Seventeen:
David…David…David!
With
a small cry, Duo pushed Milliardo away from him. Staggering backwards, a hand
flew to his mouth as if hoping the hot tingle on his lips would vanish. He
stared at the smiling visage of the blond with eyes that had widened to the
size of saucers. He could feel his throat constricting painfully. He could feel
the burn sting his eyes. Was he about to give in to tears? Duo couldn’t
remember the last time he had done such a thing and he couldn’t…he just couldn’t surrender to his memories now.
He
hitched in a harsh sob and croaked out thickly. “Da…David…”
Milliardo’s
smile became wistful as he turned to look out at the sparkling lake. “David
Elroy was his name, wasn’t it, Mr. Maxwell? Fuck…can’t believe I didn’t
recognize you from the start.” He pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his
left pocket and lit a stick quickly. Exhaling slowly, he closed his eyes and
muttered to himself. “That damn braid of yours should have been a dead
giveaway.”
But
Duo wasn’t listening anymore. His mind was already beginning to race with a
million and one possible scenarios. How had Milliardo met David? When? What
kind of a relationship had they had? Why the hell should he care anyway?
Everything was in the past now, wasn’t it?
“When…how
did you…?”
“How
did we meet?” The blond shrugged and took another drag of his cigarette. He
turned to face the older man with a small smile that didn’t quite reach his
eyes. “Doesn’t really matter now, does it, Duo? I mean…that has little or
nothing to do with the situation, right? Although…”
He
left his words hanging, causing Duo to swallow tightly. But the teacher refused
to say anything and seeing that Duo had every intention of being stubborn,
Milliardo sighed and tossed the cigarette to the ground. Crushing it beneath
the expensive black shoe he wore, he continued quietly.
“I
wonder what happened to him. Don’t you, Duo?”
/The
blood. It was too much. He wasn’t supposed to bleed that much!/
Duo
closed his eyes and took a deep breath, unaware of how tight his fists were now
clenched at his sides. And in a voice that sounded too distant, he replied
slowly. “I’m not sure I understand what you are trying to say, Mr. Peacecraft…”
“I
was in love with him,” the blond said simply, his intense blue gaze now trained
on the bewildered man before him.
Something
hot flared in Duo’s chest at the confession, amethyst eyes narrowing in
wariness as he stared at Relena’s brother.
Milliardo
stuck his hands into the pockets of his slacks and slowly rocked back and forth
on his heels. He turned his gaze away from Duo’s to face the lake; which looked
just as magnificent as ever. A family of geese swam in a straight line across
the clear waters, leaving clear ripples that resonated in gentle waves.
Milliardo frowned as he tried to will the memories back to mind. In a calm
voice, he began softly.
“I
remember…after the first time we met, I just couldn’t get him out of my mind. I
was… what? Twelve years old? And I had just met a man who didn’t treat me as if
I was some dumb kid. Well…no, I shouldn’t really say ‘dumb’,” he corrected with
a short bark of a laugh as he ran fingers through his bangs. “More like…I was
being treated like I was a normal human being, you know?”
Duo
said nothing.
“Anyway,
I kept going back to the park every Sunday afternoon, whether Sarah was with me
or not, hoping that I would get a chance to meet David again.” Milliardo’s
frown deepened. “I would wait there all afternoon and well into the evening,
but he never came back. I wondered if my calling him a pervert had driven him
away and was tempted on more than one occasion to just run across that bridge
to go to…your side of the city.” He closed his eyes. “I was getting panicky. I
didn’t really understand why. Maybe I just saw a need for an older brother…or
just someone to talk to. I don’t think you have any idea what it feels like to
be treated as if you were an adult and not have a chance to really be…a kid.”
Duo
made a sudden movement causing Milliardo to stop. “Is something wrong?” he
asked with a bemused frown.
Duo
shook his head rapidly. “No…just something flew on my shirt, that’s all.” What
did Milliardo know about not being treated like a kid? Duo had never been a
‘kid’ until he had met David and even then…
Milliardo
stared at him for a moment longer before shrugging and turning his attention
back to the lake. “Point is,” he continued as if nothing had happened, “I
missed him. I wanted to talk to him again and I finally got a chance to do that
two years later. Although…I didn’t really talk to him. I saw him…from afar.”
A
small smile spread across the blond’s face, but it wasn’t a warm smile. It held
something menacing in it that had Duo shivering unconsciously.
“You…did?”
he asked slowly, still trying to maintain a neutral expression on his features.
Somehow the act of simply breathing was becoming a bit hard to do.
“Uh
huh,” Milliardo replied as he stretched his hands out before him and cracked
his knuckles. “I managed to disguise myself well enough to get past the
policemen at the bridge. It’s rare that any member of our society would want to
go to the other side, but luckily a few officials were making their way towards
City Hall on that day and I stuck myself within the throng. No one would take
notice of a lanky kid with oversized clothes and a baseball hat covering his
eyes, now would they?”
He
seemed proud of his own thinking and Duo could only give another non-committal
nod. He had a feeling he already knew what the blond was going to say, but he
would listen for now.
The
Peacecraft heir spoke up again. “I had looked him up on the internet. You know
directories, search and all of that. I discovered where he taught and decided
that the best course of action was to meet him at his school.” He laughed
again. “Boy, you should have seen his face when I walked up to him in the
middle of his lunch. He liked to eat outside under that old maple tree, right?”
Duo
felt a light sheen of sweat break out on his skin. He had only missed having
lunch with David about three times. The first two had been thanks to his gym
teacher keeping him longer than necessary. The third time - he hadn’t even been
in school at all. He had been cooped up at home sick with the flu.
David
had come back home much later than usual on that day.
“I
met him under there and at first he didn’t recognize me. It wasn’t until I took
off my hat and showed him my face did he suddenly call out my name.” The small
wistful smile returned to the blond’s face and Duo felt jealousy well within
him again. “I was happy at that moment. Happy that after two years, he still
remembered my name. It showed that he hadn’t completely forgotten about me,
right?”
“I…I guess…” Duo croaked out weakly.
“We
talked all afternoon and into the evening. Well, I had to wait until after
school because I had no plans to leave him alone after waiting and searching
for so long. He took me to dinner at a place called…Le Fleur…or something like
that. They had really good cakes back then.”
/It
will be our special place, Duo. Just you and me…/
Milliardo
frowned again as he noticed something akin to anger flash across Duo’s features
for a brief moment before it was replaced with an impassive look. “What’s the
problem now?” he asked with faint irritation. “You act as if you were in love
with the man.”
“What
on earth would make you think that?”
Milliardo’s
scowl deepened. “He told me that he was taking care of some boy at the time but
I didn’t quite understand what he meant. He said you were like brothers and so
being curious, I asked to see a picture of you. He showed it to me and I will
never forget how proud he looked as he began to talk about this wonderful person
named ‘Duo Maxwell’.” The blond gave a light snort. “I hated you on sight.”
Duo
gave a curt nod as if fully expecting such a thing to happen. “So, you did.”
“I
told him that,” Milliardo continued, “and all he could do was laugh and say
that there was nothing to hate about you. He also hoped that someday we would
get to meet and all have fun or something.”
“Guess
that didn’t happen, huh?” Duo interrupted icily.
Milliardo
smirked. It was a cold smirk filled with icy venom. “Oh, no it didn’t happen because
I didn’t want it to happen. I didn’t want to meet your ugly mug of a
face or to pretend as if I liked you. Left to me, I was more than willing to
pretend as if you didn’t exist.”
Duo gave the blond an icy smile to match his tone. “I think it’s a bit funny that you should talk about him like this because David never mentioned a Milliardo Peacecraft to me at all.”
The
heir’s blue gaze hardened. “Is that right?”
“That
is correct, Mr. Peacecraft…”
“So are you saying you have never seen me before? After all, I did see you two together one day.” At Duo’s scowl, the blond grinned. “Ah, how fast our memories disappear when we wish them to. Do you recall a day you both went to the beach? He sent you for some ice cream and when you came back, he wasn’t around? Do you remember that day?”
/Just
two more ice creams okay, Duo? I promise not to send you back up there again/
/Man…I’m
not some servant or something…/
A
soft kiss on his lips to silence his protest caused the boy to blush because
the older man had done this in public.
/Just
do it for me, Duo and hurry up…I have a surprise for you./
And
he had gone. Like the fool he was, he had gone. The walk up the pier and back
had taken a grand total of thirty minutes (including having to stand in line to
get the blasted treat). Duo had come racing back down the beach in anticipation
of his surprise. But on getting there…
/Dav…David??/
He
searched for the elusive teacher, but he was nowhere in sight. It wasn’t until
a man, who had been lounging next to them answered his frantic cries.
/Oh,
he and some blonde babe just left here a couple of minutes ago. He said to tell
you he will be right back./
A
blonde babe? How was that possible? David didn’t have a girlfriend. There was
no blonde female teacher at the school. Who could possibly have David all eager
to leave so suddenly?
/Could
you hold this for me, sir? I’ll be right back!/
He
practically tossed the ice cream cones to the startled man and began to run
along the shoreline. Quick eyes searched every couple that walked together. His
breath hitched in his throat as the burning flame of jealousy continued to
flicker hotly within his body. Nobody else had the right to be with David!
Nobody…
He
came to a halt as he noticed the tall, slender frame of his teacher and lover.
That wild hair was unmistakable amongst the others. He was still dressed in his
beach shorts and had his arm draped around a smaller figure. The person looked
about Duo’s height and had the longest shock of blond hair he had ever seen. So
the man was right. David had gone out with some other girl. The girl turned her
head a little and for one brief moment, Duo could see the mocking look in her
blue eyes. She was laughing at him. The goddamn bitch was laughing at him!
He
spun on his heels and began to make his way back to their beach spot. He was
angry. Very, very angry and the need to inflict pain on something was like a
raging beast wanting to be let out of its cage.
/I
don’t care…I don’t care at all. I don’t care what he does. But he will pay for
cheating on me!/
Milliardo watched Duo’s face very carefully. “Something tells me that you do remember, Duo.”
“I
don’t know what you are talking about,” came the calm reply. “I have many memories
of David. Why should yours stand out?”
The
blond hissed softly at the blatant insult before snorting with a shrug.
“Whatever the case may be, Duo, I did see you on that day. I had to sit for
almost an hour watching you both frolic in the sun like two lovers. God, you
made me sick.”
“And
now?”
Milliardo
shrugged again. “And now nothing, Duo. We are both grown adults and can handle
our petty differences, right? Although…”
His
pause had Duo inwardly counting to ten to calm his racing nerves.
“Although…I
now see that your loyalties lie with someone else,” came the cautious
observation. “You are in love with my sister’s husband-to-be. Why is that,
Duo?”
The
teacher licked his lips slowly. “What…what are you trying to say?”
The
heir smirked and moved quickly. In mere seconds, his arms were around Duo’s
waist, his chin resting gently upon the older man’s shoulder as he whispered
into Duo’s ear. “Are you trying to relive your life with David all over again?”
“I…”
“When
you look at Heero, who do you really see, Duo? Do you see a teenage boy with
lots of problems? Do you see some rich kid who doesn’t know what he wants? Or
perhaps you see yourself in Heero and you feel like you have to suddenly become
David all over again.”
The
blond was relentless. His arms tightened around the teacher’s waist and Duo
could almost feel his air supply being cut off. Was Milliardo trying to kill
him?
“Answer
me, Duo,” came the husky whisper that was beginning to resonate persistently
within the older man’s head. “Are you using Heero? Just like David used you all
those years? Is that it? You are punishing yourself and Heero through him,
aren’t you? He is still in your mind, isn’t he? You don’t really love Heero at
all, do you? You only love yourself and want to get back all that you lost in
the pas…”
“SHUT
THE FUCK UP!!” Duo cried out desperately as he tore himself away from the
blond’s death grip. He almost fell to the ground in his haste. Panting and
heaving with the influx of jumbled emotions within him, Duo staggered back
weakly, his eyes holding a look of panic, fear and dull anger. Who was
Milliardo to talk to him like that? What did the blond know about his life or
relationship with David?
“Fuck
you…” he muttered thickly as he ran fingers over his face as if to wipe away
the image of the man standing before him. “Damn you…damn you…”
“So,
I’m telling the truth, aren’t I?” Milliardo asked with a small grin. He stuck
his hands into his pants pockets and turned away. “Just give it some thought,
Duo, my friend. I might not like my brother-in-law…soon to be anyway…but I most
definitely do not like people who try to relive their past by using the present
as an excuse.” He stopped and pinned cold blue depths on the flushed teacher.
“He is head over heels for you, Duo. Don’t know why, but he is. So, here’s my
warning and advice to you. If you really love this kid, you are going to have
to make one of the biggest sacrifices of your life. Forget David, Duo. And
if you can’t do that…then there is no need for you to remain here. Get out of
Heero’s life now before you make it even worse than it is.”
He spun on his heels and began to walk away again, before stopping abruptly. Without looking at Duo, he asked carefully. “Where’s David now, Duo? Do you know? The last time I checked on him…no one seemed to have any idea of where he was. He just vanished without a trace. No goodbyes. Nothing. Don’t you find that a bit odd?”
Duo
opened up his mouth to say something, but all he could manage was a small gasp
of air. Milliardo shrugged good-naturedly and gave a curt nod. “I guess he is
in a place where we can never reach him, right…Duo?” His lips curved in a small
smile as he added softly, “I bet you made sure of that, didn’t you?”
And
hardly giving Duo’s blanched visage another glance, Milliardo Peacecraft made
his way back into the mansion.
At
five feet three, dressed in a black business suit that complimented raven locks
that were tied up in a neat bun, Meiran Long was a walking bundle of energy.
Her small but thriving clothing line was gradually expanding to five other
major cities and contrary to her parents’ wishes for her to settle down, she
believed that hard work and active participation in her business endeavors were
the key to success. She was going to be married in two months and yet she
hadn’t slowed down.
Sitting
on her comfortable leather office chair, she eyed the sketch of an evening gown
she was planning to design for her upcoming Spring collection. Competition was
stiff out there and the need to create something simple but yet eye-catching
was a challenge in itself. Her office was littered with pin-ups and post it
notes of drawings and reminders of what she had to do. Her five assistants were
at a corner of the large room, all bent over various prints and sample cloth
swatches. On her desk, besides her laptop, were magazine clippings, even more
post it notes, papers filled with enough sketches to last a lifetime and of
course, a small picture of the man she was going to marry.
She
smiled softly at the rather bemused expression on her lover’s face. She had
taken the picture six months ago at a surprise party she had thrown for him.
The look on his face as he had walked into the room had been too priceless to
pass up and so the picture had been taken. She had teased him mercilessly about
it, and he had known better than to argue over her decision to make it her
desktop souvenir.
“Miss.
Long, do you want us to take these designs to the office downstairs?”
She
reached for her glasses and slipped them on quickly. Eyeing the drawing of a
sleek wedding gown in the man’s hand, she gave a curt nod. “That will be fine,
Louis. Please have Javier keep the designs for the sportswear open. I am yet to
make my final decision.”
Louis
gave a small bow. “I will do that, ma’am.”
“Oh,
and you can all take a break now,” she added with a warm smile as she took off
her glasses again. “I will need you to be back in about say…” She eyed the
large clock on her left. “Be back here in about an hour, okay?”
“As
you wish Miss Long.” And giving another small bow, Louis motioned for the
others to follow him out. Once the door shut behind them, she reached for the
phone and dialed the familiar numbers quickly. Wufei should be back home by
now.
On
the third ring, he picked up the phone and all but barked into it. “What?”
“I
love you too, darling,” Meiran drawled with barely concealed amusement as she
leaned back on her chair. She swiveled around to look out of the large glass
windows into the city skyline. “So, what are you up to right now?” she asked,
toying with the buttons on her suit as a seductive and teasing smile spread
across her pretty features.
Wufei
smirked and rubbed the towel he had draped around his neck over his damp hair
again. “I just took a shower,” he replied lazily, dark eyes flashing with
wicked intent as he eyed his naked form in the mirror. “I bet you are wishing
you were here with me right now.”
Meiran
gave a low moan and closed her eyes. She licked her lips and whispered softly.
“You know it. Let me guess, you are completely naked and standing in front of
that hideous mirror I have tried to change for months.”
Wufei’s
growing erection threatened to wilt at the faint condescending tone in her
voice. “Hey, I thought I told you that the mirror has a…”
“Yes,
yes, a sentimental value,” the designer interrupted with a low chuckle. She
opened up her eyes and tapped well-manicured fingers on the armrest. “I still
think it’s hideous.”
Wufei’s
erection did wilt. “Okay, so what is this now? Are you going to go into home
furnishings next?”
The
woman grinned. “Hello? I am a designer, remember? I should know one or two
things about looking good.”
“And
your point is?”
“And
my point is, I’m not doing such a bad job, am I? I’m marrying you after all.”
The
Chinese man groaned and reached for his brush. “I thought we were going to have
dual orgasms this afternoon. What’s with the change in tone?”
Meiran
closed her eyes again and gave a soft sigh. “I don’t know. I just…I just feel…”
“Are
you nervous about the wedding?”
She
shrugged lightly. “No, not that. I mean, yes I’m a bit scared but it’s just…how’s Duo by the way?”
Wufei
blinked in surprise at the sudden change in subject before giving a soft sigh.
“Duo…Duo is…”
Meiran
heard the uncertainty in her lover’s voice and sat upright quickly. “Oh no,
is…is everything alright, Wufei? He is okay, isn’t he?”
If
he does, it’s going to be all my fault, was Wufei’s wild thought as he stared at his now
haunted reflection in the mirror. I pushed him into getting this job. If
only…
“Wufei!”
Meiran’s panicked cry had him shaking his head quickly.
“I
was just thinking that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to make him get that
job, Mei,” he finally said softly. “The last time he spoke to me…”
He
sounded so empty and lost.
“Oh,
Wufei…” Meiran’s voice broke as she heard the pain in her lover’s voice. She
fought back the hot sting of tears that sprang to her eyes. “You can’t blame
yourself, sweetheart. You tried to do what was right and he did need to work,
didn’t he?”
The
accountant closed his eyes and sank to the floor of his bathroom. And in a
small voice he answered his fiancée. “Sometimes, I worry about that man, Mei.
Sometimes…I just worry…”
It
was suddenly very cold in the room and Wufei shivered uncontrollably.
Sunlight
streaked into the large room casting soft shadows across the expensive
furniture. Textbooks lay askew on the wide desk. The small chalkboard that had
been prepared for the class remained as clean as ever, the pieces of chalk
still placed neatly in their holder. Besides the dull chime of the grandfather
clock signaling the new hour, the silence was deafening as the two individuals
in the room remained lost in their thoughts.
They
sat on the window seats, close but not too close to one another. Relena’s gaze
was trained on her hands, which hadn’t stopped trembling yet, while Heero’s
gaze remained pinned on the lush gardens below them. He could barely see the
lake from his vantage point, but he had an inkling that Duo was there. There
was something so peaceful about…
“How
long has this…thing been going on?” Relena interrupted softly. She was
still not looking at him as she asked the question. The tears she had cried had
now left streaks on her face and besides the pinched look on her features, she
sounded as if everything was all right with the world.
Heero
played dumb. “What thing, Relena?”
“You
know damn well what I am talking about,” came the sharp retort that was
followed by a sharp intake of breath. “When did you decide you were… gay?”
Heero
tore his gaze from the gardens to stare at the girl. He had sworn not to get
too angry or impatient with his replies. He had just dropped a bombshell after
all and it was only fair that she get the whole story. How she was bound to
take it was just something they would have to now deal with.
“I didn’t
just decide to be gay, Relena,” he replied quietly. “I discovered it
about…three years ago.”
“Three…three
years ago?!” came the incredulous cry as she sat upright to stare at him in
disbelief. Her blue eyes seemed to blaze with confusion and anger. “What do you
mean three years ago?!”
“When
I was fourteen,” Heero answered calmly. “I thought I had gone crazy…”
“Oh,
you most certainly must have!”
He
ignored her. “I thought I had gone crazy when I discovered it. I always
wondered why I couldn’t really get an erection to any of mother’s magazines…”
“You
masturbate to magazines?!” Relena cried out in despair as she rose to her feet.
She paced the room quickly before stopping before him. “May I ask what kind of
magazines these were?”
Heero
eyed her warily. “Does it make a difference?”
“Yes!
I need to know!”
The
Japanese boy rolled his eyes and then closed them. “
Relena
thought she would pass out. “Oh…my…”
“They
didn’t do a thing for me, Relena,” the boy interrupted curtly. “I thought I
probably had some kind of problem and then…and then…”
The
girl laughed bitterly. “Let me guess. You turned on the TV one day and saw a
whole bunch of naked, sweaty men and suddenly you had an erection the size of
the
The
laughter seemed to come out of nowhere. The image of his cock standing that
tall was suddenly the funniest thing in the world to Heero. He threw his head
back and laughed; a rich, hearty sound that had Relena bristling and before she
could stop herself, she walked up to Heero and gave him a resounding slap on
his cheek.
The
sound of flesh hitting flesh had them both gasping in surprise for a second. Relena
held her tingling palm within the other, her lower lip trembling as her eyes
shimmered with tears.
“Laugh.
Go on and laugh, why don’t you?” she spat out coldly. “Both of you, just go on
and laugh at me. You made a fool of me all these years and all you can do is
laugh. You coldhearted bastard. And to think that I was in love with you.”
Heero
smiled coldly, not bothering to acknowledge the pain from the slap. “You are no
longer in love with me? My, that was fast.”
“So,
Keiko was right then, wasn’t she? You have…have…”
Heero
sighed and turned to look out of the window again. “Yes, Relena. I have slept
with him. I’m sorry…”
“Save
your apologies for someone who gives a fuck!” She suddenly bellowed in fury.
“I’m not giving you up that easily, Heero, do you hear me! I am not! We are
going to get married in December in front of all those people we sent
invitations to and we are going to be a happy heterosexual couple, do you hear
me?!”
Heero
remained silent, although his jaw worked silently.
“We
are going to move to the countryside like we planned,” the girl continued. “We
are going to have lots of children and we are going to be happy, damn it! It’s
the fucking least you can do!!”
The
young heir closed his eyes.
“Say
something, Heero!”
“You
want kids, right?” he asked softly.
She
covered her face with her hands and shook her head slowly. “That is not the
point…”
“Then
what is the point?” Heero asked with barely concealed irritation. So much for
keeping that in check. “You say you want kids and I’m willing to do that for
you…”
Relena
removed her hands and bit back coldly. “It isn’t just about having children…”
“Kami!”
Heero threw up his hands in frustration. “You aren’t making any sense, woman!”
“I’m
not making any sense? I’m not making any sense?! You are the one who
suddenly decided to turn gay and you think I’m not making any sense?!”
Their
voices were steadily growing louder and neither seemed to notice or care. Heero
got off the seat and snarled back angrily. “I told you, I did not
suddenly decide to become…”
“Ex…excuse me, Master Heero and Miss. Relena.”
They
both froze and stared at the hesitant butler who looked as if he wished he was
anywhere but in the room at the moment. “I did knock,” he explained quickly,
hoping he wouldn’t incur their wrath. “But you have visitors, Master Heero and
I didn’t know how long…”
“It’s
okay, Jeffrey,” Quatre interrupted with a warm smile as he stepped into the
room with Trowa in tow. “I think we can take it from here.”
“Thank
you, sir,” the older man said quickly before giving a quick bow and escaping
the tension that had risen in the room.
The
four friends stared at each other for a long while, each wondering where to
even begin. Relena eyed the two boys and mumbled a soft curse beneath her
breath. “I should have known,” she said quietly. “I should have known that the
two of you would put him up to this!”
Quatre
shared a quick look with Trowa before making himself as comfortable as he could
on the couch. He tried to smile, but Relena’s cold look caused it to falter and
he tightened his clasped hands on his lap. Heero shook his head slowly and sat
back down on the window seat rather heavily. The argument with Relena, coupled
with the earlier excitement with Keiko was beginning to take its toll on his
body and mind. He wasn’t sure he could handle any more surprises right now.
“How
long have you two been here and what are you doing here?” he asked wearily.
Trowa’s
brows furrowed in concern at the tone in his friend’s voice and shared another
look with his partner. He could see the same concern in the blond’s eyes and
for a moment, the Barton heir wondered if it was a good time to tell the boy
the truth about his teacher. With Relena being in the room, things could get
even uglier fast.
“We
caught the tail end of your argument,” Trowa said softly as he sat down beside
Quatre. “But from all that we heard, I am guessing that Relena knows the truth,
doesn’t she?”
The
girl smiled coldly. “Wow, do you get a prize for that wonderful deduction,
Trowa?” She was beginning to get a headache. “Listen, all of you. If this is
some kind of…conspiracy or something to get rid of me, well guess what? It
isn’t going to work.” She began to make her way out of the room. “The marriage
is still on, Heero. I have no intentions of letting this little…declaration
ruin anything for us…for me, got it? On December the twelfth, you and I
are going to walk down that aisle and say our vows and get married.” She turned
to smile warmly at them. “That is all I have to say. Good day, gentlemen. It
has been…enlightening.”
And
with a mock curtsey, she left the room with a loud slam of the door behind her.
All
the bravado and fight within Heero seemed to rush out of his body at once as
the girl left the room. He smiled weakly at his friends and raised his knees to
his chin.
“I
can’t believe you finally told her, Heero,” Quatre said around a warm smile.
“That must have taken a lot of guts on your part.”
Heero
groaned. “You don’t want to know about it.”
“We
saw Milliardo on the way up here,” Trowa continued quietly. “He said something
about Keiko being here as well?”
The
Yuy heir only gave a small nod in response. He didn’t feel like talking again…ever.
Quatre
tried very hard not to look too worried. His eyes screamed to Trowa are we
doing the right thing? But his only response was a gentle squeeze of
his hand and a small smile of reassurance.
“I
can see you have a very full house…”
“Just
say what you came here for, Trowa,” Heero interrupted impatiently. He lowered
his head to mumble thickly, “just say it already.”
Trowa
eyed his desolate friend and struggled with himself. He could feel Quatre’s hand
squeezing his tighter than before and he cursed softly. He couldn’t do this
now. Heero didn’t look as if he could stomach the news, but if he knew the
Japanese boy well enough, he was not going to give up until he heard the sordid
truth from Trowa.
Damn
it. Why didn’t I listen to Quatre? We should have done this another day.
His
gaze shifted to the window and he felt his heart ache with an emotion he
realized was misery. He could see Duo walking back towards the house. The
teacher had stopped to talk to a gardener and their light laughter floated back
to them. Duo’s laugh had Heero lifting his head quickly and Trowa was not blind
to the look of pure adoration smoldering within his friend’s eyes at the sight
of the older man.
Heero’s
spirits seemed to have brightened considerably as he turned to face his friends
with a much more receptive smile on his features. “Well, what did you want to
say to me Trowa?” he asked again. “Hurry up. I think Duo is about to come back
to teach me.”
Please
forgive me, Heero. I just thought it would be best for you to know.
“Heero…”
he began thickly as he licked suddenly parched lips. “Heero…we…I…”
A
small frown came to the Japanese boy’s features even though the smile remained on
his lips. “You are keeping me in suspense here and you know I don’t like being
kept in that state for too long.”
The
Barton heir gave a curt nod and took a deep breath. Catching his lover’s eye
again, he turned back to give his undivided attention to the waiting
dark-haired boy. “Please believe me when I say that I would rather not delve
into other people’s past, Heero. You know me better than that.”
Heero
nodded curtly, already beginning to feel the dull rush of panic form in the
pits of his stomach again. He stole a quick glance outside, Duo was still
talking with the gardener. There was nothing to worry about…right? Duo was
going to be okay, wasn’t he? They were both going to be okay.
“Well,
the thing was…is…” Trowa continued once he had Heero’s attention again. “The
thing is…we made a discovery…”
“About
Duo,” Quatre chimed in quickly, earning him a small smile of gratitude from his
taller companion.
“He…he
isn’t what he seems, Heero,” Trowa finished softly. He noticed something like
relief fill the Japanese boy’s eyes and for a moment a frown of bemusement was
etched on his handsome features.
“I
know that Duo’s resume was a fake, if that’s what you are worried about,” Heero
said with a soft laugh. “He graduated from a local university, but with the
highest grade point average in his class. So, I think that qualifies him
enough.” He smiled at them. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”
Trowa
shook his head slowly. “No, Heero. There is more.”
The
funny feeling returned to Heero’s stomach and this time it was beginning to
leave a bitter taste in his mouth. He stole another frantic glance outside the
window as if hoping that Duo hadn’t disappeared yet. The teacher was done with
his chitchat and was now making his way back towards the house.
“Heero…”
Quatre was saying something, but his words seemed to come from a million miles
away. “Heero, Duo was…Duo is…”
“He
killed a man, Heero,” Trowa finished quietly.
The
world was beginning to spin a bit too fast for the young heir. He wiped a hand
across his mouth as his heart cried out for Duo’s gaze to meet his.
“They
say the man he killed was his…guardian, Heero,” Trowa added sadly. “And his
name was…”
Look
at me, Duo!
Heero cried out as his heart began to pound so fast that he felt as if it would
explode from the intensity of it.
The
teacher stopped abruptly, his brows furrowing into a frown as he sensed
something not quite right.
He
lifted his head, a small smile of recognition coming to his features as he met
the wild blue eyes of his student. He lifted his hand to wave at the boy, but
was stunned at the loud scream that spilled from the student’s throat.
Heero
felt the world cave in on him. Duo’s eyes…those eyes that could melt the
coldest of winter nights with its warmth had always held something he had tried
hard to ignore all this time. They were now the eyes of a man who had killed
before and as the teacher lifted his hand to wave at him, all Heero had seen
were fingers drenched in blood. Thick, red blood that could never be washed
away.
And
as the world caved in on him, Heero was quickly swallowed in its darkness.