Months after that... spectacular first meeting, Duo and Heero were camping out in a motel building, coming down from a seek-and-destroy mission. Heero had quite thoroughly broken his shoulder, and all the while Duo was patching him up he ranted at the Japanese boy for his carelessness and stupidity. Of course, a lot of the anger Duo was working out was really directed towards himself; he'd been so wrapped up in smugly congratulating himself on what a fine team he and Heero made, that the explosion that tore the catwalk out from under their feet had taken him completely by surprise. But Heero provided a silent and uncomplaining target for Duo's recriminations, which of course only made him feel more irritable.
"Will you stop fidgeting!" Duo finally snapped, as Wing's pilot twisted around to inspect the bandage on his shoulder for the seventh time. "It's fine! It works! I know how to set a damn splint, all right? You don't have to quadruple-check everything I do!"
Heero dropped his hand from his shoulder and turned to stare at the wall. Duo felt his anger leak away, to be quickly replaced by guilt. "I'm sorry, Heero," he admitted in a smaller voice. "I didn't mean to... I..."
The Japanese boy didn't answer -- as usual -- but he turned his bright blue eyes back on Duo, a faint question in their depths. Duo felt warmed by his gaze, and he felt compelled to expand on his feeble apology. "Didn't mean to... take it all out on you. I was just a little tense from the mission. I mean, I know I screwed up..."
"The mission was a success," Heero stated flatly.
"Yeah, right!" Duo pushed himself off the creaky bed and began to pace the length of the room. Heero's gaze followed him. "It's great that 'the mission was a success' and all, Yuy, but it was harder than it should have been and nastier than it needed to be and I screwed up and now you're hurt -- and if anybody should be yelling, then it should be you tearing into me, not the other way around!"
A long moment of silence stretched between the two, and Duo flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. He felt Heero's unwavering gaze on him, but had no way of reading the other boy's hypothetical emotions, until at long last Heero stirred. Duo looked up as Wing's pilot stood from his chair and crossed to sit on the bed, facing Duo. For a long moment neither of them stirred, until finally Heero broke the silence.
Re: Break
Date: 2006-02-21 10:18 am (UTC)Months after that... spectacular first meeting, Duo and Heero were camping out in a motel building, coming down from a seek-and-destroy mission. Heero had quite thoroughly broken his shoulder, and all the while Duo was patching him up he ranted at the Japanese boy for his carelessness and stupidity. Of course, a lot of the anger Duo was working out was really directed towards himself; he'd been so wrapped up in smugly congratulating himself on what a fine team he and Heero made, that the explosion that tore the catwalk out from under their feet had taken him completely by surprise. But Heero provided a silent and uncomplaining target for Duo's recriminations, which of course only made him feel more irritable.
"Will you stop fidgeting!" Duo finally snapped, as Wing's pilot twisted around to inspect the bandage on his shoulder for the seventh time. "It's fine! It works! I know how to set a damn splint, all right? You don't have to quadruple-check everything I do!"
Heero dropped his hand from his shoulder and turned to stare at the wall. Duo felt his anger leak away, to be quickly replaced by guilt. "I'm sorry, Heero," he admitted in a smaller voice. "I didn't mean to... I..."
The Japanese boy didn't answer -- as usual -- but he turned his bright blue eyes back on Duo, a faint question in their depths. Duo felt warmed by his gaze, and he felt compelled to expand on his feeble apology. "Didn't mean to... take it all out on you. I was just a little tense from the mission. I mean, I know I screwed up..."
"The mission was a success," Heero stated flatly.
"Yeah, right!" Duo pushed himself off the creaky bed and began to pace the length of the room. Heero's gaze followed him. "It's great that 'the mission was a success' and all, Yuy, but it was harder than it should have been and nastier than it needed to be and I screwed up and now you're hurt -- and if anybody should be yelling, then it should be you tearing into me, not the other way around!"
A long moment of silence stretched between the two, and Duo flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. He felt Heero's unwavering gaze on him, but had no way of reading the other boy's hypothetical emotions, until at long last Heero stirred. Duo looked up as Wing's pilot stood from his chair and crossed to sit on the bed, facing Duo. For a long moment neither of them stirred, until finally Heero broke the silence.
"...It didn't hurt."