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"Cowboy"Written By: ShenLong Disclaimer: I don't own the Gundam Boys, they belong to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I don't own the song 'Rodeo' either. It belongs to Garth Brooks and as such all rights remain his. This fic is based loosely on the lyrics. Written for pleasure not profit. Pairing: Pairing: 2x1x2, past 1xR (sorry!), 3x4 Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Angst, fluff, sap, yaoi, Lemons, Lime, AU Summary: Heero is a rodeo rider, the best on the circuit and looks set to remain there until an up and coming young cowboy appears on the scene. AN: This fic is based loosely on the lyrics of 'Rodeo' by Garth Brooks - although it is not a song fic. Dedication: To my lovely beta; Sakura for giving me the plot bunny and for all her hard work in editing my stuff. (No easy feat!) Thanks hun! You're the best! Archive: www.gundam-wing-diaries.150m.com Anyone else please ask. Betaed by Sakura *snugs*
"Cowboy" October. 2010 ShenLong
[Well, it’s bulls and blood
Then everything fell apart. One minute Duo was sitting astride the bronc, the next he was flying through the air and hit the ground hard. Heero could hear the thud from where he was in the chutes. Before he was even aware of it, his body had taken over and he was over the bars, in the arena and running. “DUO!” he screamed. He caught the movement of Reaper from the corner of his eye and heard the bronc’s scream of rage as he launched himself at the unmoving Duo. Behind the safety of his barrel, Trowa also watched the ride, his pulse racing and body wincing in sympathy as Duo was jarred and jolted around. When Duo suddenly went flying through the air Trowa thought his heart had stopped. It was as if it all went into slow motion; Duo hitting the ground with his head and shoulders so hard that Trowa could hear the sickening crunch as human body and ground connected. His eyes swiveled to the horse and the fear of god swept though him as Reaper stopped bucking and turned around. He heard the horse’s scream of rage as if it were in the distance and noted that Duo wasn’t moving. He also heard someone else scream Duo’s name as his own vocal chords came back on line and he gave his own yell - “HELP HIM!” Wufei and Quatre were hovering close by when the rig snapped and Duo came off. Quatre’s eyes almost fell out of his head as he witnessed the horrid fall. He knew it was bad when Duo didn’t move. Digging his spurs into Sandy’s sides, he urged the quarter horse forward. His ears picked up on the horse’s scream of rage along with someone calling Duo’s name and then Trowa’s yell for help. Having also witnessed the unfolding events, Wufei jammed his heels into Nataku’s flanks. “MAXWELL! GET OUT OF THERE!” he cried as he tried to figure out the best way to prevent the cowboy from being savaged by the black bronc. Reaper’s eyes fixated completely on the cowboy that dared to ride him. His heart was full of rage, mind awash with fury and following his scream, he charged straight for the unconscious Duo. The spectators fell silent as the drama unfolded in the arena before them. There wasn’t a single person watching that didn’t feel fear as the black mustang sought his revenge. Other than one individual. Relena and Dorothy had stayed to watch the remainder of the events. Relena was still upset and seething at Heero’s treatment of her and she was determined to have another shot at getting him to see reason. Dorothy simply stayed to watch the fireworks. When Duo came off the bronc and the animal turned for him, Relena’s hand shot to her mouth. Regardless of how much she despised the man, she wouldn’t want to see him physically hurt; and that black devil... She shuddered as she watched the drama unfolding. Dorothy sat and smirked. Reaper had one thing and one thing only in his head. His teeth bared, he went for the cowboy. Both Quatre and Wufei were aiming for the black horse, riding their horses flat out in an attempt to cut the beast off before he could get to Duo. Trowa had shot out from behind his barrel, uncaring of the bronc and also thinking only of getting to Duo. As Trowa sprinted across the arena he was joined by the form of Heero. Knowing Duo must be hurt if he hadn’t gotten up and out of the way, Heero’s mind was registering the only thing important to him right now and that was getting to Duo as quickly as possible. He knew Reaper, he’d suffered at those teeth and hooves before. That bronc was a mean son of a bitch and would be out for blood – Duo’s blood. Uncaring for his own safety, Heero vowed to skin the animal alive if it touched his boyfriend. Back in the chutes, the rodeo hands were all moving too. All of them had a soft spot for the long haired cowboy and not one of them was about to sit back and let this bronc take his revenge. Reaper reached Duo first. Teeth bared and hooves flying, the bronc whirled around and aimed a savage kick at the downed cowboy. Spinning back around, Reaper snaked his head forward to sink his teeth into Duo’s arm and bring a fore hoof crashing down. A fraction of a second before the hoof could connect, Sandrock gave an almighty effort and leapt forward, colliding with the black bronc right in the rib cage and knocking Reaper off balance. The hoof came down millimeters from Duo’s head. With a snort of anger, Reaper scrambled and regained his footing, his blind rage driving him insane. He went to leap forward again, aiming for Duo when Nataku smashed into his shoulder and sent him spinning to the left. “NO!” screamed Heero as he watched the horse kick out and then swing around for another shot. A blur of chestnut and black followed by bay and black saw Reaper knocked off course and that was all the time it took for Heero to reach Duo. Trowa came running in beside him as Reaper shook his head from the collision and turned for Duo again. White teeth flashed as Reaper jumped forward. “Look out!” someone yelled, Trowa turning as he heard the yell and saw the whites of Reaper’s eyes as the maddened bronc came for Duo again. Raising a fist, Trowa slammed it home against the cheek of the horse just as the teeth snapped shut. He gave a cry of pain and slammed the fist home again, this time into the horse’s muzzle. Reaper let go, Trowa grasping his arm and cradling it against his chest. Wufei managed to spin Nataku around and grabbed his lariat. Giving it a couple of swings, he managed to drop the loop over Reaper’s head and brought Nataku to a sliding stop. The bay began to reverse, pulling the rope taut and the loop around Reaper’s neck, tight. It brought the bronc up short, but only for a moment. Blinded by hate, Reaper lunged forward again, Heero dropping himself over Duo’s body to shield the unconscious cowboy from the black devil. He felt the whistle of the air as Reaper’s hoof just missed his back. “Winner! Rope him, I need a hand here!” Wufei yelled. “Shit!” Quatre fumbled for his lariat, finally managing to unhook it and swing it in the air. He’d never been much good at roping, he could only pray he wouldn’t stuff this up. The rope sailed through the air and glanced off Reaper’s shoulder. “Fuck!” Quatre quickly reeled it back in. Swinging it again, this time when he let it go it found its mark and settled over the black head. “Back up Sandy!” he ordered the chestnut and sat deep in the saddle. Sandrock braced himself and dug deep with his hind hooves, the powerful hindquarters of his breed assisting him in pulling the rope tight and stopping Reaper. The black bronc continued to fight against the two horses that held him, desperate to attack the cowboy. But Nataku and Sandrock held firm. With the black devil held safely for the moment, Heero turned his attention back to Duo. He levered himself off Duo and crouched close to the cowboy’s side. Careful not to move Duo as he didn’t know what injuries the man had, Heero brushed the chestnut bangs away from the pale face. “Duo,” he called softly as his fingers traced the high cheekbone. “Duo? Can you hear me?” Biting his lip and doing his best to hold his anguish at bay, Heero tried again. “Duo? Duo? Wake up, please wake up.” Charlie and the other rodeo hands arrived and noting the bronc still screaming and lunging in an effort to break free of his captors, Charlie faced the two pick-up riders first. “You two think you can drag that animal out into the corral?” “We will try,” came Wufei’s reply. “Good. Get him into the corral and close the gate tight, then get yourselves out of there. I’ll deal with that black menace shortly.” “Okay,” Quatre replied. Turning to Wufei, he spoke quietly. “How do you want to do this?” “Keep the rope tight at all times and we will drag him over there,” Wufei stated. “No problem.” The two cowboys turned their horses and keeping the lariats tight around the saddle horns, urged their respective horses to walk forward. Both Nataku and Sandrock had roped and restrained cattle before so they knew what was wanted. Digging their hooves deep into the arena surface, each strained forward to drag the unwilling bronc behind them and into the waiting corral. Reaper snorted and fought hard against the restricting ropes. He didn’t want to leave, he had a score to settle and his maddened mind wouldn’t let go of his need for revenge. He twisted, dug his hooves in and tried to go backwards, but the ropes wouldn’t budge. Reaper switched tactics and tried to lunge forward at the bay horse, but the other rope jerked hard and brought him up short. He tried again, this time to attack the chestnut, but once more the ropes around his neck prevented him from getting anywhere near the quarter horse. He struggled harder, the ropes continuing to tighten and slowly start to cut off his air supply. If he moved forward, the ropes loosened a touch and enabled him to breath properly again. But Reaper didn’t give a shit. His mind had totally shattered on him now and all he was capable of was the insane rage he felt towards anything cowboy like. Nataku and Sandy pulled hard, slowly but steadily dragging the black bronc across the arena. Deep furrows and churned up dirt were left in the wake of the three equines, but they pressed on until the were inside the corral. Once there, it took some maneuvering, but eventually the two pick-up riders had their horses by the gate and Reaper on the other side, still fighting. “On the count of three, drop your lariat and get out of here,” Wufei instructed, his eyes never leaving the mad bronc. “Ready,” Quatre stated softly, hand poised over the lariat rope still wound around the saddle horn, one eye on the exit and the other on the black. “One, two, three,’ Wufei counted down. Once he said ‘three’, the pair swiftly released their lariats and turned their horses. Neither Nataku or Sandy needed any urging, they wanted to get away from this black demon just as much as their riders did. Both horses spun and bolted for the gate. Once they were safely through, a couple of hands slammed the gates home and dropped the bar across. Inside the corral, Reaper suddenly realized the ropes on his neck were loose and he spotted the disappearing tails of the two horses. He screamed his rage and sprinted off after them, only to come up against the closed gates of the corral. Giving a snort of anger, he began to pace the corral, looking for anywhere he might be able to get through and finish what he’d started. Having noted that Wufei and Quatre had things under control in regards to the bronc, Charlie turned his attention back to Duo. Crouching beside Heero his eyes scanned the form of the downed cowboy. He felt for a pulse, noted it was there and strong and gave a sigh of relief. “Is he conscious?” “No. He’s out cold,” came Heero’s reply. “Shit.” Looking up, Charlie gave a nod to a hovering hand. “Get the medic and call an ambulance.” The medic was already on his way. Once the black bronc had been roped, he’d grabbed his bag and climbed into the arena, jogging across to where Duo lay. “Move back a little people, give him some air.” He set his bag down and looked at Heero. “I need you to move so I can check him over,” he stated. With a grunt, Heero moved a little to the side, leaving enough room for the medic to work but still right beside his new partner. The medic was quick and efficient in his checks, skilled fingers moving gently over Duo’s body and assessing the damage. His face remained grim as his mind cataloged the possible damage. Whilst the medic did his work, Charlie watched, puzzled as to what exactly had happened. His eyes spotted the end rope of the rig and his brow furrowed. The medic moved Duo slightly and as he did so, Duo’s right arm came into view, his gloved hand still closed around the webbing hand hold. A cold shiver passed through Charlie as he realized the rig had come off the bronc. He mentally went over things in his mind, he was sure he’d put the rig on properly, tightened it and checked it. Was it possible he hadn’t done the knots securely? Charlie felt as if someone had poured a bucket of icy water down his spine. If the knots hadn’t been done securely then this was his fault. He was responsible for Duo lying here now with god knew what injuries. Dammit! The cowboy could have been killed due to his negligence – could still die. Charlie needed to check that rig; if it had been his fault then he would take full responsibility. A feeling of self loathing came over the old hand. “Is he going to be okay?” Heero asked, his tone laced with worry and wishing Duo would open his eyes – or better still, jump up and dust himself off, stating he was okay and for them all to stop fussing. But he remained still and unconscious. “He needs to get to a hospital,” the medic replied. “I’m not sure if there is any internal damage but it looks like a few broken ribs. He will most likely have concussion too and will need a CT scan of his head as I don’t know if there is any head injury. There’s nothing on the outside, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing on the inside.” The medic turned to the sluggishly bleeding wound on Duo’s arm from where Reaper had bitten him. The cold hand of fear gripped Heero’s heart with the words. He wasn’t stupid, he could read between the lines and see what the medic wasn’t saying. The blow to the head when Duo landed could mean brain damage. Heero made a silent vow that regardless of what injuries Duo suffered, he would be there for his long haired partner – forever. “We need to move him out of here,” the medic said and turned to speak with a couple of rodeo hands. The hands were dispatched to fetch the portable stretcher. Whilst they were gone, the medic turned to Trowa. “Let me see your arm.” “Treat Duo first,” came Trowa’s stoic reply. “I’ve done what I can for him for the moment, now let me take a look.” Trowa duly offered his arm and the medic gave it a once over through the tattered and torn hole of Trowa’s shirt where Reaper’s teeth had bitten through. “Come to the medical bay as well and I’ll clean it up properly for you,” he ordered. Trowa nodded. The hands arrived back with the stretcher and Duo was carefully picked up and eased onto it. “Careful with him,” the medic insisted as the hands raised the stretcher and began to carry the injured cowboy from the arena. Beside them Trowa and Heero walked. Wufei and Quatre rode back over once the bronc had been secured, falling into step beside the group as Duo was carried from the arena. Seeing the blood on Trowa, Quatre nearly had a fit, demanding to know what the injury was and why it hadn’t been treated. Quatre was quickly brought up to speed and along with Wufei, filled in on what the medic had said in relation to Duo. The commentator came back over the public address system and informed the crowd that Duo, whilst injured, was going to be perfectly alright and would be taken to hospital and checked as a precaution. The crowd swallowed it much to the relief of the rodeo organizers and once the arena was clear it was announced there would be an hour break before the events would resume. Taking advantage of the break, Quatre and Wufei took their horses back to their rigs and left the pair to rest. With their horses settled, the two hightailed it back to the medical room of the rodeo. Charlie had removed Duo’s gloved hand from the webbing handhold and gathered up the rig. He fully intended to take a good, close look at it and see what had happened to cause it to come undone. * * * Once Duo was back in the medical room, the medic had him transferred from the stretcher to the small bed to await the arrival of the ambulance. Moving to a small cabinet, the medic unlocked it and removed a few items. Setting them down he swabbed Duo’s arm and inserted a needle followed by a cannula to set up a saline drip. With Duo comfortable for the moment, the medic had Trowa sit down and remove his shirt for him to treat the bite wound. It was a nasty bite, but fortunately hadn’t gone too deep. The medic swabbed the area with betadine, making sure to remove any and all traces of foreign matter. Once the wound was clean he could assess the damage better. It couldn’t be stitched as although the teeth had broken the skin, there wasn’t anything to stitch together. The medic applied an antibiotic cream and gauze before bandaging it up. “I’ll give you a mild pain killer,” he told Trowa, “and you’re not to work for the remainder of this rodeo. I also want you to see your own doctor and have it checked; you’ll need a course of antibiotics and I can’t prescribe or dispense them as I’m not qualified to do so.” Trowa grunted in the affirmative. With Trowa fixed up, the medic went back to Duo. Quatre and Wufei arrived, Quatre going immediately to the rodeo clown and making sure his lover was okay. Wufei aimed for Duo and felt his heart plummet when he noted the cowboy still out cold. His eyes shifted to Yuy and his concern rose a touch. The other cowboy looked completely lost and vulnerable. Wufei moved to stand beside him. “He will be okay, Maxwell is a pretty tough cookie,” he offered in reassurance. Heero turned to look at the other man. “Thank you. I can’t help worrying about him. I need to know what the damage is.” Heero swallowed and fought back the water filling his eyes. “I want him to wake up, I want him to be all right, I want the happy, vibrant Duo back,” he managed to whisper out, although it was a little strangled. "Don’t we all,” muttered Wufei. “I will take care of him,” Heero vowed softly, so softly that Wufei had to strain his ears to hear. “I won’t let him go through this alone. I’ll be with him for however long it takes, for however long he needs and wants me.” Resting a hand on Heero’s shoulder, Wufei gave it a squeeze. “Thank you, Wufei, you and Quatre for getting that beast away from him. If you hadn’t, then...” Heero couldn’t continue, his voice deserting him in favor of a lump in his throat as the thoughts of what could have been flooded his mind. “We are here for you, both you and Duo,” Wufei said softly. Heero understood all that those words didn’t say. Violet eyes began to flicker open. A soft groan came from dry, sore lips. Immediately Heero was there. “Duo? Duo, it’s Heero.” “Ahh. ‘Ro,” Duo slurred as his eyes struggled to focus. “It’s okay, just lie still. How do you feel?” “Heero? What happened?” Duo’s voice was faint and raspy. “You were on Reaper and came off,” Heero replied. “Can’t remember. Fuck, I’m sore.” Duo moaned again as his ribs let him know of their existence. The medic, realizing his patient was awake, came over and began to flash his light in Duo’s eyes. “Ack, fuck off,” Duo grumbled “Shit, that hurts,” he moaned, using his bitten arm to try and push the medic away and suffering from shooting pains in his shoulder, arm and ribs. “Duo, I’m the medic,’ the medic informed. “You’ve had a nasty fall from a bronc and have a few injuries. Can you tell me what you remember?” Duo closed his eyes for a brief moment. “I remember getting up this morning.” His cheeks flushed a little as that pleasant memory came back and he declined to elaborate on it. He didn’t think Heero would appreciate it if he were to let the medic know he’d been used as a teddy bear. “I remember the draw,” his breath hitched for a moment. “I recall that menace giving us a hard time, but after that it’s all a blank.” Duo’s face scrunched up a bit as he tried hard to recall anything, anything at all after the draw. “Definite concussion,” mumbled the medic. “Duo, can you tell me where it hurts?” Taking a quick, mental stock of his body, Duo replied as honestly as he could. “Head feels like there’s a jackhammer going off in it, shoulder aches like a bitch, arm is sore and it really, really hurts to breathe and speak.” The medic frowned. “I want you to lie still, there’s an ambulance on its way to take you through to the emergency department where they can check you over thoroughly.” “Don’t wanna go ‘ospital,” Duo slurred again, causing the medic to frown deeper. He didn’t like the sound of Duo’s voice at all. “It will be okay, Duo. I’ll come with you,” Heero reassured. He really wanted to wrap his arms around Duo and hold him close, soothe away the hurt and pain, kiss his fears away... but he couldn’t, not now with all these people around. The sound of a vehicle approaching had the medic moving to the door to peer outside. “The ambulance is here,” he called over his shoulder and stepped outside to greet the officers and fill them in on Duo’s fall and resulting injuries. With the medic out of the room for a moment, Heero took the chance to give Duo a reassuring kiss. It was barely a brief touch of lips, but it was enough. “You’ll be alright, Duo,” Heero whispered. Duo closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of the fleeting kiss. “Don’t wanna go to hospital,” he repeated. “Don’t like ‘em.” “I’ll come with you. I promise, I won’t leave you.” Heero knew first hand just how intimidating hospitals could be, and even more so when you were on your own. “Thanks ‘Ro.” The ambulance officers stepped into the room then and all other conversation was halted for the moment. Wufei, Quatre and Trowa all listened in and watched with worry etched into their faces as the ambulance officers spoke with Duo and checked him over. With their examination concluded, they went back to their ambulance to fetch the gurney. Returning, they swiftly and carefully moved Duo onto it and prepared to take him to the hospital. “Which hospital will you be taking him to?” Quatre asked. Everyone else in the room looked up, none of them had even thought about asking which hospital Duo would be going to. “Canadian General,” came the reply. [1] That made sense, Quatre thought, seeing how the rodeo was being held on the outskirts of the town. “I’ll call a little later to see how it’s all going,” Quatre said to Heero and Duo as the cowboy was wheeled out of the building. Heero nodded and followed the gurney to the ambulance. He waited as they put Duo inside and went to climb in himself. The ambulance officer stopped him. “I’m sorry, sir, you can’t come with him.” “Why not? I’m his... Best friend and he doesn’t have anyone else,” Heero growled. “It’s ambulance policy, sir. Only next of kin can come with us to the hospital. You are more than welcome to find your own transport there and speak with someone in emergency.” “I promised him I wouldn’t leave him alone.” Heero’s voice held an edge to it. Inside the ambulance he could hear Duo, and the man was sounding a little panicked. The ambulance officer also heard the noises and turned to speak with his fellow officer who was inside with Duo and doing his best to calm the cowboy down. “What is it?” he snapped. “He’s refusing to go to the hospital. Says he wants that other cowboy to come with him.” “Only next of kin can ride in the ambulance, you know that.” “Heero?” Duo’s voice sounded strained and raspy. He coughed, a few splatters of blood coming up with the saliva. “Shit! We gotta get moving, looks like we may have a punctured lung here.” The ambulance officer tore open a couple of packages. “Not going without ‘Ro,” Duo grit out. His chest was really hurting and he felt vulnerable. “Heero’s my next of kin,” he ground out after registering what the medic had said. “Let him in,” the officer stated. “He’s next of kin.” I am? thought Heero. Since when? “Why the hell didn’t you say so?” the officer snapped at Heero. “Get in, we need to get moving now!” Heero didn’t need telling twice, he was up the step and inside the van before the officer could blink. Settling himself down beside Duo but keeping out of the ambulance officer’s way, Heero gave his partner a soft, reassuring smile. The doors closed behind them and then the ambulance was started up and moving. Slowly the officer drove across the grounds, careful to avoid jostling his passenger as much as possible. Back in the chutes, Charlie had Duo’s rig in hand and headed for the break room to study it a little more. He turned the ropes over in his hands, studying the weaving and quality of the rope. The knots were still there, still holding firm just as he’d tied them when he’d put the rig on the bronc. He brought the snapped pieces to the fore and carefully scrutinized them. Playing with the end, Charlie gave a soft gasp and brought the rope end close to his face. He wasn’t sure if his eyes were seeing properly or not, but part of the rope was frayed, consistent with a break. The other bit of it – that was smooth. He could swear it looked like the rope had been partially cut through. But why? Why would anyone want to cut a cowboy’s rig? That was the question Charlie intended to find the answer to. ~ * ~ tbc... [1] Canadian General: I have no idea if there is a hospital in the town of Canadian in Texas. I have made this one up for the purpose of this fic. My apologies if there is – no disrespect intended.
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