'...' thoughts
Chordney Manor Part 7
Duo thought for sure he could literally feel his blood freeze in his veins, not only had he somehow managed to move all the way across the bed until he was pressed up close to Heero's side, but he had also managed to throw one leg across the other man's hips, his nightshirt riding up to his waist in the process. This then left his morning erection pressing into Heero hip. If he could die from the embarrassment, he would.
Of course, he would have to survive Heero's wrath first, but after nearly five full minutes of waiting for him to do or say anything, he figured it would be best if he simply cut his losses and moved to leave the bed. Heero's arms though stopped him before he could go very far and for a moment he was sure the man was about to carry through on his many threats over the years. But instead, Heero merely held him close as he continued to stare down at him.
"Um, Heero?" Duo finally asked when the silence became too much for him to bear. "Could you...?" he continued, mentioning toward the arms that held him still.
"Don't you like it?" Heero asked quietly, his fear of rejection almost causing his voice to crack. When he had awoken nearly half an hour ago to find the braided man draped across his chest, he had thought at first that he was still asleep and dreaming. Many of his dreams concerning his best friend started out like this, but it had not taken long for him to realize that he was indeed awake and this was turning out to be a dream come true instead.
"Um, well, yeah." the violet-eyed man admitted, his cheeks coloring in embarrassment. "But, I mean, why are you...?"
"When I woke up you were...here." Heero said, his own cheeks growing warm at his words as well. "You didn't sleep well last night, you kept tossing and turning, and I didn't want to wake you so...."
"Oh." Duo breathed. For just a split second he had hoped that Heero would say that it was because he had wanted to feel him in his arms. Instead, it was just because he had not wanted to wake him and once again he had to chastise himself for his wishful thinking.
"And besides," Heero began softly even as he tightened his hold, bringing their bodies flush once more. "I--" Whatever he was going to say though was cut off by the insistent knocking that chose that moment to started on the door to his room.
"Heero!" Dawn's frantic voice called through the door a second later. "Open up, Duo's missing."
With a sigh and softly muttered curse, Heero released his hold on the braided man and climbed from the bed to go answer the door, pausing only briefly to light a lamp before continuing. Duo though took the time to lie back on the bed and watched him closely, while trying to figure out exactly what had almost happened between them. The look on the blue-eyed man's face as he had pulled him close had instantly set his blood to boiling and while he knew he would berate himself later for his hope, he still allowed himself to see more in that gaze than mere friendship. Finally, still puzzling the events out in his minds, he slipped from under the covers, swung his legs over the edge and followed the dark-haired man across the room.
"Heero!!" Dawn yelled yet again only to have her knocking cut off a moment later by the door swinging open. "Oh thank god." she breathed at seeing the bed-tossed man standing on the other side. The lamp she was clutching in her right hand wavering briefly as her body reacted with a shiver to her relief. "I thought for a moment you'd disappeared too."
"'Too.' What do you mean?" the blue-eyed man asked.
"Beth woke me up early this morning, saying she was worried about Duo after everything that happened yesterday. So we went to check on him and when he didn't answer the door, we went in." she rushed out, only pausing to take a breathe once it was all said. Her eyes then took on a sad and lost look as she continued in a whisper, "He wasn't there, Heero."
"That's because I'm here." Duo said as he stepped into the circle of light cast by the two lamps. He had wanted to wait and see what the trouble was before announcing himself, just in case.
"Oh Duo!" Dawn exclaimed, her face lighting up in happiness at seeing the violet-eyed man safe and sound. "Thank god you're alright. We were so worried."
"Aw, you shouldn't have worried about me." he smiled brightly, coming to stand beside Heero and throwing an arm over the other man's shoulder. "I had 'Ro here with me to keep me safe."
"I thought you said Beth was with you?" Heero asked, noting the other woman's absence even as he stoically ignored the man beside him and the feel of that lithe body pressed against his.
"She went to find Miss Relena." the dark-haired woman offered. "She was so adamant that we keep a close eye on the both of you that we just had to let her know what was going on."
"'Keep an eye on us.'" Heero repeated, his brows drawing down in confused suspicion. "Why would Relena ask you to watch us?"
"...um, well." Dawn hemmed as a deep blush colored her cheeks while, in her mind, she cursed herself for allowing part of the plan to escape in her relief. But before she could find a decent excuse, a blur of peach fabric flew past her, hitting Duo squarely in the chest, and causing him to stumble backwards a step to keep from falling.
"Duo!" Beth exclaimed as she wrapped her arms firmly around the man's waist and buried her face in this chest. "I was so worried about you."
"Um, well, I'm alright so...." Duo stammered, his eyes turning to Heero and begging the other man to give him a hand in dealing with her. The look on the dark-haired man's face though gave him pause and left him blinking in no small amount of shock. He was sure it was enough to peel paint from metal, and even stranger still, it was squarely focused on the woman's back, who was doing her level best to squeeze all the air out of his chest. He was still in the process of trying to pry the woman from himself when Relena and the others arrived.
"Oh thank goodness." Relena breathed, as did Hilde, who, after throwing a quick, questioning look in her blonde girlfriend's direction, went to help Duo extract Beth from his person. Relena too had seen the way Beth was clinging to Duo and not even her relief at seeing the braided man could cover the unease she experienced at the scene. It was definitely time to have a talk with the two women; given the circumstances, the plan would have to be put off indefinitely. "Duo," she said. "you scared us all half to death."
"I'm sorry." the violet-eyed young man said as he hung his head sheepishly. "I didn't mean to worry anyone."
"No." Heero chimed in. "It's my fault."
"Well, Heero." she said, giving him a knowing yet warm smile. "I guess that everything's alright now, but it would've been nice if you had told someone. It would've prevented this scene."
"What scene?" Quatre asked as he and Trowa finally joined the group. Wufei and Zechs had still been with Relena when Beth had burst into her room in a panic over not being able to find Duo. They had been waiting for Gregory's servant, Edward, to arrive so they could question him. Upon hearing the news from the frantic woman though, they had immediately headed for Heero's room, knowing that if anyone would know the whereabouts of the longhaired man, it would be him.
"They thought I'd vanished." Duo answered with a rueful smile on his face.
"And I take it you didn't?" Trowa asked.
"Nope, one hundred percent present and accounted for." the violet-eyed man chirped.
"But why are you in Heero's room and why are you still in your nightshirt?" Beth asked in confusion. By then, Hilde had managed to convince her to release her strangle hold on the violet-eyed man, although not without some serious glares and low spoken words from each of them. But she still refused to leave his side, which caused Hilde's frown to deepen even further.
"He stayed with me last night." Heero stated, the emphasis on the word 'me' not being missed by those gathered at his door, drawing an incredulous look from Duo, who was still trying to figure out what exactly had happened between them earlier.
"You spent the night with Heero?" Quatre asked in both wonder and awe even as he directed a blinding smile toward the violet-eyed man.
"Not like that!" Duo exclaimed, his blush from earlier returning with a vengeance. 'Although I wouldn't have minded in the least.' he added silently.
"I didn't think it was a good idea for him to be alone." Heero offered.
Through her own giddiness over the implications of Heero's statement and actions, Relena could not help but agree with the man. Although, the advice would do best for everyone at the gathering to follow; with all that had happened over the last two days, it would be best if everyone stayed in pairs or groups. But just as she was about to open her mouth to state her own feelings on the subject, she caught a glimpse of Beth, who was still hovering around Duo's side and currently glaring non-to-happily at Heero, who was taking up the young man's other side. It was the dark look on Hilde's face though that worried her the most. While Heero could be a bit overprotective of the braided young man at the best of times, Hilde was down right paranoid where he was concerned and if her mothering instincts were tripped, like the blonde woman had a feeling they were, things could go very badly for Beth. Once again, Relena vowed it was time for the plan to be put on hold.
"I have to agree with Heero on that, although I think we should all practice it as well." Quatre said, taking the words right from her mouth.
"Yes," she agreed with a nod of her head before giving them all a bright smile. "but right now it's time for breakfast."
"There isn't any food, remember?" Duo stated with a deep frown. "We found the empty pantry yesterday."
"Well, evidently, there's more than one kitchen in this house." Zechs offered. "The one you and Heero found is the old kitchen, which only the servants use from time to time."
"Yes, and Gregory had his servants set up a banquet-style breakfast in the ballroom this morning, since he didn't believe that any of us would want to eat in the dining room after what happened yesterday."
"Got that right." Duo breathed before quickly shoving the grisly images from his mind once again. "So, our gracious host finally showed himself, did he?"
"Yes, and evidently with an answer for everything." Wufei snarled. He was still feeling very put off about not being able to pull any information from the man. He just seemed to have an alibi for everything and while they had not been able to question the man's personal servant, the Chinese Preventer was sure he would only confirm his master's story.
At those words and the dark look on the black-haired man's face, Heero found himself frowning as well. The owner and master of the house had tripped every last one of his warning bells during that first night at the ball and finding him practically molesting Duo on the patio had not helped. The fact that he had remained absent until that morning after a murder had been committed in his house, continued to add fuel to his suspicions and it would appear that Wufei felt the same. "Hn." he grunted before turning back to the room; for now he would concern himself with watching over Duo. But Gregory Chordney would have to be dealt with sooner or later. "Go on ahead to the ballroom. Duo and I will join you once we're dressed."
"I'd rather stay, if that's alright." Wufei requested, holding up his hand when Duo started to protest. "I know that the two of you are more than capable of taking care of yourselves, but while two is better than one, three is better than two."
"Aw, Fei." Duo smiled brightly before walking over and throwing an arm over his partner's shoulder, much the same as he had done to Heero earlier. "Does this mean you're worried about me?"
"Shut up Maxwell, or I may decide to kill you before the murderer has a chance." the black-haired man growled, but there was no real venom in his voice nor did he throw the man's arm off. In truth, that was exactly why he was staying.
"That's fine." Heero stated from where he was lighting one of the lamps that resting on the table beside the bed. "But if we don't get dressed now, we won't get any breakfast."
"Oh hell, I forgot about the other guests." Duo exclaimed as he released Wufei and rushed over to the dresser, pulling out a handful of clothing before heading for the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
"That's our Duo." Hilde laughed as she gave a shake of her head.
"Yeah, all else falls to the side where his stomach is concerned." Quatre added with a chuckle of his own.
"I heard that!" came the retort from the bathroom, drawing a laugh from everyone gathered and effectively ridding the room of the tension that had permeated it.
"Well, let's go everyone." Relena said. "Try not to be too long." she added, speaking to Heero.
"We'll be there in just a few minutes." he stated and then the group turned, pulling his door shut behind them as they left.
As soon as they were gone, Heero turned to the dresser as well, pulling out his own outfit for the day and scowling at it. "These clothes were not made for this."
"I don't think they had this in mind when they planned it, Yuy." Wufei offered with a smile before his face sobered once again. When he spoke his next words, his voice was little more than a whisper, "I think I owe you an apology."
"Why?" Heero asked in honest confusion, although he did keep his voice low as well to match the other man's.
"You told me when he chose me as his partner instead of you, that you expected me to watch over him. And I've failed twice in as many days."
"There was nothing anyone could've done to stop what happened."
"No, but it was you that thought about him staying alone last night." Wufei pointed out. "I didn't even give it a thought, even though I knew he was staying in a room by himself. A room I might add, that is located quite a distance from any one of us."
"Just drop it Chang." Heero finally hissed and gave a pointed look toward the closed bathroom door. "This is not the place to discuss this and besides, it wasn't something I planned. I just... it seemed like a good idea at the time."
With that, Heero quickly turned and pulled on his trousers, buttoning them up before stripping off his nightshirt. He could feel the blush from his almost confession heating his face and he cursed his inability to control his body's reactions regarding the braided man. Pushing it aside to be dealt with later, just as he usually did when confronted with them, he threw on the frilly shirt, stuffing it into his pants then buttoning it up as well. For a moment, he considered ignoring the remaining clothes, but knowing that Relena would not be happy if he did, he shrugged the vest and jacket on and then sat down on the bed to pull on the boots.
Wufei meanwhile stood in silence, watching as the man he greatly respected finished his dressing. The promise he had made and his feelings of failure to keep it, still weighed heavily on his mind, but he could also understand Heero's reasoning for not wanting to talk about it with Duo so close. If the violet-eyed man were to ever hear wind of it, well he did not want to be anywhere near the man if or when that happened. So, pushing his thoughts to the side as well, he turned toward the bathroom door only to find it still closed. With a shake of his head to clear his remaining thoughts, he walked over and gave a sharp rap on the wood, drawing a squawk from the man on the other side.
"Are you about ready?" he called through the door.
"Dammit Fei." Duo snarled as he yanked the door open, revealing that he was indeed fully dressed. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
With a smirk firmly on his face, the black-haired man gave his partner a quick once over before turning once again toward Heero. "Since Maxwell has so graciously decided to join us, I assume we're ready."
"I'll give you gracious." Duo mumbled, drawing a chuckle from his partner and a head shake from Heero.
"Let's go." the blue-eyed man stated as he mentioned for Wufei to lead the way.
"You know, it's a good thing I'm hungry and don't have the time to deal with it properly 'cause I'd swear you two were picking on me."
"We are, Maxwell." Wufei chuckled. "We are."
"Hn." Heero agreed with a nod of his head as he pulled the door to his room closed behind them.
"Ha, ha, very funny." Duo groused. "You're both a couple of comedians, but I wouldn't quit your day jobs just yet if I were you."
"You know Duo--" Heero started, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. It was only with Duo that he ever felt this free to joke and kid and then, only rarely. The fact that he could do so under the current circumstances only proving the effect the man had on him. But, before he could finish his jibe, a high pitched scream suddenly rent the darkness around them; the sound of terror it carried sending chills down their spines and freezing them in place.
"What the fuck?!" the braided man breathed.
"I don't know." Heero said as he reached into his vest and pulled out his gun from the inside pocket; all signs of the joker from just a moment ago gone. Looking toward his partner, Duo saw that Wufei had also pulled a weapon from somewhere inside his clothes.
"How the hell did the two of you manage to bring those?" he snapped. "Hilde threatened to strip search me if I even tried."
"It would appear that our escorts were not as hostile as yours." Wufei offered as he peered into the dark that now seemed to encroach threateningly on their area of light.
"Relena just knew better than to ask." Heero stated absentmindedly before turning to give the braided man a pointed look. "Stay here."
"Oh, hell no. You are not leaving me here like some girl while you two go off and save the day." Duo snapped.
"You're unarmed, Duo." Heero pointed out.
"Not to mention that you've been targeted already." Wufei added.
"But--"
"Please, Duo." Heero said, his face softening as he pleaded silently with his best friend. "We won't be gone long, I promise."
Faced with that look, Duo had no choice but to agree. But as he watched them disappear into the darkness, he still could not help but feel that he had been deserted and it left him fuming. With a gusty sigh, he clutched the lamp he had brought with him from Heero's room in his right hand and allowed himself to fall backwards against the wall. But where his shoulder should have hit a solid surface, it encountered nothing and he found himself stumbling backward to try and catch himself.
"Shit!" he exclaimed as he threw his hands out, sending the lamp flying in the processing. It hit the carpeted floor with a soft thud and thankfully did not break. However, the impact did extinguish the flame, dousing him in complete darkness. It was not the darkness that bothered him though, it was the hard impact with the floor a second later that left him staring up into complete and utter blackness.
For a long moment, he kept himself still, gathering his scattered wits and regaining the breath that had been knocked from him. Then, rolling to his side, he scrambled to find the lamp, which luckily had not landed far from him. Once he had it in his hands, he set it upright and gave it a shake, feeling even more relieved when he heard the unmistakable sound of fluid sloshing inside it. With a grateful sigh, he pulled the glass funnel from the lamp before sitting back and digging into his trouser pocket where he pulled out the lighter Heero had given him from the survival kit the man had brought. Striking the flame, he touched it to the wick and felt relief flow through him when it caught. Finally, he replaced the funnel before standing to allow himself a good look around.
His first sight of his surroundings though, immediately cut his relief short and caused a sense of dread to blossom in his chest. He knew instantly that he was no longer in the hallway where Wufei and Heero had left him, although it was still some sort of hall. This one was narrower though and when he looked behind him, pretty sure that it was the direction he had come from, he found only a solid wall.
"What the hell?" he breathed as he walked over to the wall and ran his hands along it, giving it a push for good measure; it did not budge. "Well, it was worth a try." he muttered before placing his ear against it and listening closely. "Heero! Wufei!" he yelled and once again listened for a reply. When, after nearly a minute had passed and no one had answered his call, he pulled back and turned back toward the hallway. "Well, I'm not getting out that way. And it doesn't look like 'Ro and Fei are back yet, even if they could hear me through the wall that is. So," he stated and squared his shoulders in determination. "looks like I'm on my own."
Then, with that determination still set firmly on his face, he started forward.
********************
Heero and Wufei continued down the hall, each one cursing the one lamp they had and the lack of light it provided in the wide area. But it could not have been helped. They could not have left Duo in the dark and not for the last time, Heero regretted not grabbing another lamp before he left. What is done, is done though and with that in mind, he continued forward, doing his best to watch Wufei's back as he knew the black-haired man was doing for him.
They had been walking in complete silence for only a few minutes with no sign of the violence the scream had foretold when a splash of peach fabric suddenly appeared at the edge of the light circle provided by the lamp. Both men exchanged a quick glance at seeing it and as they moved a bit further forward, they found that the fabric belong to Beth, who was huddled on the floor against the wall. She was curled in on herself and appeared to be sobbing quietly.
"Beth?" Heero asked, handing the lamp to Wufei before he cautiously knelt down at the woman's side.
At the sound of her name, Beth's head shot up, revealing tear streaked cheeks and clearly frightened eyes. With a sharp cry, she launched herself into Heero's arms, her shaking only increasing as she began to sob loudly into the man's chest.
Unsure of exactly how to react to this, Heero looked up in question at Wufei who merely shook his head and indicated that Heero should wrap his arms around the woman. For a moment, the blue-eyed man felt himself cringe at the thought, but as she continued to cry almost violently into his chest, he finally wrapped his arms loosely around her, making a shushing sound as he did so.
Wufei could not help the rueful smirk that crossed his face at seeing his friend's reaction, especially since he had also been witness to the woman's action only a short while ago in Heero's room. After giving the woman a chance to exhaust her tears, he lowered himself to kneel beside the two with practiced ease. "Ms. McClain?" he asked softly and waited until the woman had pulled herself together and lifted her head to look at him before continuing. "What are you doing here?"
"I was... worried." she sniffled. "You three... were taking so long. I just... wanted to make sure... you were alright."
"That's very noble of you." Wufei said with a smile, although anyone who really knew him could see it was forced. "But I thought Miss Relena explained that everyone should be traveling in pairs or groups."
At those words, the woman's face fell once again and a new bought of tears began to pour down her cheeks. "I asked Dawn to come with me, but she wouldn't and I just wanted... Duo...."
Out the corner of his eyes, the Chinese Preventer saw the almost unperceivable flinch that the woman's words caused in Heero and he could feel his heart going out to his friend. But now was not the time to say anything. Once they had gotten the woman back to the ballroom, he would sit his two friends down and deal with this once and for all; Relena's plan notwithstanding.
"Come on." he said before standing once again, feeling a bit anxious to return now that they had found the source of the scream. "We need to collect Duo and head to the ballroom. I have little doubt that he's currently planning our demise as we speak. And you've probably been missed as well."
"Duo's not with you?" Beth asked quietly as she looked around for the violet-eyed man, her voice sounding disappointed.
"No, we left him behind for his own safely." Heero stated as he helped the woman up. Once she was firmly on her feet again, he wasted no time in releasing her and placing a bit of distance between them.
"Do you think that was wise?" she asked in confusion. "Leaving him alone like that?"
"At the time, it was the only choice we had. It would've been worse taking him into a dangerous situation without knowing what we were facing." Wufei answered as he turned with the lamp and started back down the hall, leaving the other two no choice but to follow or be left in the dark. It was then that a thought hit him. "Ms. McClain, where's your lamp?"
"Oh," she said with a small, shy smile. "I was startled by a shadow I guess, that's why I screamed, and tripped on my own feet. The lamp landed around here somewhere, but I was too frightened to look for it."
"We could use another lamp." Heero stated as he paused to look back toward where they had found the woman.
"No, there's no telling where it is now." Wufei said and while he agreed with Heero, something deep inside of him did not want to spend the time looking for the lamp. He wanted only to find his long-haired friend and join the others in the ballroom. "Besides, if it's been lying on its side for this long, it'll have drained itself by now."
"Maybe." the blue-eyed man conceded before turning once again to follow them. The fact that Heero had given up on the idea of the third lamp, even though it would be an obvious asset, indicated that he too felt the need to retrieve Duo, only serving to increase Wufei's anxiety.
As they started walking back down the hallway again, both men soon found they had to curb their need to walk faster than necessary, knowing as they did that in that dress, Beth would not be able to keep up with them. But as they neared the area where they had left Duo and did not see the glow of the braided man's lamp, they gave up on the slow pace, rushing ahead. However, when they arrived, they found the area empty.
"Are you sure this is where you left him?" Beth asked doubtfully after the two had check the immediately area as thoroughly as they could with only one lamp.
"Yes." Wufei answered with a definitive tone. "I remember this table and flower arrangement specifically. It's what I used to mark the area."
"And I remember the portrait." Heero added with a nod to the painting of a woman in a flowing white dress in a field of pale flowers. "Duo was right here when we left him. Where the hell could he have gone?"
"Calm down, Yuy." the black-haired man said, knowing as he did that cursing for Heero was as good as yelling for most anyone else. "He was pretty angry with us; maybe he decided to find the ballroom on his own."
"Duo couldn't find his way around his room in this house without getting lost." Heero snapped, the fact that he was so easy to lose his temper also a sign that the man was close to losing it completely.
Taking a deep breathe, Wufei gave the area one more look before squaring his shoulders and facing the Japanese Preventer. "There's nothing we can do here." he said, drawing the full force of Heero's glare in his direction. "We need Zechs, Quatre, and Trowa to continue the search."
For a long moment, Wufei was sure that Heero was going to argue, and he knew that the longer they took in starting the search, the less chance they had of finding his violet-eyed partner before something bad happened to him. So, swallowing a little pride, he gripped his friend by the arm. "Please, Heero." he said softly, meeting those anguished blue eyes with his own.
At his words, he could see the defeat in those blue pools and also the pleading, pleading for the reassurances he needed that Duo would be alright. And although he could not in good conscious give him those reassurances, he did give the arm in his hand another squeeze, restating his presence and the fact that Heero was not alone in this.
With a short, stiff nod, Heero took only a moment to pull himself back together; his face once again hardening into the soldier mask that Wufei knew all to well. Then, without another word, he turned down the hall they had just come from and started forward.
TBC...
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