It got sappy. I know Duo goes with it a bit too easily, but I think I've done my fill of angst at the moment...
Love The One You're With Part 4
I hadn't thought that Duo wouldn't believe me. Not that I could blame him.
I don't want to go back inside. I know Wufei and Trowa will have questions for me that I can't answer. And Duo- is he still here? Has he gone home?
What if he runs?
What if Duo leaves and I never... I cut that thought off and turn to go inside. He can think about it all he wants, but hell if I'm going to leave his side if I can help it.
I open the door, and a familiar sound reaches my ears. One that doesn't belong here...
Gunfire.
What the hell? I run down the corridor towards the ballroom. People are running and screaming, so I have to fight my way to the place that everyone is running away from. I don't see Duo or the guys in the crowd- but they wouldn't run away.
I reach the doors and duck inside.
Gunmen- dressed in black. Four of them. Two have guns pointed at Relena and Quatre. One is covering Duo. The other one is firing random shots into the air, yelling at the crowd to stop moving.
Since the room is now practically empty, except for a few groups of huddled frightened people, it seems a pointless exercise. But then, these guys don't look like professionals. They didn't notice my entrance, and don't seem to be aware that I'm behind the pillar. I suspect Trowa and Wufei are in similar positions.
I wait.
The one firing random shots stops and points his gun at Duo. "So, Lady," he sneers, his voice carrying across the room. "Will you agree to our demands?"
"You haven't made any yet," Relena says sweetly. "How can I agree if I don't know what they are?"
"You'll agree, or hero boy here will die." That's when I notice Duo has a trail of blood on his face. What did he do? Is he badly hurt? He doesn't look dazed...
"It would make sense though, to tell us your demands," Quatre points out. His arms are around Relena, and his voice is rough. Quatre is not one to upset, though I suspect these idiots haven't realized that.
"I don't think you're taking us seriously." The one who has been talking waves his gun at Duo. "I think we need to demonstrate our seriousness."
I see Duo tense, know he's about to move...
And I know he won't make it. There's four of them. One of them will shoot him if he jumps the talker with the gun...
Unless I give them another target...
Duo makes his move before I can, lunging for the guy with the gun. Quatre makes his, pushing Relena out of the way and going for the guy next to him- grabbing his gun and firing on the one that had been holding the gun on Relena. I make mine, belatedly starting to sprint across the floor, trying to make it to Duo.
Duo reaches the talker and grabs the gun out of his hands. The remaining guy is swinging his gun around, first to Quatre, then Relena, then Duo...
Duo sends the talker sprawling and turns it on the remaining guy. I slow, realizing that it's under control, when I see the talker glance up.
I look up too. Damn it! There weren't just four!
Three more up above- two are fighting with Wufei and Trowa, but the third is taking aim...
I call a warning, and Quatre grabs Relena and dives for cover. Duo looks up, and points the muzzle of his gun upwards, firing on the one above.
But the guy in front of him also raises his gun...
I knock Duo out of the way, wrenching the gun out of his hand and firing it at the remaining guy.
He's down, and finally, finally! Security is swarming the room. I want to ask what's taken them so long, but then I realize I entered the ballroom less than five minutes ago.
"You okay?" I turn slightly and look at Duo, flat on the floor next to me.
"I'm fine," he grins, and then his eyes widen. "Heero!"
It's not until he places his hand on my side that I feel the wound. I look down and notice that I'm lying in a small pool of red. Is that all mine?
Duo's pulling off his jacket, pressing it tightly against my side. "Heero, why didn't you say something!"
"I didn't feel it," I tell him and he frowns.
"You should've stayed out of sight!"
"You were going to get shot." I protest.
"I had it under control! If anything you should've dived for Relena and let Quatre shoot the rest."
"Making you a perfect target for the rest." I point out.
"I would've been fine! You didn't have to do something so suicidal!" Now he sounds mad. My vision is darkening around the edges, and I know I'm going to pass out, but I try to get Duo to understand.
"I didn't want anything to happen to you."
"And you think I wanted something to happen to you?" He retorts.
I want to argue with him- I know it will assure him that I'm okay, but I can't think of how to reply.
"Heero!" His hand touches my cheek. "Stay with me."
"I'm trying," the darkness is getting worse. I blink, trying to get Duo into focus again. "Want to stay..."
"The medics are on their way. Hang on," another voice now. Relena's. "Don't give up on us now Heero! Duo needs you."
I try to answer her, try to tell her that I need him too, but the blackness washes up and over my sight and I can't fight it.
~*~
My throat's dry. My side hurts.
I lift an eyelid and see only dazzling white.
Ouch.
My head feels like it's stuffed with cotton. I've been drugged...
"Heero?" Quatre's voice. "You awake?"
I open my eye again and see Quatre looming over me. He's not who I want to see.
"Duo?" I croak.
"He's with a doctor."
Panic.
Quatre seems to sense it because he puts a hand on my arm. "He's fine. He got a scrape that's all. He wouldn't leave you until the doctors were sure you were out of danger. Trowa and Relena took him down there." He smiles. "He didn't want to leave you. He's going to be mad that he missed you waking up."
I try to wet my lips. "He's okay?"
"He's fine. Much better than you are."
Wufei appears beside Quatre, a water glass in his hands. "Drink."
I do and my mouth feels a lot better. "You guys okay?"
Wufei smiles. "Just fine. Trowa got a nice bruise on the side of his face, that's all."
There's a slamming noise and the sound of feet. I try to lift my head up a little, but before I can, Quatre vanishes and Duo takes his place. He has a bandage on one side of his head.
"Heero?"
I try to reach up to touch him, but there seems to be stuff attached to both my arms. He makes a faint annoyed noise and I feel his hand touch one of my wrists. "Don't pull that stuff out."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He huffs at me. "Just a scratch. Unlike you." His free hand touches the side of my face. "The doctors said you can go home in a few days if you're good- stay in bed, don't exert yourself."
I hate hospitals, I'll do anything to get out of this one, but... is Duo going to be there with me? He said he needed space... I don't think I want to be in our apartment without him.
"Okay. You'll..." I drop my voice, not sure of where the others were, "stay with me? Don't leave me yet? Please?"
I hear a sharp indrawn breath from the side somewhere. Damn, guess I wasn't quiet enough.
Duo looks away from me for a second. "Can you guys give us a minute?"
There's a scuffling of feet, I hear the doors close.
My heart sinks. Duo's going to leave me...
"Heero, I'm sorry..." His hand brushes my cheek. I pull one of mine free and catch it. Duo makes a faint noise and grabs at mine. "Heero!"
"Duo please. I wasn't lying; I'm not on the rebound. I love you. I'll do anything to prove it to you..."
"I know that." Duo's fingers squeeze my hand.
"Really?"
"Really." He smiles for me. "You dove to protect me- not Relena- even though she was the more logical choice. Quatre was a bit upset until Trowa pointed out that you went to protect the one you loved, leaving Quatre to protect his."
Duo leans down, brushes his lips across my cheek. "I had a lot of time to think when you were in the operating room. Even if you didn't love me, I could never leave you."
"I do love you."
"I know- and so you're really stuck with me." He laughs. "So you'd better focus on getting better, love, okay?"
I tug on his hand until he leans close enough for me to kiss. "I wouldn't want to be stuck with anyone else."
~*~
It is a lovely ceremony. There aren't any tuxedos or flowers or a frothy wedding cakes. Just the beach and Hawaiian shirts and a stack of cupcakes with multicolored frosting.
It's a lot of fun and really, its only just starting. I sit on the sand next to Duo and watch as Wufei and Trowa exchange vows in front of a wetsuit-clad celebrant.
"They really took that Hawaiian vacation thing too far," Duo whispers in my ear. I have to stifle a chuckle. Wufei and Trowa had gone on a Hawaiian vacation a few months ago and come back engaged- and obsessed with surfing.
"They're happy," I shook my head at Duo. "Let them have their fun."
"I think when we do this we should run away to Vegas."
The expression on my face makes Duo smile.
"You're ready?" I've been waiting for over a year for him to be ready.
He smiles wider. "Yeah. I'm ready. When do you want to go?"
"Tonight." I look at my watch. "We can leave the reception right after the first wave..."
Duo leans against my arm, contented. "It's a plan."
OWARI
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