Disclaimer: I don't own them and I don't make any money off of them.
Warnings: Male/Male sex, graphic, language, violence.
Where the sun don't shine
1x2 GW
Kracken
Even in a worst scenario situation, Duo had always come out on top with a smile, a wink, and a well placed joke. Heero had found it annoying at first, wondering at the competency of the man, but he had been impressed again and again by Duo's supreme skill at anything he chose to do. Heero shouldn't have expected less from him now.
Looking at the scans in medical, Heero could only wonder at Duo's will to survive such an accident. The list of sliced, spliced, and transplanted internal organs was truly amazing. That his cut up intestines alone hadn't killed him with infection was testament to his will to keep on living another day. Heero was certain that he himself would have embraced death willingly rather than go through a rehab hell like that one and suffer the less than stellar result. Life in a wheelchair or dragging braced legs around wasn't a life he would have wanted.
Duo was a fighter to the end, though. The firefight in his jump ship had been unexpected. It hadn't been spec'ed to take that kind of punishment. A simple hidden surveillance mission of rebels with low level weapons, had turned into a fight with sophisticated ground to air buster missiles. Those missiles had opened up the jump ship like a can opener. That Duo had managed to save all but one of his crew, even sprayed through his body with shrapnel, had been a miracle.
Heero had visited Duo in the hospital several times, though Duo hadn't been aware of most of those visits. The array of machinery that had been employed to keep him on the living side of the line had been stunning, but Commander Une had spared no expense for her favorite Gundam pilot.
Watching Duo struggle to keep on breathing had touched a part of Heero that he had carefully kept boxed inside of himself. His feelings for Duo were not all about admiration and respect. It wasn't something he wanted to know about himself, though, and it wasn't something he wanted to confess to Duo. Duo had made it clear in his actions several times that his interests were not the same as Heero's. Confessing feelings that Duo would only reject would be a mistake.
"If a situation should arise that would require quick physical-" Heero began, but Commander Une stopped him with a grunt and a quick, "Don't."
Heero raised dark eyebrows and put the scanner back on her wide desk. She had cut her once long brown hair into a buzz cut, her glasses narrow and the lens shinning in the overhead light. Her beautiful eyes softened that severe style, even though they were giving Heero piercing look. Her civilian clothing looked like her military uniform; spit and polish even down to her low heeled pumps.
"Duo is capable of completing a mission and for accepting the consequences if things should go wrong," Une explained. "You will not be expected to make concessions for him or to treat him any differently than any other undercover operative. You will both fly to L3 and check into the resort. You will extract Doctor Samuel Patterson and bring him to the specified drop off point."
"Why not arrest him?" Heero wondered.
She stared at him, took off her glasses, and cleaned them with a small tissue from her desk drawer. Heero had grown taller since his days as a Gundam Pilot, but, unlike Duo, his shoulders were still as narrow and slim as the rest of him. Tight knit muscle were under his uniform though, and his genetically enhanced strength could still bend steel bars. Nothing about him made someone think , tourist on vacation. His chocolate colored hair was still a wild disarray over piercing dark blue eyes and his mouth was still a set line that made him appear tense, even when he was sitting comfortably in an office.
"Appearances are deceiving," Une finally replied as she replaced her glasses and then slid a computer chip across her desk at Heero. He took it between thumb and forefinger. "The people who kidnapped him have placed him in an area filled with civilians. They have threatened to exterminate everyone there if we make any move to extract him. Their demands are lengthy, but they seem willing to wait for them. They enjoy the limelight.. at least a military limelight. They enjoy having us by the proverbial balls and they are enjoying the hospitality of the best hotel on Earth or in Space indefinitely."
"They'll know us," Heero complained. "Duo's been in the news..."
Une nodded. "Which is why the story will be that for his noble sacrifice, a thankful people, will pay for Duo Maxwell to be escorted to the best hotel for a well deserved vacation. Duo's disability will be your strength. You've been reported visiting him at the hospital. The tabloids have you as friends... lovers.... the speculation is in our favor."
"It's coincidence that the two top agents for Preventers organization happen to stay at the very hotel where terrorists are holding an important man?" Heero scoffed. "You wouldn't warn us and you haven't locked down all travel to and from this resort? How believable is that?"
"We've been told not to take any action or to inform anyone of their threats," Une replied. "A false report of your stay on L4 has already been released. Anyone checking flight logs will see that you were booked for L3 months ago and that you've been on leave here due to some mental issues."
"You told everyone I was having a mental breakdown?" Heero wondered angrily.
Une gave him a tight smile. "A psychologist here on L4 has already confirmed your stay to the press and that a certain Duo Maxwell, concerned for your health, is visiting you. An anonymous tip that you are both now going to vacation on L3, has been circulated."
"So, that explains my stay here on L4, and Duo's presence, but how does that explain your presence?" Heero wanted to know.
Une touched her shaved head. "I was never here," she explained with a tight smile. "Change one thing about your appearance and people don't recognize you. You should know that, Heero."
Heero grunted sourly and stood up. "Duo and I should leave at once. Is he ready?"
"Of course," Une replied. "Your shuttle tickets will be at the boarding gate. Leave your uniforms behind. Remember, you're on vacation."
Heero glared and left the office, thinking about his mission and the difficulties of having a handicapped partner. He kept his feelings in the box deep within him and refused to consider that the rumors that he and Duo were lovers were going to have more confirmation when they showed up at a hotel together. He wondered how Duo would react to that and then didn't have to guess that Duo would laugh. The man did have a good sense of humor even when he was the butt of the joke.
Heero inquired at a desk and was told that Duo was in physical therapy. He heard Duo before he saw him as he entered the large room filled with specialists, patients, and equipment. Duo's wheelchair looked more fitted to racing than simply wheeling around offices, and Heero was certain that the young man had made his own modifications to it. It was off to one side while Duo struggled with leg braces that supported his legs in a framework that went from hip to ankle.
"They're still pinching and they are still too damned heavy!" Duo complained. They rubbed my left knee raw even through the padding and my ankle feels like its getting clamped in a bear trap."
"Still not fitting?" Heero asked.
Duo grinned at him as he made his way to his wheelchair, turned, and lowered himself into it using the strength of his arms. Wearing only a body shirt and a pair of thin shorts, Duo's wide shoulders and arm muscles rippled and bulged in a way that made Heero swallow hard.
Duo pulled his long chestnut braid out from under him and let its three feet flop over the arm of the chair. Large purple eyes were lit up and it was obvious that Duo was glad to see him, even though his mouth was now grimacing at some pain. He began wheeling out of the room and Heero followed him. His small room wasn't far. He opened the door and motioned Heero to enter before him.
One bed, a very small shower and toilet, and a writing desk. It was everything a bachelor who had severe physical limitations needed
"Did Une brief you on the new mission?" Duo wondered after entering behind Heero and closing the door behind him.
Heero nodded as he crouched and began bending the metal brace around Duo's ankle easily.
"What did she tell you that she didn't want me to hear?" Duo wanted to know. "There must be something or she would have briefed us together."
"I think she was interested in my honest response," Heero admitted. "Better?"
"Yes," Duo replied as he flexed the ankle. "You told her it was bullshit getting partnered with me, right?" Duo was smiling again and Heero couldn't detect any bitterness or anger.
"I voiced concerns about your physical ability to function in a situation that required quick action," Heero replied as he straightened and watched Duo flex his ankle. The man could feel and move to a certain extent but his lower spine had been pinned together and twisted to the point where it couldn't support his weight or move his legs properly.
"Better, thanks," Duo sighed in relief and then grew serious, "I expect to be left behind if any action tales place."
"Une informed me of that decision," Heero replied.
"Then we're good?" Duo wanted to know.
In the old days when their lives were expendable, Heero might have said, yes. Now it disturbed him. He wasn't certain, if they did see action, if he could follow through and leave Duo. It was even more disturbing to him that Duo was making that decision so easily. Did he want to become an agent again that badly, or was his life so empty or his physical handicaps so great that he didn't care about dying?
"They'll think we're lovers," Heero grumbled, sidestepping the question.
Duo chuckled. "Yeah, I heard that already. Someone showed me an entire page in a news rag that detailed how we could 'get it on' despite my handicaps."
Heero felt his cheeks prickle with a blush and he turned away as if examining Duo's room.
"Just part of the shit we get every day, Heero," Duo said sympathetically. "It shouldn't bother you now? Sticks and stones and all of that..."
"It must disturb the women in your life," Heero replied. "I wonder why they don't report about them?"
"You didn't see where I had a major fling with Dorothy Catalonia right under Quatre Winner's married nose?" Duo laughed. "It was page one of the Sun Times. Quatre called me. Of course he didn't believe it. He threatened to sue the paper out of existence, but they never retracted the story. They have to stand by their trash or they lose readers."
Heero turned back with a frown and saw Duo's eyes lost in thought, a hand tracing a large scar that ran over his nose and one cheek. "Not that I have anyone lined up for a date right now to refute it," he said.
"The mission," Heero said quickly, in an attempt to steer them away from such stark emotions and talk of relationships. He was too close to saying or doing something that they would both regret. "You'll be ready to leave in three hours?"
Duo blinked at him, coming out of his dark thoughts and then nodded. "I have my luggage packed and ready to go."
"Luggage?" Heero echoed, confused. All he had was his clothing and a few effects in a military duffel.
"We have to look civilian, relaxed, and not ready for a mission, Heero," Duo reminded him. "Go get some luggage."
Heero nodded. "Three hours, mark."
Duo sighed. "See you in about three hours," Duo corrected him. "It's a good thing we're not going physically undercover. You couldn't fool a two year old child."
Strange, since he had been going undercover since he was three, Heero thought. Even his name really wasn't his. It was a code name given to him during the war. His real name was Junior... or at least that was what his mentor had called him. Heero Yuy had been preferable.
-----------------------------
"Nice," Duo said as he looked over Heero appreciatively.
Standing at the boarding gate, Duo had opted for his braces. He was leaning
heavily on a crutch, even though the shock dampeners in the joints of the braces
were making small whirling noises trying to to keep him steady. He was wearing
cargo shorts, low tan hiking boots, and a stretchy black turtle neck that hugged
his body and showed all of the attributes that Heero loved best.
Heero was wearing loose cream colored 'resort pants' and a casual white cotton
shirt with a low collar and a button down front. His shoes were almost loafers.
"Crandel in requisitions picked them out," Heero explained. "He
filled my suitcase with more of them."
"You're going to be cold on the shuttle," Duo warned him. "You
should have saved that shirt for the resort."
It sounded ridiculous to talk about shuttle environmentals as if there was a
danger of freezing to death due to poor clothing choices. Heero bit down on
his first response and practiced the lesson taught to him by one of his mandated
psych doctors after the war. Consider peacetime. Consider a lack of threat.
Consider the person speaking. Consider motivations. Duo was making small talk,
Heero concluded. He was also showing an interest in Heero's comfort.
"I'll be fine," Heero replied at last. "I don't feel the cold
easily."
"I have a sweater when you decide to drop the tough guy act," Duo
chuckled. He pointed to a small carryon.
Heero tried to imagine Duo trying to manage the terminal with a bag strapped
to his shoulder. He picked it up and slung it from his own shoulder. "We
should board."
Duo didn't try to reclaim his bag, which told Heero just how difficult that
walk had been. "Thanks, Darling," Duo replied and when Heero looked
at him with a start, Duo's eyes were laughing at him. Of course, they were playing
at being lovers.
Heero couldn't find the words to reply. He nodded and walked slowly with Duo
as Duo navigated the boarding ramp.
"My wheelchair was checked with our luggage," Duo explained as he
found their seats and then awkwardly maneuvered into the seat nearest the window.
He placed the crutch against the wall of the shuttle when he was settled and
then popped the chair back into a slight recline position to help his body relax.
Heero stowed Duo's carryon in the overhead and then took his own seat. The three
seats beside him would remain empty. Une knew how twitchy a soldier could be.
She wasn't going to risk anyone inadvertently waking Heero up during sleep mode.
Heero took his seat. There was a vid on the seat in front of him and headphones.
A fold down tray made an adequate work and eating space, and the seat could
move far enough back to make sleeping somewhat possible.
"All right?" Heero asked and felt strange as soon as the word left
his mouth. Like Duo's concern for his discomfort, it had been an attempt at
small talk coupled with a real concern for Duo's comfort. Since nothing could
actually be done if Duo was feeling discomfort, it was ridiculous to bother
asking. Heero still felt eager for a positive response.
Duo seemed to be checking out his position as if monitoring his own vitals and
then he nodded. "This is good. I wouldn't want to live here, but I can
manage until we make L3."
Heero felt relief and then turned on the vid to catch up on the news. He could
feel Duo staring at him. Out of the corner of his eye Heero saw the man fiddling
with his long braid in a nervous habit he had become used to.
"Something?" Heero finally asked without taking his eyes from the
screen.
"Oh, just thought we could talk a bit," Duo said . "This is a
big trip for us. Maybe we should look at a vid of the resort and make some plans."
Duo wasn't talking about mission plans and yet he was. Heero had already memorized
the room they would be staying in, all exits and entrances, and the detailed
plans of the hotel. He had even memorized the flight and vehicle schedule of
every transport in the area. He was certain that Duo had as well.
Heero brought up a tourist vid of the resort. There was a great deal of sun
kissed manmade pools, golden domes and minarets, and pristine white stone buildings
surrounded by gardens. Happy tourists roamed crushed golden colored stone walkways,
Italian marble floors, and a man made beach with artificially created waves
snaked around a man made 'sea' that had been enhanced with imaging to look as
if it stretched to the horizon. Fans made balmy breezes and captive seabirds
and animals made the setting seem natural. Every balcony had a small pool and
every master bedroom had a spa tub big enough for five people to relax in.
"I'm glad the 'people' gave me this vacation," Duo said with some
awe. "I'm pretty certain we couldn't afford it ourselves."
Heero had to agree. The waste seemed epic. "Why not just shuttle to Earth
and enjoy a beach resort there?"
Duo looked at him in mock shock. "Because the weather could turn bad, Heero.
The real beach can have dead fish and seaweed on it. Shells hurt your feet.
The ocean has sharks, stingrays, and jellyfish. Fish poop in it. The sun can
be too hot. The breeze too humid. This way it's all controlled and perfect.
If you have a bad time there, it won't be the fault of the resort."
There was an appeal in being in a place that was antiseptic and controlled.
Heero relaxed marginally at the thought.
"I like the real thing," Duo said. "In fact, I would love to
live in a beach house with one of those open to the breezes floor plan, the
whitewashed wood walls, and the palm frond roofs."
Heero thought about a lack of security, the chances of a storm washing it all
away, and other vagaries of living by the ocean. He then imagined Duo in cut
off shorts, shark teeth necklaces, and islander tattoos. His skin would be tanned
from the sun and gleaming with oil. His hair would be wind tossed and flavored
by salt water. Heero could see him on the wide porch, smiling and relaxed. He
could see him swimming in the real waves and running down a white sand beach-
"Heero?"
Heero blinked and focused on Duo's face. The man was looking disturbed. "What?"
Heero grunted.
Duo snorted. "You had this weird assed look on your face."
Heero schooled his expression back to blandness and replied, "I was considering...
priorities."
Duo looked annoyed and then settled deeper into his chair. He stretched out
his legs to relieve a pain and then seemed to be concentrating on that. It brought
home to Heero that his image of Duo had been a healthy and whole one. He readjusted
it to fit this new Duo. This Duo would need help, would have bad days and good
ones, would need special equipment impervious to sand and surf.
Duo was looking at him again and frowning. "Heero, what are you thinking
about?"
"Life," Heero admitted and then didn't elaborate. He turned to the
vid and they planned their fake vacation.
----------------------------------------------
The flight docked with a clang of seals and a whoosh of air and pressure synching. Passengers rose and grabbed their luggage as if being off first was important to their survival. Heero rose more slowly, stretched, and then looked down at his companion.
Duo had seemed a little agitated after the crew had announced preparations to dock. Heero had seen him make a few aborted motions after bringing his seat back into an upright position. Duo's jaw had tightened and his hands were shaking slightly as he worked fingers into a kneecap and massaged it.
Heero eyed the cabin, watched the last of the passengers disembark, and then looked down at Duo again. "Tell me how you need this done."
Duo grimaced. He stared out of a window that showed him nothing but a metal wall and then glared at Heero as if he had somehow offended him. "I don't think I can walk out of here."
Heero considered the problem, the logistics, and the help required. A man in a flight uniform walked by and Heero reached out and lightly touched the man's arm. Relena had often used this to her advantage, making requests seem personal and eliciting emotional responses.
"Captain Maxwell needs assistance leaving the shuttle," Heero told the man in a soft voice devoid of the real urgency and tension that Heero felt. "If you would be so kind, could you make his departure... as inconspicuous as possible? You know how the press are.... always looking for a story."
The man looked down at Duo sympathetically and then nodded. "I'll see what I can do, sir."
When the man had gone Duo said irritably. "I should be used to the embarrassment by now... but I'm not.... If you would be so kind?" he chuckled. "Did you learn that from Relena?"
Heero nodded tightly. "It's effective."
"I hope so," Duo replied, "Because I don't want to have to crawl down this aisle and down the ramp to my wheelchair in luggage claim."
"That wouldn't be necessary. I could carry you." Heero offered quickly.
"And block your gun hand?" Duo snorted. "We'd make great targets." He added uncomfortably, "Thanks for the offer, though."
"I'm not going to watch you crawl down the aisle," Heero argued.
"I'm used to it, Heero," Duo told him stubbornly as he handed Heero his crutch. "Don't forget our carry-ons."
"Sir?" a blonde female flight attendant came down the aisle. "We managed to get Captain Maxwell's chair and place it by the hatch door. It's not regulation, but if you hurry, we may be able to avoid a fine."
She looked anxious. Heero gave her a once over and judged her small frame in its trim flight uniform capable of what he needed.
"We appreciate your efforts," Heero told her. "If you could help me with Captain Maxwell, we can get to his chair more quickly."
"Of course," she said and Heero could see her blushing excitement."Anything for a hero."
Heero leaned over Duo and asked quietly, "Fireman's carry?"
Duo was glaring at him as if crawling down the aisle would have been more preferable than being carried. "Watch the left hip and the left arm," Duo warned.
"Of course.... darling," Heero felt a blush stronger than the one the flight attendant was sporting as he said the word. It's not an endearment that he would have chosen. It came out awkwardly.
"I wanted to be carried over the threshold of our hotel room," Duo said with an air of disappointment that didn't seem faked.
Heero almost asked why and then didn't. This game was going into territory that he was unfamiliar with. It was better to just nod, rather than make a mistake.
"Ready?" Heero asked.
"When you are," Duo replied and gritted his teeth.
Heero motioned to the attendant to get behind Duo's seat. She complied. "We have to get him up before I can pull him over my shoulder," Heero explained. "I'll need you to hug him from behind after I get him out of his chair. That will keep him in place while I reposition him."
"O-Okay," she replied nervously and readied her hands, holding them on either side of Duo as Heero bent and lifted.
It didn't go by the numbers and Duo hissed in pain more than once, but after a rain of 'I'm so, sorry, Captain Maxwell!" from the woman, she managed to finally hold him in place while Heero put a shoulder under him.
Heero's strength was more than up to the task after that. He carefully lifted and placed Duo over his shoulders. "All right?" he asked.
"If you hurry," Duo complained.
Heero moved quickly down the aisle and was glad to see another attendant in the narrow passage that led down to the wider ramp with Duo's wheelchair. She was glancing nervously over her shoulder. Of course it wasn't regulation when it blocked a major aisle that way, but they were willing to risk the censure and the fine for Duo.
Heero gingerly lowered Duo and they all let out a breath of relief when he was in his chair.
"Mission accomplished," Duo chuckled and gave the women his patented hundred watt smiles. "Thank you, ladies. I'm eternally in your debt."
They blushed and engaged in celebrity worship while they went down the ramp. It made Heero grit his teeth the way they put soft hands on Duo and told him how much they admired him for all the sacrifices he had made for them in his long career. He ended up signing one feminine arm with a marker and suffering a kiss on the cheek that left a bit of lipstick.
When Heero took over and headed for baggage claim, Duo crumpled a tiny bit of paper and let it drop.
"What's that?" Heero wondered.
"Phone number," Duo chuckled. "She doesn't really mean it. She'd be pretty horrified if I actually took her up on her offer."
"Quatre would call that a defeatist attitude," Heero pointed out. "Maybe she sees beyond your injuries?"
Duo looked up at Heero critically. "You think I should call her and boff her? I don't think that's allowed on our vacation, lover."
Heero frowned. "I didn't mean that. I meant..."
"I know what you meant Heero. You don't have to be my cheering section, okay?" Duo smiled at him and it wasn't the fake one he had given to the women. "I'm... managing."
Heero again wasn't sure how to respond, so he nodded, and then grabbed their baggage when they appeared on the carousel. With Duo wheeling beside him, he carried all of their luggage until they reached the ramp leading to the transport that would take them to the hotel.
"I'll take that sir," a well dressed man wearing a blue blazer with the logo of their hotel said as he checked the numbers on the bags and then waved another attendant to take them. "Please make yourself comfortable, Captains Yuy and Maxwell. I'll make certain you are not disturbed. Car nine, sirs."
Duo looked up at Heero and shrugged. "I guess we get the star treatment."
Their reservations hadn't been that luxurious, Heero thought suspiciously as they boarded the number nine car of the transport. Opulently appointed and filled with every accommodation, it would have been good enough for Relena Peacecraft herself or Quatre Winner. For two captains in Preventers, heroes or not, it was completely out of their budget.
"I hope we don't get billed for this later," Duo murmured as he positioned his chair by a table laden with fruit and cheese. "I might be able to pay it off in twenty years."
The transport left the shuttle port as smooth as glass, only the scenery of the station through the windows alerting them that they had moved.
Heero picked up a placard with a message written in fine calligraphy. "Only the best for our heroes."
Duo grinned. "I'm glad we aren't on Earth. They had a different opinion about the hero business. I think I heard a few "Just a filthy terrorist." a few times when I was there last. Doesn't matter how many missions you complete that saves the world, people are still going to remember what we did when we were fifteen."
"We killed people," Heero reminded him as he dropped the card on a plate of fancy little cakes. "We'll always have enemies."
"I stuck to military targets," Duo retorted. "Soldiers make their own decisions about getting into the theatre."
"Not all the time," Heero replied as he sat down in a leather chair next to Duo's wheelchair.
"Are you going to rehash wartime philosophy here?" Duo wanted to know. "We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves."
Heero didn't need to tell Duo that they were probably being watched or that the food might be drugged or poisoned. It was difficult to tell how extensive the control of the terrorists might be, so they were going to have to be wary of everything.
Heero leaned in with the intension of giving Duo a nervous and chaste kiss on the cheek, the kind he had seen delivered by women at Relena's endless social gatherings. He wasn't prepared for Duo to turn his head and make the kiss deep and devouring. He started, his expression shocked, but Duo's hand was at the back of his neck and holding him firmly in place. When Duo ended it, Heero had to take a shivering breath.
"Let's not argue, Lover," Duo begged. "Forget Preventers, forget the war, and let's have some fun like normal people."
Heero nodded, though he could hardly hear Duo over the pounding of his heart.
TBC