Crimson Ties Part 6
Gold-trimmed, cobalt eyes filled his mind. Again.
Sighing deeply, Duo saved the paper that he was working on and closed his laptop to rub his eyes. He glanced to the clock when his hand fell away and noted that it was nearly eleven o'clock at night.
With a groan, he pushed his chair away from his desk and rose to his feet to stretch his legs. Fresh, night air would clear his mind enough to help him make a good go on his essay... as well as give him a chance to replenish his dwindling cigarette storage.
Peering his blonde head out of his cubby, Quatre watched his roommate reach into his closet and asked, "Heading out this late?"
"Yea," the other teenager replied as he pulled his braid out to fall free of the light jacket that he was pulling on. "I just need to get out for a while. I'll walk to the all-nighter gas station just off campus to get some coffee for some exercise."
The scientist nodded, "Mind if I stay behind to work on my project, here? I'm kind of on a roll that I'd hate to break away from."
Waving a hand nonchalantly, Duo reassured as he headed for the door, "No problem. I could use some time on my own, anyway. I have a lot of crap running through my head that I gotta sort out, so I wouldn't be much company right now."
A smile spreading across his face, Winner ducked back into his safe haven and offered, "Have fun, then. Be careful." Humming an affirmative, Maxwell stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.
Quatre's head peered back out and he waited a moment before quickly standing and moving for the large window. Unlocking the wide panel and swinging it open, he leaned towards the thick tall tree beside his perch. "Are you out there, Heero?" he called in a whisper.
The faintest rustle of leaves was the only response he had before a dark shadow sprang from the nearest branch to land easily onto the windowsill. Grinning to his friend as he slipped into the room, Yuy nodded firmly, "You're getting a good handle on his rituals to have known that he would leave for a late walk tonight."
"I noticed that his cigarette stash was getting low, so it was only a matter of time before he needed to step out," the blonde smirked. "Duo is more of a creature of habit than he realizes. As a scientist, looking for patterns is a regular practice of mine."
Closing the window, Winner headed back to his desk to unlock the top drawer and removed the Petri dishes that he had been examining.
Very carefully setting the round disks down, his fingers typed feverishly away at his laptop as he announced, "Just give me a moment to get out of what I was just working on and I can go over my findings from the blood samples here."
Heero nodded firmly, "Take your time." Giving his friend some space, the Vampire stepped away and glanced over the other half of the room.
This was the first time he'd ever set foot inside his Other's dorm. Slowly pacing before the neatly organized arrangement, he ran his blue eyes over every detail to have a better understanding of the young man that he was profoundly connected to.
There was a surge of excitement that came to Heero in being able to have some glimpse into Duo's life. But then there was also the sting in knowing that he was becoming more acquainted with the braided teenager's things than the boy himself.
Maxwell was a fan of quite the wide spread of music judging from the variety of artist and band posters that colored his walls. He also seemed to lean towards darker hues for his color palette from black, blues to reds and purples.
Lightly running a hand over the soft, dark gray comforter that covered his Other's bed, Yuy walked over to his empty desk. To his surprise, he only found three pictures taped inside the panels of the overhead shelving unit.
Stretching his neck inside, the Infected gazed over the image of a younger Duo standing between a priest and a nun before a church. The smiles on the three faces and the proximity that they stood together gave the feel of this being a family photo. In many ways, that was likely the case.
The same, proudly grinning older man and lovely-faced sister were present in another picture. Gold braided ropes and medals of high scholastic honors donned the dark blue graduation robe that the braided teenager wore as he held his diploma in one hand and his cap in the other with an arm around the 'parents' flanking him.
And the last image was what appeared to be Duo in a group photo with his classmates. The wide smile on his face was as friendly as the others around him, but it did not reach his violet eyes. Knowing the true emotion as one he had seen many times over, the Vampire recognized the loneliness behind that gaze.
"Mom! Dad!" the wail of a distant memory cried through Heero's mind. Physically reeling at the sound, he stepped away from the desk, wide-eyed. Swallowing roughly beyond his constricting throat, he looked away from the pictures as a deep frown marred his face.
Slowly walking back towards the consistent typing at the other half of the room, Yuy considered his words before he asked, "Your roommate, Duo... does he seem happy to you?"
Quatre's fingers stilled at the question. Blinking in confusion, he got to his feet to stand before his friend. "I'm not really sure if he knows what he is," he shrugged. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he mentally debated whether or not to elaborate.
But it was his wish to have all of his friends get along that won the ruling. Taking a deep breath, he sighed, "He lost his parents at a young age to-"
"The Harvest," Heero concluded for him, his expression ever blank save for the flicker of guilt in his eyes.
Jaw dropping, Winner pointed a finger at the Vampire as he exclaimed, "You knew?! But..." Realization quickly set in, making his words cut off with a sharp gasp. A hand shot up to close his mouth with a slap and he breathed, "You were there. Since you don't have a companion, you had to be."
The Infected gave a shallow nod and lowered his head. "The complication of the situation... goes even deeper than that, I'm afraid." Raising his head again, he met the aquamarine eyes on him, silently willing the scientist to decrypt his words without his having to explain the painful details to him.
When he was just about to ask what was meant, Quatre's breath hitched in his throat and his skin paled. "Oh, Allah!" he exclaimed, smacking his forehead. "Duo is your Other!" Releasing a deep groan when the Infected gave another shallow nod, he shook his head. "Complicated doesn't even begin to sum this mess up," he frowned.
Sitting on the edge of Maxwell's bed, Heero ran his hand over the covers again as he looked back at the mattress longingly. "I'm well aware of how he despises my kind," he informed. "The day after our first meeting, he took the time to see me in the library so he could make certain I was clear on that. And he has every right to."
"But... your time would have begun running out when he turned sixteen," the blonde stated as he moved to sit on the end of his own bed. "Duo's eighteen now. How long will you be able to last without him agreeing to make the transition from becoming your chosen Other to your Companion?"
Yuy ran a hand through his unruly hand and looked to his friend as he replied, "I don't know exactly how long I'll be able to survive... but now, even Anna's blood is losing its impact on me."
Hissing through his teeth at that, the scientist stared at the floor and muttered, "That's not good. Since you were the one to turn her, it should be enough." As he leaned forward, he whispered, "Heero, if Duo refuses to-"
The sound of a key jiggling into the lock of the door had him stopping mid-sentence and jumping to his feet. Wide-eyed, Quatre turned to towards the door as the knob turned to be pushed open.
"You better get out of here," the Arab urged softly, spinning back to find that not only was Heero already gone, but the window was opened to leave the curtains blowing in the light breeze.
Sagging in relief, Winner quickly moved to close the pane, locking it tight before he turned to watch his roommate step back into their room. Putting on a smile, he greeted, "You walked fast for visiting the gas station." Safe in his cubby, he made careful work of securing the Petrie dishes back into his desk and locked them away.
A triumphant smirk tugged the corner of Duo's mouth as he held up two packs of cigarettes and announced, "I was almost off campus when I remembered that I had these stashed in my glove compartment. They'll last me the next couple of days before I have to go out of my way to get more."
Refreshed from the walk that he was able to get, the braided teenager removed his jacket and set it behind his desk chair before he sat back down. "Now I should be able to get ahead in my paper before calling it a night," he grinned as he opened his laptop again.
Shivering, he peered around his desk and questioned, "Is it me or is it chilly in here?"
"Oh, just needed to get some air in, so I opened the window for a minute," Quatre answered. At his roommate's 'ah,' he let out a quiet sigh at dodging that close call. Turning his head, he stared out into the night beyond the glass pane.
* * * * * *
Over the course of the next few days, Duo had been brief in his acknowledgment of Heero whenever he set foot in the library. And to his amazement, the Infected always remained polite and friendly even after the braided teenager's harsh tirade nearly a week before.
The more and more he was exposed to the Vampire, the more comfortable Maxwell became in coping with his easy presence. After all, it was only fair that he give the librarian a shot at knowing him better to show his appreciation for the space given.
In fact, he was so at ease that he actually went to his Literature class early.
Rather than make a straight line for the doors at the back of the building as he usually would, Duo leisurely walked around in search of the eternal youth. And in one of the lounges, he found Heero sitting on a couch reading from an opened book in his hands.
For that brief, quiet moment, the braided teenager actually paused to really look on the Infected and just how striking he was.
Heero's back was to a wall of windows that allowed the sunlight to pour over him as a natural light to the words on the pages that he was reading. The cascade of brilliance only helped accent the peaceful expression on the Vampire's face as well as the firm but lean muscles of his frame that came through the red shirt and tight jeans he was wearing.
Unruly, short hair fell against pale skin, practically begging to have fingers run through it.
Strong arms bent to hold the book made a silent promise of the utmost security to whoever they might encircle in an embrace.
Firm hands, while the flesh might be cold, contained a gentleness that could only warm a person at their touch.
Those cobalt-and-gold eyes were the mirror to the emotions that the usually expressionless face hid, and they were always calming whenever one was lucky enough to have those orbs fall on them.
Everything about the librarian's body from head-to-toe was etched to perfection... flawless... and achingly beautiful.
At that thought, Maxwell reeled back with a startled gasp and the brief spell was broken. His head raising at the sound, Heero's eyes grew as he closed his book and greeted, "Duo."
Inwardly groaning at that sound of his name from those lips, the braided teenager laughed off his nervousness. "Sorry," he snickered. "I was just walking around before I had to get to class."
'Omission really is a wonderful thing,' he thought to himself.
Standing up, the Vampire's lips curled in a small smile as he approached the teenager. "No need to apologize. It's good to see you, though I admit that I'm surprised you decided to venture around at the risk of running into me," he commented.
"Well, I'm doing my part in getting used to being around your kind," Duo shrugged. "At least you're not exactly that hard to spend more than a few minutes with."
As flippant as his voice was over the whole matter, he couldn't help but notice how his heart actually stuttered in hearing the Infected tell him that he was happy to see him. And he did catch onto how he almost blushed at the warm smile that his response was rewarded with.
Silently growling in frustration at himself, he forced those little annoying reactions as far away from his thoughts as he could.
Heero gestured to the book in his hand and stated, "You caught me at a good time, then. It's been a pretty busy day, so this was the only time I was able to catch a break."
Even as there was still that part of him that wanted to be away, Maxwell not only stayed in the lounge's doorway, but he actually contemplated making small talk. "Just out of curiosity," he began without even realizing that he willed the words out of him, "What would possess a creature that's been around as long as you have to pick a college library to work in of all places?"
A sharp laugh broke from the immortal and he answered, "My family and I took residence in a cluster of homes not far from campus years ago." Shrugging his shoulders, he smirked, "And I've always enjoyed books as well as some amount of privacy in that I'm not particularly fond of crowds. This was the most fitting job for me."
Nodding, the braided teenager responded, "That makes sense." Against every natural urge that practically cried for him to turn and run, he tilted head and opened, "So, when you talk about your family-"
"Hey, Duo!" a cheerful voice called, interrupting his question. Spinning, the Living spotted Sylvia Noventa, one of his fellow freshmen. At the opposite end of the aisle where he stood, the blonde waved with a grinned, "We're going to be late for class if we don't hurry."
Taken aback at how long he'd actually diverted himself with talking to a Vampire, Maxwell blinked his enlarged eyes and smirked back, "Thanks, Syl. I'll be right with you."
Peering back at the smirking librarian, he almost sighed with regret at being pulled away and instantly did his best to not dwell on that strange sensation. "I better get going," he stated as he adjusted the straps of his back pack.
Heero bowed his head and offered, "Have fun with Professor G's pop quiz." At the stunned look on his Other's face, he winked, "He's been a friend of mine for some time now, so I help arrange his classes. Just don't tell him that I let you in on the surprise." Leaning in close to the boy, he whispered in his ear, "I hope that you're caught up with your readings on Othello."
Practically shivering at the cool breath brushing against his neck, Duo tried to not pay attention to how his skin bubbled with goose bumps because of the chill. Grinning widely at the heads-up he chuckled, "Yes, I am. I'm going to ace this."
Running down the aisle to join Sylvia, he stopped himself to glance back at the Infected and smiled sincerely to the cobalt-and-gold eyes watching him, "Thanks, 'Ro." Quickly turning back on his heels, he hurried for the girl waiting on him.
In little more than a whisper, the Vampire grinned, "Anything for you, Duo." With a much lighter heart, he returned to his station to finish his day.
* * * * * *
It took a good bit of effort for Duo to not laugh when Professor G announced that class was to start with a pop quiz while his classmates groaned and moaned. Ever the good student, he had all of his reading assignments ready and so he was fully prepared, and silently appreciative for Heero's tip.
For the remainder of the lesson, the braided teenager couldn't help but feel Sylvia's eyes linger on him from her desk next to his own from time to time. And when the end of class was announced, she was right by his side at the back of the pack filtering out of the room.
Nearly bouncing on her feet as they walked out into the hall, she asked urgently, "So what were you and Heero talking about earlier? I've been dying to ask you since I caught the two of you together."
Maxwell raised an eyebrow at her, laughing, "Caught us? You make it sound like we were making out or something." He blushed even before he was finished his statement. Not allowing that mental image to sink in, he shook his head, "We were just talking, nothing special."
Puffing a burst of air, Sylvia exclaimed, "Nothing special?!" When the other students looked back at them, she ducked her head and turned back at her classmate to whisper, "Do you have any idea how many girls, and nearly just as many boys for that matter, would gladly cut off a limb to have a chance to have his attention? The guy is insanely gorgeous!"
"He's a Vampire, not a 'guy. They're not human like us anymore," Duo corrected, peering from the corner of his eye at the blonde. "And Heero talks with Quatre, so he's not completely closed off to people."
Shrugging, Noventa replied, "Yea, but Quatre practically lives here. They were bound to become friends." A smirk tugged the corner of her mouth as she suggested, "It just seemed like there was something... different about the way you looked together."
The braided teenager froze at the bottom of the steps to face her. "What the hell are you talking about?" he frowned deeply.
Sylvia gave him an innocent smile and shrugged, "I'm only telling you what it looked like to me." Checking her watch, she stated, "And I would love to discuss this more, but I still have one more class today so I have to run."
Her smirk returning when she met the narrowing violet eyes, she giggled, "See you later." Turning to hurry up the stairs, she left her confused, frustrated classmate behind.
"Just trying to make something out of nothing," Duo snorted to himself as he shook his head. Walking up the empty stairs, he tried to not mull over that strange conversation.
The end of his Literature class meant that it was the end of Heero's shift in the library. Maybe there was still time to thank the Vampire for his clue in on the quiz. Quickening his steps up to the first floor, the braided teenager walked past the large front windows that peered out to the bike racks beside the building when something made him stop in his tracks.
Sitting on the edge of the metal structure by a purple bike was a beautiful Infected that Duo had never seen around before. Her blue-and-gold eyes were focused on the from door of the library with a sense of anticipation.
Long, curly locks of a fiery red that captured the sun and fell against a slender waist was hall pulled back in a hair clip as the loose strands blew on the breeze. The jean shorts and multi-color spattered top that she wore left little room for the imagination to the pristine shape that her lean and muscular body was in.
Much like Heero, there was not a flaw to be found on the captivating creature. Simply being close to her, Duo felt out of place and almost inadequate in comparison. And it took some doing for him to remind himself that she was a Vampire.
And he was not the only one to notice her. Everyone who passed by couldn't help but stare, unbeknownst to her as she never broke her focus on the entrance.
From the corner of his eye, a hint of movement caught the braided teenager's attention and he turned to see Heero getting ready to leave. With a backpack strapped on, he continued to read the book he had in hand earlier as he walked beyond the sliding doors.
Opening his mouth to call for the Vampire, Duo was stopped short when he heard a female voice cry, "Heero!" His breath hitching in his throat, the living watched with wide eyes as the unruly-haired Infected froze on the front step in shock when he looked onto the redhead.
In a flash, the librarian dropped his book and tore his backpack from him to leap over the hand railing and sprint to the bike rack. Laughing with a smile wider and more brilliant than any that Maxwell ever thought that he would see on his face, Heero scooped the other Vampire up in his arms and spun her.
The beauty joined in the laughter as her arms locked around his neck and her legs wrapped his waist. Pulling back when she was no longer being twirled, she stayed latched on as she was and cupped the sides of the elated Infected's face.
Duo felt his jaw dropping and heard the incoherent sound that broke from him as he watched the pair leaned in and shared a kiss on the lips that they held for a few heartbeats before they rained other kisses on each other's faces. With their blue eyes sparkling when they pulled their faces back, there was no question of the intense love and devotion that the two shared for each other.
Even with the student and faculty body walking around, the couple only had eyes for each other.. as if they were the only two creatures in the whole world. And together they made a breathtakingly gorgeous couple.
After what felt like an eternity to Maxwell, he looked on as the redhead finally unhooked her legs from Heero's hips and released his neck so that the librarian could quickly gather up his belongings.
Quickly leaving the female's side, the librarian gathered up his dropped belongings. On his way back, the redhead gave him a playful swat to his rear. That sound of the laughter that rang from the librarian was like a song harmonized with the other Vampire's. Still laughing as though there were no one else around, they climbed onto their seats and rode off together.
Once they disappeared from his sight, the braided teenager's shoulders slumped heavily. So Heero had a companion of his own in another Infected. And seeing how much he loved her, it only made sense how something would be considered personal and dear to him.
And it was good to know that he was happy with someone.
Duo was happy for him... even if there was an unexplainable pain in his chest that he did his best to ignore.
TBC...
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