Life Goes On Part 14
"The Glee Club!?" four voices cried in disbelief.
Sighing deeply, Solo's shoulders drooped. He certainly didn't expect any of his 'brothers' to be particularly thrilled when they learned what Duo had him do earn that night tutor session. Word certainly spread through the school quickly, seeing how the lot knew of his joining the club before he finally returned to his dorm after his last tutor session. His friends probably learned of it before the ink dried on his signing papers.
And he was not about to tell them that his first practice with the choir was actually more enjoyable than he had ever thought it would be.
Quietly moving into his room that they followed him into, he lowered his backpack beside his desk. Turning back to face his friends, Solo greeted them with a frustrated, "Nice to see you all, too. And yes, he had me sign up to sing with the choir for the Christmas concert at the end of exam week. Thank you very much for rubbing it in my face."
Stanley shook his head with wide, green eyes. "Man, you must really be desperate to pass those classes. I'd sooner hang myself than be associated with the Glee Club." The name of the said organization was spat out in disgust. Mike, Eric and Tim all nodded at the sentiment.
"You don't know my parents," Solo replied, easily falling back into his excuse as to why he needed to get closer to Duo. "There would be a far worse end to me than that if I don't do well while I'm here."
Moving over to his bed, the blonde neko fell back into the soft mattress and requested, "Now, if you all could please give me some time alone so that I can properly wallow in my mourning over the loss of my pride, I would be most grateful."
With small words of understanding and sympathy for their friend and his situation, the four fraternity brothers stepped from the room. The swish of the door as it slid closed had Solo sitting up instantly. In a rush, he punched in the command for the door to lock then headed back to the large window to draw the thick blinds closed.
Satisfied that he was alone at long last, Solo removed his red ball cap with a heavy sigh of relief at finally freeing his white cat ears. They wiggled and twitched, stretching after being confined for the better part of the day. His tail acted much the same when he lifted the back of his sweater enough for it to slip out.
Looking over to his backpack, he headed over to it and removed the recorder and headset that were given to him by the choir director when he signed on that afternoon. With a smile on his face, the neko sat on his bed and folded his legs together while placing the buds into his ears. Pressing the play button, the first song that he had learned at that first practice began.
His smile growing as the lovely song continued, Solo closed his eyes and placed his hands over either bud. Humming along to his part, he slowly rocked and swayed his tail in time to the music as he lost himself in the enchanting melody.
* * * * * *
Treize smiled as he stepped back to allow his visitor a clear way into his home. "It's very good to see you again, Sally," he greeted the young woman as he took her long coat and exchanged a friendly handshake with her.
She gave him a sincere smile as he hung her coat in the closet and nodded, "Same to you, Treize. Thank you for allowing me to show up like this on such short notice."
Waving his hand nonchalantly, the tall man reassured her, "Not even worth mentioning. We certainly could use all of the help that we can get in this matter." Treize stepped ahead, leading his new guest to the living room. "Howard and I were both quite relieved when Heero called to announce you arrival."
Howard looked up from his laptop and his fingers stopped their furious typing when the two doctors entered the room. Smiling kindly, he reached out and said, "Sally. Thank you so much for coming so quickly to help us out. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The braided young woman took his hand in hers and shook it firmly. "Howard," she grinned. "The pleasure is mine as well. I've been dying to have the opportunity to actually sit and talk to one of the scientists that helped create Duo. Working with you will be quite the learning experience."
Raising her suitcase, Sally removed her own laptop and set up her own station across from Treize and beside Howard at the large table. Opening her computer, she suggested, "As to not waste any time, why don't you two briefly explain what we are dealing with here. Once I'm up brought to speed, just tell me where I'll be most helpful."
Both Treize and Howard smiled at each other. "You certainly right in saying that she's a tenacious one," the old scientist commented. "I like her."
Sally smirked, "Oh, you haven't seen tenacity from me yet. Duo is a dear friend of mine and I'm not about to slow in any efforts I might be able to provide until we reach a solution that will save him." That said, she gave the two men a firm nod and stated, "I believe that you were about to explain to me what you have found so far in your research."
His own smile growing, Howard hummed to himself, "I like her a lot." Turning his monitor so that it faced the braided doctor, he began, "Now, this is just the tip of the iceberg that we're been chipping away at these last few days. I'll give you a brief idea of how this problem was foreseen even at the beginning stages of creating a neko..."
* * * * * *
That evening, Heero returned to the apartment complex following his last class with a heavy sigh of relief at being 'home.' It'd been another challenging day of art history, theories and concepts. While every bit of it had been interesting and exciting, it was also a great deal to take in and think of how to incorporate what he'd learned into his own works.
What was more, Jeffrey Klein had rescheduled their meeting for the following afternoon for lunch as opposed that Saturday as originally planned. Silently, Heero had wished that Lady Une hadn't talked him up so much to the man. Now, Mister Klein could not wait any longer to meet him.
Reaching his floor, the Japanese student stepped from the elevator and headed to the apartment he and his lover shared. Stepping inside the apartment, Heero closed the door after him and called, "Duo. I'm home."
The smell of something burning instantly assaulted his nose, his cobalt eyes widening. Following the smell into the kitchen, Heero gasped sharply and cried, "Duo!"
After making quick work of gathering the pot holders to removing the pan from the stove that was just beginning to billow smoke, he all but threw it into the sink and turned the burner off. Luckily, the exhaust over the stove was already on and was ridding the room of the smoke before it reached the alarm.
Once the immediate threat was handled, Heero fell to his knees to gather the neko that lied sprawled out on the floor. Placing his hand on the dampened forehead, he did a quick check of vitals on the neko as Sally had taught him.
Any signs of burning up. Pulse. Breathing. Pupils. To both Heero's amazement and relief, everything that he checked was normal. Which meant that the episode that rendered his partner unconscious was much like the one he suffered before the break.
With a deep small grunt of effort, Heero lifted Duo up into his arms and led him to the living room. Carefully lowering him onto the couch, he grabbed one of the folded blankets close by to drape it over the braided boy before running to the bathroom to wet a washcloth.
Sitting at the edge of the couch, Heero gently wiped the sweat that had remained on the neko's forehead from the collapse and whispered in a small, pleading voice, "Come on, love. Please wake up."
A brief moment passed before Duo moaned softly, his ears drooping and his eyes squeezing tighter shut as if he were in pain. Then, with a sharp gasp, his violet eyes flew open. In the daze of trying to place himself, the neko whimpered and searched the room without seeing the other teenager just beside him.
Lightly gripping the smaller boy's shoulders, Heero called to him softly but firmly to break through his panic, "Duo, it's me. You're safe. You don't have to worry."
Instantly, those wide violet eyes snapped up to meet cobalt. All of the tension in Duo's body melted as he sighed deeply, "Heero." Placing a hand to his forehead, he closed his eyes and said tiredly, "It was just like the first collapse. That dizzy spell came out of nowhere."
"I'm going to call Sally so that she stops over to check on you," Heero announced. "She should be at Treize's home by now." He placed a finger over the mouth that was just about to open in protest and said, "If there have been any changed in your structure, they need to know it right away."
As the finger slid away from his lips, Duo sighed and frowned deeply, "You're right." He winced, "I'm just getting tired of getting poked and prodded for all of the blood samples I've had to give these last couple weeks. It reminds me of...bad things."
The art student bit his lip and whispered sadly, "I know." Gently rubbing his lover's arms, he told him softly, "If there were any way I could take this away from you..." Heero shook his head and fought the small tears that were filling his eyes. Quickly changing the subject, he asked, "How are you feeling now?"
Duo shrugged, "Tired, but otherwise fine, just like the last time I passed out." His eyes widened again in realization. With a small wince, he frowned, "I ruined dinner, didn't I?"
Laughing quietly at such an absurd question at a time like this, Heero reassured him, "Don't worry about dinner. You're far more important. We'll just order out after I finish talking to Sally." He gave the neko's hand that was already in his own a firm squeeze as he leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Just rest now," he said softly when he pulled back.
"Okay," Duo muttered with his violet eyes drifting closed already. He purred deeply and leaned into the touch of his lover's hand as it ran over his head soothingly.
Watching the slow and even rise and fall of the neko's chest, Heero remained close for a moment before rising from the couch. The small tears that finally won the fight were wiped away as he moved towards the vidphone at the table.
He didn't have he heart to tell Duo at that moment that he noticed course hairs just beginning to grow along his arms when he rubbed them.
* * * * * *
With a heavy heart and a deep sigh, Sally headed to the living room of Treize's home. Recalling how distraught Duo was when she arrived at learning of the stubbly fur that was just coming in, she swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat. He was one of her dearest friends and she hated seeing him so lost.
Heero had been his anchor, holding him and rubbing his back as he cried into his shoulder. The grief in the Japanese teenager's eyes was enough to bring tears into the braided doctor's own eyes when she arrived at their apartment.
The blood sample was taken easily, though Sally hated having to do it when seeing the small bruises that were beginning to form along the neko's inner arm from all of the punctured he'd received since the beginning of the reverting process. Not to mention what horrific memories such needle work must have brought back. As she drew his blood, Duo just squeezed onto Heero's hand tight enough that his knuckles were turning white.
About the only good thing that Sally was able to conclude was that the neko was otherwise fine after his collapse. But, that was very little consolation considering the bad news that they were able to gather otherwise.
It had been a very difficult visit indeed.
As she moved into the living room, Howard looked up from his laptop with a look of urgency. With Treize working at the hospital that evening, the old scientist was on his own until Sally returned. Answering the unspoken question in his eyes, the braided doctor raised the small vile with the thick red liquid she had taken.
Seeing the distant look in her eyes, the white-haired man left alone asking for any details of her visit. He simply rose from his chair and carefully took up the vile. A few drops were gathered on a slide and slid under a microscope attached to his computer. After magnifying the blood to examine the DNA strands, he shook his head and groaned.
The strands had come undone quite a bit since the last time Duo's blood was tested. And that was only the day before, when he had stopped over to hear the graveness of his situation. If in only a day, his make-up was dissolving, that did not bode well for him all.
"Fur is just beginning to grow," Sally announced in little more than a breath. "It's only on the arms...for now."
Howard lowered his head, covering it with his hands and he tried desperately to think of a solution rather than focusing on the problem. He rubbed his temples and just considered every angle he knew of from what he'd been working on for the last few days.
A chill ran down the old scientist's back as an idea struck him. Something that he'd never considered before. His head snapping up with wide eyes, Howard quickly went over all of the negatives and positives of what such an option would bring. In the end, it was the only chance that they had with the little time they were looking at.
Slowly turning to face the young woman beside him, he breathed, "I-I think I might have an idea."
* * * * * *
The following afternoon...
Heero sighed deeply as he appraised himself in the mirror. It was the most dressed up he had been in months. Wearing a grey suit and white blouse, he almost didn't recognize himself. Then for the last touch that usually gave him a hard time. As he reached for the black tie, Duo offered quietly, "I can help with that."
With a grateful smile, the Japanese teenager handed the tie over and allowed his cat-eared lover to make easy work of it. As the neko worked, Heero tried not to look at his freshly shaven arms for too long and ruin the peaceful spell that had settled. Gently patting the tie against his partner's firm chest, Duo smiled wistfully, "You look great."
Blushing at that, Heero grinned, "Thanks." He leaned in and kissed his love's lips soundly before pulling back and asking, "Wish me luck?"
"Good luck," Duo nodded. Chuckling deeply, he winked, "Even though I don't think you're going to need it much. I'm sure that you'll do great."
Another kiss and a tight hug later, Heero took up the handle to his large portfolio and headed out of the apartment. As he headed out to the elevator, he tried not to pay attention to his churning stomach.
Time to finally meet the man that could help launch his career.
TBC...
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