Goodbye LJ...
Feb. 20th, 2006 06:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
windandwaterThis is just to make it official for those who don't know, but I'm leaving LJ completely. For the rest of this week at least. Tomorrow is the Bar Exam and it runs for three days, so don't expect to see me about at all until Thursday night. Or even until the weekend since I plan on spending Thursday after the Bar drunk and crying. No online time for me at all. *whines* It will be hard, but I know I can do it.
So, because I'm a total h0r like that, I am declaring this to be a spam post. Go ahead. Run wild! Give me fics, give me links, give me pics, just babble to your heart's content and rape my inbox so I have something to see when I finally DO come back to the wonderful world of LJ. I don't even care if you write me a drabble and post it one word at a time. XD;
Though, I've tried to make a spam post before and it failed a bit miserably, so I don't have very high expectations this time around. Feel free to prove me wrong though!
♥
So, because I'm a total h0r like that, I am declaring this to be a spam post. Go ahead. Run wild! Give me fics, give me links, give me pics, just babble to your heart's content and rape my inbox so I have something to see when I finally DO come back to the wonderful world of LJ. I don't even care if you write me a drabble and post it one word at a time. XD;
Though, I've tried to make a spam post before and it failed a bit miserably, so I don't have very high expectations this time around. Feel free to prove me wrong though!
♥
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:54 am (UTC)Pairings: 1x2
Category: blanket fic... Mikkeneko style
Disclaimer: ::checks the tag on the underwear:: Nope, I still don't own them...
Blood Type: A
The only advantage to snow (as far as Duo could see) was that Oz would thoroughly lose the Gundam pilots in the blizzard, and never find them. This was all very well, except Duo was beginning to think the same thing it happened to him.
"Why'd ya have to crash the truck?" Duo demanded of his unconscious partner. "We'd still be lost, but at least maybe we could be lost and warm, instead of staggering around like a pair of drunken idiots in the snow looking for a good place to fall down and freeze!"
He'd been talking to Heero for some time now, although he didn't expect a response. Not that Heero was particularly talkative under the best circumstances, but he'd been unconscious ever since their transport had skidded off the road on the ice to land in a mangled wreck in the ditch. Leaving Heero and Duo injured, stranded, and in the middle of a raging blizzard.
"It's your fault, you know," Duo said conversationally. "Mr. Self-Destruct -- even if the truck doesn't come with a self-detonation switch like your Gundam, you still find a way. Don't ask me why I'm bothering to cart your sorry ass through the snow, except that for whatever idiotic illogical reason, I actually give a shit whether you live or die..."
He rambled on about everything and nothing as he staggered against the cutting winds. Anything to distract him from the ceaseless whiteness that surrounded him in all directions, from the piercing, invading cold that crept through his too-thin garments to dig into his flesh. The snow gave way under his feet, letting him sink up past the tops of his boots, and then bogged him down when he tried to take another step. To add insult to injury, he had to carry Heero's dead weight through the drifts to God knew where -- Duo didn't. Heero was wearing even less clothing than Duo, dressed only in jeans and a t-shirt. Duo hoped that wherever Heero was, he was cold.
"Oi, Heero, man," Duo panted, staggering to a halt for a moment to catch his breath. "Any idea where we we are?" Silence. "I didn't think so. Me neither. I guess we just pick a direction and stick with it... that is, if I can stay in one direction in all this."
Heero did not stir. Duo winced as a bit more snow packed itself down one boot.
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:54 am (UTC)Heero could have been a plastic doll, for whatever heat or softness Duo could feel. "About the same conversational skills, too, for Christ's sake... I wonder if this track goes anywhere."
A few feet more. "I wonder if it's even a track at all."
Ice crusted at the end of his sleeves, scraping at the skin where his hands were clamped around Heero. "God, Heero, you'd better be okay. You took a pretty nasty knock to the head back there. And it's so... damn... cold..."
And lonely. And afraid.
"...I wish you were awake, just so you could ignore me..."
A little further.
The worst part was that Duo knew only too well that he could save himself. He could keep himself warm, bury himself under the snow, survive until the storm had passed. But he couldn't carry Heero that way. Heero needed shelter, and fast.
"I hope it's not..." too late. Their gray light was already failing towards night.
One more step.
The wind blew with sudden strength, and a deep drift of snow caught his feet and slammed him to his knees. His eyes watered with pain as ice crystals drove through his clothes into his skin. The sudden motion jolted his burden, and a weak groan emanated from Heero.
"Heero? Heero, buddy, are you awake?" Desperately, Duo struggled himself around so that he could see his partner, see his face and feel his hand. As cold as the snow, but his eyes were half open, and his mouth moved slightly. Tiny shivers ran through his body, a last-ditch reflex that wouldn't be enough to warm his flesh on its own. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Heero was only human.
Duo let out a long breath as a sigh. The wind whipped it away. "Damn it, Heero. I'd almost gave up hope." Almost decided that Heero wouldn't make it, almost abandoned his partner to save himself. God but hope hurt. All thoughts of saving himself were gone; he would struggle onwards until both of them died in the snow. "All right... I'll find a way, somehow..."
Somehow, he struggled to his feet, and forced himself onwards. Still with no idea of where he was going, he put one foot in front of another and made little bargains. Just a little more, and you can rest. Just over that crest. Now. Just past that
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)A dark shape intruded on his vision. Duo blinked at it, but it stayed stubbornly in place. Surely it couldn't be a mirage; those only happened in the desert, and that was one thing this winter landscape definitely was not. "Heero! Look! D'you see that?"
A weak moan from Heero was the only response, more felt than heard, but it was better than silence. And sure as hell better than listening to the wind. Duo had no mind to pay any attention to the cold empty promise of the wind, not with the visible symbol of hope so close.
Eagerly, he struggled through the snow towards it. It might be nothing, it might be a large bush... but as he got close to it he could see it was too big to be a bush. Too regular to be a tree. It might, just might be a building...
It was! Mecca couldn't have looked more beautiful to a pilgrim than the low, dark, one-story little outpost that, by the good graces of Fate, had decided to sit in Duo's path. He concentrated all of his remaining energy on closing that last distance, the two hundred feet -- one hundred fifty -- one hundred feet -- so damn close...
When Duo was ten meters from the door, it occurred to him that it might be locked. That was just the sort of thing that the world would do to him today. In a fit of pique, Duo resolved that if there was indeed a lock on the door, he would just bite the damn thing off.
It wasn't locked... it wasn't occupied, either. It took nearly a full minute of standing in the doorway -- nearly an entire, stupid, wasteful minute -- for his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside. The only furnishings were a sink in one corner, with ice bursting out of the pipes, a cold fireplace on one wall, and one broken wooden ex-bedframe.
"Yare-yare..." Duo muttered, staggering inside and pushing the door shut behind him. The drop in noise as the winds were shut out was almost deafening, and it took a sudden effort to speak. "All right, I can work with this. I'm a Gundam pilot, I'm adaptable..." He stumbled over to the wall with the fireplace, and gingerly forced his numb arms to set Heero down on the floor in front of it. "No blankets, no rugs... Shit! Nothing!"
As he touched the icy-cold hardwood floor, Heero's eyes fluttered open, but focused on nothing. Panic fluttered through Duo as he took in his partner's lack of response. He had to get Heero warm. He had to get him warm right now. "Think, baka,
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)A dark shape intruded on his vision. Duo blinked at it, but it stayed stubbornly in place. Surely it couldn't be a mirage; those only happened in the desert, and that was one thing this winter landscape definitely was not. "Heero! Look! D'you see that?"
A weak moan from Heero was the only response, more felt than heard, but it was better than silence. And sure as hell better than listening to the wind. Duo had no mind to pay any attention to the cold empty promise of the wind, not with the visible symbol of hope so close.
Eagerly, he struggled through the snow towards it. It might be nothing, it might be a large bush... but as he got close to it he could see it was too big to be a bush. Too regular to be a tree. It might, just might be a building...
It was! Mecca couldn't have looked more beautiful to a pilgrim than the low, dark, one-story little outpost that, by the good graces of Fate, had decided to sit in Duo's path. He concentrated all of his remaining energy on closing that last distance, the two hundred feet -- one hundred fifty -- one hundred feet -- so damn close...
When Duo was ten meters from the door, it occurred to him that it might be locked. That was just the sort of thing that the world would do to him today. In a fit of pique, Duo resolved that if there was indeed a lock on the door, he would just bite the damn thing off.
It wasn't locked... it wasn't occupied, either. It took nearly a full minute of standing in the doorway -- nearly an entire, stupid, wasteful minute -- for his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside. The only furnishings were a sink in one corner, with ice bursting out of the pipes, a cold fireplace on one wall, and one broken wooden ex-bedframe.
"Yare-yare..." Duo muttered, staggering inside and pushing the door shut behind him. The drop in noise as the winds were shut out was almost deafening, and it took a sudden effort to speak. "All right, I can work with this. I'm a Gundam pilot, I'm adaptable..." He stumbled over to the wall with the fireplace, and gingerly forced his numb arms to set Heero down on the floor in front of it. "No blankets, no rugs... Shit! Nothing!"
As he touched the icy-cold hardwood floor, Heero's eyes fluttered open, but focused on nothing. Panic fluttered through Duo as he took in his partner's lack of response. He had to get Heero warm. He had to get him warm right now. "Think, baka,
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)He did, in the end, although it involved cannibalizing the detonator that he'd stuffed thoughtlessly in his pocket after the last mission. But a great deal of effort, several tense moments, and a lot of cursing later, there was a little fire going in the fireplace. Despite the frost on the floor, the wood was dry, and there was a lot of it. Enough to last them until the storm blew out, at least, if he didn't pile it too high.
Once he had established a source of heat, Duo wasted no time in stripping both himself and his partner of their ice-stiff, freezing, sopping wet clothes. The still-freezing air in the little cabin bit at his bare skin, and blood oozed from the places where ice had cut the skin, but at least the soaking fabric wasn't drawing any more heat away from his chilled flesh.
His own warmth, though, was the last thing on Duo's mind. He had managed to work the wet, heavy jeans off his partner, and was now frantically rubbing at Heero's skin in an attempt to create some warmth by friction. It was useless. Wing's pilot just wasn't producing enough heat on his own, and the small fire's heat diffused too quickly into the rest of the room. Heero's eyes were closed now, and the shivering had almost stilled. Duo was in a panic. What he needed, the one thing that might mean the difference between life and death for Heero, was a blanket. But there was none.
Which meant there was really only one thing to do. All Duo had to do was nerve himself up to do it.
'If he wakes up, he'll kill me, he'll really kill me,' he thought, as he moved Heero as close to the fire as he safely could. 'God, please don't let him wake up.' After a moment, he amended his prayer. 'Except that he has to wake up, every hour or so... with a concussion on top of everything else... Ah crap! You know what I mean, God. Don't let him see. Please, please, don't let him see.'
He was only delaying, and every second let a little more of Heero's life slip away. Duo took a deep breath, and slowly pulled away the final stopguard; the wire-and-elastic tie that kept in his braid. He had learned a long time that he couldn't do this with the braid still in. Feeling unaccountably shy, although there were no eyes in the tiny cabin to see, Duo unraveled his long hair. Finally, with everything done that he could do, Duo lowered himself to the floor behind Heero... and changed.
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)He did, in the end, although it involved cannibalizing the detonator that he'd stuffed thoughtlessly in his pocket after the last mission. But a great deal of effort, several tense moments, and a lot of cursing later, there was a little fire going in the fireplace. Despite the frost on the floor, the wood was dry, and there was a lot of it. Enough to last them until the storm blew out, at least, if he didn't pile it too high.
Once he had established a source of heat, Duo wasted no time in stripping both himself and his partner of their ice-stiff, freezing, sopping wet clothes. The still-freezing air in the little cabin bit at his bare skin, and blood oozed from the places where ice had cut the skin, but at least the soaking fabric wasn't drawing any more heat away from his chilled flesh.
His own warmth, though, was the last thing on Duo's mind. He had managed to work the wet, heavy jeans off his partner, and was now frantically rubbing at Heero's skin in an attempt to create some warmth by friction. It was useless. Wing's pilot just wasn't producing enough heat on his own, and the small fire's heat diffused too quickly into the rest of the room. Heero's eyes were closed now, and the shivering had almost stilled. Duo was in a panic. What he needed, the one thing that might mean the difference between life and death for Heero, was a blanket. But there was none.
Which meant there was really only one thing to do. All Duo had to do was nerve himself up to do it.
'If he wakes up, he'll kill me, he'll really kill me,' he thought, as he moved Heero as close to the fire as he safely could. 'God, please don't let him wake up.' After a moment, he amended his prayer. 'Except that he has to wake up, every hour or so... with a concussion on top of everything else... Ah crap! You know what I mean, God. Don't let him see. Please, please, don't let him see.'
He was only delaying, and every second let a little more of Heero's life slip away. Duo took a deep breath, and slowly pulled away the final stopguard; the wire-and-elastic tie that kept in his braid. He had learned a long time that he couldn't do this with the braid still in. Feeling unaccountably shy, although there were no eyes in the tiny cabin to see, Duo unraveled his long hair. Finally, with everything done that he could do, Duo lowered himself to the floor behind Heero... and changed.
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)Within minutes of his transformation, Duo had warmed up enough to stop shivering, and enough that he could share his heat with Heero. When it came to resisting cold, fur beat skin all told; the only problem was that one could not change out of a wet fur coat as you could out of clothes. He was dry enough now, though, and held Heero close between his own insulating warmth and the heat of the fire. It was tempting, very tempting, to just stare into the mesmerizing flame and drift off into sleep as Heero was, but Duo forced himself to stay awake. He couldn't take the chance of Heero waking up and seeing him like this.
After almost half an hour, Wing's pilot abruptly began to shiver. Duo couldn't stave off the stab of panic that gripped him as he felt the convulsive shudders, although the rational part of him knew that this was a good thing, that Heero's temperature had risen high enough that his body could respond to the cold. It still scared him, though. Rational thought didn't carry so much weight in this form.
The fire was getting low, and Duo reluctantly detangled himself from Heero and shifted back into human form to put some more wood on. As he lost Duo's warmth, Heero curled into a tight ball on the icy floor and shivered even harder. As long as he was up, though, Duo needed to wake Heero up to check on him. He might have a concussion; the cold might have put him into a coma...
Duo bit his lip as he pulled Heero partly out of his protective curl so that he could see his face. Heero didn't resist, and his color was still ghastly. His eyes fluttered when Duo shook him gently, but did not open. Snow crystals in his hair had melted in the fire's heat, and a drop of water fell from the tip of one unkempt lock of hair onto his face. Duo gently reached down and brushed the cold water away.
"Wake up," Duo whispered breathlessly, not wanting to shake him too hard. "C'mon, Heero, open your eyes..."
After a long moment when Duo didn't dare to breathe, the dark blue eyes opened, focused on nothing. "Hi... ito... d-doko..."2 Heero mumbled weakly.
"You're safe," Duo promised him, softly but urgently. "I found an empty cabin. We're safe for now, but you got pretty badly beaten up. Rest for now."
He didn't know if Heero had heard him, or just fallen back into torpor, but his eyes closed and he slumped weakly against the floor. Duo hastily gathered the other pilot in his arms again, trying to find the best balance between shielding him from the
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)Within minutes of his transformation, Duo had warmed up enough to stop shivering, and enough that he could share his heat with Heero. When it came to resisting cold, fur beat skin all told; the only problem was that one could not change out of a wet fur coat as you could out of clothes. He was dry enough now, though, and held Heero close between his own insulating warmth and the heat of the fire. It was tempting, very tempting, to just stare into the mesmerizing flame and drift off into sleep as Heero was, but Duo forced himself to stay awake. He couldn't take the chance of Heero waking up and seeing him like this.
After almost half an hour, Wing's pilot abruptly began to shiver. Duo couldn't stave off the stab of panic that gripped him as he felt the convulsive shudders, although the rational part of him knew that this was a good thing, that Heero's temperature had risen high enough that his body could respond to the cold. It still scared him, though. Rational thought didn't carry so much weight in this form.
The fire was getting low, and Duo reluctantly detangled himself from Heero and shifted back into human form to put some more wood on. As he lost Duo's warmth, Heero curled into a tight ball on the icy floor and shivered even harder. As long as he was up, though, Duo needed to wake Heero up to check on him. He might have a concussion; the cold might have put him into a coma...
Duo bit his lip as he pulled Heero partly out of his protective curl so that he could see his face. Heero didn't resist, and his color was still ghastly. His eyes fluttered when Duo shook him gently, but did not open. Snow crystals in his hair had melted in the fire's heat, and a drop of water fell from the tip of one unkempt lock of hair onto his face. Duo gently reached down and brushed the cold water away.
"Wake up," Duo whispered breathlessly, not wanting to shake him too hard. "C'mon, Heero, open your eyes..."
After a long moment when Duo didn't dare to breathe, the dark blue eyes opened, focused on nothing. "Hi... ito... d-doko..."2 Heero mumbled weakly.
"You're safe," Duo promised him, softly but urgently. "I found an empty cabin. We're safe for now, but you got pretty badly beaten up. Rest for now."
He didn't know if Heero had heard him, or just fallen back into torpor, but his eyes closed and he slumped weakly against the floor. Duo hastily gathered the other pilot in his arms again, trying to find the best balance between shielding him from the
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)He woke Heero up three more times, shifting back to human each time he did so, and putting more wood on the fire. By then, he was exhausted; a hard mission, a frantic escape, and the brutal struggle through the snow to reach shelter had depleted his reserves before he had even reached the cabin. The fire's heat revived him a little, but Duo couldn't recall ever changing forms so many times in a single day, and he hadn't counted on how draining it was.
After the last time he had woken Heero up, the other pilot seemed to have lapsed into normal sleep, not the trance-like stupor of earlier. The feeling of relief was almost overwhelming to Duo's dazed, exhausted mind, and if he'd been able, he might have felt tears threaten. As it was, though, he could only stare into the flickering yellow flames and feel the dull ache throbbing in his chest.
He cared about the Japanese pilot; it was harder to deny now than ever. But with the burning passion that drove Heero at such a low ebb, it was frightening how... fragile he seemed. As though he would shatter into glass shards if Duo held him too tightly, or shook him too hard. Duo was acutely aware of Heero's chilled, pale flesh pressed against him, and if he could have given his blood to warm Heero back to normal, he would have done so. Heero would survive, he kept telling himself; the Perfect Soldier was too tough to let a little cold stop him. He'd wake the next morning, maybe a little tired and stiff, and Duo would go on pretending it was nothing...
As the thoughts ran their all-too-familiar track, Duo wasn't even aware of when he slipped into a doze, and then into a deeper sleep.
We're safe.
The words echoed noiselessly throughout his mind, and let him drift back to consciousness far more slowly than his training would ever allow. Touch returned. The first sensation to penetrate through the haze of exhaustion was one of warmth, warmth that his cold body desperately craved. Another sensation was connected with the heat; the feeling of something thick and soft against his skin. Drowsily, Heero tried to force his muddled brain to work. 'Duo said... something about... an abandoned... cabin? Must have been an old bearskin rug, or something...'
The only light that filtered through his eyelids was dim firelight; it must be night outside. Sound returned; the soft crackling of a fire, and the faint and faraway
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:55 am (UTC)The rest of Heero's mind snapped wide awake as he all at once processed that something was very wrong. The substance he had identified as fur was not beneath him, but pressed against his back! Carefully, moving as little as possible, he twisted his head around to look behind him, and felt his mouth go dry.
There, stretched out on the wooden floor behind him, was the biggest damn cat Heero had seen in his life. From what he could see, the animal was a mountain lion -- a black panther -- that had to be five feet long, from nose to tail. The fur was rich and soft, but Heero could easily imagine the powerful muscles it hid, the killing strength of its legs and teeth. Heero fought to keep his breathing steady; the beast was asleep, bizarrely, and he couldn't risk waking it. Heero knew how rare large animals were on Earth, even in remote wilderness like this. Where had the creature come from? More to the point, how in hell had it gotten into the cabin with them?
Them?
Where was Duo?
Heero swallowed, convulsively. Not many wild animals would attack a human, but panthers were some of the largest predators on Earth, and a small, young, weakened human could easily be on the prey list. Turning his head as little as possible, Heero searched the floor of the cabin for his clothes. They were close by, spread out drying on the floor near the heat from the fire. Duo's black clericals and white undershirt were next to them, and Heero felt a surge of panic ripping through him at the thought of his partner. If anything had happened to him --
There! He saw his gun, set on the ground outside the range of the puddle spreading from the cloth. It was not within immediate reach -- he cursed Duo's lack of foresight, for leaving them defenseless, although how could the other pilot have foreseen this!
Heero forced all thought of the other pilot out of his mind, instead concentrating every fiber of his being on his weapon. Slowly, carefully, he tried to ease himself away from the animal without waking it from its sleep. He was almost free, almost out of range of its deadly claws when the steady breathing faltered, and the cat's whiskers flicked as its limbs twitched, a prelude to awakening. Heero knew that his time had run out, and exploded into motion before he allowed himself a moment's thought on it.
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?"
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?"
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:56 am (UTC)Heero considered this for a moment, letting the barrel of a gun drop slightly. "But you were not a wolf. You were a mountain lion."
Duo choked. Trust Heero to argue semantics at a time like this. "Well, excuse me for not stopping to look up the proper goddamned scientific name for a person who turns into a giant pussycat!"
"How long has this been going on?" This was positively unreal. Heero couldn't shake the feeling that some malicious spirit had stolen his partner and left a kitsune in his place. But he sounded like Duo, acted like Duo... maybe...
"Since I came to Earth," Duo admitted in a smaller voice. "I don't know why it happened. Phases of the moon or something, I don't got a clue. I just didn't want anyone to know." He dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to meet Heero's eyes, and whispered, "I didn't want anyone to know what a freak I am."
Heero's mind was finally lurching back into working gear. So -- Duo was a shape-shifter. He could change his body into that of a primitive killing machine. He was unbelievably dangerous, a threat that had to be eliminated immediately.
Heero nearly snorted aloud at his own thoughts. He'd always known Duo was dangerous. He relaxed out of his guard stance, letting the barrel of the gun drop. For the first time, he fully realized that both of them were naked in the sub-freezing air of the cabin. Heero stood close to the heat of the fire, but Duo was outside its range, huddled over by the ice-burst water pipes, and he shivered as though he would shake to pieces. His eyes were closed and both hands wrapped tight around the gunshot wound in his leg, trying futilely to stop the bleeding.
"Duo." The other pilot looked up at him from beneath a curtain of hair; his face was etched with such an expression of misery that Heero was decided, and he set the gun aside. "Come here."
Duo started to move, but hesitated, torn by indecision. If Heero had put down the gun, then he probably didn't mean to kill Duo in cold blood, and it was bloody cold -- but still...
Heero sighed in exasperation, and briskly crossed the room to Duo's side. His own body broke into violent shivers the instant he left the fire behind, and he wasted no time in half-lifting Duo by the arms and pulling him back over to the fire. Once there, the other pilot refused to look at him, wrapping his arms around his chest.
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:56 am (UTC)Speaking of which, there wasn't much to use in the way of bandages. Heero glanced around at the sparse options, and finally settle on Duo's white undershirt as the most likely candidate. Fortunately, by now it was mostly dry, and Heero tore off a strip from the bottom and folded it, giving it to Duo to bite down on.
Duo stared obstinately at the fire as Heero worked on the gunshot wound, as if pretending that he didn't own the leg the bullet was lodged it. It was a cold, bloody mockery of a dream he'd once had, of both of them in front of a fireplace, Heero's hands on his naked skin. It really wasn't turning out to be a good day in the life of one Duo Maxwell.
"What's it like?"
"Huh?" Duo yanked his eyes back up to Heero's face, certain that his ears had been fooling him.
"Being something else, I mean... what's it like?" His expression was calm and thoughtful, as he tugged a few last times on the makeshift bandage. If he had met Duo's eyes, the other boy wasn't certain he would have been able to speak, but as it was the silence demanded an answer.
"Well... it's... kind of hard to explain. I dunno... In some ways, it's really weird. All the colors are off, and the smells are all different. Everything seems... sort of... lighter, I guess, and flimsier, and the world moves more slowly."
"But do you actually become a cat?" Heero persisted, leaning back slightly and studying Duo with a clinical interest. "Or is it just the shape that changes?"
"How in hell would I know? I don't know how cats think!" Duo snapped, but then stopped and gave the matter some more thought. "I suppose... I don't really know. I don't forget anything -- I mean I still know that I'm not really a cat, and who other people are, and what my Gundam is for... but it's really hard to remember numbers or codes, and I don't understand what all my suit controls do. Not that I could pilot it anyway -- no opposable thumbs, ya know." He looked up, finally comfortable to try cracking a joke, and smiled weakly at Heero. Heero just looked back at him, gravely contemplating.
Duo had to look back at the fire, to continue. "And... and... feelings... it's like they're simpler, but much stronger. Harder to ignore. Sometimes I... find myself doing
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:56 am (UTC)"Living life according to your emotions," Heero said softly. Duo looked at him blankly, but he didn't explain. "Strange, that an animal would know that best."
Duo looked away, dropping his eyes in shame.
"You are not a freak."
"What?" Duo froze, disbelieving.
"You said that... You're not a freak." Heero looked acutely uncomfortable at the words coming out of his own mouth. Duo stared at him for a moment, then his own temper flared. He didn't need any pity!
"Heero," he snapped, exaggerated patience in his voice. "I'm the fucking definition of a freak. I'm something which shouldn't exist -- mutant, abomination, whatever the hell you want to call it." The anger couldn't warm him for very long, though, and to his complete humiliation, he felt tears pushing against the back of his eyes. "Ask anyone, Heero... they can tell you that werewolves are... monsters..."
His voice faltered, then, and he stuffed one fist in his mouth and bit it to keep the tears from escaping. 'Why me, God?' he asked for what seemed the hundredth time. 'Did you just look at my life and decide,3 "Gee, this guy isn't suffering enough. I guess I'll throw in a little lycanthropy to make it more interesting?" Why me?'
Heero's voice broke across his morbid thoughts. "In the myths and legends that I know," he said, staring off into space, "shapechangers are usually supernatural beings -- kitsune -- who defeat their enemies through stealth and cunning, and not through brute force."
He focused back on Duo, taking in the unhappiness in his expression and posture. "Mischievous spirits that are clever and daring -- but not monsters."
Duo took his hand away from his mouth, and managed to force a weak smile. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" he said in a small voice.
Heero tilted his head, considering. "It might be necessary for the other pilots to know, if you were assigned to a mission where your unique ability was needed." He paused, as several things added up for him. "Like this one. Duo, did you know you would find this cabin?"
Duo's face grew wary. "No..." he admitted hesitantly.
"Then it was just dumb luck?" Heero's eyes narrowed. "That was stupid, Duo.
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:56 am (UTC)"Living life according to your emotions," Heero said softly. Duo looked at him blankly, but he didn't explain. "Strange, that an animal would know that best."
Duo looked away, dropping his eyes in shame.
"You are not a freak."
"What?" Duo froze, disbelieving.
"You said that... You're not a freak." Heero looked acutely uncomfortable at the words coming out of his own mouth. Duo stared at him for a moment, then his own temper flared. He didn't need any pity!
"Heero," he snapped, exaggerated patience in his voice. "I'm the fucking definition of a freak. I'm something which shouldn't exist -- mutant, abomination, whatever the hell you want to call it." The anger couldn't warm him for very long, though, and to his complete humiliation, he felt tears pushing against the back of his eyes. "Ask anyone, Heero... they can tell you that werewolves are... monsters..."
His voice faltered, then, and he stuffed one fist in his mouth and bit it to keep the tears from escaping. 'Why me, God?' he asked for what seemed the hundredth time. 'Did you just look at my life and decide,3 "Gee, this guy isn't suffering enough. I guess I'll throw in a little lycanthropy to make it more interesting?" Why me?'
Heero's voice broke across his morbid thoughts. "In the myths and legends that I know," he said, staring off into space, "shapechangers are usually supernatural beings -- kitsune -- who defeat their enemies through stealth and cunning, and not through brute force."
He focused back on Duo, taking in the unhappiness in his expression and posture. "Mischievous spirits that are clever and daring -- but not monsters."
Duo took his hand away from his mouth, and managed to force a weak smile. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" he said in a small voice.
Heero tilted his head, considering. "It might be necessary for the other pilots to know, if you were assigned to a mission where your unique ability was needed." He paused, as several things added up for him. "Like this one. Duo, did you know you would find this cabin?"
Duo's face grew wary. "No..." he admitted hesitantly.
"Then it was just dumb luck?" Heero's eyes narrowed. "That was stupid, Duo.
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:56 am (UTC)"But you couldn't have!" Duo shot back angrily. "And what would have been the point of me surviving, if you had d-died..." His voice suddenly trailed off, and his eyes widened as he realized what he'd just said. Weakly, he attempted to backpedal. "I mean... you're the Perfect Soldier, ne? A-and... uh... the war needs you much more than it needs me..."
"Duo," Heero grated out from between clenched teeth, "shut up."
"S-sorry," Duo muttered, face burning.
He froze, in shock, as Heero gently reached out and gathered a loose handful of the unbound hair. His face was troubled, fascinated, all his attention focused on the color spilling over his hands. "My life is worthless," Heero said softly. "But not yours. I've always been expendable -- I'm only a soldier, and never perfect. But you're so much more than that..."
The room suddenly went from too cold to inexplicably hot, and Duo's world collapsed to the thought that he never, ever wanted Heero to stop touching his hair. Surely he had only imagined what Heero said. Slowly, it filtered through his muddled brain. "H-heero...?"
Heero found it difficult to focus on anything, except for the never-before seen sight of Duo's hair out of its confining braid. He turned his hand over, watching the strands slip smoothly over his skin. It was more than his admittedly impaired imagination had ever given him. He dropped his fingers down the incredible length, coming to the patch at the end where blood had soaked the strands, and frozen together. The damage brought him abruptly back to himself, and the needs and dangers of the situation. "You're shivering," he said softly.
Duo realized it was true; he was shivering and had been for some time. "Well, it's cold..."
"You're exhausted," Heero said accusingly. "And you've lost a lot of blood."
"Well, whose fault is that?" Duo countered, trying to lift the mood. He hadn't expected the sudden hint of pain to cross Heero's face when he said that. "Look, Heero, I'll be fine..."
"Why don't you change?" Heero asked, watching Duo closely. "It's still a long time until dawn."
Duo immediately shook his head. "I've never switched back and forth so many
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:56 am (UTC)"But you couldn't have!" Duo shot back angrily. "And what would have been the point of me surviving, if you had d-died..." His voice suddenly trailed off, and his eyes widened as he realized what he'd just said. Weakly, he attempted to backpedal. "I mean... you're the Perfect Soldier, ne? A-and... uh... the war needs you much more than it needs me..."
"Duo," Heero grated out from between clenched teeth, "shut up."
"S-sorry," Duo muttered, face burning.
He froze, in shock, as Heero gently reached out and gathered a loose handful of the unbound hair. His face was troubled, fascinated, all his attention focused on the color spilling over his hands. "My life is worthless," Heero said softly. "But not yours. I've always been expendable -- I'm only a soldier, and never perfect. But you're so much more than that..."
The room suddenly went from too cold to inexplicably hot, and Duo's world collapsed to the thought that he never, ever wanted Heero to stop touching his hair. Surely he had only imagined what Heero said. Slowly, it filtered through his muddled brain. "H-heero...?"
Heero found it difficult to focus on anything, except for the never-before seen sight of Duo's hair out of its confining braid. He turned his hand over, watching the strands slip smoothly over his skin. It was more than his admittedly impaired imagination had ever given him. He dropped his fingers down the incredible length, coming to the patch at the end where blood had soaked the strands, and frozen together. The damage brought him abruptly back to himself, and the needs and dangers of the situation. "You're shivering," he said softly.
Duo realized it was true; he was shivering and had been for some time. "Well, it's cold..."
"You're exhausted," Heero said accusingly. "And you've lost a lot of blood."
"Well, whose fault is that?" Duo countered, trying to lift the mood. He hadn't expected the sudden hint of pain to cross Heero's face when he said that. "Look, Heero, I'll be fine..."
"Why don't you change?" Heero asked, watching Duo closely. "It's still a long time until dawn."
Duo immediately shook his head. "I've never switched back and forth so many
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:57 am (UTC)"You need rest," Heero pointed out. "No enemies will be able to come through this snow until it lets up."
Duo's felt he should protest again, but he hesitated long enough for the logic of the statement to catch up to him. "Are you sure you don't mind?" he asked hesitantly.
"I wouldn't have suggested it if I did mind." Heero would die before admitting it, but the feeling of soft warm fur had been the most wonderful thing he had felt in a long time. He watched closely as Duo struggled against his inhibitions, and finally gave in with a sigh. Duo uncurled from the tight ball he'd drawn himself into, and went down on all fours. Before his hands hit the floor, though, they were thickly padded paws. The change spread up his arms and legs until it was a dark-furred panther crouching beside the fire, all sleek and deadly grace.
Duo wasn't actually black, as had been Heero's first impression. Instead, his coat was more of a dark brown, mottled with lighter brown and streaked with red. It reminded Heero of Duo's own hair. Most telling, though, were the wide indigo eyes -- no animal had eyes that color.
He hadn't been kidding about how much energy it took, Heero realized; almost immediately, the cat slumped towards the floor, his eyes slipping closed. Without thinking about it, he shifted around until the panther's -- until Duo's head rested against his leg, off the icy floor. Duo sighed, a wordless rumble, and slowly his body relaxed. Almost unconsciously, Heero's hand reached up to stroke the velvety softness of the panther's ear.
Heero stayed awake the rest of the night, slowly moving his hands across the soft warmth of Duo's fur.
--owari--
The blame for this story goes entirely to my betareader, and I'll tell you why. Just the other day this exchange took place.
Mikkeneko: I think I want to write a blanket fic.
Lockheed: [after a moment's pause] ...a... blanke--
Mikkeneko: With WEREWOLVES!
So you can see it's all her fault. She encouraged me.
Re: Warm Fuzzies
Date: 2006-02-21 04:57 am (UTC)"You need rest," Heero pointed out. "No enemies will be able to come through this snow until it lets up."
Duo's felt he should protest again, but he hesitated long enough for the logic of the statement to catch up to him. "Are you sure you don't mind?" he asked hesitantly.
"I wouldn't have suggested it if I did mind." Heero would die before admitting it, but the feeling of soft warm fur had been the most wonderful thing he had felt in a long time. He watched closely as Duo struggled against his inhibitions, and finally gave in with a sigh. Duo uncurled from the tight ball he'd drawn himself into, and went down on all fours. Before his hands hit the floor, though, they were thickly padded paws. The change spread up his arms and legs until it was a dark-furred panther crouching beside the fire, all sleek and deadly grace.
Duo wasn't actually black, as had been Heero's first impression. Instead, his coat was more of a dark brown, mottled with lighter brown and streaked with red. It reminded Heero of Duo's own hair. Most telling, though, were the wide indigo eyes -- no animal had eyes that color.
He hadn't been kidding about how much energy it took, Heero realized; almost immediately, the cat slumped towards the floor, his eyes slipping closed. Without thinking about it, he shifted around until the panther's -- until Duo's head rested against his leg, off the icy floor. Duo sighed, a wordless rumble, and slowly his body relaxed. Almost unconsciously, Heero's hand reached up to stroke the velvety softness of the panther's ear.
Heero stayed awake the rest of the night, slowly moving his hands across the soft warmth of Duo's fur.
--owari--
The blame for this story goes entirely to my betareader, and I'll tell you why. Just the other day this exchange took place.
Mikkeneko: I think I want to write a blanket fic.
Lockheed: [after a moment's pause] ...a... blanke--
Mikkeneko: With WEREWOLVES!
So you can see it's all her fault. She encouraged me.