Um... standard disclaimers and all that. =^-^=
<Warm... heartbeat... safe... wrapped around me, I can feel its warmth... who is it?> Heero shifted slightly, deep in the grip of sleep. Memories swirled through his unconscious mind, forming dreamlike images of his past. <Warm limbs, wrapped around me, pulsing to the same heartbeat... the same warmth as everything surrounding me... I wish you could hold me forever... I don't want to go back out there, to the cold and the pain... please...>
Heero's eyes blinked open suddenly, dispelling the dream, and he shivered under his blankets. He attempted to assess his surroundings, but the feelings remained, the desperate longing for warmth and safety, for love and protection, that he hadn't felt in so long. The heartbeat still sounded through the room. He glanced across, to where Duo's headphones were still producing a softly throbbing sound, along with the tiniest hint of voices singing. Without even pausing to think, without even being aware of what he was doing, Heero found himself moving across the room, seeking the warmth and the heartbeat.
He slid under the covers, curling himself around Duo, resting his head on the pale chest so he could hear the blood throbbing through Duo's veins. Duo reacted in his sleep, curling around Heero, snuggling close. Heero's name was a breathy whisper from his sleeping lips as he remained deep in dreams. Heero sighed and closed his eyes. Warmth... gentle limbs wrapped around him, holding him close... the reassuring throb of a heartbeat against his ear... he was home. And he slept.
Duo awoke slowly the next morning, stretching with a catlike yawn. Realizing his headphones had been playing all night, he switched them off and set them on his headboard, then looked around. Heero was nowhere to be seen, probably off on another mission. He sighed and settled back down in his bed. He could almost swear he remembered the warmth of someone wrapped around him last night, and when he put his nose to the mattress, it seemed to be touched with the tantalizing odor of Heero. The scent he loved so much, metal and gunpowder and musk, the same one trapped in the pillow across the room that he loved to sneak a lingering sniff of when his partner wasn't around.
<Keep dreaming, Maxwell,> he snorted mentally. Running his fingers slowly across the sheets, he sighed. If only Heero really would be there, holding him, loving him... He sighed longingly. If Heaven really existed, for him it would be Heero Yuy's arms.
<If Heaven really existed, you certainly wouldn't be going there,> a dry voice reminded him. Duo stiffened in shock and terror. "Not you," he moaned. "Shut up. Stay out of my mind. I don't want you!!" Clutching his head, he rocked slowly back and forth, trying to shut out his dark half, trying to keep control.
Shinigami laughed, a dark, cruel sound. <You can't stop me forever, Duo... I am a part of you, and I will always be here.> Duo shook his head wildly, trying to deny the horrible fact. "No, no, I'm not listening, I don't hear you." He stumbled to his feet, his breathing fast and unsteady. Snatching a supposedly clean shirt from the floor, he pulled it over his head. Blue, not black. One of the few non-black pieces of clothing he owned, it sported a smiling anime girl with wild pink hair, fangs, and cat ears, flashing the victory sign. Not morbid, not black... definitely not something Shinigami would ever wear in a million years. He smirked, and headed downstairs.
<Why now?> the question had nagged at Heero for some time. He had never had problems of this sort, whether they were repressed memories or hallucinations, until a few days ago, when they'd started suddenly. <Was I affected by something on a recent mission?> he wondered. Scanning his memories as well as his mission logs, he could find absolutely no probable cause for the strange fragments of half-remembered visions that had assailed him recently. Frustrated, he moved instead to check for new missions, but there was no refuge to be had there.
Only orders to stand by for further instructions. He clenched his fists slightly, but allowed himself no other outward sign of his sudden feeling of... helplessness? Fear? He snorted inwardly. Such emotions had no part of his existence. So why did being unable to remember the events clearly make him feel so... unsettled?
"Ohayo!!" Duo's voice rang out from the doorway, as he exploded into the kitchen in his usual whirl of grin, good cheer, and braid. Heero was almost glad for the distraction. <Baka,> he thought contentedly.
At least this was familiar, he could handle it. For some reason, today he found himself enjoying the braided pilot's company. It sparked a strange warmth inside, almost like the feeling from his dream-- safety, companionship, security.... his heart seemed to clench slightly, and he shook his head to clear it.
"Ne, Heero, got any new missions?" Duo asked, skidding to a stop on stocking feet behind him, resting his chin squarely on the top of Heero's head. Duo's arms were resting loosely on his shoulders, and Heero felt drawn to the warmth the other pilot provided. He could hear Duo's heartbeat, the stir of his breath, and he repressed the urge to turn and bury himself in it. He growled silently. "No missions received. We are to stand by and await further orders."
Duo gave a loud sigh of frustration. "That's just great. I'm going crazy here! When are we gonna get out and kick some ass?" He bounced over to the refrigerator and began rummaging through its contents. <I'm going stir-crazy, man. All this free time is so not good.> Heero was still typing, seemingly uninterrupted by Duo's presence. He sighed. <I wonder if he'd notice if I started a striptease in the middle of the kitchen.>
He snorted, grabbing the milk carton and raising it to his lips. "Don't drink from the carton," Heero ordered, his eyes never leaving the screen. Duo stuck out his tongue, but grabbed a glass from the cupboard anyway. Suddenly Heero's laptop emitted several short beeps, and they both perked up slightly. "Mission?" Duo grinned, bouncing over to his partner's side again.
Heero nodded. "Ninmu. Retrieval of classified information from a compromised site." Duo tossed back his glass of milk and grinned. "Whatever that means. I'm just glad to get on the move, man! If I stayed cooped up here much longer I'd be talking to the walls!" <Or to myself... I'm not sure which is worse. I just hope seeing some action'll keep Shini quiet for a while longer.> Unconsciously his fingers brushed against his crucifix, reassuring himself silently.
<I'm walking a tightrope here, man...> he thought, moving toward his room to prepare. <Isn't that supposed to be Trowa's job?> he joked to himself, snorting softly.
He sighed, pulling off his t-shirt and replacing it with Shinigami's traditional black. <I've been keeping up the balancing act okay so far. So why do I have the horrible feeling I'm about to fall off...?>
End Part 3
(:./madcat/separate3)
