*sleeps*

[keire_ke]

I swear I was a cat in a past life. I could nap and nap and nap and nap... *yawns*

So, I wake up at 7 am this morning, get up, march to the train station, get to Richmond, and find out the boss is not there. Um. Okay. I call him two times, he doesn't pick up. I wait for an hour, he doesn't show up. I give up (luckily, another guy let my into the lobby, or I would be cold and very annoyed) and get back to the station. On the train, just outside Staines, boss calls. Apparently he overslept. *dies*

On the plus side, with all the free time I could work on this a little:

Duo fell asleep sometime during their journey. Heero watched his reflection in the armoured glass, rolling his eyes every time the driver took a turn too – in his opinion – sloppily. He ended up rolling his eyes quite often. The taxi they caught outside the police station took them to the outskirts of New York, where Commander Une arranged for “a more suitable form of transport”.

 

Heero was only peeved, because they wouldn’t let him drive. He settled on the backseat with much ado, grumpiness visible a mile away. Until Duo, having fallen asleep, rested his head on his shoulder. For some reason the grouchiness gave way to mild irritation, which in turn dissipated as the young man wiggled in search of a better spot.

 

Heero never suspect the action of ‘wiggling’ of being cute. It must have been one of the things he missed out on, working round the clock, seven days a week. Coming to think of it, he rarely used the word ‘cute’. Or ‘adorable’. He cocked his head to the side and stared at the sleeping figure, scrutinizing every fold of cloth and patch of skin with utmost attention. He had been wondering all this time just how on Earth Duo managed to defend himself against people with Assassin D Generation body type. He didn’t recognise the exact code, but the D types were difficult to defeat, with a stroke of luck. Without, damn near impossible. He had managed, but then again, he was a unique design. Plus, he had specific training.

 

Duo was rather slender. Having made a point of catching him once or twice in his boxers, Heero could tell there were muscles on his frame, but they weren’t particularly impressive. Just enough to make him look… good. He was strong, but no stronger than his weight would indicate. Three weeks he’d tried and solve that mystery, and nothing even remotely resembling a clue had appeared. Heero’s brow furrowed. He couldn’t see Duo well at the angle his head was resting, but he spent enough time alternating staring and glaring to know the face by heart. Nevertheless, he would prefer to have a better vantage point, though he wasn’t quite prepared to lose the warmth of Duo’s cheek against his shoulder.

 

“Why are you staring at me?”

 

Heero very nearly jumped in surprise. “What?”

 

“You’re staring at me. I want to know why,” Duo clarified without looking up.

 

“So now I need a permission to use my eyes?” Heero snapped, though a different question was on his mind. ‘How did he know?’

 

“Yes, if you’re using them to make me nervous.”

 

“I’m not trying to make you nervous.” The teenager moved away from the other man, yawning widely. Heero found his eyes just wouldn’t be averted. “How did you know someone got killed?” Duo blinked at him, taken aback.

 

“Why do you ask?”

 

“I wasn’t told anything. The story wasn’t on the news or even on the net, yet you knew, somehow.” The younger man shot a glance out the window.

 

“I have no idea,” he admitted quietly. “The atmosphere at the station was tense, so I thought something really bad must have happened, and someone getting killed was the first thing that sprung to mind.”

 

“You guessed something bad happened and assumed someone died?” Heero couldn’t quite stop his voice from sounding incredulous. He got a glare for his lack of trouble.

 

“I did not guess! The atmosphere was tense in general, the commander seemed extremely tense and agitated. And worried. Somewhat scared too. Since she’s had people looking for the bastards responsible and was upset, I assumed it went wrong. And really, you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out just what could’ve happened.”

 

“She looked upset? Une is a tough bitch,” as if to prove a point, Yuy dropped his voice a notch, ensuring the words did not carry through to the driver, “she doesn’t do upset.”

 

“You’re not looking had enough then. She was visibly upset.” Try as he might, Heero couldn’t get another explanation out of Duo. Eventually the younger man just stop talking altogether and kept staring out the window morosely. The officer kept staring at him.

 

Several hours after their meeting with Une, the car took a left, onto one of the less populated roads. It took a few more turns to them off the beaten tract and to the electrical fence, which, according to Heero, marked his father’s property.

 

“Stop before the gates,” he instructed the driver. Once the car stopped the officer made his way to the left pillar supporting the fancy arch. Without any hesitation he pressed the intercom button and waited for a reply.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Heero Yuy,” the officer replied curtly.

 

“Heero, my boy! Good to hear you’ve arrived in one piece. Come on in.” The gates swung open with a whoosh.

 

“Go,” the man commanded getting back into the car. The still running engine took off without the slightest glitch, carrying them into the property, yet for some reason Duo flinched when the gates started swinging shut. Heero found that his hand had found its way to the coppery braid of its own accord. He tugged very gently, to catch his charge’s attention.

 

“You’re being morose again.”

 

“I don’t like being driven into high security areas. They give me the shivers.”

 

“For a good reason too,” Heero mused. “Try and relax. My father is a little weird – he takes some getting used to.”

 

“Should I be worried?” The tone of his voice indicated beyond any doubt that whatever the answer was, he would be worried.

 

“He does have an artificial hand, or rather a claw, and I have been wondering about his eyes for a longer while.”

 

“Happy little bunny, is he?” Duo intoned sourly, though a reluctant smile turned his face into someone Heero could finally recognise. Maxwell had a face that – when sombre – gave the impression that genocide was just committed on all immediate and distant family members. Of course, in the present situation he had every right to wear such an expression, since as the police found out that the deceased couple were Duo’s only family. It did not make it suit his face, however.

 

“Yeah. Happy little bunny.”

 

Before long the car stopped again, this time in front of a rather unimpressive one-storey building. Duo felt a little off-balance.

 

“Is this it?” Behind the two of them the car withdrew to a respectable distance. Heero knew without looking that there was a pistol in the man’s hand, just below the window, ready to be used in case something went wrong.

 

“No, the main building is underground. I told you my father is paranoid.”

 

“Wired fence, CCTV at every turn, underground home, signed son – he is beyond paranoid, Heero. Or they’re really out to get him.” The officer smothered a chuckle.

 

“Wouldn’t be horribly surprised if that was indeed the case. He does get on people’s nerves, after a while.”

 

“Heero, my boy!” A deep voice cut their conversation short. “Good to see you, finally. I swear, you never bother to take time off to visit me.” A man appeared outside. Heero, out of the corner of his eye noticed Duo tensing almost imperceptibly. It worried him that the boy did not relax immediately afterwards.

 

“Father. It’s not like you go out of your way either,” the man shot back, bowing slightly. The older man ignored his words and turned to Duo instead.

 

“You are the witness, I take it?”

 

“The correct term would be ‘target’, I believe,” Duo drawled, sticking his hand out politely. Doctor Jin shook it, appraising the youth. Eventually he snorted.

 

“A little modesty, dear boy! Who could possibly wish to go to so much trouble, just for you?” Heero almost growled. He was used to the gruff mannerisms. He was fully aware that in normal society they classified as rudeness.

 

“I sure wish they wouldn’t, at any rate,” Duo muttered right back. Heero moved a little, so that his hand could grip the end of the braid once again. He pressed it against the small of the younger man’s back for a brief moment, hoping to somehow comfort the youth. It seemed to work, if only momentarily. Duo glanced at him gratefully, stepping back an inch or so, just enough to let Heero know the contact was appreciated.

 

They missed the hard stare Heero – or rather his hand – received from his father. “Well, no use standing here. The world is full of potential murderers, no need to tempt them. Inside lads.” The small group disappeared within the building. As the door closed behind them, the driver of the car let the pistol fall to the passenger seat. The tires turned reluctantly on the sandy ground as the vehicle swivelled and left the premises.

Comments

[theotherdigit.livejournal.com]

Yey! [happy dance] I think this might be my favorite fic of yours so far, so I'm glad you decided to write more of it ^0^! [...] And hopefully finish it? Hm? Pleeeeeease? [puppy eyes]

Heero is still being ultra-cute in a very ... uncute way XDDD;. And what is this special ability that Duo has o.O? Not sure what to think of Jin yet, though. [eyes him]

[keire-ke.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear it. ^___^ I do have it planned right until the very end. The rest, quoting Mozart, is just scribbling. :P

*grins* I like my Heero dense. To a certain degree. As for Duo and Jin - well, you'll just have to wait and see. ;P