10-Jul-2005
Title: Do Or Die - CES Fic 7
Author: tkmaxwell777
Fandom: Gundam Wing AC
Category: Yaoi
Pairings: 1x2x5 ongoing
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Angst, Duo POV, Lemon/Lime, Language, Sap, Threesome, and Violence
Archived: Yep! www.gwaddiction.com AND Bittersweet_Haven, my brand new ML on Yahoo! Groups at: http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/tkmaxwell777bhml/
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing AC or its characters. It is the property of Shin Kidousenki, Bandai, Sotsu, Sunrise, and any other affiliated parties. This story is a parody of its defined universe and is in no way an official continuation of the original anime series. All underage characters engaging in any sexual activity in my stories are considered Emancipated Minors. This story is for entertainment purposes only and should not be read as a realistic representation of actual romantic or sexual relationships. It is not meant to be a commentary on the political, social, or spiritual ramifications of homosexuality. Content neither condones nor condemns any of the lifestyles or views portrayed. I write these stories because of the interesting dynamics between the characters and complex personality types that inspire the exploration of relationships beyond friendship without regard to gender or preference. I make no money doing this, so please do not sue me for writing it. Constructive feedback is always greatly appreciated! 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' is owned by George M. Cohan, and lyrics are used without permission.
For those of you who have emailed me feedback on various stories, I'm working through my inbox again, and I apologize for being so far behind again, and I'll try to do better in the future... again. *sighs* This series has developed a plot... I am truly sorry about that ;)
//I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle Sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle Joy
Yankee Doodle went to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am a Yankee Doodle Boy//
The song from a week ago went through my head as I spat the blood out of my mouth. I turned my head to snarl at the guy looming over me and got another fist across the jaw for my efforts. The force of it made my vision blur for a moment, but Shinigami was never one to back down from a fight, so I faced the guy again, glaring and growling for all I was worth. I wasn't naive enough to think that I could actually intimidate him, but image can be everything sometimes, and right then I didn't have anything but that. I was tied to a chair in the bare room I was being held in with a cretin who seemed to enjoy his work just a little too much. I wanted to knock the guy's teeth out, but rarely do I get what I want, so I was good and stuck.
Well, okay, I had gotten the one thing I'd really wanted - Heero and Wufei had completed the mission by escaping. The price I was paying for that now was a little steep, but anything for the ones you love, right? Right. Of course, even if they hadn't been my lovers I still would have done it. Duo Maxwell is loyal to a fault, and when it came to those he loved, loyal to almost idiocy. I wasn't doing so well with ignoring the cracked ribs, broken finger, slight concussion, and bruises that seemed to...
"Tell me where your friends are," came the same question that had echoed off the metal walls for the past half-hour.
"Long gone from here, asshole," I sneered, gaining a punch to my stomach. Shit... this guy just didn't quit.
"That's not what I want to hear," Mr.-Happy-Fist told me before hitting my ribs with a quick jab.
"Well, that's all you're going to get out of me, you son-of-a-bitch, so why don't you go fuck yourself?" I choked out, only to get nailed in the face again. I could feel the blood run down my cheek from where the jerk's knuckles had broken the skin against the bone. If I did manage to get out of this, I wasn't going to be my usual handsome self.
The leaders of this particular group were syndicate, suspected of running drugs, guns, and more importantly, intel on undercover Preventer Agents. Heero and Wufei went in, copied their database so HQ could see if and how much of our network had been compromised, and then wiped out their computer system. If the information retrieved proved that these bastards had sold agents out, we'd return, raze the place to the ground, and then arrest any surviving thugs. It was as simple as that. Of course, when did things ever go that easily for my crazy team? Yeah, all right, I guess I couldn't complain too much since we usually got out of tight situations rather predictably, but this time was quickly becoming the exception instead of the rule, and this exception was beginning to hurt pretty damn bad.
The bastard causing the damage suddenly grabbed the hair on top of my head, yanking it back until I thought my neck was going to snap. "I don't think you understand the situation, pretty boy. Either you tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to make it so even your own mother wouldn't recognize you."
"My own mother wouldn't recognize me anyway," I growled, trying to maintain consciousness. "She abandoned me when I was a little kid, so how about we forget the lame threats. You're getting jack shit from me, pal, and you know it." His taunt had brought up some recent stuff that I didn't want to think about. The right cross should have helped me to refocus, but the memories were still there when I gathered my wits for another blow.
You know, not all holidays are happy ones. My Festive-Mooded-Lovers had intended for us to enjoy each of them together, but we hadn't counted on some of them being so depressing. Missions and tight schedules had interfered with a couple of the good ones. There hadn't been any cultural days for Heero or Wufei's ancestries since May, but there had been three of mine to observe, and two of them had turned out to be... very hard to deal with. Heero and Wufei had insisted on them, but I don't think they had anticipated the outcome. My Stubborn-Agents can be rather single-minded, and sometimes their feelings kind of blind-side them when they think they're being objective.
"You think that you're so heroic, don't you?" My personal tormentor mocked as he let go of my hair with one more yank. "You think that you're protecting them." He laughed a very... not nice laugh. "Don't you get it? They left you. They left you here for us to break. Why do you owe them anything?"
I looked at him through blood, with my eyes half swollen shut, and smirked. "Semper Fi. Always faithful."
Memorial Day had hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn't expected that at all. I'd been proud to serve the Colonies and Earth in battle, and I'd been looking forward to seeing Quatre and Trowa, who had decided to join me and my lovers on Earth for the occasion. We'd visited the Eve's Wars Memorial Site, and things had been all right until I'd seen the huge marble stone in the center of the grounds. There were soldiers' names from all sides etched into it, and it hadn't taken me long to grasp the fact that I'd been responsible for many of those deaths. Quatre had wept openly for them as a misty-eyed Trowa kept a comforting arm around the blond. I could tell that Heero and Wufei had been affected as well, but while standing there I'd wondered if they were crying bitter tears inside the way I was. We'd spent the next few days making love to each other desperately, so I was pretty sure that they had.
Another punch, another curse, and another pause came before, "Was your daddy a former soldier? Did he tell you that? Well, it doesn't work that way in the real world, kid. No one is faithful. It's just a damn lie."
"Maybe to a cowardly piece of shit like you, but not to those who live and die by it," I countered, earning another round of his attentions. I then gasped out, "It means something to them, and it sure as hell means something to me!"
Father's Day had been even harder in some ways. Although Wufei had known his father, the man had always been very traditional, lacking in open affection for a boy who had wanted his father's acceptance more than anything. My Chinese lover had learned that reserved nature, and it had alienated him from others until Heero, and later Heero and I, had helped him to overcome it with our love. One good thing that Wufei did inherit from the elder Chang was an innate sense of justice, and that had forged the Dragon that Heero and I respected in battle. Of course, Heero and I didn't know our real fathers, but we'd both had father figures of a sort. Heero's hadn't been much better than Wufei's real father though. Odin Lowe had been an assassin and had trained my Japanese lover to be one as well at age six. Lowe's only reparations for taking away a child's innocence with guns and explosives had been his obvious approval of Heero's abilities and his advice about his young charge following his emotions whenever the boy was unsure of what to do. That lesson had helped Heero to find his heart and give it to Wufei and me, and I was grateful for it.
As for me, I think I'd had the best parental figure of the three of us, but it was a bittersweet memory of a good man that I'd called 'Father' but never could have called 'Dad'. I'd taken his name so it would live on since he would have no children of his own, but it still bothered me that even if he'd lived, I never would have been his son in anything but religious terms. I'd brought honor and shame alike to his name in these past few years, and I've often wondered if he'd be proud or disappointed by my unorthodox adoption of it. I'd shared that sentiment with my lovers as we'd held each other that holiday night. Wufei's father's grave had been destroyed with the L5 colony, Heero hadn't any idea where Odin Lowe was buried, and I just hadn't been able to bear going to the old Maxwell Church ruins. We'd stayed home instead, wrapped around each other in bed, pretending that our tears were just drops of sweat from our combined body heat as we'd cried for 'fathers' who had not seen their 'sons' grow into the men we had become.
"I think it's time to end this," my interrogator announced suddenly, bringing me out of my thoughts to feel the pain again. Bastard. I had to admit that he wasn't like the normal L2 street thugs. He hadn't called me names or baited me with slurs at my heritage or ancestry. He hadn't even threatened me with rape. All he'd done was beaten me senseless. I was kind of disappointed in one way.
"Buddy, you've got nothing on OZ interrogators," I told him blithely before I realized what I was saying.
"We'll see," he replied, giving that not-so-nice laugh again. "I have men with... particular tastes, and you fit them."
I gritted my teeth. Shit. Why hadn't I kept my mouth shut? I swallowed convulsively and then said in an even tone, "Whether I live or die, whether you beat me or rape me, I won't betray the ones I trust. That is unbreakable, so you may as well give up." His growled curse was the last thing I heard from him as he walked out of the room. Once he was gone, I concentrated on distracting myself from the agony I was in. My face was bruised, cut, and swelling by the minute. I thought he might have cracked another rib too. My finger was numb from the break, and my head was throbbing with my pulse. I almost laughed at how glad I was that he hadn't cut my hair. Yeah, vanity's name really is Duo, but let me tell you, Heero and Wufei would have been pissed as all hell if that had happened. I smirked at that. Knowing that I might be minutes away from a few men ripping me apart for their sadistic pleasure, I decided to keep thinking about my wonderful lovers instead, recalling the most recent holiday we'd spent together.
The Fourth of July had been a relief from the serious observances. Once again, we'd decided to go right to the heart of the festivities - Boston, MA. Yep, Boston Harbor, Boston Pops Orchestra, Boston fireworks; it had been a great time. Wufei had sat on the blanket in the grass, explaining the significance of the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, and the forming of the Constitution. Heero had brought an old-fashioned picnic with enough 'historically- brewed' ale to get us nicely soused. After the last colorful blast of pyrotechnics had lit the sky, I'd led them back to the hotel, but I'd quickly learned upon arriving in our room that sleep was not on the program of events just yet. No, that night, the three of us made our own 'roman candles', complete with awe-inspiring 'explosions' as we'd celebrated freedom from... everything.
I grinned at the memory, probably looking quite the sight, sitting there all bloody. I would have had a hard-on if I hadn't hurt so much, and wouldn't that have been just crazy? I'd closed my eyes at some point and found I couldn't open them again. Damn. Shifting in my chair, I tried to guess how long I'd been alone, but couldn't. I must have drifted. The soft sound of Heero's voice and the soothing smell of Wufei's hair seemed to envelope me. I fought to ignore what had to be a dream, needing to be alert for what would happen next. I'd probably never see Ro and Fei again unless I found some way out of this mess. When I felt a hand on me suddenly, I jerked away, crying out in spite of my resolve to not give those bastards any satisfaction in hurting me. When had my torture crew come into the room? I hadn't heard them, and I knew it was because I was fading in and out. Stupid concussion.
"Duo? Duo, can you hear me?"
"He's barely conscious, Yuy. I doubt he even realizes that we're here."
"Let's get him out of here then."
The sound of my lovers' voices, the smell of Wufei's hair, and the touch of Heero's hands were the last thing I registered before finally succumbing to oblivion.
When I awoke, it was to the feeling of a soft bed and more pain than I cared to admit to having. I tried to open my eyes, but they were swollen shut completely. If there hadn't been the familiar smell of shampoo and incense, I wouldn't have known I was home. Of course, the hand holding mine was a good indication as well. "Fei?"
"Good to have you back, Maxwell," he said with obvious relief. I'd never been so glad to hear him say my name.
"Heero?" My throat was parched so my voice was scratchy. One lover accounted for... now for the other.
"In the kitchen, fixing lunch," Wufei answered as he let go of my hand and slid his under my head, lifting it up.
I felt the rim of a glass against my lips and parted them eagerly. The water was cool going down, but the pain when I moved almost made me choke. I was definitely going to be in bed for a while. Once Wufei had me lying down again, I managed to ask, "What happened?"
Wufei took my hand again, which spoke volumes as to how worried he'd been... well, still was. "We got the disk to IT. When they confirmed the risk to our agents, Une sent us back in to take the place apart." He paused, seeming to choose how to say the next part. "Heero and I were determined to find you as soon as we got in. It didn't take long, but when we saw you... I wanted to hurt someone, and I know Heero would have liked to kill everyone there, but we were so relieved that you were still alive nothing else mattered. We got you out of there as fast as we could."
It had seemed like a dream, but it had been real. "I heard both of you, but I thought I was imagining things," I explained. They must have been so worried because I couldn't respond to them.
"I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Duo. If I could have taken your place..."
"Shut up, Wufei," I interrupted, gripping his fingers tightly, almost to the point of pain. "Both of you had to get out. There was no other choice. I knew what would happen, and I made that decision. I don't regret it either. I did my job, and so did you. You have no reason to feel guilty."
"I know, but that doesn't keep me from it," he said sharply. "If it had been one of us, you'd feel the same way."
"He's right," came Heero's voice from the other side of the bed. I hadn't even heard him come in, but as he took the hand with the broken finger, I noticed it had been set and wondered if he had done it himself.
"Don't tell me that you're beating yourself up over this too, Yuy," I grumbled. I wanted to see both of them, and not being able to, was making me a bit snippy. "Both of you need to get a grip."
"Got one," Heero quipped, but there was tenderness in his voice as he clutched my hand and scooted closer to me.
I could tell there was some kind of communication occurring between my Amorous-Asians, because Wufei then rubbed my hand gently and got into bed. "So do I, so move over a bit, and we'll all have one together."
I made a noise of disgust at both of them but moved to comply, refusing to show the pain. They carefully settled beside me, knowing about it anyway. This was what I'd endured being beaten to protect. This was what I'd lived for, and what I would die for, if there were no other way. Happy-Fist-guy would never be able to understand this, and it made me thankful that I did. "I missed you guys," I heard myself say sappily. They must have given me some meds, though I hated to think about how much I'd be hurting without them if I felt like this on them.
Heero kissed my brow gently, a sign of affection that warmed me to no end. "We missed you too."
"More than you will ever know," Wufei added, as he nuzzled my cheek, his hair tickling it.
"Glad to be home," I whispered before going back to sleep.
I spent the next couple of days in a haze of meds. My Private-Asian-Preventer-Nurses made sure that I was in as little pain as possible, but by the fourth day, I refused the pain pills. My eyes had lost some of the swelling, so I'd been able to actually open them, and after assessing my condition, I'd asked for something more along the lines of ibuprofen instead of the morphine that knocked me out. Well, okay, they hadn't actually given me that, but it had sure felt like it. Anyway, by day five, I was feeling more like myself. Heero and Wufei stopped hovering since I had my sight back, which helped. Although I appreciated their concern, I wanted to get on with this mending bit.
I snuck a shower that evening and thought I'd die before getting out. I managed to get through it, even stopping to brush my teeth before leaving the bathroom, but by the time I made it back to bed, Heero and Wufei had discovered me missing. I had to have my ribs wrapped again from where I'd gotten the bandages wet, and some salve applied to the cuts on my face that had reopened. By the time my lovers were finished with me, I felt like I'd had one of Father Maxwell's sermons and a Sister Helen scolding.
"Okay, guys. I get it," I finally huffed at them. "I won't take a shower without you until I get well, all right?"
"Maxwell, you won't get well if you don't take care of yourself," Wufei informed sternly from beside me.
"And you can't take care of yourself without help," Heero added firmly from the foot of the bed.
I sighed in resignation. "I know! Damn it, guys, I know! I just wanted to be clean, and I didn't want to bother you. You've been taking care of me for the past week almost, and I don't want to be a..."
"If you say 'burden', I'm going to hand-feed you for the next three days," my Japanese lover threatened.
My Chinese lover smirked but would not be outdone. "And I'll read to you until you fall asleep every night."
I rolled my eyes at both of them, surprised when it still hurt a little. Damn. I used to mend quicker. "Guys..."
"Do you know that Memorial Day was begun as a day to honor the dead from the Civil War?" Wufei asked casually, completely throwing me off the other subject. I shook my head in confusion, and he continued, "It was suggested by a druggist named Henry C. Welles who lived in Waterloo, New York. He mentioned it to General John B. Murray, and the general began rallying veterans and civic societies for their support of it. On May 5th, 1866, Murray led the celebration of the first Memorial Day by decorating the graves of Civil War soldiers at three cemeteries in Waterloo. They had an official ceremony as well. Other communities joined in celebrating it the next year, on May 30th, and it has been observed annually ever since."
I blinked at him. "What does that have to do with the price of eggs?" I asked gamely, earning a snicker from Heero.
Wufei sighed in mock exasperation. "We were so upset about the Eve's Wars Memorial that we failed to see the significance of the day historically," he replied. "It's all about perspective, Duo. If all we do is dwell on our own mistakes, we won't see how other people have affected our lives, by their mistakes and their glories alike."
"Father's Day was supposed to be on the first Sunday of June instead of on the third," Heero interjected suddenly. My brain had to change gears again, and I gaped at my lover as he went on conversationally, "Mrs. John B. Dodd from Spokane, Washington wanted a day to honor her father, William Smart, who had been a Civil War veteran. Smart had been widowed when his wife died having their sixth child, and he'd raised his children alone on a rural farm. Dodd wanted the holiday to be on her father's birthday, but it wasn't approved by the council in time. The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane Washington."
"And this explains why socks disappear in the dryer how?" I inquired, seeing Wufei smirk in spite of himself.
Heero snorted. "I'm sure Dodd's father had faults, but his daughter still loved him. We should remember the good things about the men from our pasts. They didn't teach us everything they should have, and they died too soon to change that, but they gave us the ideals that has helped shape who we are - duty, honor, and faithfulness."
Apparently, my Amorous-Asians had been thinking about this quite a bit. "So why are you telling me this now?"
There was silence for a moment before Wufei answered softly, "Because you were mumbling things in your sleep last night... about protecting us and not wanting to be without us."
I flushed to the roots of my hair. Shit. "Okay, that definitely means no more drugs for me in the foreseeable future."
"It's all right, Duo," Heero said, as he sat down on the other side of me. "We feel the same way about you. The holidays are just our way of showing you how much we love being with you."
Wufei nodded. "No matter what happens, no matter what anyone else thinks, our time together is what helps us to do our jobs well. Fighting for those you love is a strength."
I smiled, once again grateful to have these men in my life and heart. "And we have that in triplicate, don't we?" When they smiled back at me, I sighed happily. "Okay. So when is the next holiday?"
It was a week later when I awoke around noon to find brightly colored boxes around the bed, a decorated tree in the corner, and mistletoe hung from the ceiling all over the place. I gaped in bewildered shock. How the hell had they done this without waking me up? More importantly, why had they done this? I was just getting ready to get up and find out when Heero came into the room, carrying a tray with cookies and what looked like eggnog. He saw that I was awake, smiled a little sheepishly, and then placed the tray on the nearby chest of drawers.
"Wufei! He's up, so get in here!"
I blinked at him, feeling a little muzzy. That's when I realized what the familiar feeling was. "You bastards! You drugged me again!" I was furious. I'd mended to the point where I could move around and shower on my own. I could even look in the mirror without grimacing, though the bruises were still fading. For them to do this...
"You didn't sleep well night before last, so we decided to make sure you did last night so you'd be rested for today," Heero explained rather convolutedly before turning towards the door and yelling out, "Fei! Hurry up!"
"Damn it, Yuy, I had to finish loading the dishwasher, or we won't have any clean plates for that elaborate ham dinner you just made," Wufei growled as he walked into the bedroom.
"But you drugged me!" I blustered, not wanting to get off the subject. No more drugs for me... nope, no way, nada. I'd fallen asleep and awakened in an alternate universe or something. What the hell was going on?
They shared a look and then smirked, both of them shouting rather enthusiastically, "Happy Christmas in July!"
That's when I pieced it all together and began laughing. My idiot lovers were just too much. There weren't any real holidays for a while, so they'd improvised. I grinned at them... then frowned. "I didn't get you guys anything."
Wufei sat down on the bed. "It's okay. We just bought a bunch of stuff that we all needed, and Heero and I picked us out something from you." The twinkle in those dark eyes made me shake my head.
"What do you want to do first?" Heero asked as he lay down beside me. "Open presents or eat?"
I studied them for a moment and knew what I wanted. "How about we make use of that mistletoe?" I asked with a hopeful look. What? It had been almost two weeks, and I was used to double the attention of a normal guy.
"That sounds like a good idea," Heero replied huskily as his hand moved down to fondle my crotch.
"Let's give him his first present," Wufei suggested with a leer as he moved lower in the bed.
I was soon on my back, pajama bottoms tugged off, and two mouths kissing down my stomach. Damn, but it felt good! "Okay, I might be able to forgive you for the drugs if this was the reason."
I didn't get any response from them because one of my lovers began licking my shaft as the other moved lower to my balls. I fisted the sheets and moaned in anticipation as my legs were spread. My erection was engulfed as my sac was suckled. One slick finger slid between my cheeks, massaging my entrance with practiced ease, and then another twined with it, teasing the other finger and me. I realized then that I had a finger from each of the men I loved stroking me open. When those digits entered me, I cried out in complete abandon, begging them for more. They gave it to me - sucking, licking, and stroking - until I came so violently I thought I'd never stop shaking.
Heero and Wufei slid up in the bed to lie beside me again, and I felt their warmth surround me. I closed my eyes for a moment, hearing the ragged breathing of the two me on either side of my body. Then I looked up at the ceiling to see mistletoe suspended above us, swaying gently. "I love you guys," I stated simply, feeling it in every single part of my being. Before they could say anything, I turned over towards Wufei and motioned for Heero to move closer. "Let's see if I can show you how much."
They cried out their words of love to me a while later as Wufei came in my mouth and Heero came in my passage. We cleaned up, ate a very early dinner, and then opened our presents. There were socks and underwear, tee shirts and sweats, and even some CD's and DVD's among the stash, but as I surveyed the blinking lights from the bed, I knew that I already had the best presents that any guy would ever get - two Yankee Doodle Sweethearts that this Yankee Doodle Boy was going to keep no matter what
End Part 7
(:./tk/cultural7)
