29-Jun-2007
Title: Seasonal Drift Part Thirteen
Author: Ebonydove
Archived: GWAddiction
Warnings: sap, OOC, language, and struggling plot bunnies.
Rating: G
Spoilers: none
Authors notes: Uhmm, I know everyone's wondering what the plot really is and just where the hell I've been. I promise more is coming...and that I won't disappear for so long.
Duo quickly grabbed what little gear they had from the car while Heero stayed on the porch and let the sugar from the pie do its wonderful magic of getting his brain cells firing once again. He was tired and damn sore from his tumble with Duo in the field, but mostly he just couldn't shake how bothered he was that he had dragged Duo into the whole mess after he had promised himself that he wouldn't. Duo getting involved was not supposed to happen. Then again, he wasn't supposed to wind up institutionalized either. It was something that he was going to mention the next time he saw the good doctor.
He let out an aggravated breath as he watched Duo carefully clean the car for any signs that they had been using it, which was fairly pointless really. It was Trowa's after all, but Duo seemed to need to stick to routines and protocols as much as he did right about then so he didn't say anything as he watched him finally get in and pull the car around the back of a large wooden barn not to far away from the main house. All that careful planning he had done for this mission had just gone up like dust the driveway and he was finding that it was more aggravating that everyone, including himself, had left Duo in the dark the whole time about just what it was that he had been asked to do. The directions had been simple and he had been adamant about Duo being left out of the plans completely, but like most things in his life where Duo was concerned, it had backfired quite stupendously.
He watched Duo's staggering progress from his spot on the porch as he crossed the yard and ignored how his heart did a not-so -pleasant tumble in his chest. He would have smiled at Duo as he got closer if the sight of him didn't make him frown automatically instead. He had been little help to Duo so far, which was quite obvious from the exhausted look on Duo's face as he made his way up the porch steps. And was only reinforced further by the way he had to deliberately square his shoulders once he was close enough to the house. Now that the sugar had finally kicked in he was bound and determined to fix everything from that moment going forward.
Duo dropped the duffel at his feet and put a hand on his cheek for a moment as if he were some sick little kid in a nurse's office in grade school. "Your color is better. How ya feeling now that you got to sit still for two minutes and get a little food in you?"
That heart-hammering tumble happened again so he grabbed Duo's hand and held it for a moment. "I'm sorry, Duo."
Duo cocked his head a little and smiled. "We've been over this already. You don't have to apologize for anything."
He shook his head and leaned into him, tilting Duo's face up with a finger under his chin and brushing his lips softly against his. "Yes I do. And you need to let me. I need to tell you everything." Duo's eyes flashed with that sound sense of determination and he looked as if he was about to pull a full-blown nanny nag, so he quickly kissed him again before he had a chance to protest, letting it deepen and watched with some relief when Duo finally seemed to sink into it. He was such a fighter.
Butch cleared his throat from the doorway behind them making Duo's eyes fly open and his face coloring no less than four shades of red. He however didn't care at all. He had nothing to hide from anyone when it came to Duo anymore. That had been the first mistake. That had caused the trouble. They both turned facing the screen door and waited for direction from the old man as he came through and stood in front of them. "You boys are about dead on yer feet, from what I can tell. I can't say that I have any love for the government, but I don't need no trouble from them either. Git yer gear and come on in. Up at the top of the stairs turn to the right and you boys can bunk down in the last room on the left. It used to belong to my son, and well...he ain't got no more use fer it. There's a jon right next to it. You can git cleaned up or shower if you'd like. Towels are already in there." He led them inside and gestered to the staircase. "Once yer settled, come on down and I'll fix you some real food. Hope you don't expect fancy, 'cause it ain't what I'm servin'." Then he sauntered away towards what Heero believed to be the kitchen.
Duo quirked a quick smile as he proceeded to do a once-over of the downstairs. The house itself was warm and homey inside, with yellow pine paneled walls and floor to ceiling windows the length of the hall. The dark wood floors had deep colored rugs and after they climbed the creeky staircase and entered the room they were told to use, he found rich colored leather chairs, dark wood furniture, and various mounted heads of animals on display. It was a man's room, no doubt of that with few personal items on display and even fewer signs that a young man had ever lived there at all. "This will work. With the car in the barn, even if they came in a fleet of helicopters they won't know we're here. But if they decide to do the door-to-door thing, we're screwed."
Duo dropped face first onto the large bed as he took in room before moving towards the dresser. There, tucked in the frame of a large wood mirror were a few pictures of a young man in uniform with a pretty girl in a rose colored dress hanging on his arm. Behind the young couple was Butch, all stony and scowling for the picture, but with something in his eye that Heero recognized immediately. It was that same look of satisfaction he would sometimes earn from J after doing something particularly well, or bloody.
He frowned as understanding settled uncomfortably why the old man wasn't fond of the military, noting the Oz insignia and standard issued uniform. The boy looked as young as he and Duo were. "Duo. We need to sleep and head out early. I saw you smile at the idea of a shower. You go first and then we'll eat."
Duo rolled over onto his back with a groan grabbing a few things from the duffle before shoving it back under the bed and making his way to the bedroom door. "Come with me." He said softly.
Heero frowned. "I'll sit outside the door."
Duo blew out of huff of air that made his bangs blow up and away from his face and padded bare dirty feet down the hallway towards the bathroom. "I just don't want you out of my line of sight for too long."
"I feel the same way." He muttered to himself.
Duo paused at the bathroom door and leaned against the frame looking back at him and fixing him with one of those notorious soul-searching stares. That kind of look from Duo seemed to read every little thing about you whether you wanted it to be that way or not. "After food, we talk Heero. There's a hell of a lot going on that you haven't told me."
"I know. And I also know that you won't believe me when I tell you that I only had your best interest in mind."
"Awfully considerate of you seeing just what state the two of us are in right now, huh?"
"I'm sor..."
"Geez, enough." And with that Duo disappeared into the bathroom and he was left to stare at the closed door. A tremor of trepidation ran down his back once Duo wasn't within his line of sight and knowing that he wouldn't lock the door he decided to follow him down the short hallway and go on in instead of waiting outside like he said he would.
Duo had just turned the water on and was about to step under the spray when he entered. He knew that Duo could see quite plainly that he was slightly rattled as he closed the door behind him. "I just wanted to..."
"Are you okay?" Duo stood unabashed wearing nothing but a worried frown on his face.
"I'm fine. I just wanted to sit in here. I just wanted to be near in case..."
"Oh. In case you...ya know had another..." Duo made a gesture as if his head was going to fly off his shoulders and out the tiny bathroom window.
"I suppose. But more because I need to be where you are. Is that...all right?"
Duo gathered him up in a fierce embrace and spoke gently to him. "That's very all right."
End Part 13
(:./ebony/drift13)
