[So now you're sleeping peaceful
I lie awake and pray that you'll be strong tomorrow
And will see another day and we will praise it
And love the light that brings a smile across your face]
--- Lyrics to 'Hold On' by Sarah McLachlan
Ray of Hope Part 15
"So, how was the date?" Trowa asked with a wide smile as he stepped into the repair shop. Taking a few rags and ratchets from the toolbox at the work station, he approached the red Corvette that Heero was already working on.
When the Japanese sailor looked up from the engine that he had been testing, he smiled widely at his tall friend. Chuckling deeply at the grinning, smudge-streaked face, Trowa tossed him a rag and smirked, "Judging by that smile, things went well."
Gratefully accepting the cloth to wipe at his dirty hands, Heero straightened and nodded, "It couldn't have gone better. Duo even suggested that we go out more often."
At that, Trowa let out a long whistle. "That's one hell of a feat, considering how hard it is to pry him from that lighthouse after dark." Inspecting the work that his friend was doing as he leaned under the propped hood, he nodded respectfully, "Nice patch up work on the starter connections, there. You really do pick up quick."
Heero smiled in pride, "Thanks. I wonder if my past experiences with ships and caring for them might be why this is coming so easily for me."
The tall Latin mechanic made a thoughtful face before nodded, "Maybe. But whatever it is, I'm more than happy for the help." Gesturing to the line of three cars waiting further in the shop, he commented, "As you can see, business is really picking up here. Even with three teams, my shop here is never at a loss for work."
Meeting the other young man's green eyes, the young sailor said sincerely, "Well, I really want to thank you, again, for getting me this job. It's kept me from going stir crazy and feeling useless just sitting around at the cabin."
With a wide, friendly smile, Trowa patted him on the shoulder and replied, "Don't mention it. Besides, you fit right in with the rest of the staff and as I mentioned, I can always use help around here."
Armed with one of the small ratchets, the Latin shop owner lowered himself onto the flatbed roller to inspect the bottom of the car. His voice muffled, he asked, "Now tell me more about the date. Was dinner any good?"
The fond memories of the night before warmed the Japanese young man as he smiled to himself. "It was great," he answered as he continued to tighten the fixture of the starter cables. "We ended up running into Sylvia Noventa. She took good care of us and saw that we got a private spot and the best food."
"Oh that's right!" Trowa exclaimed from under the car. "Her school semester would have been wrapping up right about now. Syl's a great gal. Hilde and I will have to give her a call tonight to catch up and hang out."
Biting his lip, Heero considered the possibility of trying to learn more about Duo's illness from someone other than the source. It was pretty clear that whatever Duo was hiding, he didn't want him to know about it. But... if he were to learn about it from someone else without the lighthouse keeper's knowing...
With a deep sigh, Heero bent at his knees beside the flat bed and called quietly, "Trowa?" His friend grunted an affirmative, obviously busy with something that he had found as he grunted in effort.
Now that he was determined to finally get some answers, the sailor did not want to wait before he lost his nerve. That in mind, he said quietly, "I think that there's something that Duo's keeping from me." The sound of the ratchet clicking a socket into place suddenly stopped.
The flatbed rolled out from under the car as Trowa looked up with wide, emerald eyes. "What makes you think that?"
In seeing that look of concern and shock, it was even more evident that he knew something that Heero wanted to know. Shrugging, he answered, "Little things that I've been noticing. Last night was a big eye-opener too. A lot of the people at the restaurant kept looking at him with these sad eyes."
He ran a hand through his unruly dark hair, took a deep breath before diving head-on into the heart of the matter and frowned deeply, "I've noticed the rest of you looking at him the same way more and more when his back is turned."
Lowering the back of his head onto the flatbed, Trowa sighed deeply as his eyes closed. His hands reached up to dry wash his face as he muttered, "Oh shit." Reluctantly lowering his hands again, he looked up to his friend and told him, "All right. I told Duo that he wouldn't be able to keep this a secret from you forever."
With his breath hitching in his throat, Heero's cobalt eyes widened as he asked quickly, "What's wrong? Is there something that I can do to help? Why didn't-"
Trowa raised his hand to stop the onslaught of questions and sat up. "I'm really not the one that needs to tell you about this, Heero. Duo had made us promise that we wouldn't bring it up, so we honored his request. If you simply told him what you've been noticing, he would tell you what's wrong."
He turned his gaze away and frowned deeply, "Fact of the matter is, he needs all the support he can get right now." With a shrug, he suggested, "But, I would bring it up to him. He would be honest with you."
Swallowing hard, Heero sat back on the cool cement and ran a hand through his hair again. Folding his hands over his bent knees, he commented softly, "I've really been worried about him, Trowa. I don't want to see anything hurt him."
At that, Trowa sat up with wide emerald eyes and breathed, "You're in love with him."
"Yea," the sailor nodded without having to think it over. Meeting his friend's gaze, he stated quietly, "I am."
That brought a wide smile to tug at the Latin mechanic's lips as he stated, "Well, just make sure that Duo is not the last one to know that. Lord knows we've all had enough with secrets going around."
Heero chuckled deeply, nervously as he thought of his own secrets with his visions. "You always who knew how to cover your bases," the male voice that he had heard in the bathroom days before returned suddenly, ending his laughter as a chill ran up his spine.
A gentle hand shaking his shoulder broke him from his daze as Trowa's voice called, "Heero? You all right?"
Blinking his cobalt eyes to focus on his friend's concerned face, he forced a smile and nodded, "Yea. Sorry. Just thinking about how I should bring this up with Duo without offending him tonight."
The quick fib was believable enough for Trowa to relax as he grinned, "Just tell him the truth, that you love him and that you're worried something is wrong. He'll appreciate that, considering he's been pretty fond of you for a long time now."
His own smile widening at that, Heero asked, "Really? He told you that."
Chuckling deeply, the tall mechanic lightly hit him in the shoulder and suggested, "We better get back to work before we're stuck here all night." With that, he rolled back under the car on the flatbed.
Still grinning widely at the notion of Duo's feelings being mutual to his own for so long, Heero returned to his work with renewed enthusiasm.
* * * * * *
Early that evening, Heero entered the cabin to the smell of lasagna cooking. Taking a deep breath, he sighed deeply in content as his stomach growled deeply. It had been a busy day at the shop, but the day went quickly thanks to it. The talk that he had with Trowa certainly served as a great help to his growing worries.
Stepping from the kitchen and into the hall, Duo smiled brightly in seeing his boyfriend. "Hey," he greeted quietly. With a blush on his cheeks, he leaned in to kiss the sailor's lips in a quick peck, as if checking that it was okay to exchange such a thing.
"Hey," Heero greeted back with a smile of his own before he pulled him close for a longer kiss. When they pulled away, the lighthouse keeper was beaming. "Dinner smells great. I'm famished," the Japanese young man commented as he lowered the toolkit he acquired for his new job.
Just when it didn't seem possible, Duo's smile grew all the more as he replied, "Good, because I made a pretty big dish." Gently rubbing some of the smudge from Heero's face, he offered, "If you want a quick shower, dinner should be finished in about ten minutes."
Humming at the thought of cleaning off under a hot spray of water, the young sailor kissed his love soundly before quickly heading upstairs as he thought of how to broach the questions that were still on his mind.
Dinner came and went without any real opportunity for Heero to bring up his concern in knowing what was being hidden from him. Before he knew it, time had slipped away and Duo was already leaving the house to start the lamp in the lighthouse. Looking out to the white, green-tipped tower, he sighed deeply to himself, "Come on, Heero. Now or never."
The climb up to the lantern room had been the longest that the sailor could remember of all of his trips up the spiral staircase. Every step he took, he thought of how best to ask his questions that he would not scare the lighthouse keeper off. Despite Trowa's encouragement, there was always the chance that Duo would be upset at being confronted with his illness.
Finally, he reached the lantern room just as his braided rescuer finished lighting the wick, the two large tower mirrors already spinning in the glass windows. Closing the glass door to the lamp, Duo turned back and smiled, "Hey, Heero." His smile faded at the uneasy smile that he received back. Frowning in concern, he quickly walked over to his boyfriend and asked urgently, "What's wrong?"
With a deep sigh, Heero took the American's hands in his own. Gazing into his worried, violet eyes, he said quickly before he talked himself out of it, "Duo, I can't think of any other way to bring this up other than just coming out and saying it. I know that you're dying," the sailor all but sputtered at last.
His violet eyes widening, Duo laughed, "W-what?" Shaking his head, he asked, "Heero, what are you talking about?"
Running a hand through his hair, the Japanese young man almost growled in frustration, "I've overheard the others talking about how you've been sick and did not want them talking about it. You've been getting calls from a woman that's checking up on you and you've been giving her updates on your diagnosis and progress. You started getting really sick and you told her that there was a drop in your white cells. At the restaurant, almost everyone was watching you with these sad looks." He reached up to cup the stunned lighthouse keeper's face and pleaded, "Just please tell me what's wrong."
His eyes wide as he pulled back, Duo breathed, "Oh my God." His skin paled as he took several paces back, running a hand through his long bangs as he looked away. As he watched with a heavy heart, Heero held his breath. With his hands shaking, the braided young man finally looked up with tears in his eyes and whispered, "Heero, it's my father that's dying."
TBC...
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