He kicked out at the animal with all the force he could muster, sending himself sliding across the floor towards his gun and propelling the animal away from him. The panther abruptly snapped into wakefulness, and even as Heero's hands snatched up the gun and aimed, the beast's muscles coiled to spring. Heero aimed for the chest region, knowing that the animal would move too fast for a head shot, not knowing if he would get the chance to fire for a second time. The creature's head whipped around, and its eyes focused on Heero; the sight ripped through Heero like a jolt of electricity, even as the weapon jerked against his hand and the gunshot exploded through the tiny cabin. But the cat had been leaping away from him, not towards him, and the shot went wild. Heero saw a burst of red appear on the panther's flank, blasting it out of the graceful leap to the floor. A chillingly human scream rang through the air, raising the hairs on Heero's neck as his trembling hands struggled to take aim once more. Then -- suddenly, the cat was gone. Just like that, there was no panther. Instead, Duo collapsed onto the floor, clutching at the bullet wound on his leg. "Shit, Yuy!" he swore, teeth clenched against the pain. "What the fuck did you shoot me for?" Heero froze, staring. The image before his eyes refused to be processed. It was Duo. He had shot Duo. There was no panther. Was the giant cat no more than a fragment of hallucination -- had Heero just made a horrible mistake? Duo hunched over his leg, blinking hard against the pain watering his eyes. Strands of unbelievably long hair slipped over his shoulder to pool on the floor, and in the end, that was what decided Heero that everything was not just a delusion. He had never, in all the time he had known Duo, seen him with his hair down. He had thought about it, in the rare moments when his thoughts ran unguarded, but his imagination came nowhere near to the reality. The cat had been real; the cat was Duo. It was the eyes that had told him -- for a moment he had seen the panther's eyes, and they were the same impossible blue-violet as his human partner. Once more in control, Heero forced himself to stand, his back to the fire. His hands held the gun steady, trained on Duo. "What are you?" Duo crouched lower, wanting nothing more than to sink through the floorboards. He'd lived in fear of this moment for months, and now that it had come it was worse than he'd ever dreamed. "I didn't want you to find out like this," he said miserably. Heero's eyes narrowed. "That is not an answer. I repeat. What are you?"
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)The panther abruptly snapped into wakefulness, and even as Heero's hands snatched up the gun and aimed, the beast's muscles coiled to spring. Heero aimed for the chest region, knowing that the animal would move too fast for a head shot, not knowing if he would get the chance to fire for a second time. The creature's head whipped around, and its eyes focused on Heero; the sight ripped through Heero like a jolt of electricity, even as the weapon jerked against his hand and the gunshot exploded through the tiny cabin.
But the cat had been leaping away from him, not towards him, and the shot went wild. Heero saw a burst of red appear on the panther's flank, blasting it out of the graceful leap to the floor. A chillingly human scream rang through the air, raising the hairs on Heero's neck as his trembling hands struggled to take aim once more.
Then -- suddenly, the cat was gone. Just like that, there was no panther. Instead, Duo collapsed onto the floor, clutching at the bullet wound on his leg. "Shit, Yuy!" he swore, teeth clenched against the pain. "What the fuck did you shoot me for?"
Heero froze, staring. The image before his eyes refused to be processed. It was Duo. He had shot Duo. There was no panther. Was the giant cat no more than a fragment of hallucination -- had Heero just made a horrible mistake?
Duo hunched over his leg, blinking hard against the pain watering his eyes. Strands of unbelievably long hair slipped over his shoulder to pool on the floor, and in the end, that was what decided Heero that everything was not just a delusion. He had never, in all the time he had known Duo, seen him with his hair down. He had thought about it, in the rare moments when his thoughts ran unguarded, but his imagination came nowhere near to the reality. The cat had been real; the cat was Duo. It was the eyes that had told him -- for a moment he had seen the panther's eyes, and they were the same impossible blue-violet as his human partner.
Once more in control, Heero forced himself to stand, his back to the fire. His hands held the gun steady, trained on Duo. "What are you?"
Duo crouched lower, wanting nothing more than to sink through the floorboards. He'd lived in fear of this moment for months, and now that it had come it was worse than he'd ever dreamed. "I didn't want you to find out like this," he said miserably.
Heero's eyes narrowed. "That is not an answer. I repeat. What are you?"