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"Witness Protection"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: R Warnings: Warnings: AU , yaoi, swearing (lots),
some OOC (probably), violence, drugs, sex, a naughty Duo (i.e. he
has a potty mouth and is a bit, er, slutty)…if you are wedded
to the “pure, chaste” version of Duo, he might be a bit
dark and crude for your taste…ditto for the other characters
in here…hey, Quat’s a lawyer…how much lower could he
get? Pairings: 1X2 eventually, 3X4 also eventually, (past 2X3, 6X2) A/N: I’ll apologize in advance that Zechs is, well, deceased right from the start. I like him a lot, and there’ll be mention of him…but mostly in the form of discussing/investigating his murder. Sorry. Summary: When Zechs Merquise is found murdered,
detectives Heero Yuy and Wufei Chang are tasked with the unenviable
chore of keeping the only witness to the crime alive long enough to
testify against the leader of the Oz syndicate, Treize Khushrenada. "Witness Protection" Chapter Forty: New Digs We walked up to the house more or less arm in arm, and when we got there, Duo gave a cursory knock before throwing the door open. “Hey, Cathy! Got any lion chow? The ‘big cats’ are hungry!” Chang and a girl with reddish hair and a pair of crutches were talking in the living room, and turned at our arrival. “Duo!” she squealed in delight. “Trowa said you’d be coming! I’m so glad.” She hobbled over and gave him a brief hug before pulling back to look him over. “You look beat.” He smiled wanly. “Exhausted. Swear t’God after this I’m never taking a road trip again!” His gaze ran down to the cast on her leg. “Still—I’m in better shape than you, I guess.” “Oh this?” She leaned to casually rap her knuckles against the plaster. “Naw—it comes off in a few days. Meanwhile, I mostly use the crutches for balance.” “And to fend off the lions while you feed ‘em?” he teased. “No lions here yet,” she told him. “Sorry to disappoint you.” “No—that’s good,” he said, sounding only vaguely disappointed. “Much as I like having the big cats around, if any were here, it’d mean they were hurt or sick, wouldn’t it?” “Yes it would.” “Then I’m glad they’re not.” Catherine grinned, and then her gaze slid past him to me, and her eyes lit up. “Oh—and you are—?” she asked, holding out a hand. “Mine!” Duo said quickly, sharply. “Heero Yuy,” I said graciously, taking her hand and giving it a firm shake. She chuckled, leaning in close to Duo to whisper in his ear. “Does that mean the Oriental Adonis behind us is up for grabs?” she asked. Duo grinned evilly over her head at Wufei, while keeping his voice low. “Grab away, darling,” he urged. I couldn’t help smiling at the mischievous exchange between the two. And when Catherine turned around to face Wufei, I felt a small twinge of pity for him. Very small. When I recalled his recent laments about girls going after the gay guys, I decided he truly deserved this woman’s attentions, whether he wanted them or not. “So, Mister Chang,” she said hobbling over, and taking his arm in a companionable gesture. “Would you like to help me make some tea, while you tell me all about your trip up here?” “I—.” He glanced rather helplessly at me, and then down at her appealing gaze, and the slight softening of his features suggested he wouldn’t mind her attentions at all. “I’d be delighted. And please, call me Wufei?” “Oh—Wufei then,” she said cheerily. “As long as you’ll call me Cathy.” They sauntered into the kitchen, with Chang rather solicitously assisting the injured girl, and Duo turned a wide-eyed look on me. “Y’think?” he asked ambiguously. “Possibly,” I replied, equally vague. “Sure would be nice,” he mused. “Might take his attention off us. Give us a little more room to—explore the possibilities.” I slid an arm around his waist, letting myself think of all the possibilities we hadn’t yet explored fully. I mean, shit—we’d had sex—several times. But I had yet to return the favor of that blow job he’d “forced” on me at gunpoint. And then there was that whole sixty-nine thing…and we won’t even go into all the potential positions and variations we had yet to try. “Thinkin’ about it, aren’t ya?” he teased in a husky voice. “Hell yes.” He gave me a sly look. “Maybe I should call ‘top’ right now—avoid the rush.” The sparkle in the indigo eyes became positively wicked. “Or we could arm-wrestle for it.” “Or you could just ask.” His eyes went wide at that, as if he hadn’t thought I’d even consider the switch. “Yuy—Maxwell—you could be bringing in the luggage!” Wufei called from the kitchen. “Spoilsport,” muttered my lover, reluctantly pulling away. “Sure, Wuffers—we’ll put it in the bedroom! Take your time makin’ that tea!” He caught my hand and pulled me after him. “Duo, we can’t—.” “I know. I know,” he said impatiently. “I don’t even know what rooms Cathy will put us in, or where they are. It’s not like I’ve been here before either. Only heard about it from Trowa.” He gave a wicked smirk. “Just wanted to rattle Wuffers a bit.” “Are you sure that’s wise?” I got a snort in reply. “Shit, Yuy—he’s still probably feeling bad enough about upsetting me that he’ll let me get away with murder for a few hours.” We ended up piling the duffel bags in the hallway and joining Catherine and Wufei at the dining room table, where they’d set up tea for all of us. The smell of something cooking in the oven filled the room, which I took to mean supper would soon be ready. We slid into our seats, and Duo immediately grabbed the honey, liberally spooning it into his tea. I found myself grinning as I remembered Trowa’s comment about Duo getting him hooked on the sweet stuff. That earned me a raised eyebrow from my lover, and then a wicked smirk as he slowly licked the excess off his spoon. And, yes, I found myself imagining his tongue working me and had to close my eyes. I knew he was thinking about the same thing. After he finished sexually assaulting his spoon, he turned a curious look to Catherine. “So what the heck happened to your leg?” he asked her, stirring his drink and then taking a cautious sip, smacking his lips happily at the level of sweetness. “Oh—a little fall,” she said with a shrug. “I was practicing some bareback riding.” Duo choked on his tea, bursting into delighted laughter. “Duo!” Catherine scolded, blushing brightly. “On a horse!” I smacked him on the back helpfully. “Mind out of the gutter, Maxwell.” Now if I could only keep mine on the high road as well… “Can’t help it!” he blurted. “That was just too perfect a setup.” “You knew what I meant,” grumbled the girl, her hand brushing Wufei’s as she reached for the sugar, which only made her blush harder. “Of course he knew what you meant,” Chang said, giving Duo a narrow look. “He just chose to misinterpret.” He gave her a sympathetic glance. “He can’t help himself—it’s in his nature, I’m afraid.” “At least my nature’s not uptight and—.” “Duo!” I admonished sharply. “Proper,” Duo amended quickly. “Yep—Chang’s nothing if not proper.” “There’s nothing wrong with that,” Catherine assured him, smiling warmly at my partner. He smiled back. He smiled back. And Duo, who never missed a trick, gave me a perfectly smug look. “So—anyway,” Catherine continued, tearing her attention away from Wufei for a moment. “What brings you way out here?” “Uh, Catherine,” I said carefully. “Exactly what did Trowa tell you about the three of us coming to visit?” I wanted to establish right up front whether or not she knew about Duo’s protected status. “Well—he said Duo might stop by here with a couple of friends, and could I make sure to have some rooms ready. He said he wasn’t sure if you’d make it or for how long, but that you might need a place to hang out for awhile. Why?” “No reason, Cath,” Duo said easily, darting me a warning look. “Just—I might’ve left a few pissed off bill collectors behind, and it’d be nice if you didn’t tell anyone we were here.” Her pretty blue-grey eyes narrowed a bit suspiciously. “Bill collectors?” He smiled and ducked his head sheepishly. “You know me—always pissing someone off.” “Yes, but it’s usually the cops,” she smirked, relaxing a bit. But her gaze picked at Duo’s carefully casual front. “Tell me no one’s going to show up with a warrant, please.” “I can assure you, no one will,” Chang said quickly, smoothly. “You have my word on that.” “Good.” She nodded, apparently satisfied. When the timer for dinner began beeping, she got quickly to her feet, grabbing for her crutches, and Wufei hastily offered to help bring out the casserole. I might have gone with them, but I wanted a moment with Duo. Making sure they were out of earshot, I leaned a bit closer to him. “She doesn’t know about you and Merquise?” I asked, thinking it odd she’d made no mention of his dead lover. He shook his head. “I’ve only met her at the circus a few times—always with Trowa. She doesn’t know anything about my personal life, except that I worked at the same club with him and we shacked up for awhile and are still—close.” He looked a bit defensively at me. “I told you, Zechs kept our relationship very low key. The only ones who knew about us were folks at Sanc and The Jungle. Beyond that…maybe a couple of waiters at some of the places we ate.” “You forgot the rumor mill,” I pointed out. “Word was out on the street that he was dating a stripper from one of his clubs.” “Yeah, but that’s not the kind of news that would filter back to Catherine. Her world—the circus world—is so far removed that they’d never hear that kind of rumor, or give a shit about it if they did.” Well that made sense. “So, as far as she knows, you’re here to lay low from some bill collectors or something?” “I guess,” he shrugged. “Don’t overanalyze it, ‘Ro. Cathy’s good people. She didn’t like me much at first, when Tro’ and I hooked up—thought I was a bad influence.” He gave a wry smile. “She was right. But when I cleaned up my act and stopped the drugs and shit, she kind of got used to having me around whenever the circus hit town.” I frowned, not liking the thought of Duo having been into hard drugs and the lifestyle that implied. “That was a long time ago,” he assured me, a hand coming to rest on top of one of mine. “What kind of drugs?” I couldn’t help asking. He leaned back in his seat, tilting his face towards the ceiling and sighing deeply. “What difference does it make? It’s old news.” “I just—want to know,” I said with a pained scowl. “I can’t understand what would drive someone to do that to their body.” He let out a frustrated breath. “Jesus, ‘Ro—couldn’t this wait until after we eat?” The indigo eyes came to rest on mine. “After the Reapers were killed, I wasn’t real stable, okay? I tried to forget. I tried alcohol…sex…and yeah, drugs.” “And did any of it help?” “Sometimes. At least temporarily.” He shrugged a lean shoulder. “When I was high, I didn’t think about Solo—about the rest of the guys—about how fuckin’ alone I was in the goddamned world. Okay?” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with a less than steady hand. “Do you really need to pick me apart like this?” “I—I don’t mean to,” I said, my voice husky. “But I love you, Duo—and thinking of you risking your life on that shit—it just tears me to pieces.” “I don’t do that any more,” he reiterated. “Will you promise me never to do it again?” I asked quietly, thinking of him off in relocation by himself, without even Trowa to lean on for friendship and support. He blinked, fixing me with an almost disbelieving look. “Seriously,” I added. “You said it made you forget how alone you were. What happens if you end up alone again? Will you try to escape the loneliness the same way?” He opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment Wufei came back in, carrying a pyrex dish with a bubbling casserole in it. “Maxwell, can you clear a spot?” Duo quickly moved the centerpiece off the hot plate in the center of the table so my partner could set down the simmering dish, which instantly filled the room with a savory scent that made my mouth water. “God that smells fuckin’ great!” Duo said enthusiastically, no doubt thinking of the snack bars and fast food we’d been surviving on once again. “There is a lady present, Maxwell,” Wufei reminded him, glancing back as Catherine hobbled out of the kitchen on her crutches, with a bottle of milk precariously dangling from one finger, and a basket of hot rolls from the other. “Here. Let me,” I said quickly, jumping up to relieve her of the containers before they could slip. “Thanks.” Wufei was scowling at Duo, albeit a bit wearily. “If there is any part of Heero I wish would rub off on you, it would be his manners,” he commented, arranging the food in the middle of the table as I passed it to him. “That, and his limited use of curse words.” “She’s heard me say way worse,” Duo shrugged, reaching for a steaming roll. Chang slapped his hand away. “I’ll do the serving!” he admonished. Duo subsided into a rather sulky silence, while Catherine took the seat opposite me, ending up between Duo and Wufei at the small, square table. “So—how do you three know each other?” she asked brightly, as my partner began filling glasses and dishing out the supper. “Do you all work at the same nightclub?” I thought Chang would have heart failure. Apparently, Catherine thought he was a male stripper. “I most certainly do not!” he said icily. “Do I look like a stripper?” Catherine’s eyes widened. “Oh—no! I didn’t mean it like that! Not that you were a—that you—.” She subsided into tongue-tied silence, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “Shit, Chang, lighten up,” Duo chided. “Y’know there’re plenty of bartenders and bouncers at The Jungle and Sanc—for all she knew you guys could’ve been bodyguards or something.” He gave Catherine a reassuring smile. “Don’t mind ‘Fei-kins,” he said sweetly, in a manner I thought might be calculated to deflect my partner’s outrage from the girl to him. “Like I said, he’s so damned proper that he’d probably starve to death before he’d stoop to taking off his clothes for money.” His indigo eyes darted a challenge at Wufei. “Right?” “I suppose I would,” came the rather subdued admission. “Not very practical,” Duo added. “But virtuous as all Hell.” Catherine managed an uncomfortable smile. “I didn’t mean to insult you,” she assured Wufei. “Of course not,” he replied, his manner softening. “And forgive my overreaction. It’s just, in my culture there are certain things you don’t do…not at any price.” “Yeah, well—in my culture, starving to death is at the top of the list of things not to do,” pointed out our witness, helping himself to a forkful of supper as if to illustrate his point. “But hotshot cops apparently never have to stoop—.” He stopped short, realizing he’d given out more information than might be wise. “Cops?” Catherine echoed, darting a worried look at Duo. “Uhhhhmm…” Duo’s glib humor seemed to have deserted him, so I decided I’d have to be the quick thinker this time around. “Actually,” I spoke up quickly. “We are,” I admitted, figuring that if I used a partial truth I’d stand a better chance of making it into a convincing lie. “Chang and I are cops…and we met Duo during this really messed-up sting operation. It was sort of a case of mistaken identity, and when we arrested him and it all got sorted out, well, I felt kind of bad about it and invited him to dinner to make it up to him.” I shrugged, hoping she bought the vague scenario. “We ended up—dating. And when Chang and I decided to take a camping vacation, I wanted to bring Duo along to see some sights he’s never had the chance to before.” She cocked an eyebrow skeptically, though her attention seemed to center on Duo. “Why do I get the feeling you’re pulling a fast one on me, Maxwell?” she asked in a deadly tone. He glanced helplessly at me, giving a slight shake of his head, and I looked at Wufei, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Should we—tell her?” My partner frowned deeply, and then gave a curt nod. “It’s only fair, Yuy. In view of the potential danger, we’d be remiss in keeping her in the dark.” And they said chivalry was dead. “Besides,” he added with a narrow look at me. “You made it sound like the three of us were in a—relationship of some sort. I’d like to set the record straight on that right here and now.” He gave Catherine a reassuring smile. “I’m not gay, in spite of being stuck traveling with these two.” Her eyes widened a bit, losing the suspicious glare they’d been directing at Duo. “Miss Bloom,” Wufei said carefully and precisely. “The truth of the matter is that Duo witnessed a crime—a very, very serious one. Detective Yuy and I have been assigned to hide him and keep him safe until the trial—at which point he’ll be needed to testify, before being placed in witness relocation.” The stunned look she gave us would have been comical, if not for the way it morphed into a horror-stricken expression and the color drained from her face. “Jesus, Duo—you’re the one on the news! The one who’s supposed to testify against Treize Khushrenada! Aren’t you?” He nodded and the next thing I knew, she was out of her chair with her arms wrapped around him. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she demanded. “Why didn’t Trowa? God, Duo—there have been headlines—newscasts—. They said the FBI is looking for you!” “The FBI?” Chang and I asked in unison. She nodded earnestly, even as Duo was trying to extricate himself from her too-tight embrace. “There was a story on yesterday about the case, and how there was a witness in hiding, and the FBI was demanding that the police produce whoever it was for them to interview. A Captain Po was saying they had no jurisdiction, and that the Merquise murder was her precinct’s case.” “Shit,” Duo muttered, looking worriedly at me. “Are they gonna make her turn me over to them?” “They can’t,” I promised. “Chang and I are the only ones who know your whereabouts, and even if Captain Po could contact us to order us to bring you in, we wouldn’t.” My lover looked over at my partner, who nodded reassuringly. “That’s the honest truth, Maxwell. We won’t let them near you as long as you’re concerned about Khushrenada having agents in his hip pocket.” He breathed an audible sigh. “Thanks, ‘Fei—Heero. Quat was right to tell me to trust you—both of you.” “What else did the newscast say?” I asked Catherine, hoping for information on the progress of the court case. She shrugged slightly. “Just that they’ve got forensic evidence they say will corroborate the witness’ testimony.” “Nothing about the FBI having their own witness?” Chang spoke up. “What witness?” Duo asked, his attention suddenly riveted on my partner. Oh—right. We hadn’t gotten around to discussing Trant’s place in the whole mess, with Duo. “Apparently Une tried to take out Otto and Trant,” I told him. “Trant managed to escape and run to the Feds.” “And did he finger Khushrenada for the murder?” came the almost breathless question. “Yes—but our department has jurisdiction over the Merquise case, and the Feds won’t share unless it’s relinquished.” “Meaning?” “We’d have to turn you over to the Feds to back up Trant’s story,” I told him. “We won’t do that,” Wufei reiterated quickly, his tone almost fierce. “Yeah, I know.” Duo had more or less disentangled himself from Catherine, and he gave her a reassuring smile, looking her squarely in the eyes. “See, Cath? I’ve got the best bodyguards in the world, and they aren’t gonna let anything happen to me.” She smiled back and nodded. “That’s good.” “We will, however, require your silence in this matter,” Wufei told her firmly. “Judging from your reaction to Duo’s news, you care about his welfare. If that’s the case, you can best help him, and us, by telling no one he’s here—or that he was here after we leave.” “Why would you leave?” she asked with a puzzled expression. “This place is safe—for all three of you. No one ever comes out here this time of year. I drive into town three days a week to work at the vet clinic—or at least I will once I’m off these crutches. Other than that, no one comes or goes. It’s the perfect hideout!” “The last two places we stayed got shot to bits,” Duo told her frankly, a frown creasing his forehead. “We still don’t know how they found us—or if they’ll find us again—or even who found us—except they weren’t exactly the welcome wagon.” Catherine smiled wryly at his lame attempt at a joke, but it was easy to see the concern in her eyes. “I’m sorry about those places getting damaged. I’d hate to have that happen here…but are you okay?” she asked Duo, searching his face. “That’s the most important thing. You didn’t get hurt, did you?” “Just a scratch on my shoulder,” he said glibly, putting on a brave front. “No biggie. But if Yuy or Chang thinks anyone might be coming here for us, we’re not gonna stick around and take a chance on you getting hurt.” He tapped her lightly on the end of the nose with one teasing finger. “Trowa would never forgive me.” “Oh!” she said with suddenly wide eyes. “And he knows how to throw knives!” “Almost as proficiently as you,” Duo replied. At Wufei’s puzzled look, my braided lover smirked. “Cathy and Trowa did a knife-throwing act. Both of ‘em are experts with a blade.” My partner looked intrigued. “Really?” he asked Catherine. “I practice with a katana at the martial arts dojo I frequent. Perhaps you could teach me a bit of your skill—?” Duo winked boldly at Catherine. “Your skill—? What a pick-up line, eh?” “It’s not!” Chang protested hotly. “I’m genuinely interested in the art.” “And the girl,” Duo suggested. “Maxwell!” Catherine moved back over to her own seat, blushing a little at the turn of the conversation. “Ignore him Wufei,” she said soothingly, though I thought I saw a pleased gleam in her eyes. “He’s just trying to get a rise out of you. I’d be happy to demonstrate some knife techniques.” Duo snorted, shaking his head as he returned to his briefly-forgotten meal. “Techniques?” he muttered under his breath. “Is that what you call it now?” “Let it go, Duo,” I suggested, resuming eating my own meal. Honestly, if he kept tormenting Wufei, we’d never get the Chinese man to go anywhere alone with Catherine—which would ensure Duo and I were never alone, either. Sometimes he could be incredibly dense. “This is a delicious meal,” I told Catherine, intent on turning the conversation to safer, more casual topics. “He’s right,” Wufei chimed in, nodding earnestly. “It’s the best meal we’ve had in days.” “Why, thank you,” she beamed. “It’s a pretty simple casserole really—just chicken, vegetables, and some cheese and cream sauce.” “Whatever it is, it’s great together,” Duo assured her. “Bet you can try all kinds of different combinations of vegetables in it, too, for variety.” She nodded. “If I’d been here sooner, I’d have had some fresh produce from the garden. But it was too late for planting by the time I arrived.” “Doesn’t matter,” Duo managed between mouthfuls. “With the crap we’ve had to eat since the last safe house—anything would be an improvement. And you should’ve seen the sleazebag hotel we spent the other night in!” “No one should have to see that,” I cut in, remembering the squalid conditions, as well as the way the dirty-minded clerk had looked at my lover. “But seriously, Catherine, this meal is a real treat for us. Maybe tomorrow, Duo can cook—he’s pretty good at it.” “Really?” she asked, eyeing him curiously. “It might be nice to try someone else’s cooking for a change.” “You’re on!” he agreed eagerly. “I can make a sautéed beef mix that’ll send your taste buds to Heaven and back.” I felt a rush of pride at his confidence in his cooking skills, and was immediately glad I’d made the suggestion. We finished the rest of the meal in casual conversation, and then Duo and I headed out to do the dishes, while Wufei and Catherine settled our belongings in the rooms we’d be using. As it turned out, the place was a huge old farmhouse, with individual accommodations for each of us—a feature I found mildly disappointing. But then, having separate rooms didn’t necessarily mean we had to use them, now did it?
By the time we finished the cleanup, Wufei and Catherine were in the living room, talking about the various types of steel used in knives and swords, and the relative merits of each. “Want to take a walk?” I asked Duo, as he paused in the doorway of the kitchen, grimacing at their topic of conversation. “I’d like to set up what’s left of my surveillance equipment out by the road, and maybe near the beach.” He turned with a grin and a glimmer in the indigo eyes. “You romantic fool,” he teased. “Sure I’ll take a walk with you, as long as it doesn’t compromise your notions of keeping me safe.” I shrugged slightly. “As you and Chang observed, we’re in this together. And you’ve proven yourself in more than one crisis. I think you’ll be as safe out there setting up mini cams with me as you’d be anywhere right now.” His grin widened. “Can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than with you.” I fetched my remaining three cameras and a couple of motion sensors and told Chang where we’d be—and then Duo and I were out the door and making our way across the grassy, windswept ledge towards the shore. The wind had picked up, and made talking a bit difficult; so I took Duo by the hand to express my feelings at sharing the moment. And after watching a lovely sunset, we hiked along in companionable silence, setting up the three cameras in record time. With a chill settling in as the sky darkened, even with my arm firmly wrapped around Duo’s waist for warmth, we both found ourselves shivering a bit as we reached the house again. I, for one, was glad to get indoors, even if it did mean I had to let go. “Wow—breezy out here, isn’t it?” Duo asked, rubbing his arms as we locked up behind ourselves. “There’s often a prevailing wind off the ocean,” I told him. “It’s nice during the heat of the day—but if it doesn’t die down at night, it can get a bit chilly.” “Warm me up?” he asked, turning suddenly and pressing against me, threading cold hands up through my hair. I wrapped my arms back around him. “Much as I’d love to really heat you up,” I murmured against his cheek. “We owe it to Chang to be discreet, you know.” “Yeah.” He shivered a bit, relaxing in my arms. “But he’s gotta sleep sometime.” I chuckled warmly. “We can only hope.” “Duo—is that you?” Catherine came plunking out of the kitchen on her crutches. “You just missed a call from Trowa.” Duo jerked away from me, turning towards her. “Trowa? He’s okay?” he asked breathlessly. “Yeah. He said to tell you he got your message, and right back atcha,” she smirked. Then she sobered a bit. “Seriously, he’s fine, and so is his friend.” She looked a bit put out. “He wouldn’t say who was with him, though.” “Aw, a great guy,” Duo said with a wide smile of pure relief. “I introduced them. And trust me—it’s a perfect match. You know I wouldn’t let just anyone steal my best friend’s heart.” “Oh—it’s serious?” she asked, her expression a mixture of curiosity and concern. In fact, I thought I caught a glimpse of jealousy in there, too. “I think it will be,” Duo told her noncommittally. “What else did Trowa say?” “Just that he’s glad you got here okay, and not to worry about them. They’re in a safe place and plan to stay put for awhile.” I could just imagine them shacked up in yet another Winner estate, lounging in a hot tub and exploring their new-found passion. And I envied them that. Duo turned back to me, his relief written all over his face. “They’re in a safe place,” he sighed. I smiled in return. “That’s very good news.” “And now that you two are back inside, are you up for a movie?” Catherine asked, gesturing over her shoulder. “Wufei made popcorn.” Now that was a treat. Wufei never initiated anything resembling relaxation, and it was too good an offer to pass up. Besides, if Duo and I slunk off to a quiet room together, it would be painfully obvious what our intentions were—and I knew Chang wouldn’t be comfortable with that. So I quickly hooked up the laptop and tapped into the mini cam system, setting it to automatic, and then we all gathered in the living room. Duo had snagged the couch, and was stretched out like a lazy cat, but he patted the end near his head, inviting me to take a spot there so he could use me as his personal pillow. Needless to say, he didn’t have to twist my arm. Wufei handed me a bowl of popcorn, before helping Catherine into an overstuffed arm chair and stowing her crutches off to one side. He then pulled another chair close enough to hers that they could share their own bowl—the sly dog. God, it seemed Duo was even rubbing off on my thoughts. Of course thinking of him and “rubbing” in the same sentence was a bad idea—but judging from the way he snuggled his head into my lap, he appreciated my body’s reaction to those thoughts. We all spent a couple of hours watching some old movie which included martial arts that Chang scoffed at, escaped circus animals that Catherine found ridiculous, and lame excuses for cops and crooks that we all criticized mercilessly. It was a lot of fun. And with Duo sprawled over me the way he’d been on Trowa back at the lake house, I got the added enjoyment of being able to absently run my fingers through the chestnut bangs from time to time, as well as the tantalizing weight of his head against my crotch. It was a strange combination of comfort and arousal that made me feel curiously warm and complete…just as I’d felt when he introduced me to Catherine with the word “mine” uttered in such a vehement way. I wanted to be his—always. When the movie ended, seemingly all too soon, we switched the system back to regular television, and Wufei and Catherine headed off to their respective rooms to sleep, leaving Duo and me alone. Duo was half-asleep, his eyes drooping lazily as I stroked the bangs back from his face and kissed his forehead. “Mm, alone at last,” he murmured sleepily. “Not really,” I pointed out, glancing over my shoulder. “Wufei or Catherine could come strolling back in at any time.” “Wasn’t suggesting sex,” he told me, looking up mischievously. “You promised to tell me about yourself.” “So I did.” I sighed, looking at the flickering television screen without really noticing what program had come on after the movie we’d been watching. “Well?” I’ve never been especially comfortable talking about myself—or even listening to others spill their personal histories or secrets. I’d managed to go through years of working with Chang without finding out about Meilan, which spoke of my complete avoidance of personal conversations. Duo noticed my hesitation, and crawled up to straddle my lap facing me, his legs warm against my thighs. His eyes practically burned holes in mine as he placed a light, coaxing kiss on my lips, and draped his arms across my shoulders. “C’mon, Yuy. You already know I’m an orphan and shit. It’s your turn to tell all.” “I—thought we were going to start with favorite colors and foods—,” I ventured a bit breathlessly. “We’ll get to that,” he promised. “But first I wanna know where you came from—how you grew up and stuff.” He looked appealingly at me. “Please?” “Okay.” Who could resist those pleading indigo eyes—that desperate look? Not me—that’s for sure. “I—was born in Japan—or at least that’s what I was told. My parents died when I was a few months old, and I was raised by a man named Odin Lowe. I’m not sure if he was related to my parents—he wasn’t exactly forthcoming with information. Maybe that’s where I learned to be so secretive.” Duo shifted on my lap, a worried crease on his forehead. “Sorry ‘bout your folks,” he said quietly. “Sucks to be an orphan.” “At least I had Odin,” I replied with a shrug. “I never ended up in an orphanage…or on the streets.” He smiled wanly. “Good.” “Anyhow, when I was around ten or eleven, I figured out that my guardian’s job was something—covert. He said he was in law enforcement—but I suspect he was either an operative for some agency, or—an assassin.” That brought a wide-eyed reaction from my lover. “No shit?” “I never found out which it was,” I admitted. “But I learned how to build and repair his surveillance devices, how to hack computers—a shitload of stuff no honest cop had reason to know how to do.” I managed a wry smile. “Lucky I did—because one day he just didn’t come back.” “What happened to him?” Duo asked. “I don’t know. My guess is that he died on the job.” “How old were you?” “Fourteen.” The indigo eyes narrowed a bit. “How’d you avoid being tossed into foster care by social services?” A reluctant smile touched my lips. “I—was fairly adept at computer hacking by then. And Odin had left a stash of money that was more than enough to live on. All I needed was a parent to be responsible for me. So I ‘created’ one. The school system never caught on and found out I was living alone.” “That’s not exactly legal,” Duo pointed out rather tartly. “Why didn’t you keep going once you got away with a crime like that? What the hell made you end up becoming a cop?” “I got caught,” I admitted. “But you said the school system never—.” “It wasn’t them,” I explained. “When I was sixteen a detective who was almost as good with computers as I was, caught me tampering with some school records to make it appear that my ‘dad’ had attended a mandatory open house. He could’ve arrested me and even had me thrown into an orphanage. But instead he gave me a chance to help him solve a hacking case he’d been running into dead ends on. And in return for my cooperation, he didn’t turn me in to social services. But he did keep tabs on me and make sure I finished school and kept out of trouble.” “So he was the role model for the big, bad Detective Yuy, eh?” “I guess he was…in part.” “He still alive?” “I don’t know; I haven’t talked to Jay in ages. Not since I went off to college and the police academy. We didn’t really keep in touch.” “Not the sentimental type—either one of you, eh?” “Odin taught me early on to avoid forming attachments.” I ran my fingers down the side of his face, enjoying the feel of his skin under them. “I was doing pretty well at it until I met you.” His smile was warm, though his cheeks colored slightly. “Sorry,” he apologized with obvious insincerity. “I’m not,” I assured him. “The past couple of weeks made me realize what I’d been missing out on. I wouldn’t change a thing.” He looked away a bit uncomfortably, making an attempt at a scoffing noise that didn’t quite ring true. “Me neither,” he admitted gruffly. “Now it’s my turn,” I said firmly. “How old were you when you ended up in the orphanage?” He shrugged with studied nonchalance. “Dunno. First memories I have are of living in some alley…hiding out with some other kids behind a dumpster and scrounging food from trash cans. I don’t know how old I was when they came along with some ‘clean the streets’ campaign and threw all us little kids into the orphanage.” “So you went to foster homes?” “Yeah, a couple of families tried me on for size—didn’t like the fit,” he said with dry humor. “I was too uncouth or too rebellious—fuck—maybe I was just too wild—too much like a feral cat to be house trained.” “And what about—? How old were you when—?” “Ah—the rape, y’mean?” he clarified for me, smoothing over my hesitation. “Nine or ten maybe. I’d been at the orphanage for at least four years by then.” “How’d it happen?” I asked quietly, afraid he’d back off and refuse to answer. He was, indeed, silent for a long moment, and I thought I’d pushed too hard. “I snuck out one night,” he said in a hushed voice, as if afraid Wufei or Cathy might overhear. “Actually, lots of nights—but that time I’d just gotten rejected by another family—so I stayed out longer than usual. I was on my way back when—it happened.” “And was it a cop?” I pressed carefully, tracing the line of his jaw with my fingertips and willing him to keep talking. He sighed deeply. “Two cops,” he whispered, and I felt a cold fury settle in the pit of my stomach. “T-two?” I managed a bit hoarsely, wondering why a kid who’d grown up on the streets would even go near police officers. So I asked him. “Father and Sister always told us to trust men in uniforms,” he said bitterly. “When they stopped me a few blocks away from the orphanage, I let ‘em get too close.” Again he tried that nonchalant shrug that didn’t fool me for an instant. “They joked around for a bit, an’ then dragged me into an alley, and—.” His voice trailed off and his eyes darkened with remembered horror. “I get the idea,” I said, surprised at how ragged my voice sounded. “Solo—came along then,” he continued, pulling the memories from some dark corner I suspected he kept them bottled up in. “Took me with him and got me cleaned up. Took care of me for a few days. And then he made me go back to the orphanage.” He gave a faint smile. “I wanted to stay with the Reapers in the worst way—but he said I was better off in the church orphanage, where at least I’d have a roof over my head and three square meals a day. He didn’t want me living the kind of life he and the others did, if there was something better out there.” “Sounds like a smart guy,” I said, belatedly grateful to the boy who’d looked after Duo at such a horrible time. “I stayed for another year or so after that, and then when my latest foster dad backhanded me, I’d had enough—took off and found Solo and the gang again—told him it didn’t matter if he wanted me there. I wasn’t going back into the system just to be tossed into another abusive foster home. I told him I’d rather live behind the fuckin’ dumpster I started at than go back again. So he let me stay.” I couldn’t help but wonder at the inflection in Duo’s voice when he mentioned the gang leader. But before I could open my mouth to ask, I got a knowing look from the indigo eyes. “He was my first boyfriend,” he admitted quietly. “Started out as hero-worship on my part, but then I totally fell for him.” I smirked and shook my head. “So, you always fall for guys who’re out to save and protect you?” He reached a hand to my face, letting his fingers trace adoringly over the curve of my cheek. “Naw—there’s a lot more to it than that, Yuy. I don’t need rescuing now like I did then. I mean, sure, Khushrenada’s out to get me—and I’m genuinely grateful that you an’ Chang have kept me alive this long—but the kind of rescuing I needed from you wasn’t physical.” My breath caught in my throat at the intensity in his eyes. “Then, what was it?” “I guess—maybe I needed a little rescuing from myself,” he said quietly. “When you guys caught up to me, I was about to disappear for good.” “Running from Khushrenada,” I replied knowingly. But he shook his head. “Y’want the honest truth, ‘Ro? I was going underground until I could find a way to kill Treize for what he did to Zechs.” My jaw dropped at the frank admission. “I thought you said you needed ‘running money,’ when you turned up at Sanc.” “I did. But once I got clear and things simmered down, I’d have been back,” he said darkly. “—to kill Treize?” He nodded. I had a horrible moment of imagining having to track Duo down for Khushrenada’s murder, if he’d ever succeeded in his reckless plan. He’d have gone to prison—and I had no delusions about what his fate would have been there. The Oz organization wouldn’t have taken the loss of its top man lightly—and they had more than enough people in the prison system to reach into even the most secure jail. “God, Duo!” He shrugged slightly. “I know. It wasn’t exactly a smart plan. But all I could think, once I got away from the penthouse, was that he’d stolen my future as well as Zechs’. All the plans we’d made, and the dreams Zechs had—shot to Hell along with the man I loved.” The indigo eyes went dark with malice. “I wanted to fuckin’ rip Treize’s heart out with my bare hands. He had no right—!” His voice got a bit ragged, and he paused to catch his breath, while I rubbed his back soothingly. “You know Zechs wouldn’t have wanted you to throw your life away along with his,” I pointed out. I got a wry snort in response. “No shit. But he wasn’t exactly around to voice his opinion, now was he?” “I’m here to voice mine,” I said in a husky whisper. “And I don’t want you to throw your life away.” “I know,” he said with a faint smile. “And whether you realize it or not, that’s what made the difference.” I blinked in surprise. “I made a difference?” He chuckled at my expression. “Jesus, ‘Ro—all the difference in the world!” “How?” A faint blush crept up his face, and he turned his gaze away from me. “I told you I never forgot you. Seeing you again—made me rethink my plan to kill Treize—made me remember how much I wanted your respect instead of your contempt. It gave me something to think about besides revenge, ‘Ro.” I studied his face for a long moment. “Like Trowa reminding you of the orphans?” I asked. “In the hospital, when you didn’t want to cooperate—but wanted to get out from under the watchful eyes—so you could go after Khushrenada—.” He nodded, looking a bit sheepish. “Trowa reminded me there were other lives at risk. It wasn’t just me against Khushrenada.” A faint frown creased his forehead. “Made me damned angry, too, that it wasn’t as simple as I wanted it to be.” I began to understand part of why he’d been so angry at the beginning. He didn’t just hate cops—he saw us as an obstacle to his goal of avenging his lover’s death. But when did all that change? “And then when I saw how hard you were working to keep me alive—and how much it meant to you to bring down Khushrenada—I started to realize our goals weren’t so very different. Don’t get me wrong; I’d have liked to see the bastard dead. But when you gave me a way to strike back at him legally—a way I could pay him back without necessarily losing my life in the bargain—.” He drew a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Didn’t mean to lose my heart, though.” “Have you?” I couldn’t help asking. He blinked in surprise, looking up at me. “Isn’t it obvious?” “I guess,” I conceded. “But you haven’t—said it.” While I knew he cared, and he’d casually said “you, too” when I’d said I loved him—it wasn’t the same as hearing those three words. I really wanted to hear them. He opened his mouth, and an uneasy look crossed his face. “I—can’t,” he admitted quietly. “Look, ‘Ro—I have my reasons. Really, I do. It’s not that I don’t feel it—just—.” I shook my head. “Stop trying to explain,” I told him, trying to quell the disappointment tugging at my heart. “You don’t owe me explanations.” “I feel like I do.” He frowned deeply. “I don’t have much of a track record, y’know. Seems like people I—care about—end up dead.” I knew he didn’t mean the orphans or Trowa—so I had to guess he was referring to Solo and Zechs—the two men he’d openly said he loved. “I have no intention of ending up dead,” I assured him. “I know,” he said quietly. “But I don’t wanna jinx that, either.” “Baka,” I chided. “You’re the one in danger.” “It’s okay,” he soothed. “I’m not gonna die either—not with so much incentive to live.” He reached to pull me in for a long, heated kiss, and I poured my heart and soul into it. If he wanted incentive, I sure as hell intended to give him all I could. When we broke the kiss, both panting slightly, I gazed earnestly into his eyes. “So does that mean I can have your promise that you won’t resort to drugs again—ever?” I asked quietly. A flicker of a scowl crossed his face—annoyance at my single-mindedness, I guessed. “Please, Duo,” I whispered. “Tell me no matter what happens, you won’t try to numb the pain with shit like that. Tell me I don’t have to worry about you giving up on yourself, or on life.” “If you died to save me—I don’t know what I’d—.” “If I did, it would be more important than ever for you to respect the sacrifice,” I said firmly. “But I don’t plan on that happening. What scares me is thinking of you in relocation and getting lonely and lost again. I’d go crazy wondering if you were alive, or dead from some overdose or contaminated needles or drugs. Promise me you won’t let that happen?” He sighed deeply, pressing closer. “I promise,” he murmured wearily. “I promise to live every moment I can—with or without you.” A wistful smile touched his lips. “I don’t promise to enjoy it, though.” I smiled back. “I didn’t say I wanted you to be happy,” I pointed out. “Just alive and well; happiness you’ll have to find on your own. But as long as you’re alive, you’ll have that chance.” “Fuckin’ sap,” he muttered, shaking his head. Then he wriggled slightly, bringing us crotch to crotch and making the arousal that I’d been half-sporting all evening suddenly spring to full attention. “Now how ‘bout you make me really happy right here and now?” I glanced down the hallway where Chang had disappeared. “Too public,” I said hoarsely. “Cathy gave us individual rooms,” he reminded me. “No reason we can’t just share mine and lock the door for a few hours.” I never could say “no” to him…
tbc... |
