09-Apr-2004
Title: Seasonal Drift Part X
Author: Ebonydove
Archived: aenai.steelsong.com
Warnings: sap, slight OOC, mild language and struggling plot bunnies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: Someone brilliant who came up with the characters owns them, not me.
Author's notes: nuthin' but feedback cravings.
I scrambled up to the tiny basement window and took a quick look down both ends of the alley from where I was perched precariously on its sill. Save a few critters looking for late night tidbit to snack on, there was no indication of any activity. I felt the cool evening breeze and took a deep breath of the rain-clean smell of outside; glad to be out of the sterile, recirculated hospital air. Despite my heightened sense of urgency, I was somewhat relieved to be getting Heero out of the place as well.
The moment was short-lived as I dropped to the ground below and realized I had left my boots at the top of the laundry chute. I had been in such a rush to get to Heero in the basement that I had completely forgotten about them, so the ice cold water from the puddle I landed in under the window instantly soaked my stocking clad feet and sparked the sharp curse I hissed out.
"Duo?"
I heard Heero's quiet, firm voice through the open window and ducked back underneath to give him my assurances that I was fine. It was going to be bad enough trying to find something for Heero to wear, but now I had to do something about my own feet as well, but there was no reason to alarm him over such a little thing. "I'm fine, Heero. Just stay put. I'm just going to check the rest our route."
Trying to ignore the uncomfortable squishy feeling of my waterlogged socks, I eased my way along the alley wall to check if the end of the street near the ambulance bay was clear or not. I knew that Heero had to be waiting impatiently for me to give him the 'all clear' to shimmy himself through the basement window, but I wasn't about to risk someone happening by us on their cigarette break or something.
The ambulance bay at the east end was well lit, but luckily the alley itself was pretty dark. If we stayed in the shadows and made our way along the backside of the building we could cut across the small greenspace and get ourselves into the parking lot undetected. We'd be sure to find a car there we could boost and I could hopefully dry out my socks. Although it was far from winter, the spring season had been a lot cooler than expected for the time of year and neither Heero nor I had jackets or shoes to keep out the early morning chill. Confirming that no one was around; I quickly made my way back along the cool, damp wall and back under the basement window.
"Heero?" It was hard not to be too loud as I harshly called for him, and I swear I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest when it took him a six whole seconds to reply.
"Ready."
His face suddenly appeared in the frame; bright eyes concentrating on the small drop. He quickly came through and dropped silently to the ground beside me barely missing the puddle that I forgot to warn him about. When he turned around to face me, I saw his dazed expression and watched as he staggered hard to the right. I quickly grabbed his shoulders to steady him and met his glazed look with my own concerned one. "You okay?"
"Dizzy."
"It's okay, Heero. Probably from the drop down from the window. Just keep a hand on my shoulder. We're going to go about twenty meters down this alley, across that little green lawn, and get ourselves cover in the parking lot. All right?" All I got was a tight little nod and a deep frown as his eyes slid shut and he swayed slightly again.
"You gotta stay with me buddy, okay?" I whispered gently and gave him a little shake.
"Just go." He ordered and we began our quiet walk to the end of the alley.
I don't know what sparked it, but leading Heero in the dark like that caused a sudden pang of nostalgia that hit me so hard it felt like I just swallowed a rhino; horn and all. Sometimes when I was still pretty small, Solo would have all us kids link together like this so that no one got separated in the dark as we ducked and weaseled our way to our bunk spot through the seedy streets of L2's gaslamp district. In that part of L2 the tall, black lamps where lit each night by hand, usually by some gruff, old codger of a guy that carried a long pole with a trigger at the end to spark the oil at the top. It was never very bright and more often than not it was pretty hit or miss if they got lit at all.
Not all of L2 was run down and dangerous though. As you got closer to the High Top District, the electric streetlights went on each night like magic. They were bright, sparkling little yellow lines that we could see sometimes from the top of the empty water tower nearby the Maxwell Church and Home for Orphans. Solo and I would sit up there in the dark and look out over the slums that we lived in and dream of fancy dinners and horse drawn carriage rides through L2's only park.
We'd never really seen horses of course, but heard of them. Sleek, prancing things with long manes and billowing tails that trotted through the gated park with families going for Sunday picnics. Solo used to tell us about them at night when we couldn't sleep. About their soft hides and gentle eyes and how some day we'd all get to ride one. It was enough to send us to sleep with pleasant dreams while the dark ways of L2 carried on around us through the night. I felt the hitch in my chest and had stopped dead in my tracks. But they had only been dreams better left in the dark.
"Duo?"
I could see the parking lot ahead of us and shook myself out of the mood. Now was not the time to wax poetic about my childhood. I could feel the heaviness of his hand where it lay on my shoulder and was certain he'd sensed the tension in my shoulders. "It's all right. We're almost there." I didn't want him to ask me any questions about my change of mood, or have him think that we were any danger, so I stuffed the old memories back down where they had sprung from and tried to ignore how suddenly uncertain I felt. I had relied on Solo to guide and protect us until we were all big enough to fend for ourselves. After he... was gone, I took over caring for the smaller ones and now I was leading Heero through the night just as Solo had done for me only I was quite sure Solo always had a plan and knew what he was doing. I was just... running and taking Heero along with me.
Neither of us could be considered kids and it was ridiculous for me to assume that Heero needed me to protect him from anything or anyone. But it was as if something had... shifted between us. Where he would never let me assume control when we worked together in the past and if there was to be any leaning it was always understood that I was the one who'd be doing it. But right then in that dark expanse of alley it had become a very different thing between us. The focused, meticulous, driven, man-in-charge I knew as Heero Yuy had suddenly been made... vulnerable by the horrible recent events and now it was his turn to lean on me and I was not about to let him down. He finally gave me his complete trust.
I stuffed the last of my melancholy and protective urges back down from where ever they came from and made our way through the shadows, across the manicured grassy divider that separated the hospital's driveway and ambulance bay from the parking lot, and found ourselves hunched behind a gray sedan in the too bright parking lot. I took a quick peek and saw an alarm light blinking on the sedan, so I made a gesture for Heero to stay put while I scouted for our ride. It only took me two minutes to find the perfect car. Only problem was that it just so happened to be Trowa's. My stomach knotted painfully as my mind began to race. If his car was here, so was he and any second everyone would know that I took off with Heero.
It was like someone shot off a gun marking the start of a race. Trowa was my friend, and Heero's for that matter too, but I had no way of guessing if he would buy us some time or call Wufei and come after us. With a rush of adrenaline, I crept up and looked for any sign of lights or movement from the third floor and was relieved when I saw nothing. I darted back to where I left Heero and found him waiting with his eyes closed and head leaning against the door. When I grabbed his arm and hauled him up into a crouch, his eyes went wide and I had to quickly whisper to him before he could protest the rough handling.
"Trowa's here. I found his car when I was looking for our ride. We gotta get outta here."
"He won't come after us." He said simply; face neutral and voice steady despite the slight glassy look in his eyes.
Even if Trowa didn't come after us right away, we both knew duty would allow Wufei no other option. Heero was still being investigated whether we liked it or not and if the murder was an inside job everyone would soon know of Heero's escape and my impromptu job abandonment. "But Wufei will."
Heero just gave me a tight nod. Neither of us wanted it to be that way, but it was just the reality of it. Keeping low to the ground, we scrambled over to Trowa's car where I prepared for our departure.
It was easy getting Heero settled in the back seat of the car. Trowa never locked his vehicles. It was almost as if he was daring someone to steal it, 'cuz lord knew he'd just track you down and trounce you. So I crawled in the driver's seat, careful not to make any noise, and reached under the passenger side seat. Grinning triumphantly, I ripped out the tracking beacon he had there knowing full well that I'd have to yank the other one out of the trunk once we got some distance from the hospital. Trowa was so going to kick my ass when he figured out that I took his car. But it made the most sense. And as for the trackers; I helped him install all the damn anti-theft devices in the first place because after all the ride was sweet. Extra horsepower and all wheel drive. Posentronic gear shift. GPS. Too bad I'd have to yank that out too. We might as well paint a bullseye on the top of the car if that thing was active. It was scary to think that the Preventers could track just about anyone from space with that technology.
It was as we slowly pulled out of the space and eased our way to the parking lot exit that I finally saw the lights to the third floor click on. We were out of time. I fought the urge to just punch it as I stopped at the electronic ticket taker and inserted the fifty cents it asked for before slowly heading out and away from the hospital at a normal sedate pace. I glanced in the rearview mirror to see if there was anyone coming after us and then to Heero in the back seat. He was all drawn in on himself and shivering, so I quickly turned on the heat. He was frowning darkly, his eyes were closed, and he was being so still and quiet that it made my stomach knot even tighter than when I had first realized Trowa had shown up at the hospital in the middle of the night. "You doin' okay back there partner?"
"Tired. Cold."
My own feet were still soaking wet and freezing, so I turned up the heater full blast and refocused my eyes on the road ahead of me. The first hint of daybreak was casting hints of pink and yellow on the horizon and although we hadn't gotten very far from the hospital I knew we couldn't stay on the road in Trowa's car during the day. Going to my place or back to Heero's apartment was out of the question, so I just hoped Trowa didn't let me down and kept his car well stocked with anything we'd need in the next twelve hours until night fell again and we could continue on.
After about three hours I turned off the two-lane highway and headed west picking a random dirt road and followed it as it weaved away from the highway. The area was scattered with some small houses and a farm or two and there were lots of trees and plenty of shady roads to turn off on. I figured any sparse, dead-end was good enough for us to hide out and sleep during the daylight hours, so I pulled off and into a yard that was overgrown with tall grass and weeds. I spotted a dilapidated shed with a caved in roof and an old riding tractor out front of it, shaded by a grove of trees at the far side of the yard. It would conceal the car in its shadows, so I pulled as far behind the wooden structure as I could before killing the engine.
I turned around to find Heero still curled up on himself, asleep in the back seat. He had fallen asleep shortly after we got onto the highway and hadn't even stirred when I shut off the engine, so I figured all the activity had really worn him out. I felt that familiar swelling in my chest at the thought that he was comfortable enough in my care to sleep that soundly. Or then again it could be that he still was recovering, but I preferred to think it was the later of the two. Up until that moment I had been doing a very good job of ignoring how I felt for Heero as I raced along the highways making our escape. But now that the adrenaline had slowed and I could hear the soft sound of the chirping insects and see the beginning of a bright, sunny morning I was suddenly overwhelmed with those thoughts again. Brushing it off as spring fever, which was a half-truth at best, I got out and stretched. My socks had dried enough to make them at least bearable so I quietly began to walk my perimeter and take a good look around.
The cars' tires had left marks in the tall, dew-laden grass so I quickly broke off a low hanging branch from the nearest tree and walked to the edge of the road. As I turned back to the yard and shed I could only just make out the backend of the car and its bumper. Satisfied enough with that, I used the branch to brush the grass lightly back and forth to cover some of the tread marks. Someone would really have to be looking to find us, but knowing who was going to be coming after us I wasn't about to take any chances. A few grasshoppers sprung up from the tall grass that startled me at first, but I soon settled into my task carefully covering any sign we had been there and was shortly on my way back towards the car.
First I made my way over to the shed and tried the door. Even though it had a padlock, it looked as if one good gust of air would knock the whole thing over. But instead of breaking down the door I looked in through a good-sized crack in the rotting wood and found some old metal tools and a hose, but not much else of use. Next I peeked in on Heero to find him still sleeping soundly and looking a little more relaxed before very slowly and quietly going to the back of the car and opening the trunk. Thank god that Trowa was one of us.
I quickly grabbed the blanket and a bottled water and after opening it and taking a long drink dug around to find what else he had stashed in there. In the space previously left for a spare tire was a round box that fit perfectly in the spot. Inside it there was a 9mm and two extra clips, a knife that I would have swore belonged to Quatre, a first aid kit, set of blacks that were too big for Heero or me, a package of beef jerky, and to my surprise a small gift-wrapped box. Of all the things in the trunk that sparked my curiosity so I picked that up first. The card attached was made out to Quatre and when I opened it I almost fell apart in laughter. "Good grief those two." I chuckled as I read the simple phrase; 'Sweets for my Sweetheart. Love, Trowa.' A gentle shake confirmed it. Chocolate. And without another thought I grabbed it, the blanket, my water, the gun and a box of ammo, and proceeded to go around the side of the car and crawl into the back seat with Heero.
He stirred instantly when I opened the door and moved past him but didn't say a word as I settled myself comfortably next to him in the back seat. I unfolded the blanket and covered him until the only part of him that remained uncovered by the thick cotton blanket were his green, fuzzy slipper-clad feet before offering him the water. He sat up enough to drink some water and then looked indifferently out the window at the surrounding trees as I scooted a little closer to him and locked the doors.
"Where are we?" He asked in a bored tone which for whatever reason made me feel better. The rest much have done him good because he was sounding like himself again.
"Dunno. But safe for the time being." I shoved the gun in the compartment between the front two seats and then began to peel off the outer wrapping of the gold box of chocolates in my lap. The whole car was instantly flooded with the rich smell of them as I took off the lid grinning happily and waggling my eyebrows at Heero when he flashed me an incredulous look.
"Where did you find those?" He asked as I popped a piece into my mouth.
They were amazing. I didn't know anything about fine chocolate, but knew that they had to be exactly that. We were talking about Quatre after all. "Eat one. The sugar will do you good."
Frowning in a way that only Heero could when faced with an offer of eating gourmet chocolates, he gingerly snagged the closest piece and took a small bite of it. At first there was no indication that he had even tasted it. It may as well have been a rock for all the expression he wore and then almost imperceptively the frown melted into the smallest upturn of his mouth. Not qualifying as a smile, but enough for me to know he liked it enough to try another. So I shoved the box over to him and scooted even closer so we could share.
I knew he's had sweets before, but even I had never had these Godiva things. They were intoxicating. When he bit into the second piece, the caramel center oozed out and he had to lick his lip to catch it and before my brain could scream for me to stop, I moved to wipe the caramel from the corner of his mouth with my thumb. He just stared at me with wide eyes as I brought it back to my mouth and sucked away the sticky sweetness. I couldn't take my eyes off him and could feel the quickening of my heart as he finished slowly chewing the rest of the chocolate and swallowed hard keeping his eyes on me the entire time.
His hair was tousled from his earlier sleep and where his eyes had been glassy before, they were now sharp and watching my every move. I knew that I was sporting a ridiculous grin, but we were safe and warm for the moment and I was sharing a first with him. Gourmet chocolates. It felt so much like a first date that I almost laughed out loud. I was trying to ignore the growing sexual tension between us, but I was either giddy or stupid because instead of offering him the box to pick out a third piece of the rich candy, I picked one up and held it to out to him.
He didn't move or speak, but his eyes flickered from my fingertips that held the chocolate and my eyes. After several long moments of him staring at me without speaking or moving to take it I began to slowly lean forward and had every intention of feeding it to him when he snatched my wrist and squeezed it hard, surprising me. When I looked from it to his face and saw his dark frown I almost dropped the chocolate into his lap. It instantly shattered the mood I'd been trying to create so I dove into an apology and diverted my eyes from that piercing stare; the one that always made me feel small. "I-I'm sorry Heero. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable... I... "
"Come here." He said quietly and proceeded to pull me closer to him by my wrist.
The hand I would have used to brace myself was caught in his grip so as I leaned into him, I found myself having to place my other next to his hip on the seat. I was just about on top of him when he took the chocolate from my fingers and popped it into his mouth; chewing thoughtfully before finally speaking again in a calm, low voice. "You haven't slept yet and the sugar from these will keep you up. We'll need to rest before we can start out again."
I nodded, unable to say much of anything and kept my eyes trained on his lips as he spoke. I could smell the sweet chocolate as his breath puffed over my face and fought the urge to lick my own lips in response. Then he moved and stretched out his legs, letting go of my wrist and lifting the blanket up. I couldn't seem to bring myself to move that last little bit and was trembling with the effort to keep myself up as he regarded me plainly.
Then the corner of his mouth curved up in the smallest of grins. "Duo. Lay down."
The clear amusement on his face at what I could only guess was the look I must have been wearing at his instruction was enough to get me to move. I eased the last little bit down on top of him and moved so that my back was against the rear of the seat and all my weight wasn't right on top of him. He turned slightly onto his side to make room for me and I soon found myself laying next to him practically nose to nose. All I could do was stare at him as he slipped his arms around me, settling his right hand on my ribs.
I was trying to gather my wits and come up with something freightingly witty to say when his small smile broke my concentration yet again. A lot of people think that he never smiles, but I've seen it on more than one occasion. I just wasn't sure what had prompted this one. All I could manage was a tiny; "wha?"
The smile grew even wider. "Your feet are cold."
I felt my face flame and was about to move in an effort to keep my feet from touching his when he pulled me even closer to him; sliding his knee between mine and tucking his foot around my ankle. I kept my one arm between our bodies and I pulled the blanket over us with my free hand. "Better?" I managed to get out and flushed even more at how sultry my voice sounded.
"Much." He answered softly.
"I can take off the socks if they're bothering you." I added, trying to find where my courage had gone off to as I felt his fingers trace the curve of my rib where his hand lay.
"It's fine."
I was very aware of my desire for him and was careful not to let my arousal touch any part of him by keeping my arm between us. Heero and I had been in a bed together in the past, but it was plutonic; necessary. Laying down with him had never been an invitation before and I was fighting the urge to roll on top of him and kiss him until he begged me for more. I was swimming in thoughts of how I wanted to touch him, taste him, when I felt his hand move up my ribcage and back down again. I just stared at him, lost for what to do or say as my heart began to hammer in my chest.
"Duo. Why are you holding your breath?" He asked me softly, smoothing his palm flat against my side.
I hadn't even realized that I had been and I let out a whoosh of air that blew back his hair even more from around his face. "M'Sorry. I just... " was about to tell him that I wanted him to be comfortable when he closed that last little bit of space between us and kissed me.
I shivered against the tenderness of it and fell into that kiss letting him take his time coaxing me before I opened my mouth and let him causiously touch his tongue to mine. I slid my hand up away from where it had been resting on his hip and threading shaking fingers through his thick hair returned his soft kiss with a heated one of my own. I tugged him closer to me, sliding my arm under him, and laying it flat against his back before pressing us chest to chest. I sighed into his mouth and finally moved so he could feel my desire for him.
The slightest intake of breath was the only acknowledgment he gave before I felt his fingers dig into my side as he nipped at my lower lip. Then he broke the kiss and leaned back enough to look at me.
His face was flushed and we were both breathing hard. His lips were swollen from my kisses and I could feel the tension in his whole body as he lay pressed against mine. He seemed like he wanted to say something to me, but couldn't so I licked the curve of his jaw and breathed into his neck. "Heero. Was that for luck or... something else?"
His hands had been moving over my back and side as we kissed and now stilled with the weight of my question. "It was to thank you."
"Thank you?" I lifted my head and looked into his bright blue eyes. "For what, Heero?"
"For risking... everything. For believing in me."
He frowned then and I felt my heart skip and then start to beat again almost painfully. He had no idea what lengths I would go to for him. I'd give him anything, everything... no matter the risk. "Heero, I promised I wasn't going to let you down and I'm not. We're... partners, remember?"
I thought he'd be glad with what I said, but instead he frowned deeper at me. I felt him picking at a lock of my hair that had come undone from my braid where it lay on my back as he looked away from me. The flash of worry that passed across his face at that moment made me want to kiss his fears away, but waited instead for him to gather his thoughts and finish what he had been trying to say.
"I need to tell you... I want... " He started and then paused. "I need... "
"Tell me." I whispered, almost afraid to interrupt his thoughts.
His eyes flashed back to me and he surged forward, kissing me with a ferocity that almost scared me and wrapping his arms around me tight enough to crack ribs. He drew me so close to him that I thought we'd just bleed into one person. It was as if he was afraid I was about to run away or disappear so I tried to match his passion with my own to soothe away those fears. The heat coming off our bodies was making the windows steam up and I kicked the blanket off as best I could in the cramped backseat. Then I finally gave in to my desire and rolled on top of him, kissing every inch of him I could before pulling down the collar of his shirt to rake my teeth against his collarbone.
He buried his hands in my hair and pulled my head back and gave me a look I couldn't describe as anything other than intense. "I want you, Duo. I want us to be more than comrades, than friends. More than partners. I want to be with you... but... "
I leaned forward to kiss him again but he kept me in place by tightening the grip he had in my hair.
"I'm going to hurt you, Duo. I'm going to scare you, and disappoint you, and I need you to know... I need you to understand... you could risk... " His words came out in a rush; a growl that sent shivers up my spine.
It didn't matter. For him, I'd risk... "Everything."
End Part 10
(:./ebony/drift10)
