'...' thoughts
/.../ telepathy
By Silver Twilight Part 3
Per Professor Mann's instructions, Duo spent the next several days trying his best to rest as much as he could. No matter what he did though, he still found his dreams, as well as many of his waking hours, haunted by deep blue eyes and the faint, yet lingering smell of blood. And try as he might, he simply could not banish Heero from his thoughts. Fortunately, he did manage to meet the professor's other requirement, eating a bit more and even finding himself almost ravenous at times. But as for sleep, it would come when he found himself simply too tired not to, and when he woke, he would feel far from refreshed.
So it was he passed the remaining three days at the castle mostly by himself. With the forced confinement instilled by Professor Mann, the rest of the class was hard pressed to find things to keep them occupied and out of trouble. Tempers grew shorter and shorter by the day and Duo found it easier to simply stay in his room, only surfacing at mealtime, before once again disappearing behind his closed door. And despite his continued sleeping problems, by the end of those three days he was beginning to feel a bit better. He had even managed to convince himself that the episode with Heero had just been a figment of his exhausted mind. And even though he could feel the weight of someone's stare on his back at times during those days, he never actually saw the dark-haired man so he quickly dismissed it.
On the fourth day following the episode at the castle ruins, Duo once again found himself packed and ready to leave. It was a beautiful day for traveling, having dawned bright and early with a sky clear, and only a small breeze keeping the air cool. Setting out at a little before eight o'clock that morning, they spent the remainder of the day on the road, only stopping briefly in one of the scattered towns to eat lunch before continuing on their way. With their next stopover, where they would once again be spending a week studying the town and local ruins, still quite a distance away and since they would not be able to reach their destination before nightfall, they would have to overnight in one of the small towns along the way. And as it turned out, it was a fairly modern town, or at least as modern as they could expect for the area, boasting a hotel that would be their lodging for the single night they would be staying. And while it was not as exciting as staying in an actual castle, Duo was pleased to be back to some sort of civilization. To top that, he had taken the time to speak with Professor Mann while still on the bus and the gray-haired man had seemed satisfied with his recovery enough to release him from his room bound status. But only if he promised to take better care of himself this time or he would be once again stuck in his room once they arrived at their next destination. He had of course promised vigorously and it was a promise he planned to keep.
So it was that, once he had finished unpacking his bag, he headed off for the hotel's dining room with the intention of eating a decent dinner. It did not take him very long to locate the room and he was surprised to see quite a few of his classmates already seated and eating. Still not feeling very comfortable with any of them, he located a booth off to the side and sat down. A few seconds later, a petite waitress waltzed over to take his order, which he quickly placed and then watched as she disappeared across the room once again.
He was then left alone to simply sit and watch those around him. Besides his classmates, there were a few of the town's residence occupying the dining room as well as a few other tourists. The tourists could be easily distinguished from the locals by their bright and expensive looking clothing while the locals favored rough-made fabrics in darker shades of brown and grey. This of course caused him to look down and examine his own clothing, which consisted of a pair of acid washed blue jeans and a black t-shirt with a bright purple smiley face on the front. 'Definitely tourist clothes,' he though with a mental laugh. But since, in essence that was exactly what he was, he did not worry about it too much. Instead he went back to studying the other patrons of the room.
It took nearly fifteen minutes for his dinner to arrive and within another fifteen minutes, he had cleaned his plate. Then, since the meal was being charged to his room, he stood from the table before throwing down a decent tip and heading for the exit. He had decided even before leaving his room that he would do a little exploring once he had eaten dinner and with the sun still shimmering invitingly through the windows, it seemed an even more compelling decision. And since Professor Mann had given them permission to leave the hotel as long as they were back before dark, he headed for the front entrance.
Once out on the streets of the town, he allowed himself to simply wander aimlessly down the sidewalks, enjoying the warm rays of the sun as he peered into shop windows and watched the people passing him by. He was having such an absorbing and fun time, he almost did not notice the sun dipping below the horizon. But as the shadows began to grow longer, he knew it was time to turn back and luckily, he had remained as close to the main street as he could, so finding the hotel again was quite easy.
In his room once again, he could feel the energy from the walk still pulsing through him and decided to spend a little time studying in the books he had brought with him. After only an hour though, the energy had faded and he was finding it harder and harder to maintain his concentration on the words. With a full body stretch, he stood from the chair he had ensconced himself in and, deciding a quick shower would do him some good as well as clear his head, he headed for the dresser situated beside the desk. There, he grabbed a pair of clean boxers as well as one of his over-large t-shirts that he normally slept in, before heading for the bathroom and closing the door securely behind him.
Turning on one of the knobs in the small shower stall, he let it run until the steam from the heated water began to fill the room before quickly pulling off his clothes and sliding inside. The instant the water hit his body, he could feel muscles that he had not realized were so tense, relax. And with them, a soft sigh escaped his lips as he allowed himself to simply stand there for a long moment, letting the water run down and over his naked form.
Finally though, he forced himself to move, first turning to allow the water to wet his hair. Then, with practiced ease, he applied first shampoo and then, once it had been rinsed clean, conditioner to the nearly knee length locks before giving it a twist and using a couple of large clips to affix the hair on top his head. After the hair was safely out of the way, he grabbed the body wash and a clean cloth, applying a large dollop of the soap to it before lathering up and giving his body a good scrub. Once he was thoroughly clean, he reached for the clips once again, pulling them down and with them, his now fully conditioned hair. Turning his back to the spray once again, he worked the conditioner from his hair before turning the water off and reaching for a towel. He dried off as best as he could before twisting it around his hair to soak up as much moisture as possible.
With his shower now complete, he stepped from the stall and reached for his clothes, only to find himself blinking in surprise when he did not find them lying on the toilet seat where he was sure he had placed them. For one long minute, he simply stood in the steam filled room, staring at the empty seat, unable to fully process what he was seeing, or not seeing as the case was. But when the clothing had not magically reappeared nearly five minutes later and feeling the room steadily become cooler, he grabbed another towel, wrapping it around his hips before reaching for the door. 'Maybe,' he thought, 'I didn't really bring them in with me.' Or maybe someone was playing a prank on him, although how they had gotten into his room with the door locked, he did not know. Either way, he was slowly beginning to shiver from the growing cold and if he did not want Professor Mann to keep him from exploring the ruins this time, he needed some clothing.
The moment he reentered his room though, he knew something was very wrong. Not only were the lights, which he distinctly remembered leaving on, all off save the one beside the desk, but the window curtains had been pulled all the way open as well. He knew he had closed them when he had returned to his room after his walk; the very thought of sitting in a well lit room with the curtains open when it was dark outside was not a pleasant thing for him.
With first the clothing and now the lights and curtains, Duo was beginning to feel very apprehensive and thinking that perhaps it would be best if he spoke to Professor Mann about the occurrences, he once again started toward the dresser with the intention of throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before fleeing the room. Before he could even take a step though, a flash of movement out the corner of his eye had him turning in the opposite direction only to find himself being slammed backward against the wall beside the bathroom door in the next instant. The force of the blow to the back of his head caused his vision to grey out slightly but even in his shocked state, he could not mistake the press of the hard, male body that held him in a nearly painful grasp.
At first, it was only on instinct that he found himself striking out at his attacker, first with one fist and then with the other. But when he immediately found both wrists caught in a tight grip, he began to twist violently, using his legs for leverage to try and throw the man off. Unfortunately, the man was quicker and stronger and he soon found both arms pressed to the wall above his head, even as the body pressed into him even harder, leaving him with only a small amount of wiggle room. Finally, while he continued to vainly try and push the attacker off, the man leaned down and, after giving his right ear a sharp nip, whispered softly, "You truly are beautiful. My brother would've been very happy with you."
'Oh, god.' Duo though, his body freezing in horror as that deep voice filtered through his mind. 'I know that voice.'
With dread growing in his stomach, the violet-eyed teen slowly raised his head to finally look his attacker in the eye. The minute he saw those dark eyes, he knew who was before him. "Wufei." he breathed and while he could see the confusion that crossed the man's face, he was far too frightened to think anything about it.
For his part, Wufei was able to keep the majority of his own surprise at the teen's declaration carefully disguised. The fact that the boy had known his name was a bit disconcerting to say the least. But he quickly shrugged it off as one more thing he would enjoy discovering about the beauty before easily transferring control of those impossibly thin wrists into his right hand. He then used the free hand to pull the loosely wrapped towel from the boy's head, allowing those chestnut locks to fall around Duo's shoulders, pushing it back from that heart-shaped face before gently cupping one smooth cheek.
"I was sent here to kill you." he said in a soft voice as he gazed into those wide, frightened eyes. He was so close to the teen now that he could practically taste the boy's breathe, which in his fear, was coming in quick pants. "Did you know that? Our queen has demanded that I bring her your head. She believes that you are a danger to our race. Tell me, are you dangerous?"
"I...." Duo croaked before his throat closed up and only a soft whimper could pass through. At the sound, Wufei's smile grew even wider and, if it were possible, he pressed even closer to the boy's half naked body.
"You know what I think?" he breathed, a smirk crossing his face when Duo's breath hitched. "I think you're not the least bit dangerous at all. In fact, I'd say you were about the least dangerous person I've ever met."
"So...." Duo started, pausing for a moment to swallow a couple of time to moisten his dry throat. "So, you're not going to kill me?" he finally asked hopefully, his voice little more than a whisper.
Smiling at the teen's question, Wufei leaned even closer to the boy, bypassing his lips to reach that one small ear he had nipped earlier. "I think I have something much more pleasing in store for you." he said before his tongue snuck out to graze the teen's ear, drawing a gasp from Duo who started at the feeling. Wufei quickly used the distraction to slip a knee between the teen's bare legs, pushing them slightly apart and further immobilizing him. Then, with careful and deliberate movements, he trailed his lips along the teen's jaw and cheek, stopping only once he was hovering temptingly over those lush lips that he wanted so much to taste. "Have you ever been loved by a man, Duo?" he asked softly. A soft whimper was his only answer and with another, feral smile, he leaned in those last few centimeters.
Duo's mind was in utter and complete chaos. His fear and the feeling of helplessness had his heart beating nearly painfully in his chest and even though Wufei had said he was not planning to kill him, he still could not seem to find any comfort in the man's words. Besides, in the back of his mind, he had a pretty good idea of where this was going, and when Wufei pressed a kiss to his lips, he found his suspicions confirmed. But instead of feeling outraged as he would expect himself to be, to his horror he felt himself react to the kiss. Even going so far as to open his mouth when the black-haired man's tongue gently grazed his lower lip. With the first touch of Wufei's tongue to his own, the violet-eyed teen knew he was lost. He could feel the half-strangled moan gurgling in the back of his throat as he allowed the feeling to consume him.
Wufei could feel the instant Duo surrendered to his mercy and he wasted no time in ripping the remaining obstacle, the white towel wrapped loosely around the teen's hips, away while still maintaining control of Duo's wrists. He then wrapped his free hand around the longhaired boy's half-hard cock, giving it a firm squeeze.
At the touch to his most sensitive area, Duo's head snapped back against the wall once again as a loud cry escaped his mouth and Wufei simply could not waste the opportunity. He immediately latched onto the pulse point on the teen's neck and sucked hungrily. The feel and smell of the sweet blood flowing just below the surface of the skin was almost enough to break his control. But he needed Duo to ask for it. While most of the time, it did not matter whether the donor was consenting or not, this time was different.
"You smell wonderful, pet." the black-haired man breathed against the teen's neck. "I want to taste you completely. Let me taste you."
It was sensory overload. Duo could no longer put two thoughts together, let alone speak coherently. He could only moan loudly as the hand around his cock continued to stroke him toward completion. Just as he was reaching the peak though, the hand stopped, pulling another loud cry, this one of frustration, from his lips.
"Don't stop!" he exclaimed as he tried in vain to thrust into the hand still wrapped loosely around his cock. But Wufei simply pressed him even further into the wall, keeping his hand still.
"Do you want it, pet?" Wufei smiled. "Let me taste you and I'll let you come."
"Please, god please." Duo breathed in desperation, bringing an even bigger smile to Wufei's face. But just before he could finally sink his teeth into the teen's swan-like throat, he was forcibly jerked away and thrown across the room to hit the wall with a hard thunk. For a long moment, he simply lay there, so completely stunned by the sudden displacement he could not clear his thoughts enough to determine the cause. However, after giving his head a forceful shake, he managed to raise his eyes enough to look across the room toward where Duo was. It was with a sinking feeling in his stomach that he recognized Heero's form standing just in front of the teen, who was slowly sinking to the floor in a boneless heap.
"Heero--" he began, but immediately stopped when the other man growled low in his throat. Wufei knew that if something was not done quickly to diffuse the situation, there would be blood spilt, namely his since he was not stupid enough to think he could stand a chance against Heero in his current state. But even as he searched desperately for the right words, a soft whimper echoed through the room, drawing the blue-eyed vampire's attention to the boy now sitting with his back pressed to the wall and knees drawn defensively up to his chest.
"Duo." Heero breathed in a soft and soothing voice as he eased himself down to in front of the obviously frightened teen; one hand cautiously reaching out to brush a strand of chestnut hair back away from the boy's forehead. For that moment, Wufei was forgotten. "It's alright now." he said, giving the teen a slight smile. "No one's going to hurt you, I promise."
Sparkling violet eyes peered cautiously up through damp bangs as Duo carefully lifted his head from the safety of his knees and arms. For a long moment, he simply stared across the short distance that separated him from Heero. Then, with a sharp cry, he suddenly launched himself forward into the dark-haired man's arms, his own still trembling ones immediately wrapping themselves firmly around Heero's waist even as he buried his face in the man's broad chest. "Shhh, I've got you." Heero cooed as he pulled the teen's trembling frame further into his lap. "I've got you."
From across the room, Wufei watched this with a sense of finality as well as a healthy dose of disappointment; while he had taunted and teased the teen, he had been quite serious about wanting him. With a barely audible sigh, he pulled himself up off the floor and started toward the window, intending to leave the two alone even though he knew that he and Heero would have to speak about this sooner or later. Once again though, it was a low growl that caused him to freeze in place.
For Heero, the minute he had heard Duo's soft whimper, comforting the small teen had become his first priority, pushing all thoughts of Wufei's betrayal from his mind. With Duo now safely ensconced in his arms though, he was once again very much aware of the other vampire's movements from across the room and he was anything but done with Wufei, not after seeing his precious Duo in such a state. But when Duo stiffened in his arms when he let loose the involuntary growl, he forced himself to stuff his anger as deep as he could; he would not hurt the beautiful teen any more than he already had. Dealing with Wufei would have to wait.
"Just go." he said, speaking to the black-haired man even as he smoothed a gentle hand down Duo's bare back. "But don't let me see you around him ever again. The next time, I will kill you."
"Don't you even want to know why?" Wufei asked, knowing even as he did that he was running the risk of angering Heero even more and possible pushing him over the threshold of his control. There were some things that needed to be said though, and if Heero was planning on keeping the little human, he needed to know what his opposition was, something that would not wait until a more suitable time when the blue-eyed vampire had calmed down.
"What does it matter?" the dark-haired man shot back. "You were warned, you were all warned, but you chose not to listen."
"That's not it, Heero." the black-haired man sighed before continuing across the room to the window, pausing only when he reached it to turn back to look at the couple still crouched on the floor. "Things are much more complicated than that and if you want my advice? You will claim him tonight, whether he's ready for it or not."
"Why, what does my claiming him have to do with you attacking him like this?"
"Because Queen Relena has issued his death warrant." Wufei stated in a calm voice, his head held high and eyes defiant. "She knew you would not be able to carry it out, which is why she sent for you tonight. She needed you out of the way so I could complete the task. Tell me, what excuse did you give her for not going to her bed?"
"I don't need an excuse." Heero snapped his eyes narrowing even as he bared his fangs. "She's very much aware of that and besides, Trowa was more than eager to take my place. But what I want to know is why she sent you and not one of the others. Why would she choose you to betray me like this?"
"She didn't choose me, Heero." the black-haired man stated. "I volunteered to do this."
"...what?" Heero breathed in disbelief, not understanding why his own blood brother would voluntarily to do this to him. Wufei above all the others was well aware of just what the violet-eyed teen meant to him.
"The others would have played with him, Heero. You know this." the man answered softly. "Drawing it out for hours, maybe even days, before finishing it. I couldn't allow that to happen."
"Why?" the dark-haired vampire demanded, his arm unconsciously tightening around the body in his arms. "Why would it matter to you?"
"Because I know he's important to you and believe it or not, I was trying to protect you."
For a long moment, the words hung unanswered in the air before Heero finally asked the one that was burning a hole in the back of his mind. "If that's true, why didn't you just kill him? Why were you 'playing' with him, Wufei?"
"I...." Wufei started before his face screwed up into a grimace and he suddenly turned back to the window. "Enough of this," he snapped. "the night is quickly drawing to an end. Claim him, Heero. If it's not done by tomorrow night, then I will." Then with graceful movements, he climbed onto the window sill and, with a powerful push of his legs, he was out the window before Heero could voice his complaint.
For several long minutes, Heero could only sit there, staring at the space that his blood brother had just occupied, wondering what exactly was going through the other man's mind. It was Duo's small sigh that brought him back to the present, turning his gaze back down to the top of the chestnut head that still rested against his chest. Only a moment later, the long-haired teen moved to leave his embrace and though he did not want to let him go, he also did not want to frighten him any more than he already was and so he reluctantly allowed the boy to pull away. To his surprise and utter delight, Duo only pulled partway from his arms, allowing him to look up into Heero's own deep blue eyes. Once, again, he found himself mesmerized by those violet depths.
"Heero?" Duo whispered softly, his voice still a bit shaky but regaining some of its strength. "What's going on?"
Duo's soft question finally broke Heero's trance and with a heavy sigh, he moved the teen from his lap before standing, pulling Duo up as well. It was only once the boy was standing that the vampire finally noticed Duo state of undress and as his eyes moved appreciatively over the lovely form before him, he could feel his body react. Duo also must have just realized the fact, as he blushed deeply before moving to cover himself.
"Don't." Heero said, his voice deep and husky as he grabbed the boy's wrist. "I just..."
Without even realizing what he was doing, Heero found himself stepping forward toward the once again trembling teen, forcing Duo to back away from the hungry gaze the dark-haired man was giving him. This time though, instead of feeling the cold press of the wall against his bare back, the longhaired teen's legs hit the edge of the low bed and with a soft cry of surprise, he found himself falling backwards across the wide, soft expanse.
To say that the sight before him was the most beautiful and erotic Heero had ever seen would have been an understatement. Duo's ivory skin contrasted perfectly against the soft green bedspread and his hair had spilled around him in a pool of red and gold silk. Those impossibly, long legs were slightly spread and the deep blush on the teen's cheeks created a vision he would carry for many years to come.
"I will not harm you." he said, as he stepped forward once again to sit on the bed beside the teen's still, prone form, wanting more than anything to relieve a margin of the fear in those wonderfully bright eyes.
"Then... then why?" Duo asked in barely more than a whisper, the fear that Wufei and engendered in him from earlier now returned due to Heero's actions.
With a soft sigh, Heero simply and gracefully moved until he was sitting with his back against the footboard of the bed, giving the longhaired teen the space he so obviously needed. And Duo wasted no time once he felt safe enough to move, scooting across the bed until he was pressed up against the headboard as far from the vampire as he could get before dragging the cover up over his body.
"I'm sorry." Heero mumbled, feeling only regret at loosing Duo's trust from earlier with his actions. "I should have had better control. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"I'm not scared." Duo spat back, feeling a measure of security now that his body was no longer in display but still hoping against hope that the man did not hear the light tremble he could not quite keep from his voice. But Heero did hear it and the sense of vulnerability that it gave the teen was nearly his undoing. Once again, he had to take a deep breath to keep from launching himself across the distance that separated them.
"Heero?" the boy's voice asked, pulled him from his contemplation only a second later and caused his head to snap up. "What's going on?"
With a heavy sigh, Heero allowed himself to lean more fully against the footboard of the huge bed, his eyes slipping closed once again as he tried to gather his thoughts. "It's a long story." he started in an exhausted voice. "And unfortunately, we don't have much time. If what Wufei said is true, I only have until dawn; tomorrow night will too late."
"Too late to claim me, you mean?"
"Yes."
"But what if I don't want to be claimed?"
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice now. Relena's decree is law among my people and if you are not claimed, then there's no way to protect you."
"But why does she want me dead; I don't even know her." Duo exclaimed before his face fell slightly in confusion. "Do I?"
"No, you don't know her and she doesn't know you."
"Then why?"
"It's because of me, I'm afraid."
"But I don't know you either."
"No, but I do know you."
"How."
"Like I said, it's a long story."
"Then give me the quick version." Duo stated in exasperation even as he gave his head a sharp shake when Heero started to protest. "Either tell me or leave; you only have a few hours before dawn."
With another heavy sigh, Heero quickly gathered his thoughts before starting in on a story that had begun over two hundred year in his past.
TBC...
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