Notes: My big thank you goes to my wonderful beta Lucid Nightmare!
I would like to thank all the people who are still reading this fic and waiting patiently for me to cough up another part! :)
I would like to apologize for me posting this so late, but I had some major computer problems last week and didn't have any time to write :(
At the end of the chapter! :)
On the Run Part 6
It was the rumbling of his own empty stomach that woke Heero up. He lifted his head and through sleepy eyes, he looked towards the window. The cold winter sun was peeking through the heavy shutters. It must have been already past midday.
He propped himself on his elbow and looked down at the sleeping Duo, curled up on his side with Heero spooned closely behind him. The Enforcer lifted his hand and gently he touched the dry tear tracks on his mate's face. He frowned. He didn't like it when Duo cried. He wanted to see the braided young man as happy as he had been when they were carefree children.
Heero's hand moved lower, his fingers touching the lifebearer's rosy lips. There was a gentle smile on them that was in contradiction to the salty paths his tears left behind on his cheeks. The shorthaired boy traced the contours of his mate's lips and they parted slightly under his gentle ministrations. He now felt Duo's warm breath on his fingertips.
He remembered clearly the first time he felt the desire to kiss the longhaired young man. It had been before Duo forgot all about him, before his heart broke to pieces. They were sitting on the river bank, keeping silent and watching the clouds move in the blue sky. He remembered looking to the side at the angelic face with large excited eyes, and thinking "now or never". But before he could do more than just lean over, they were attacked by the beast that destroyed all his hopes and parted him from his best friend for years to come.
And now he had Duo back, in his arms, in his bed. Bonded to him before the people. But the bond was false, built on a lie he constructed to save the broken, beaten lifebearer's life. He didn't regret claiming Wufei's child as his own. It didn't matter who the child's Sire had been... and had the baby survived he would have made sure that it wouldn't lack for anything. But the child was gone... and Duo truly returned to him, loved him... Pain and delight came hand in hand.
Duo mumbled something in his sleep and wriggled a bit closer to his mate. Heero groaned silently and had to force down the sudden assault of desire that came with the longhaired man pressing his slender frame closer to his. He had never had a lover. Not one. Not that he lacked any offers. The Enforcer was a figure of power, only second to the chieftain - a good party for a mate. Others - Bearers and Sires - saw just the thrill of danger... But he simply couldn't do it. He had been in love with Duo for years and years, almost his whole life and he couldn't simply imagine anyone else in his bed or his arms.
And so he waited, nursing the spark of hope that maybe, just maybe... Until the day when he watched Wufei make love to Duo in the clearing in the woods he had to protect. He stood in the shadows of a large tree, watching the black-haired man undress Duo and take his virginity. It broke his heart anew, another hope crushed. And even though it pained him, he watched them every time, imagining himself in Wufei's place... He decided never to tell Duo. Even though he didn't like Wufei, these were very private experiences, not suited for public knowledge of any sort.
Heero caressed Duo's cheek again. Being this close to his mate made a flame of desire lick his insides and he wanted nothing more than to truly claim Duo as his... But now was not the right time. Howard was still after them, the lifebearer was recuperating from a serious illness and their future was still more than uncertain.
Before Heero's thoughts could move further, his empty stomach rebelled again. The Enforcer couldn't actually remember when the last time he ate something was. So, first things first. He slowly extracted himself from the sleeping braided man, sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He pulled his boots on, got up and made sure that Duo was covered properly. Shinigami padding after him, Heero headed for the door and giving the slumbering lifebearer one last glance, the man and dog slipped out of the room.
On the corridor, he moved to the door of the neighbours' room and rapping silently, he opened it and peeked inside. Sitting by the wooden cradle they managed to find in the village, Trowa lifted his head up and waved at Heero to come in. The Enforcer stepped in, his dog following him.
Giving the sleeping blond lifebearer on the bed a careful glance, Heero whispered. "Do you need anything? Maybe something to eat?"
"No, I'm fine," Trowa answered, rocking the cradle gently. "I ate with Treize not so long ago. How is Duo?"
"Sleeping." Heero stepped closer to the cradle and looked inside. Among white, fresh smelling sheets a tiny child lay on his back, the nipple of his almost empty bottle still in his little mouth even though he was deep asleep. "Is he okay?" the Enforcer asked in concern, remembering the shouts of pain coming from the room.
"That's what I would like to know, too." The tired, sleepy voice sounded from the bed behind their back.
Both men turned around to see the blond man rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. Then with a pained groan, he propped himself on his elbows and looked at them questioningly.
"How is my son?"
Trowa gave the blond man a small smile. "He is just fine. Sleeping soundly. He was pretty hungry before, but luckily when the village heard about your baby being born, they brought some fresh milk. We should let him sleep, Your Highness." The healer didn't forget to add the proper title to his answer. After all, even though he knew this man's body pretty intimately, he didn't know anything about him as a person.
Milliardo lifted his eyebrows and smirked. "I think you can call me Mil. No need to bother with formalities from a man who knelt between my spread legs."
Heero swallowed a smile when he saw Trowa, the fearless healer, blush. To cover his embarrassment, Trowa cleared his throat, got up and helped Milliardo sit up. Then he pushed two pillows behind his back and let him lean back into them. This allowed him to relax the strained muscles in his abdomen.
"So," the blond man began as his eyes swept from the healer to Heero and back. "If I remember right, then you're Trowa." Said man nodded. Then Mil pointed his finger at the Enforcer. "But I don't think I met you before."
"Oh, you did. But at that time you were rather... busy," Heero answered with a straight face.
"Oh," was Mil's reply as he went bright red. Realizing how many people witnessed his giving birth was starting to make him feel embarrassed.
"This is Heero. He is my friend," Trowa introduced him, ignoring the Enforcer's glare.
Milliardo frowned. "I think there was another man... a long haired one... Tosten... he pushed him and..." The blond man looked at Trowa. "Is he alright? He seemed hurt."
"Yes, he is okay," Heero answered instead of the healer, not wanting him to say Duo's name aloud. They were still being hunted after all. It was likely that Howard didn't know his and Trowa's names, but Duo's name was something different.
Noticing the silent exchange of stares between the two men, Mil decided to change the subject. "My son... is he a Bearer or a Sire?" he asked to break the tension.
Trowa looked at him, surprised. "That won't be known until he reaches puberty. You didn't know?" The healer seemed shocked at the common knowledge among the people.
Mil blushed deeply and looked away. "I... that is..." He fell silent, not meeting the man's eyes.
Trowa frowned. He sensed a secret of some sort. "During puberty, the Sires get more muscled and their body hair starts to grow, too. Bearers are leaner and have no body hair at all." When Mil squirmed in the bed, the healer's eyes narrowed, then grew large as he realized something. "Body hair... you're a lifebearer, but you do have body hair. How is it possible?"
The blond man squirmed again and blushed even more deeply. He knew about which body hair Trowa spoke. "I... well..." He sighed in resignation, his blush receding. He looked at the two men. "Can you swear that this will stay among us?" he asked, a deep, serious tone in his voice.
Trowa and Heero looked at each other. They knew everything about having secrets. The men nodded.
"You see... My mother was Other," he explained silently.
The healer and the Enforcer blinked in surprise. Others, Other People... a nation living on a continent behind the great ocean. A nation with no lifebearers but men and women as they called the persons bearing children. Others called themselves "humans", denying the same status to Sires and lifebearers, regarding them as lesser creatures, abominations, misfits of nature, just like the people of the OZ empire thought the same about the Others. There was a permanent state of war between the two nations that both called themselves humans, the border running through the middle of the great ocean unbreachable under the punishment of long and painful death.
"How...?" Trowa asked, confusion vibrating through his voice.
"Mother was Sire's prisoner of war, more like a slave than a mate who hated her master more than life. She bore him two children, me and my sister Relena. A son was the price for letting her go. She gave me up gladly, took her daughter and left." That was when Mil blushed again. "I... I didn't know I was a lifebearer. I grew body hair, though not a beard." He threw a quick glance at the short dark stubble on Heero's chin. "I didn't bleed at all. But then... then I got pregnant with Treize's child."
Trowa wanted to ask more. The curiosity of a healer became aroused. No one had ever met a half-blood. But the pain in Mil's voice told him that there was another painful story behind it, so he decided to let it go. At least for now.
Milliardo sighed and looked Trowa in the eyes. "You must understand. I'm telling you this only because I don't know how my origin can affect my child. If it ever came out..." There was a tone of dread in his voice.
Half-blood... abomination... the punishment for cross-breeding was death.
"We won't tell anybody. I swear," Heero said quietly.
Mil looked at him. Seeing the seriousness in his eyes, the blond man nodded too.
"I don't know what effect your blood could have. The boy looks normal and behaves like a normal OZ child should," Trowa said. "But you should watch him closely during his childhood and especially puberty. It would be better to save him the troubles you went through."
The lifebearer nodded. "Could you tell me more specifically what I should look out for?"
Before Trowa could speak, Heero jumped in. This discussion wasn't relevant to him and his stomach was still empty and growling. "I will go find something to eat now, okay?" Then he turned around, slapped his leg to get Shinigami who was watching the cradle with curious eyes. But before he opened the door, he spoke, not turning around. "The longhaired lifebearer is my mate and his name is Duo." A secret for a secret. Even though the blond man didn't understand its importance.
~*~
"But Father..." the young man protested.
Warrick hissed in anger. "You must go. I fear that the black beast got your brother. If it's true, then I will make them pay dearly!" he spat out, face red with fury. "Your brother was an idiot, but he was my son. We need to bring Howard here immediately. I don't know how long they'll stay. I heard that the Count let the smith repair the sleigh and since it wasn't broken that badly, they could leave in a couple of hours if need be."
The son shuffled his feet and rubbed his nose, looking at his father with uncertainty in his eyes. "But what should I...?"
"Howard should be in Dartmoore right now. The blizzard is over so you can take the horse. It'll take you two hours at the most. Bring him here. I'll get my money for the Count's mate and for Howard's boy toy and my revenge, too!" Warrick's eyes glazed over with hate. Seeing his son still hesitating, Warrick pushed him hard. "Go. Now!"
The son dragged himself to the door with hesitation, stopping and looking at his father now and again. He didn't like the whole situation one bit. There was the Count's personal guard gathered in their inn after all. But seeing that Warrick wouldn't relent, the young man sighed with resignation and reached for the door knob.
But before he could open the door, a painful scream forced its way through his throat as a sharp hunting knife tore through his left shoulder and pinned him to the wooden door.
TBC...
P.S.: You don't have to worry. Relena and the Others (male or female) won't appear in this fic. For every pairing in this fic, I thought up some background and this was needed to set all things up for writing a story about Mil and Treize. I promise to write another sequel, two or three. I have more plans for our characters :)
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