Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 1 Blood on the Window ❯ Deception ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The rounds of hugging were kind of annoying, though Heero seemed highly amused by it.

Trowa and Quatre were heading home, and Heero and I were heading back up to the colony to pick up my shit.

"So we'll call as soon as we land," Quatre informed us. Marlea was standing against his leg, her lower lip out and her eyes sad. She and Alexia had stopped talking to each other, and we could tell it was because they were both about to cry.

Quatre hesitated a moment longer before breaking away from us. We realized why after a second, though our first thought seemed to be 'Hey,' in stereo. He'd heard his boarding call. He scooped Marlea up into his arms and she sniffed, waving over Quatre's shoulder to Alexia.

Alexia ran after her, waving.

"Eiha…" Trowa muttered, grabbing her hand before she could follow Quatre out onto the walk-way, "You want to see Abuela, no?" he muttered, "We're gonna go see Abuela again."

"But Lea wanted to see Abuela, too." Alexia said, her huge brown eyes widening as they met Trowa's green ones.

"She will, just not right now."

Alexia followed Trowa back to us in obvious dejection.

"Well, thanks again, Heero." Trowa muttered, nodding at Heero before turning to pull Relena into a hug, "It's always a pleasure spending time with you." he informed her.

Hilde moved in next, hugging him tightly before kneeling down to look into Alexia's eyes, "You be a good girl for your daddy, okay?"

"Okay." she muttered, throwing her arms around the woman's neck a moment.

Trowa tapped her shoulder, "Vamanos, Eiha."

Before they could start away, Alexia broke from his light grasp and jumped into Heero's arms, muttering something in Spanish at him that I didn't catch.

"I'll miss you, too." Heero muttered, "Now you need to go. You can't miss your plane."

"If I miss it, do I get to stay?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

"No." Trowa stated, scooping her into his arms, "We aren't going to play that game. We have to go, so we're going." he flashed us all a smile before turning and starting to the next hanger over.

Alexia waved at us much like Lea had, staring at us with tears starting down her cheeks as Trowa paused, looking us all over before starting down the walk-way.

Hilde sighed, turning to give me a hug, then Heero one, "I've got to go." she informed us, "I'll see you guys tomorrow or whatever." she flashed me a tired smile, then disappeared into the port.

I sighed, sitting in a chair. Chance had set up a convenient approach for us all. Both Quatre and Trowa's planes were taking off from the same terminal, gates side-by side, and the gate for Heero and I to head back to the colony was across the hall.

"I'm gonna head," Relena decided, leaning up to kiss Heero sweetly, smiling at me, "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Be sure to call if your flight information changes."

"All right," Heero muttered, pinching her ass as she passed him, which caused her to hit him and give him an amused level look before starting away again.

He did the cartoon howl after her when she was far enough away not to turn back, so instead she started swishing her hips, pausing at the corner to flutter her eyelashes at him…then disappeared.

Heero laughed, lowering himself beside me and meeting my eyes, "Why does she stay with me?"

"Maybe you're a good fuck." Wufei offered, sitting on the floor in front of us.

"I am a good fuck," Heero countered, meeting his eyes, "But I deal out a lot more bull-shit than equals that."

"Good point," Wufei stared after Relena, "I wonder if she's ready for an upgrade."

Heero laughed, kicking Wufei's leg.

I didn't bother commenting on that, studying my ring. The sapphire in it had caught the light, and the tarnished dips of the maze had caught my attention again.

"I don't think she'd consider you an upgrade, though." Heero muttered, "You'd just be more of the same."

"Only I'd fulfill any fantasy she came up with."

Heero laughed, "She's never given me any hint that she wanted to threesome with me and some other guy, so I think I'm safe on that level."

"Hm." Wufei was thinking, "What makes you think it'd have to be some other guy?"

Heero started laughing.

I glanced up at them, catching Wufei's sparkling eye a moment and laughing as well, "Nice, you guys."

Wufei laughed, "Besides, I have a steady job. If I'd lived with her for three years, I'd have asked her to marry me by now."

"She doesn't want to marry me." Heero said-and his tone held such certainty that I lost track of my ring, blinking at him.

He shook his head, looking out the windows near us.

"Why the hell would she stay with you so long, then?" Wufei muttered, not seeming off-guard.

"I don't know…maybe I'm a good fuck."

Wufei studied him a long moment, then smirked at me, "He is a good fuck, I have it from the best authority." he winked, seeming to imply himself.

Heero offered a flying kick toward his head for that, but Wufei had been ready for it, laughing as he dodged it, "What? You told me so yourself!"

Heero started laughing.

Wufei grinned at me, shaking his head as he resettled in his spot, "Let me see that." he ordered.

I passed him my ring, frowning.

"Where'd you get this?"

"It's not from Lanni, is it?" Heero demanded, snatching the thing from Wufei.

I snorted, "No. She didn't believe in material goods, god-rest her soul." I'd crossed myself before I even realized what I was doing, which got me an evil look from Heero.

Wufei snatched it back from Heero, studying it, "It's gorgeous."

"I know." I returned, taking it from him and sliding it back on my finger, meeting both their eyes in turn, "It was a gift and we can leave it at that."

"You weren't wearing that a few days ago," Heero reminded me, "How new a gift is it?"

"It's not from Kayla, if that's what you mean." I returned, tucking the hand into my pocket, "I came across it when I was unpacking my shit in the room."

"So where did it come from?" Wufei pressed.

A boarding-warning call came over the loud-speakers for our flight and I shrugged, rising to my feet, starting to walk away without explaining it to them. What they didn't know, didn't hurt me.

"Do you think he'll tell us?" Wufei asked Heero as they followed me.

"He will, it'll take him a while, but he'll tell us."

I turned to meet Heero's eyes. He had his head tilted and seemed to be studying me out of one eye. The other eye was partially obscured by his hair and the tilt of his head.

He looked evil.

I could remember that look from years before. I could remember it just as clearly as I remembered him telling me he was going to tear me into hell with him.

I smirked, turning to walk forward again, raising my voice, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done-on earth as it is in heaven."

"Duo." Heero's tone was unreadable, though the command was clear enough.

"Bring us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those…"

"Duo!" he let irritation creep into his voice.

"As we forgive those," I snapped, "who trespass against us."

Wufei started laughing.

I turned and met his eyes, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

That earned me a highly amused grin.

Heero stopped walking.

"For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory." I stopped as well, meeting Heero's eyes, studying them, "Forever and always."

He looked decidedly away from me.

I smirked.

Wufei was chuckling evilly now, also studying Heero, "Amen." he muttered, chuckling more and moving forward to catch my hand and pull off the ring, "Now," he muttered, "I'm keeping this until you get back."

I snatched for it but he avoided my hands, sliding it onto his own finger and studying it before meeting my eyes again, "This way, you're not tempted to stay up there." he smiled at me, "Because I'll only give it back to you when I see you tomorrow."

I couldn't believe that, snatching again.

"Ah, ah, ah…" he reprimanded me, swaying the index finger he'd slid it onto under my nose, "Come on, now…it's a simple deal. I get to own something that means something to you for a night, and you get it back as soon as you see me…tomorrow."

"We won't get in until one or two the next morning." I informed him levelly.

He smirked at me, "Then I guess I got myself a ring."

.

"This is where you lived?" I demanded of Duo, marginally aghast as we walked down a dirty looking street. Partially due to a broken mirror above, the lighting was off. I could smell something odd in the air, but had no clue as to what it might be. No one seemed to be out of their houses, and the place had the feel of a ghost town.

"Up here." he muttered, turning even more toward the darkness-which was a road leading to our left. "It's not far now."

I focused on a huge looming church building that seemed to be made of huge rough-hewn stone blocks, blinking at the thing. It seemed to suck the light out of the area. "I take it this is your church?"

"Only when they need me," he replied, glancing at it with a shrug, "My church is actually over there." he pointed toward the skeezy bit of town we'd just turned away from.

I swallowed, my eyes going back to the looming shadow of a building, "Why not that one?"

"Because they don't need me most of the time." Duo explained, turning left again and making a grand gesture, "Here we are, home sweet home." he muttered, moving up a sidewalk.

"Tailor!"

Duo's head snapped in the direction of the voice and a smile plastered on his face, "Mrs. Luddermen, how are you?" he muttered, moving into the woman's arms as she came close to him.

"Tailor?" I asked blankly.

"Oh, sorry, Tony." the name was only slightly emphasized, "This is my neighbor, Mrs. Jane Ludderman."

"I was wondering when you'd get back!" the woman said, flashing me a dazzling smile and then frowning at Duo, "You have an eviction notice, though, Tailor. I don't have any money I can lend you…and…" her look was worried and her hands wouldn't stop moving.

Duo smiled at her as if this was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard, nodding, "I'm going to move to Earth."

The woman was stunned, "Earth? How?"

"Tony has a house there," he explained, gesturing at me, "I've got a job already lined up, and they gave me the weekend off to close everything up here."

Her look became wounded, "But if you leave…" she looked around the apartment complex, "Then there will be nothing worth staying here for."

Duo gave her another smile-it struck me as odd that he was suddenly so gentle, "I told you not to live here just for me," he muttered, shaking his head, "You should move in with your daughter. She's been asking you to for years now."

The woman's look became troubled, "I didn't want to leave you here…this place isn't good for your soul."

"Bless you, Jane," he muttered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, "The Lord has truly smiled upon me-how else could I get such good friend?" he met my eyes a moment, his own portraying nothing.

Seeing him like this stemmed the flood of irritation I normally felt when he started talking about God and blessings.

She smiled at him, then sighed heavily, "I need to get back into the house. Tobias will be impatient for his breakfast." she kissed his cheek, keeping ahold of his hand as she started away, "Come see me before you leave, Tailor. Promise?"

"I swear." he said, watching her start off, then digging into his pocket and digging out his key-ring, starting for a set of stairs.

No wonder he hadn't invited me to visit.

I stared around the shabby apartment complex in awe, wondering how many of the cars actually ran and if the toys spread haphazardly around small plots of grass were ever played with.

"She's a sweet old woman," he muttered, not looking at me, "Lives a few buildings over."

I watch the round woman disappear from sight, then focused on the stairs as they creaked under Duo's weight.

"I never knew." I muttered, staring at the back of his head, "God, Duo…how can you live like this?"

"Because here," he muttered, turning to meet my eyes, "I make a difference."

I didn't have much to say as we moved into Duo's small one-bedroom apartment. It didn't take me long to register the fact that Duo's belongings could actually all fit into one bag. As he moved into the bedroom, I moved into the kitchen. My stomach was rumbling and I wanted to see what quick-food he had.

"Duo?" I asked after giving the kitchen a once through, "There's no food anywhere in here."

I heard him stop moving.

I blinked at the cupcake liners that were still in the case they'd been bought in, rising up on tip-toes to see a bag of spaghetti and a few smaller bags of random shells.

He did not live like this…

"I take it you emptied your cupboards before you left?" I asked, wondering if it was too much to hope for.

"Sure," he muttered, and I heard him start moving again, quickly.

I crossed the small apartment to stand in the bedroom doorway, studying his eyes.

He wouldn't look at me.

"Was there any food to get rid of?"

"There are noodles," he informed me, "I don't have any sauce, but the noodles…"

"When was the last time you ate before you came down?" I demanded of him, trying to keep the horrified anger from my voice.

"The noodles," he said again, gesturing, "I was eating the noodles."

"That's all you ate? Noodles?" I snapped, turning to storm back into the kitchen and throw the empty fridge open. There wasn't even a gallon of milk-no cheese…nothing. Just some dressing bottles and random condiments.

I ran a hand along my face, shutting the fridge and opening the freezer.

There was nothing in the freezer.

"I couldn't make rent," Duo muttered, causing me to jump and focus on him. He was standing at the door to his room, he laughed with no amusement, "What makes you think I could afford food?"

I studied his face, the obvious shame.

He tossed the bag he'd been holding onto the floor, turning back to the room wordlessly.

I stared around the kitchen in shock. There was a pan and a plate in the drying rack beside the sink, as well as a fork.

He really had been eating the noodles, then.

I dug through a few more cupboards, finding a handful of pictures and tossing them onto the counter-they were scribbled pictures…torn out coloring-book pages. I flipped through these, seeing the name "Tailor" written on each piece in sometimes illegible writing. In another cupboard I found a pile of neatly made cards, all with thank-you notes to Tailor written in them. Several of these had large red and pink hearts on them.

I smiled slightly.

Further back in that cupboard, I found a pile of photos. Each one had a different child in it of varying ages. They were all beaming at Duo, who had them in his lap or was sitting near them-the expressions of complete happiness made me begin to realize something I'd never thought of before.

Duo was really good with kids.

Duo made a dismissive noise as he came up behind me, taking the photos from me, "These are just some pictures a few teachers gave me." he muttered, taking the pile with him, "Nothing important."

"You help at the schools, I take it?"

"Yeah. I'm an assistant teacher. That's my second job." he disappeared again.

I blinked, wondering how that worked, digging further into the cupboards. I'd seen other piles of paper.

"What are you doing?" Duo demanded, coming up behind me again, looking into the thing, "There's nothing in there that could possibly be of interest to you. It's just shit that kids gave me." he moved to shut the doors.

I stopped that, frowning at him, "How come you never told me you worked at the schools?"

"Would it have made a difference?" he snapped, irritated again, "Get out of there."

I ignored that, reaching to the furthest back corner to pull out a smaller pile of photos.

These had teenage girls in them, all of them laughing.

"What's this?" I asked, flashing Duo a grin, "You're not a pedophile, are you?"

He tsked at me in sheer annoyance, taking the photos from me, "Don't be stupid. I told you, I'm an assistant teacher."

I snatched them back from him, flipping through more. There were several images of him and one or the other of the girls pouring over books-seemingly unaware of the camera.

Duo really looked exhausted in them.

I looked back up to him, studying his eyes. He'd had some fairly dark rings under his eyes when he'd come, but I'd figured it had been the trip down. Just like I figured he was too active to gain weight-though he seemed firmer now.

"I wasn't sleeping." he snapped, "Not much, anyway. Not enough." he took the photos again, moving back into the bedroom with them.

"What's your other job, then?" I asked.

"Night clerk." he replied, "I've been working at the place ever since Lanni died."

I crossed my arms, looking over the counter-tops before opening that cupboard again and hopping slightly to see the next up shelf. There was nothing there.

"So?" I asked.

"So what?"

"Why don't you want me looking at those pictures?"

"Why do you care? It's not like it has anything to do with you."

I frowned, wondering why he was so defensive.

"Here, look if you want to." he snapped, tossing the pile of child photos at me so the splayed across the countertops, nearly falling onto the floor.

I gathered them back up carefully, piling them next to the pictures.

Pounding started on the door.

"Fuck'n'jesus…" Duo breathed in aggravation, "Just a minute!" he shouted.

"I know you are in there, Tailor Johnson, I watched you walk up! You know you're evicted, what the fuck are you doing back?"

Duo crossed the room to throw the front door open and glare at the man who was towering in the doorway, "I'm packing my shit and getting out, that's what I'm doing." Duo snarled at him, "Go rape your father and stay off my back."

The man was stunned, staring at Duo as if he'd never thought in his life that Duo would confront him.

"I have the money I owe you, and I'll be gone by tonight, so get over it and get out of my face."

"What the fuck took you so long to get back?" the man snapped.

"I was on fuckin' Earth," Duo replied, his voice rising to match the man's, "I told you I was going on vacation."

The man drew himself up, looking like he was thinking fast-then focused on me when I stepped more into the living room and faltered, "Who's that?"

"This is Tony. Tony, this fucker is Glen. My landlord."

"Fuck you, you piece of shit god wannabe." Glen snapped.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I demanded of the guy in sheer disbelief, "Has common courtesy become so foreign to you that you can't even say one sentence without an expletive?"

He glared at me, "I don't know who you are, or where you came from, Boy, but you're on my turf now and I don't put up with no shit." he stepped into the apartment, his manner challenging.

I stared at him in shock now, not believing any of what I was seeing.

"You gonna keep your mouth shut, or should I shut it for you?"

I crossed the room so we stood eye-to-eye, staring directly back into the cold depths.

"Get out of there, Glen!" Jane's voice came from the stairs as they creaked menacingly under her weight, "He's leaving, stop terrorizing him."

I turned to meet Duo's eyes.

He was glaring at Glen and ignoring me, which meant he'd at least played at being submissive before.

"Mrs. Ludderman, mind your own damn business." Glen snapped.

"You did not just raise your voice to a little old lady!" I stepped forward, shoving the guy-that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Yeah, it pissed me off that he'd lorded over Duo, but I knew Duo well enough to realize that he did what he had to, to keep a roof over his head, and if that meant playing sissy to a man he could have killed with his bare hands, so be it. It was more than obvious that the local authorities had no clue he was living in their midst, seeing as everyone seemed to know him by his pseudonym, but it was too much when some punk jack-ass shouted at a harmless old lady for trying to protect someone she probably saw as a son.

The man had stumbled back almost all the way to the door across the breezeway, and now that he'd righted himself, he was drawing himself up, "I knew Tailor was trouble from the moment I laid eyes on him," he snapped, "Playing like that lady was a nun and he was only here to help…"

I was suddenly staring down the muzzle of a pistol.

"Get the fuck out of my complex before I blow your fucking head off!"

Mrs. Ludderman had started screaming as she ran back down the few stairs she'd climbed.

I met the man's eyes, tilting my head slightly.

"Tony." Duo's voice was very calm.

I'm not sure what I said, but I kicked the gun from the guys hand so it flew in a heavy ark to the lower level, then chased him backwards against the far door, pulling out my own pistol, "You want to play guns, fucker? You want to see whose is bigger?" I tilted it so he could read the brand-name.

He was obviously terrified.

"We are leaving." I informed the guy in a cold tone, "It shouldn't take us more than fifteen or twenty minutes to finish packing, and then we'll be out of your hair. Just sit your ass down and shut your ass up." I tossed him by the hair toward the stairs.

He'd scrambled to pick his gun up and disappeared before Duo moved into the door to study me, "He's calling the police."

"So pack," I snapped at him, shaking my head as I tried to catch my breath, "I can't believe you'd put up with that shit."

"He only gets that way when I miss rent." Duo muttered, turning back into the apartment and disappearing into the room.

I sighed, ripping open his duffel-bag-well, opening it with the zippers, and starting to shove what seemed to be his church clothing in. He'd bought it the day at the mall with Wufei and I. I had figured it was just one of the bags he wanted for the trip, but he hadn't gotten any more, and when I'd offered to dig out my luggage he'd dismissed it.

Sirens were screaming in the distance.

"Don't you dare fuckin' run, either." Duo called to me, moving into the living room again to dump another armload of jeans next to me, "Don't start shit with the police. They'll kick your ass just as soon as listen to you."

"Why you?" I muttered, not realizing I'd said it out loud, "Why are you the one living in the ghetto…"

"What?" that sounded offended.

I chuckled evilly as the shrill screams of the sirens entered the parking lot.

"I have a permit for my firearm," Duo informed me, "So don't play dumb. Just tell them you have one. Be confident but not cocky."

"Up here, officer, he pulled it on me…" I could hear Glen in the parking lot.

"You look rich, so don't act it. Everyone around here likes me so they'll stick to your story, but try not to lie too much. I don't really lie to them."

"Fine, Tailor." I muttered pointedly.

The stairs creaked and screeched as if several men were climbing them, and a moment later, Glen appeared with two officers behind him, pointing at me, "That's the one."

The officers moved around him as I rose slowly to my feet, giving them curious looks, wondering how much I could get away with, "Good morning, officers. How can I help you?"

"Are you the tenant of this apartment, Sir?" the guy asked, taking in my outfit.

"No," I replied truthfully, "Tailor is packing his things."

"I evicted the bastard." Glen said smirkily, "This is the man who pulled the gun on me."

"After you pulled one on me." I returned as if the very idea that I'd pull something as callous as drawing a weapon on an unarmed man was the most offensive thing I'd heard in my life.

The officers exchanged glances, "Can you tell us what happened, Sir? In your own words?"

I nodded cordially, "Of course, officer." I replied, wondering what Duo thought of this, "Tailor came to visit me two weeks ago, and I asked him to move in with my wife and I. We live on Earth, and I don't have much time to come out to the colonies. I've known Tailor since I was a child, and it was an irritation to have to come to space every time I wanted to see him."

The officers nodded.

I shook my head, brushing my hair back with one hand, "At any rate, we got in this morning to pick up the rest of Tailor's things. That's when we found the eviction notice. We're packing up the last of Tailor's stuff now. This man," I indicated Glen, "Came storming up here cursing like a drunken sailor, telling Tailor he was trash and rubbish. I," I shrugged, "I got angry. Tailor is an upstanding citizen and hearing anyone speak so of him offends me."

The officers nodded again, as if my words made the most sense they'd ever heard.

"Mrs. Ludderman came up and started telling Glen off for the same exact reason as myself, and he shouted at her to mind her own fucking business," I met both their eyes pointedly, shaking my head, "I'd never heard any man treat an old woman with such disrespect, and…well, I shoved him."

"That's understandable…but the man says you have a weapon."

"I do have my pistol. Personal protection, you understand." I added, glancing pointedly at Glen, "He pulled his own firearm on me."

"He kicked it out of my hand!" Glen said, obviously upset that these men were listening to me and not him, "Then pulled his own! He threw me down the stairs!"

"Oh, Glen," a voice floated in from across the hall, "You exaggerate too much! The guy grabbed you by the arm and pushed you toward the stairs, yes, but threw you? I don't think he has the strength for it."

The officers turned to blink at the guy, who was moving across the stone patio toward us.

"I watched it all through my peephole," he explained, "I heard Glen cussing poor-Tailor out and was trying to figure out what was going on. Glen not only drew his gun, but shoved it right in this guy's face!"

I glanced toward the bedroom to see Duo smirking darkly at me, wondering what he was thinking as he disappeared again, then came back out with a small handful off things, "The room is done." he informed me, then stopped to stare at the officers and his neighbor in astonishment, "Good morning, officers…what seems to be the problem?"