I’ve tried so hard to tell myself that you are gone

And though you’re still with me

I’ve been alone all along

-          Evanescence (My Immortal)

 

 

Warning: Lemon, Violence, Death of MCs

Rating: NC-17

 

Nineteen:

 

Hot sweat rolled off young bodies that strained with each movement against the other. Low pants, encouraging moans, a whimper here and there filled the air that was thick with the smell of lust and sex. The curtains were still drawn and the darkness that shielded their sinful act created a much-needed haven for them.

 

The younger boy’s hair was unraveled and lay in damp, slick lumps against the creamy white of his skin. Although it was now flushed with the culmination of ardent kisses and warmth, one could see the strain of strong muscles clench and unclench as he continued his rhythmic up and down motions on the man beneath him. He threw back his head and cried out in pleasure, as the thick flesh within him seemed to swell to the bursting point. His own organ was trapped in talented hands – hands that stroked and pumped him at a frantic pace. He could feel himself get hot; incredibly hot and he knew he was bound to explode at any minute.

 

Moist, swollen lips were licked hungrily. Whispered words of love – albeit dirty - escaped them both as eyes squeezed shut, knowing the inevitable was about to happen. The older man’s hand released the cum-slicked flesh he had been stroking to hold on tightly to the slender hips of the boy above him. With a fevered grunt, he thrust upwards harder than before. He could feel every inch of the boy’s inner muscles trap and caress his swollen flesh.

 

Oh god! Never had their lovemaking been this intense before. It was as if the boy was trying to milk him for all he was worth. With a low cry, he sank his teeth into the pale flesh of the younger one, feeling the huge rush of heat envelope him as he soon came hard and fast.

 

Oh, Duo…

 

It was thick. It was intense and he couldn’t get enough of it. The boy held back his own orgasm until he was sure his lover had reached his. He felt the warm seed baptize him yet again and knowing that holding back was no longer necessary, he clenched his inner walls tightly before screaming in pleasure as his thick fluids escaped the jutting organ between their torsos.

 

Panting and gasping for air, the boy fell forward with a low moan, muscles that had been clenched earlier, now relaxing slowly as he tried hard not to pass out from the intensity of his orgasm. He could still feel the flesh stir within him and he groaned weakly. He ground his hips seductively, smiling softly as he listened to the weak moan of protest from the teacher.

 

No more tonight it seemed. He would have to make do with this for now.

 

The boy felt the hand on his chin and he willingly allowed himself to be kissed. He could still taste himself within the teacher’s mouth as he had been sucked off earlier in the evening. He let his tongue tease the other’s, knowing that he would have to stop soon or he would never want to get off the older man’s lap.

 

“Just one more time,” he begged weakly against his lover’s delicious mouth. “Please…”

 

“Duo…we’ve been at it for almost two hours now,” the man replied softly. “Don’t you want to take a break? You should be sore by now.”

 

The boy pulled back gently to stare into the flushed and sweaty visage of the older man. And after a good long minute of staring into David’s concerned blue depths, Duo rolled his eyes and got off quickly. He winced at the loss of the thick flesh and almost stumbled to the floor as a sharp pain wracked his body. He hated to admit that David was right. His body did feel like it was going to crumple in minutes.

 

“Are you okay…?”

 

“Fine,” came the curt reply as he stumbled his way into the bathroom and promptly locked himself in it.

 

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, noticing the dull bite marks on his shoulder and the imprints of David’s hands on his skin. He would have to wear something with long sleeves tomorrow as the bruises were bound to be visible by then. He felt something warm trickle down his thighs and he stared moronically at it. David’s seed. It looked so thick and white against his skin and not really thinking twice about it, he ran a finger across it and stuck it into his mouth. He closed his eyes and moaned thickly at the salty taste. He could feel his cock throb with the need to be touched…again and knowing full well that David wasn’t going to satisfy him tonight, Duo set out to give himself the ultimate pleasure.

 

 

 

David remained immobile on the bed, but he wasn’t deaf to the sounds of Duo’s moans from the bathroom. He could feel his own cock twitch in reaction and cursing softly, he struggled out of bed and staggered towards the living room and away from temptation. He was still sticky with Duo’s cum and the need to wash himself off was quite overwhelming. But rather than risk the chance of getting jumped on again by the insatiable teen, David decided to suffer through the thickening fluid for at least another five minutes.

 

Reaching for the remote control, he turned on the TV and sat down gingerly on the couch – after shoving some books that Duo had left there earlier to the floor. Surfing through shows that made little to no sense to him, David allowed his mind to wander towards the events of the past year. Duo had turned sixteen a week ago and needless to say their lovemaking that night had caused them to stay in bed for the entire day afterwards. David was beginning to find it a bit hard to keep up with the boy’s growing sexual appetite and things had only gotten worse after a certain period of time. He frowned lightly trying to remember the reason for the sudden change. Duo was beginning to act…clingy. The teen now wanted to know every single place that he wished to visit or who he was visiting. Duo wanted to spend every waking minute with him and never leave his sight. At first, David had thought it was endearing and rather…sweet, but when Duo was quick to lose his temper whenever David refused to tell him of his whereabouts, the teacher had decided that something was definitely wrong with the teen.

 

Duo was becoming too possessive.

 

The teacher still couldn’t understand the need for it. He had been faithful to Duo all this time and had never gone out of his way to seek for another’s attention. Rubbing a hand wearily across his face, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. He would have to talk to Duo about his behavior and try to find out if he could help in any way. He doubted the boy would talk, but anything was better than going through his ‘stage’.

 

He yawned and got to his feet, arms stretching out to relieve tense muscles. He was just about to make his way back into the bedroom, when the dull chime of the doorbell had him doing a double take. He glanced at the clock on his wall. It was ten in the evening. Who in the world would want to visit him at this time? Or perhaps it was just one of Duo’s friends again. Sighing softly, he reached for a blanket that had been lying on the floor. Wrapping it loosely around his waist, he made his way towards the front door and opened it up carefully.

 

He opened up his mouth with a ready smile on his lips. “How may I help…you…?”

 

Only to have the smile falter as the person standing on the other end grinned back maliciously at him.

 

“Allo, teach! Top of tha even’ ta ya, eh?” came the jovial greeting from Griffith as he suddenly whipped out the black object he had been hiding behind his back.

 

David’s eyes widened as he recognized what it was. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as he willed his instincts to kick in. He reached out to grab the other man’s hand in an attempt to knock the gun out of it, but he wasn’t quick enough. He vaguely heard the sharp report from the weapon and the dull flare of pain in his thigh. Was it the left or right one? He couldn’t tell. But as he felt himself falling to the ground, his last thought was of the boy who was still locked up in the bathroom.

 

Duo…shit….Duo…run!

 

 

 

It was no secret that the prison system in the South Mainlands was a joke. City council men and elected officials alike had done all they could in their years in office to avoid the issue of dealing with prisoner’s and their welfare properly. There was only one major police precinct and it comprised of two very large three-story buildings that was smack dab in the middle of the city. Petty thieves and murderers, who weren’t in line for the death penalty, were placed in Block B – the infamous building of death. There had been many an occasion where prisoners were found dead on their bunk beds and neither police nor wardens could do much about it. Perhaps they felt they ought to be grateful for the deaths as space was becoming limited and the need to get rid of most of them had become inevitable.

 

Block B was hell for anyone who was not strong at heart. First time murderers rarely had a chance of lasting a week in there.

 

However, for one man, Block B had slowly become a second home to him. It wasn’t his first time being there. He had been locked up during his eighteenth year for stabbing that asshole father of his, till the point of death. Needless to say, for young Griffith Sheedy, the experience in this block was one he had never forgotten.

 

And now, almost thirteen years later, he was back in the joint for killing another man. He was lucky they hadn’t caught his other transgressions after he had been released the first time. But then again…he had been saddled with a certain boy once he had gotten out of prison.

 

His stupid sister’s kid.

 

His stupid sister who had gone out with that stupid asshole, James or something Maxwell. His stupid sister who had hardly given him the time of day. His stupid sister who had left home (if you could call that a home) to go and marry that fella and live in a nice house. The stupid sister he had tried to contact numerous times to lend him a few bucks here and there. The stupid sister who always told him to get lost and would dump a few dollars on the doorstep and tell him never to show his face again.

 

Griffith grit his teeth as he stared blindly at the plain stone ceiling above him. He could vaguely hear the sound of his bunkmate snoring as loud as a fire engine below him. But that was all right because in a few hours, he would be breathing in the fresh clean (or polluted as the case may be) air of the city again. He had been planning this escape with the guys on the lower level of the block. Everyday during their ‘recess’ outside, they had planned their methods of leaving the dump.

 

There was a small but sturdy pipe that ran from the prison’s basement, through the sewer system and out into the river in the Eastern part of town. It was going to be a long crawl through the pipes, but it was going to be all worth it once he got out. Griffith was determined to find a few people and pay them very surprising visits.

 

 

 

Leftie stood in front of the rundown building with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his full lips. Not so long ago, he had once played with a vivacious young boy by the name of Duo Maxwell in front of this ruin and after all this time, the young man found himself still sighing wistfully. He had always wanted a little brother and Duo had fitted the bill just fine. He had always known what Griffith did to the boy on many nights and he had tried to get Duo to move in with him time and time again. It had been a dangerous prospect as the likelihood of Griffith finding out and catching him had been extremely high.

 

However, the real fun had come from listening to the boy read to him during his spare time. Duo would borrow books from the local library and they would usually sit in front of Leftie's apartment building losing themselves in the mystical or mysterious worlds they had to offer. The older teen had been a bit envious at the boy's natural ability to grasp the concept of reading so quickly. Leftie had dropped out of school at thirteen and had never bothered to go back. Not that Duo hadn't tried his best to get him to enroll in some lame business school or something. Who needed education in stuffy buildings when the streets had more than enough to offer you on any given day?

 

He tossed the cigarette stub to the ground and absently stomped on it, bright blue eyes scanning the darkened building again. He was here for a reason. Left to him, he wouldn't have made himself come back to this place again.

 

He pushed open the once fine wooden door that now lay dangling off its hinges. Stepping inside the large, but now vacant room, the musty smell of dust and emptiness filled his senses, making him cough a little. He whipped out the flashlight from the large bomber jacket he wore, turning it on and allowing the bright beam of light to scan the surroundings. Just as he had thought. The man had clearly returned.

 

Muddy footsteps that Leftie now associated with sewage led all the way towards a flight of stairs that went to the second floor. Dirty clothes that seemed to belong to a prison ward had been dumped in a heap beside the bottom step and kicking it aside quickly, Leftie began the wary walk up to meet Griffith.

 

 

 

The boy slumped onto the toilet seat, panting harshly as he stared at the mess he had created on the walls and on the floor. Staring at his sticky hands, he tried to refocus his dazed countenance.

 

“Clean…I have to clean this mess up,” he muttered to himself as he reached for the box of tissues beside him. “David…won’t…like it….”

 

He fell to his knees and began to wipe up the stains as quickly as he could. He would have to talk to David and apologize for his actions lately. He realized that he was being a bit unfair to the older man and he wished to make it up to him somehow.

 

I’ll get him that book he always wanted, he thought with a small smile on his lips. He was willing to bet that Shuman had gotten in the new supplies and Duo had diligently saved up enough money over the past year to afford it now.

 

Satisfied with how clean the white tiles looked, he tossed the soiled tissues into the trashcan, only to freeze as he heard the loud sound of a gun going off. He felt his mouth go dry. His eyes widened with confusion and growing terror as he tried to make sense of what was going on. That was a gunshot. He had lived long enough with Griffith in that dark neighborhood to recognize the familiar stench of hot lead and the blood that followed soon after. Duo felt his balls shrivel up in acute terror as another shot was fired. He was too numb to move. What was going on? Was David being attacked? This was a decent neighborhood. Who in their right mind would want to come out here to hurt them? Or was it the other way around? Was David the one shooting? But why? He knew the teacher had a .45 tucked away in a drawer in the bedroom, but why…?

 

A loud thud outside the bathroom door had Duo giving a breathless shriek of fear. He remained crouched against a corner of the room, as if hoping the floor would open up and suck him in. His body was trembling so badly that he was sure he would die of seizure at any moment.

 

“Duo…”

 

David!!

 

“Duo…run…”

 

The teacher’s voice sounded thick, as if his mouth was filled with blood and as if to confirm his theory, the boy watched in horror as a thin trail of the dark liquid seeped into the room from beneath the door. Duo could barely hear what the teacher said next as heavy footsteps…footsteps that had haunted his dreams for many nights filled his ear.

 

No…no…it’s not possible! He’s in prison! He’s still in prison! He has to be! I’ll wake up and this will all be a dream!!

 

“Come out, come out, wherever ye are, kid! Daddy Griffith’s come ta get ya!”

 

Noooooo!!!

 

Duo’s mind was beginning to shut down. He sank shaking fingers into the thick mass of his hair, eyes glazing over with memories of nights being in that man’s arms. The fingers tightened within the thick tresses. If he tugged any harder, he would have ripped a good chunk out.

 

A loud scream of surprise and pain ripped from Griffith’s throat and Duo was sure that David had done something to him.

 

He’s still alive! Please God…let him still be alive!

 

He could hear Griffith’s muffled curse and the sound of solid boots making contact with flesh. It continued relentlessly, as David’s groans of pain lessened and lessened until nothing was heard. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, Duo heard the click of the gun’s trigger.

 

/Do you love me, David?/

 

/Of course I do, Duo…always…/

 

/You’ll never leave me, right?/

 

/Why would I want to do that? You, Duo Maxwell, are the only one I could possibly want. And nothing is ever going to change that./

 

/That smile. That warm smile filled with love for him. Those blue eyes that held so much knowledge in them…fading…they were fading away…/

 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargghhh!!!” He got to his feet and ran towards the door, not caring that he was still as naked as the day he was born. He opened the door quickly, wild amethyst depths taking in the horrifying scene before him.

 

Blood. There was blood everywhere. It was too much. It wasn’t supposed to be this much.

 

On the walls. On the floor. Even on the bed.

 

Oh god…David…

 

 

 

It had been that easy. Luring Leftie back to the old house and getting the stupid fag to open up had been as simple as stealing candy from a baby. Well, he had had to tie up the whining queer to stop him from screaming. The boy's ass had been tighter than normal and ramming his poor neglected cock into it had been a mixture of pain and pleasure for Griffith. Like a man knowing he was about to die soon, Leftie told him everything - from David's daily activities to where he lived to where the fucking fag liked to eat. Leftie had even been kind enough to tell him where to get weapons. All he had had to do was walk towards the small shop in Blind Man's alley to find the guy with the goods. Piece of cake.

 

Ah, it was good to be the man in charge again.

 

But as Duo stepped out from the room, all thoughts of the queer he had raped vanished from his mind as he eyed the naked boy with a leery grin on his features. Who would have thought that the little shrimp would have grown up to look this good, eh? He licked his lips and kicked aside the limp body of the man he had been kicking for fun. He walked up to the still figure of the boy, who hadn’t even spared him a glance yet. The boy smelled like sex. Hot, steamy sex, and Griffith could feel his cock twitch in his pants as he eyed the perfect ass exposed to his gaze.

 

“Been letting that cocksucker ram ya ass eh, Duo?” the man breathed against his neck as Griffith's hands reached to knead firm ass cheeks gently. “I go away for a few years and ya go and find yaself a new man, eh? Now, is that fair, I ask ya?”

 

Duo’s breathing was becoming ragged. He was getting excited and it wasn’t from the foul stench of Griffith’s breath against his skin. He barely felt the hands on his ass or the hand that was now beginning to cup his balls. Griffith was beginning to rub himself against his buttocks and Duo could feel the rough cloth of his jeans against his skin. His hands trembled. His body trembled. If Griffith could see the look in the boy’s eyes now, he would have thought twice about continuing his actions. But the lustful man was too far-gone in his self-gratification to notice the cold and deadly look that had come to the boy’s eyes. They sparkled with excitement.

 

This time…this time he wasn’t going to fail. This time he was going to exact his revenge on this sonofabitch.

 

David groaned thickly as he tried to struggle to his feet. He was bleeding it seemed, from every pore in his body. His eyes were so puffy from the beating he had received that he could barely see the couple standing a few feet away. His ribs were broken, his legs numb with pain as Griffith had shot them both. He wanted to scream and to cry out at the unfairness of it all. He had finally found someone to make him happy and a darkness from his past had come back to destroy it for him.

 

He had to tell Duo one last time just how much he meant to him and beg for forgiveness.

 

I couldn’t…couldn’t protect you, Duo. I am so sorry…

 

He tried to move again and gave a soundless scream of anguish as the pain ripped through his body, causing him to cough up another thick wad of blood.

 

Duo…please…do something. Don’t let him take you back.

 

“Still alive, are ya?” Griffith mumbled thickly as he pulled away from Duo to stare at the bloody mass of a human on the floor. He smirked and spat into David’s face before cocking the gun again and pointing it towards the teacher’s head. “I think ya had enough fun with him, teach. It’s time ta say goodbye…what the…?”

 

Duo had moved quickly, so quickly that Griffith had been stunned at the movement. On complete instinct, the man turned his attention away from the teacher and fired a shot at the boy who had scrambled over the bed to reach for the dresser. Duo felt the pain sear through his upper arm as he fell to the floor. Luckily it was just a graze, but it was deep enough to have him bleeding badly.

 

“Whatcha think ya doing, kid?!” Griffith asked in bemusement and growing irritation as his prized piece of ass had run away from him. “Ya let him fuck ya and ya don’t want me ta? Come over here and be a good boy for me, will ya?”

 

Duo’s good arm and hand had slowly pulled out the drawer that held the gun. Praying that David had taken the time to load it, he slipped his hand into it and brought out the heavy weapon. He swallowed tightly as he noticed Griffith was making his way around the bed to where he was. He was bound to see the gun in his hand soon. And closing his eyes, praying that whatever Gods were up there would help him, Duo checked.

 

Yes! It was loaded!

 

“So, what’s ya story, kid? Why don’t ya come suck ma cock like ya want ta, eh? I promise ta make it good for ya…”

 

The words faltered as he watched Duo rise unsteadily to his feet. The boy was now holding the .45 in his hands and was pointing it straight at him. Duo was bleeding profusely from his left arm, but he didn’t seem to mind or care.

 

“You wanna suck something, Griffith?” came the cold question from the teen as that deadly look filled his eyes again. “Suck on this, you fuck!”

 

Duo had fired a gun before, but it had been for fun. He never thought he would ever use it to take someone else’s life. And as he watched the bullet make its way into the area between Griffith’s eyes, a dull feeling of satisfaction filled him, making it all worthwhile. It was rather comical to watch the older man’s expression of surprise turn to a grimace of pain as the bullet reached its target.

 

He shot me. The little fuck actually did do it, came the last wild thought from him. Looks like your boy did finish up what you always wanted sis…damn he’s good…

 

And as a thick torrent of blood gushed from the gaping hole that was left behind, baptizing the already soiled sheets and Duo’s body, Griffith fell back on the bed with a heavy thud. The gun in the dead man’s hand fell to the floor with a clatter, as it now hung limply over the edge of the bed.

 

It had only taken a minute for everything to happen, but to the young boy, a lifetime had gone by. The gun was still held out before him as if waiting for the body to spring back to life. But as he watched the dark stain of Griffith’s blood cover the once light blue sheets, the fight and adrenaline he had felt slowly seeped out of Duo. He slid slowly to the floor, the gun falling out of his hands as the tears, which had been held all this time, suddenly spilled forth with deep, gut-wrenching sobs. He raised his knees and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face to cry his pain and suffering to anyone who was willing to listen.

 

For how long he remained there, he had no idea and he probably would have remained in that position had the soft call of ‘Duo’ not roused him from his dazed stupor. For a moment, he wasn’t sure of whether it was a trick of his senses. Had Griffith woken up to haunt him again?

 

“Duo…you nut…over here…” came the weak gasp that had the boy’s eyes filling with tears again. Crawling on his hands and knees, unmindful of the blood he was moving through, Duo stared at what was left of the man he had made love to less than an hour ago. The tears wouldn’t stop as the boy sat on the floor, gently placing his hands against the older man’s face to cradle it upon his lap. His fingers caressed the puffy skin – the eyes he had fallen in love with no longer visible as they were now completely shut. That straight nose that Duo had thought too perfect was crooked, clearly broken. Those lips that had kissed him, read to him, promised to love him forever, were now cracked and bleeding.

 

“Duo…” the dying man tried to say but Duo interrupted him frantically.

 

“I killed him, David. See? I killed him! He won’t be bothering us anymore, I promise!” The tears fell harder, the salty liquid falling upon the bloody face below as Duo tried to make the older man see. “Look! See? Look over there, David! Griffith’s dead! I killed him with your gun and he won’t be bothering us anymore!”

 

The teacher coughed again, his crushed lungs protesting the effort as he tried desperately to get his words across. “Don’t…don’t Duo…”

 

“I’ll get you a doctor or something! Don’t say anything, okay?” He made a move to get up, but David’s hand on his arm stalled his movements. The teacher shook his head slowly, motioning for the boy to move closer. It felt corny…even a clichéd moment as he knew he had to talk to the troubled boy again. He knew he was going to die. Maybe he had known all along that he would never get the chance to watch Duo grow up to become a man. It was fitting this way. He had the feeling that he would have no more regrets for a long time wherever he was going to. He figured it would be hell, but then again…one could always hope for redemption. He hoped that at least they would give him a chance to watch over the boy until he was old enough. It was the least they could do for making him die this way.

 

“Duo…” he whispered again. “Come…come to me…”

 

And doing so reluctantly, knowing full well that this might be the last time he ever got to hear David speak to him again, Duo closed his eyes and listened.

 

 

 

Neighbors had called the police. The police inspector’s report had been a bit vague. They had thought there were three dead bodies in the room, but then realized that the boy lying on the other man was still alive. He hadn’t responded much to anything and had been taken to the hospital for treatment. Duo had later been charged with murder for the killing of a man, but had been let off the hook months later after they realized it had been done in self-defense.

 

Duo had chosen not to attend the funeral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The older man’s voice had thickened during the course of his tale and neither teen could blame him for becoming emotional again. Quatre and Trowa had long sat down on the plush carpeting on Heero’s floor, holding each other’s hand as tightly as they could as they had listened to the gut-wrenching story. It had happened five years ago but it still didn’t lessen the pain the memories brought.

 

Duo continued to stare blindly out of the window, his words now tinged with weariness. “Griffith had apparently escaped from prison the night before. He had gone around asking for my whereabouts in the hopes that he could take me out of the city or even out of the fucking country.” The man shrugged and tugged restlessly on the tip of his braid. “If I had been watching out for him…” He took a deep breath, not wanting to lapse back into the self-pity phase he had experienced for almost a year after the incident. He turned his head a little to smile at his quiet audience.

 

“But even though I didn’t kill David directly, I still did…somehow. I was too blinded by my jealousy and selfishness to really appreciate him those last few months. So, I guess…I killed two people that night. One physically, the other mentally and emotionally…”

 

“You can’t say that, Duo,” Quatre cut in quickly, almost desperately. “You can’t say that. David loved you very much and wanted you to be happy. How were you to know that Griffith would come that night? You couldn’t control what happened and…and…”

 

“You can’t continue to beat yourself up over it,” Trowa finished quietly. “What did David tell you before he died? You don’t have to tell us you know,” he added quickly with a small nod.

 

But Duo shrugged again and smiled softly. “He told me to run.”

 

At their blank looks of confusion, he gave a wider smile and turned back to gaze out the window.

 

“’Run far. Run wild. Run like the wind that flies through your hair. Be free. Be born anew again. I am the darkness and you are my light. So shine and let them all see the beauty within you…’”

 

He blushed in embarrassment as he heard Quatre’s soft intake of breath. “Uum…David could be pretty corny at times. I’m sorry…”

 

Quatre got to his feet and wrapped his arms tightly around the older man’s torso, causing everyone in the room to blink at his actions in surprise. The boy on the bed clenched his hands into fists, but he couldn’t give himself away just yet. Trowa on the other hand wasn’t sure if he ought to feel angry or relieved at his lover’s display. Duo was too stunned to react much as he felt the blond’s warm breath against his back.

 

“That was beautiful, Duo,” he said quietly. The teacher felt something wet against his shirt and he realized that the boy was crying. “What you and David had…was beautiful and I am so sorry you had to go through all of that.”

 

“You…you had nothing to do with it,” Duo replied in honest bemusement. “So why do you need to apologize…?”

 

Trowa rose to his feet as well to stand beside the teacher. “Because we were so quick to judge and not give you a chance to tell your story.”

 

“But we are glad we heard it all,” Quatre finished with a warm smile as he pulled back gently to wipe the tears from his eyes. “We are just going to have to recount the story as best we can to Heero once he wakes up…”

 

“There’s no need for that. I heard everything,” came the words from an all too familiar deep voice. Quatre gave a small squeak of surprise as everyone turned around quickly to gape at the boy that had spoken.

 

No one could say anything for a heartbeat as they tried to digest this new development. However, Trowa was quick to recover as he walked closer to the Japanese boy. “Everything?” he asked warily. “From what part exactly?”

 

Heero, refusing to look at Duo, pinned a withering look at his friend’s cautious expression. “From the beginning of the story, where else?”

 

“Oh…ah…okay, that’s good,” the Barton heir replied with a smile. “That saves us the trouble.”

 

Heero didn’t look as if he was buying Trowa’s explanation, but he decided not to worry too much about it. He glanced at Quatre, and as if being caught stealing from the cookie jar, the blond released his hold on the teacher’s waist with a sheepish grin.

 

An awkward silence fell before the Arabian coughed lightly and turned to his companion with an overly bright smile. “Well…eh…we should get going now, shouldn’t we, Trowa? We did promise to help Aunt Hikari with the decorations in the lobby.”

 

It was pathetic excuse, but better than nothing and eyeing Duo with a knowing look in his eyes, Trowa placed a hand on his lover’s arm and all but pulled him out of the room.

 

With the door closing quietly behind them, Duo and Heero were finally left alone.

 

The boy turned his face away to stare at the shadows the trees outside were beginning to create on his wall. His clenched fists tightened even more as he struggled not to give in to the tears that wanted to fall so badly. The story was terrible yes, but what was so much worse, was the love that had filled the older man’s voice as he had talked about the dead teacher. No matter how hard Duo tried to hide or deny it, it was clear that David was still in his mind till this day.

 

Heero was competing with a ghost for Duo’s affection.

 

He closed his eyes and swallowed tightly, trying hard to get his feelings under control. He took deep calming breaths and somehow managed to hold them back. Turning his head again, he felt his skin flush with color as his gaze clashed with warm but yet sad violet depths. He could feel the ache tug his heart painfully and Heero suddenly felt like screaming…

 

Which he did.

 

“Fuck you!” he bellowed with anger, frustration and misery. “Fuck you both! Why don’t you just go back and stay with him wherever the hell he is, since you love him so damn much!”

 

“Heero, I…”

 

“Don’t say a fucking thing, Duo! I’ve heard enough!” To his dismay the tears did end up falling and he swiped at them angrily. “I thought…I thought all this time that you might have felt something for me, but…but you were just using me, weren’t you?!”

 

Duo looked stricken. “Don’t say that, Heero! That’s not true!”

 

He tried to reach for Heero, but the boy scrambled away from him, clutching the blankets to himself as if hoping to ward off a rapist. “Don’t touch me! Don’t you dare touch me! Don’t ever touch me again, god damn it!”

 

“Please don’t…”

 

“I am warning you, Duo,” the boy reiterated feverishly, dark eyes flashing with obvious pain. “If you come closer, I’ll make sure I scream for help and then…and then…”

 

The teacher rose to his feet with a light shake of his head. “Don’t worry about it, Heero. I won’t touch you…if that is what you want.”

 

The boy’s mind and heart screamed. Touch me! Touch me and never let me go!

 

But his mouth said otherwise. “It’s what I want. So please…just go…” He lowered his lashes and raised his knees to his chest, hiding his face from the older man’s gaze as he waited for him to leave.

 

Duo hesitated a minute longer. The overwhelming need to envelope Heero within his arms had him trembling and he had to steady himself against the door. Taking a deep breath, he tried one last time to get the teen on his side.

 

“I never meant to hurt you, Heero, you know that,” he said quietly. “You mean a lot to me…more than a lot to me. I just hope…”

 

“Could you get Yuzuki for me?” came the curt interruption. “I would like to talk to her please.”

 

Duo sucked in a harsh breath, his fingers tightening around the doorknob. All he had to do was tell Heero the truth about the woman and that was that, but then again he couldn’t bear to see that look of pain on the heir’s face. It was bad enough that he hated Duo now, what good would it do to tell him about his missing female companion and confidant?

 

However, Duo found himself pinning a warm smile on his face, and replying amiably enough. “I’ll get her for you, Heero. Don’t worry.”

 

He stepped out of the room, not failing to notice the quick but puzzled look the heir had given in response. Closing the door behind him carefully, Duo smiled softly at the two boys that still stood in the hallway.

 

“How did the flower arranging go with Hikari?” Duo asked teasingly.

 

Both had the grace to blush at being caught red-handed.

 

“So you two heard everything, right?”

 

They nodded.

 

“Good,” the teacher said with a wider smile as he began to make his way down the hallway. “Grab your jacket, boys. We are going hunting.”

 

The teens blinked in confusion even though they had begun to follow the older man like lost puppies.

 

“What do you mean, Duo?” Trowa asked, idly wondering why he was beginning to feel excited about going anywhere at all with the teacher.

 

And with a playful wink, the older man replied willing enough. “We are going to find Yuzuki and bring her back to Heero tonight.”