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"Diary of a Protected Witness"Written By: Snowdragonct Disclaimer: Don’t own any part of Gundam
Wing or the characters, more’s the pity. This is for fun...no
profit involved. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: AU , yaoi, swearing (lots), some OOC
(probably), violence, drugs, sex, Pairings: 1X2X1, 3X4, 5XC, (past 2X3X2, 6X2) Summary: Ever wonder what was running through Duo's mind at certain points in"Witness Protection?" Here are snippets of his point of view...a companionfic, that will not rehash the entire plot, but offer a new perspective ofcertain events. A/N: This fits with chapter sixty nine of Witness. " Diary of a Protected Witness"
Dear Diary: Heero’s and my reunion was everything I’d dreamed of and more. No, of course it didn’t go exactly like I’d fantasized, since I didn’t meet him up on the cliffs. And there were some scary moments at first—like when I thought he was gonna just tell me goodbye. But once we got past both of our insecurities and uncertainty, we resumed our relationship with a bang. (Hell, yeah, he banged the livin’ shit outta me! I maintain my opinion—the man is a God.) And after the mind blowing sex, and then some more of the same—and maybe a bit more—well, we eventually got around to talking. That was the part that worried me the most, really, trying to figure out where to go from here. Before the sex, Heero had asked if I wanted to stay in Euphoria, pointing out that with Treize dead, I really didn’t have to. And I’d told him I liked it there, and reminded him how we’d talked about living near the ocean, but then I said mostly I just wanted to be wherever he was. That was all that really mattered to me. Of course, shortly thereafter, my back had hit the mattress, and all coherent thought was long gone. But after we got reacquainted with each other’s bodies, we had to start thinking about living again—and making a living. Of course, that was when he told me Zechs had provided for me, and that I only had to keep workin’ at The Gull’s Wing if I wanted to. Funny thing was, I did want to, and not just because I owed a debt to Mary and Pops for taking me in the way they had. I really liked those two, and I genuinely loved cooking. I also loved the ocean, and the peace I’d found in that small town and in Pops’ kitchen, even during the most stressful of days. At any rate, as soon as I said I wanted to stay in Euphoria and keep my job at the restaurant, Heero started making it happen. He went back to the city to wrap things up with his boss, punch Alexander’s lights out again (God, I love my man), and bring me back the money and letter from Zechs (yeah, he told me Howard came through for me—and I came through for him, providing “Angel” for both the password and my new pet name), as well as what remained of my personal belongings. And his. I hadn’t been sure he’d want to stay in Euphoria with me. I sort of thought he might keep his job awhile longer and come up on weekends or something. But he made it very clear, he wasn’t about to spend that much time away from me. Thank God! When he got back, he made me sit down and read the letter from Zechs, and I fuckin’ cried my eyes out over it. A damned romantic sap—that’s what Zechs was—all that talk about what he’d learned from me, and how wonderful I was. But I was eternally grateful for that final kindness from him. He left me money to live on, a way to protect myself, and his blessings on moving forward with my life and loving someone else. Go figure. He was a jealous bastard when he was alive. But in his last will and testament, he wanted me to find someone else to share the rest of my life with. He didn’t want me to be alone. I think that was the most unselfish thing he ever did, and it made me love him all the more. Of course, he was still a distant second to Heero. I loved my blue-eyed cop with all my heart. More than Zechs, and more than Trowa. He—completed me. I would’ve killed for him (and did), and I would’ve gladly died for him (almost did that, too)—but more than anything, I wanted to live for him and with him—pretty much forever. Ugh, I was turning into a sentimental sap, huh? At any rate, Zechs’ money enabled us to buy a nice house near the beach. It sat up high on a bluff, with a great view of the ocean and the shoreline. We even had a porch and a deck—complete with a Jacuzzi (duh!)—and my own little herb and veggie garden. And if Heero noticed a few less-than-legal plants growing in one corner, he never complained to me about it. Heh, heh. Maybe he was just happy I’d never gone back to smoking cigarettes, after being forcefully weaned off them during the healing of my lung. Or maybe he was just so freakin’ smitten with me, he’d pretty much let me get away with anything. I made it a point not to abuse his indulgence—the man was just too good to me. But speaking of “anything,” he totally agreed to let me sunbathe in the nude any time I wanted. Of course, with our own, private beach, it wasn’t like anyone besides him would ever see me. In fact, he said he might even be willing to try it himself, when the weather warmed up; but then I’d always known he wasn’t half the prude Chang was. In addition to the lovely house and secluded beach, we also had enough acreage to satisfy Heero’s need to maintain a “perimeter.” Yeah, he was still a little paranoid about my safety. I mean, c’mon—he’d watched me “die.” Of course he had issues when it came to security for me. And honestly, it was kinda nice to have him fuss so much—it showed me our new life was as precious to him as it was to me. I felt more loved than ever in my life. Of course, his perimeter didn’t keep everything out; we got to see some pretty cool wildlife. There were wild blueberry bushes all over the hilltop, and one time we saw a bear out there eating from them—far enough away that we hadda get binoculars to be sure what he was. And that was okay with me—I’d been close enough for a lifetime! We hadn’t seen any moose, but that suited me just fine, too. Again—been there, seen that, and don’t wanna repeat the experience any time soon. I liked my wildlife a little smaller and tamer—like the bunnies that hung out in my vegetable garden and pilfered carrot tops and lettuce when they got the chance. I was using them as an excuse to talk ‘Ro into letting me get a dog, though I could probably have convinced him using the “watchdog” aspect of it, or even just batting my big, indigo eyes, heh, heh. He only got his gun and offered to “eliminate the rabbit infestation” once, but when I nearly cried over the “poor, starving” little critters, he broke down and put it away. He’d probably just been yanking my chain, but I couldn’t stand the thought of Peter, Flopsy and Mopsy ending up as hasenpfeffer—not after I’d spent hours sketching the furry little vandals. Yeah, I was doing a lot of sketching lately—trying to catch images around our new home, as well as some memories I hadn’t had time to put on paper before. I drew Wufei meditating, using my memory of that day at the lake, as well as Trowa and Quatre made up to look like Heero and me. There were a lotta moments along that journey I still wanted to put to paper before they faded into hazy images, or were lost altogether. And while I was remembering, I thought to tie up a few loose ends as well. I owed Howie a car, having left his at the circus farm, and instead of just sending someone to fetch it, I ordered him up a brand new sports car. He’d always daydreamed about having a sleek little convertible some day, to get the babes to notice an old man like him. Thanks to Zechs’ generosity, I was able to indulge him. I was also able to send a sizeable donation to the Maxwell Church Orphanage, along with a note telling Father I wasn’t quite as dead as he’d thought, and to hang onto what I’d heard was a totally awesome eulogy—for some far-off future date, I hoped. I thanked him for all he’d done for me, and told him I hoped the money would enable him to help other kids the same way. I had Heero add a quick note, assuring the good padre that the money was lawfully obtained and in no way associated with Zechs’ illegal enterprises. I knew damned well the stubborn old priest would never accept it if he thought it was drug money—even if it would help him fight the drug dealers on the streets. His sense of honor was as clear-cut and unshakeable as Wufei’s. As for the rest of Zechs’ money—we put most of it away for a rainy day—living on a portion of the interest it earned, and on the wages we made at our jobs. Yeah—almost forgot to mention, after we settled into our new life, Heero got himself a part-time job assisting the local constable, which seemed to satisfy his need to contribute to society in some way. He’d been looking into a similar job in a town an hour or so away, but I got a little panicky about the potential danger, and he obliged me by taking the less risky job closer to home. Okay—so maybe I had some issues of my own. After watching Heero nearly bleed to death in that SUV on the way to Euphoria, I guess I was entitled to be a bit on the overprotective side, too. At any rate, by taking the job, Heero allowed the former constable to retire and hang out with Pops, for which both old men were eternally grateful. They’d been pals since childhood, and really wanted some time in their golden years to just hang out and be pals again. I was glad we could give them that. And working only part-time hours gave Heero plenty of time to devote to his “girlfriend,” the vintage car he was restoring in our roomy garage. I teased him pretty mercilessly about spending time with “that other woman,” until he laid me down across the newly-replaced leather seat and fucked me senseless one evening. I stopped being jealous—or even feigning jealousy—from that moment on. Besides, he didn’t call his car Angel, now did he? I still had it over that hunk of metal any day of the week! I still got shivers when ‘Ro called me that, by the way, since he used it rarely and in such a tone of reverence and adoration that it didn’t even sound exaggerated. Silly, romantic, sexy sap… I mean, if he’d called me Shini, it would’ve seemed weird, since that was Trowa’s pet name for me. But Angel—well, even Zechs had only called me that a couple of times before I put a stop to it. When it fell from Heero’s lips, though, it was—different. For him, I wanted to be better. I wanted to live up to the image he seemed to have of me. I wanted to be his angel. Maybe that’s why I was so determined to excel at cooking. I felt talented in Pops’ kitchen—worthy of Heero’s respect and love—like I had a skill worth polishing. It reminded me of when I first started at The Jungle. I hadn’t realized how much I craved approval, until I felt the “rush” when I got thunderous applause. But after that, I really worked at my dancing and went out of my way to make the routines different. It wasn’t just about going through the motions—it was about finding new ways to excite my audience. The same thing applied to cooking. When I made ‘Ro sample a new dish and his eyes lit up, and he gave me that little nod, or a thumbs up, I felt like a complete success. It made me want to keep impressing him, though sometimes I worried about how long I’d be able to keep it up. But I soon learned that even when I made a meal that was an unmitigated disaster, Heero found something to praise about it. That’s when I began to realize, he was impressed by me no matter what. I didn’t have to keep trying so hard; his love and approval were unconditional. But then, I should’ve known that back when he’d said he’d forgive me a murder. The guy was totally head over heels. And mine! All mine. Ah—but to get back to the point—while I knew Heero was an adoring audience of one, I had no such self-assurance about Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and Catherine. And when my lover casually suggested we invite them to Thanksgiving dinner, I actually hesitated. I’d never cooked a meal on that scale before—with all the side dishes and trimmings. And while I knew I had an aptitude for cooking, I wasn’t sure I was up to the challenge. I started to say so, stammering out excuses and uncertainties, until ‘Ro put a halt to my panic by bursting into laughter. He pointed out that our friends would be far less interested in the meal than they would be in the chance to see me face to face again, and I instantly realized he was right. I hadn’t seen any of them since the courthouse, and that awful day. We’d talked on the phone—but because of Alexander’s continuing presence in the city, we hadn’t wanted to visit there, or risk having our friends come to us. “You sure it’ll be safe?” I couldn’t help asking. “If they were followed—.” “They won’t be,” Heero assured me. “I spoke to all four of them, and they understand how important it is that our location remains a secret. So I took the liberty of mailing off a couple of detection devices they can use to be sure their vehicles aren’t tracked.” “You really are a boy scout,” I teased, running my fingers through that unruly, sexy mop of hair. “A high-tech, spy-type boy scout.” He gave me a devilish smirk. “Is that your kind of boy scout?” “You know it!” We didn’t get much planning done after that—because
I got busy taking the “be prepared” part of the motto very
much to heart—. tbc... |
