Author's Note: I suppose in view of the fact that last chapter an anonymous someone took exception to the fact that Duo had been raped as a kid, and apparently I didn't clearly post notice of it (even though mention was made in chapters 15, 16, and 39), I should include more warnings. Therefore, be advised this story involves the abuse of a variety of foodstuffs and utensils, including but not limited to whipped cream, doughnuts, French fries, ketchup, honey, spoons, hamburgers, peaches, and spaghetti sauce. Most of those were molested in some way. I don't know if it was non-consensual, since it's hard to get an answer out of foodstuffs and utensils; so I'll cover my ass by warning you all now.
Witness Protection Part 41
Stormy Seas
The sunlight was slanting through the blinds when I woke up the next morning, with Duo curled deliciously around me, his hair loose and spread across us, and the sheets and blankets in a tangled mess.
Heaven.
I heard movement and footsteps in the hallway, but I knew the door was locked, and so I didn't worry about Chang getting an eyeful. I'd talk to him later and find out if our sharing a room was going to bother him, or if we might make it a permanent arrangement for the duration of our stay.
As the sounds faded off towards the kitchen, I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, savoring the warmth of Duo's body and the smell of sweat and sex that rolled off us both. Sure, it'd be nice to have a hot shower and freshen up--but there was a lot to be said for the sheer pleasure of being hot, sweaty and dirty with Duo Maxwell.
"Fuck 'Ro--you are so tight. Y'sure you want to--?"
"Dammit yes! I want you inside me--I want to feel you every way I can. You said I was yours--now prove it! Take what belongs to you!"
A breathy groan--the slow burn--and then I was transported to a place where all I could feel was Duo inside me. All I could hear were his panting breaths and gasps for air. All I could see were the deep pools of indigo, drinking me in. All I could taste were his kisses, salty with sweat, and yet sweeter than honey. And all I could smell...
The breeze through the half-open window carried a briny tang, and bore with it the scent of my lover--sandalwood shampoo and sex. And it made me want him all over again.
I couldn't resist burying my face in the fall of chestnut hair that lay on the pillow between us and breathing deep.
"Still got the hair fetish, huh Yuy?" came a voice husky with sleep.
"Forever," I whispered back, rolling over to claim his lips in a deep, leisurely kiss.
He groaned and pressed against me, allowing me to feel his body stirring in response, even though his eyes were still closed.
"Y'want more?" he murmured invitingly when I let him up for air. "Y'wanna take what's yours?"
"Yes--repeatedly," I told him, watching his eyes flicker open to fix a lust-filled gaze on my face. "But I heard noise in the hallway, and I'd bet money Chang and Catherine are up and about."
"Screw Chang and Catherine--" he began. "Or better yet, screw me." He smiled lasciviously. "Fuck me through the goddamned mattress, why doncha?"
I hesitated, wondering if we could keep things quiet enough to be considerate of our housemates.
And then he rocked his hips against mine, bringing our erections into direct contact, and I lost the ability to reason--again.
We ended up making love with the salty breeze drifting in the window, and the distant sounds of seagulls calling and waves crashing on the shore for background music.
It was hours later when we finally finished sating our passion and made our way to the attached bathroom to shower and freshen up before joining the others at breakfast.
"Morning, sleepyheads!" Catherine sang out teasingly as we eventually emerged into the kitchen, as clean and presentable as we could manage with no energy left. "Want coffee or tea?"
"Caffeine--intravenous," Duo muttered between yawns, slumping into a chair by the kitchen table.
"Where's Chang?" I asked, rummaging for a cup and a tea bag in the container on the counter.
"He went to put your car in one of the barns," she told me, passing a pan of hot water over. "Something about 'keeping it out of sight until it's needed again?' And then he planned to walk down to the main road to get a feel for the lay of the land while he was at it." Her blue-grey eyes sparkled merrily. "He said not to bother waking you two, since it was your first chance to really rest in days."
"His, too," I pointed out.
"True--but he said he could take a nap later if he felt he needed one."
"I'll have to call him Old Man Chang if he does," Duo smirked, gratefully accepting a steaming mug from Cathy and liberally spooning sugar into it.
"Duo--"
"Aw, c'mon, 'Ro. You know he can take it," my lover chided. "And he can dish it out as well."
"Just be prepared to deal with whatever hornet's nest you stir up," I advised, picking up the honey and eyeing it speculatively. I'd never been big on sweets--but maybe I'd try my tea Duo's way just this once.
"You'll like it," he purred, looking over the rim of his cup with a sultry gaze.
Oh yes...I'd like it liberally smeared over Duo's naked flesh so I could lick it off, inch by delicious inch...until he was writhing under me...
I forcefully jerked my attention away from the honey jar, but I felt the heat on my cheeks as I hastily stirred my tea. Duo's throaty chuckle did nothing to ease my sudden discomfort.
"So--what are your plans for today?" Catherine asked brightly, her back to us as she started cracking eggs into a frying pan.
"Same as Chang," I shrugged, grateful for the distraction. "I want to scout around a bit and see how defensible this place really is. I may end up repositioning some of the mini cams in more strategic locations--and if you can give me directions to the nearest town and the loan of a car, I could pick up parts to assemble a few more surveillance devices."
"Shit--I'm tired just listening to you," Duo grumbled, downing half his cup of coffee in a few swallows. "What's wrong with lying on a beach, hm?"
"Aside from how exposed it is," I said acidly. "This isn't really sunbathing country. It's pretty cold this far north--in case you didn't notice that yesterday."
"There are some sheltered coves along this stretch of shore," Catherine said helpfully. "It's actually kind of nice to lie out on the sand with a cool breeze to keep you from overheating." She looked down at her cast ruefully. "Of course, I've stayed away from the water, with this thing."
"Well that's no good!" Duo told her. "If I'm gonna enjoy the beach, so are you. Maybe we can rig up a plastic bag to cover the cast and keep water and sand out."
"Maybe," she conceded. "Now, how do you two want your eggs?"
~*~
Wufei returned as Duo and I were doing the dishes for Catherine. We'd made her take a break and rest her leg in gratitude for the breakfast she'd cooked for us.
"Teaching Maxwell some manners, I see," Wufei teased, walking over to pour himself some tea.
"Hey!" Duo protested. "This was 'Maxwell's' idea, I'll have you know!"
Wufei glanced at me and I nodded confirmation. "He was the one who insisted," I admitted.
"So there!" Duo snapped the dish towel at Wufei's rear end.
"Maxwell--I swear, if that so much as touches me, I'll stuff it down your throat!"
Duo was obviously in a puckish mood--and his eyes glimmered with mischief as he twirled the towel to wrap it more tightly around itself.
Not wanting my protected witness and lover to end up on the receiving end of Chang's wrath, I stepped in between them. "Come on, Duo. Dishes are done--let's see about a grocery list. Would you like to make that beef stir-fry tonight?"
He darted me a narrow look, obviously knowing I'd deliberately intervened; but I merely blinked innocently and gave an innocuous smile.
"Fine," he muttered in resignation, tossing the towel aside on the counter. "Gotta pen an' paper so I can make a list of what I need?"
We spent the next half hour writing out a list of supplies to replenish what we'd used of Catherine's and stock up for at least a week's stay. We even included--reluctantly--more travel rations, just in case.
I jotted down some components for my electronic devices as well--parts easily acquired at any hardware store or computer shop.
After outlining our needs, we decided Wufei and Catherine could use her car to go get the groceries. It would familiarize Chang with the area, while keeping Howard's car off the road, on the off chance someone might have found out about our borrowing it. Not that I didn't trust Howard--or at least want to, for Duo's sake; but there was no point in being naïve about the situation. I was glad Chang had the presence of mind to stash the vehicle safely away from prying eyes or aerial surveillance.
"Does this list cover everything?" Wufei asked me, as Catherine went to get her purse and car keys.
"For now," I shrugged. "I'm sure we'll need to restock in a few days, and by then we'll know what we're likely to run short on."
The dark eyes slipped past me to fix a wary look on Duo, who was peering out the window at the windswept yard. "Keep a short leash on him, Yuy," he suggested. "He looks--restless."
"He's been cooped up in a car for too long again," Duo said tartly, turning around to scowl good-naturedly. "But a long walk on the beach and a few more--ah--a few rounds of sex ought to solve the problem."
A vaguely distasteful look crossed Wufei's face, but I could hardly blame him. Honestly, he was both a prude, and a recovering homophobe. Yes, I know that sounded like 'recovering alcoholic,' but if the shoe fit...
"Relax," I said soothingly. "There'll be nothing like that, Chang."
He eyed me a bit skeptically.
"Nothing like what?" Duo demanded. "No sex--or no walk?"
I didn't dare tell him in front of Chang that I knew damned well I wouldn't be able to resist him if it was sex he wanted. "Perhaps after I work on surveillance for a bit, we could check out the cove that Catherine mentioned," I suggested carefully.
"And have sex there?" he chirped brightly.
God--he was so yanking my partner's chain.
"Maxwell--" Wufei began.
"Don't get your shorts in a bunch," Duo chided. "I'm just kidding." He leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Shit, man--you gotta learn to just take whatever I say with a grain of salt. I'm just lookin' for a reaction, y'know."
Chang gave a long-suffering sigh. "I know all too well," he admitted. "Just remember, Yuy's life is at risk as much as yours. If you give a shit about him--"
"I won't take risks," Duo asserted, his tone serious. "Same goes for you and Cathy. She's like family to Trowa--so you better watch her back."
My partner's shoulders stiffened. "Of course I will. I'd never put a woman in harm's way!"
I refrained from pointing out that our presence there more or less did put a woman in harm's way. Chang didn't need the guilt trip right now; for that matter, neither did I.
It was with some relief that I saw Catherine maneuvering down the stairs on her crutches, purse in hand. "Ready to go, Wufei?"
He gave a curt nod, though I thought I saw a hint of warmth enter the dark eyes. "It will be a pleasure to get away from these two for a while." He jerked a thumb towards us, and Duo rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out.
"Right back atcha, 'Fei-fei."
Only the rigid set of his spine as he strolled off with Catherine conveyed my partner's dislike of the disrespectful nickname. "Careful, love," I said quietly to Duo. "Or he'll forget your cigarettes."
Duo grinned unrepentantly. "No he won't--my bitching would drive him nuts."
"True," I conceded.
I waited only long enough to be sure Wufei and Catherine were outside and the door closed, and then stole a quick kiss from Duo before heading off to check the surveillance monitor, now that it was daylight and I could more accurately assess the placement of the cameras.
I half-expected Duo to come try to coax me back into bed, for the "few more rounds" of sex he'd mentioned earlier. I was beginning to think he was downright insatiable.
Not that I minded much.
Or at all.
But instead of trying to seduce me away from the laptop, he found other things to occupy his time. He settled into the living room with his sketch pad and his headphones on, scribbling madly away...for the first hour or so.
Then he apparently got restless, getting up and putting his things away before heading to the kitchen. I soon heard suspicious noises--the sound of him rummaging in cupboards and drawers--and then I watched out of the corner of my eyes as he trotted down the hall towards the bedrooms where our belongings were stashed.
Several moments later, I glimpsed him coming back, a bundle in his arms, and I raised an eyebrow.
"What are you doing, Maxwell?"
He grinned slyly. "It's a surprise."
"I hate surprises."
His chuckle drifted after him as he rounded the corner into the kitchen. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me, Yuy!" he sang out.
I scowled at the screen, keying in the command for automated alerts if the cameras detected any motion larger than a seagull. "Duo?"
"Aw hold yer horses!"
I wanted to know what he was up to--badly enough that I cut my programming session short and got up.
I stepped into the kitchen just in time to see him strip out of the jeans he was wearing. "Duo!"
He looked over his shoulder, a coy expression on his face. "You've seen my ass before, you know."
"But why am I seeing it in Catherine's kitchen?" Not that I'm complaining.
And more to the point, how was I supposed to keep my hands off of it? Already my fingers twitched with the urge to touch.
And my imagination supplied a wealth of reasons my lover could be buck naked in a kitchen. I wondered briefly if I was about to find out just how delicious honey could be, if served right.
But then he turned and held up a scrap of fabric. "I modified a pair of my jeans so I can go stick my feet in the ocean." He pulled on his newly-made cutoffs, tugging them up but leaving them unfastened in a tantalizing display. He'd cut them pretty short. So short, in fact, that his legs looked a mile long. Gorgeous.
"Duo--we shouldn't be out in the open like--"
"Please!" he pleaded, eyes wide. "Seriously, 'Ro. This is important to me. I've never touched or tasted sea water--never felt waves over my toes. I really, really want this."
Didn't I say I could never deny him?
He sidled up to me and wrapped his arms around my neck even before I mumbled my assent. And then he thanked me by shoving his tongue in my mouth and kissing the living shit out of me.
He pulled away as breathless as I was, a dreamy look in his eyes. "Man, 'Ro--you kiss like no one I've ever met!"
I raised an eyebrow, wondering if that was good or bad.
"Perfect," he sighed, once again seeming to read my thoughts.
Yeah, well, I thought the things Duo could do with his mouth put me completely to shame as far as talent went. But instead of elaborating, I just kissed him again, delighting in the way he sagged against me, as if I made him weak in the knees. I wanted to make him weak in the knees--it did my ego a world of good to feel like I had that much power over him.
When I stopped, he let out a groan; or maybe it was more of a whimper.
"Still want to go swimming?" I teased.
It told me how badly he wanted to play in the ocean when he managed to nod half-heartedly. "I do, 'Ro," he said, his voice still a bit ragged with desire. "Maybe not swim--but at least wade."
"I take it this is something to cross off that list?" I hazarded.
"Yeah--right behind 'keep Yuy forever,'" he replied.
I found myself grinning irrepressibly. "And you called me a sentimental sap? What happened to tough-guy Maxwell?"
"Hey, I'm still tough!" he protested. "Doesn't mean I can't have my romantic moments."
"It's okay," I said soothingly. "I'll never tell." I pulled away and grabbed his hand. "This time we're going prepared. Grab a towel or two."
"Oh--you planning on coming in the water with me?" he asked in delight.
"Not likely--I told you the water's pretty cold around here. But if we bring a towel, when you freeze your ass off and come out, I can dry you off."
"Freeze my ass off?" he echoed. "Oh, you wouldn't like that very much, would you?"
"Which is why I'll do all I can to prevent it," I assured him.
~*~
We made our preparations, leaving a note for Wufei to tell him exactly where we were going and how long we expected to be. I also set up the remote alert for the surveillance monitor to alert me via the beeper I carried, and took the disposable cell phone, knowing Chang had memorized the number.
By the time I finished, Duo was in the doorway fairly bouncing with excitement.
That was a sight in itself, as he was clad in a snug tee shirt, the cutoff shorts, and sneakers, with a hooded sweatshirt and towel over his arm in case he got cold. I just couldn't get over those lean, muscular legs; I was so used to seeing them clad in snug jeans or leather. Granted, I'd kissed and nibbled just about every inch of them--but that was a more tactile and less visual way of enjoying them. At the moment, I just wanted to soak up the glorious vision in the doorway.
"Today, Yuy!" he urged.
I grinned at his impatience. "Give a guy a chance, Maxwell. I haven't seen your legs like that since you and Trowa did your little performance."
He glanced down as if suddenly realizing the picture he presented, and then looked up from under his bangs, his eyes half-lidded. "You can do a lot more than look at 'em, y'know."
"Not if we're going to take a walk," I pointed out. "I start touching--I won't be able to stop. At least not until I've had my fill."
"Oooh," he moaned, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. "Does that mean you want me to 'top' again?"
"Any time you like," I promised, discarding my nonchalance, and walking over to pull him up against me so he could feel how much I wanted him. I ground our hips together, eliciting a very satisfying gasp and groan from him. "Maybe after that walk--when you need warming up."
I pulled away before I could lose all semblance of control, and brushed a light kiss across his lips. "Let's get going." I headed for the door at a brisk walk.
"Already am," he muttered, close behind me.
We made our way down a rocky trail, cliffs on one side, and the beach a ways below--until we came out on the smooth sand. It was, as Catherine had said, less windy down there. The breeze seemed to wash over us in favor of the cliffs and exposed shore.
Of course, as we went down by the water, it was definitely stronger. If Duo had sunbathing in mind, we'd have had to seek out a hollow between two jutting headlands, and hope the wind just blew past.
But the last thing on Duo's mind was sitting or lying down. Instead, he explored along the edge of the water, where the waves spread up onto the shore, and he marveled at just about everything.
He picked up shells and stones, commenting on the variety he found, and tossing some into the water, while pocketing others. And every odd little track of bird or crab got a quick scrutiny and speculation on what had made it. But, it was a clump of tangled driftwood and seaweed that stopped him in his tracks to investigate in more detail.
"What the hell's that?"
"Seaweed, Maxwell. Surely you've seen pictures--movies--something."
"It doesn't look like that on television," he sniffed in reply, poking at a clump of bubbly-looking, slimy greenish-brown seaweed with a stick he'd found. Crouched there on the sand, he looked about five--totally, adorably innocent.
"In Japan, seaweed is used in a lot of cooking," I told him. "I'd think a culinary genius such as yourself would know all about it."
He looked over his shoulder at me. "I've had sushi," he said a bit defensively. "And the seaweed wrap doesn't look anything like this stuff."
"Because it's a totally different kind." I picked up a bit of the seaweed and found it rubbery-feeling. And if you poked with a thumbnail, you could pop the little bubbles.
"Hey--like bubble-wrap!" he grinned, helping himself to some.
I began to regret my little natural history lesson as I listened to the incessant pops as we walked further down the beach. "That's--a sort of irritating sound," I pointed out.
He grinned widely. "Ain't it?"
I sighed, walking a bit faster, hoping to distance myself from the noise.
The next thing I knew, a wad of the wet, salty-smelling stuff collided with the back of my head with a smack.
I turned sharply, eyes wide with disbelief. "Oh you did not--!"
He saw the shift of expression in my eyes, and his own widened in panic. "Oops."
"Oops is right. I'm gonna make you taste a new kind of seaweed!" I promised, picking up a clump and heading towards him.
With a startled yelp, he turned tail and ran.
It felt good to sprint down that long, sandy beach, Duo's braid dancing teasingly in front of me as I gradually gained ground. I had a moment of nostalgia, harking back to our first meeting--or at least the first one where we were formally introduced. And I made sure when I finally overtook him, to bring him down on a patch of soft sand, instead of anywhere there might be rocks.
"Shit, no!" he wailed, struggling face-down as I pinned him, dangling the seaweed in front of his eyes. "I fuckin' hate sushi, Yuy!"
I started laughing then, which made it hard to keep him pinned. "Just a taste," I taunted. "You might like it with this kind of seaweed."
He was squirming and bucking underneath me, until with a triumphant yell, he rolled us over so he was on top. His indigo eyes were sparkling with victory. "I'm not gonna eat--"
I had just enough free movement in one arm to stick the soggy, sand-covered mess right in his mouth, though in all honesty, probably only a strand or two actually made it past his lips.
The next thing I knew, I was free, and he was sitting back on the sand, spitting and sputtering and flinging the seaweed in all directions. I burst out laughing at his outraged expression. "You started it!"
He wiped the sand from his lips, glaring at me, though he looked more amused than angry. "I didn't make you eat it," he argued.
"No--you pummeled me with it," I replied with a scowl of my own. It was actually probably a rather petulant expression, because it made him blink and stare.
"Pummeled?" he echoed, a hint of a smile playing about his lips.
"Yes--pummeled."
"Wouldn't that imply that I hit you repeatedly?" he asked, picking up a few stray strands of the stuff.
"Don't even think about it," I warned. "Once was enough."
"Baby."
"Bully."
"Sore loser."
"I didn't lose. I reciprocated."
His grin was almost contagious. "Oh, today is the day for big words, isn't it, Yuy? 'Pummeled...reciprocated...' What's next--?" His eyes glimmered slyly. "Fornication?"
My breath caught at the sight of him with sand in his glorious hair, eyes half-lidded and full of lust, clothes mussed from our tussle--talking about fornication.
"Too much sand," I gasped out, getting up hastily and beginning to shake and brush the stuff out of and off of my clothes. "Besides, you want to go in the water."
He stood up too, the seaweed forgotten, and began shaking off sand. "I do," he agreed. "Almost as much as I wanna fuck you."
"Later," I said firmly. "Right now I want you to get this ocean fixation out of your system. Go splash in the waves while I find out how far back you dropped the towel and hoodie."
Yeah, in all the excitement, he'd tossed those aside long since.
"Oh, right." He looked a bit sheepish, but pouted adorably. "Your fault for chasing me like that," he mumbled unconvincingly.
"As I said before, you started it." I headed back down the beach we'd just sprinted along, seeing the crumpled heap of towel and sweatshirt quite a ways off. "Damn. Didn't know we ran that far."
When Duo didn't reply, I looked back to see him taking off his shoes in preparation for dabbling his feet in the water. All I could do was shake my head at the once-again childlike image he presented, and hope to God that after seeing him like that, feeling the way I did about him didn't make me a pedophile.
Yeah, I know, he was a grown man--only a couple of years younger than me. But he could come across as either a tough, jaded street punk, or a wide-eyed innocent. And I wasn't sure which one attracted me more...unless it was the sensual and sensitive combination of the two. That made me feel a lot better as I hiked down the beach.
I gathered up the discarded sweatshirt and shook the sand out of it, looking back at Duo to see him ankle-deep in the water, arms wrapped around himself as if he were cold. I couldn't help but grin; I'd warned him of the chilly water this far north.
By the time I retrieved the towel and shook it out, he was knee-deep, bending to run his fingers through the white-capped waves. His hair was windblown--half out of its braid from our wrestling match--and it framed his face and shoulders, the sunshine setting it aflame. I could have stared all day.
Fuckin' gorgeous.
~*~
I took my time returning to him, letting him enjoy the water. And enjoy it he did, going in up to his thighs, apparently delighting in the way the waves slapped at his legs. As for me, I was just delighting in the expression on his face as he played in the rough surf.
I picked up his discarded sneakers and stood watching as a larger wave nearly smacked him in the ass. "Careful--" I cautioned as he stumbled in the moving water. "It's not like the lake."
"No--it's colder!" he asserted, hugging his arms to himself again. "Damn cold!" He looked coyly over his shoulder. "Wanna come out here and warm me up?"
"Not likely," I drawled, staying on the shore and crossing my arms.
"Spoilsport," he pouted, turning and splashing at me. But he was much too far out to reach me with the salty water. "What if a fish bites me? Or a shark?" he demanded. "Would ya come out here then?"
"Only to retrieve the body," I said with a straight face.
"Well wouldn't that be ironic?" he grinned. "They'd never believe you back at the precinct. 'My witness got eaten by sharks.' Yeah--a likely story. Kinda like the dog eatin' your homework."
I had a sudden flash of unease, and I stepped closer to the water. "Why don't you come out now?" I suggested. "We can walk on the beach to warm you up."
He leered comically at me. "But Yuy--think of all the unpleasant places the sand could end up!"
"I said 'walk,' not 'fuck,' Maxwell."
"Hey, they sound alike," he pointed out, starting to come towards me. "An' of the two, the second one would warm me up the most."
I tried not to grin at his warped logic, but he looked so very young and amused, it was hard not to.
I was saved by the sight of two figures emerging from the trail by the cliffs, and jerked my head in that direction. "Chang and Catherine are back," I noted, having also observed the rather solicitous way my partner was helping the girl on crutches. Budding romance, anyone? "If you want sex, it'll have to be after hours and behind closed doors again."
"Suits me," he shrugged, his smile turning lascivious. "Any place, any time."
"Come out of the water now," I urged, holding out a hand. "Let's go see how their shopping trip went."
He started towards me, and when he let out a sudden yelp, bending to grab at one submerged foot and hopping awkwardly in the knee-deep surf, my amusement faded.
"Stop clowning around, Maxwell!" I started for the water, scowling at his antics.
"Shit--ow!" he yelled, trying to lift a foot out of the water while clutching it in both hands, and ending up toppling over backwards.
"Duo!" I tossed aside the clothes and shoes, and strode into the surf, torn between concern and anger, wanting nothing more than to strangle him for clowning around this way. My jeans got soaked up to the knees, but I paid that no heed as I hauled him upright.
"That is e-nough!" I snapped scoldingly. "Considering your situation, pretending to be shark-bitten is in very poor taste!"
He looked up at me, his hair plastered to a startlingly pale face. "N-not k-k-kidding!" he said through chattering teeth.
I looked down and saw a cloud of red spreading through the water, and tingeing the foam of the breaking waves. "Oh my God--!"
I scooped Duo up in my arms, expecting to see a bloody stump where a leg should be. But he seemed to be intact, except for the blood pouring down one foot and dripping off his heel.
He was shivering uncontrollably, though whether from cold or pain I couldn't tell, as I hurried towards the shore.
Wufei and Catherine had come running--or hobbling, in Catherine's case--at his first shout, and met me as I carried him to high ground before setting him carefully down.
"Ow--fuckin' salt water--" he gasped as I bent to examine his foot. "S-stings like hell!"
"What happened?" demanded Chang, scowling down at the spreading pool of blood on the sand.
"S-stepped on somethin,'" Duo ground out between gritted teeth.
I gingerly lifted his foot, and winced as I saw a protruding piece of glass. "Broken bottle." I grimaced up at Chang.
"Hold him," he ordered, dropping to one knee and taking a grip on Duo's foot. I wrapped my arms around Duo's body, pulling him back against my chest.
"What're you gonna--hey! Ow! Fuck!" Duo jerked sharply as my partner unceremoniously drew the shard of glass from his foot.
Blood promptly gushed from the deep cut, and Wufei started to untuck his shirt for a makeshift bandage.
"Here--use this!" Catherine said, pulling something from her purse.
Chang grabbed it without looking, and then recoiled. "It's--it's--"
"A sanitary napkin," she drawled with a wryly amused expression. "Yes, Chang. But it's wrapped up in paper, so it's essentially sterile--and it's very absorbent."
"Ew!" Duo groaned. "Chang--no!"
Wufei clenched his jaw, unwrapped the folded pad, and pressed it against the wound, gripping tightly to apply pressure.
"Aw, man!" Duo whined, writhing in discomfort. I wasn't sure if it was pain from the foot, or squeamishness over the feminine hygiene product being used on it.
"He'll need stitches," Wufei predicted, holding up a bloodied piece of glass that consisted of half the bottom of a bottle and part of the side sticking up at right angles. Because of its shape, it must have been pointing straight up. "It's at least a half inch deep," Chang added.
Duo was still shivering against me, and I was afraid he might be going into shock from the pain and the dunk in the cold water. "Let's get him up to the house and out of these wet clothes," I suggested, feeling awful about the whole incident. I should never have brought him down to the water.
"'S okay, 'Ro," he said between chattering teeth as I scooped him up again, while Wufei kept hold of his foot and the unconventional bandage. "Not your fault."
I must have gaped at him, because he brushed a cold hand across my cheek. "Y'got that look on your face--like you think you're to blame."
"I shouldn't have let you in the water," I said with a scowl. "Or I should have made you wear shoes. I knew the risks--"
"You're not my mother," he chided. "Shit, Yuy--I'm a big boy."
"A big baby," Chang teased.
Catherine plunked up the stairs ahead of us, throwing open the door of the farmhouse and holding it as I carried Duo inside, heading for the couch.
"I'll get towels," she volunteered, already moving towards the stairs.
She returned in record time for someone on crutches, with towels and a thick blanket, before I'd even finished pulling Duo's wet tee shirt off over his head.
We had him stripped, rubbed dry, and bundled up within moments, his hair wrapped in a plush towel, and the rest of his body swathed in a comforter. After sprinting down the hall to throw on dry clothes of my own, I went back to sit on the couch, and act as a pillow for Duo's head and shoulders, my arms wrapped around him for warmth. His foot we kept elevated using pillows and an arm of the couch, and Wufei kept a steady grip on the wound the whole time.
"Catherine--" he said, glancing down at the pad, which was gradually becoming soaked in blood.
"I'll get more." She hobbled off and returned with a box of sanitary napkins, peeling another open as Wufei removed the sodden one.
He placed the new covering on the wound and resumed pressure. "It's slowed a bit," he told me. "But seriously, we should consider the emergency room."
"We can't," I growled in frustration. "Even if we use an alias, he's liable to draw attention and end up back on the radar."
"I know a local vet--" Catherine began.
"I'm not a fuckin' horse!" Duo protested. "I'm not going to any goddamned vet!"
She turned a fierce glare on him. "First off, I had no intention of taking you there, and secondly, all I was going to suggest is that I could go get suture materials and do the stitches myself. I am a vet tech, you know."
His jaw dropped and then he turned a panicked look my way. "I don't need stitches, 'Ro. Tell her!"
"Looked pretty deep to me," I admitted reluctantly. "I think it's a good idea."
"Aw, fuck." He leaned his head back against my chest, squeezing his eyes shut. "Gonna hurt like hell..."
"Don't worry," I murmured soothingly. "We'll make it as painless as possible."
Catherine straightened, turning a hopeful look to Wufei. "Can you drive me? We can go to the clinic and get everything we'll need."
"Of course, if you get me something to bind this foot with first."
"Sure."
Catherine came back with duct tape, which made Duo groan and bury his face against my shoulder.
I couldn't help smirking as Chang doubled up the maxi pad bandage and wound duct tape twice around it to keep pressure on the wound. "Hush, love," I whispered in Duo's ear. "It'll be okay--I promise."
He nodded, hissing in pain as Chang pulled the binding tight.
"Suck it up, Maxwell," urged my partner. "You were less of a baby after you got shot."
"I was more distracted that time," growled my lover. "And it hurt less."
Then Chang surprised me by brushing a light hand across the back of Duo's head in a soothing gesture. "We'll be quick," he promised quietly. "And I'll see what we can bring back for pain."
"Scotch might be nice," Duo mumbled into my shirt.
Wufei chuckled warmly. "I was thinking more along the lines of ibuprofen, or a topical numbing agent." He gave me a rather worried look. "Keep him still and keep the foot up until we return." A hint of a smirk twitched the corners of his mouth. "I'm sure you can think of a way to--distract him."
"Bite me," I growled, feeling a faint blush at the suggestive comment from my oh-so proper partner.
Duo lifted his head to look at me with a fake frown. "Hey, that's my job!"
Wufei flinched, his own cheeks coloring. "See you two later." He beat a hasty retreat along with Catherine, leaving Duo and me alone.
"How's your foot feeling?" I asked, laying Duo's head back against my forearm and stroking his forehead with my free hand.
"Like it's on fire," he muttered through a tight jaw. "Stupid fuckin' thing to have happen!"
"I should've made you wear sneakers into the water," I sighed.
"Stop blaming yourself," he scolded again. "Shit happens."
"Yeah, but too much of it happens to you."
"Naw," he said with a wan smile. "You got shot, 'Fei they barely missed...an' then there was 'Fei getting' chased by a bear...and you hurt your back moving the boat off that rock..."
"I get the point."
His grin widened. "By the way, did I tell you how totally brilliant you were--leading the bad guys to that rock and makin' 'em crash their boat?"
"I think you did," I pointed out, recalling his outburst. "And it wasn't cleverness on my part--it was desperation."
"It was awesome!"
I couldn't help smiling back at his enthusiasm, glad he seemed distracted from his pain. "It was pretty cool, wasn't it?"
"You're pretty cool," he replied warmly.
"I beg to differ," I said with a teasing smirk. "You make me so hot sometimes it feels like I'll burst into flame."
"Oooh," he groaned. "You say the nicest things."
"Only to you, love. Only to you." I leaned in for a kiss, feeling that customary mixture of exhilaration and fear when I thought of all the dangers we'd come through and had yet to face. How crazy was I to fall for someone in such a precarious position?
And yet, at moments like that, with him cradled in my arms and no immediate threat to our lives, I knew I wouldn't trade a minute of what we'd shared. He was all the more precious to me, since I'd come so close to losing him. I just hoped there'd come a time we could be together without the danger nipping at our heels; because sure as shit, once Khushrenada's trial was a thing of the past, I planned to be part of Duo's future.
TBC...
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