Fire in the Hole 6

Fire in the Hole Part 6

They gathered at the dining table for Heero's briefing. Trowa and Quatre were already seated while Heero went over his notes on his laptop. Duo looked at the three empty chairs to Heero's right and chose the center one after an instant's hesitation.

He could have sat next to Trowa, but he had noticed that Quatre tended to watch him more carefully, the closer he got to Trowa. ::Silly! Trowa is cute, but way too cool for me. I like it hot!:: he smiled to himself. His smile faded as he remembered that he didn't have that fire anymore. He sighed and looked down at the table, then cast a sidelong glance at Heero.

He looked as grim and cold as always. ::What happened?:: Duo asked himself again. ::What the hell happened? Or was it all my imagination? Was it all some insane dream?:: Goddess, but he was beautiful! ::And he's so dedicated, he really is a superb soldier!:: Heero never made mistakes; not when he had the proper information. He just didn't make mistakes... ::That's what I was... He just corrected his mistake...:: He looked away, blinking.

Wufei walked in and without hesitation took the chair between Heero and Duo.

Heero looked up, frowning at the Chinese pilot. Wufei composed himself for the briefing, ignoring Heero's grim look.

Duo swallowed, then started as Wufei's leg brushed his.

::Oh... Oh!:: His eyes widened. ::Wufei?!:: A warm hand squeezed his thigh.

Heero caught Duo's startled expression and glared at Wufei, but said nothing.

Trowa and Quatre traded looks unnoticed by the others.

~*~

Duo paused in the garden looking around to see if anyone else was near. The quiet place was empty, though.

::Good,:: he thought, and jumped up to grab a branch of the mulberry tree, hauling himself up to his secret place amid the leafy limbs.

The tree was old and big, its trunk as big around as the circle of Duo's arms, and about twenty feet up was a nice triangle of trunk and two limbs that made a perfect seat in which to be alone. He liked this spot and came here whenever he didn't want to be found. He arranged himself in the notch, elbows on his knees, head in his hands.

::Huh, Trowa found me easily enough the other night. But Trowa's good at seeing things others don't.:: Like himself, Trowa heard and saw everything that went on around him. Unlike Duo, he felt no compulsion to comment on everything he heard and saw. Trowa kept a lot of secrets. ::He's good at ignoring things too.::

::Kinda like someone else, wouldn't ya say?:: replied the other voice in his mind, the one he hated to hear because it usually made such good sense.

::Yeah, yeah, yeah! Don't start on me! I'm not the one into self-flagellation!::

::Oh, no? What else would ya call falling in love with Heero Yuy, hmmm?::

::I thought... I thought he cared... At least a little... I mean, he glared and argued and acted like I was seducing him against his will, but he came to me as often as I went to him! He wasn't always cold and angry... He was warm... and... and tender when we were together... And... almost sweet sometimes...::

::....::

::He was! I thought...::

::Yeah, well, there's yer problem, Maxwell. Ya shouldn't oughta think. Leave that to the ones who do it well.::

::I'm not stupid!::

::No? Why do ya think everyone calls you "the idiot Maxwell"?::

::Not everyone!::

::Hn.::

::Go away! Leave me alone! Just let me wallow in my misery for awhile, can't you!::

::Can't run away from yourself, baka; I'm always here.::

"Just leave me alone!" he whispered aloud, face hidden in his hands. He reached for his braid, wrapping it around his hand for comfort, resting his cheek against it.

::He used to brush my hair... He said my hair was beautiful. He liked my hair. He liked to touch it, to run his hands through it... He held it in his hands when we... when we...::

"Shit. What did I do wrong?" he whispered plaintively around tears.

::Why don't we just examine the points one by one?:: suggested that noxious inner voice.

Duo shook his head, burying his head in his arms, refusing all thought.

The tree shook, startling him out of his emotional prison. He looked down to find Wufei swinging up to join him. He turned away hastily, wiping at his face, wishing he didn't have one of those faces that showed the tears so plainly.

"Are you okay?" asked the Chinese boy, Duo's flushed and splotchy face confirming what he'd suspected. "Did Heero say something after the briefing?"

Heero had followed Duo from the room, but they were alone for only a moment before Wufei appeared. He didn't think, at the time, that Heero had had a chance to say anything to upset him.

"No," said Duo quickly, his voice hoarse from crying. "He didn't say a thing."

"Hn. As long as he didn't try to fight with you." He leaned over, resting his hand on Duo's thigh. "You know, he's not all the stars in the sky, Duo. There are other people who appreciate you."

"Yeah?" the braided boy muttered. "Name one."

"Quatre." Duo snorted. "Me." He looked up, frowning.

"You appreciate me?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Um... No offense, Wufei, but you usually want to strangle me."

Wufei laid his hand on Duo's shoulder, fingers brushing the auburn hair just behind his ear. "Maybe I never got to know you the way I should have..."

He didn't believe it for a second. Chang Wufei? What next, cows flapping their way across the sky?

But he had been uncommonly civil lately...

::Hey, he felt you up at the briefing, in front of everybody!::

::He brushed my leg!::

::He put his hand -::

::Never mind!::