A Silver Lining Part 7

"I still can't believe that you're talking me into this," Heero sighed deeply as he walked beside his braided friend. The path that they were on took them from the garage to a short walk through the wooded area. "I just still don't see the benefit in having a summerhouse."

Shrugging, Duo turned his head to face his partner as he grinned, "You're also the same person who never allowed himself more than five consecutive hours to himself during the day. The only other time you give yourself a moment is when you absolutely must sleep.

"I thought this would be a good idea since, eventually, we're going to want some time off from Preventer business. This will give us a chance to get away from everything for a while, secluded from everything and everyone."

The Japanese Preventer took a deep, patient breath before replying, "You forget that I'm the one who called you to move in with me. Even if you are settled into the house, I could always take the offer back."

The American laughed loudly at that, his braided head falling back. "You love me too much to send me back now," he chuckled deeply. "Besides, how in the world do you plan on keeping yourself entertained living in that big place by yourself?"

"Where there's a will," Heero answered with a smirk, not having missed a beat.

Duo snorted, "Score one for Yuy." Turning his head back to the thin opening in the trees, he sighed, "Look man, this is strictly just a look through the place to see what it's like. If you don't fall in love with it, I promise we'll just drop the idea all together."

Satisfied with that, the once deemed 'Perfect Soldier' felt more relieved with the situation and nodded, "All right, then."

With that, they passed through the curtain of trees and into the wide opening, the large house falling in the center. Unable to help his cobalt eyes from widening at the beautiful detail that went into the design of the house, Heero now realized why Duo was insistent on checking this place out.

The outside of the house was constructed of dark wood, two levels high, with a large front porch and balcony on the second level. It was a balance of extravagance and simple elegance. Being surrounded by the woods, there was a certain serenity about being in such a hidden place.

Noting the surprise on his partner's face, Duo smiled, "And this is just the front of the place. Wait until you see the back. There's a hot tub and swimming pool, a fully loaded kitchen, the works."

Without needing to see any of those things, Heero was certain that they would purchase the house. Perhaps Duo was right in saying this would be a good idea. As since it would be paid for with money 'borrowed' from OZ's accounts during the war, it seemed a good investment.

The house up in the mountains that was deemed the summerhouse certainly had been worth every penny. It served as a sanctuary from everything for the two pilots prior to Duo's capture. They did get to spend a couple weeks there that fateful summer before their last mission together.

*   *   *   *   *   *

The car ride to the mountains was made in silence, spare the quiet music playing on the radio. Heero peered out the corner of his eye as he drove to see his partner gazing out his passenger window to their surroundings.

Duo's face was cleared of the bruise and thin scratch that had marred him the last couple days. Despite the slight discoloration where the angry mark had been, his face looked as it had the last time the ex-Wing pilot saw him.

On occasion, he spotted Duo reverently brushing a hand over the green wrappings over his elbows. Smiling to himself, Heero couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at the gesture, knowing that he had given his friend a source of comfort whenever he needed it.

Where they were now, this area of Virginia proved to be quite beautiful this time of year. The weather had been welcoming, a crystal clear sky through the entirety of the trip. It wouldn't be long before they reached the low mountain ranges.

Just the night before, after the meeting and Duo's breakdown, the two Preventers packed their bags to leave early the next morning. Heero actually debated bringing his laptop with him, wanting to only focus on helping the other pilot try to get past his demons.

It was almost a laugh to the former Wing pilot at how he was willing to part with the same computer that seemed to follow him wherever he went. However, he knew the logic in taking his computer in order to keep in contact with the others.

Along with those contacts, Heero could keep up on any new developments in the investigation of White Out. While he would want to know every detail in any changes, he would see that Duo would stay out of the details until he was ready to cope with the past.

Like the long ride, there was little to no conversation between either of them. Deciding against being the first to speak at any time, the Japanese pilot allowed his best friend the time he needed to sort through the thoughts that Heero could only imagine were running though his mind. The day before had proven to be quite... difficult for everyone.

There was a bit of guilt on Heero's part in that he was happy that Duo was able to speak up, in essence, for both of them. In the end, he knew that they did not wish to act as they had, but to be as skeptical as they had been towards him for continuing the search had hurt, to say the least.

More than that hurt, the once stoic pilot was just coming to grips with his new understanding of his feelings, and so he did not know how to express that kind of pain. Had Duo not spoken up as he had, Heero suspected that their friends would never have known the effects that their actions had.

His cobalt eyes on the road, the Japanese Preventer could not dwell on all of the lower points of their days. These next few weeks alone with his long lost friend should be a welcome escape for both of them. It had been some time since Heero had been at their getaway house.

In the back of his mind, he was thankful that Duo had found it and talked him into seeing it. The house had proven to be a nice haven for him to continue his search for the braided pilot, away from the others and any other distractions.

A smile slowly spread on Duo's face as he spotted the mountain ranges coming up ahead of them. It was the first smile that graced his features all day, the first one filled with anticipation since he was rescued from his confinement. Something inside Heero warmed at the sight and could not help but grin, himself.

The Duo that he always knew was not lost.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Less than an hour later, the two pilots were walking up the large front porch of their summer house with their bags. Heero had quickly gathered the two heaviest of the bags so that Duo would not strain his recovering muscles in attempting to lift them. The duffle bag would suffice, strapped over the American's shoulder.

Opening the front door, Heero stepped back to allow Duo to walk in first. As he stepped into the foyer, his braided head moved all around as he scanned the ornate interior from top to bottom. His small smile returned as he said quietly, wistfully, "I missed this place."

Behind him, Heero walked up towards him, chuckling deeply, "You made quite a find with this house. I've missed it as well, and I was here only a few months ago."

When Duo looked back at him with wide, violet eyes, he explained, "It gave me some place to work in peace in my search for you." Duo's smiled warmed a bit before he turned to lead the way upstairs.

*   *   *   *   *   *

After running to the market place half-way down the mountain, the two pilots shared a lunch of sandwiches in the dining room. From there, Duo went off to do some exploring to reacquaint himself with their summer house. With a small smile of relief in seeing his partner making the effort to go off on his own, Heero went about some of the dusting that needed to be done.

Once he left the presence of his friend, the braided pilot wrapped his arms around his thin waist. Even in this safe place, he was uncomfortable being anywhere that wasn't close to Heero. Still, he knew that he couldn't cling onto the other Preventer forever.

While Heero had been extremely patient in his need to always be around him, Duo knew that if he hoped to get over his fears he needed to make some steps out to looking out for himself again. It was about time he started trying.

It was only a few minutes into his exploring when the American's nerves caught up with him. Nearly every creak made him jump and he couldn't help but keep looking over his shoulder. Rubbing his arms nervously, he thought of what he could do to try to occupy his overactive mind. With a small smile on his face, he quickly made his way back upstairs to change.

*   *   *   *   *   *

It was late afternoon when Duo stepped out to the large back enclosed deck, dressed in his deep blue swimming trunks, gray shirt, elbow covers and a white towel draped over his shoulder. Making his way to the hot tub beside the pool, he removed the cover and turned the jets on.

As he tested the water with his hand, a small smile fell on his face as he wrapped his braid into a bun. Slowly, he removed his gold cross before he began removing the elbow covers made from Heero's tank top.

Regarding the healing puncture wounds on the inside of his arm, he notes that they were looking much better. Carefully laying the covers along with his towel, the braided pilot took the shirt off his back to join the small pile.

Duo never really liked being seen without a shirt, content to hide the old scars that remained from his hellish ordeal in the White Out Organizations' hands. While there were not a great many of them, no more than seven that crisscrossed and others parallel to each other in a haphazard pattern, they just made him feel... ugly.

Lifting himself over the edge of the hot tub, Duo carefully slipped into the warm water. He sat himself in one of the corners, his back to one on the high power jets. With his head falling back to lean against the rim of the tub, his eyes slid closed as he sighed deeply in content, his sore muscles easing.

Heero chuckled deeply as he approached the tub, dressed in only his own green trunks with a brown towel in hand. Duo looked up and greeted him with a grin. "You read my mind," his Japanese friend smirked.

Letting his towel drop at his feet, the ex-Wing pilot lowered himself into the corner across from his friend. He gave a deep sign of his own as he leaned his back against the jet.

After driving for so long most of the day, it was a welcome relief to relax. Closing his cobalt eyes, Heero leaned his own head back and it was Duo's turn to chuckle slightly at the mirror images they made.

With his eyes still closed, Heero recalled the scars that he had seen on his friend's chest. He had been careful at not showing any reaction to the image, but he locked the sight deep in the back of his mind as a reminder for when it came time to find those responsible for placing those marks.

But this was not the time for that revenge. Heero's focus now would be on seeing that nothing disturbed his friend during this vacation. Really, they both needed it, he finally admitted to himself. After what they had been through the last two years, they deserved this.

After a long pause between them, Duo raised his head to look up to his friend sitting across from his. Taking a deep breath, he asked quietly, "So how soon was it before the others stopped looking?"

The sudden question caught Heero off guard and he swallowed hard. His cobalt eyes met his friends' as he frowned deeply, "Duo, do you really want to know the answer to that?"

For a moment, the braided pilot thought it over as he drew circles on the white linen, chewing on his bottom lip. Finally, he nodded, "I'd like to know."

Running a hand though his unruly hair, Heero sighed deeply, not looking forward to answering. Still, Duo deserved to know if that was what he wanted. His friend already knew that the others had given up any hopes in finding him. That alone must have left a good number of questions that needed to be answered.

Finally, reluctantly, Heero began, "Well, it was nearly a year after your disappearance when a few of them began having their doubts. Just after a year had passed, they dropped out of the search one at a time." Duo bit his lip and nodded as he took the answer in.

Not wanting the conversation to drudge up any more dark thoughts, the ex-Wing pilot smirked, "Remember that question game you came up with to keep us occupied in that cell?"

Duo's violet eyes widened slightly in surprise that his friend remembered that from so long ago. When he nodded, Heero sat and suggested, "Why don't we try that? No questions that have anything in reference to the last two years."

"You mean, act as if the last two years never happened?" the American questioned, the hope clear in his voice. At Heero's nod and affirmative response, the braided pilot sat up with a small smile and nodded, "All right. You start."

Happy to have thought of something that would draw some conversation out of his normally quiet friend, the Japanese Preventer ran a wet hand through his unruly hair as he thought a moment. His smirk back in place, he said, "Favorite holiday."

Without consideration, Duo answered, "New Years Eve." That was not the answer that Heero had been expecting. He had always assumed that Christmas had always been partner's favorite holiday.

At the surprise in the cobalt eyes watching him, Duo grinned slightly and answered, "Something about counting down the end of a year, starting over. I always thought it was like getting another chance." Chuckling, he added, "Plus I love the fireworks."

Hearing that last explanation, Heero laughed, his head falling back a bit. "That sounds more like you," he admitted. Now that it was his turn to answer his own question, he stated, "As obvious as it is, World Peace Day."

Instead of receiving some smart comment in response at how obvious that answer was, as Heero would have from the Duo that he knew, the other pilot just nodded. Already having his question ready, Duo threw in, "Favorite movie."

Tilting his head slightly, Heero thought aloud, "I don't know that I can say I have a favorite. As long as it's not Titanic, I'm happy."

It was Duo's turn to laugh loudly at the answer. When he calmed again, he said, "The Lord of the ring trilogy for me."

Heero picked up on the fact that his friend was now keeping his answers and explanations as short as possible. After a few more rounds of relatively simple questions, he asked, "What was the best and the worst day for you so far? You can answer in whatever order you want."

Slightly taken aback by the question, Duo blinked his widened violet eyes. With a hum, he leaned back in his submerged seat.

The Japanese pilot waited patiently, knowing that the other Preventer knew the rules to his own game. Now that the question was asked, he had to answer it honestly... not that Duo ever had a problem with telling anything but the truth.

His braided head lowered, the American replied at last, quietly, "The worst day was when you had self destructed in Wing."

Nearly unable to suppress the gasp that wanted to break through, Heero regarded his friend with shocked eyes. "It... nearly killed me when you did that," his partner commented, his voice nearly lost over the sound of the hot tub's motor.

Realization finally flooded Heero as he whispered, "You blamed yourself... the way you blamed yourself for Solo and the others at the Maxwell Church."

Slowly, Duo raised his head, the relief clear in his eyes as he nodded. Quickly trying to move from that subject, he smiled, "The best day was when I found out you were still alive." With a small snort, Heero returned the smile.

"What about your best and worst day?" Duo inquired as his shoulders eased, relieved to have gotten through his end of the game.

Across from him, the other pilot silently cursed himself for forgetting that he would have to answer the same question. While Heero knew that he needed to answer honestly, he was not sure that he would be able to actually get the story out. He never told anyone else such a personal thing.

Resting his arms on either side of the tub ledge beside him, Heero took a deep breath as he looked up to the wood paneled roof. "The worst," he began, slowly. "I managed to sneak out of the hidden base where Doctor J had been training me for the upcoming war. When I was out, I met this little girl in a white dress..."

Lost in his own memories, the Japanese pilot looked forward, not really looking at anything, as he continued, "She had a puppy with her, a golden retriever she called Mary." A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he said quietly, "She asked me if I was lost."

Duo was leaning forward the slightest bit, his violet eyes filled with fascination as he inquired softly, "What did you tell her?"

Shrugging, Heero snorted bitterly, "I told her that I was lost my whole life. Back then, it was the only way that I could answer." He shook his head, getting back on track with his story as he went on, "She gave me a tiny yellow flower before she ran off with her dog."

The braided pilot nodded and he bit his lip, waiting patiently for his friend to get his bearings. "Late that night," Heero continued at last, "I hit an OZ plant that was building mobile suits as one of my first missions. After detonating the explosives, I was about to head back to J's base when I turned to see one of the suits falling back from the blast."

After clearing his throat, he forced himself to relay, "It crashed into a nearby hotel that was filled with civilians. When I ran up to the remains, most of the building had collapsed atop itself."

He had to clear his throat yet again, closing his eyes, and frowned deeply, "I found Mary crushed under the rubble... The girl and her family didn't make it."

With a sharp gasp, Duo covered his mouth with wide eyes. "Oh God, Heero," he whispered. Moving forward, he half swam, half walked across the middle of the large tub. When he reached his friend, he sat in his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck.

Heero encircled his own arms around the other pilot, burying his face in his neck as he shuddered. Until then, he had never dreamt of sharing that story with anyone. Until he actually did share it, he never let it sink in how much it hurt him.

Closing his eyes, Duo kissed the top of his partner's head as he rubbed his back. For all the comforting that Heero had done for his sake, this was the least that he could do to repay him.

Never before had the American ever imagined there being so much anguish being held back from the once stoic pilot. Softly, he whispered in his ear, "It was an accident. You know that." Against his shoulder, the other young man nodded.

It took a moment before Heero finally pulled back, his trembling subsided. He wiped at the lone tear in his right eye before meeting the gaze of the Preventer in his lap. "Thanks," he breathed, sighing in relief. He suddenly realized how much lighter he felt, like a great weight lifted from him simply because he was able to let go of that painful memory.

Duo gave him a warm smile as he brushed back his best friend's unruly bangs and asked quietly, "What about your best day?"

Thankful for the change in subject, Heero gave his own small grin as he answered, "The day I woke in the hospital after the Mariemeia Incident, when the doctor told me that it was over. Knowing that my days as a Gundam pilot were finally over... I didn't need to be the so called 'Perfect Soldier' anymore."

At the last statement, Duo's small smile grew just a bit. Content that his Heero was calmed again, he moved back to his corner across from him.

"Well," the ex-Wing pilot began. "You have to ask the last question since I started, if remember the rules right."

Deciding to give his friend reprieve for having to answer his own difficult question, Duo chose to ask something he would have a challenge answering, himself. "What is one thing about yourself that no one knows about you?" he questioned, tilting his head a bit.

Heero snorted, "You would never believe me if I told you, but I hate heights. It was one fear J could never break me of."

Violet eyes widened, Duo blinked in amazement as he exclaimed, "You're kidding!?" When his partner shook his head, he smiled, "You did a great job of hiding it."

"Arigato," the Japanese Preventer smirked with a nod. "And you?"

Throwing caution to the wind, Duo chose to just get the answer out right away before he had time to reconsider. In a clear voice, he stated, "I'm gay." Instantly, shock filled the cobalt eyes before him as they widened.

"I realized it during the war," the braided pilot threw out quickly, just wanting to have the truth in the open. "I just never told anyone because I never knew how they would react."

While he was still shocked at the startling news, Heero also felt an overwhelming sense of pride in his friend for having the courage to tell him such a thing. Considering they had been sharing the same bed for the last few nights since Duo had been rescued, he could only imaging how nervous he must have been to admit that he favored the same sex.

As if he was able to read the other pilot's mind, Duo lowered his head and frowned, "If you would rather not..." he cleared his throat, "... sleep with me, I understand. I just wanted you to know..."

Shaking his head, Heero cut him off with an affectionate, "Baka. You're more than welcome to share the same bed with me if you want."

His head shooting up, Duo's violet eyes showed his disbelief as he sputtered, "R-really? You mean you're not... disgusted by me?"

Heero moved towards him, a small smirk on his face as he replied quietly when they were inches apart. "No, Duo, I'm not," he answered quietly.

"We're best friends, aren't we?" the unruly-haired pilot questioned as he closed the other Preventer's open mouth with a hand under his chin.

Duo nodded animatedly, his wide eyes still locked on his partner's. At that, Heero grinned, "Then you should know that I wouldn't be able to find anything disgusting about you."

Turning his head to note the change in the sky color through the window, the once 'Perfect Soldier' commented, "I should get back inside and start dinner." He met his friend's still amazed gaze and smirked, "You go and pick out from our movie collection what you want to watch tonight."

With that, Heero rose from the water and climbed over the side of the hot tub with ease. His towel in hand, he went back inside. Once his partner was back in the house, Duo shook his head, breaking him from his state of surprise. Slowly, a smile of relief fell on his face as he moved to join his bedmate.

TBC...

 

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