Title: Seasonal Drift
Author: Ebonydove
Archive: aenai.steelsong.com
Warnings: violence, slight gore, language, yaoi hints, mature themes.
Spoilers: none yet.
Pairings: 2+1
Disclaimer: Despite my shameless use of them, no money is being made here.
Story: Duo stumbles onto a horrific scene, which changes how he feels and deals with Heero.
Author's notes: Duo's POV, slight OOC. Lots of sap later on. Feedback craved like so much chocolate!
My sixth sense was telling me something was off, so I checked my watch again to make sure I wasn't running late, or it had stopped and gone unnoticed by me or something. But it was ticking away just fine, so I shoved my hands back into my pant pockets and waited for the elevator to crawl up the next few floors to where Heero had his flat at the very top.
It was unusual for Heero to be late for work. He was after all the most time bound guy I knew, so when he didn't show up at our office at Preventers Headquarters this morning with my coffee and danish in hand like he did every morning, I thought I better go and see what was keeping him. I had phoned twice and even called his pager, but I didn't hear back from him; which was just plain weird. Heero very rarely ignores me anymore. Only if I've done something particularly stupid or reckless that he didn't approve of and then it wasn't ever for very long. So I knew it was silly feeling apprehensive about him not calling me back, but as I watched the light blink on each floor I passed the feeling of unease I had grew.
Heero and I had been partnered up by Une right after I had finally joined up and it had been that way for four years now. We still go on occasional assignments solo, but it was a rare thing. Heero said we were getting careless in thinking that we didn't require backup and that we could still hot-dog it like we used to do during the wars. Okay, so he hadn't actually said, 'hot-dogging', but you get the idea. I ignored him double and triple checking everything and his growing paranoia in the past months only because we had all gone through it at one time or another in our lives. I myself had a bad accident just after I had been assigned to work with Heero and got spooky for a while after it with heights, and I think he still blames himself for it, which was part of why he was being so extra super careful. When he sees me take an uncalculated risk he frowns and goes all quiet on me. Nevermind the look I get from him, that to this day I still can't quite decipher. The soft ping from the elevator brought me back to why I was feeling all spooky again. Heero had gone beyond just acting strange lately. He was being unpredictable, which just wasn't a Yuy thing... at all.
All the lights in the hallway were off and I found myself drawing my gun. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck twitch as I walked silently down the short distance to his door at the end, which was open a bit. Holding my breath, I nudged the door a bit wider as I crouched down low to the floor and peeked inside. That's when it hit me. It's a smell that is so specific that once you've encountered it you will never, ever mistake it for any other scent. It was hours old and I felt a slight roll of nausea roll through my stomach at the gruesome pictures flooding my brain. I slid through the doorway and assessed the room. There was really only one way to describe it.
Absolute carnage.
There was blood and gore splattering the walls, and I mean... every single one of them in the large living room. The cream-colored leather sofa and chair that I had helped haul into his flat months ago, was speckled with it. Even the ceiling was dotted with hours old blood. My own was rushing in my ears as my adrenaline finally kicked in, and all the muddled thoughts of seeing Heero dead in a pool of his own juices washed away as the crisp black and white perspective of Shinigami replaced them. With emotion no longer clouding my mind I finished my sweep and found the place clear of any danger.
I was procrastinating going into the bedroom where all my instincts told me I would find him. When my senses were first assaulted with the smell and sight of death, it was also the very same moment that I realized my feelings for Heero had long ago gone beyond friends, or partners. It was a bittersweet moment with the cloying smell of dead blood in the air, and the swelling feeling of absolute love in my heart. It made me want to be sick. He could still be alive, but I wasn't going to allow that hope to creep into my brain just yet. Not after the scene I had witnessed in the living room.
There were the telltale signs of a struggle, but it didn't explain why the door hadn't been forced open, or the lock broken, unless he had known his attacker. I when I finally allowed what I was seeing to filter past my carefully constructed defensives, I noticed the two wine glasses and empty bottle of red wine that looked to have been used as the weapon. It would explain how the blood and gore had gotten on the ceiling and furniture and why the endtable was overturned, and the glass smashed. I kicked it with one foot so I could see the neck of the bottle, which was smeared with dark, rust-colored blood, and found myself smiling at the label. It was my favorite.
That's when I started to shake, and knew that Shinigami had abandoned me to deal with what was in the bedroom alone. I crept my way down the short hall and swallowed the rising bile in my throat. I gently pushed the door open and heard the sound of a strangled whisper calling Heero's name before I realized it was my own. When my vision had cleared from the tears I hadn't realized were starting; I saw him lying on the floor near the bed. He had gripped the bedspread before he had obviously slid to the floor. It had a bloodied handprint on it. He was facing the bed, and I could tell by the way he was lying that he was trying to get to the table with the phone on it when he collapsed. I couldn't see any blood around him other than the handprint on the bedspread, but couldn't tell if he was breathing either.
Thank God whatever saint was watching out for me had finally decided to show up and bring me to my senses. I never made it to his side. I had slid to my knees somewhere between the doorway and the bed and was now huddled in on myself and dialing Wufei.
"Maxwell? Where the Hell are you two? We had a briefing scheduled for a half hour ago!"
"Wu-fei?"
There was a pause and I was worried that perhaps my trembling voice wasn't loud enough for him to hear me when he spoke in his down to business tone. "Duo? What's wrong? Are you hurt? Where's Heero?"
I shut my eyes and didn't want to look in the direction of the bed. "Wu... H-Heero... I -I... " I couldn't get anymore out than that. From out of no-where hot, stinging, tears began rolling down my cheeks and I was taking great, gulping breaths. I dropped the phone in my lap and curled up on the floor, facing the hallway. Wufei would come and fix all this. I just had to wait here him.
End Part 1
(:./ebony/drift1)
