7-June-2001
Greetings and salutaions everyone. Sorry for the crosspst. My most profound aplogies for the massive delay on getting chapter 18 out. Real life intruded for a little while, then I almost broke my hand at work, and the splint I was forced to wear made typing difficult for a while. But after a three month hiatus, Inferno's back, and hopefully will not suffer from another such delay as this again.
For those who are new, or who've forgotten about Inferno because of the excessively lengthy delay, previous chapters can be found at Gundam Wing Addiction, www.gwaddicition.com/ , under my archive section. Once again, I apologize profusely for the delay in getting chapter 18 out. Without further ado...
Title: Inferno's Touch
Author: Ravynfyre
Category: Action, Humor
Pairings: To date 3+4, 5+6
Standard Disclaimer: All parts of Gundam Wing are Not Mine. It's all Theirs. *sigh* Too bad, but otherwise, I guess I'd never get anything done *happy hentai thought*. Anyway, not makin' any money offa this so dun sue me. You'd only get some college debt, a few dogs, and a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers anyway. Ya know... blood. Turnip. Do the math.
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Mild Cursing
Spoiler: None.
Notes: All terms will be explained at the end of each chapter. If I miss something, please let me know and I'll be happy to explain.
Feedback: Yes, please. All comments welcome (although flames may be fed to my dogs, who, since they have notoriously gassy intestinal tracts, will be spending the night with the flamer afterwards)
His eyes narrowed dangerously as the article caught his eye. There it was in stark black and white. Crammed between the lengthy and verbose obituaries of a pair of elderly gentlemen, her tiny little paragraph seemed like an insulting afterthought to her short life.
Forgotten again, it seemed. Always it was the children who were forgotten. Just a name, a date, and a note about being survived by her mother. That was it. Three short little lines.
Nothing about the way her blue eyes had sparkled so beautifully when she'd been awake and lucid enough, despite the life support machines sustaining her, to notice the toys almost overflowing from her bassinet in the pediatric ICU. Nothing about how hard she'd fought for that first, abortive, desperate breath of air when she'd been pulled so prematurely from the Jezebel whose womb had nurtured her. Nothing about how the thin little wisps of her strawberry blond hair had curled so endearingly around her right temple, while the rest of it seemed to want to stick out in every other direction away from her head. Nothing about the sad joy that had filled his heart as he peered down at her through the window, or the quiet happiness she inspired in everyone who'd cared for her as she struggled for the chance to grow up healthy. Struggled for the chance to grow at all.
Nothing about how her chance at life had been stolen from her by that regrettable piece of human refuse that had sired her.
Just three short lines. Name. Date. Survived by...
Not for long. No. Not for long. He would bring the cleansing fire of Revelation to her. The harlot would pay for thieving the innocence from the bright-souled child.
Cinders and ash. Sackcloth and fire. Purification of filth.
Oh yes. He would ensure the little one would be revenged.
Even if he had to burn the whole world down to make certain.
"Feel better?" Duo asked Heero as he walked out of the bunkroom fastening the last couple of buttons on his clean, dry uniform shirt.
"Dry at least," Heero replied, nodding to Quatre and Trowa sitting at the table, pouring over the newspaper together.
"Not that it's going to matter much," Zechs replied with a sardonic snort as he hung up the phone, "Nichols just called from Engine 12. They have an automatic alarm going off over at Sander's Construction on Whitefield Road. Time to pay up on that favor we owe them."
Heero nodded sharply, turning to jog out to the bay and his waiting bunker gear, which was still damp from the last few calls. Duo dashed past him as he paused by his door to hop into his boots.
"Seems such a waste of a clean shirt," he joked, turning to hop into his own boots.
Without missing a beat, Heero's fingers flew, unbuttoning the uniform shirt and shrugging out of it before dragging his bunker suspenders up over his shoulders.
"Fine then. I won't waste it," Heero replied, throwing the shirt at Duo and smirking when it settled over the braided driver's head like a blanket.
Duo jumped, hands scrabbling at the cool, dark cotton that had appeared seemingly out of thin air. He paused, turning to glance back at Heero in confusion as he realized what the fabric was. The retort sitting on his tongue sputtered and died before he could utter it as he watched the tight navy T-shirt that everyone wore under their uniforms bunch and flex across Heero's defined chest as he slung on his rig coat and helmet.
"Shall I drive us to this one, Maxwell?" Zechs questioned wryly when he noticed Duo merely standing beside the driver's side door to Engine 8, with a pole-axed expression on his face.
Duo jumped again, dropping the shirt on the floor with a guilty start as he glanced up at his amused Captain. "I... Uh-... Whitefield Road?" he asked, swallowing hard as he scrambled into his seat.
"Sander's Construction. Whitefield Road," Zechs agreed mildly as he reached over and flipped on the lights, "And Heero? Would you mind not distracting our driver by stripping around him when we're on a call?"
The slamming of Duo's door drowned out Heero's embarrassed cough of agreement.
Despite their delayed start, the quicker, more agile Engine beat Truck 2 to the scene by a full minute. The seventy-foot long firetruck rolled to a stop outside the construction warehouse a few moments before Zechs discovered that the alarm was malfunctioning and that there was no fire.
Heero trudged back down the corridor, warily glancing from side to side at the story-high stacks of two by fours and drywall waiting to be shipped out on upcoming projects. Duo suddenly appeared at his side, ghosting out of another adjoining corridor.
"All clear down that way. You?" he asked, hefting the axe he was carrying onto his shoulder in classic lumberjack style.
"Hn," Heero agreed with a nod.
"Just a false alarm then. Got off easy," Duo commented.
"I'd heard that about you," the Japanese firefighter commented dryly, a smirk twisting his lips.
Duo stopped dead in his tracks for a moment, an incredulous expression playing across his face as his partner continued blithely down the corridor as if nothing had happened. After a moment, Duo shook his head and jogged to catch up, muttering, "Well, I'll be damned... it wasn't a fluke."
All three doors slammed shut almost in unison as they climbed back into Engine 8 once the fire alarm system had been reset. Zechs pulled off his helmet and unsnapped his coat while Duo's hands flew over the dashboard, flipping switches and pressing buttons until the huge diesel engine rumbled to life. In the back, Heero had already stripped off his coat and helmet, and was pulling the yellow nomex hood off of his head when the rig lurched forward, pulling away from the lumberyard.
"Who's up for ice cream? There's a Baskin Robbins on the way back to quarters," Duo observed hopefully.
"Are you buying?" Zechs asked, tossing Duo a sardonic look as he set his helmet on its hook by the dash.
"Actually, isn't it a union by-law that the lowest ranking member of a crew buys ice cream?" Duo asked with a patently innocent grin.
"Isn't it a union by-law that the Driver/Engineers pass a psyche review to get their licenses?" Heero countered swiftly.
"Touché!" the braided firefighter retorted. "I see now. You don't love me anymore."
"I never loved you to begin with, Maxwell," Heero replied archly as he settled against the SCBA cradle in his seat.
Since the cab was designed so that he would be facing backwards, he never saw the swift look of hurt or flash of regret passing over Duo's features before the driver replied, "Yeah, well you've got lousy taste."
"That's not what my last significant other said," the Japanese firefighter lied absently, wondering why his earlier comment was making his chest ache dully.
"I pity anyone who'd date you, Yuy," Duo muttered dryly. "It'd be like dating a rock. Only not as fun."
Zechs listened to the exchange, lifting a hand to his face to hide the smile that had crept onto his face. 'Wufei was right. It's like watching grade schoolers flirt. Maybe I'll sleep out in the living room tonight. Where it's bound to be safer. Oh, Chang... If only you could see this. You'd laugh for days,' he thought with amusement.
"You want ice cream or not, bakayaro?" Heero snapped, crossing his arms over his chest sullenly. Why should he care about what that braided fool thought about his date-ability?
"Does that mean you're actually paying?" Duo sang back sweetly.
The only response Duo got was a crumpled ten dollar bill flying over his head from behind to land in his lap, and an indistinct growl from Heero, who'd been sitting right behind him.
"Kickass! Double Mocha Fudge with Espresso Chips, here I come!"
Zechs sighed, shaking his head. 'Who am I kidding? Sleeping in the next *county* won't be safe after that concoction... never mind the next room.'
Heero stared down through the slightly fogged glass with a slightly dazed look in his eyes, and a vague feeling of dread. There were more than 31 flavors here, surely. Who'd have thought that a simple sugary treat would be so complicated?
He spared a quick glance over at Duo, who was eagerly accepting a waffle cone with some sort of very dark brown ice cream piled on top. The braided driver caught the quick glance and turned to salute Heero with his treat, tossing the other firefighter a wink before nibbling in a very un-Duo-like fashion at one of the many white and tan specks scattered throughout his ice cream. After receiving his change, he wandered over to where Heero was still staring down into the case.
"Rocky Road: nectar of the gods," he intoned gravely before taking a long lick around the top of the cone.
Heero frowned for a moment, "I thought you were getting Double Mocha Fudge Espresso chip?"
"I'm not allowed coffee anymore, remember?" Duo replied before licking a dribble of melting ice cream from his hand. "Made up your mind yet?"
Heero blinked before turning back to the case and shoving his hands into the pockets on his bunker pants. "You distracted me," he muttered.
Duo's eyes widened as he took in the slow flush of faint color rising in Heero's cheeks, and the slightly sullen pout crossing his friend's lips. He turned and looked down into the case with Heero while the proverbial hamster in his brain did wind sprints on its wheel.
"You've never had ice cream before," he guessed evenly before darting a glance up at Heero. The deepening of the color and matching scowl confirmed it. Tilting his hand, he offered his own cone to Heero. "Here. Try this," he offered with no trace of his usual acerbic teasing. "It's good. I think you'll like it."
Prussian blue eyes locked warily onto his own as Heero glanced up at him. Leaning forward, Heero carefully swiped his tongue across the slowly melting mess perched atop Duo's waffle cone, his eyes never leaving those of the braided driver's. A look of surprise flashed across his face.
"It's... good," Heero admitted with amazement.
Duo smiled and quickly ordered a second double scoop Rocky Road waffle cone, handing over the change from Heero's ten.
"I'll turn you into a real human being yet, Heero Yuy," Duo called as he sauntered out the door back towards Engine 8.
Heero's shoulders sagged in defeat as he turned back to wait for his order. "That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered to himself.
By the time he made it back out to the rig, Duo was busy showing it off to a pair of young boys and a girl while their parents watched indulgently from a picnic table outside the parlor's front door. Captain Zechs was leaning against one of the open compartment doors, while Duo busily explained the difference between different kinds of extinguishers, and quizzed the children on fire safety. Heero chewed thoughtfully on a marshmallow as he walked over to stand next to Zechs.
"He's good with the kids," the blonde captain observed quietly.
Heero agreed with a silent nod as he watched Duo give the girl a high five for answering a question correctly. Heero opened his mouth to say something, only to be drowned out by the radio's loud squawk. Three firefighters turned in unison, passing off their ice cream cones to the three children, even before the radio had started giving them the specifics of their call. The children's parents jumped forward, pulling them out of the way as Heero threw open his door and reached for the rest of his gear.
"General Alarm, section 8B. Possible structure fire at 4132 Bobcat Manor Lane..."
Heero tuned out the repetition of the call as his gaze unerringly shot over to the southwest horizon. His heart flipped in his chest when he thought he caught a faint haze of smoke rising in the distance. The rig roared to life as he hopped into his seat, shrugging on the straps of his air tank.
"That's the first road left in Panther Prairie Golf Estates, isn't it?" Duo called, toggling on the lights with one hand while disengaging the parking brake with the other.
Zechs shouted an affirmative as he flipped on the siren.
The rig lurched forward, engine rumbling as Duo pressed the accelerator to the floor. A sharp curse burst from Duo's lips as Engine 8 exploded onto the street in a flurry of flashing lights and screaming sirens.
"Tell me that's not smoke I see over the trees out that way," he demanded as he skillfully maneuvered his way through traffic.
Zechs cinched down the last strap on his SCBA and snapped the chinstrap of his helmet in place. He looked towards where Duo was pointing and scowled fiercely as he growled, "I think you're out of luck, Duo."
Heero leaned forward sharply, jerking his SCBA out of its cradle in his seat so he could turn around and peer out the front windshield. As Engine 8 came over a rise in the road, the plume of smoke resolved itself more clearly against the dark evening sky. Faint grey and white swirled in a maelstrom with charred black gouts of choking acrid soot. The edges and spume of the cloud were backlit and highlighted by a sickening scarlet glow, obvious even in the distance.
"Shit. That's not good."
Heero couldn't help but to agree with the braided driver.
By the time they were only two blocks out from the idyllic golf course and it's collection of half-million and million dollar homes, the plume of smoke stretched to the horizon, and sheets of crimson and gold flames could be seen racing towards the sky over the tops of other homes. Zechs had already called for additional companies, while Heero had already looked up the location of the nearest hydrant for Duo in the water book they carried in the rig.
Tires screamed in mortal agony as Duo whipped the big Engine around the corner into the Estates, slamming the accelerator to the floor again, weaving in and out of cars that were already lining the street to watch the spectacle. Heero braced himself as Duo slid the rig around the corner onto Bobcat and raced to the end of the cull de sac where the huge, three story, million dollar plus valued mansion cried out it's death knell in a roar of flames.
The shake shingle roof puffed and shuddered under the pressure of the smoke and heat pressing upwards against it, while the last surviving window on the front gave up its struggle and exploded outwards in a shower of sooty purple glass. Swirling serpents of golden and scarlet flame burst, snarling, from every window and the open or missing front door, as the beast within the doomed house sought release. The stone façade cracked and groaned precariously, chunks of it exploding outward occasionally as the intense heat expanded the stone past it's breaking point. Bushes and landscaping lining the neighboring houses smoked ominously as the sheer heat radiating from the burning home threatened to ignite everything around it. Not even the sky was safe from the firestorm, as a twisting whirlwind of flame spiraled up from a cupola into the crimson stained blanket of night.
"So much for having a quiet last 9 hours of our shift," Duo called back.
Engine 8 rocked to a stop against the curb in front of the house, narrowly missing the collection of homeowners and neighbors milling in a pitiful knot by the sidewalk. Heero threw open his door, not even flinching as a wave of intense heat washed over him.
"Get back!" he shouted to the civilians as he grabbed the bundle of two-and-a-half-inch hose and threw it over his shoulder. Without waiting to see if they obeyed, he took off at as fast a sprint as he could manage with over a hundred pounds of hose on his shoulder. Leaving a trail of the heavy hose behind him, he instinctively headed for the side of the house that was most fully engulfed in flame, and had the nearest neighbor.
Behind him, Zechs had run around and grabbed the 250 foot long bundle of inch-and-a-half hose and was laying it out towards the front of the house, closer to the opposite side as Heero was heading. In the distance, they could hear the cacophonous wail of several other firetrucks, still en route to the scene.
Engine 8 shuddered with a loud clank as Duo shifted the transmission from road to pump, sending the firetruck's engine power to the massive pump cradled mid-ship on the rig. He glanced up to his captain and firefighter, nodding as they simultaneously whirled their hands in the signal to charge their hoses. Cranking up the engine throttle, he yanked open the appropriate levers and watched with satisfaction as the two hoses bucked and twitched as they flushed full of water.
Down the block, Duo could see Truck 2 careen around the corner towards them, followed closely by Engine 12. Tuning out the approaching rigs, Duo concentr ated on monitoring the water level in 8's tank, as well as the pressure gauges.
The big hose kicked in Heero's hands as he slammed the nozzle open and spared a quick shot of water for the smoking bushes and home at his back. Satisfied that he'd cooled them down for the moment, Heero turned, clutching his hose to his side as he played the water stream through the two cherry blazing windows before him. Thick gouts of steam and smoke burst out as the intense heat within the home turned the water to steam in an instant. With a jerk of his head, he dropped his helmet visor over his eyes and face to help protect him from a little of the heat, before playing the hose stream up the side of the house to where flames burst from the attic windows and roof.
He hunched his shoulders and tucked his head down as a side attic window far above him exploded outwards, showering him with slivers and needles of shimmering glass. Behind him, someone from the newly arrived truck cursed in fluent Spanish before continuing on his way to cut the power and gas to the house.
The hose in his hands shifted as it lost a little pressure; Heero spared a glance back at the rig and nodded in satisfaction as he saw someone opening the nozzle on the 1000 gallon per minute deck gun mounted atop Engine 12. Duo was busy, hands flying over the pump panel as he regulated the pressures again, and the hose firmed up in Heero's grasp again. Duo glanced back towards the firefighter who'd taken charge of Zechs' hose, and towards Heero, asking them with a gesture if they were okay. Heero spared an instant to toss his driver back an affirmative gesture before concentrating on aiming his water stream through the tiny attic windows on the third floor to hit the scarlet ceiling within.
He shifted, struggling to control the hose as the fatigue that had been building up all day started making itself known. Despite having barely had but a few minutes between calls all day, Heero was bound and determined not to let his own body get the best of him. With a determined set to his jaw, he shifted his stance again, and continued playing the water stream over the flames still engulfing the house, ignoring the screaming protests of his muscles.
Around him, more firefighters materialized, hauling more hoses and setting up to surround the doomed home in an attempt to drown the flames by sheer water volume alone. Above him, a deep creaking rumble was the only warning he needed to shoulder a nearby firefighter out of the way of the attic window awning as it crashed to the ground not ten feet away. Without missing a beat, he doused the flames on the debris, before turning to give the bushes and home at his back another quick spray to cool them off once more. A wave of heat washed over him as he turned back, and he had to duck his head so that his visor covered his entire face to keep the burn he could feel forming on his face from getting worse. As he returned his water stream to the still blazing home, he crept forward a little, getting a better angle through the window of the first floor, ignoring the searing warmth radiating over him.
He lost track of how long he manned that hose before someone ran up and tapped him on the shoulder, offering to take over for him. Glancing back to Engine 8, he saw Zechs standing there with a cup of hopefully cool water, waving him over. With a nod, Heero shut the line down just long enough to pass it off, before retreating from the flames back to the cooler safety of the rig and a very brief rest between battles.
Three other hose lines, five new fire attacks, two hours of salvage, a half hour manning the Truck's Deluge Cannon, an hour of overhaul, and only two breaks later, Battalion Chief 2 gave them the go ahead to shut down their pump and pack up their hose.
Heero stood back and observed the wreckage of a formerly House Beautiful worthy mansion. The roof had collapsed into the first floor half an hour into the fire. The front porch had been buried under a mound of the attic. The garage, and the two cars within it, both at least $40,000 vehicles, were lost under the shapeless wreckage of the storage attic that had been overhead. Not a single possession from the first floor up had been spared the hungry maw of the flames.
The only place untouched by the fire itself was the basement, which was accessible from a pair of beautiful French doors at the rear of the home. The basement, however, was bogged down with a foot and a half of water, and the now faint haze of a choking acrid smoke. Heero and Zechs had managed to save a half dozen plastic tubs filled with family photos and keepsakes, as well as a wedding dress slated to be used in the home owner's daughter's wedding in 8 days. The youngest son of the family had beamed as Heero handed him the Playstation 2 he'd managed to salvage for the youth. Other than that, a ruined Persian rug, and a few dozen $100 bottles of wine that had probably already turned to vinegar from the heat, the entire property and everything within it, was lost.
Rather than being upset with the losses, or rather than being as upset with the losses as Heero would have expected, the family was simply happy to have escaped the blaze alive and together. He watched the family's neighbors usher them off to one of their homes for the night, as it probably would have been difficult to find a hotel still taking guests at 3 in the morning.
With a nod of satisfaction, Heero returned to helping Zechs and Duo slowly drain and repack the hundreds of feet of hose they'd used. Noting the slow, stilted movements of both his Captain and Driver, Heero jumped in and took the lion's share of the work, burning through his carefully hoarded reserves to spare Zechs and Duo a little bit of their own. Only four more hours, and then everyone would be able to rest and recuperate.
By the time they'd gotten everything cleaned, repacked and loaded, and made their way back to Station 8, that time had been whittled down to just under three and a half hours. Heero smiled as he listened to Duo drop gratefully into his bed across the bunkroom for the first time that night. The braided driver groaned softly as he yanked his blankets up over his head and almost immediately began to snore softly.
Echoing Duo's sigh of exhaustion, Heero followed the driver into sleep, praying that the night remained quiet.
Heero found himself standing beside his bed, blinking in slight confusion until the voice on the station speakers broke through the weary fog in his brain.
"... 1839 Ajax Lane. Automatic alarm for Engine 8, Truck 2, Battalion 2..."
Behind him, Heero could hear Zechs pulling his uniform pants back on, and Duo's tired groan as the driver pulled himself from bed. Confident that they were coming, Heero headed out to the big map hanging outside the office to locate their call. After a moment, Zechs joined him, followed by Duo, who simply trudged past with a grumpy scowl.
"I know where it's at. Lincoln National Bank. Screw the map," he grumbled as he yanked open the door to the rig room.
Heero nodded and turned to follow, stopping dead in his tracks as he took in the sight that greeted him. Clad in nothing more than black socks, a fire department T-shirt, and... a pair of black boxers with little Dalmatians wearing fire helmets and Dalmatian spotted hearts, Duo stomped towards Engine 8.
"Umm... Duo? Clothes?" he squeaked, trying to ignore how nicely the dark fabric clung to the braided firefighter's ass.
Duo flipped him off over his shoulder, not even faltering in his tired steps towards the rig and his gear sitting patiently by the driver's side door.
"Fuck off, Yuy. Why d'ya think they call em 'bunk'er gear, anyway?" Duo snarled as he slipped into his boots and bunker pants. "They get me half naked, or not at fuckin' all."
"Sounds like someone needs a nap," Zechs observed wryly as he pulled on his own gear. Another one fingered salute was the only answer Duo gave his captain.
Heero couldn't help but snicker slightly at the exhausted driver as he dragged his suspenders over his shoulders and pulled on his still wet coat. The slamming of Duo's door almost drowned Heero out as he called to the driver, "Only three more hours, Maxwell. Then you can drag yourself home and sleep for the next two days."
"Better hope I don't fall asleep at the wheel and kill us all before then," Duo called back as Engine 8 rumbled to life.
Heero watched the strobe of the lights flash off of the firehouse and the surrounding buildings as Duo backed Engine 8 into the bay. Rather than his usual breakneck manner, Duo was creeping with slow caution; a greater testament to his weariness than his half-naked state could ever be. Once the rig was completely out of the street, Heero followed it up to the firehouse at a slow walk, letting the car he'd stopped finally pass. He hadn't even made it to the large overhead door when the station's speaker squealed, and the dispatcher's voice advised them of a car accident out on the highway that required an extrication.
Duo shifted the rig from reverse to drive and pulled out again, pausing long enough for Heero to climb back in and to hit the garage door button before taking off into the night again.
"What dark pagan god do I have to sacrifice something to, to get some sleep tonight?" the braided driver grumbled.
Heero snorted as he slowly started shrugging his coat and hood back on. "I figured you'd already pissed off Loki for us today, Maxwell," Heero replied, "Since it seems like he's screwing us now."
"Great. I can't even enjoy getting fucked anymore," Duo muttered darkly.
"Typically, it's more fun with a partner," Zechs observed innocently as he settled his helmet back on.
"Stuff your blissful domesticity, Merquise," Duo snarled.
"Jealous?" the blond captain asked with a quirked up brow.
A growl burbled up from Duo's throat, and, as if to mock him further still, Quatre waved at him as Medic 6 screamed past them on their way to the same call.
"That's it. I quit. I'm gonna go become a priest. At least they get alter boys," Duo sighed under his breath.
"You look like shit, Duo," Hilde observed as Medic 6 pulled away with its cargo of critically injured automobile passenger. A nearby dark sheet shielded the more unfortunate driver from overly curious eyes. "Haven't you gotten any sleep yet?"
Duo sighed tiredly as he coiled the hydraulic hoses from their extrication tool, shaking his head as he glanced up at her. "Not more than a half hour, I think. What time is it now, anyway?"
"Just before five in the morning. Only two more hours. Will you live that long?" she asked, only half in jest.
"I'll be fine. I'll sleep till tomorrow, but I'll be fine," he replied.
"How many calls have you had today, anyway?" she asked, bending down to help him carry the tool generator to its compartment on Engine 8.
"I lost track. Sixteen? Seventeen? Enough," he answered with a shrug.
"Does that mean you're not wearing any pants under your bunkers?" she asked sweetly.
Heero, having overheard the question from where he stood securing the Jaws of Life back on the rig, scowled to himself at the female firefighter's curiosity. "He makes a regular habit of that?" he found himself asking.
Hilde looked up, nodding as she grinned widely at the flush creeping up Duo's cheeks. "You should have seen him in Academy. We all used to pray for busy nights when he'd get lazy and not bother with his uniform pants. You had such a nice ass then, Duo. Too bad you let it all go to flab," she remarked with a wink towards Heero, and a lingering pat to the object under discussion.
Only an extreme exertion of Heero's considerable willpower kept the growl sitting in his throat silent as Duo spluttered indignantly at the comment and the manhandling.
"I have *not* let it get flabby! Right Heero?"
Hearing his name, Heero blinked and met Duo's outraged gaze. "Nani?" he asked slowly.
"My ass. It's still cute, right?" Duo asked, turning and striking a pose towards Heero.
Heero blinked again. After a long moment, he threw his hands up and spun around, stalking away, muttering in Japanese as he retreated, "The gods hate me. I've offended my Ancestors, the gods hate me, and this is my punishment. God of Death, please take me now."
Hilde looked cutely puzzled at the foreign words, while Duo bit back his nearly automatic retort. After all, Heero apparently still didn't realize that he spoke Japanese as well, or that his childhood nickname was Shinigami. He grinned wickedly to himself, exhaustion momentarily forgotten as his scheming brain informed him that there was hope yet.
"Your wish is my command, Yuy," he muttered under his breath as he returned to stowing their tools.
The clock read 5:45 by the time they'd gotten done packing up their stuff, talking to the State Police Accident Reconstructionist, and returned to Firehouse Number 8. Medic 6 had already returned, and Trowa could be seen through the large plate glass window, sitting at the computer in the office filling out their report. Through the door into the kitchen, Heero saw Quatre pour a pitcher of water into the coffee maker and flip the appliance on.
"Morning wake up call is in 45 minutes. It's not even worth trying to take a nap," Duo grumbled as the rig's engine sputtered and died.
"May all the gods in heaven stand up and take notice. Duo Maxwell passing up an opportunity to sleep. I do believe I hear the shattering of a Seal," Zechs commented as he hopped down from his seat.
Heero stifled a small snicker as Duo scowled and then slammed his door shut again without exiting the rig. "Would it be insubordinate of me to tell you to piss off and die, Zechs?"
The blonde captain laughed as he retreated to the kitchen and a mug of coffee he could hear calling his name. "After the day we've had? I'd be surprised and disappointed if you didn't."
Heero watched the door swing shut behind Zechs before turning back to where Duo sat in the rig. If Heero didn't know better, he'd swear that the braided driver was pouting.
"You planning on staying there until we get off at 7?" he asked quietly as he hung his coat on the rig.
"May as well. Not like I won't be out here in another five minutes anyway, when we get another run," Duo replied sullenly.
Heero's brows rose into his hairline as he realized that Duo *was* pouting. "You really are tired," he observed quietly.
"You go to college to get that smart, soldier-boy?" Duo quipped back acerbically. Before Heero could retort, Duo shook his head and offered the firefighter an apologetic look. "Sorry man. Day's been too long. Just tired. Didn't mean to take it out on you."
"It's all right, Duo. It *has* been a long day. Just-" Heero was interrupted by the tone of the speaker. Duo tossed him an I-told-you-so look.
"Aid call for Engine 8, Medic 6..."
Heero sighed tiredly, absently absorbing the address as he climbed slowly back into his bunker pants. Zechs jogged back out, depositing his coffee cup on the tool bench as he passed, followed by Trowa and Quatre. Four doors slammed shut, two sets of lights flashed on, and two sirens wailed in the dawn air as the ambulance and firetruck pulled onto the deserted street.
An hour later, Medic 6 and Engine 8 both slowly back into their bays once more, over worked engines pinging and clicking slightly once they were shut off as overheated parts slowly cooled. Duo leaned over the wheel for a long moment, intending to get his bearings and his breath back. He awoke again as Heero gently shook his arm.
"Duo. Wake up. It's time to go home. The next shift is in to take over. We can go," Heero said quietly as Duo blinked sleepily at him.
"It's 7?" Duo asked, confused for a moment.
"Hai. Time to go home."
"Oh. Cool. They're gonna need fuel. She's down to quarter of a tank," Duo said as he exited Engine 8 in a controlled tumble.
"They know. Zechs told them," Heero assured him before a huge yawn cut off his speech.
Duo grinned at him as Heero finished his yawn. "You mean even you get tired?" he asked with amusement.
"Baka," Heero sighed as he led Duo to the kitchen where Zechs was finishing up giving the next shift their notes on equipment they'd used and supplies that needed replacing.
Duo snickered before he detoured to the bunkroom to break down his bed, put the blankets away, and gather up the discarded bits of his uniform. He slipped back into the kitchen just as Heero headed in to put his own bedding away.
"Well, if that's everything, I'm going home to collapse," Duo said.
"Sounds like a good idea, Maxwell. Don't get yourself killed on the way home. See you in a couple of days," Zechs replied.
Duo nodded and tossed everyone a parting wave before he headed for the parking lot, still wearing his bunker pants.
"I'm almost tempted to stay here and take a nap," Quatre commented as he tiredly watched the door click shut behind Duo, "And we weren't nearly as busy as you guys were yesterday."
"Just one of those days," Zechs replied. "Hopefully we won't be due for a repeat of that for a long while."
"Hn. Where's Duo?" Heero asked from the bunkroom doorway as he slammed his locker shut.
"He just left, Heero," Quatre answered, nodding towards the door and the parking lot beyond.
"Sounds like a good idea," the Japanese firefighter commented as he wadded up the uniform that was still wet from the dive rescue the night before, and tucked it under his arm. With a polite nod at them all, he headed for the door, Zechs, Trowa, and Quatre in his wake.
Outside, Wufei leaned against his car, waiting for Zechs so he could drive the exhausted captain home. "Rough night," he commented as Zechs gave him a grateful smile and slid into the passenger seat.
"You have no idea."
Quatre and Trowa tumbled into their silver Stingray, too tired even to give each other a customary good morning kiss before Quatre started up the car and backed it out of the lot. Heero watched the two cars depart before turning towards his own battered truck. Something beside it made him stop, a frown of concern creasing his brow.
"Duo?" he called as he approached the silent black Camaro still parked beside his truck.
He approached cautiously when he received no answer, heart skipping a beat as he found the braided driver slumped over the steering wheel of his own car. Reaching through the open window, Heero shook Duo gently, calling his name again. Duo jerked and sat up, blinking sleepily up at Heero.
"What... Where... What's going on?"
Heero sighed, pulling the door open with a shake of his head. "Move over, baka. I'll drive you home."
"What?" was the brilliant reply.
"I said, move over. I'll drive you home. Otherwise, you'll fall asleep at the wheel again and end up killing someone."
"Oh. I... You don't have to do that, Heero. I can-"
"Shut up and move, Duo. You can argue with me later when your brain is awake," Heero sighed with exasperation.
Duo chuckled in response as he slowly shifted over to the passenger seat. "Fair 'nuff."
Heero sighed and dropped his wet uniform on the floor mat of the back seat before sliding into the driver's seat and starting up the muscle car with a rumbling purr of its finely tuned engine.
"If I keep spending this much time in your house," he said as he carefully backed the car out of it's spot, "I should make up my own room and have you charge me rent."
"Ya say that as if it's a bad thing..." Duo managed with a huge yawn.
As Heero pulled onto the street and started navigating the familiar route to Duo's, thoughts of the braided driver's only garment under his bunker pants and their exceedingly good fit on him made Heero wonder if maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.
~TBC~
RavynFyre
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