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"Gravity and Oxygen"Written By: Miss Murdered Disclaimer: I don't own the GW characters - am
just borrowing to torment for my amusement Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Swearing, Implied relationships, Blood
and Injury, Angst, Fluff Pairings: 1x2 Summary: A series of vignettes of Heero and Duo navigating post-war life together. Notes: Inspired by the song Follow You by Bring
Me the Horizon and a set of OTP prompts I found. "Gravity and Oxygen"
Notes: The prompt title was "hospital visit" but I decided to diverge from the usual a little... Disinfectant. White. Bright lights. The squeaky floor. The hand gel tingling on fingertips. It was all so familiar. Too damn familiar. Duo hated hospitals but being that he had a rather, ahem, colourful backstory and career, he found himself in them far too often. It was the dread, the deep knowingness in his gut that this was another time Heero was in a hospital and this time it was perhaps worse… as it wasn’t Heero in the bed and that was harder for Heero to deal with than being than the injured one. Duo didn’t pause at the reception desk, his Prev jacket providing the only identification that was needed. It wasn’t as though the people behind that desk didn’t know who he was. It was the Preventer Medical and Rehabilitation Centre and it’s sparkling hallowed halls were somewhere Duo had walked far too many times. The waiting room was down the main corridor and Duo didn’t pause at the appointment rooms, passing by the sign that read Dr Po without missing a beat. When he arrived at the waiting room, it was the same as it always was, the lights muted, the television screen on the wall showing a repetitive series of images and advertisements of services offered by the Centre, the music relaxing in the background and the coffee machine illuminated by a brighter light - the sole beacon of hope, it seemed. And in that room was a very rumpled Heero Yuy, his elbows on his knees and his head in hands as though he was prepared in some form of brace position. He was alone, the day time appointments having ceased hours ago and it was only those who had been recently brought in from missions and injured who would be spread through the private rooms across the floor. “Hey,” Duo said softly which alerted Heero to his presence. He was pretty sure that Heero was already aware that Duo was there, his preternatural senses never quite dulling despite the many years since the war but it seemed that he had opted not to acknowledge him until he spoke. Heero looked up, his hair ruffled and his eyes strained, the debris of an explosion still on his skin. “You didn’t have to come.” Duo snorted. “And miss the amazing waiting room coffee? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The attempt at humour was his defence mechanism, his stupid attempt to make the situation better but Duo knew it wasn’t working and sighed deeply. “You need me. I’m here. Kinda how this whole thing works, ‘Ro.” Heero nodded and Duo took the chair next to him, the leather creaking as he took his seat. He reached for Heero’s hand, the blood and the grime still under his fingernails and Duo threaded their fingers together. “How is he?” “In surgery.” “Wanna talk about it?” Heero grunted. “It’s my fault.” “That some terrorist planted a bomb? Yeah… all your fault.” “I should’ve let him go point…I was ahead when the main blast happened…” Duo knew that - he’d been falling asleep when the call had come through. Une had called herself. That what had been a pretty innocuous seeming training exercise had been anything but… Heero had a new trainee shadowing him. It was supposed to be a mutually beneficial thing - a fine young agent got to learn from one of the best and Heero was forced to socialise. Duo laughed about it, teased Heero about Agent Starhawk (why oh why were the Preventer call signs so cringeworthy?) but now he knew how Heero felt. Deeply responsible. Even if it was bad intel. Even if the situation wouldn’t have turned out any differently if Heero had been with a more senior agent. If Duo had been his partner. If that was allowed… “Yeah… but he’s got the best in the biz patching him up and I ain’t gonna say anything about it being your fault. Things happen. People don’t join Prev without knowing the risks. They signed up for it.” “He didn’t sign up to die.” “He’s not gonna,” Duo replied with more confidence than he felt as he got up to procure coffee. He’d been told about the blast and piece of shrapnel that was embedded in Agent Starhawk’s abdomen. It didn’t seem like it had hit anything vital but no one knew. Duo certainly wasn’t a doctor or a surgeon apart from the occasional bit of stitching up in the field. He brought over two cups of coffee, placing out down in front of Heero and noted how Heero was now looking up, how he looked less strained. “Drink some coffee. Wash yourself up. There’s nothing you can do right now.” Duo wasn’t sure if Heero took this as an order and that’s why he complied, or whether Duo had provided some relief from the thoughts in his head but Heero took a few sips and then went to the bathroom to remove some of the blood and grit from his hands and face. It left Duo alone and he sighed, looking at the grey carpeted floor and thinking about how he had spent far too many hours looking at the speckled patterned underneath his feet. When Heero returned he looked ever so slightly less haggard and Duo smiled softly. “I’m guessing I can’t persuade you to go home and wait for news, can I?” Heero shook his head. “His family aren’t here yet.” “Any kids or anything?” “No, his parents… a brother…” Duo felt a slight twinge of relief even though he knew he shouldn’t. Least Agent Starhawk didn’t have kids, something to make Heero feel less guilty if the worst happened. No more potential orphans. “What’s his name? I find it dumb referring to him as Agent Starhawk.” It was against protocol to share with someone who wasn’t involved in the op but Heero replied softly. “Aiden.” Duo nodded. He didn’t have anything else to offer - any comfort but then Heero didn’t need that. He just needed to be not alone. To deal with his guilt. To realise, maybe, after a few hours, that it wasn’t his fault and that he hadn’t planted the explosive. Duo reached for Heero’s hand again, entwining fingers together and brought it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to Heero’s scraped knuckle. “It’s not your fault, ‘Ro.” The only reply was a soft grunt. Heero didn’t believe him yet… but in time, he would.
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