It's been awhile since I've done anything in this 'verse.
Cyber-fic: fundraising, maize maze
Cyberficcy Halloween Drabble 2
"You can't have him on your team!"
"He's my partner!"
Heero opened his mouth to interject, but before he could, Quatre did it for him.
"Parker, quit complaining! It's for a good cause and no one really gives a damn who wins. Besides, all the big wigs out there want to see the cybernetic Preventer. Why the hell do you think they bought the tickets?"
Parker muttered something under his breath, obviously unconvinced.
"Why don't I just referee?" Heero suggested. "Easy enough for me to do." Better not to seem in competition with the other Preventers.
Quatre looked thoughtful. "It would be good to have an eye in the sky. Do you mind being overhead?"
"Not at all. J wanted me to test the boosters anyway."
Quatre turned to Parker. "Any objections having Heero referee?" His tone implied that Parker damn well better not.
Parker, no fool, nodded. "That's fine," he said and beat a hasty retreat.
Heero turned to find Duo frowning. "Duo?"
"What the hell is wrong with that guy?"
Heero bit back the obvious answer. He knew well enough how most of the Preventers felt about him. "He wants to win."
"Well, he's not going to." Duo's eyes narrowed.
"I agree. Let's kick his ass."
"Volunteering for my team, Quatre?"
"Hell yes."
Heero suppressed a groan. "Just keep it legal, you two."
Quatre looked mildly affronted. "Of course!"
Duo grinned and leaned over to touch his lips to Heero's cheek. "We will. You be careful up there. Please don't crash into any more trees."
"It was only that one time!" Heero protested, but Duo was already heading over to the staging area.
His internal comlink beeped. "Heero?"
"Yes Trowa?"
"Parker just informed me that you're willing to be our ref in the sky?"
"Yes."
"Terrific. We're starting in five. Can you get aloft?"
"Yes." Heero ran his flight sequence and the boosters in his feet turned on. He still wasn't very good at flying yet, still wasn't even sure it was necessary. He had the suit after all.
Still, the crowd was suitably impressed as he took his place over the maze. He hovered in place, grateful that he didn't have to move much. All he had to do was make sure that the teams played fairly as they hunted each other through the corn.
It would've been fun to be down there with Duo, but it would've been unfair to the other teams. Bad enough that most of the Preventers seemed to see him as some sort of competition or replacement and not as the help he was supposed to be. If it hadn't been for Duo...
Duo needed him. That's all there was to it. No matter how bad it got he couldn't leave Duo. Not again. Not ever.
Afterwards he had to make the rounds with Une. Be introduced, be watched, be careful. Some of them, ones he had helped, were happy to see him. Others were disgusted- a mechanical monster they called him behind their hands, unaware that he could still hear them. Others still looked on him with lust- wanting his power for their countries, their families, themselves.
Duo, still flushed with victory, came to his rescue. "The docs need to see him," he told Une. "They saw his landing on the news."
"It was less than graceful." She admitted with a faint smile and let them go.
"You should go home," Heero said as they got into the car. "It's late- you need sleep."
Duo smiled. "The docs don't want to see you until tomorrow." He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. "Besides, you know I don't sleep well without you."
Heero lifted Duo's wrist to his lips, kissed the faint scar. "Looked that bad, did I?"
"You never do. I just had a feeling you needed a rescue."
"Thanks."
Another smile. "I'm sorry about Parker- I don't know why-"
"I do. It's okay."
"It's not okay." Duo's voice was soft. "It's not. It's like they forget that you aren't-"
"But you don't. The other pilots don't. That's enough for me."
"Heero-"
"Duo, love, it's okay. They need time to adjust. It's still new. They'll learn."
Duo was silent for a moment. "I hope they do."
There wasn't anything he could think of to say to that. So Heero kissed Duo's wrist again as they sped home in the darkening world.
OWARI
Back to Merula's Fanfictions Page