Secrets Part 2
Heero engaged the autopilot and ran through his checklist one more time. Everything looked good- he could safely leave the bridge and check on his unexpected guest. He hadn't had time to assess Duo's injuries and he hoped they weren't worse than Duo claimed.
Grabbing his medscanner from the supply room, he chided himself for not checking right away- though they had been pressed for time. If there was anything serious, surely Duo would've said something?
Then again, this was Duo...
He approached the bed silently, clicking the medscanner on and moving it carefully over Duo's prone form. A quick scan agreed with Duo's earlier comments- badly bruised, some small cuts, but nothing too serious. Sighing in relief, Heero turned off the scanner and set it down next to the bed.
Duo shifted a little, the line between his eyebrows deepening and Heero wondered if he was comfortable. They'd just sort of landed him on the bed before Heero had gone to start the launch. They hadn't even taken his boots off...
Untying the laces wasn't difficult, nor was gently loosening the boot from Duo's foot. But when he tried to pull it off, he found a knife at his throat.
For a moment he stared at the wild-eyed stranger holding the knife- and then Duo blinked, sanity returning to his eyes.
"Damn it," Duo swore and the knife vanished. "Sorry Heero... I guess I'm a little jumpy."
"It's all right." Heero soothed, tugging off the offending boot. "I was just trying to get you a little more comfortable. Can you roll over a bit?" Duo did so, with a wince. Heero wasn't surprised- Duo had moved instinctively, and his body had finally caught up.
"Sorry..." Duo apologized again as Heero pulled off his other boot. "And I've gotten your bed all messy-"
"I said it was okay. Don't worry."
Heero chucked the boots into the cleaner's chute and turned to examine his old partner. Duo still looked tired, but his eyes were wide open and Heero mentally scolded himself. "Do you want to take a shower?" Maybe that would help with the soreness- and maybe relax Duo enough to sleep again...
Duo's expression lightened. "Would you mind?"
"Not at all." Heero reached down and helped Duo lever himself up from the bed.
"Ouch. Damn bastards." Duo began to move shakily towards the bathroom, and Heero tried not to hover. Instead he wondered who had done this to Duo. He knew better than to push, but maybe Duo would confide in him?
"We're away from L2?" Duo asked suddenly.
"Yes. Autopilot's on."
"No one followed us?"
"I don't think so."
Duo paused in his tracks and looked into Heero's eyes. "Could you check?"
"Sure." Heero didn't want to leave Duo alone, so he went to the wall and pressed a well-camouflaged button. A small control panel unfolded itself from the wall.
Duo whistled softly. "Pretty high-tech."
"Quatre found this ship for me- which should tell you a lot right there. Wait until you see the shower." Heero studied the small screen, adjusting the view a few times and checking the readouts. "No- there's no one behind us that I can see."
"Ah good."
"Should I be looking for someone specific?" Heero tried cautiously.
Duo bit his lip. "Um... anyone official."
"Like the police?"
"And the Patrol- especially the L2 ones."
Heero nodded, his mind clicking away. What had Duo done? Should he push for more information? Duo's expression made him decide against it- he'd seen that look all too often before.
"Understood."
Duo studied him for a moment before his lips curved in a warm smile. "Thanks man- I'd tell you more- but you know how it goes..."
"Then you'd have to kill me." Heero blinked as Duo's smile vanished.
"That's what I'm afraid of- so don't ask okay?"
Shit. What the hell had Duo gotten himself into now? "Okay."
"Thanks." Duo resumed his slow walk towards the bathroom, obviously hoping that Heero wouldn't push for more. Suppressing a sigh, Heero turned to one of his storage spaces and popped the door open.
So, Duo wasn't going to volunteer anymore information- which meant he'd have to do this the hard way... damn it.
"What is this?" Duo's voice rang out from the bathroom. He sounded amused, but Heero knew what a good actor he could be.
"What? The shower?"
"This is not a shower! I've seen less controls in a Leo!"
Heero grabbed a pair of sweats and joined Duo in the bathroom. The other man was standing in front of the open shower door looking dazed.
"What do all these do?"
"You know- I'm not really sure. I've learned enough of the basics and I've just sort of stuck with that."
"So what are the basics?"
Heero pointed. "Water spray, massage jets, steam, soap dispenser- including toothpaste, shaving cream and something Quatre called a foam- the dryer is here, but make sure you turn the water off first."
"Learned that the hard way?"
"Yes. Took me an hour to clean up in here. I brought you some clothes. Need anything else?"
"I think this covers it." Duo shook his head. "Stay close by though, in case I hit a wrong button and it tries to steam-cook me."
"You got it." Heero put the sweats down on the counter and left Duo studying the controls. He moved around the bedroom, changing the bed sheets, stuffing the soiled ones down the cleaner's chute, waiting for the sound of the shower to start up.
After it started, he waited two minutes more, then moving swiftly, he hurried down the hallway to the bridge. A quick scan showed no sign of pursuit, but he knew how fast those Patrol ships could move. His ship had proximity alarms- but he set up a "watchdog" program just in case.
Another sprint down the hall- the water was still on. "Steam cooked yet?" He called at the door.
"Hell no! I'm trying to figure out how to get Quat to give me one of these!"
"Can I toss your clothes into the cleaner?"
"That'd be great!"
Heero picked up the clothes, his hands diving into the pockets. There was the wallet- a quick flip to check the ID- and he put it on the counter. Leaving the bathroom, he tossed the clothes into the cleaner's chute and sprinted down the hall again. He couldn't do any hacking this far away from L2, but four minutes with his computer let him set up a little search program to grab news and police alerts.
Did he dare send Quatre a note asking him to check files on Duo's alias?
Down the hall the sound of the water stopped and the dryer started up.
Not yet.
He hurried back down the hallway to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and then went back to the bedroom. When Duo emerged from the bathroom, heavy-eyed and yawning, Heero was curled up in a chair with a book.
"Feel better?" Heero asked, noting that Duo was moving easier now.
"Much," Duo yawned, tucking his hair behind his ear. "I don't think I've been this clean for months."
"There's some water on the bedside table for you."
"Thanks." Duo curled up on the bed, his eyes already closing. Heero got to his feet, putting his book to the side, and moved to help Duo pull the blankets over himself.
Duo's hand caught his wrist. "Find anything out while I was in the shower- or are you waiting for me to pass out again?" His eyes didn't open, but his grip was tight on Heero's wrist.
Heero swallowed hard. "You weren't in the shower that long, Duo."
"You were the best hacker out there, Heero." Duo's eyes opened and he sat up, putting himself nearly nose to nose with Heero. "I remember how good you were-"
"Hacking from space without specialized equipment? I'm sure I wasn't that good-"
"Oh- you were very good-" Duo breathed against Heero's lips- and kissed him.
TBC...
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