Elyndys 
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Disclaimer: If I owned GW, I would be happy. I am happy. But to draw
the conclusion that I own GW from those statements would be to affirm the
consequent, and would therefore be an invalid argument.
See?
Pairing: 1+2+1/1x2x1; reference to past 1xR, R+1.
Warnings:
Part 13 has a very mild lime yaoi warning. For all other warnings see part
1 and individual parts. This is an AU fic.
Notes: *laughs* When I
first thought about this fic, this is what I thought it would be like. I
finally got round to it! Lol.
Escaping Part 13
Heero stared. Duo had looked away and was now gazing at the ceiling,
still wearing a smile that Heero could only describe as… serene.
"I…" Heero had no idea what it was he wanted to say.
"I
guess I shocked you, hm? Well, I'm sorry." Heero had no doubt that Duo was
not at all sorry in the way that perhaps he should be. "I know what you're
thinking, though." He pushed himself off the wall and walked slowly
towards Heero. "How can I love you? We've only known each other five
minutes. But…" he was now close enough to touch; and he did so, just
running his fingertips ghostlike over Heero's cheek: Heero shivered. "…
you know why. I don't know what's made you forget, but I'm going to make
you remember." He leaned in close, and Heero felt flutters inside in
anticipation of the kiss: but it never came. Instead, he felt Duo's words
touch his lips, as close as if they were his own… "Because, Heero, we're
alike. We *aren't* like everyone else, and we don't do what they expect,
and *that's* what makes us try. You mustn't ever give up trying, Heero:
it's like I told you, remember? You never know what you can achieve until
you try." He pulled back a little; Heero let out a shaky breath. Duo
shrugged, and smiled again. "Sounds corny. And I know you must feel like
giving it all up, I know you must feel… responsible… but that's not going
to solve anything." He leaned in again, looking into Heero's eyes before
moving his lips next to Heero's ear and saying words with a strange
resonance: "So don't ever give up."
He moved, then, as Heero
registered his words: quicker than Heero could realize, Duo pressed a kiss
to his mouth, gave him one last smile, and left the room before Heero
could speak.
Heero tentatively raised a hand to his mouth,
touching his fingertips to the imprint of Duo's kiss.
`He loves
me. I believe him. And…'
Heero left the building quietly, deep in
thought. 
Heero returned to the station in the
reflection of the mood he had left in. Calmed; but realising how much
there was to do.
"Trowa." He stopped by the sergeant's desk. "I'm
sorry about earlier."
Trowa held his gaze a moment. "I
understand."
Heero nodded. "Let's figure out what we're going to
do next."
Trowa picked up the printouts he was studying and
followed Heero to the DI's office. He closed the door behind them as Heero
sat down behind his desk.
"There's no point regretting what's
happened; we need to work out what to do about it. What have you found,
Trowa?"
"I spent some more time on the list of people who caught
our attention, and managed to eliminate a couple more. But the truth is,
no-one seems to know what to do. Everyone was so keyed up yesterday after
we found the cameras, but now even the DCI seems to be at a loss. His
opinion is to let it go for a while, concentrate on things we have more
ideas about."
Heero frowned. "I'm beginning to see that it's that
sort of attitude that's got us into this situation. I think we should keep
a close eye on the summit. Something's happening, I know it. I don't know
what it is, and I'm not even close to knowing; but if we keep trying we'll
get to it eventually." He looked up at Trowa. "Are you with me?"
Trowa gave a small smile. Heero knew the look, and was relieved.
"Yes, sir." Heero left work in a more upbeat mood than
he had for a long time. He knew what he had to do, and was confident that
he could achieve it; even if he didn't know exactly how he would achieve
that yet. He was slightly amused at the reversal in his mood: yesterday
evening he had felt so entirely demoralized, especially after his
encounter with Relena. He half-wondered if she would notice his lightening
of demeanour, and what she'd think about it. As he was thinking about that
in the detached part of his mind, he realized he might find out soon
enough - he was back at the house, ore quickly than he expected. He
thought Relena would probably be home already; he decided to go straight
upstairs and get ready for going out again, but as he walked past the door
of the lounge her voice called him.
"Heero? Could you come in here
please?"
He obliged, but did not sit down, even when she did.
"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry about the way I behaved
yesterday."
Heero's eyes widened. "What…?"
"I'm sorry if I
was too… harsh with you. I was just a little angry about the way things
went at the summit yesterday." She paused for a moment. "Duo Maxwell…
apologised for starting that argument yesterday afternoon. He said he'd
just overreacted in the heat of the moment; he got carried away." Again,
she paused. This sort of speech, Heero knew, was a little unusual for
Relena. "I guess I did too. I'm sorry, Heero. I just thought I should
say."
Heero stared at his wife for a few minutes, taken aback.
"It's alright, Relena. I understand. I know it's difficult for you,
keeping the peace when people seem to want to sabotage it." `That… sounds
familiar.'
She smiled, clearly relieved that he had forgiven her.
"I'm pleased that's sorted out. After all, weren't you with Duo at the
opening dinner? You seemed to get on well."
Heero found himself
faced by a scenario strangely similar to the one he had been wondering
about earlier. He thought on his feet. "Yeah. We've become… quite good
friends."
Relena smiled at him still. "I'm glad."
Heero knocked three times on the door of the hotel suite he had
visited almost exactly twenty four hours ago. He only had to wait a few
moments before the door was opened, and he met the face that had drifted
through his thoughts increasingly over the past few days.
Duo
stood, hesitating. "I thought maybe you wouldn't come." For the first
time, Heero saw just a hint of nervousness in his expression; Heero found
it affected him.
"I had to." He softened his own expression to
reassure Duo.
It seemed to work. Duo stepped back, ushering Heero
into the room and gesturing for him to sit down. Heero accepted, and Duo
placed himself on the end of a couch, against the wall next to Heero.
He looked Heero in the eye, and Heero saw sincerity. "What I said
earlier… I have to tell you… I meant it."
"I know."
"You
don't have to say anything. Maybe I should've kept quiet. But I thought
you needed to know."
Heero let the silence settle for a moment.
"You were right. I did need to know. It helped me, a lot. Thank you." He
paused. "I… can't say anything more right now…" He suddenly felt helpless.
"I know what I would like to say… but… I can't mean it, not yet." Heero
knew that, sometime soon, he would mean it.
But, for now… Duo
smiled. "I understand."
The silence waited again for a few
moments, easing a little time until Heero dispelled it again. "Relena
said… you apologised for the argument you started yesterday."
Duo
smiled and looked a little embarrassed. "Heh, well, I told you I was going
to… It wasn't quite as painful as I expected. And, y'know, it was pretty
effective too: they said they'd considered what I'd said, and in light of
my recognising the fact that I'd gone about it the wrong way, they
actually thought my point was useful and are, hopefully, going to do
something with it!" Duo smiled broadly, clearly pleased with his
achievements.
Heero felt the happiness spread out from Duo and
seep into him, and he couldn't help smiling himself. "So you did something
you set out to accomplish."
Duo nodded, but his smile faded a
little. "It's something, I guess, but… not enough. Yet. But, there's not a
lot of time left. The summit will be over in another week."
That
thought hit Heero hard. Of course - Duo would be leaving soon! And… he had
said he would go too. Out of nowhere, he had to say it. "I can't leave
Relena, Duo."
Heero felt the atmosphere in the room change. There
was a silence, as if Duo was trying out different sentences in his head
before deciding which one he should say. Heero refused to look at him, an
odd sense of… almost shame touching him.
In the end Duo simply
said "Why not?" Heero was grateful.
"She… still needs me, Duo. To…
hep her do her job. Protect her. I thought she didn't need me anymore, but
with all of this at the summit… I realised she still does." He stared into
space.
"But Heero, you're miserable! You could be just as much,
no, more help to the colonies!" Duo's voice was urgent.
Heero
didn't respond. He knew what Duo said was true, but… He couldn't… He heard
Duo cross the room, kneel in front of him, felt him take Hero's left hand
in both his own. Heero turned his head to look at Duo's face. The
expression he saw there was deadly serious.
"I won't give up,
Heero. It would be stupid to give up before I've even started." He held
Heero's hand tighter. "It might sound selfish of me, wanting you to come
with me… but you've got to leave, Heero, with or without me. You've got to
think of your own happiness."
Suddenly Duo leaned in and pressed
his mouth on Heero's; Heero felt a surge of passion spark through him and
he responded as eagerly as Duo. Maybe Duo wasn't expecting it; Heero heard
him moan into the kiss, and soon he found himself being pulled to his feet
and towards the bed.
Still feverishly feeding at Duo's mouth, he
lay down on his side on the bed, allowing himself to feel the electricity
in Duo's touch… He ran his own hands over Duo's back as the other man lay
close; he could tell how aroused Duo was by the heat that radiated from
him, and Heero felt it spreading through him too, quickening his pulse.
Duo shifted, pushing Heero onto his back; Heero made a small sound
of not-quite-surprise as he felt Duo, hard against his thigh, and hands
beginning to unbutton his shirt, and lips moving down his neck. "Oh god…"
Heero… felt alive, could feel every nerve ending, feel his pulse
everywhere, vital; he felt real again.
But, as Duo's hands reached
the third button of his shirt, he could feel tendrils of unease creep back
into his mind… He… he couldn't do this… it would be…
"No," Heero
managed to gasp out. "I… can't…"
Duo stopped what he was doing,
and sat up a little to see Heero's face. "Heero…?"
Heero shook his
head, eyes closed. "No… It would be wrong to… betray Relena…" He felt his
heart turn bitter again, sensation dulling and sinking back into the cage.
He could feel Duo's eyes on him still, hear the disbelief in the
silence. "I'm sorry," he murmured, trying to fill the short words with all
his shame and all his sincerity.
Duo had not moved. Heero opened
his eyes, expecting anger or disgust; he saw only sadness in Duo's face.
"I know, Heero." He still made no attempt to let go, or let Heero go.
"But… I told you, I'm not going to give up." Heero felt a deep thrill from
those words: a security, a promise. "Please…" he lowered his face to
Heero's again, offering a kiss, "I… Let me… just let me touch you, skin on
skin…"
He waited, Heero realised, for Heero to nod; then smiled as
he slid his hands up under Heero's shirt, stroking the skin in gentle
touches… Heero felt his heart fill up at the soft feeling, knew he felt…
tenderness.
Without letting himself think about it, he did the
same, running his hands over the smooth skin of Duo's back under his
shirt, and imprinting the feeling into his memory.
They held each
other, silent, taking refuge.
Elyndys
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