|
"Warm Fuzzies Go Bump"Written By: Asymphototropic View Gift art for Warm Fuzzies Go Bump
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam wing. Author: Asymphototropic (attracted toward the
light, but never quite arrives there) Email: asymphototropic@aol.com Rating: NC 17 Warnings: language, rough yaoi, mentions of violence Summary: Duo has been on a mission when something went wrong. Heero is pulled out from his own undercover mission to try and help the 02 pilot. Pairings: 1x2x1 This story was written to go with the delightful picture at the Hatsukoi 2005 Contest. If you want to go check it out, the site is: http://www.yanagi.nu/hatsukoi/
" Warm Fuzzies Go Bump" "01. Po-ish situation re 02. Can you respond? 05." "Status?" "Unknown. Told to find you. No further information." Chang blinked as his screen went blank. He shrugged. Having delivered the coded message, the rest was up to Yuy. xXxXx
Yuy huffed. Plainly, he had no choice but to surface. He assembled a month's worth of encrypted intelligence data, sent it off to Une and waited. The response was brisk, as if his CO had been hovering. "Come in now." The succinctness of the message alarmed Yuy. Definitely something was wrong. xXxXx
Maxwell had a private room. Yuy slipped in and stopped silently at bedside, eying the form curled up on the hospital sheets, clutching a blanket in clenched fists. Duo was clad in some pajama pants too large for his slight form. His hair was unusually unkempt, flowing in an amber torrent, gathered into a loose pony tail. Why wasn't it braided? The hands looked bruised but functional. Heero took note of healing contusions and lacerations about the body. They were extensive, but none seemed serious. He frowned in puzzlement. Stuck a single finger out to prod Duo's naked torso. Stepping quickly out of the dangerous defense zone, he spoke out loud. "Maxwell?" Duo came instantly awake. He eyed Heero suspiciously. "What a funny man," he said. Heero's frown evolved to a full flame scowl. "Maxwell, status," he demanded. "Not s'posed to be here, funny man," Duo stuck out his tongue. "Une called me away from my mission. I want to know why. Now." "Wanna wanna wanna. Fweep," Duo replied, contorting his mouth into goldfish lips, puckering repeatedly. "Yuy, why didn't you alert me to your presence?" Po swept into the room with sudden proprietary displeasure. "I am supposed to be undercover." "I wanted to see how Maxwell reacted upon first seeing you." "Is the data essential?" "Hell, yes." "Maxwell awoke easily. He said 'what a funny man,' and 'not supposed to be here, funny man.' Then he stuck out his tongue at me. What the hell is going on?" Sally ignored the question, instead writing into her notes while murmuring 'what a funny man' and 'not supposed to be here, funny man'. "Did he seem surprised to see you?" "Perhaps more suspicious, I'd say." "Suspicious," the physician murmured while writing further notes. Then she looked at her patient and smiled cheerfully. "Duo. Look. Heero's come to visit you." Duo pouted, staring fixedly at his thumbs as he twiddled them in perfect circles. "Warm fuzzies go bump," he said. "Yuy, kindly make an effort not to scowl at him," Po demanded, but in a neutral sounding voice. Then she turned up the cheeriness another notch. "Duo, aren't you glad Heero came to visit?" "Nurp." "Perhaps I should leave," Yuy glared at the physician. "Out in the hall," Po retorted, grabbing his arm and dragging him. "What happened?" "I wish I knew," Sally sighed in frustration. "Maxwell was working an infiltration job, with Chang his outside contact. Duo failed to report, went missing for a week. Then he turned up in his current condition. Street police found him passed out in an alley. Someone had worked him over with the intention of causing more pain than damage. He's got some sort of renegade drug metabolites still circulating, which have a damned long half life. But to date, Toxicology can't determine what the parent chemicals were. And he's taken a blow to the head. He doesn't appear to recognize any of us. Can't or won't tell us what happened to him. However, this does not appear to be a simple amnesiac state. There is also a behavioral change that suggests regression to a much earlier developmental stage. Usually regression is considered a coping mechanism. However, with an imperfect understanding of the physical trauma endured, and an inconclusive Tox workup, I am unwilling to attribute any of Duo's symptoms to psych at this time." Yuy blinked. "Why call me in?" he asked bluntly. Po paused with her mouth open. Then she shut it with
a snap. "Chang indicated you were Maxwell's closest, hmm, acquaintance.
More familiar with the details of his private life than anyone else.
I actually had entertained some hope that he would recognize you at
first sight. But since plan Abel is defunct, we shall proceed with
plan Baker. I intend to discharge Maxwell into your care. "Commander Une considers the completion of Maxwell's mission more important than mine?" "Yuy, what makes you think that this is about the missions at all?" Po asked in true astonishment. Yuy's glare was sufficiently heated to burn lunch in the cafeteria three stories distant. "Agent Yuy. As of now, and for the foreseeable future, I am your CO. You have your orders and are to execute them at once to the best of your ability. Understood?" Yuy nodded. "Good. What's left of Duo's clothes were torn and stained, plus Forensics wanted them. So I sent Chang to get him some more. I've already dealt with the paperwork. So whenever Wufei gets back, you are free to go. Carry on, Agent Yuy." Heero turned toward the door, but then stood irresolutely staring at it. "What exactly am I supposed to do with him?" he asked. Sally could almost hear a vulnerable quaver to the question. Almost, but not, she decided. "Heero, we're aiming at 'normal and familiar' here. Just try to behave toward him as you usually would." He turned full around to confront her. His stare was a bayonet carved out of an icicle. "Does the phrase 'between consenting adults' ring any bells, Commander?" She was startled by the sudden left turn in the conversation. "Oh. You mean Maxwell and you? Oh. Ah. Sorry, I hadn't gotten that piece of information prior." Well, wonders never ceased! Maxwell and Yuy. Ha. "Clearly, Maxwell does not currently fall under the category of 'consenting adult'," Heero wryly stated. "Yuy. I can see why you might perceive this as a difficult situation. Just use your best judgment. Other aspects of your relationship with Duo..." "What other aspects? What relationship?" Fuck buddies. That's all. Wham bam, thankee Sam. For some reason that Sally could not fathom, she was currently striving hard to suppress a grin. Utterly inappropriate, she chided herself. Not a laughing matter at all. "Well, maybe this would be a good time to get to know Maxwell better. Or at least his inner child, as the case might be." xXxXx
"What possible difference could it make to him?" Yuy asked. "Perhaps it was more for my comfort than his," Chang replied in his usual cool tones. "Duo, do you need help dressing?" "Naw." Maxwell stood, dropped the pajama pants to the floor, and stepped out of them, unabashedly nude. There wasn't an ounce of spare adipose on his lean frame. Powerful shoulders and thighs rested at ease under delicious pale flesh. Yuy took in the view a while, feeling a familiar warm glow deep in his guts. Then he realized Chang's look was directed his way with a note of distinct disapproval. Yuy shrugged and handed the T shirt to Maxwell. Taking the shirt, Duo buried his face in it, nuzzling the fresh aroma of laundry detergent with evident surprise and considerable appreciation. Then he pulled into the garment, smoothing it over his chest while enjoying the bright anime characters printed on it, nodding his head at them as he outlined them with his finger. "Good choice," Yuy said. "Thank you," Chang smiled. He handed Duo the boxers. Maxwell frowned. "Whuzziss?" "Underpants." "Wha'for?" "Its what you usually wear. Doctor Po wants you to put on what you usually wear." "Blaa. Dumb stuff." Duo dropped them on the floor. Chang patiently retrieved them. "Its what people around here wear," Yuy spoke up, and then with a sudden inspiration. "Yer wanna blend in, savvy?" " 'Kay." Duo took the boxers, studied them a moment, deciding which side was front, and then pulled them over the scant curve of his buttocks. Then he looked down at the view, wrinkling his snub nose so hard, it looked like it might retract inside his face altogether. Chang burst out laughing. " 'S' not right?" Duo asked him quizzically, clearly wondering what was so humorous. "Yer got 'em just right," Yuy told him. "Here's yer jeans." "Mah trou," Duo corrected him. Yuy had a modicum of L2 street dialect. Clearly little boy Duo had his own version of the vocabulary. "Yer trou," Heero agreed. "Socks for your feet," Chang handed over the articles. Maxwell seemed to find them as foreign a concept as the boxers. A moment's somber study seemed required, as he noted the shape of them and then applied toes and heels correctly. "And here's your shoes," Wufei concluded. "Yer gots boots," Duo objected. "Big boots. Both yer gots boots." "I would trade with you," Yuy said. "But my feet are too big for your shoes." Duo pouted and then seemed to withdraw inside himself. He sat placidly as Chang got the sneakers onto his feet and tied them. Then Yuy sat on the bed next to Duo and nudged him with his elbow. "Hey. Whuz yer handle anyways?" "Da Kid," Duo grinned, sudden sunshine. "And whuz my handle?" Yuy wondered how he would deal with that one. Duo looked thoughtful. Then he reached over and petted Heero's tousled mass of soft brown hair. "Choco Bear." "I'm Choco Bear?" Yuy's stern blue eyes opened wide. Duo nodded vigorous confirmation. "And whuz his handle?" Yuy directed his thumb toward Chang. "Licorice." Although Duo pronounced it 'licker-eeesh.' Chang snorted. "Thanks to you, Yuy, we are now renamed for food items." "Then just be grateful we are not 'Limburger' and 'Baloney'," Heero suggested. At which Duo snickered. Yuy stood to mutter into Chang's ear. "Its important. Even at this young mental age, Maxwell obviously is an escape artist extraordinaire. He got away from whomever beat him up and doped him. You want him to think of us as his buddies, his gang. Or he'll certainly go AWOL on us. Savvy?" "You betcha," Chang tried his hand at L2ish. "Awrighty then," Yuy retorted. xXxXx
"Unknown. Maybe you could circle the block again," Heero suggested. "This is his usual turf. It suggests he may remember something." "Which would be a very fine thing indeed," Chang muttered, signaling his turn and rounding the block a second time. "Park and walk," Yuy suggested. "Awrighty then," Chang agreed. Maxwell was bouncing up and down on the car seat. When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Duo stared up at the brilliant baby blue sky vaulted high above planet Earth. "Ooo. Pretty." His knees promptly folded and he plummeted toward the pavement. Chang and Yuy hastily collected him between them, holding onto his arms. "Yer feeling a tad dizzy, Kid?" Heero asked him. "Wobbly pegs," Duo said. "Wuzzy muzzy." " 'S' Okay," Heero reassured him. "We gotcha," Wufei added. It seemed a pleasant neighborhood of tall apartment buildings housing small shops on the ground floors. Enthusiasm unabated, Duo started walking with obviously directed intent, dragging Heero and Wufei along with him. xXxXx
Duo looked at Heero with hugely pleading purple eyes. "Puh-leeez," he begged. "Maxwell is lactose intolerant," Yuy stated. "So am I," Chang declared. "Likewise. Three for three." "I propose we buy a single scoop and split it three ways," Wufei suggested. "Just a little," Yuy told Maxwell. "Otherwise we'll make ourselves sick. Savvy?" "Yurp. Gotcha," the Kid nodded solemnly. Inside they went, Duo practically skipping with delight. Chang scrolled down the selections on the computer screen. "Yuy. One of the flavors listed is 'Choco Bears'. I'm betting there's Licorice in there too." "Hey, Kid. You want a scoop of Choco Bears?" Yuy asked Maxwell. Duo pouted. The _expression sent a strange needling sensation straight through Heero's chest. "Poor liddle bears," Duo said sadly. "Dun wanna bite 'em." "That's okay," Chang told him. "We'll keep the bears all nice and safe in their Arctic den. What flavor do you want? You get to choose," he added, hoping it didn't end up being Rainbow Bubblegum Ripple. "Wah-nilly," Duo stated. "Three thousand and one flavors, and you choose vanilla?" "Yurp." Duo nodded eagerly. "Wif goo and sprinkles." Chang highlighted their order on the computer screen.
The shiny robot guarding the place waved its scooper spoon merrily
in the air, as the conveyor belt of mounted ice cream tubs whirled
by in its frosty glass display case. A music box version of the tune
"Rocket Man" glittered out of the speakers. At last, tub
number 3001 arrived in the delivery spot. "Vanilla" blinked
on the identity Duo laughed gleefully at the robot. Yuy got the ice cream serving "to go" with "extra spoons". They sat on a bench in the nearby park, a small patch of carefully groomed lawn surrounded by a narrow perimeter of bright flowers and a few shade trees. The ice cream made the rounds, each of them taking one bite before passing the bowl along. "Yum tum hum," Duo said, seeming perfectly
content with a third fraction share of one ice cream scoop. xXxXx Even though Chang had been at Duo's apartment earlier that day, Yuy insisted on entering first to check the security of the place. "All clear," he called. Chang took a deep breath, while nudging the Kid from the hall toward his apartment. He felt intense curiosity to see how little boy Duo would react to Maxwell's home. Would he show any recognition? Duo walked into the place. It was a small efficiency with a built in fold out couch for bedding. Other than the entrance, there were only two doors, leading to a closet and the bathroom. Duo sat down upon the floor. After waiting briefly for input from the others, he commenced playing with his fingers. It occurred to Chang that little boy Duo had no experience with toys or other external entertainment options. After a few moments, Duo started singing softly to himself. "Inky binky spider clumm up da what ass pout." His fingers playing at imaginary spider legs, crawled over each other, then separated. "I'm da Inky. 'Lo, I'm da Binky. Wanna fight? Per-koo. Pra-kowee." The imaginary spiders battled, tangling, bumping together, exploding apart. "Ooops. Das it for me. Da Inky be toast. Yay, da Binky win. Yay." The right hand fingers designated Inky spider collapsed dead. The left hand fingers designated Binky spider sniffed at the fallen foe's corpse, performed a victory dance, then began creeping over the carpet, Duo following them to see where they might go. "Haya, Reesh?" It took Chang a moment to conclude that this was a new permutation of his handle, 'Licorice'. "Yes, Kid?" "Whuzza 'what ass pout'?" "Hmm. Perhaps it means 'water spout'." "Whuzzat?" "It is a pipe to collect rain." "Whuzzat?" "Water that falls from the sky." "Tha big blue stuff stead o' stars?" "That's right." "So's yer need big boots?" "Yes." "Yer' n' Choco Bear gots big boots fer da rain?" "Yes." Duo drew his knees up under his fine chiseled chin. He stared down disapprovingly at his tennis shoes. Chang had not found Duo's boots in the closet. He suspected they were part of the soiled clothing Forensics had claimed at the Infirmary. "You will have boots before it rains next. Or soon thereafter. We will make sure you have a pair to wear. Even if we have to buy new ones." Round purple eyes regarded Wufei carefully. It seemed little boy Duo had a healthy skepticism with respect to future promises of any sort. "Chang," Yuy called to him. Heero stood before the small refrigerator in the tiny kitchenette. "Maxwell was remembering," he stated with a calculating look, gesturing toward the freezer. Inside were three partially consumed Milky Way take out containers of vanilla ice cream with fudge sauce and sprinkles. "Maxwell needs us," Wufei declared, slightly smiling. "I shall inform him that I am available to split a scoop whenever future necessity arises." "Hn," Yuy grunted. Chang's declaration resulted in a sudden surge of jealousy, which he set aside carefully, as if slamming the refrigerator door shut upon the emotion. "His memory may be distorted, but not utterly wrecked. Commander Po suggested that the drugs in his circulation are long lasting. Perhaps Maxwell's recovery will be a simple matter of sleeping off the overdose." "That is greatly to be desired," Chang agreed. "Let us hope so." And then after a contemplative pause, "Maxwell probably visits the ice cream parlor to watch the robot and listen to the music box." "Why do you say that?" "Because he has several partially consumed containers of ice cream in his freezer." "Maybe he goes to the park, and then gets the urge for ice cream when he is distant from his refrigerator." "Maybe," the warm curve of Chang's lips seemed to indicate he preferred his earlier surmise. Yuy was in mission mode still. Impatiently he set the ice cream topic aside as irrelevant. "I was wondering about what he said to me at first. He told me 'not supposed to be here'. Po wasn't restricting his visitors. So why would the Kid say that?" "Perhaps because he knew you were away on a mission?" "Perhaps. But then he said 'warm fuzzies go bump'. What does that signify?" "As I recall, in the colloquial, 'warm fuzzies' refers to pleasant feelings." "And the 'go bump' part of the phrase?" "Taking a blow, perhaps?" "Maxwell's pleasant feelings took a blow when he saw me?" Yuy frowned, disliking the negative connotation, the reiteration that Duo didn't want Heero to visit him. Chang responded soothingly, "perhaps it was merely that you interrupted a pleasant dream when he was sleeping?" "Perhaps," Yuy replied uncertainly. That entire first encounter with little boy Duo was nagging at his investigatory tendencies. A portion of his mind could not let it rest. Po had placed quite a bit of emphasis on it as well, he remembered. "I think we'll be fine now, if you have other commitments," Yuy told Chang. "I don't, thank you," Wufei bowed slightly with a hint of sarcasm to his _expression. "I'm rather tired. Since I've been pulled from my mission, I may as well seize the opportunity to get some sleep," Yuy said pointedly. Chang returned the principle with interest. "Are you certain you two will be all right together?" "I am assigned by Commander Po to watch over Maxwell. You may feel assured I shall take the work seriously," Yuy retorted in somewhat icy tones. "Please do not hesitate to contact me," burning coal eyes fixed glacier blue insistently. Suddenly with no warning, Yuy felt a total collapse of his defenses. He rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Maybe you could touch base in the morning?" he suggested. "If anything changes before then, I'll inform you." "Thank you." Chang touched Yuy briefly on the arm. His _expression suggested a retrenchment of his emotional forces in response to Heero's. Yuy appreciated it. xXxXx
With the intention of watering the palm tree, Yuy filled the tea kettle. He paused when he noted little boy Duo's purple eyes, round with wonder. "Yer gots plenty?" the Kid asked in awe. "We gots plenty. I'll show you the bathroom and kitchen, as soon as I water your plant for you." "Yer gots plenty, on er count of the rain?" "That's right," Yuy agreed. "Yer gots big boots, on er count of the rain?" "Yes." Yuy watered the palm tree. Duo tugged off his sneakers and flung them across the room, to ricochet off the wall. Suddenly, there was a strong hint of Shinigami, glowering out of fiery purple eyes. Yuy opted to ignore this display of temper. He completed his botanical task, then replaced the kettle in the kitchen. "Put your shoes away so we don't trip on them," Yuy opened the closet door. Past his surge of anger, the Kid collected the shoes as directed and placed them neatly in the closet. Heero took off his boots and then his socks. He wiggled his toes. "I like to go barefoot when I'm at home," he told the Kid. Then he placed the boots inside the closet and shut the door emphatically, willing the sore subject out of sight, out of mind. "Socks in the laundry hamper," he showed Duo the bathroom. "Piss in the pot." He commenced his tour guide duties. xXxXx
Always the competitor, Yuy had also to resist the tug of war with Chang over Duo's affections. He had repeatedly to reiterate to himself that the Kid needed their gang for his comfort, that both Choco Bear and Reesh were required components of that security detail. And when they weren't stifling their natural aggressions, the two of them found themselves in frequent agreement. Heero was quite surprised to find he enjoyed Wufei's company. The two agents had very thoroughly explored Duo's personal effects for anything pertaining to Maxwell's last disastrous mission. But Shinigami, being an espionage expert, had left nothing incriminating to be found. The most interesting item they uncovered was an instruction manual in Japanese, to build a replica antique American Indian motorcycle. The edges of the book pages were filled with marginalia in Duo's characteristic script, notes on hotter modifications of the plan, with careful monetary totals. Heero figured Duo intended to build the bike part by part, as soon as he had accumulated sufficient cash for the first installment. One evening before bedtime Heero settled into the armchair, studying the motorcycle kit manual. He jumped, startled when he realized the Kid had approached silently within inches before alerting Yuy to his presence. "Wanna see," Duo suggested hopefully. "Come on," Yuy agreed, sliding to one side, making room for Duo's thin form next to his. The Kid snuggled up comfortably, and rested his head on Heero's shoulder. Yuy held his breath a moment. Although he had been helping the Kid with grooming, he had brushed the amber hair into a pony tail, avoiding the braid. Heero had to acknowledge to himself what a strongly erotic symbol he found Maxwell's braid. Earlier this very day, Chang had suggested that resumption of adult Maxwell's preferred hair configuration might be an important nudge for his ailing memory. Yuy had strongly resisted the hint, but found himself embarrassed to explain why. That problem should remain private, unspoken. Sharing a bed with Duo and restricting their actions to merely sleeping in it was a wearying problem. The Kid was very affectionate and liked to cuddle. To hell with it. Yuy put his arm around Duo and hugged him closer. "Mmm hmm," the Kid indicated his satisfaction. Yuy read out loud in Japanese, a language the Kid didn't comprehend. In contrast, adult Duo was fluent in it. Come on, Maxwell. I know you're in there somewhere. Time to come out of hiding. Heero read for an hour or more, until his voice got tired and dry. Looking down, he found Duo sleeping sweetly, contentment painting a small, rosy smile across his lips. Yuy unfolded the couch bed and tucked them both in for the night. xXxXx
Heero jerked out of dreamless oblivion. His boxers were gone, and lube-drenched fingers were handling his hard-on with powerful strokes. Yuy leaped out of bed, his erection doing a grand imitation of an olympic class diving board. "Maxwell?" he asked the darkness hesitantly. Purple eyes gleamed sarcastically through the gloomy shadows. "Damnation, Yuy. Yer in my own friggin' bed, in my own freakin' apartment, pokin' me in my own fuckin' butt with a boner the size of the Washington Monument. An yer gots the unmitigated fellatious unholy gall to imply yerd rather be humpin' some other slut than me?" "Sorry, guess I'm not totally awake yet." Heero sat cautiously on the extreme edge of the mattress, painfully aware of his rock hard cock. "What's this, some sort of 'I'm a virgin, seduce me,' role-playin' scenario? Yer wan' me to talk yer into it, babe?" Yuy groaned out loud. " 'Thas' it," Maxwell stated. "I'm hotter than a saguaro horny toad. Can't wait no more." Duo knocked Heero flat against the mattress and climbed on top. Heero moaned as Duo's hot mouth seared his own. His hands moved ineffectually against the Kid's, no, Maxwell's, skin, as his bedmate manhandled Yuy's cock into position, and skewered himself suddenly and thoroughly upon it. Duo rode him wildly awhile, Heero hopelessly entangled in confusion and lust. "Come on, babe, take me, won't yer?" Yuy stared, drowning in violent violet undertow. Maxwell cuffed him in the face. "Wake up, Yuy. I need it hard, I tell ya. Need it bad. Yer wan' me to beg, damn it all?" It was a mere open handed slap, but it was calculated to enrage. Furiously hot, Yuy toppled Maxwell and shoved in hard. "Yeah, like that," Duo whispered hoarsely, tossing his head feverishly, eyes rolling inward. Yuy felt the stormy groundswell of a month's celibacy crammed into the constriction of a week's wretched denial. It hit the dam and exploded through it. He spread those succulent ass cheeks wide and pounded his thick cock into Maxwell's sweet tight cuntfer. "Fucking Maxwell," he told himself. "Adults. Fuck buddies. Just like before." When Duo reached for his own cock, Heero grabbed his
hands and held them away, denying his partner completion. Yuy pounded
away until he hit his limit, and skyrocketed to the moon. Then he
pulled out, dropped down, swallowing Always the silent street rat, Maxwell hissed when he came extensively over Yuy's tight-wrapped fist. Then he collapsed on the bed. Several silent minutes, Yuy lay scowling beside him. "Maxwell. Are you all right?" he asked after a while. He wiped the turmoil of hair out of Duo's face. The eyes stayed shut. Yuy groped the pure white throat for a pulse. Watched the chest rise and fall evenly. "Maxwell. Are you asleep? "Duo?" And then with considerable trepidation, "Kid?" Pause. No answer. Yuy wiped Maxwell's skin with a clean towel, then carefully covered his naked body with the sheet and blanket. After a long wait, he also slept. xXxXx "What do you remember?" he asked Duo over morning coffee. "Seems like you pounded my ass pretty hard," Maxwell favored him with a demonesque grin and a wink. "You wanna go get some doughnuts, huh?" "Before that," Yuy prodded impatiently. "What do you recall about your last mission, for instance." "Beallox and company. Fraudulent to the core. I wrote up the paper work and handed it in to Une 'in a timely manner', as she is oh-so fond of saying." A case from over a month ago, Heero noted. There came a knock at the door. Chang. Wufei held up a pair of hideously grimy combat boots
in an evidence bag. "I brought the Kid's boots. Forensics was
through working them over," he said with pleasure painting that
subtle smile upon his lips. "I'll clean them up for him. And
we'll be the Big Boots Gang," he laughed slightly. "I think
Duo must special-order his footwear. Finding regulation boots this
small is not an easy "Oh gods. Oh shit. Fucking grade A." Duo turned a pasty gray shade, staring at Chang. Then he turned hastily, bolted for the head. Dropped to his knees at the toilet and ralffed repeatedly into the welcoming receptacle. The soiled boots must have triggered his memory. Bad things came flooding back to him in a torrent. "Kid? Maxwell?" Chang asked in utter bewilderment. Yuy gathered Duo's hair away from the mess. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Duo? You okay?" "Yeah. Will someone fucking please tell me what the hell is going on?" Chang fetched him a damp wash rag, and Yuy handed him a cool glass of water. With trembling hands, Maxwell groped his medicine cabinet for the ibuprofen bottle. Duo sank shivering into the chair, holding the cool cloth to his forehead. "Why do I feel like I'm comin' off a month-long drunk?" He stared at Yuy, long and hard. "Yer not dead. Tell me yer not dead." "I'm not dead," Yuy stated somberly. "Thank the gods fer that. I kept telling myself it was a damn nasty scam. Hoping against hope for it. Gods. Thank the gods, that's all." Suddenly there were hot tears streaming down Maxwell's cheeks. All in an instant, Heero found himself grappling Duo, gripping his body like a vice, stroking the long mess of hair hanging down his back. "Its okay. I'm not dead. Everything's all right." Gradually, step by strange step, Chang and Yuy told Maxwell their half of the story. Then it was Duo's turn. "My infiltration job. Yuy, your nasty undercover assignment, that company you worked for was a front for mine. But you were getting close to putting it all together. Too close for the bad guys' comfort. They were nine-tenths on to you, buddy. Suspicious, watching you. But not sure. I wanted out, so's I could warn you. I got to pushing too hard. Got careless. Got caught riffling through paper work I had no business ogling. Ya know they're into illegal designer drugs, doncha?" "Yes," Yuy nodded. "But there were so many smaller labs and outlets and front companies. I was hanging on longer than I should, trying to account for them all. I should have pulled out with what I'd gotten together. But I didn't want to let the others get away." Duo groaned. "Well they caught me bein' nosey. Pumped me full of their latest concoction. Weird stuff. Supposed to block off large chunks of your memory. Turn your average competent adult into a drooling baby." "What the hell for?" Heero growled. "For perverts who are into shota, I guess. Take
a consenting adult. Turn them into a whimpering child. Seems to be
a turn-on for some sickos. Go figure," Duo shuddered. "They
kept shooting me up with the stuff. Guess I didn't react the way they
figured. I kept passing out. Then waking up and fighting them tooth
and nail. One of the big baddies was mega into S 'n M. Brought a There came a longish silence. Then Duo smiled somewhat tremulously at Chang and Yuy. "So ya got to meet Da Kid, huh? Guess I gave you a pretty damn hard time, eh? Pretty tough friggin' customer?" Yuy tugged Maxwell onto his lap. "You were a charming child," he growled into the soft fuzz at the base of Duo's neck. "Delightful company. Very sweet and innocent. You called me Choco Bear." Maxwell groaned aloud. "No fucking way." "Yes indeed. And I was Reesh. Short for Licorice," Chang divulged. "Eye candy, I guess," Maxwell blushed and shrugged. "So I was a pretty baby, huh? Go figure. Guess I better report in to Une that I'm finally present and mostly accounted for? So we can wrap up all the remaining bad guys." "Commander Po first," Chang told him. "Sally will be very glad to hear you are finally compos mentis. I dare say she will wish to poke and prod you thoroughly before writing you up for the medical journals." "Oh gods, hide me will ya?" Maxwell groaned, grinning, as he headed for his communications center. Yuy nudged Chang. "Do you miss the Kid?" he whispered. "Yes," Wufei chuckled. "But he's inside there, lurking somewhere, I suppose." "Agreed. We were going for doughnuts. Join us?" "Do you think he'll be up for that, after being so sick?" Yuy smirked. "Yes." xXxXx
Yuy just had to ask. "Duo. When the Kid first saw me. He, I mean you, said, 'warm fuzzies go bump'. What do you suppose you meant?" "Guess I was tryin' to tell you how hard I took that video. The fake. Of them killing you," Maxwell whispered, staring down at the pavement, scuffing his sneaker toe against the concrete somewhat abashedly. "I took it pretty hard, I guess." "Oh," Yuy replied softly. "That would explain that. Yes." "So," Maxwell rallied his spirits. "Ya still gonna clean my boots for me, Chang?" he teased. "If you wish," Wufei responded complacently. Duo eyed him with considerable surprise. Then turned to examine Yuy, walking snugged up close to him. "So. Choco Bear, Reesh and Da Kid," he muttered. "We were a gang, huh?" "Still are, if you ask me," Yuy stated. Under the swaying end of a gleaming braid, Heero's hand rested momentarily against the small of Duo's back, then dropped away. "The Big Boots Gang," Maxwell chuckled. He looked up into the high clear sky. "Tha big blue stuff stead o' stars," he murmured, as if remembering a dream dimly. Then he shook his head. "Dun look like rain anytime soon." "Then there will be no hurry in cleaning your boots," Chang asserted wryly. They headed for the doughnut shop. As they walked along the street, Heero draped his arm over Duo's shoulder. It could have been Maxwell. Or the Kid. Either way, it felt right to him. ~ * ~
|
