Perfect Part 4

"He's not to be alone at night."

"Is there a problem?" asked Wufei after a few minutes silence.

"I knew it," muttered Quatre under his breath.

"The strain is beginning to tell on him. He needs to shake off that role. We will take turns until this is finished. Quatre, will you take tonight's rotation?"

"Of course, Heero." He glanced at Trowa. They needed to talk before he saw Duo. He'd been picking up the oddest emotions from his lover all morning.

He finally cornered his love in the garage of the safe house. "Trowa, what's wrong with Duo?" he demanded. "I'm feeling something, and you're not happy with what you learned last night."

Trowa shook his head. He couldn't lie to Quatre, but how could he tell him that Duo was slipping away? That he was beginning to lose himself in that life and that he was afraid. Quatre would know soon enough, as soon as he stepped into the same room with the braided pilot. He sighed, massaging his temples as Quatre slid his arms around his waist.

"It is... wearing on him," Trowa said reluctantly. He laid his arms around Quatre's shoulders. "I'm not sure how I know... He was... serious... last night. I'm worried."

Quatre sighed heavily, looking up at the taller youth. "I'll do what I can for him."

"Yes... Please do that. Duo's more fragile, I think, than he lets on."

~*~

"Hi, Duo," said Quatre brightly, as his friend slipped inside the room.

"Um, hi Quatre. What're you doing here?" He dropped his bag on the floor and began stripping.

Quatre hesitated, trying to pick his words carefully. Unfortunately, Trowa's fears were all too accurate. Duo was tense, angry and somehow shut down, as if he'd closed a door to an integral part of his being. Without even touching him, Quatre saw that the boy he knew and felt so close to was not in the room. Get his mind off it; let him shake it off for a few hours, Heero had said. Poor Duo...

"Heero thought it might help if you had company at night," he replied slowly. "Tonight is my turn."

Duo nodded absently. "Whatever. You wanna order pizza; I'm getting in the shower." He dug a handful of bills out of his pocket and dropped them on the bed. He didn't wait for an answer, shutting the bathroom door behind him.

Quatre sighed and picked up the money, counting it absently. Including the change, $637.51.

The price for a man's soul for a day...

~*~

"Oh my god, Trowa, it was awful! He tried so hard to be his usual self, but he just kept... sinking... like he was drowning! Falling back into the whore persona... His voice, his speech patterns, his mannerisms..." He wrapped his arms around Trowa's waist, desperately needing his warmth and reassurance. "I'm worried about him! But what do we tell Heero?"

"What else can we tell him? He asked you to go, because he knows that Duo can't hide from you. He needs to know what's going on."

"Trowa..."

"Yes, my angel?"

"I think I need you to hold me for a long time..."

~*~

Duo stood naked in front of the tiny closet. Goddess, I am so bored. Eight days! Eight miserable motherfuckin' creepy filthy boring days! I'm goin' nuts here!

He snatched up a bag from the closet floor and stomped into the bathroom.

~*~

The guys couldn't stop looking at Duo. Most were fleeting, nervous glances quickly hidden before Duo could notice (they didn't realize that Duo saw each and every one), but occasionally someone would stop and stare. It had no adverse effect on his customers, though; if anything he got even more "dates".

Finally Snow couldn't stand it any longer. He marched up to Duo, who was fluffing his bangs and checking the rest of his hair in his pocket mirror, and asked bluntly, "How come yer done up like that today? Ya never did that before."

Duo grinned and shrugged. "Sometimes I get bored with the same old thing, ya know?"

"No shit," returned Snow, looking him up and down. "Man, ya sure are pretty."

Duo hopped up to sit on an electrical box, crossing one long, slender, bare leg over the other. "Ya think so? It's kinduva pain to do, but the johns seem to like it."

"Fuck," snorted a new voice. "Those troopies don't care what it is, as long as it's got a hole and will bend over for twenty." Rose paused judiciously as Snow opened his mouth to protest, then cut him off neatly. "But I gotta admit, you look like a fuck-and-a-half. I ain't never seen any guy who could look as good in drag as you do." He grinned at Snow and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "An' if I had any int'rest in ya at all, I'd have ya bent over that box, 'stedda sittin' on it."

Duo gave a throaty laugh. "I'm honored, Rose! But I don't think ya can afford me!" He leaned back on his hands and gave a little wiggle. "This is more cuz of the extra effort I put in. Not to mention this damn thong! I still don't know how women do it!"

"We don't have to work around the dangly bits," teased one of the girls from the other corner. "Ya know," she smirked at Duo, looking him over critically, "Some of the ladies are mega-pissed at ya; yer stealin' our customers. Ya wanna be careful walkin' home tonight." Rose glared at her and she scuttled away, laughing.

"Breeder bitch!" he snarled. "Ya better be careful; those trolls will do ya if ya get in their way," he said seriously to Duo.

"I figgered that," Duo said wryly. He stretched sinuously and several people paused to watch. A white compact convertible screeched to a halt at the curb. The three young men looked at it curiously.

After a minute the passenger window eased down and a voice called, "Longhair! All night!"

"Hmmm... Guess I don't hafta worry about the other corner after all." He hopped off the box and did a bump and grind over to the car, sliding gracefully into the black leather bucket seat.

~*~

"Hey! Wufei! Guess you got the short straw tonight, huh?" Duo grinned at the Chinese youth.

"I didn't get the short straw, Maxwell," he replied absently, watching the traffic. "It's my turn. Do you wish to eat or go straight to your room?"

Duo shot him a sidelong glance and threw caution to the winds. "Maybe we could do both," he purred. "There's a sub shop up ahead; the drive-thru's still open." He brushed his fingertips against Wufei's thigh. "We can grab something and take it back to the room."

"All right," agreed Wufei, waiting for a break in the traffic. His leg tingled; he scratched at it automatically. "Why the hell are traffic lights in this country so out of sync?" he muttered to himself. He scratched again at his leg and encountered fingers. Whatthefuck?! He looked down at a long, slender naked leg with a stiletto-heeled purple sandal at one end and a purple spandex swatch at the other.

He stared, traffic forgotten. He prodded the pale limb hesitantly.

"Careful, Wufei; I bruise easily."

His eyes traveled slowly from sandal to leg to... dress?

To... breasts...

To... naked... shoulders...

To purple lips and purple eye shadow and mascara and liner and long, long auburn hair swirling loose and a purple-nailed hand CRAWLING UP HIS LEG TO HIS CROTCH!!!

"Aaaaaiiiiiii!!!" He attempted to flatten himself into the door. "Son of a BITCH! Jesus MOTHERFUCKIN' Christ! MAXWELL!!!"

Duo quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, Wufei?"

"...!!!"

"Oh, I feel like a meatball sub and a Dr. Pepper; how about you?"

~*~

"Ya know, I can do without the hysterics over dinner," Duo said calmly, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"You sick, perverted, unprofessional --"

"Hey, hey, hey! I am not unprofessional! I'm not the one who let me hop in without even looking to see if I was the right person, ya know! It's not MY fault you were expecting something else."

"SomeTHING?! Someone! Not a -- a -- a transvestite!"

"Not transvestite, Wufei. Just a guy in drag. Hey, are you gonna eat that other sub? Cuz if you're not..."

"I do not wish to talk to you at this time. Shut up and go to bed."

"When I finish eating. And get my makeup off. And wash this stuff outta my hair."

"...."

"Suit yourself. The bed's not bad, though."

"!!!!"

~*~

"Yuy! I'm going to KILL him!!!"

~*~

Duo climbed onto the bed and settled himself comfortably on his knees. It was kinda good that this guy was his last for the night. He was repeat business, and not half bad, as johns went. Sure, a little weird, but nothing scary, nothing Duo couldn't handle. He drew his braid over his shoulder, out of the way. This guy, "Dave", liked to touch his hair, but not rummage it. He was perfectly happy to stroke his bangs and leave the braid alone.

"You ready?" he asked quietly.

Duo nodded and flashed a brilliant, if phony, grin. "Sure thing, hon." He held his hands behind his back as the handcuffs were snapped shut.

"Is that okay? Should I loosen them?"

"Nah, they're fine." He arched his back. "Loud or quiet?"

"Whatever you like, beautiful," growled the man, running his hands down Duo's arms, over his hips and under his ass. "Beautiful..."

Duo closed his eyes, catching his breath with a hiss.

Strong hands... so strong... Calluses, scars; working hands... talented hands... Heero's hands are strong... callused... This is Heero... Say it again... make it TRUE... Ahhh... I burn... Heero holding me... fingers digging hard into my shoulders... my hips... my arms... Oh, yessss... Heero, Heero, hurt me, make me burn! Not some nameless trick... Oh, inside me... please..! Fire... I can't... I can... Lady, please... make it Heero... Make me his... Pain, fire, shame, ecstasy... all for him... All for Heero...

He screamed until his throat hurt.

~*~

Duo let himself out of the room quietly, pausing to turn up the collar of his jacket. Damn! It was almost summer! Where the hell was the hot weather? The days were okay, but once the sun went down, so did the temperature. Too late to get a cab, he'd have to walk. At least there was no danger of rain and it was only a couple of klics. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and set out at a brisk pace.

He paused at a controlled intersection to stretch and massage the slight pain in the small of his back. Shit, I'm so tired of this.

Just get back to the room, get a shower and die for a few hours.

No dinner?!

I'm tired...

No food?!

Shut up, I said I'm tired...

And I'm hungry!

Too bad.

A car drove by slowly, then stopped at the next corner. Duo didn't recognise it, but that meant nothing. The guys always showed up in different models.

He wondered who's turn it was tonight.

The window sank as he approached. He ducked his head just enough to recognise Heero behind the wheel.

"Get in, Duo," Heero said quietly.

Duo did as instructed, tilting the seat back and closing his eyes.

"Are you all right?" asked the young Japanese man.

"Yeah, sure."

Heero frowned. "I brought some sandwiches."

"Not hungry."

Heero looked at him, startled. "What's wrong?" he demanded sharply.

"I'm tired, Heero. I had a long day. I got fucked about a dozen times, and I'm TIRED! I just wanna get a shower and go to bed. Okay? Is that okay with you, oh fearful leader?" he snarled, not looking at the other pilot. Where's the guy in my dreams? Does he even exist? Do I..?

In the room, he went straight to the bathroom and shut the door.

Heero glared at the closed door for a while, then sat down at the table, head in his hands.

God, I hate what this does to him! He's gone away again. The Duo we know isn't here. This... this person isn't the Duo I... care about... He hasn't smiled or laughed in days... This ends now.

He set up his laptop and began typing.

Duo walked out of the bathroom, brushing his damp hair and wearing nothing but a frown.

"I hope you're not planning to type all night; I'd like to get some sleep," he growled at the sight of the laptop.

"No. We're pulling the plug on this mission. We'll come up with another plan."

"The FUCK we will!" yelled Duo. "I'M the one out there! It's MY mission! It's NOT gonna FAIL!" He threw his brush across the room, took two long strides toward Heero and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Don't you pull that Imperial 'we' shit on me! I can do this!!"

Heero didn't flinch. "Can you?" he asked softly. "Can you continue selling your body forever? What about your soul?" Duo's violet eyes held the same touch of insanity as during a battle. That's what this is... A battle between what he is and what he was... And 'was' is winning...

"I have no soul..." He let go of Heero's shirt and turned away, all argument gone.

Heero retrieved the brush. "I'll brush your hair."

Duo shrugged, falling silently onto the bed.

Heero sat next to him and gathered the strands of his auburn hair and began gently stroking and untangling the heavy mane. After a few minutes, Duo began to thrum softly in his sleep.

~*~

Heero noticed almost immediately when Duo awoke, although the longhaired beauty didn't move or speak. He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for several minutes before his hand found the end of his braid and cuddled it against his chest. Heero stood next to the bed and waited until Duo's gaze slid his way.

"Are you hungry this morning?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah..."

"When you're ready, I'll take you to breakfast."

Duo looked at him. "You'll take me to breakfast?" he echoed. "Why?"

"I feel like it."

"I'm not giving up this mission."

"I know. I apologize for suggesting it. I know it's a strain on you, and I am concerned, but I'm your partner, not your nanny and you certainly know your limits better than I."

Do I?

"Did you braid my hair?"

"Yes."

"You did a good job. It's nice and neat. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Can I have French toast?"

"You can have whatever you want."

"Cool!"

TBC...

 

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