Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Another Side ❯ Embrace ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
LSE // 3-31-03
(Another Side - Chapter Seven: Embrace)
rated: PG13 - language, content
shounen-ai/yaoi

Embrace

-

"Heero!" Duo shrieked, shoving aside people as he scrambled across
the sidewalk and into the alley.

Somehow, he remembered how to breathe when Heero merely sat up with a
startled look to peer around at Duo. From underneath the dumpster
came an equally startled 'meow' and a calico-colored blur flashed out
from underneath and dived into a cardboard box. Heero watched it with
a disappointed look before getting to his feet and dusting off the
slight staining on the knees of his pants.

"Duo?" he asked worriedly, "are you okay? Is something wrong? You're
pale as a ghost..."

It seemed Duo could barely hear over the thudding of his heart, "You
weren't at the restaurant, I..."

"Oh!" Heero cried in dismay, "That must have frightened you. I'm
sorry, it's just I saw this cat and... Duo, I'm sorry!" He stepped
towards Duo and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist, leaning a
soft head of unruly chocolate hair against one shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "Oh, you're freezing! I hope you weren't
out here very long..."

Even though he didn't feel as if it was terribly funny, Duo laughed.
He just couldn't help it. Here he was, panicked near to tears and
running around and all the time Heero was lying in an alley trying to
coax a damn cat out from under a dumpster!

Heero smiled hopefully, taking the laugh to mean Duo wasn't mad, and
looked towards the cardboard boxes, "I don't think the cat's going to
venture out anyway. Poor thing, it looked hungry..."

"The apartment has a no pets rule," Duo pointed out, gently taking
Heero's hand in his own. He hoped his hands weren't as cold as they
felt but, by the look on Heero's face, he knew they were.

"You're freezing," Heero moved closer, nuzzling his cheek up against
Duo's as strong arms tightened around his waist, "you should have
remembered to get a jacket, baka."

Duo had closed his eyes and rested his head up against Heero's before
realizing what had just been said. Carefully, he pulled free of the
embrace enough to stare into Heero's face, "What did you just say?"

Cobalt hues widened slightly in alarm, "You should have remembered to
get a jacket?"

"No, after that..."

Heero frowned, "but I didn't say anything else. Is everything okay,
Duo? I think you need to get out of the cold," he gently tugged Duo
forward, still pressed close for warmth.

Duo allowed himself to be guided forward and out from the alley,
wondering if he was hearing things. He could have sworn Heero had
just called him... baka. Maybe he was still in shock from the scare
of Heero going missing.

Baka...

---------------------------------------- ------------------------------

Hands roaming under his shirt made it difficult to actually get the
keys in the door, but Duo managed somehow. Shuffling backwards into
the apartment and taking the Japanese youth with him, he reached for
the light switch, but one of Heero's hands untangled from under his
shirt and closed over his hand. Duo opened his mouth to ask something,
but Heero quickly pressed his lips over Duo's and effectively killed
whatever was about to be said.

Duo kicked the door closed and eagerly returned Heero's affections,
one hand going up to caress through chocolate locks. The cobalt silk
shirt was gone, lost somewhere nearer to the door, and Duo was able
to trail kisses down Heero's neck and across one shoulder. Their feet
carried them towards the bedroom, but neither boy was aware of the
movement until Heero's back rested up against the bedroom door.

Circling his arms around Duo's neck, Heero closed his eyes and tilted
his head back against the smooth wood of the door. Duo's lips glided
back up the crest of shoulder and across his exposed neck. Lowering
his head, Heero seized the roaming lips with his own and ran his
hands down across Duo's back. Nimble fingers found and began to
dismantle the intricate twisting of the band holding Duo's plait
together.

The hair tie flew across the room as Heero managed to work it free of
the chestnut braid. As lips parted and tongues met, the long strands
were separated until Duo's hair surrounded and caressed over them
both like a veil. Once Heero had worked out the final snarls in Duo's
hair, one arm clutched across the back of the other boy's neck while
the other hand sought out the door knob.

Duo leaned back enough so, when the door was finally opened, Heero
wouldn't fall. The two remained in the doorway, kisses being
exchanged with a rising intensity until their feet finally carried
them into the actual bed room. Duo wasn't even aware of their
progress until his knees caught against the edge of the bed and he
sat heavily on the mattress. The coils squeaked as Heero's weight was
added, the other boy settling himself on to Duo's lap.

As Duo planted another trail of kisses over Heero's shoulder, the
Japanese youth's slender hands worked on the small buttons of Duo's
shirt. The clothing opened and Heero roamed his hands over the
expanse of chest revealed. Soft lips enclosed over one dark circle of
sensitive flesh and Duo let out a low moan, drawing Heero closer.

The mattress sagged as Duo felt back against it, pinned by cobalt
eyes which prowled up and locked with amethyst. Duo's hand rose to
stroke Heero's cheek, but it fell away when their lips met again. The
hand gripped at the blankets and tangled through the waves of
chestnut that sprawled over the folds of the sheets.

"Heero..."

-------------------------------------- --------------------------------

There was pain, and someone shouting his name, and then he was
sinking down into endless depths of water.

And then it was just darkness.

When he awoke there were thick leather straps holding him down.

Thoughts not quite his own whispered, "Am I captured...? The third
Federation Naval Hospital... District J-B South... 50th floor,
Intensive Care Unit..." He didn't question why or how he knew this,
it was just fact.

By whatever measures, he was keeping the doctors and the monitors
ignorant of his consciousness. Soon, though, he was un-watched and
began to struggle against the restraints. He knew, beyond a doubt,
that if it came to it he would willingly break his own arm to be free
of the leather.

A monitor flicked and flashed to life. He slowly turned his head
towards it, recognizing the face. It was the Gundam pilot from... the
other day. The one that shot him and prevented the complete
destruction of Wing.

"Even a man like you knows when to keep silent. I'm sure you're a
well trained soldier like myself. You must be able to read my lips,
right?" the pilot said with a grin. The boy had the most foolish grin.
With large violet eyes and a long plait of light brown hair, the
pilot looked quite incapable of serious soldiering.

The boy continued, "What a guy! You've been awake all this time
without changing your pulse or breathing pattern. Impressive."

There were no monitors but, like the boy has assumed, Heero was fully
able to read lips.

"I'd like to ask you some questions. And if you'd like, I'll help you
get out of here," the other Gundam pilot offered.

And then there was darkness. He fought it, knowing the images were
important, wanting to know... wanting...

Shouting, again, and he was suddenly falling. The building, the
table, there were behind him as he fell. The other pilot was yelling
at him, telling him to... He was falling, the parachute on his back
useless. What reason was there to activate it? Why should he stop the
fall?

The ground loomed ever closer and, then, from above.

"Heero!"

His eyes snapped open and he reached back for the parachute cord. Too
late the nylon fluttered out, trying to halt the downward race to the
hard earth and rock below. He was falling, and he knew, beyond a
doubt, that he was going to smash into the rock below.

And it was going to hurt.

He was inside Wing, his Gundam, the rocks and the fall forgotten.
There was a mission to be accomplished, and he would not fail. He
stepped out from Wing with the self-destruct button in hand.

"We surrender. But we will not hand over the Gundams. I repeat. We
surrender. But we will not hand over the Gundams."

Doctor J could not have been more clear. It was simple; the Gundams
were not to be turned over into enemy hands. That only left one
option: destruction.

His thumb moved over the red button as his eyes slid closed. He found
himself thinking of that foolish, braided pilot. Baka. There was a
soft click as he pressed the button.

And then there was the pain as Wing exploded.

***

Heero woke slowly, unable to register what had just happened. There
was the lingering sense of awareness and completion from the dream,
but it faded rapidly and merely left him with bewildering fragments.
Falling... from a building? Gundams?

One of Duo's hands rested on his chest, and the rest of the boy was
sprawled out beside him on the bed. Long, light-brown strands of the
unraveled braid scattered over the numerous blankets. It was a cold
night, but underneath the covers it was warm. Heero turned his head
and found himself gazing at the peaceful expression on Duo's
slumbering face.

What did the dream mean? Were they... memories? Heero sat up, careful
not to disturb Duo. Hugging his knees to his chest, he wrapped his
arms around his legs and sat there, staring into the darkness. Could
Duo and the doctors have lied to him about the car accident? He knew
he had been struck by a car, yes, while he was walking. He certainly
didn't remember it. But, yet, the dream...

Could that explosion be the reason for his hospitalization? But... he
struggled to recall the important details from the dream, including
that crucial sense of understanding. Something told him that the
doctors wouldn't have lied... and Duo.

He glanced over to the sleeping boy again. Duo... he wouldn't lie.
Maybe he could wake Duo up and ask him about the dream...

Heero shivered and slipped out from the bed. Duo deserved the sleep,
and it could wait for morning. Besides, he wasn't even sure he wanted
to know about the dream. Heero wasn't even entirely sure he wanted to
find out about his past. It seemed filled with so much pain and
violence... that machine, that Gundam. Wing, or whatever, it had
looked so dangerous.

The explosion... self-destruction... Heero shivered again, but not
from the cold. He had been attempting to destroy that Gundam, even if
it meant his own life. In the dream, he hadn't released the parachute
because... he had wanted to die.

Frantically, Heero jerked the top layer of blankets off the bed,
heedless of whether it woke the slumbering Duo or not. He paused,
holding his breath, fearful that he actually had disturbed Duo's
sleep. However, no movement or sound rose from the bed, and Heero
silently let out the breath he had been holding. Wrapping the sheet
around himself, he stumbled out into the living room.

There was no way he was going back to sleep; risking another dream.
Quietly, he hunted around until he found the television remote, stuck
down between the sofa cushions. Sitting on the floor and leaning
against the sofa, he flipped through the channels with the volume
near to mute. Not even flickering images of infomercials and
syndicated reruns could shake the horrifying memories from his mind.

Falling, exploding. Living, dying.

----------------------------------------------------------- -----------

When he woke, Duo knew something was wrong. Without moving, he stole
a glance to the glowing clock face on the dresser to confirm the time
was, like his watch said, three in the morning. It took him a while
to figure out that was missing: Heero.

Duo sat up slowly, feeling around the bed with his hands while his
eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. There was no Heero-shaped shadow
anywhere on the bed, nor in the room. He sat quietly, ears straining
to pick up the sounds of footsteps in the apartment, but there were
none to hear.

Slowly, his ears caught and held on the high-pitched whine of the
television, and the flickering light underneath the door confirmed
that the living room's TV was being used. Softly, Duo crept forward
from the bed to peer into the other room, the light from the TV
illuminating a curled form lying there on the floor.

Ducking back into the bed room, Duo grabbed a blanket off from the
bed and wrapped it about himself for warmth. The temperature outside
must have drastically fallen for it to be so chilly in the apartment,
which had remarkably decent heating. Duo ventured back out into the
living room and approaching Heero, who was curled up in just a thin
sheet and shivering slightly.

"Heero?" Duo whispered softly, kneeling down. He paused with one hand
on the boy's shoulder, ready to shake him awake. Heero looked so
peaceful sleeping.

Hunting around, he finally located the remote and took it with him on
a blanket-run to the bed room. He gathered up all the blankets off of
the bed that he could and stumbled back into the living room,
carefully placing them over the sleeping Heero. The shivering
lessened and by the time Duo was carefully edging himself down beside
Heero, it had stopped completely.

Duo turned towards the other boy, snuggling himself up against the
sleeping body. "Baka," Heero breathed, shifting in his sleep. Duo
froze, positive that time around he had not imagined the word, but
Heero was sleeping soundly.

"Good-night, Heero," he whispered softly, and then paused as if
expecting some response. Of course, there was none.

But even without a reply from Heero, Duo fell asleep with a smile on
his face. A foolish, baka-grin.

-

-

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: Yay, no cliffhanger this time. I hope you enjoyed the
pseudo-lime. I am rather tired. Tomorrow I have a meeting to attend,
so I won't have much evening-time to write with. I'm not sure when I
can get out the next chapter. Things are looking pretty busy, and I
don't function properly on school days. Whatever.
Oh, and more bads news; I'm going blind... again. I have just really
horrible vision. I have to see the eye doctor to get a stronger
prescription even though I just saw him and got new lenses back in
August... yeah. I have *really* bad vision. I'm beyond legally blind.
Oh, one last thing; thank you to gundamwing.net for the episode
transcripts I used to write Heero's dream sequences.

As always, extreme thank-yous for all the wonderful feedback.

Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!
copyright 2003 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.
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