Okay, again, I totally apologize, cliché again and now sliding into sap. Though Duo apparently has gotten tired of all this messing around and is taking matters into his own hands...
Heero POV Part 4
Out of my Head Part 5
I wake up and blink at the clock. That can't be right. "Damn." I slept for a much longer time than I intended to. I meant to stay with Duo for a little while and then go put all the things Sally brought away.
"Awake?"
Duo is lying against me, his head at an uncomfortable angle on my shoulder, body contorted to get close to mine, legs still straight out in front of him. He looks uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry..." I apologize but he just shrugs.
"It's okay. I think we both needed the sleep."
"You can't be comfortable like this."
"I'm not, but it's okay." I heave a sigh and push gently at him. I get up on one elbow as he moves to peer into his face. He still has faint shadows under his eyes and the pain line between his eyebrows is back.
"Do you hurt? Do you need a pill?" He moves slightly away, body straightening out. He reaches out and tugs me down to his shoulder.
"I need to hold onto you for a while," he says softly. I rest my head carefully on his shoulder; let him pull my arm around his waist. "Do you know how much I need you Heero?"
Duo needs me? I blink, wondering where the question came from and then it hits me.
Damn it. I was afraid of this.
"Did Sally tell you?" I demand.
"Did Sally tell me what?" Duo sounds puzzled. I tilt my head to meet his eyes and see only confusion. "What was Sally supposed to tell me?"
Ah hell. Nice idiotic maneuver Yuy.
"Heero?" His grip tightens a bit. "What was Sally supposed to tell me? Is it something about my legs? Are they not going to heal?" He sounds panicky now.
"No, no..." I tighten my arm around his waist and kiss his shoulder. "You're going to heal fine as long as you take care." Duo does not seem reassured.
"Then what was she supposed to tell me?"
"Nothing," I shake my head, drop another kiss on his shoulder. It's a futile hope to think that he'll drop it. The meds have worn off by now.
"Heero." Duo is beginning to sound mad. "I tell you I need you and you say that Sally told me something. What's going on? If it's not that you're stuck with someone who won't be able to walk again, then what is it? What aren't you telling me?"
How the hell do I salvage this situation? And what do I do if Sally tells him something? My brain moves into overdrive.
"Heero?" His voice is softer, "you're scaring me."
"When you fell asleep that first night... I was worried about you. I said some things I shouldn't have and I think I worried Sally. I didn't want her worrying you with them." Not exactly a lie.
Duo's hand touches my cheek, slides into my hair. "I'm sorry I worried you. I never wanted to do that. I'm sorry that you're kind of stuck with me for the next month or so." He tilts my face up, kisses me firmly. "But I am so going to enjoy this time with you. I love being with you."
Maybe the meds haven't worn off?
He kisses me again, and then lets me go. A faint flush forms on his cheeks. "Speaking of the sorry part of this, I...uh..."
Damn it. How inconsiderate of me.
"No problem." I assure him and slide off of the bed.
~*~
It takes some time, but I manage with Duo's help to get all of his needs taken care of, get him cleaned up a little and change his clothes to a more comfortable T-shirt and shorts combination. I should've done all this when I brought him home. Nice caretaker I've been so far.
I settle Duo back on the clean sheets as comfortably as I can. "Another pill?"
He makes a face. "I hate those. They make me sleepy."
"It's probably for the best," I tell him. "It's pretty late now, you might as well get some sleep until morning."
"What about you?"
"Sally covered our kitchen table with stuff. I need to put it away, check my email, do some things..."
"And then you'll come back?"
"Of course." I go and get the pill for him. He accepts it reluctantly.
"Duo, it does help the pain, right?" If it doesn't I can call Sally and ask for something different.
"Yeah," he swallows it down and reaches up to touch my face. "But it doesn't stop me from dreaming about the accident. I'm so glad you weren't there... the place where you would've been- you would've been next to Quatre...and I keep thinking that if you had gone..." He stops and closes his lips firmly.
I reach up and cover his hand with mine. "But I didn't."
"I know. I'm glad you said no, even though I was such a jerk at the time."
"Duo-" He already apologized for this.
His eyes widen suddenly. "The other guys- Heero? What about them?"
"Wufei is fine. He's going to get to go home tomorrow, or he may have even gone home today." Shit. How do I tell him about Quatre?
"Quatre's not doing good is he?"
I blink, surprised. "Did you hear Sally?" Duo shakes his head.
"No, I know you." His hand moves over my forehead. "You looked sad, like when you have bad news, and you told me about Wufei first. You usually go by our old number order when you talk about the guys."
That surprises me more. "I do?" Then I shake myself. "No, Quatre hasn't woken up yet. They aren't sure why. I need to call Trowa. That was one of the things I was going to do after you went to sleep again."
"Poor Trowa. This must be hard- especially after what happened before the accident."
"What do you mean?" Duo yawns.
"I wasn't going to go with them, but Quatre said that Tro and Fei were in one of their moody swings that they do when he gets busy, you know..."
I did know. I nod.
"That was the other reason I wanted you to go. Quatre says that they behave better when you're around." They do? I didn't know that. "I hate it when they get like that. They were sniping at each other in the car right before we got hit." This new piece of information makes me angry.
"Was Wufei not paying attention to the road?" I snap.
Duo shrugs. "I don't know. I was trying for a cease fire." He yawns again and pats my cheek. Heero, you can't beat on Fei. He's injured. Besides, I think he learned his lesson already."
I put his hand down on his chest. "Get some sleep. I'm going to try calling Trowa. Once everything is put away I'll come back okay?"
"Promise?"
"Of course." Duo smiles and closes his eyes.
I get up from the bed and go into the other room. There's no answer on Trowa's cell phone when I call. When I try their house, I get Rashid.
"Wufei is here now," he tells me. "We have to keep a close eye on him. Trowa is with Master Quatre."
"How is he? Has he woken up yet?"
"Not yet," I can hear the worry in Rashid's voice. "They ran a lot of tests, but they have not told us anything yet."
"How is Trowa holding up?"
"As well as can be expected." Rashid sighs. "This is difficult for both of them."
"Please let them know that if there is anything we can do... Duo's a bit immobile at the moment of course..." I run my fingers through my bangs, frustrated at my inability to help anyone these days.
"Just knowing that you are concerned will help them." Rashid assures me. "How is Duo?"
"The swelling is going down, he should get regular casts in a few days. Then it's just a matter of letting the bones heal."
"He must be glad that he has you there to care for him." Rashid chuckles. "Though I don't envy you keeping him confined in one place for so long."
"It hasn't been bad yet," I chuckle with him. "But this is Duo after all..."
"When he starts getting really bored call me again. I will see if I can find some things to keep him diverted. Thank you for calling, Heero. I will have Trowa call you once he has returned home and rested."
"Thank you," I tell him and hang up.
I have several more things to do, but it takes me a minute to get moving. I can't help thinking of Trowa- Trowa who clung to me in the hospital lobby, worried that his lovers wouldn't make it. Had I lied to him when I said they would be fine? Wufei would be- but Quatre... and how must they feel now, after having been angry with him?
That leads me into other thoughts. Duo had wanted me with him that night because of what was going on. He needed me to help referee. Why hadn't he told me that? If I had known that he and Quatre had wanted me there for that purpose I would have gone...
Then I think of the other things he's said to me tonight. Things that I had tried not to hear- and why had I tried not to hear them?
Why was Duo telling me that he needed me? Was it the drugs? Was it the near-fatalness of the car crash? Could I chalk it up to a brush with death?
I would blame Sally, but it was obvious she hadn't told him anything...
Or did he really mean it?
I get to my feet and start putting the things Sally brought away. I check my email, there's a message from Relena marked 'urgent'.
She got Trowa's call about the accident, but had been unable to get a clear line to Earth to get some answers about what had happened. I type her a quick summary and promise to keep her posted. That reminds me that Hilde and Howard should also be told what happened. I email them as well; knowing that one or both of them will be calling tomorrow. I'd better make sure to check email again as well.
When I finish, I go back to the bedroom. Duo usually sleeps curled up in a tight ball, but the splints on his legs prevent that. He's flat on his back, laid out like a body in the morgue and that image is enough for me to shed my clothes quickly and crawl in beside him. Once there, I can put my head on his shoulder and feel him breathing under my cheek.
"H'ro..." Duo murmurs and pulls me closer.
It's easy to fall asleep with him beside me.
~*~
Something brushes my nose. I bat at it irritably, but it returns and I crack open my eyes in order to swat it better.
It's the tip of Duo's braid. He's brushing it against my nose and smiling.
"Good morning." He taps my nose with his fingertip. "You are a hard man to wake up."
I shake myself awake more. "I'm sorry..." I'm lousy at this caretaking stuff. Maybe Duo would've been better off at Quatre's... "Do you hurt?"
"Nope," Duo smiles. "I'm feeling good today- well except for the leg pain thing. Take your time."
I roll my eyes at him. "And the hair thing." He scratches at his head. "I don't suppose we could find a way to wash it?"
"Let me think about that." I don't think Sally brought anything that would work for hair washing. Regular washing yes- but Duo's hair is so long he'd need a bathtub and she did bring something for that... "Hm. Maybe. Let's do all the other stuff first. Do you need a pill?'
"Not yet." Duo frowns. "I just woke up."
"We'll talk to the doctor about that, okay?" I tell him and manage to pull myself out of bed. "Breakfast?"
"Please." I grab my shorts and pull them on, mentally listing the things we needed to do...
After I get Duo settled with breakfast and comfortable again, I go to look at our bathroom. It's tiny, but it would work for what I had in mind. I got extra towels from the linen closet and set things up to my satisfaction.
All I need now is Duo. He smiles when I walk into the bedroom. "I'm going to get tired fast of staring at the walls in here," he tells me with a grin. "Why didn't we get some pictures for back here?"
"We couldn't agree on any," I reply as I lift him up into my arms. "Don't you remember? We went to all those poster shops and the only ones we both liked are the two in the kitchen."
Duo sighs. "I should've gone with those ocean prints you liked."
"You said they gave you the creeps."
"They reminded me of all of our lovely times by the ocean. None of which were pleasant." Duo looks at the arrangement on the floor of the bathroom and grins. "That'll work."
"I hope so." I tell him and set him carefully on the floor next to the tub. "You might get a crick in your neck though..."
"Having clean hair will be worth it," Duo takes his t-shirt off and starts to undo his braid. I arrange the towels under and over his legs. I don't think we'll splash that far, but who knows? I make sure the edge of the tub has a nice towel padding as well for Duo's head. I turn on the water, waiting for it to heat up.
Duo shakes out the rest of his hair and winces. I'm not surprised. He has an impressive collection of bruises on his arms and shoulders.
"Just lean back and let me do this, okay?"
Duo nods and puts his head back on the edge of the towel.
I pick up the spray nozzle Sally brought that fits over the edge of the faucet, mentally thanking her. The woman did think of everything even if she was beyond annoying at times.
Getting Duo's hair wet was easy enough. Lathering it up was awkward. From the side I was bent at an awkward angle and managed to pull his hair twice. I end up straddling his waist, leaning over him, trying not to crush him.
I am seriously considering just getting in the damn tub, when Duo brushes his fingertips over my thighs just at the edge of my shorts.
I look down at him and he grins at me. "I like these shorts," he says, letting his fingertips wander a little further up.
"Duo... you're injured. Remember?"
"My legs are broken, but nothing else is." His grin turns depraved. "Besides, how can I resist? You're half naked, slightly damp..." His tongue touches my chest briefly.
"Try," I say, and attempt to focus on my task, ignoring those fingers. Only Duo would try something like this now...
"These shorts remind me of something..."
"Do they?"
"Remember two years after the war on Halloween when Quatre threw that Literary Masquerade ball?"
"I don't think I will ever forget it," I reply, sighing.
"I know I won't," his fingers slide a bit higher. "You looked so damn hot."
"I was so damn embarrassed." I finish lathering his hair and reach for the nozzle. "That was the last time I was stupid enough to bet on cards while playing against you."
"I cheated," he laughs.
"I figured that out later," I shake my head at him. "I wanted to go as Holmes and Watson..."
"But you lost..." he's still laughing. "You looked gorgeous as Little Red Riding Hood though..."
"And you were a perfect Big Bad Wolf." I can't help but smile a little- his laughter makes it hard not to.
"And that skirt Relena found for you..."
"You still never told me how you talked her into helping you..."
"It was her idea." His fingers slide higher. "Skirts really do allow for easy access."
"I remember," and I feel the blush start to spread. I try and twitch away from his hands. "Stop that. Injury, remember?"
"I can't help it," his mouth touches my chest again. "I always want you. Just like I always need you. Don't you need me?"
I pull back a little, surprised at the sudden change in his tone. The teasing note is gone.
"Do you need me Heero? I sometimes think that you wouldn't care if I packed up and left..." His eyes meet mine. "Would you care? Do you need me?"
TBC...
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