Perfect Part 13
Heero sat on a bus bench pretending to read a paperback book. His attention was focused on the building across the street. Tomas used a certain room three times a week; the times were reserved just for him. He never used any other room.
Tomas showed up about an hour ago with a blond whore about Duo's age. He usually stayed three or four hours. The sun had set twenty minutes ago. Heero waited only for the call that would tell him that Tomas was the only one left. When he was disposed of, Heero would go back to the safehouse to wait for Duo to call.
He should do something special for Duo, after what he'd been through on this mission. He would have to think about that after the hit.
He turned the page.
He glanced at his watch as if waiting on someone.
His car was parked three blocks away.
He turned the page.
His loaded automatic rested in its holster in the small of his back. The silencer was in his jacket pocket with his gloves.
He turned the page.
His phone chirped.
He flipped it open. "Hn."
"All yours," said Trowa. The connection ended.
Heero turned the phone off and pocketed in. He stood up, stuck the paperback in his back pocket and walked across the street and in the door of the building.
At Tomas' room, he overrode the lock and slipped in silently. Light came from a small bedside lamp. Tomas didn't hear him moving into position; he was too busy with the whore on the bed under him.
Heero screwed the silencer onto the barrel, considering his shot. He didn't want to kill the whore. The poor kid wasn't any sort of threat. But if he shot Tomas in the back, he'd kill the whore as well.
"Tomas."
The man jumped, and looked over his shoulder angrily, only to find himself almost nose to barrel with the biggest fuckin' gun he'd ever seen.
Before he could make a sound, Heero shot him between the eyes. He collapsed onto the whore.
The kid stared uncomprehending for an instant, then clapped both hands over his mouth in terror.
He and Heero stared at each other for a moment, then Heero said, "Get dressed and get out."
The boy just stared at him, tears flooding his face. Heero grabbed Tomas, rolling him off the teenager and onto the floor.
"I am not going to hurt you. Get dressed."
Shaking uncontrollably, mouth open in silent sobs, he crawled off the bed and began dressing, never taking his eyes from Heero.
Heero found Tomas' wallet. "Did he pay you?"
The boy stared at him, then blinked and nodded.
Heero pulled out a thick fold of bills. "Take this." He handed it to the boy, who took it automatically.
"Y-You... you killed him..." he whispered.
Heero nodded absently.
"Why?"
"Because he was a very evil person." He looked at the blond boy. His cobalt eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Shit. The kid Duo had gotten close to. "Come with me." The boy was dressed; he didn't argue as Heero led him into the bathroom.
He opened the window and looked out. Deserted, as expected. This was not an area of walkers, joggers or other interested parties. He tossed Snow's backpack out the window and boosted him through, then hopped out himself.
The kid just stood there as if waiting for a bullet. Heero gave him a shake. "Go home and stay there. This has nothing to do with you and you won't get into any trouble."
"But..."
"Go home," he commanded in his most authoritative tone. The one Duo always laughed at or ignored... "Take a hot bath, order a pizza, have a drink. Go."
The boy blinked and took a step back, then another, then turned and ran.
Heero watched him go.
When did you get so sloppy, Yuy?
When I'm human.
Sloppy equals dead.
Hn. We're done here. It doesn't matter.
He's Duo's little friend.
Yes.
And...?
And nothing.
He jogged through the back alleys to his car and headed for the safehouse.
~*~
Trowa threw himself against the door, only to step back in frustration as it held firm.
"We need to learn how Yuy does it," muttered Wufei tensely, referring to the Wing pilot's ability to kick open any door he came to. "All together," he snapped, and they lunged at the oak door again. This time the frame splintered and they were able to force it the rest of the way.
Quatre ran for the stairs. "Duo!" he yelled. "Duo! Where are you?" He spun around to face his comrades. "You take the downstairs; I'll check the bedrooms."
Trowa didn't like the idea of Quatre going upstairs alone, and said so.
"Don't worry," he said grimly. "I intend to fuckin' well shoot anyone who isn't Duo or that whore." He ran up the stairs. Trowa and Wufei split up to search the downstairs.
They hadn't found anything when a few minutes later Quatre started shouting for them. "I found him! Up here!" Both pilots took the stairs two at a time. "Here!" yelled Quatre again, and they found him in a room splattered with blood.
{ calling me...
who is calling me...
familiar...
friend...
yes...
yes...
warm.
He was bending over Duo, who huddled on his knees, the body of a dark-haired boy clutched in his arms. Another body, this one devoid of a face, sprawled on the floor nearby.
"Duo?" murmured Quatre gently. "Duo, can you hear me?" He looked up at the others. "Help Duo, please. Gently! I'll get this one." He began to pry the corpse from Duo's grasp as Trowa and Wufei took his arms to lift him to his feet.
"Come on, Duo," said Trowa quietly. "Let's go home."
cool...
green...
silence...
trees...
shadows...
animals...
hurt...
scared.
"Home?" Duo frowned, blinking uncertainly. "But the mission..."
"Ninmu kanryu," Trowa assured him. "Heero took him out and we took care of the rest. You did a great job, Duo. Time to go home." A sudden gasp from Quatre made him look up.
The slim blond pointed a shaking finger at the body Duo had been holding. "Oh, god! Look what that... that... Look! Oh..."
They saw the baseball bat and the blood. Wufei gagged, but managed to force it down before dishonoring himself. Trowa blanched, his eyes going dead for a moment. Quatre sat down hard on the floor, a hand to his throat.
"He... he bled out... He was still alive when... when... Oh..." He turned his shocked gaze to Trowa and fainted, his head hitting the floor with a solid "thunk!" For an instant Trowa didn't move, then he jumped up to go to his lover.
{ angry...
it's me...
anger for me...
sorry...
so sorry...
please...
forgive.
Wufei swallowed again, with difficulty, still hanging onto the American pilot. "No wonder Maxwell blew his face off," he muttered to cover his own discomfort. He lifted Duo in his arms, wrinkling his nose at the blood on his friend's bruised body and looking hastily away from his bloodied wrists. "I'll get him downstairs; you take care of Winner."
{ oh hurt...
floating...
but warm...
heartbeat...
hidden...
musk...
fear.
He tucked Duo into the back of the van, wrapping a blanket around him. "You wait right here, okay?" Duo's eyes were open and his lips were moving, but no one was home. "Shit," muttered Wufei. "Maxwell! Don't go out on us! We need you!" He remembered something. "Heero needs you."
"Okay..." was his faint reply.
Push the right buttons, get the correct response, thought Wufei sardonically as he hurried back into the house.
Trowa was coming down the stairs with Quatre in his arms. "Take them back to the safe house," said Wufei. "I'll handle the clean up here." Trowa nodded impassively.
"Thanks, Wufei." And his visible eye said you're a better man than I am, Gunga Wufei.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just don't get between Yuy and Maxwell; you could get trampled."
~*~
The van and the truck were gone, Heero noted as he turned into the drive. Not unusual in itself, but for some reason his skin crawled in warning.
He entered the house carefully, gun drawn, but relaxed when he saw the note from Quatre. He'd turned off his phone while he took out Tomas, apparently they had left while he was out of touch.
Heero picked up the note.
"Heero! We've gone to get Duo. Something happened! No info! STAY THERE!!! We'll be back soonest! Q"
Heero's expression hardened. Something happened?!?! SOMETHING happened?!?!?! Things didn't just "HAPPEN!"
"FUCK!!!"
~*~
Trowa divided his attention between the road, Quatre, still unconscious in the front passenger seat and Duo in the back. He hated these damn backcountry roads; no chance to get up to speed. But then, vans weren't built for high speeds anyway.
Shitshitshit. Quatre, angel, wake up! Please, sweetie; you're scaring the crap outta me!
"Ohhh..." whimpered Quatre, a hand to the back of his head. "Oh. Trowa, stop!" He fumbled for the door handle.
{ movement...
deathscythe...
war...
death my companion...
fear...
anger...
tender touch...
scared.
~*~
"Quatre! What are you -! Little one!" He swerved to the side of the road, nearly putting the van into a ditch.
Quatre lunged out the door before the van stopped rolling. He grabbed at a slender tree, vomiting wretchedly. Trowa shut the engine off and jumped out to follow him.
"Little one!" He grabbed Quatre's shoulders, steadying him. "Angel... Sweet angel..." He held him gently until he finished, then slipped his arms around his waist, laying his head against Quatre's shoulders.
"He was so scared, Trowa," Quatre whispered after a few minutes, clinging to Trowa's strong arms. "He knew what that... He knew! That poor boy... Poor Duo..."
Poor Duo. They'd left him alone. He shouldn't be left alone right now.
"Come on, my angel. We need to get back to Duo."
To his relief, Duo hadn't moved. Quatre climbed into the back next to him. "He's not well, Trowa. He needs to be close to someone."
Quatre knew those things; Trowa nodded and started the engine.
~*~
Heero shot out the back door of the safehouse and leaped over the railing, nearly landing on the van as it stopped.
"Where's Duo?" he yelled.
"Here," said Quatre, opening the door. "Heero, something horrible happened. Duo's not --"
"Is he hurt?" demanded the Japanese youth.
"Um, a little, but Heero --"
Heero reached for Duo, swinging him up in his arms, to carry him into the house. "Later, Quatre."
{ power...
strength...
fury...
rank after rank...
soldiers marching...
death...
heartbeat...
embracing...
Shinigami...
return.
Quatre stared after them; Trowa joined him. "I've never seen Heero behave like that."
Trowa rubbed his shoulders thoughtfully. "I think Heero has experienced an epiphany."
"Oh... Yes... I see." He looked up at the taller boy. "I need to take a shower; I feel dirty."
Trowa nodded. "I'll scrub your back, little one." He wasn't feeling very well himself.
~*~
Heero laid Duo on the bed and gently brushed his hair back from his face. He was still conscious, but only just. He huddled in on himself protectively, shudders sweeping through his body in waves.
"Duo? Do you hear me?" The chestnut-haired youth didn't respond. Heero shook him gently, to no avail. Frustrated, Heero sat back; fists clenched, and growled, "Goddammit! I was afraid of this!"
{ love...
me...
love...
you...
catch me...
save us...
angel...
mine...
trust.
Duo flinched and whimpered softly, his fingers twitching in the covering. Heero cursed himself for allowing his anger to show. He stroked Duo's soft hair. "It's okay, Duo. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm not angry with you. I'm sorry they hurt you, and angry that I couldn't be there to help you," he said gently. It seemed to help; Duo relaxed somewhat.
Hn. I need to keep my temper in check.
"I think you'll feel a little better after a hot bath. May I help you?" He kept his voice low and soft and Duo blinked slowly. "Okay. You wait right here. I'm going into the bathroom to start the water; I'll be right back." Once the water was running at the proper temperature, he returned to unwrap Duo from the blanket and carry him to the tub.
As he sponged away the blood and dirt, he was relieved to find that Duo wasn't seriously injured. Heero didn't know what had happened; he didn't need to until Duo was better.
He changed the water in the tub, shampooed Duo's thick mane, using the hand spray to thoroughly rinse away any remaining soap, then he lavished his hair with conditioner. Duo seemed to be dozing while he worked, a good thing to Heero's mind. Surely, the boy needed to rest.
He dried Duo as much as possible in the tub, then spread a fresh towel on the bed and laid him on it, covering him with a comforter. He bandaged Duo's wrists, realising for the first time how fine and delicate his bones were.
God, he could have been killed! This ends NOW! He is NOT doing this again! Those goddamn old perverts...
He was drying the mass of auburn hair when Trowa slipped into the room.
"How is he?"
Heero shook his head. "I don't know. He doesn't seem to be in pain, he's not badly hurt, he's not unconscious, but he's not quite awake either. It's almost shock, but he's not showing the right symptoms. What happened, Trowa?"
Looking distinctly uncomfortable, the Heavyarms pilot sighed. "I only know what we found."
"And?"
"Ugly. Very ugly. Duo holding the body of the whore, Rose, and another body with no face nearby. A room splattered with blood." He fell silent, watching as Heero drew the brush gently through Duo's long hair. "He wasn't able to tell us anything. I believe it's an emotional trauma." Heero nodded his agreement.
He scooped Duo up in his arms. "Would you mind?" he asked, nodding to the bed. Trowa turned the coverings down and fluffed the pillows and Heero laid him down gently and drew the covers up.
"I hope he'll sleep."
"I have some capsules, if you think it would help."
Heero looked up. "Try it. He needs to rest." While Trowa was gone, Heero sat on the bed to stroke Duo's cheek. "It's okay, Duo," he murmured softly. The bright, gregarious pilot had an alarming hidden tendency to blame himself whenever his part of a mission didn't go perfectly. Heero understood the feeling all too well. He'd self-destructed while in the throes of just such a depression. Duo preferred to beat himself up with his guilt. "You didn't do anything wrong, Duo. It was a random action. It's not your fault."
Trowa returned with a sleeping pill and a glass of water.
Heero helped Duo to sit up and offered the capsule. "Duo, please take it. I want you to sleep for a while. You're very weak; you need to rest." When Duo just stared at it, he continued, "We'll be here with you. You won't be alone at all until you feel better." And then he said, very softly in Duo's ear, "Do it for me, Shinigami." Duo took the capsule and swallowed it, not looking at either of them. "That's good. You lie back now." Duo's eyes closed obediently and he was asleep in a matter of minutes.
{ trust...
love...
strength...
trust you...
love you...
protect...
always.
"I'm not sure he really needed the sedative," murmured Trowa. He and Heero stood by the door talking in low voices. "I think all he needed was your permission."
Heero frowned at him and snorted. "Hn. At least he's asleep. Trowa, would you stay with him while I talk to Quatre?"
"Of course. But Heero..."
"Yes?"
"I would really prefer that you didn't question Quatre until morning. It was very ugly."
Heero sighed and nodded reluctantly. "All right. I don't suppose it matters that much as long as Duo's safe. But I do have something to do."
"Thank you, Heero."
~*~
Quatre jumped up from the sofa as soon as Heero walked into the drawing room. "How is he?" he cried anxiously.
"Still out of it. We gave him a sedative. I hope he'll sleep all night. Quatre, I promised Trowa I wouldn't ask about how you found him, but I do have another request."
"Oh, Heero, I don't mind." He hesitated, though, and nibbled at his lower lip. "Well, not that much. What's your request?"
"The van and your corporate credit card. I want to go shopping for Duo." He wanted to do something special; at the moment this was all he could think of, to make Duo comfortable, to make him feel safe.
Quatre looked at the Japanese pilot. Heero hated shopping for himself. He certainly had never shown any inclination to shop for anyone else. The idea was so astonishing that Quatre wanted to at least ask why, but Heero's not-quite-the-death-glare-but-close-enough look dissuaded him.
"Of course," he said instead, and dug into a drawer for the WEI corporate card that his eldest sister had slipped him several months before. "That mall on the river seems to keep late hours."
"Hn." He paused at the door. "May I bring you anything, Quatre?"
"No, Heero," smiled the blond. "But thank you for asking."
When Heero had gone, he ran up the stairs to tell Trowa and to see how Duo was doing.
~*~
Various salesclerks in various stores at the mall were left reeling by their encounters with Heero. He knew exactly what he wanted, and if they couldn't produce it, he was off to the next shop. He wasted no time on small talk. He frightened and intimidated the clerks and yet had them fawning over him in a most annoying manner. He ordered his purchases to be staged for pickup and guarded by a clerk from each store and got it.
He bought bed linens and pillows, clothing and boots in Duo's ubiquitous black, his favorite shampoo and conditioner, a hairbrush and hair ties, audio and videodisks, and Duo's favorite gourmet junk food.
As an afterthought, he bought a box of truffles for Quatre and Trowa and a bottle of plum wine for Wufei.
~*~
Wufei was at the house when Heero returned.
"How's Maxwell?"
"He'll be all right."
"Hmmm."
"No problems?"
Wufei snorted. "None. I sent both bodies to Dr. Po for autopsy. She'll contact us when she's finished. I cleared out Duo's motel room as well."
Heero nodded. "What is all this?" Wufei asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"I went shopping."
Wufei blinked. "You did." He watched as Heero unloaded bag after bag from the van. "And this is all for you."
Heero paused to glare at him. "Of course not. It's for Duo."
"Of course. You went shopping for Duo."
"Yes."
Wufei watched for a few minutes. "Of course. I need to clean up. I'll see you later."
"Yes. We need to talk."
"You think?" muttered the Chinese pilot as he entered the house.
~*~
He sat on the edge of the bed to lay his hand on Duo's forehead. No fever, but his face was unusually flushed. Shock, of course.
"You're being ridiculous, Maxwell; hiding like this. I realise it's part of your mystique to disappear from time to time, but this is not the time. What happened to that whore was not your fault." He brushed his fingers over the snug bandages wrapping Duo's ravaged wrists. "It could easily have been you, at any time in the past weeks. It was only bad luck that the bastard chose to kill this time. It had nothing to do with you. You are not cursed. It was not your fault." He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "We need you... Duo. Our team does not function as well without you. I have... missed... your pranks and your teasing. I hope you know that if I were really inclined to kill you for your behavior, I would have done so long before this. Rest Duo... but don't hide. We miss you." He patted Duo's hand gently and left silently.
~*~
Held firmly in Trowa's arms in bed that night, Quatre sighed for the umpteenth time. "I can't let it go, Trowa. "The sight of that child, and Duo too. It's just too ugly to ignore."
Trowa said nothing. His adored one was thinking out loud, working a strategy. He kissed the back of Quatre's neck.
"Something must be done about this. Of course, some will reject any offer of help; there are people like that. But many more will welcome a way out, a chance at least."
Trowa could almost feel the wheels turning, the circuits firing in Quatre's mind. He would take charge now. Quatre would know how to proceed. Quatre knew how people worked. Quatre had compassion. And Quatre adored Duo.
"I will talk to Sareje tomorrow. She is in charge of the Foundation," he said softly, his decision made. "Trowa, are you tired?"
Trowa smiled faintly. "I'm still feeling the adrenaline."
Quatre turned in his arms, blue eyes flashing. "So am I." He wound his fingers into Trowa's sleek hair and kissed him soundly.
TBC...
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