Title: Death & the Phoenix
Author: Ebonydove
Pairings: 1+2/2+1, 3+4/4+3
Warnings: Possible episode spoilers, liberal use of GW characters,
OOC, yaoi, angst, violence, language, fluff... the usual.
Author's Notes: It's slow moving, but I wanted to make sure the plot
actually exists. Tell me what ya think!
Disclaimer: The characters are owned by those with higher earning
potential than me, so follow the money baby! Lord knows, none is being made here.
Duo gave him a weak smile and nodded. He headed off to crash in Howard's office. As he was leaving one of the sweepers jogged in and called for Howard. "Howard, you gotta call, priority."
Howard watched Duo lay down on the sofa and went to pick up the vid phone. Turning his attention away from the restless boy on his couch, he opened the line. Brilliant cobalt blue eyes stared at him from the vid phone. Heero Yuy was not happy, frowning fiercely, and waiting for Howard to acknowledge him. "Heero."
"Howard."
"What can I do for you?"
"Is he there?" Heero scowled, his eyes narrowing.
"Who?" Howard smiled warmly and leaned back in his chair crossing his hands behind his head.
Heero didn't speak, but glared at him furiously before putting his gun on the table in front of him. "I won't ask again."
Howard smiled again, even though he did find Heero a bit intimidating. He was glad that he was on the same side as the psychotic pilot. He thought briefly about Duo. Figures he'd fall for someone who was more of a lunatic than he was, it was only right. "You wouldn't have called if you thought he was someplace else."
"Hn." Heero began dismantling the gun as if to clean it, dropping his eyes but speaking in the same warning tone as before. "Put him on."
"Can't 01." Howard put his feet up on the desk and glanced behind him at the sleeping figure of Duo on the sofa which was blocked from view of the screen. He knew Heero hated being addressed by the call sign. Heero's eyes shot up again and he actually smirked at Howard's contempt. "He's asleep, and I'm not going to wake him." Howard crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Heero's response.
Heero's face suddenly changed from impassive to curious. He cocked his head and let the gun go ignored in his hands for a moment, as he studied Howard's' relaxed, but defensive posture. He was protecting Duo from what? Him? "Why is he there?"
"Visiting."
Heero's eyes became dark and he scowled again. "Why is he hiding?"
"Not my place to say, kid. Guess you should ask him that yourself when he gets back."
"And when would that be?" Heero resumed cleaning the gun and began to reassemble it with lightning speed and efficiency.
"When he wakes up, I suppose. Don't know, I didn't ask. He wasn't feelin' too hot when he got here though." Howard sat up and removed the dark shades and looked directly into Heero's cold blue eyes. "Why are you looking for him, anyways? Mission?"
"No." Heero having the gun back together held it carefully, turning it over and over in his hand.
"Worried?" Howard grinned.
Heero suddenly looked confused. He dropped the gun into his lap and blinked. Cocking his head again, he looked back to Howard, scanning his face for any sign of what was going on. "No." He finally replied curtly.
Howard gave him a quick glare. "Well, you should be." With that, he severed the connection, leaving Heero Yuy in the dark. He smiled with satisfaction seeing the look on Heero's face the second before he ended the transmission. "Little punk. Bet you're worried now, huh?"
Heero looked at the blank screen not sure how he felt. Then anger flew through him as he bolted up out of the chair. The gun hit the floor with a thud as the metal bounced on the wood. He slammed the laptop shut and stalked from the room, out into the kitchen where the other pilots were sitting conversing softly. He began tearing through cub boards and drawers searching for something. The other pilots watched as he banged and slammed through the kitchen, not quite sure what had set him off. When Heero was enraged it was best to just stay clear. "Damnit." He hissed quietly sending a shiver through Quatre who had stopped preparing lunch.
"Heero, what are you looking for?" Trowa asked calmly. Wufei threw him a look of caution, but Trowa just shrugged at it.
"Nothing." Heero began systematically removing everything from the cupboard he was currently pillaging.
"Did you talk to Duo?" Trowa sipped his coffee, feeling, more than seeing, Quatre wince next to him.
"NO!" Heero yelled as he slammed the door shut and stormed from the room.
"What in the name of peace on the Earth and colonies was that all about?" Wufei snorted as he went to put the items Heero had thrown back into their place in the cupboard.
"He either found Duo, or didn't." Trowa patted Quatre's leg comfortingly.
"I'll be right back." Quatre stood up and followed the path of destruction Heero had left in his wake. Finding him on the porch, he sat down beside the still fuming pilot. They sat in silence for a few minutes, as Quatre waited for Heero's breathing to resemble something even remotely normal.
"What's going on, Quatre?" Heero hissed.
"I don't know exactly. It could be any number of things." Quatre watched as the stars began to appear in the darkening sky. "What were you looking for?"
"I think Duo's hiding something from us."
Quatre let out a soft snort and glared at Heero. "I don't think it's what you think."
"You know things that I don't. I want to know what you know." Heero's voice remained calm, but is eyes were flashing with emotion as he looked into Quatre's aqua depths. "Like why he faked the last mission he was on. Why does he disappear at least twice a month, every month since he's been with us, for at least two days?" Quatre looked at him sympathetically which only confirmed his suspicion that Quatre knew more than he did.
"It's really not my place to say Heero." Quatre smoothed the wrinkles from is trousers as he dropped his eyes from Heero's piercing stare.
"Damnit, Quatre! First Howard, now you. What is going on with Duo?" Heero flew from his seat and gripped the railing, making the wood crack a little under the pressure.
Quatre remained calm and took a deep breath. It bothered him to no end to see Heero like this. Out of control on the Zero System was one thing, but out of worry for Duo was another. "Duo has a lot going on right now, Heero. He doesn't want to burden us with things that he's dealing with. He had an appointment to keep and faked the mission to keep anyone from wondering about it."
Heero turned and faced Quatre scowling. "An appointment with who? Oz?"
Quatre's face flushed with anger as he stood nose to nose with Heero. "With a doctor, Heero. How dare you think he would betray his obligations. He's not working for Oz." Quatre's voice hissed at Heero as he repressed the urge to slap the Ex-Wing pilot.
Heero was silent as Quatre sat back down. His mind began piecing little bits together, things he couldn't put a finger on, but still nagged him. They were beginning to fall into place. He looked at Quatre and let his mask slip a bit, showing his worry for the first time to the blonde boy. In a voice full of concern and eerily quiet, he faced the aqua eyes again. "Quatre, what's going on?"
"I think, and it's only an assumption, mind you, that Duo is... sick. He's been taking anti-depressants for some time, but I don't think that's what's really going on with him. I wish I had an answer for you, Heero, but I honestly don't know. I can only speculate."
"Go on."
"Trowa and I think it's been for a few months now. He's been overly defensive, distracted and evasive. It shows even in his work. He's taken huge risks, completely disregarding his safety. His appetite has been less than voracious, and he's been sleeping an awful lot, moreso than usual."
Heero nodded in agreement at all the things Quatre was saying. It wasn't like he didn't notice the braided boy separating himself more and more from the rest of them. He still put on appearances, but the gap had been getting bigger and bigger. He took on recon operations and skirmishes without backup, sometimes missing check-ins, and occasionally Heero found very small holes in his reports to G. Duo had thought he was the only one who would see them, and even though he doubted Duo was being simply careless, let it drop. He had been ignoring it until now. "So what do we do now?"
"Wait I guess, until he's ready to let us know what's really going on." Quatre sighed and looked up at the shimmering stars.
"I... don't think I can wait. I... need to... I have... " Heero ran his fingers through his unruly hair and huffed in exasperation.
"Heero, don't tell me. Tell him. He needs to hear it from you."
"Howard, you... Trowa and Wufei know too, don't they? Why am I the only one left in the dark?" Heero began to pace back and forth on the porch, a habit he picked up from Duo.
"Because you are the one he wanted to protect the most Heero, I know that you know that, even if you won't admit it." Heero stopped short and glared at Quatre, who smiled warmly back at him. "I'm going back inside. I wish I could give you all the answers Heero, but I don't have them myself. We'll be inside if you need us, k?" Quatre made his way back into the house leaving Heero to stare up at the stars and wait for Duo's return.
End Part 2
(:./ebony/death2)
