredulous snort spoke volumes about what he thought of my explanation. He didn't press me for more, though. I liked him all the more because of that.

"Okay, got it. Later," he said. "I'm pretty impressed, just so you know. So, ah, tell me. He's okay?"

"He wasn't, not for a long time, but he's awake now and has one hand free to type. He wants a computer."

"One hand? Jesus! Quat will not be satisfied with just that, but it'll have to do, I guess, huh?"

I didn't answer him, so he went on, "I know which computer he means, and we'd better do this before Lowe gets back or someone wonders what's up."

I didn't tell him that Heero's memory hadn't included anything as precise as a particular computer. "Oh, and he's not Heron anymore."

"Wha-" Duo caught himself before screeching, and croaked huskily, "What does that mean?"

"His name's Heero now, and he's going to stay hidden."

It didn't take Duo long to mull that about and come back with a sharp nod. "Got it." His expression turned wry. "That's more of a radish than a carrot that you gave me."

I looked into his eyes again, wishing I didn't because they were so prying.

"I bit into one once." He made a face. "It was hot and nasty."

I managed to return a weaker version of his smile. "Then you understand my dislike for carrots."

He muffled a chuckle with his hand. "Heh, heh. I wish we coulda got to know you better, sooner."

I started to wonder if I had tried, if either he or 'Quat' would have befriended me, and blocked that energy-sucking thought process. That wasn't going to get me home anytime soon.

I guess he got tired of waiting for me to comment. He danced from foot to foot. "Um, can we get started now?"

After that, I simply keyed the lock and opened the door.

Duo jumped past me, nearly bowling me over.

"Hey-!" I grumbled, getting my balance back.

I saw him furiously tapping at keys on a box just inside the door. "Security," he explained, "Is now...off. Okay, follow me."

I whispered "thanks" to whoever was in charge of my luck tonight then got nearly slapped in the face with his braid. My fingers pinched the tip inches in from my mouth and I held it there until he looked at me.

"Leggo!" he grumbled, swatting at my hand.

I did. He immediately was reeling it in and tucking it securely under his jacket. There was a hell of a lot of hair.

"I wondered what you did with that when you played soccer."

"That's what I do with it." He tossed me a crooked smile. "Damned itchy thing to have down my back, but it keeps me irritated enough so I don't lose my edge." He flashed me a thumbs up and plastered on a grin, but I saw something burning in his eyes before he turned away. "His room's this way."

He led; I followed. Duo was in constant motion, full of energy. Fucking cute ass. I liked him more than I wanted to.

Heero's laptop sat closed on his desk. I gathered it, the power cord, and a wireless mouse sitting nearby, and slid them carefully into the bag I was carrying. Duo rolled up shirts and jeans for cushioning. We both went through drawers, grabbing socks and underwear.

"He doesn't take meds, ever, and he practically never shaves, that I've ever seen."

"Lucky guy," I commented.

"Shaving's a drag, yeah." Duo added a hairbrush to the bag. "He has an MP3 player."

"It wasn't with him or in his backpack," I told him.

"Ah, here it is. Wonder why he left it on his bed?"

"Who knows?" I didn't think it mattered any more.

"Found the charger for it and his phone charger."

I took both cords and added them to the bag. Duo wrapped the music player in a t-shirt and dropped it in.

I didn't think I had enough clothing. "Shoes," I said aloud.

"On it." Duo shook the pillow from a case and stuffed it with shoes, more jeans, and a jacket. "Oh, his stuff!"

I wondered what he meant and was about to ask when I heard the sound of car engine and a mechanical rumble.

Duo had been opening drawers, collecting memory chips, a knife, and something else, when he heard the noise. "Shit! Garage door. We gotta split!"

TBC

Chapter 7

Back to Kaeru Shisho's Fiction

Back to GW Authors Index.