Soon enough the blues will come and break my heart
So I'll make my getaway before the teardrops start
It's a hard game and I'm just a beginner
Why play if the blues is the winner
If I stick around I know I'll lose
Because I'm just too young, too young for the blues
Just too young, too young for the blues.
-
Ella Fitzgerald
Warning:
Hint of NCS, minor violence
Twelve:
Heavy lids opened wearily, blinking slowly as his
muddled mind tried to make sense of the strange noise that was like a
persistent bug in his ear.
The bell…
It was faint, but undeniable.
It was the bell that rang every morning at a certain time declaring the start
of the new day for the students of St. Gabriel’s Elementary School.
Oh, no! I’ll be late!
He jumped to his feet,
fingers absently scratching an itch on his right arm, but had to curb his
enthusiasm again as the heavy sounds of a distinctive snore had him freezing in
his tracks. He swallowed tightly and spared a glance at the burly man sleeping
beside the door on an unmade brownish mattress. It was well worn, its seams
stretched to the bursting point. Small tufts of the foam used for its bedding
stuck out in odd places and some had taken up residence in the man’s hair. He
gave a particularly loud snore that had the boy giving a small gasp of worry
before releasing his sucked in breath as the man only turned onto his side.
The sounds of happy laughter
had him turning his head sharply towards the only window that stood a few feet
above his sleeping mattress. Walking carefully over the empty bottles of cheap
whiskey, he climbed the small wooden box that he had found the other day beside
One Eye’s shop. However, still having to stand on tiptoes, he finally managed
to get a view of the outside through the grime that had caked over the glass
through the years.
A few feet away, he could
make out Tommy Two-Shoes and Leftie loading up the truck with boxes of lettuce
it seemed. The smell was pretty ripe and the boy made a gagging sound in his
throat as he listened, or tried to listen in on the conversation. The two men
were both talking about some baseball game from yesterday and even though he
couldn’t understand a single word, just seeing them was enough to make him
smile. He was just about to motion to Leftie to notice him, when a sharp slap
on his ass made him yelp in pain and jump down from the box.
“Ow! What’d you do that for?”
He rubbed his aching rump with a petulant frown on his face as he glared at the
older man who had finally woken up.
The man gave a snort and spat
out a wad of his saliva to the floor before scratching his nether regions with
a weary yawn. As he made his way towards the bathroom, he called over his
shoulder. “You just go get dressed, boy. We’ve got work ta do today, remember?”
“I thought you said we was
off today,” the boy questioned with growing alarm. They couldn’t be working
again today. He had made plans to visit the local library. It was a secret
pleasure of his that was carefully kept from the man’s knowledge.
“You questioning me, boy?”
came the angry growl as the sounds of someone obviously using the toilet
emanated from the cramped space.
Holding his nose, the boy
shook his head and mumbled out a soft ‘no’ while staring at the dirty floor in
dismay. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
The toilet flushed and the
man stepped out with a leery grin on his face. The boy knew that look only too
well and giving an inward sigh of resignation, he slowly began to pull the
large shirt off his body.
Just make it quick this
time, he thought wearily as he
willingly lay back on the mattress and closed his eyes.
Just make it quick…
“Whaaaaaaaa?! You didn’t say
nuffin about us going to some dumb ol’ school to go drop off sum’ing!”
“I’m sorry,
“The boss says ya have to.
The boss says ya have to,” Griffith mimicked in ridicule as he stomped closer
to the unrepentant figure of Tommy Two-Shoes, who just happened to be a good
inch or so taller than the other man.
“Whatcha doin’ to the boss,
eh? Giving him good blowjobs? AAAARGH!! What the fuck?! What the hell you do
that for?” He was now holding his bleeding nose as he glared at the taller man,
although a hint of fear had now crept into his eyes.
“I ain’t saying it again,
“Fuckin…alright, alright. I
hear ya.” Muttering beneath his breath, while now holding a blood-soaked
handkerchief to his nose,
That brat and Leftie were
talking again. Couple of fags.
“Get your ass back here,
Duo!” he bellowed furiously. “What the fuck do I pay ya for? To go talk to that
freakin’ queer?!”
Leftie, a handsome eighteen
year old with a penchant for being slick on the streets, grinned good-naturedly
and flipped the bird at the older man. “You know you want me, baby.”
This had Duo giggling
reluctantly and he was rewarded with a light kiss on his nose. He lifted his
head to stare into the smiling blue eyes of the older boy, feeling something
warm fill his heart at the look that passed between them. However, reality
crashed in with another smack on his rear, which had him wincing in pain.
“
But his words were cut off as
he was tugged by his braid rather painfully towards the truck. Duo blinked back
the tears that threatened to fill his eyes as he gave a light wave to Leftie,
who was now staring at them with a mixture of pity, anger and something else
Duo couldn’t define.
Griffith opened up the
passenger door and shoved the boy in roughly, causing Duo to bang his shin
beneath the dashboard rather painfully. Sucking in his breath to stop from
crying out loud again, he reached for the seat belt and clipped it on with
hands that trembled with the force of holding his emotions in check.
Kill…I want to kill him…
The sound of the driver’s
door slamming shut had him jerking in awareness and he respectfully kept his
eyes lowered to the dirty mats on the floor as the smell of cigarettes soon
filled the hot truck. Still mumbling obscenities about faggots and Leftie,
Griffith began to fiddle with the buttons on the radio, trying to get his
favorite rock station on. He cursed Leftie and Tommy Two-shoes, calling them a
bunch of no good queers who were set out to get him fired. He also let loose on
the boss who had set out to make his life a living hell. Duo held his breath
and waited for it. He knew what was coming next.
“Fuck! Don’t know how the
hell I got stuck with youse in the first place. I shoulda just lef’ you hang’ng
out there like I was supposed ta, but noooooo, I jus had to take ya in, didn’
I?”
“You have been good to me,
Griffith,” Duo mumbled automatically as the truck finally began to move out of
the lot. It was a ritual that had become all too familiar to the thirteen year
old. For six years, he had had to live with the constant complaining and after
several ‘lessons’ on how to respond to such tirades, Duo had learned quickly
enough how to deal with such situations.
“Damn tootin’ I’ve been good!
I’ve been more than good, eh?”
“Ah!” The boy yelped and
caught his lower lip between his teeth, forcing his gaze to remain outside the
window as his cock was squeezed and rubbed, through his pants, over and over
again by the older man.
He couldn’t let the tears
fall. He didn’t dare let them fall or he knew that the pain would be so much
worse.
As they neared the school
grounds,
A school.
Beneath the late morning
light, St. Gabriel’s weathered walls shone like a beacon within the midst of
the darkness and chaos of the life that surrounded it. A building that had
withstood the test of time for over a hundred years and counting, was the
foundation for all knowledge in this miserable town. It was the only thing that
looked sane to the young boy. The only thing that gave him a calm and peace
that he could not explain. Unaware of the look of longing on his features, he
spied some of the students in their classrooms. In one class, they were all
reading out loud from a book and the echo from the steady rise and fall of
their voices sent something flaring down the boy’s chest. Unconsciously, he
placed a hand against it, unaware of his quickened breathing as he began to
walk towards the building like a man being pulled by an invisible string.
I want to…I want to…
Griffith, who had just
stepped out of the truck was about to holler at Duo to help him unload the
boxes, when he blinked as he noticed the boy walking past him without even
sparing him a glance. Griffith opened up his mouth to yell at the kid when the
words died in his throat at the look on Duo’s face. The boy looked like he was
in another place altogether. Griffith was sure that if he smacked Duo again,
that the kid wouldn’t even notice a thing. And what the fuck was that light in
his eyes? He hated to admit it, but it was an almost adult look. A look filled with a knowledge that sent a chill
down his spine.
What the fuck? He’s just a
stink’n kid, that’s all. I ain’t got nothing to be afraid of.
With a low growl of anger, he
placed his hand on Duo’s shoulder and spun him around sharply. “What tha hell
wrong with you, kid?! We’ve got stuff ta offload!”
Duo’s steady gaze on the
older man had him cursing even louder. He wasn’t really afraid of Duo, was he?
He could whoop this kid back into shape. Yeah, that’s it. He would just whoop
this kid back into…
“Get your hands off me.”
“Whaa…?” Griffith could only
stare at the boy in utter disbelief. There was something so comical, but yet so
terrifying about the situation. He couldn’t place a finger on it. That adult
look was still in Duo’s eyes, but there was something else too. It was a look
of determination and dull anger and Griffith was sure that Duo might just raise
a fist to punch his lights out. He had no doubt that the kid was strong. Hell,
he had seen Duo beat up a couple of sixteen-year-old punks just a few months
ago without really breaking a sweat.
He shook his head quickly and
tried to regain his composure. No way in hell was he going to allow this punk
to mess with his mind like this. What he needed was a good beating and Griffith
was more than happy to dish it out to him.
“You sonaofbitch! I’ll
fuckin’ bust ya….ooofff!” His hands flew to his balls, cupping them through his
pants as he fell to his knees. The pain was blinding and for a moment, he was
sure he was going to die.
“I told you not to touch me!”
Duo yelled angrily as he began to back away slowly.
“Fuckin…kill…you…” Griffith
spat out harshly as he struggled to his feet. He cried out again in pain,
having to hold on to the side of the truck so as not to fall down. His eyes had
now taken on a murderous look and parting his lips into a grin that was nothing
short of terrifying, he ground out thickly, “I…will…kill…you…boy. Shouda done
this a long time ago.”
“Stay away from me. I’m
warning you, Griffith! You just stay the hell away from me!” He backed into a
wall so hard that stars filled his vision for a moment. He was vaguely aware
that the older man was coming towards him and seeing something flash brightly,
Duo knew without a doubt that Griffith was holding a penknife.
“Fucking kill you!!!”
The knife that was thrown
barely missed Duo by inches as it got stuck in the brick wall beside him.
Frozen to the spot in fear, it took him almost a full minute to realize that
Griffith was now running towards him. Moving completely on instinct, Duo reached
for the knife and threw it towards the coming man, not really caring where it
landed as he made a swerve to the right and began to run towards the welcoming
doors of the school. By this time, several workers around the grounds had begun
to make their way towards them, but Duo had no time to spare. A quick glance
behind him showed that the knife had buried itself in Griffith’s left thigh and
that to his horror, the man was still chasing after him.
“Kill you, kid!!”
Fuck!
He quickened his pace, heart
thumping wildly in his chest as he pushed open the doors and ran into the empty
hallway. On any other normal day, he would have loved to stroll down the halls
and take in the sights, but unfortunately, this wasn’t going to be one of them.
He was just about to make his way towards a room, when the door banged open and
Griffith, wild-eyed and now blubbering like an insane person stood waiting
there.
“Stabbed me, did ya?” he
growled as he began to stagger towards the frozen figure of the boy. Blood from
his wound dripped to the floor leaving a thin trail behind him. “You think you
are all right to do that ta me…”
“Excuse me, sir, but you
can’t go in there,” came the concerned voice of one of the janitors. And as Duo
watched in horror, the words of warning he had wanted to cry out were silenced
as Griffith buried the knife in the man’s throat.
Scream…scream now. God damn it! Scream!!!
And for the first time in as
long as he could remember, the boy finally opened up his mouth and yelled his
terror for the world to hear.
Heavy lids opened up wearily,
blinking slowly as the muddled mind tried to make sense of the strange noise
that was like a persistent bug in his ear.
The bell…
Only this time, it was much
louder and his back didn’t itch as much. It didn’t smell like stale cigarettes
and whiskey either. Instead, a sweet smell, like warm caramel filled his
nostrils, making him smile softly.
I guess I must be in
heaven.
He opened his eyes wider to
stare at the high stone-decor ceiling above him. Its design was simple yet
elegant and it reminded Duo of a certain…
Sitting up quickly, as the
memories came rushing back to him in a flood, he darted wild eyes around the
room in growing panic. It was a small place with only his bed and a side table
with an extra chair for visitors. Everything there was clean and neat,
something that made him want to burst into tears at just how peaceful it
seemed.
A false front in a harsh reality.
Duo threw his legs over the
side of the bed in an effort to get up and possibly out of the room, only to
give a breathless squeak as the door creaked open. He clutched the edge of the
bed tightly, his eyes darting around the room for a possible weapon of choice.
He had really annoyed Griffith this time and he wasn’t sure he was going to
survive his lessons at this point. With his heart racing a mile-a-minute, Duo
held his breath and reached for the chair. It wasn’t that heavy and he could
lift it and throw it directly at the older man.
One…
The door creaked open a bit
wider.
Two…
He lifted the chair off the
floor gently, trying to make as little sound as possible.
Three!
“Ah, I see you are finally
awake.”
Duo held the chair above his
head, widened amethyst depths staring in confusion at the smiling face before
him. The man was dressed in a simple and rather cheap cream-colored suit that
looked a size too small. He had jet-black hair that was long and quite shaggy.
It looked uncombed and Duo felt the insane urge to comb it for some reason. But
what had the boy stumped was that the man was still smiling at him as if he was
a long lost friend. Duo sensed no malice or hate from the man. He received no
sense of prejudice from him. If anything, Duo found himself staring helplessly
into the warm dark blue eyes that reminded him of…
Home…
What home?
And before he could control
himself, he burst into tears, crumpling wearily to the ground in defeat. He
didn’t protest as he felt the strong arms encircle his waist and feeling the
warmth from the man seep into his cold and trembling body, Duo buried his face
against the shirt and sobbed his heart out.
Who are you? Why are you
doing this for me?
I am a teacher, young one.
And I am going to be here for you…always…
Heero felt something tighten
within his chest and for a moment, he wasn’t really sure of what was happening
to him. He had declared his love to Duo, so why wasn’t the teacher responding
to him? No…Duo was responding, but in a way he hadn’t expected. The teacher was
squeezing the life out of him it seemed and that was why his chest hurt so
much. Duo was almost crushing the life out of him.
“Duo…”
He froze as he felt something
warm and wet against his skin. It couldn’t be his tears, that much was certain.
Duo. It was Duo crying.
The feeling within his chest
became something else that was even stronger than love, he was sure. Had his
confession really affected the teacher so much? Did this mean that Duo really
loved him after all?
Heero closed his eyes and
tightened his hold around the older man’s body, allowing the teacher to cry as
much as he wanted to. He didn’t mind remaining this way with Duo for the rest
of their lives. He would gladly give up everything if need be to remain with
this man.
I love you, Duo. Thank you for listening to me…
“David. His name…his name was
David…”
Duo’s thick whisper had Heero
snapping his eyes open with a small gasp. David? Who is…?
“He saved me. He saved me and
yet I…I…I…”
No!! Heero didn’t want to hear. He told himself that he
didn’t want to listen to this story. His inner mind shook its head with denial.
This wasn’t happening to him. Not now. Hadn’t Duo heard his confession? Why
would he bring up the subject of someone else now? And for the older man to be in tears over something like
this, it could only mean one thing. One thing that he did not want to
acknowledge or believe. But yet, it was something that made his heart break a
million times over.
Duo was in love with someone
else.
Yuzuki Hiragawa was thirty
years old. At least, she would be thirty come December. She had never known
life outside of servitude and she wasn’t one to complain about much. Her family
had always worked for the Yuys since she could remember. When she had been a
little girl, she had been a favorite for the young Odin Yuy and once he was old
enough to move out on his own, he had naturally asked her to be a personal
assistant to him. However, once Heero had been born, she had been given the
task of becoming the young heir’s guardian.
And for that reason, Yuzuki
took her job very seriously.
In her mind, she saw herself
as Heero’s mother and not just another servant to Odin Yuy. In her mind, she was the mistress of the household. Hikari was just an obstacle to
overcome. But she played her part very well. She made sure that she was always
up to speed on everything that concerned the household.
No, she wasn’t set out to
destroy the family. She just wanted to be more than just a servant to Odin and
more than just ‘Nee-chan’ to Heero.
Catching Hikari Yuy in the
arms of that teacher, Duo Maxwell had been more than enough evidence to show
her that Hikari no longer had an interest in Odin. It was a shame really. After
everything her master had done for his wife, she still had the audacity to
cheat on him.
Some things could just not be
forgiven.
“Ne…if you are done moping
around now,” Keiko drawled as she lit up another cigarette, “are you ready to
do me a favor, Yuzuki?”
The maid stared as the dull
flicker of the yellow flame burned the end of the stick before frowning
lightly. “We do not allow smoking in the…”
“Oh, for crying out loud, we
are outside. I can’t even smoke out here?” She took another long drag and
deliberately blew it in Yuzuki’s direction with a light smirk gracing her
beautiful features. She leaned against the balustrade on the front patio, idly
listening to Hikari playing the piano for her parents’ listening pleasure in
the cozy living room beneath them. Arching her neck gently, she stared at the
tiny specks of stars that lay high above her. It was a breathtaking night all
things considered.
“Tell me something, Yuzuki,”
she began casually, without taking her eyes from the view. “Just how long have
you been working here?”
The maid’s frown eased into a
neutral expression, one that she had been trained to maintain in the midst of
guests. She gave a light bow before replying quietly. “I have been here all my
life, Miss. Asawa.”
“All your life, eh? So, you
must know a lot about this place, right?”
“That is correct.”
Keiko’s smirk widened into a
grin. “Tell me…is that bitch, Relena still going to marry Heero?”
Yuzuki gave an inward sigh,
before replying. “Yes, she is.”
“Damn. Poor kid.” She giggled
at her own joke, before standing upright to pin intense dark eyes on the woman
before her. “Yuzuki,” she began firmly. “I demand to know just why a tutor was
hired for Heero. And why was Duo Maxwell the one chosen?”
The maid stared for a long
moment at the girl before giving another light bow. “I have to go now, Miss.
Asawa. I cannot neglect my duties…”
“You slut!” Keiko placed a
hand on the older woman’s hand forcing her to stay. And with eyes that had now
darkened with fury, she bit out harshly. “You had better start talking, Yuzuki
or I will tell just how much of an ordinary maid you really are.”
“Are you threatening me,
Miss. Asawa?”
“You bet I am, Yuzuki-san,”
came the clipped retort as the two women remained locked in their silent duel.
Finally, the older female lowered her lashes, a small smile that didn’t quite
reach her eyes coming to her visage.
“Do you really think that you
can get in the way of my Heero’s happiness?”
Keiko blinked at the cold
words. A flash of uncertainty came into her eyes as she found herself staring
into malicious green ones. “What the hell are you…?”
“Stay away from Heero and his
happiness, Miss. Asawa,” Yuzuki warned softly, as she withdrew her imprisoned arm
to step back. And giving the bewildered girl another light bow, she spun on her
heels and made her way back into the house.
She would have to find a way
to get rid of this unwanted obstacle that had crossed her path…again.
The silence in the bedroom
was so thick that one could cut a knife right through it. They were no longer
in each other’s arms, even though they remained on the bed together.
Heero had his knees raised,
unmindful of his naked form as he wrapped his arms tightly around them. He
buried his face within his knees and moaned softly. The low pitiful sound had
Duo lifting a hand as if to brush the boy’s hair, before dropping it back down
to his side. His lashes were lowered in abject misery, his mouth suddenly dry
as he waited for Heero to say something; anything to ease this silence that was
slowly driving him insane.
The clock chimed again for
the new hour and Duo idly entertained the thought of wishing that he could turn
back time. He fisted the bed sheet tightly, stealing another glance at the boy
beside him, wanting to touch him so much, but now afraid to do so.
I am so sorry, Heero. We can’t…we just can’t…
“What happened to him?” came
the muffled question from the young heir. “What happened to Griffith in the
end?”
“He…” The teacher licked his
lips and took a deep breath. “He was arrested and locked away for some time …”
“And let me guess…during that
time, you stayed with…him,
right? You stayed with David, didn’t you?”
“Heero…”
“Did you love him, Duo?”
/Do you love me?/
/Of course I do!/
/Then why do you hurt me?
Why do you always leave me?/
/I am a teacher…I just
can’t…not meant to be…/
“DUO! ANSWER ME!” Heero cried
out desperately, his head now raised from his knees. Cobalt blue depths that
reminded Duo of a man so long ago flashed with a pain and anguish that brought
the memories of that fateful night back to his mind all over again.
/You said you would take
care of me! /
/You have to, Duo. I
can’t…if we are caught…/
/I don’t care! I would
rather die than to go back there! He’ll kill me! I just know it!/
/Duo…/
/You promised!! I love
you!! Why won’t you let me love you!!/
/Because there are some
things that are not meant to be, Duo! Now grow up and snap out of it!/
“Duo…Duo…Duo! Please talk to
me! Duo!!” Heero begged as he
noticed the glazed look that had come to the teacher’s eyes. It filled him with
fear and yet that haunted look could only mean that the older man had been hurt
and very badly too.
Don’t hurt me too, Duo.
Please…don’t let me go…
/The blood…it had been
everywhere. It stained the walls. It had
been a pretty pattern…almost./
Heero flung his arms around
the teacher’s neck, the tears falling again as he buried his face against it.
Why? Why couldn’t he make Duo see?
“I love you, Duo,” he
whispered hoarsely, not caring anymore if the teacher responded to him or not.
“I know you can hear me and I know that you are hurting right now. But…let me
in, Duo. Let me do my best to teach you as well. Will you…will you let me,
Duo?”
He held his breath and
waited. Waited for his voice and his words to go through. And after what seemed
like an eternity, he felt the strong arms encircle his waist again, and Heero
Yuy came to a firm resolution in his mind.
He was not going to give Duo
up to anyone without a fight.