19-Jun-2003
Title: Seasonal Drift Part VI
Author: Ebonydove
Archived: aenai.steelsong.com & Team Rocket at Shinigami's Castle.
Spoilers: yes some vaguely from the series
Rating: PG
Warnings: Violence, language, shonen-ai, sap, slight OOC, mild angst.
Pairings: 2+1
Author's Notes: Told in Duo's POV.
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly word will spread when one of us is in a facility for more than a few hours. I hadn't been wearing my Preventer's uniform except on that first day, and even then I had barely been in dress code. The damn ties always made me feel stifled, but I put up with them all the same. But as I stalked through the halls in search of the elusive vending machines on the second floor, it occurred to me how obviously apprehensive everyone was acting as I passed them. Their eyes would quickly dart away as if I hadn't noticed them staring at me. The thought passed my mind that maybe I was wearing or doing something out of character, but quickly dismissed that notion. I was vibrating with tension, but so were many of the people in the hospital sporting visitor tags and who could blame them? I was here to see someone hospitalized after all. Damn civilians. I wasn't here to make these people comfortable. I was here to get Heero out as quickly as humanly possible. Before I wound up in the bed next to him.
The last thing I wanted to do was ask for help from these people or go down to the main lobby on the first floor where I knew they had a cafeteria after I just about sent a candy striper into hysterics earlier. So I kept ducking around corners until I finally stumbled across a set of soda and candy machines.
My anger had cooled considerably by then and I fished around in my pockets for change thinking about the task I had been sent on. I suppose I was being... difficult. I think that was the word Wufei had been about to use. I slipped the money in and selected bottled water for myself and then a diet soda for Heero. He hated the stuff, put it would cut the cotton feeling from his mouth the best. The water thunked down into the bottom of the machine followed by the soda. I moved over to the other machine and perused the selection spotting something that I decided I had to have for Heero.
I have no idea where, or when, or how, but Heero Yuy loved banana-flavored taffy. It wasn't easy to find, but there it was right in front of me so I was bound and determined not to return upstairs without it. I inserted my dollar bill, and punched in the number and watched as the metal spring moved. The taffy dropped into a little chute and then there was a grating noise followed by nothing. It didn't drop to the bottom and I found myself just staring at the damn thing like if I had willed it hard enough it would simply unjam and release my prize.
Nope.
I gave the thing a good shove, but still nothing dropped so I got down on my knees and reached my hand up inside under the flap to see if I could pull the damn thing out when I proceeded to get myself good and stuck. I simply couldn't believe it. But like I had said I was not leaving without Heero's taffy.
Nuh ah, no way.
I pulled against the metal rim of the chute until I just about broke my fingers. Then I felt a prick of metal and knew my knuckle was bleeding. That was going to be a surprise for the next person who had wanted anything edible from this particular machine. Yuk. I yanked hard one more time, feeling skin scrape even more from the back of my hand and then just resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to wait until one of the guys came looking for me. Which I guessed wouldn't be long with the way they were all hovering.
I twisted around as best as I could to look up and in and saw that a thin sheet of metal had actually flipped down and was what had my hand wedged. I fished around in my pocket with my free hand for my piks and after producing the one that I had wanted began the tedious task of trying to unscrew the tiny nut that was holding the plate in place. It was tight and my free hand started to cramp within minutes with the twisting motion, but the last thing I needed was some poor soul wandering in to find me in a prone position on the floor of a snack area with my bleeding hand stuck up the bottom of a vending machine. How embarrassing.
Twenty minutes later I sat in front of the thing reading the nutritional information on the side of a chocolate bar, which was about none, until I heard the distinct sounds of scuffling feet behind me. When I glanced up from my spot on the linoleum Wufei was standing over me with his arms crossed over his chest, a very confused frown on his face, and tapping his blue-green, fuzzy slipper-covered foot impatiently. I had the good sense not to snicker.
"Maxwell. You are one of the most lethal people in the known universe and you have managed to have a... "
"Snack related mishap." I mumbled back, flushing hotly at the very idea of it.
He snorted and the frown morphed into the tiniest of smiles as he crouched down and peered up inside the machine. "As usual you managed to do a very good job." I just looked at him, not sure if that was meant as a compliment or him just being sarcastic. "And what possessed you to stick your hand up there in the first place, dare I ask?"
"Taffy." I shrugged.
He looked at me clearly confused, so I added very quietly and without making any eye contact; "For Heero. It's his favorite."
Wufei nodded solemnly, the smile disappearing and began working the panel off the bottom of the machine that I hadn't been able to reach. Him helping me without another remark made a bit of the tension in my gut just... lessen. I hadn't needed to go into lengthy explanations or anything, he simply understood and bent to the task of helping me get unstuck. I mumbled a half-coherent thank you anyway, which I'm sure he heard, but ignored. And about ten minutes later I could pull my hand free, bleeding knuckles and all, and with the package of taffy. Then I took it, the soda, my water, and we began the trek back upstairs.
"You're bleeding, Maxwell." He commented softly as we walked down the hall. Once again with everyone giving us a very wide berth. I grabbed some gauze off the nearest supply cart I found and quickly wrapped my knuckles up. They stung, but weren't really bleeding much anymore.
When we got to the stairwell I stopped and in my most serious, but non-threatening voice, simply told him that I wouldn't be leaving as long as Heero was here. So he'd had better planned on bringing reinforcements or a tank or something if he expected me to be leaving anytime soon.
"I know." He said with an exasperated sigh. "I have made arrangements to have a cot set up in the room for you. Une has also put both you and Heero on medical leave until further notice. Trowa and I will cover your caseload."
I was surprised he didn't put up any fight at all. It was unlike him not to argue with me about things like this. We were both damn stubborn about our work with the Preventers and I felt a twitch of guilt that he and Trowa would be covering for us while we were here. "Why did she put me on medical leave?"
"Red tape."
"Ah." I hadn't a clue. Administration was one of Heero's strong points. "And Heero?"
"Doesn't understand why you are so upset with him."
I chewed on that for a little bit as we climbed up the stairs. It really wasn't what I was getting at. I was more concerned about Une keeping Heero on a long-term leave. It wouldn't be good for him. Heero was the backbone of our group. I don't think even Une could deny that fact. Keeping him away from his work would be... bad. "Upset with him? What did he say?"
"Absolutely nothing since you left the room in a rush."
Damn. I had tried not to do that. "You didn't mention anything to him about the restraints, did you?" I know it was a stupid thing to ask just then, but I did anyway. I just hoped he wouldn't be too offended that I had. The look he shot me was all the response I needed. I knew he wouldn't say anything.
We paused outside the secure double doors and waited for big guy to buzz us in. We both already had our slippers on so we went on through the white doors and into the hall. About ten feet from Heero's door I felt Wufei snag the sleeve of my shirt and pull me to a stop. Then he just stood there gathering his thoughts as I waited for him to get whatever was still bothering him that he hadn't said yet off his chest.
Wufei is very good at conflict resolution. He has many different techniques he uses depending on the scope and nature of the situation. This time with me, he had picked a point just behind my right ear to stare at while he very calmly and quietly told me to get my head out of my ass. I gave him a bland look as not to throw off his concentration and let him continue without interruption.
"Heero doesn't understand what has changed between you two. We haven't given him any details about the accident at his apartment or about Ms. Ishikawa. All he knows is that something is very wrong and that you are acting like a damned idiot around him out of the clear blue sky."
"What did he say?"
"Again. Not a word to any of us."
"Then how do you know it has anything at all to do with me?"
I think he would have slapped me if I had let him just then. He practically pinned me to the wall with his gaze, which was very suddenly pointedly directly into my eyes. I looked down first.
"Duo. Heero is a very smart person. He knows something very bad has happened. He's in the damned hospital after all." He paused and lowered his voice. "It is my belief that he thinks that this all has something to do with you."
I couldn't imagine how Wufei was leaping to these kinds of conclusions. He had admitted after all that Heero hadn't said a word. "Like... ?"
"I suspect that he believes he has harmed you in some way and that is why you are acting so strange around him."
I heard the groan escape from me before I could stop it. I slumped against the wall and just thought about that. Of course he would. He's my partner. He's seen me at my best and worst. I probably screamed shell shock to him when he woke up and found me half-asleep on his arm. Storming out hadn't helped I'm sure, and I was pretty sure everyone in the damned place heard my little outburst in the hallway outside his room. "Okay, Wu." I pushed away from the wall and entered Heero's room only turning around when I hadn't heard him following me. "You coming, Wu?"
"No. Trowa, Quatre and I are going for dinner. We will see you both in the morning." And then he was gone and I was alone with Heero.
Sneaking is something I am very, very good at. But despite this talent that I have mastered over the years, Heero always knows it's me. So when I walked around the curtain he was siting up and waiting for me with an intense look about him. My stomach flopped. "Hey." He glanced at the cot and back to me without a word. It didn't take ESP to know what he was wondering so I supplied him with the answer I figured he already knew. "I... thought you'd like company tonight, I'm stickin' around. How are you feeling?"
I set the water down on the floor next to the chair and twisted the cap off the soda for him. I don't know why I did that really. He was capable of doing it himself. He shrugged and sipped the soda without even grousing about it then looked to my hand with a raised eyebrow where I had been nervously fingering the package of taffy.
"Oh. I brought you this, from the machine."
"What happened to your hand?" He asked me quietly before taking another swig from the bottle, his voice still rough and raspy from unuse.
"Snack related mishap."
"Hn."
I tossed the candy into his lap and he glanced at it, but didn't do more than that. It was uncomfortably tense, like there were things hanging in the air between us that couldn't be said, and I wasn't sure what to do about it. Pretend that I was okay? He'd never buy it. Not for a milli-second. So I just plowed ahead.
"Wufei said you didn't say a word to them while they were here. You know that it probably made Quatre upset. Which means Trowa is too. And you still haven't answered me about how you're feeling." I plopped down in the chair beside him and took the candy back, ripping it open and unwrapping a piece for myself. I popped it into my mouth and practically gagged. It was too sweet and just damn gross.
He laughed. And I almost swallowed the sticky thing whole at the sound. I heard him laugh so rarely. "I don't know how you can eat that stuff." I chuckled back glad for the slight ease in tension.
Next thing I knew he had pinned me where I sat with his eyes and stifled any additional witty banter I was about to make with the intense look he was giving me.
"Why are you upset with me?"
"I... I'm not." I stuttered.
He frowned and shoved the soda in to my hand then turned to settle himself back into his covers with his back to me.
"Heero?" He rolled further onto his side and shut his eyes, leaving me at a complete loss as to what to say. He was acting so... odd. "Heero, I'm not upset with you at all. I have no reason to be. I'm just... worried about you."
"Why?" Was his tight reply.
"Do you... do you remember what happened? How you got hurt?" My stomach twisted painfully and I found my hands starting to tremble. I hated that. It was a new phenomenon with me lately; the damn things started shaking like an addict jonesin' for a fix or something each time I found myself with Heero. He just heaved a sigh and remained quiet, so I opted for a tactics change. "You seem okay. Thought you were really hurt there for a while. Damn near scared me to death when... "
He turned his head a little enough for me to see the look on his face making me regret laying the guilt trip on him. He wouldn't roll over enough to meet my eyes but I heard him distinctly whisper; "I'm sorry."
Now, let me be perfectly clear here. Heero Yuy apologizes to no man. And despite the fact that I was his partner, it was the first time I had heard the words fall from his lips. It hit me hard in the gut and I was moved to vacate the chair to sit next to him on the bed. "For what?" I asked trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.
"For scaring you."
I was having trouble hearing him the way he kept dropping the volume down when he spoke, and thought maybe he was fighting sleep from the fresh dose of sedatives I knew had begun dripping from the IV. Still, I don't know what I thought I was doing as my hand moved to gently rub his back as I kept talking to him. "It's okay. I wasn't scared of you. I was scared for you, that's all. And I'm just glad that you're going to be all right."
"Am I?"
I sat stunned, my hand stilling on his back from where I had begun rubbing little circles between his shoulder blades. The self-loathing in his voice was so thick and I think it made matters worse that I didn't have an answer to his question.
I must have taken too long to speak, because he finally rolled over onto his back to face me again with that same tight, miserable expression.
"Duo?"
"I don't know Heero. I wish I could tell you something more, but I just don't have any answers. Yet." He must have been okay with that because he rolled back over onto his side and seemed like he was going to settle down to sleep at last. Glad that he was going to finally rest, I started to get up off the bed to resume my vigil over him from the uncomfortable chair when he spoke again in a sleepy, raspy whisper.
"You can stay there for a while longer... if you want to."
My heart started thumping hard enough that I thought it was going to come right out of my chest. What could I do but resituate myself next to him on the bed and resume rubbing his back with my little circles? I guess it was my lame attempt to soothe him in some small way. What was more frightening was how easy it was for me to just watch as his breathing evened out, content to stay until he was asleep. Once I was sure he was under, I pulled the covers up as much as I could with the IV still attached and settled in for a long night. I was positive that sleep would definitely be a stranger to me. Unfortunately it was the only thing I was sure of.
End Part 6
(:./ebony/drift6)
