Categories > Anime/Manga > Gundam Wing > Christmas Dreams and New Year's Wishes
Chapter 2 Tequila Torture
“Duo, Duo wake up.”
Someone was calling to him. Duo could also feel a slight shaking and with each shake something went through his head, a dull, aching type of pain.
“Duo, you have to wake up.”
“Unhhhh.” Duo moaned grumpily. He did not want to wake up. Something told him that waking up would be painful. The cavity where his brain was supposed to be felt like it was all liquid, as though his brain had melted and dripped out of his ear or something. The only thing it left behind was pain. Every time he was shaken, the shake shot up his head and shattered into a bunch of tiny pieces, each one sharp. The pieces kept biting Duo inside, right behind his eyes. It hurt, but not the kind of pain his body was telling him he was hiding from. The pain that Duo would have to face if he woke up.
“C’mon, Duo, wake up. Triton, Heero and I have been looking all over for you. Natalie said you were hurt.”
The shaking was getting more persistent making the pieces smaller and more numerous. His head hurt more and more each time the shaking was repeated. Words went through his mind, darting this way and that to avoid the pain pieces until they made it to the part of his brain that was still making sense of his thoughts. Triton? Who…Trowa…. Natalie…she’s such…cutie pie…Aunt Lena…Here Duo’s inside voice laughed causing the pain pieces to dart even faster to bite him, forcing Duo to stop laughing. Heero…something…as Heero’s name went through his head the pieces stopped being painful and started slowly circling around each other. They were forming some sort of ball, keeping something from Duo. Hiding something from him, shouting to him that he did not want to know what it was.
“He appears just to be drunk.” Another voice, different from the one trying to wake him stretched toward Duo.
The voice entered Duo’s mind and began circling the smaller pain pieces like a shark circles its prey. The raised questions in Duo, questions as to why he was drunk, curiosity began stirring in Duo. Why am I drunk? Duo asked the pieces huddled in a ball, hiding something from him. They darted into an even tighter ball, fiercely keeping him from seeing what was inside. The pieces cried out to him not to look, that to look was pain, immense pain, but the other voice that questioned saw another thought floating in the void of Duo’s brain. Heero…the questioning voice grasped the thought and flung it toward the pain pieces. It crashed into the ball and wriggled around, but was not strong enough to burst through. Maybe if I open my eyes…Duo thought.
Slowly, Duo opened one eye, it was odd, the vision that he saw. The open eye could see bleary shapes, forms that had no meaning for Duo. The other eye, the one still closed, held onto the image of the pieces, still protecting the ball with the questioning voice attempting to push the Heero thought into the midst of whatever the pain pieces were protecting. As Duo opened the other eye he could see some of the pain pieces falling away from the ball, but still not enough to allow the Heero thought inside, before the image was gone and Duo was left staring up with unfocused eyes.
“He’s awake.” A blurry white blob sitting close to him said. “I still can’t believe he drank an entire bottle of pure tequila.”
“Ugh! Not so loud.” Duo whispered as the white blob’s voice shouted through his mind. Blinking rapidly, Duo was able to make out a green and white blob standing slightly behind the white one. It looked as though he was holding something.
“The bottle is testament enough.” The green and white blob said.
Duo recognized the voice. It was the question voice that had fought to get through the pain pieces. Now that he thought, the other voice, the white blob’s voice, was the waking voice. They were still very loud.
“Duo, are you all right?” The waking voice, white blob asked.
“I will be…when I can see again…and think.” Duo said and put a hand to his head. He blinked again and this time was rewarded with a clearing of his vision. He looked again at the blobs. The white one was now a white one, with a washed out yellow top and blue crystal things. Another blink and the blurry outline of Quatre came into view. A few more blinks and Duo could see the Arabian pilot clearly. Looking around, Duo also saw Trowa who was holding the bottle of tequila Duo had downed. He was still in the study, but now a fire was burning softly in the grate. Shadows danced all around the room throwing sharp contrasts over the faces of his friends. Trowa was a mystery, his face completely dark, and his back to the fire with his hands in his pockets. Quatre was facing toward the fire on Duo’s one side, his face and the worry in it clearly illuminated in the flame light.
“How long have I been dead?” Duo smiled weakly at his own joke. That is how he felt anyway.
“None of us know. We couldn’t find you.” Quatre said gently. Duo was glad he was not shouting anymore.
Duo put the heel of his hands into his eyes and rubbed them. “What time is it?”
“It’s about 2:30.” Trowa said. Duo was once again glad no one was shouting anymore.
“In the afternoon?” Duo asked confused.
“In the morning.” Came a new voice. Duo froze when he heard it. The image was back before his eyes. It was as though a strobe light had been turned on. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. One second the image of the Heero thought trying to break through the pain pieces’ protective ball, the next second a new shadow emerging from the dark to stand on Duo’s left opposite of Quatre.
One Mississippi, image. Two Mississippi, step. Three Mississippi, image. Four Mississippi, step. Five Mississippi, image. That was the way Duo watched as Heero stepped out of the room’s shadows and came to stand beside him. There was a light in Heero’s eyes, something Duo did not understand. He did not say anything to Duo, just looked at him with that light shining in his eyes, mocking the dark spot in Duo’s brain. Trying to illuminate the protected place in Duo’s brain just like the Heero thought was trying to burst in. Then Heero opened his mouth as though to say something, but did not. That was when it happened. The last of the pain pieces fell away as the Heero thought smashed its way through the protective circle to the memory inside.
In his mind’s eye, Duo saw Heero open his mouth to say something, only to have it claimed by a pair of lips that did not belong to Duo. Hurt, anger, pain, love, hurt, betrayal, pain…all swirled inside of Duo. He was unable to say anything to Heero, but hoped that the glare he gave him was sufficient. Heero certainly seemed affected by it, because he averted his gaze. Quatre noticed the byplay and attempted to break the silence in the room.
“Duo, is there anything you need? A drink?”
“Yeah, there’s something I need. I need a new body, I’m sick of being Duo.”
Everyone was puzzled by Duo’s response except Duo himself. He was sick to death of being him, sick of loving Heero in fruitless hope, sick of being the “Fun” one, sick of being hurt, but most of all, sick of being alone. Duo sat with his hands on his head, holding it to keep it from breaking apart from the pressure of all the thoughts and feelings being corked up inside it. He could hear someone walking across the room and opening a door. There was a clink and a click as the door to whatever was closed, then the steps came in front of Duo. Duo sat back and looked up at Trowa, still holding a bottle of tequila, but this one was full. Trowa dropped it in Duo’s lap and gave him an understanding look, before he walked out. The light from the hallway spilled into the room as Trowa opened the door.
“Quatre, your guests are waiting.” Trowa said quietly, waiting in the doorway.
“Hm…yes, I can’t stay gone too long, the burdens of a host.” Quatre said with a smile. “
It was then Duo understood. Trowa somehow knew he needed to be alone with Heero. Trowa had given Duo the only help he could as a friend. As Duo watched Quatre get up and leave him alone with Heero, he understood what his options were. Duo could talk to Heero and resolve his feelings, or he could wait for Heero to leave and once again search for himself at the bottom of a bottle. Duo was silent, thinking, waiting for an indication from Heero, a sign to let him know what he should do.
An image of Hilde came to his mind, the one from earlier when she had looked at him so heatedly. Will that be me if I don’t talk to him? What if I can’t talk to him? How do I explain my problem without letting him know how I feel? Questions went in one of Duo’s ears and out the other, unanswered. I won’t end up like her. We may never be as good of friends as we once were all because we couldn’t talk to one another. We couldn’t because of…what? What were we scared of? Duo’s mind was made up in that instant. No matter how painful, embarrassing, hateful, whatever, this conversation was going to take place and there was no time like the present.
“Duo, Duo wake up.”
Someone was calling to him. Duo could also feel a slight shaking and with each shake something went through his head, a dull, aching type of pain.
“Duo, you have to wake up.”
“Unhhhh.” Duo moaned grumpily. He did not want to wake up. Something told him that waking up would be painful. The cavity where his brain was supposed to be felt like it was all liquid, as though his brain had melted and dripped out of his ear or something. The only thing it left behind was pain. Every time he was shaken, the shake shot up his head and shattered into a bunch of tiny pieces, each one sharp. The pieces kept biting Duo inside, right behind his eyes. It hurt, but not the kind of pain his body was telling him he was hiding from. The pain that Duo would have to face if he woke up.
“C’mon, Duo, wake up. Triton, Heero and I have been looking all over for you. Natalie said you were hurt.”
The shaking was getting more persistent making the pieces smaller and more numerous. His head hurt more and more each time the shaking was repeated. Words went through his mind, darting this way and that to avoid the pain pieces until they made it to the part of his brain that was still making sense of his thoughts. Triton? Who…Trowa…. Natalie…she’s such…cutie pie…Aunt Lena…Here Duo’s inside voice laughed causing the pain pieces to dart even faster to bite him, forcing Duo to stop laughing. Heero…something…as Heero’s name went through his head the pieces stopped being painful and started slowly circling around each other. They were forming some sort of ball, keeping something from Duo. Hiding something from him, shouting to him that he did not want to know what it was.
“He appears just to be drunk.” Another voice, different from the one trying to wake him stretched toward Duo.
The voice entered Duo’s mind and began circling the smaller pain pieces like a shark circles its prey. The raised questions in Duo, questions as to why he was drunk, curiosity began stirring in Duo. Why am I drunk? Duo asked the pieces huddled in a ball, hiding something from him. They darted into an even tighter ball, fiercely keeping him from seeing what was inside. The pieces cried out to him not to look, that to look was pain, immense pain, but the other voice that questioned saw another thought floating in the void of Duo’s brain. Heero…the questioning voice grasped the thought and flung it toward the pain pieces. It crashed into the ball and wriggled around, but was not strong enough to burst through. Maybe if I open my eyes…Duo thought.
Slowly, Duo opened one eye, it was odd, the vision that he saw. The open eye could see bleary shapes, forms that had no meaning for Duo. The other eye, the one still closed, held onto the image of the pieces, still protecting the ball with the questioning voice attempting to push the Heero thought into the midst of whatever the pain pieces were protecting. As Duo opened the other eye he could see some of the pain pieces falling away from the ball, but still not enough to allow the Heero thought inside, before the image was gone and Duo was left staring up with unfocused eyes.
“He’s awake.” A blurry white blob sitting close to him said. “I still can’t believe he drank an entire bottle of pure tequila.”
“Ugh! Not so loud.” Duo whispered as the white blob’s voice shouted through his mind. Blinking rapidly, Duo was able to make out a green and white blob standing slightly behind the white one. It looked as though he was holding something.
“The bottle is testament enough.” The green and white blob said.
Duo recognized the voice. It was the question voice that had fought to get through the pain pieces. Now that he thought, the other voice, the white blob’s voice, was the waking voice. They were still very loud.
“Duo, are you all right?” The waking voice, white blob asked.
“I will be…when I can see again…and think.” Duo said and put a hand to his head. He blinked again and this time was rewarded with a clearing of his vision. He looked again at the blobs. The white one was now a white one, with a washed out yellow top and blue crystal things. Another blink and the blurry outline of Quatre came into view. A few more blinks and Duo could see the Arabian pilot clearly. Looking around, Duo also saw Trowa who was holding the bottle of tequila Duo had downed. He was still in the study, but now a fire was burning softly in the grate. Shadows danced all around the room throwing sharp contrasts over the faces of his friends. Trowa was a mystery, his face completely dark, and his back to the fire with his hands in his pockets. Quatre was facing toward the fire on Duo’s one side, his face and the worry in it clearly illuminated in the flame light.
“How long have I been dead?” Duo smiled weakly at his own joke. That is how he felt anyway.
“None of us know. We couldn’t find you.” Quatre said gently. Duo was glad he was not shouting anymore.
Duo put the heel of his hands into his eyes and rubbed them. “What time is it?”
“It’s about 2:30.” Trowa said. Duo was once again glad no one was shouting anymore.
“In the afternoon?” Duo asked confused.
“In the morning.” Came a new voice. Duo froze when he heard it. The image was back before his eyes. It was as though a strobe light had been turned on. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. One second the image of the Heero thought trying to break through the pain pieces’ protective ball, the next second a new shadow emerging from the dark to stand on Duo’s left opposite of Quatre.
One Mississippi, image. Two Mississippi, step. Three Mississippi, image. Four Mississippi, step. Five Mississippi, image. That was the way Duo watched as Heero stepped out of the room’s shadows and came to stand beside him. There was a light in Heero’s eyes, something Duo did not understand. He did not say anything to Duo, just looked at him with that light shining in his eyes, mocking the dark spot in Duo’s brain. Trying to illuminate the protected place in Duo’s brain just like the Heero thought was trying to burst in. Then Heero opened his mouth as though to say something, but did not. That was when it happened. The last of the pain pieces fell away as the Heero thought smashed its way through the protective circle to the memory inside.
In his mind’s eye, Duo saw Heero open his mouth to say something, only to have it claimed by a pair of lips that did not belong to Duo. Hurt, anger, pain, love, hurt, betrayal, pain…all swirled inside of Duo. He was unable to say anything to Heero, but hoped that the glare he gave him was sufficient. Heero certainly seemed affected by it, because he averted his gaze. Quatre noticed the byplay and attempted to break the silence in the room.
“Duo, is there anything you need? A drink?”
“Yeah, there’s something I need. I need a new body, I’m sick of being Duo.”
Everyone was puzzled by Duo’s response except Duo himself. He was sick to death of being him, sick of loving Heero in fruitless hope, sick of being the “Fun” one, sick of being hurt, but most of all, sick of being alone. Duo sat with his hands on his head, holding it to keep it from breaking apart from the pressure of all the thoughts and feelings being corked up inside it. He could hear someone walking across the room and opening a door. There was a clink and a click as the door to whatever was closed, then the steps came in front of Duo. Duo sat back and looked up at Trowa, still holding a bottle of tequila, but this one was full. Trowa dropped it in Duo’s lap and gave him an understanding look, before he walked out. The light from the hallway spilled into the room as Trowa opened the door.
“Quatre, your guests are waiting.” Trowa said quietly, waiting in the doorway.
“Hm…yes, I can’t stay gone too long, the burdens of a host.” Quatre said with a smile. “
It was then Duo understood. Trowa somehow knew he needed to be alone with Heero. Trowa had given Duo the only help he could as a friend. As Duo watched Quatre get up and leave him alone with Heero, he understood what his options were. Duo could talk to Heero and resolve his feelings, or he could wait for Heero to leave and once again search for himself at the bottom of a bottle. Duo was silent, thinking, waiting for an indication from Heero, a sign to let him know what he should do.
An image of Hilde came to his mind, the one from earlier when she had looked at him so heatedly. Will that be me if I don’t talk to him? What if I can’t talk to him? How do I explain my problem without letting him know how I feel? Questions went in one of Duo’s ears and out the other, unanswered. I won’t end up like her. We may never be as good of friends as we once were all because we couldn’t talk to one another. We couldn’t because of…what? What were we scared of? Duo’s mind was made up in that instant. No matter how painful, embarrassing, hateful, whatever, this conversation was going to take place and there was no time like the present.
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