The Most Bittersweet Gift - Chapter 10	Home - Review - Previous - Next
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. The faint beeping of the machine to Heero’s left reassured him that Duo still lived and would be fine, but still, it was hard to see the slender frame wrapped up tight in a hospital bed, lines going this way and that, the IV coming from his hand. Lifting the hand he petted the smooth, cold skin gently, brought it up to his face and held it there. Relena would be back soon; he could hear the click, click of her heels as she came back from the lobby where she had put a call in to the others. She passed the hall and Heero recognized her nervous pacing. From the bed came a soft groan and the long, dark lashes fluttered open, revealing cloudy, confused amethyst eyes. “Duo?” Heero whispered. “Yeah, babe,” Duo answered back weakly. “You…you passed out in the hall,” Heero explained, leaning in to the cool hand that stroked his cheek. “Dr. Wright should be here in a couple minutes. How are you feeling?” “Pretty rough to tell you the truth. I don’t need Dr. Wright here to tell me I’m dying, we knew that. I…. I lied; I had less time than what I told you. I’m sorry.” Heero shook his head, coming to sit at the edge of the hospital bed, “It’s alright, I can forgive you this. I’m just glad you came to see me. I had missed you and I hadn’t even realized it until the space was filled, and now you’re leaving me again.” “I’m sorry, Heero. That’s why I didn’t want to come back, that’s why I didn’t want to see you again. Oi, help me sit up.” Heero slid an arm around Duo and helped him rise up a little with the hospital bed, kept his arm there even after Duo got comfortable. The door opened slowly and Relena stepped in. “Wufei is still out in space and he won’t be back until tonight. Quatre said him and Trowa could be on the next flight and they would be here in three hours.” “Oh, you called the guys,” Duo groaned, knowing he wouldn’t be able to see Quatre in tears or Wufei drawn. He only hoped this death would bring the other’s closer together, hoped it would tie the knot that would make them inseparable. Rolling his eyes he settled into the curve of Heero’s shoulder and closed his eyes. “Can’t turn back time now,” he muttered. Heero shook his head and rested his cheek against the chestnut hair. No one knew what to say and the room remained silent for some time, then Heero heard the soft snore coming from beside him and knew Duo had drifted to sleep. * * * * * “Would you stop prancing around like you have ants in your pants and come move your checker,” Duo grumbled, watching Heero move back over to the window, check his watch, glance over at the bed. Moving over he placed himself on the edge of the bed and surveyed the checkerboard, eyeing the little black and red pieces; he was red. Moving his piece he watched as Duo studied the board, then his hand came out, a bruise the size of Heero’s hand gracing the wrist where Heero had lifted Duo’s body earlier, the checker moved, jumping across the board and then settling against the last row. “That’s better. Did Trowa take Quatre out for a cup of coffee or is he flitting around the hall making sure every nurse is alert?” This agitation came mostly from the fact Duo had managed to talk Dr. Wright into removing all the ridiculous monitoring machines, pointing out that it hardly mattered in the circumstance. Needless to say, they had been removed, everything last one of the. “Probably a little of both,” Heero admitted, watching as the thin hand came up to tuck a strand of hair behind Duo’s ears. Most of the hair was there, but even now little wisps would occasionally snake out if fingers moved through unwary. Wufei called and said he would be here in 20 minutes.” Duo nodded. “Alright, I win again, so what gives? This is the fifth one in a row, and Heero Yuy is the master of strategy. Well, no, that’s Quatre, but you’re close. You must be preoccupied.” Duo set aside the checkerboard that Relena had brought in from the gift shop and studied the Japanese man’s face. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes, and tightness to his mouth that hadn’t been there before. Briefly in the back of his mind a voice whispered to Duo that this was because of him, he was the cause of this newfound worry. “It’s not the end of the world, you know, people die everyday,” Duo murmured, holding his arms out to Heero. Heero moved in to pull the American against him and held him tight, but not too tightly. “Pretty soon you’ll get over it, you’ll put this aside in your memory, and you will move on with your life. Do you understand me? I do not want you to kill yourself after this, or let yourself go. You have to watch out for the other’s, and you have to live.” Heero nodded and pressed his cheek against the back of Duo’s shoulder, feeling an unfamiliar warmth and tightness in his chest, different from the others, a burning, prickling sensation in his eyes. Duo turned and stroked the soft hair that still insisted on moving out in every direction, lifted the face up to see the hot tears he had just felt against his shoulder. Leaning in he kissed them away, shaking his head. “Don’t make me come back and haunt you,” Duo warned, running his thumb over the smooth, wet cheek. “I won’t,” Heero whispered. Duo smiled tenderly and ran a hand lightly down Heero’s shoulder. “Promise me, Heero. I know you won’t break a promise, so promise me.” “I promise.” Duo nodded and placed a sweet kiss against Heero’s lips, felt Heero respond under the kiss, wrapping his arms around the other. Duo pulled back slowly and reached around behind him, unclasped the chain of the cross, then brought it around to secure it around Heero’s neck. “No, Duo, I don’t…this is yours,” Heero protested, touching the gold with trembling fingers. “And it’s yours now,” Duo told him. “I want it to be worn, I want someone to keep wearing it. What good will it do me?” Heero ran his fingers over the smooth metal, his fingers wet with his tears. He touched Duo’s face softly and then leaned in to place a light kiss against the lips. The mouth returned for a second kiss, more demanding and then Duo pushed him back, face flushed. “Gomen Heero, I’m just so tired,” he whispered, forcing a smile he didn’t feel inside. He moved against the others body, cuddling closer, the blanket wrapped tight around him. “You’re so warm,” Duo murmured, brushing wayward strands of hair from Heero’s face. But I feel so cold inside. Duo lifted his head to look at Heero’s face, now dried of its tears, smiled sincerely at the worried expression. “Give me another kiss,” Duo whispered. Heero dropped the inch or so to brush his lips over Duo’s, which somehow still managed to taste sweet, a taste he had found similar only to chocolate, and one he realized he would never get enough of. Another soft, undemanding kiss and Duo’s fingers crawled slowly up Heero’s arms, then down, stroking the flesh. “I’m so tired, Heero,” Duo whispered, tilting his head back into the chest which supported him. “So tired.” The room’s door opened silently and Wufei stepped in, clothes wrinkled from the flight, still dressed in his Preventer uniform, looking despite the circumstance tall and commanding. Duo’s eyes traveled up the rumpled sight, remembering his friend from the last time they had spoken, until he hit Wufei’s face, then he shot Wufei a lopsided grin. “Hey, Wu-man, delightful to see you.” “Maxwell, likewise,” Wufei greeted. His onyx eyes bore into Heero. “Have you been watching out for him?” “Yes.” “Good.” Duo sat up a bit straighter and raised an eyebrow, “What, Wu-man, no hug? It’s been forever since I’ve seen you, the least you could do is give me a hug, ya know.” Wufei’s lips twitched in a smile, and then he gave a sharp nod, but it was softened by the expression. “Of course, Maxwell,” he said, coming around the side of the bed to let the other envelop him in a caring hug before returning it lightly, then stepped back once again. “How did your thing go?” Duo asked curiously. “The rumor was false, but there was a faction trying to gather that sort of material for just that. They will be taken in soon enough. Routine, boring, we didn’t blow anything up or anything. How are you feeling?” “Like death warmed over.” Heero raised an eyebrow and Wufei gave another nod, perhaps one of the only pilots who could truly appreciate the American’s sense of humor, however dry and tasteless it proved to be on occasion. The second one who had some luck and some defense against the razor sharp wit, of course, would be Heero. “That bad, huh? Well, I’ve seen you, and it was a pleasure, really it was. I’ll see you again?” “Definitely,” Duo answered. Wufei turned to leave and Duo called out to him, “Hey, Wufei…tell the others how much they’ve meant to me, alright?” “Of course, Maxwell.” Wufei paused, head cocked to one side, then a brief but real smile flickered across his face. “You know, I’ve always held the greatest respect for you Duo.” With that Wufei slid out the door and Duo looked up at Heero, eyes wide. “I think that’s by far the nicest thing he’s ever said to me.” Heero smiled and laid a kiss against Duo’s nose, having retreated back against Heero’s chest the minute he hadn’t had to sit up anymore. Duo closed his weary eyes and let out a sigh, feeling the energy drain from him, and oddly enough feeling the relief as the pain began to numb. Heero placed a kiss against Duo’s forehead, leaned down and kissed him again on the mouth, then pulled back with an accepting smile. “Duo,” Heero whispered softly. “Hmmm…” “I love you Duo.” Duo smiled as he drifted off to sleep and Heero savored the feel of the American in his arms. He felt each breath as it entered the resting body and left, and noticed immediately when the breathing seemed to slow down, then it stilled altogether. Heero continued to hold the American even after he began to feel the first hints of the warmth leaving the once living flesh and he felt tears stinging his eyes again, his chest tightening. The thoughts came unbidden to Heero’s mind, ripping nearly silent sobs from his throat as he rocked back and forth on the bed. I will never hold this amazing person in my arms again. I will never hear him whisper my name in the middle of the night. I will never feel his arms wrapping around me to give comfort. I will never taste his sweet, loving kisses again. I will never hear him laugh; I will never see him smile. I will never look at this face and know that he has eyes only for me, and that he loves me, and that he will do anything he can to make me happy, because he’s not here anymore…
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