Title: School Tales (Senior Year #41) Bittersweet Revenge
Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4, 5xD
Warnings: AU, Heero POV, angst, humor, sap, fluff, shounen-ai/yaoi,
Rating: R (for language)
Disclaimers: Main characters are properties of Bandai and Studio
Sunrise. I make no money off them.
Friday, 2.30pm
Fujisaki High School Grounds
He has a strange way of adapting to situations – well, maybe not strange, but I
consider it that way considering all he’s been through. At the police station,
he was cooperative enough, answering the questions posed to him and doing his
best to reply without breaking into tears, or screaming in frustration (those
cops have a rather terrible way of asking the same things over and over again)
or both.
We had watched the officers bring out Mrs. Weir’s body from the trailer home,
and Duo had flinched beside me, trembling for a moment before falling silent
and lowering his chin to his chest. He didn’t say a word until we got to
station and I didn’t think it was a good idea to pressure him into talking to
me at the time. I only learned of the events that took place with Jimmy in the
interrogation room. I hate to admit that Duo almost looked ‘at home’ in there;
as if he’d been in such a room in the past. The very idea of being in a police
station didn’t seem to faze him. It was admirable, if I was in the mood to
praise him for something so mundane.
We were driven back to the apartment when all was said and done. Neither of us
were in the mood to eat much, and simply slipped into bed, arms around each
other, not saying much. I must have fallen into a light doze when he began to
sob again – quiet, soft sounds that were muffled within the pillow. I figured I
must have dreamed the whole thing because the next morning, he was shaking me
awake with a ridiculously wide grin on his face.
“What?” he asked. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”
I sat up slowly, watching him through my sleep-induced stupor, but yet awake
enough to know that he was either bullshitting me or the events of the night
before had just been one long nightmare.
“Are you okay?” I finally asked carefully, watching that face for a
sign…anything to give away his emotions.
“I’m cool,” he replied. For a moment something flickered within those violet
eyes, but quickly disappeared as he smiled again and tugged my arm. “Wake up,
man! We’re gonna be late. They brought back my bike too!”
Yeah, that reminded me that it hadn’t been a dream after all.
A whole week has gone by since that incident, and life is relatively back to
normal…at least as normal as it can be. We tried to keep the news away from the
‘gang’ as much as possible, but word gets out, and it was Trowa who finally
brought up the topic during a lunch break. There was no use hiding it anyway,
so Duo and I tried our best to tell them the story without giving too much
away.
Harold also heard the news (don’t ask me how) and came to visit Duo the day
before yesterday. I hate to admit that I felt left out watching the two of them
talk in private, while I waited by the school gate. Duo is now surrounded by
people who care about him. He can’t depend on me all the time anyway. There’s
Harold and his father, and Eleanor who will be bringing a new ‘father’ into the
picture very soon, and let’s not forget Kamui who seems to be taking this little
brother role just a bit too seriously. You should see the way he grins each
time we walk past him in the hallways. He’s always quick to point out that
Duo’s going to become his older brother pretty soon. Yeah. Just one regular
happy family for him now.
Damn.
“Sorry for making you wait,” says the subject of my thoughts, panting as he
runs out to meet me while wrapping a dark red scarf (I had gotten it for him
last month) around his neck. The weather is getting colder, the trees now
almost naked as the winter months dawn on us. The air has that familiar smell
of Christmas – don’t know how else to explain it, but it’s there – and it
doesn’t help that the school has been decorated to look like an oversized
dollhouse. Relena and her club members as well as other volunteer teams have
helped to ‘accessorize’ our school halls. You can’t go anywhere without seeing
a miseltoe or two – plenty of excuses to pucker up to a loved one.
“It’s cool,” I reply, watching him stuff the books in his bag. “How’d it go?”
“Great,” he says, laughing softly as we begin to walk towards the parking lot.
“He says I can catch up once I’m done with chapters 55 and 56. Man, that Chem
test was a doozy.”
We shoot the breeze for a bit, talking about everything and anything but where
we’re going and who we’re going to see. Our previous attempts to visit Sid was
met with failure. We were either denied the opportunity or told that he was
still in his comatose state. However, a phone call from Doctor G had given us
some good news. Sid was wide awake and hollering for someone to pay attention
to him. Hence our visit today.
“Hope tomorrow’s not so chilly,” Duo observes as he tosses me a helmet.
“Remember the ‘date’ with mom and her new boyfriend.”
I snicker as he sticks out his tongue, leaning close to capture it quickly
before he can take it away. I swallow his moan, deepening the kiss that sends a
familiar heat racing down my once chilled body. A lingering taste of orange
soda fills my mouth as he sticks his tongue in to duel with mine. I feel his
hand move to cup my ass, pulling me flush against his trembling body. My gloved
hands move up to cup his cheeks, drinking thirstily of what he has to offer.
Christ! Thank goodness the parking lot is almost deserted—
“He hem!”
We pull apart quickly at the sound of the exaggerrated cough, watching The
Buzzard’s disapproving glare as we scramble to get onto the bike while mumbling
our apologies.
“You just had to park right next to the faculty section, didn’t you Duo?” I
chide as he revvs the engine.
“Hey, it was the only parking space available!” he yells back, laughing as I
wrap my arms tightly around his waist. My laughter is buried against the soft
material of his jacket, and I close my eyes, allowing the wind to rush past me
in that sensation of freedom that I’ll never get tired of.
“I love you,” I suddenly whisper, surprising myself at how much I really do
mean it. So much so that my eyes sting a bit.
“Say something?” he yells, and I shake my head, settling for listening to the
rhythm of his body as he flies down the highway. I just hope we don’t get a
speeding ticket.
4.05pm
St. Margaret’s Hospital
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, Maxwell.”
“And you could use a makeover, Sid,” Duo replies in a voice that’s thick with
barely concealed emotion. I watch the two men embrace…well as much as they can.
Sid is propped up in his hospital bed, his body completely wrapped in bandages
that tell the extent of the damage done. He’s doing a good impression of a
mummy, and only his eyes – still as sharp as ever, nostrils and mouth are
visible. It must be uncomfortable in that get-up.
“As long as yer paying,” Sid says with a good-natured chuckle that ends up in a
raspy cough. Duo and I start forward in concern, but Sid only waves his arm in
a stiff motion and points towards the large glass of water with a straw in it.
Holding it closer to him, I watch as he sucks on it, before falling back to the
pillows with a heavy sigh.
“Man, I gotta tell you guys, it sucks to be in the hospital.”
“Don’t I know it,” Duo says, holding up his hand to count the number of times
he’s been in the place. “I think I know all the secret passageways and stuff
out of here. We could escape, Sid.”
The older man laughs, and I’m standing beside him with the cup of water like a
sentry, hoping he doesn’t choke again. “Hehe, you were always the funny one,
Maxwell. Always the funny one…” His voice trails away and a sad look fills his
eyes. I can only imagine the way he must really feel. His shop is gone – years
of hardwork down the drain. Someone tried to kill him and a kid he had once
trusted, ended up becoming a psycho.
“I have insurance you know,” he suddenly says, watching us as if we had ever
doubted that in the first place. “I can start me a new shop if I wanted. They
can cover it.”
Duo nods and lowers his lashes. He’s sitting beside Sid now (as per the older
man’s instructions) and I can see he’s eager to get into the events that had
taken place that night.
“My girl’s flying down here to come see me,” he continues. Ah yes, Duo had told
me that Sid was currently dating some girl from uptown. His first marriage had
ended in a nasty divorce. “She had to go see her ma, so…”
Another awkward silence falls and satisfied that Sid isn’t going to choke
anymore, I set down the cup and pull up a chair. “You must have heard of what
happened to Jimmy,” I begin, ignoring the panicked and slightly annoyed look
Duo throws at me. Without turning his head, Sid looks at me as if seeing me for
the first time. Those dark eyes are now wary, and yet filled with knowledge.
“I ain’t stupid,” he finally says. “I know someone tried to off me, kid.”
“You think it’s Jimmy?”
“No way,” he says firmly. “Why would he do something like that?”
Duo scratches his head and takes a deep breath, before launching into the
events of what had taken place on that night. All through the story, I watch
Sid carefully. Although his body can’t move much, thanks to his bandages, his
eyes and nostrils flare with each word Duo says, his mouth thinning until it
almost becomes a straight line. When Duo’s finally done, Sid doesn’t say a
word. I’m beginning to think he has dozed off in the middle of the tale, when
he suddenly lets out an expletive followed by a name that’s been nagging me
since we met him at the scene of the crime.
“Big Bill! That sumbitch!”
“Hey now, hey now,” Duo says quickly, as Sid makes fruitless attempts to move
off the bed. He’s furious and why shouldn’t he? “Better not move.”
“And what makes you think it’s Bill anyway?” I ask, helping Duo as best I can.
Sid might be an invalid, but he’s still pretty strong and almost tosses us both
to the floor several times. Finally, he exhausts himself and collapses back to
the bed, pointing for the cup of water to be brought to him. Dutifully I do so,
watching him suck like a man deprived for weeks. He belches and closes his
eyes, his breathing shallow and uneven. He looks pale.
“Bill…” he begins. “Bill and Sam Goodwin…”
“Sly Sam,” Duo agrees with a nod, his brows furrowing in thought. I have no
idea who that is, but can only listen in as best I can.
“See? They usually get parts for me from Quentin. I used tha think it was legit
you know. They’d always come back with more spares than I can shake a turkey
stick at. Finally Sam tells me that there’s this Greek who sells them in
Blackwater for much cheaper. In other words we’re talking illegal shit. Who
knows where the hell they get that stuff from? Stolen goods prolly, and I ain’t
gonna be a part of it. So Sam and Bill, they get all in a tizzy about it,
saying how I’ve been using them parts all this time and I ain’t complain
before. But I tell them that I didn’t know it was from fucking Blackwater! I
thought they was getting it from Quentin. See, they lied to me all this time.
Well, they says that I owe the Greek about fifty grand for back payment, and
they want the money from me as soon as possible.”
He motions for the water again. After a good drink (I’m beginning to think that
the fire must have made him more dehydrated or something), he continues, now
talking a bit faster as if realizing that our visiting hours might soon be
over.
“So I’m getting pissed and I’m telling them that I ain’t paying nuthin. We was
the only ones in the shop that night…well besides Jimmy, and Jimmy don’t know
nothing.” He pauses and contemplates that. “Or maybe he knew, now that you say
he ain’t as dumb as he looks. See Jimmy came back to pick up something he
forgot, so none of us paid him much mind. Now, I’m getting pissed and Sam’s
yelling and then the dumb fucking Greek comes walking in with about ten of his
guys. Says he hears there’s some trouble here and he wants what’s his.”
“So what did you do?” Duo asks, and I’m not surprised to see that his eyes are
lit with interest, curiosity and downright excitement. Nothing gets Duo worked
up like a good fight scene. You should see him watching action movies.
“What do you think I did?” Sid replies impatiently. “I told him he could stick
his parts right up his oily Greek ass! Don’t think he liked me saying that
though. But anyways, he had Sam and Bill leave, but not before Bill comes back
and says I shoulda done as the Greek says. That he’s pretty dangerous. Knowing
me, I didn’t listen too much and told Bill that he and Sam was fired as far as
I was concerned. I ain’t having no bootleggers in my shop. That was two weeks
ago.”
He’s perspiring now, beads of sweat noticeable on his upper lip. Duo reaches
for a paper napkin to wipe the exposed flesh gently, and I have to smile a
little at the tender moment. The feverish look dies in Sid’s eyes and he smiles
in gratitude.
“So Big Bill was responsible, eh?” Duo mutters. “Can’t believe the bastard led
me on. I wish Jimmy would have said something at least. He just kept it all
inside, pretending to be dumb when he knew trouble was coming.”
“You don’t think Bill realized that perhaps Jimmy knew too much and set it up
to have both he and Sid killed, do you?” I ask, the wheels turning faster in my
mind as all the puzzles begin to fall into place.
“Could be,” Duo replies, watching Sid as he says this. But Sid’s lashes are
drooping, showing his state of weariness. The poor guy has had enough
excitement for one day. “Damn, I wish I could talk to Jimmy now, but I don’t
think they’ll let me.”
“Jimmy’s a good kid,” Sid mumbles, his voice barely audible. “Crazy…but good.”
I notice the brief but blank look that fills Duo’s eyes for a moment, before he
shrugs and rises to his feet. He nods towards the door, and I finally hear the
approaching footsteps of a nurse. Our time is up.
“We’ll come back and visit, Sid,” Duo says, leaning close to embrace his mentor
again. “You just take care and be safe, okay?”
“Yeah, you tell me how I’m gonna be safe stuck in a bed looking like a goddamn
stuffed animal,” comes the good-natured grumble. “You be good too, ya hear. I
wanna see you when I get out of here.”
Duo chuckles, and to my surprise Sid motions for me to move closer too. Feeling
a bit awkward at the embrace he gives me, I pull away with a nod of
acknowledgement, my cheeks flushing with color at the smirk Duo throws at me.
“He likes you,” he says once we’re out of the building.
I punch his arm a little, trying not to laugh at the face he’s making. “Sure,
whatever.” I stop, my hands buried in the pockets of my jacket as I stare up to
what I assume is Sid’s room. Since the days are much shorter, the evening comes
much quicker than one would expect. The warm lights from the looming building
are desolate and lonesome for some reason, or perhaps it’s just thinking of Sid
and what he’s going through that’s making me feel this way.
“Hmm…a Heero Yuy frown. Pray do tell what’s going on in that mind of yours?”
Duo asks, a small smile on his face as he watches me carefully. There’s a
knowing look in those eyes, as if he already knows what I’m about to suggest.
“I want to pay a visit to Big Bill,” I state flatly, faintly amused at the
exaggerated look of shock he gives me.
“Oh, really? And why?”
“You know why. We don’t have to go in to talk to him, but I want to just see
where he lives and….”
My voice trails off, looking at Duo isn’t helping much. Geez, I really think he
can read my mind.
“Fires start in the strangest ways,” he mutters, now looking at Sid’s room.
There’s a dark look on his features now.
“Give him a taste of his own medicine,” I finish quietly.
“We’re talking arson here, Yuy,” Duo says in a tight voice, but he’s trembling
with excitement, and I can feel it too. The knowledge that we’re about to do
something risky, crazy and likely to have us arrested and locked up for life is
enough to have my mouth feeling dry. I push away the raging voices of my
parents, school transcripts and records that tell me to rethink my decision. I
replace them with the image of my boyfriend being held at gunpoint, the
decaying body of Mrs. Weir, Johnny who went mad because of his secrets, a
burned Sid, and know that I’m justified. Too many lives had been destroyed
because of a few greedy assholes.
“We could open up a whole can of worms,” I say, biting my lower lip.
“Not if we’re careful.”
“Oh?”
“Yup. I’ve got an idea.”
“I worry about your ideas, Maxwell.”
“Dude, you brought it up. I’m just going along with it.”
I meet his eyes, feeling my lips curve to match the smirk on this face. “Fuck
you, Maxwell. If we get arrested, I never knew you.”
“Ditto the sentiments, Yuy. Just don’t slow me down.”
6.32pm
Outside Damon’s Gas, Stop n’ Go
Well, we definitely didn’t expect to see Wufei here.
“What are you doing here?” Duo asks incredulously, looking rather ridiculous as
he continues to fill up the container we had bought with gasoline.
Wufei, for his part, looks at us as if we’re aliens and then points to the car
behind him. “Getting gas for the car, what else would I be doing here?” He
looks at the red container, looks up to meet our (I’m sure) guilty features,
before raising a brow in silent question.
“Reserve,” Duo says shortly, as he stops pumping to tighten the cap. “Fuel
shortages and stuff, you know.”
“There’s isn’t any,” Wufei replies, a smirk on his features as he realizes
we’re up to something. Duo curses beneath his breath, as I step forward to try
to explain things.
“I’m coming with you,” he says with a decisive nod, after I’m through.
“No you’re not,” Duo interrupts in a harsh whisper as some other customers walk
past us. “This is personal between me and Heero, and I don’t want to get anyone
else involved. Trust me, Wufei. It’s better you don’t--”
“You’re going to need backup,” he cuts in, not even looking at us as he slides
his credit card through the slot. “Someone to watch out for you all while you
go burning the…mmmpfff!”
Duo had slapped a hand over his mouth. “Shhsssh! Not so goddamn loud!”
Wufei’s eyes widen, and for a moment I’m worried he’s going to either punch Duo
or worse. Those dark eyes of his seem to glint with danger, but all he does is
nod and waits for Duo to release him.
“I still say you need backup,” he says in that voice that dares us to argue
with him. “Hello? What if someone comes by while you guys are busy scooping out
the place? You really should plan these things properly instead of being so
damn spontaneous.” He looks at me as he says this and I have to blush at the
knowledge that I had been the one to bring up the idea in the first place. I
rarely do anything on a spontaneous whim, but thanks to Duo—
“Fine,” Duo interrupts, breaking my locked gaze with Wufei. “You can come if
you want, but you drive at a discreet distance or something. I don’t need
anyone knowing we’re all going to the same place…say, you can ride with Wufei.”
I blink at the sudden suggestion, watching Duo carefully, but he’s not looking
at me. The memories of Wufei’s confession – which seems like a lifetime ago –
comes rushing back and I’m now wary of what Duo’s thinking. Why would he
suggest I ride with Wufei?
“Why?”
“Why not?” he returns as he ties the container behind his bike. “Is that going
to be a problem, Wufei?” He smiles at the Chinese boy who’s looking at him
warily as well. Just what game is Duo playing?
“I don’t have a problem if Heero doesn’t.” He shrugs and goes into the shop to
get a snack or something. Perfect time for me to confront Duo.
“And before you mouth off,” he says before I can get a word out. “I can’t have
you riding this with the gas tank behind it, Heero…”
“Bullshit. If Wufei wasn’t here I would have driven with you anyway--”
“Well, he’s here and the problem’s been taken care of.”
“Duo…!”
In a sudden move, he places a hand behind my head to tug me closer to him,
seizing my lips in a kiss so hard, I forget to breathe as his tongue conquers
and stakes its claim. It’s less than a minute, but enough to have my insides
churning with adrenaline, excitement and downright frustration. Now he’s making
me wish we hadn’t begun this dumb idea of mine. I want nothing more than to go
home and—
“There,” he pants harshly against my lips, eyes blazing with something I can’t
quite define. “Just think about that while you’re with him.” He gives me
another quick peck at the corner of my mouth before pulling away to reach for
his helmet. I barely hear Wufei behind me. If he saw us kissing, he doesn’t show
it.
“Chips?” he offers as I settle into the passenger seat of his Jeep. Nice
interior and slightly warm from the heater.
“Thanks.” I accept the bag as well as the can of soda he tosses to me. In no
time, we are driving after Duo, whose silhouette reminds me of a demon in the
darkness – probably leading us into the depths of hell.
Wufei parks his car about a mile from where Duo had called from his cellphone.
There’re a lot of trees around here, and it’s easy to hide the vehicle amongst
them. We had gotten off the highway a few miles back and with the eerie quiet,
it feels like we’re in the middle of nowhere.
“Good grief, where the hell are we?”Wufei whispers as we walk down the narrow
path. Our footsteps make light crunching noises on the dead leaves, bark and
branches. There are faint sounds of creatures we’re not sure of and they create
a rather ominous soundtrack to our dismal surroundings. I really don’t know
what part of the city we’re in - the outskirts yes, but still…it’s funny how
Duo seems to know where everyone lives. The boy’s like a walking map. Luckily,
we see him crouched behind a low hedge, motioning for us to bend even lower as
we approach. He places a finger to his lips and points towards the warm lights
hidden behind a few more trees. If we were in summer, it would have been hard
to distinguish the buildings, but thanks to the bare trees, they’re much easier
to see. About five bungalows surrounded by fences on their last legs, stand
about twenty feet before us. The first two look dark and empty as if
uninhabited.
“There’s where he lives,” Duo whispers, pointing towards the house in the
middle where a light can be seen in the kitchen. There’s nothing extraordinary
about the home. It’s one of those low income homes that the government had
loaned out to working class families during a program a few years ago. However,
something catches my attention and I tug on Duo’s sleeve in disbelief, my
heartbeat quickening at the enormity of the situation.
“Hold up,” I say quickly. “Isn’t that a bike?”
“Yeah, so?” He’s already beginning to drag the container closer to him, the
packet of Damon’s matches sticking out of his pocket.
“Kid bikes, Duo,” I say tightly. A fine sheen of sweat is breaking out
on my skin. “He has kids, you asshole. You’re not going to burn down the
place with kids in there, are you?”
“He doesn’t have any kids…now,” Duo replies slowly as if speaking to a child.
He looks irritated. “Geez, do you really think I’d agree to this if I knew he
had kids living with him? He and his wife divorced and she moved out with them
several months ago or something.”
“You know a lot about him, don’t you?” Wufei muses, his gaze trained on the
house and the figure now walking out of it. “Oh oh, check it out. We’ve got
company.”
We stiffen as the front door opens just as headlights from an incoming car
flood the driveway. I hold my breath as the car (a Cadillac from the look of
things) comes to a stop. Two burly men step out of the vehicle, one with a
cigar stuck in his mouth and dressed in a white suit – the other in a black
trench coat - just as Big Bill steps up to them. They begin to talk, and not to
bore you with the details, but from the way the conversation goes, one can see
that things aren’t looking too good.
“It’s the Greek,” Duo says in slight awe, as if Sid’s story is finally coming
to life before him. I nod in agreement, meeting Wufei’s puzzled look. I wave
quickly. I’ll explain to him later.
“What the…?!”
I slap a hand over Duo’s mouth to shut him up, just as Bill begins to blubber
like a child. We watch as he falls to his knees and clutches the pants of the
Greek who is doing his best to kick him aside. My heart is racing so fast now,
I can feel the blood rushing to my head, my ears pounding, and my mouth as dry
as a desert. It all seems to happen in slow motion. The other man pulling out
the gun from his jacket, pointing it towards Bill, and the most spectacular
sight of brains being splattered all over the driveway. The hot smell of blood
seems to fill my nostrils as Wufei makes a low sound of agony. Duo shakes his
head, forcing me to release him. His eyes are wide as saucers, his features
pale and almost feverish.
“Let’s get out of here!”I say quickly, already on my feet and dragging both of
my immobile friends by the scruff of their jackets.
“The container,” Duo yells, and I almost clock him for saying that. Now,
they’re going to know they were being watched. Fuck!
“HEY! OVER THERE!!” The Greek or his bodyguard says, but I could care less who
spoke. That seems to galvanize us and before long, we’re running like the very
hounds of hell are on our tails.
“If he shoots,” Wufei pants, while looking over his shoulder. “If he shoots,
he’s going to blow this place sky high. Fuck, Duo! You should have…holy shit!”
That said because of the explosive sound of a gun being shot in our direction.
We duck, making sure we don’t speak again to give away our location. Duo, who’s
parked closer to the homes, finds his bike and hops on it quickly.
“Meet you guys at the apartment,” he bellows, revving up his engine just as
Wufei and I dive into his car.
I look through the window, panic filling me in a cold rush as I notice the man
approaching us at a pace that betrays his heavyset nature. Good grief! Duo’s
already on his way to safety and I’m still stuck—
“What the fuck’s keeping you?!” I roar in frustration.
“Shut the hell up, Yuy!” comes the response filled with anger, fear and panic.
His hands are fidgeting with the keys and they can’t seem to fit into the
goddamn slot. “Come on! Come on!”
“Drive, man! DRIVE!” I can see the gun pointed at me, and duck just as a shot
rings out to take off the side view mirror. I don’t think Wufei’s dad is going
to like that. The image of my own brains messing up the window fills me with
hysterical laughter. I think I must have started laughing anyway because Wufei
gives me a rather bemused look which has me cracking up even louder.
I could die. I could really die tonight. I think I know how Duo must have felt
now.
Luckily, Wufei’s driving skills are top notch and in no time, we’re burning
rubber and pelting down the highway. Finally managing to get my emotions under
control, I stifle my giggles and look behind me.
“Are they following us?” Wufei asks, daring to look as well.
“No,” I reply shortly. “We’re clear.”
“Damn it,” Wufei mutters, visibly sagging in relief. “You two sure do know how
to give a guy a heart attack.”
I laugh again, although my heart is still racing and a part of me wants to
scream. I’m trembling like a leaf, my body suffused with emotions of relief and
yet an adrenaline rush that’s indescribable. I think a sick part of me even
wants to experience something like this again – the thrill of facing death in
the face, of knowing just how mortal I really am.
“Welcome to my world, Wufei,” I finally say with a chuckle, as I settle back in
the leather seat and close my eyes. “Where the madness never ends.”
~End Period Forty-One~