Captivity Part 2
"A fucking half-breed." Duo hissed.
Quatre shuddered and sniffed once, tears slipping down his face. The brown haired boy still didn't respond, he just kept his dead eyes on Duo and Trowa, watching them quietly.
Duo glared angrily. "Is that what you want? Pity? Ha! Fat chance!"
Heero closed his eyes and turned, leaving the room without saying a single word.
Milliardo watched him leave quietly but instead went to his other son, placing a comforting embrace around Quatre. Quatre buried his face in his father's chest, sobbing softly.
"Please try to understand," Milliardo said quietly.
"Understand what? He's a fucking half-breed-"
"And so am I!" Quatre cried angrily, pulling out of his father's arms and turning a tear streaked face to the two boys. "Do you think I like looking like this?! Looking exactly like the people who tortured and killed my mother? Do you think I like being associated with such people just because I look like them?"
"Do you think we enjoy being chased down and chained up for our entire lives just because our hair and our eyes are a different color?!" Duo countered angrily.
Quatre shook his head and ran out of the room, trying to wipe away his tears. Milliardo, Duo and Trowa were left in the room, sitting there without a word.
Sighing softly Milliardo regarded the two boys; the angry Duo and his shocked and silent brother. "Please try to understand. I loved my wife; I didn't care what color her eyes or hair were. I loved her and I love my sons, despite what they look like. Please understand that because Heero looks like he does he can never step outside the house, any who saw him would kill him. I had hoped you two could help, could at least be someone for him to speak to. He can't live hidden his entire life and I'm in no position to change the world outside. I had hoped you, both of you, would become companions for them... possibly even friends."
Duo turned his head away; looking from Milliardo and concentrating on the trees outside the window as the guilt flowed over him. Trowa watched quietly as the man sighed softly and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Trowa turned his eyes to his brother, who was now sinking back into the bed, holding his head and moaning. "Duo..." he said softly.
Duo winced and rolled over, closing his eyes and drawing in a shaky breath. "I know, I shouldn't have said those things but I... I couldn't help it Tro. I can't accept them, not any of them. Not after seeing what happened to our mother and knowing what happened to our father, not after that. I just can't."
"I know," Trowa said softly. "It's hard to believe they could be so different. But it isn't impossible."
Duo shook his head and pulled the covers tightly around himself. "Don't hope Trowa, hope only gets smashed and shattered. If you don't hope, they can't hurt us." Duo gave a low cough as he curled tightly into a small ball beneath the blankets.
Trowa pushed the hair from his brother's face in a caring and comforting gesture. Standing up he sighed. He tucked the covers in around his brother and turned, quietly stepping out of the room.
All around him the house was silent, as dead as the bright blue eyes of that boy. Trowa hugged himself as he walked through the empty halls, trying to make sense of his own feelings. He knew how his younger brother felt and he knew why, but he couldn't figure out his own feelings.
Was he angry? Jealous? Hateful? Forgiving? Trusting?
Trowa paused and leaned against the wall, covering his face with his hand. Trusting? He wanted to trust them; he wanted to trust Quatre and his family, especially now that he saw the reason for their strange actions. He wanted to trust them and to feel safe in this house, but he couldn't, he just couldn't. Living an entire life and being taught to hate those with blond hair and now being expected to trust them? He couldn't, no matter how much he wanted to.
Beyond him he heard a soft sound. Trowa glanced up and found a door sitting open leading to a sparsely decorated room. Peeking in he found Quatre sitting on the bed, hugging his knees with his face buried from sight. Trowa stood frozen in the door, unsure what to do.
He knew he saw Quatre in a completely different light now. He couldn't even begin to imagine how tortured Quatre felt about the world, knowing he was a half-breed and yet couldn't tell anyone. To see the hate that was directed at his mother's people and indirectly toward him, it must be horrible.
Taking a deep breath he stepped into the room. "Quatre?" he spoke softly.
The boy stopped sniffling and slowly looked up, revealing red eyes and a tear streaked face. The miserable look on Quatre's face stabbed into Trowa's heart and he immediately wanted to comfort the boy, despite their differences, yet he still couldn't bring himself to completely trust the boy.
Quatre sniffled once more and wiped away his remaining tears, making an effort to pull himself together now that someone was watching him.
Trowa moved to the edge of the bed, but couldn't move any closer; he was still too afraid and unsure. "About what Duo said-"
"No, don't apologize for him." Quatre replied quietly. "You don't need to. He has a right to be mad at us, it's not his fault, its just..." Quatre's voice cracked and he buried his head once more, dropping into soft sobs.
Sitting slowly on the bed Trowa tentatively reached forward and placed his arms around the sobbing boy. The movement was slow and hesitant at first, but eventually he let go of some of his fear and allowed himself to touch the boy, in an attempt to offer comfort. Neither boy really thought about their next moves but Quatre uncurled himself and crawled into Trowa's arms. He buried his face in Trowa's shirt and grasped tightly at the fabric, holding tightly onto Trowa as he let the tears completely release. His boy shook and trembled from the crying, making Trowa only want to hold him tighter. Tears stained the front of Trowa's shirt but neither cared, Quatre only seemed happy to finally just have someone hold him.
Trowa held the trembling boy much the way he'd held Duo on the dark nights when they were hiding alone. He stroked the boy's soft hair and held him tightly, waiting for him to calm down and giving him all the time in the world.
The boys sat there quietly, one soothing the other. Eventually Quatre's sobs died out and he simply clung to Trowa, not wanting to let go. After a long and comforting silence Quatre lifted his head and glanced up into Trowa's eyes.
As simple as the movement was it seemed to break a spell. Trowa's eyes widened as he realized who was in his arms and he shivered once. Unwrapping his arms from Quatre he pulled away, leaving the boy to sit in confusion on the bed. Turning away completely Trowa looked to the floor and shut his eyes, waiting for the blow and punishment he knew would follow his actions. He hadn't been thinking! What in the world did he think he was doing touching a blond? What had possessed him? He should have minded his own business and never even stepped into the room!
"Trowa?"
"I'm sorry," Trowa whispered softly.
"Oh no! Don't apologize," Quatre moved toward the older boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. Trowa winced slightly at his touch but otherwise didn't move. "You don't need to apologize and please don't turn away like that, I swear I'd never hurt you. Trowa?"
Swallowing his fear Trowa let his eyes move toward the boy, but quickly diverted them after seeing the sad expression on Quatre's face. He was still afraid, he just couldn't help it. Drawing in a shuddering breath he tried to gather his courage. "I didn't mean to."
A confused look crossed Quatre's face. "Didn't mean to what? Comfort me until I stopped crying?"
Trowa shook his head. "I shouldn't have... touched you," he whispered.
"Trowa, Trowa please look at me."
Trowa brought his eyes up to meet Quatre's.
"Please trust me."
Trowa closed his eyes and breathed for a moment, then opened them to look back into Quatre's eyes. "I... I'm trying."
A small smile graced Quatre's features and he nodded. "Thank you."
The emerald eyed boy nodded, unsure what to say. Not really sure if he could trust his voice. All he knew was that he was happy to see the boy smiling at him, happy to know that he had banished the tears, if only momentarily, from this boy's shining eyes.
Quatre reached forward and placed his hand over Trowa's, just letting his hand rest there quietly. Moving close to Trowa, until they sat side by side on the edge of the bed and their shoulders touched, he smiled softly.
"If anyone should apologize it should be me. I shouldn't have crawled into your arms like that without asking. It's just that I haven't had anyone hold me like that since my mother died. I guess I didn't realize until now how much I missed her embrace."
"How old were you when she... died?" Trowa asked softly.
"Only five years, Heero was six. That's when he stopped smiling."
Trowa glanced at the boy, studying the profile of Quatre's face. His expression was sad, his eyes distant as he thought of ancient memories. Blinking Trowa was greeted with an image of the expression that had been on Duo's face the night they found out their mother wouldn't be returning to them. He pushed the image away and stood up. "I... I should go check on Duo."
Quatre nodded. "Good night then, Trowa."
Walking toward the door Trowa paused only as he heard Quatre's soft murmured words.
"Thank you."
Trowa flashed a timid smile to the boy, then left, heading for his own brother's room.
Stepping inside he shut the door and leaned against it, letting his mind calm down in the dark room. Covering his face in his hands he listened to the soft sounds of his brother breathing, the comforting sound he'd fallen asleep to for most of the years of his life. In the dark places, which they'd hidden in, the even breathing from Duo while he slept was one of Trowa's few comforts. A constant reminder that one member of his family still lived, despite the world's seemingly constant attempts to hunt them down.
On shaking steps Trowa crossed the room, settling down in the chair next to Duo's bed. Leaning forward he laid his head next to his brother's and closed his eyes, for a long time he just lay there, listening to his brother breathe.
What's wrong with me? he thought. I don't understand any of this. Quatre's trying so hard and yet I still don't know if I can trust him.
"I want to so much," he whispered softly.
Opening his eyes he gazed at Duo's peaceful expression, innocent as that of a new born child. His brother had such a peaceful face when he wasn't full of anger or fear; it was an expression that he'd seen so rarely when Duo was awake.
"Perhaps the running is finally over."
Almost as if in response, Duo crinkled his nose in his sleep and pulled the covers closer around his body. Trowa closed his eyes sadly and relaxed, waiting for sleep to find him in darkness.
No matter how much he wanted to believe the running was over, part of him just couldn't. This all just seemed far too good to be true.
~*~
Warm sunlight danced across Duo's face and he yawned, blinking his eyes open in surprise. Sunlight? They never hid where sunlight would hit them, that was like inviting people to find them. He sat up quickly and looked around in a panic, then collapsed back into the bed as his head spun and his stomach lurched. Closing his eyes he forced himself to calm down and think rationally.
Waiting until he'd calmed down he allowed his eyes to open again and take in his surroundings. Slowly he began to remember the events of the day before. Being caught, being forced into a cage and then being bought by a very strange pair of blonds, who claimed they were trustworthy. Duo laughed bitterly at the thought; there was no way it could be true. Rolling over in the bed he faced the empty chair he knew his brother had used to sleep on.
Trowa always slept next to him at night, more for safety's sake then anything else. Yet he wasn't surprised to find the chair empty, nor to find himself alone in the room. He knew Trowa was nearby, his brother never left him unprotected if he could help it.
Forcing himself to sit up in the bed he glanced to the door, surprised to find it open and that quiet boy standing there with a tray of plates. Duo raised an eyebrow at the boy as he entered. What was his name? Heero? Duo watched silently as Heero entered the room and set the tray down at the end of the bed. Pulling off the cover he revealed large amounts of food and Duo couldn't help but stare. He'd never seen so much delicious looking food in his life.
"Wow, that looks good!"
"It's yours."
Duo glanced to the boy, who had taken the chair which Trowa had sat in. Heero sat there silently, just watching Duo with a blank expression. Duo watched him closing and reached for the food, snatching at a piece of bread. The boy didn't respond so he took a large bite, and nearly choked in surprise. This was bread?! It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted!
Without another word Duo proceeded to work his way through the large pile of food, trying at least one bite of everything and loving every second of it. Soon he was smiling and nearly forgot about his aching head and the fact that he and his brother had been bought. He just grinned and ate the food, happy that for once in a long time he'd have a full stomach and he knew he would sleep well the next night.
"You don't have to eat all of it," Heero said. "Don't make yourself sick."
Duo paused in the middle of biting into a soft fruit and looked at the boy. "I was always taught to eat when there was food in front of me, 'cuz next time there might not be any."
Heero shook his head. "We have a whole kitchen downstairs. Filled with food, for whenever you get hungry."
"Really?" Duo felt like a child when he blurted that word out. Of course they had a huge kitchen with limitless food, he was in the house of blonds after all. Still, he'd never had a chance to see a kitchen, gaining his food from the woods themselves or stealing them from passing carriage or breaking into houses. He'd never really had the chance to consider how those with blond hair went about getting their food. All he really knew was that they had had food and he hadn't. And now he did... or so Heero said.
"So next time I get hungry there will be more?"
Heero nodded. "All you have to do is tell us."
Duo glanced at the large portions of food left on the tray and finished off the fruit in his hand. Leaning back he pushed the tray away, realizing that he was quite full and if he ate any more he probably would burst, or get sick. Smiling he stretched out his arms and gave a loud yawn. "Man, I don't think my stomach has been this full since the day I was born! I could definitely get used to this."
Heero said nothing.
Violet eyes flickered to the silent boy next to him and the grin melted off Duo's face. He turned and looked at the boy, trying to search for some emotion in his expression, but couldn't find any. It would make things so much easier if this boy were angry at him. Anger and hate he could deal with, but blankness? That wasn't something he was used to, and it certainly didn't fit the boy sitting before him.
"About last night... about the things I said... well, um, I didn't mean it."
Heero's expression didn't change. "Yes you did."
He didn't expect those words, and he certainly didn't expect them in such a matter-of-fact tone. Duo shrugged, deciding to try again. "Yeah, ok, so maybe I did. But, still, I shouldn't have called you that."
"There's no shame in calling me what I am."
Duo frowned deeply. "Would you stop countering me like it doesn't make any difference?! I'm trying to apologize here!" He sighed, still in wonderment that the boy wasn't reacting at all to his words, simply watching him with that damnable blank expression. "I shouldn't have acted like that and blamed you for something you didn't have control over. You don't get to pick who your parents are so it isn't your fault. Look, what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry, ok?"
Heero nodded.
"But I still don't trust your family and I'm still going to run away as soon as I can get out of this bed." Duo said, turning away from Heero and peering out the window.
Heero followed Duo's gaze and stood up, walking to the window Duo was looking out. Moving silently he unlatched the hook and pushed the windows open, letting the sounds from outside seep into the room. Turning he looked right at Duo and walked over to the boy, offering him his hand.
Duo frowned. "Are you taunting me?"
"No."
"You're offering to help me escape?"
Heero nodded. "No one wants to be locked up in this house."
Duo mouth dropped open and he just stared at the boy. What the heck was going on?! He gives him all this food and then opens the window offering to help him escape, just like an innocent child letting a bird out of its cage. Did Heero have any concept of what the word slave meant? Of what it meant to be bought and to be sitting in this very house? Did he have any idea of what exactly would happen if anyone caught Duo racing away from the house? He didn't seem to understand that Duo couldn't leave.
Well, wait, he thought. Why can't I leave? Why can't I just stand up now and accept this boys help, running away from this house and escaping back into the places where I would be safe? He shook his head.
"No, that's ok. I can't get out of the bed here anyway, I wouldn't make it very far with the way my head is messed up."
Heero blinked. "I could get your brother and he could help you."
Duo laughed softly and shook his head. "No, no don't. I can't leave, I'd be too much of a burden. So I guess I might as well stay here until my head fixes itself and I can walk again. Though, if I get to eat like this every day I may consider never leaving again." He cracked a grin in Heero's direction.
The boy didn't respond, he only reached forward and pulled the windows shut once more, but didn't redo the lock. Duo was astounded at the amazing amount of trust the boy had just placed in him. He'd left the window unlocked, so if Duo really wanted to he could still leave. What in the world was the matter with this boy? Why was he acting so strange?
"Do they really keep you locked in this house?" Duo asked as Heero sat down, once again, in the empty chair.
Heero shook his head. "I can't leave the house. If anyone saw me they would kill me and my family."
Duo brought up his knees under the blankets and leaned on them. "What do you do all day? Don't you get bored? I can't see how you can just sit around in this house doing nothing when the world is right outside the window where you can see it."
"My room doesn't have any windows."
Duo blinked in confusion. "Why not?"
Heero turned away and shrugged. "I like the dark."
"You like... the dark?" Duo repeated softly. "What about people? Who else do you talk to beside your family? Do people come and visit?"
Heero shook his head.
"Doesn't anyone else live in this house?"
"You and Trowa do," Heero said without looking back at Duo.
Duo's mouth formed a large O. He and Trowa were the first people this boy had talked to in most of his life? That's what Milliardo had said the night before but it hadn't really stuck in Duo's mind, not until this boy stated it plainly. Duo frowned as he looked at the boy, watching those bright blue eyes as they stared off into nothing, dreaming and thinking about something he couldn't possibly understand.
Duo had always felt he was alone, more so since his mother and father died, but at least he'd always had Trowa to comfort him. This boy... Heero lived in a huge house with only two other people. Two other people that were related to him but actually looked nothing like him or his mother, so he probably didn't really think of them as family. And there was no one else in this house? Ever? Duo was willing to bet that every once in a while Milliardo had to entertain guests, let others into the house. What happened to Heero then? Was he locked away in his room, in the darkness he claimed to like, as the people chatted noisily down the hall? Duo couldn't even begin to imagine the way Heero must have felt.
And now he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to be responsible for condemning this boy to loneliness again in his dark room. He didn't want to abandon him, and in a way he felt a strange sort of kinship for the half-breed sitting next to him. Duo smiled lightly at the boy and Heero turned his head, watching Duo with a mildly confused expression.
"Yeah, I guess we do."
Heero still looked confused.
"I guess we do live here now."
Heero's eyes widened just the smallest bit at Duo's words and Duo could have sworn he saw the edge of the boy's mouth try to tug into a smile. But Heero didn't smile, instead he simply nodded and stood up, picking up the tray from the edge of the bed and covering it once more. Duo watched as Heero left the room, neither saying a word. Though as soon as the boy was gone Duo smacked himself in the head.
"What the heck am I saying? I just agreed to stay in this house and be a slave? Duo, that stupid guard must have hit you harder then you thought!"
Though, as he lay back down in the bed and rolled on his side to gaze out the window at the trees and yard beyond he couldn't help but smile. He knew what he said to Heero was true, he did mean to stay, at least for a while anyway. He knew he couldn't abandon the other silent boy, not now that he knew what kind of life he'd lead until this point. Duo may have hated blonds but he wasn't heartless, and he'd give up his freedom in a second if it meant he could help another achieve their freedom. And that's what he was going to do.
He was going to stay so Heero could be free.
TBC...
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