"H'lo, you've reached the Sweepers Group, what can we do ya for?" No face appeared before the vidscreen, only the back of a bright floral print shirt.
"Hey, Howie, thought we'd better touch base 'fore you started wondering if we'd dropped off the planet." Duo snickered as something crashed to the floor and Howard spun to face the vidphone.
"*Je-*sus*, Kid, 'bout damn time you two checked in!" Howard scolded, crossing his arms and glaring at the screen. "Got a pile of mail here for Yuy that's threatenin' to take over the damn office."
Duo's grin faded and he sighed, shooting a sideways glance over to where Heero stood out of range of the vidphone. "Junkmail?" he asked hopefully.
"Not 'less the Vice Foreign Minister's taken on a new occupation stuffin' envelopes," was the dry answer.
Heero pantomimed crumpling something up and dunking it basketball-style. Duo snickered and told Howard, "Yep, that's junkmail alright. Least as far as Heero's concerned. Just toss it. Anything else?"
"Had a coupla worried-soundin' calls from young Winner. He seemed to think somethin' was up with Yuy. Told him I'd tell you two he called. He wanted to talk to you."
"Oh." Duo gave Heero a questioning look and received a silent headshake in return. No, he hadn't really expected Heero to be willing to talk to Quatre. The blond wanted to help but he'd never quite understood that in Heero's case, talking did *not* usually help. What Heero needed was just a supportive presence while he worked through things for himself.
"Uh, Howie, could you maybe just give him a call back and tell him we're okay?"
Howard gave a very put-upon sigh and mock-grumbled, "Oh, I suppose."
"Thank you, Howard," Heero offered, stepping up beside Duo.
"No problem," Howard said dismissively. His eyes narrowed and he looked Heero over sharply. Duo knew that he was noting the cast and still-bandaged wrist. They'd started leaving Heero's wrists and ankles open to the air when they were in their hotel room in the evening but they kept them bandaged the rest of the time. The wounds were healing but still very tender and vulnerable to further injury and to infection; it was best to keep them well-protected when in public.
"You two really okay?" Howard demanded.
"Yeah," Duo answered at the same time as Heero said quietly, "Yes."
Howard chuckled and nodded, the concern subsiding from his stance and gaze. "Guess so. Well, you know where to find me if ya need anything..."
"Yeah, we do. Thanks, Howie."
Howard waved in obvious dismissal and the vidscreen went blank. Duo just grinned. Howard knew better than to ask him when he'd check in again. He wasn't about to do so on a regular schedule; it was much simpler for Howard to be able to honestly say that he didn't know when they'd call if anyone asked. And Duo knew that Quatre, for one, *would* ask.
Quatre and the others would just have to wait. When the time was right, when Heero was ready, then he and Heero would get in touch with them again. Till then � well, he and Heero were doing just fine on their own.
_-_
"Ready?"
Duo took one last glance around the hotel room and nodded. "Yep, all packed and ready to go." He followed Heero out of the room, rested and prepared to hit the road again.
Just as Duo had hoped, the few days that they'd stayed at the hotel had made a big difference in Heero. He was moving much more fluidly now, his muscles healing and responding to the careful workout regimen that he had started. His wrists and ankles were still tender from the chafing caused by the restraints, but they were no longer raw. The cast, of course, would linger for a few more weeks.
Duo was most satisfied with Heero's mental and emotional improvement though. Heero was still quieter and more reserved than he had been before the incident with Relena, and Duo still had to soothe away the beginnings of nightmares at least a couple of times each night, but Heero was thinking clearly and showing something damn close to actual enthusiasm for their travel plans.
'I'm not exactly complaining about waking up with him draped all over me every morning either...' Duo thought as they climbed into the car and prepared to head out. He still wasn't sure what that development meant; maybe it was just the comfort of a warm body that drew Heero. Or maybe it was simply Heero subconsciously anticipating the nightmares and seeking the assurance that he wasn't alone, that Duo, someone he trusted, was there with him. Or maybe it was something entirely different. Right now, Duo really didn't care. He just enjoyed the show of trust from his best friend and didn't worry about the why.
Maybe one of these mornings, Heero would even stop being embarrassed and trying to apologize.
_-_
'Ah-hah! There they are...' Duo grabbed a couple of boxes of waterproof matches and added them to the shopping cart of camping supplies. They'd spent a couple of weeks touring museums and staying at hotels but now that Heero's almost-healed wrist was the only real remaining physical injury to worry about, they were going to start camping out and heading for the natural wonders on their list of places to see.
Heading back up to the front of the sporting goods store, Duo wondered where Heero had wandered off to. The waterproof matches had been the last thing on their supply list...
It took a few minutes of searching but Duo finally located Heero on the far side of the store in the motorcycle and ATV dealership that shared the building. The "Ready to go?" that he'd been about to call died unspoken. He watched as Heero ran a covetous hand lightly over the sleek curves of a touring cycle. The yearning in Heero's eyes had Duo calculating just how much they could get for the staid, reliable car that had carried them so many miles already.
He really wasn't all that attached to the car and he doubted that Heero was either. It was just a practical, economical vehicle that they'd bought so that they weren't stuck relying on the city's distinctly unreliable public transit system. They'd shared the car because the apartment only had one parking space assigned to it and they didn't really *need* more than one vehicle anyway.
'Besides, if we're going to go to all the places on our list, we'll have to fly or go by ship... Taking a motorcycle with us wouldn't be too hard if we trade a little repair work or manual labour for rides with Sweepers but taking a car would be just plain impossible...'
Stepping over to a rack of leatherwear, Duo grabbed a dark brown jacket in Heero's size. "Hey, Heero � catch!" he called, tossing it in Heero's direction. Heero turned and caught it automatically.
"Duo?" Heero queried, looking in puzzlement from the jacket in his hands to Duo.
Duo snagged a black jacket for himself off of the rack before asking speculatively, "Think we can trim down our supplies enough to fit 'em on that bike with the two of us?"
"Of course. These bikes are meant for..." Heero stopped in mid-sentence as the meaning of Duo's question sank in.
"Never much liked that car anyway... Too damn dull and practical..." Duo observed, struggling to keep a straight face. "It'll take a few days to sell it and get a bike bought and licensed... Good thing the Preventers made sure we were licensed to drive pretty much anything with wheels and fly anything with wings..." He couldn't keep the grin off his face any longer as Heero stared disbelievingly at him. "What?"
"You're serious?"
Shrugging, Duo said, "Sure, why not? It'll be fun. And if we work for our flights on Sweeper shuttles instead of flying commercial, we can take it with us when we start continent-hopping." He grinned at Heero and after a stunned moment got a rare, beautiful, genuine Heero-Yuy-smile in return.
"It *would* be fun..."
Duo slung his arm around Heero's shoulders, turning them both back to look at the bikes on display again. "*Will* be, Heero. It *will* be fun." Anything that got a real smile like *that* out of Heero was *definitely* going to happen. Duo would make damn sure of it. "So � you got a favourite picked out already?"
"Well..." As Heero moved from one motorcycle to another describing their pros and cons, Duo just followed along and kept grinning happily.
He sure as hell didn't like the events that had started this all off, nor did he like the lingering effects of those events on Heero's health and general well-being, but Duo was starting to think that getting away from Preventers, away from their pasts, had quite possibly been a very good thing. They still might end up deciding to go back to Preventers once they'd had a long enough break but seeing Heero's interest in things *other* than work was making him realize just how focused on their jobs they had both been. They hadn't really taken the time to explore the planet that they now lived on or to develop hobbies or to do much of anything for fun other than playing a little one-on-one at the Preventers gym or watching a little television.
'I don't think I'll ever be *glad* that Relena did what she did � but it would be damn nice if something good ended up coming from it...' And as he and his best friend good-naturedly argued over the relative merits of the motorcycles that they were looking at, Duo was starting to think that maybe it already had...
_-_
Waking to a now-familiar weight resting against him, Duo smiled softly as he realized that he'd only woken once to soothe Heero's restless dreams during the night. 'Maybe finally gettin' rid of the cast helped...' he thought. It would make sense; despite the fact that it was relatively light the cast would still have been a solid, unwieldy reminder of what had happened.
"Hey, Heero � wake up, buddy..." Duo murmured quietly. "Time to go if we want to see the show..." He hated to give up this early morning time that he usually got to just lie and enjoy having Heero curled trustingly against him, but they'd wanted to see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. They should have just enough time to make it to a good viewing spot if they got moving right away.
Heero stirred sleepily in response to Duo's soft words. "Okay..." He shifted off of Duo's arm and reached over to unzip the shared sleeping bag. Duo grinned happily at a morning *without* the attempted apology for sleeping draped over him but did *not* mention the omission.
They dressed in companionable silence, donning an extra layer beneath their jackets before venturing out into the distinctly chill air. They quickly broke camp and loaded their gear before climbing onto the motorcycle for the short trip to the canyon rim. Duo revved the bike carefully, listening for any problems, while Heero climbed on behind him. Now that Heero had quit wearing the cast, it would only be a short time before they'd start trading off on the driving. And as much as Duo had been enjoying having Heero's arms wrapped around his waist and Heero's solid warmth pressed against his back, he was looking forward to switching places part of the time. It got damn cold in front sometimes. And he was anticipating getting a chance to really look around and enjoy the scenery instead of having to concentrate on the road all of the time. Not to mention having a chance to ride with his arms around Heero and his cheek against Heero's shoulder. Arriving at the canyon rim with time to spare, they managed to get a good spot to watch the sunrise despite the fact that there were already many others there for the same reason. Duo found himself stealing surreptitious sidelong glances at Heero even more than he was watching the sunrise. The rapt wonder on his best friend's face was a more beautiful and interesting sight than the spectacular show being put on by the rising sun. The privilege of seeing such an open expression on Heero's face was something that Duo would always cherish.
As the pinks and oranges slowly faded from the sky, Heero sighed appreciatively. Duo bumped shoulders with him lightly. "Nature sure puts on one hell of a show..." he murmured.
Heero nodded and agreed, "Yes." They stood there a little while longer, shoulder-to-shoulder, just enjoying the view and each other's company. Finally, Heero drew a deep breath and commented, "Guess we'd better get moving if we want to take the daytrip we booked."
"Yeah, guess so..." Duo acknowledged reluctantly. Fun as the mule ride down into the canyon had sounded when they'd booked it, he hated bringing an end to this quiet moment together. 'There'll be more,' he reminded himself silently as they turned to head off to the ride's departure site. 'Lots more...'
They had many more places to visit and lots more time to spend together along the way.
_-_
"Do I have control issues?"
Duo blinked, certain that he must have misheard Heero. He set aside the Niagara Falls guidebook that he'd been studying by firelight and turned his full attention towards his friend. "Sorry, Heero, I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?"
Heero met his gaze for a moment before swallowing uncomfortably, dropping his eyes to the fire, and repeating, "Do I have control issues?"
'O-kaay... Guess he's finally ready to talk about some of that crap...' Duo considered and discarded several possible responses. He wasn't about to lie to Heero and he couldn't honestly answer that particular question in the negative...
"Yeah," Duo admitted. Heero winced but Duo kept talking, adding nonchalantly, "And I'm a slob with packrat tendencies. So what?
"Nobody's perfect, Heero. We're all products of our pasts.
"In your case, you need things organized and you need to be in control of yourself and your surroundings as much as possible. Part of that comes from your training, sure. But it's entirely possible that some of it's just part of your own personality.
"In my case, I hate to throw anything out because even so-called 'junk' is always good for *something* and I know what it's like to have to rely on those odds and ends just to survive. So if I'm left to my own devices, I accumulate all kinds of 'stuff' and don't have anywhere to put it all and the mess just doesn't really bother me � hey, I've seen a hell of a lot worse � so I just end up being a slob."
"But..." Heero started to interrupt.
Duo held up his hand and said, "I know, I know. But I didn't leave a huge mess in our apartment and I keep things mostly picked up while we're on the road, right?"
Heero nodded, his brow wrinkled in confusion.
"I *did* say 'if I'm left to my own devices', remember? And I haven't been. I've been with you and I know that *you* like things neat and organized. So I try not to let things get too messy. But look around, Heero. Is this the way the campsite would look if you were on your own?"
Obediently gazing around the campsite, Heero's confused look faded away. "No," he said. "I would have packed all the cooking utensils back up once they were clean... Kept out just a change of clothing for morning and loaded the rest back up tonight..."
"Right. We've lived and worked together long enough that we've learned how to compromise."
"But... having control issues is bad... Isn't it?"
Duo shrugged. "A shrink might say so. Doesn't bother me, though. It's just part of who you are.
"I don't think you're unreasonable about it, Heero. You can and do compromise on things. And it's not like you try to control everybody else; you just want to have the final say over anything that you're personally involved in or that's important to you in some way."
Pausing for a few moments to let Heero think about what he'd already said, Duo watched as Heero unconsciously rubbed the fading scars on his wrists. Duo rose and moved to Heero's side. He sank to his knees and traced his own fingers gently over the marks, feeling the tension in Heero's muscles. Softly, carefully, Duo offered, "I wouldn't have reacted any better to bein' drugged, stripped, and chained up, Heero. Only difference is I'd have dislocated joints and broken bones on purpose to squeeze my hands through the cuffs, not broken 'em by accident tryin' to bust the chain."
Startled blue eyes met his own. "Really?"
Duo nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Really." He stayed where he was, gently massaging Heero's wrists and hands until the tension gradually drained from the muscles and tendons.
"Thank you..." Heero said softly as Duo finally drew away. Duo knew that he was referring to more than just the wrist massage.
"Anytime, buddy. Anytime..." he responded with a soft smile.
_-_
"Thanks, Ike!" Duo shouted cheerfully, turning to give the pilot a final wave before following Heero � who was pushing their heavily-laden motorcycle � out of the hangar. They'd helped load, unload, and reload the Sweeper ship, standing in for a crew member who had taken a few days off for his daughter's birthday, in exchange for transportation for themselves and the bike.
Duo had half-expected Heero to want to buy a second motorcycle once his wrist was fully functional again, but the subject had never been raised. Despite the fact that sharing a bike meant that they had to pack very carefully and do laundry pretty often, Duo certainly wasn't about to make the suggestion himself. He enjoyed riding together too much for that. And traveling light wasn't anything new for either of them anyway.
Swinging onto the bike behind Heero, Duo double-checked that his braid was firmly tucked down inside his jacket before fastening the strap on his helmet and sliding his arms around Heero. Heero's hand settled over his and squeezed lightly. "Ready?" Heero asked.
"Ready!" Duo answered happily. He pressed his face against Heero's back, inhaling the scent of body-warmed leather and gasoline and oil and a faint hint of the citrusy shampoo that they were both using, and then the motorcycle was in motion, weaving its way through the busy streets of London.
_-_
"Ouch," Duo muttered as he straightened from driving in the last tent peg.
"I told you not to move those crates on your own," Heero observed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Duo grumbled, rubbing his aching back. He *had* known better but he'd been in a hurry to get the ship unloaded so that they could leave early enough to make it to Warwick today and visit the castle tomorrow, just in time for the last day of the jousting tournament. Well, they'd made it to Warwick, but if he stiffened up half as much as he suspected he was going to, he wasn't going to enjoy tomorrow very much. 'Assuming I can even move in the morning... Good thing we ate a hot meal on the way through the last town; I have absolutely *no* interest in doing anything other than lying down right now...'
Ducking into the tent, Duo stifled a groan. He'd really overdone it, especially considering that he'd then spent the rest of the day sitting on the back of a motorcycle, slowly stiffening up. He started to change into his sleep clothes � workout pants and a T-shirt � only to have the shirt whisked away before he could put it on.
"Lie down," Heero said firmly. "My turn to make *you* feel better." Spotting the bottle of massage oil in Heero's hands, Duo obediently stretched out on the towel-covered sleeping bag. It felt a little bit weird being on the receiving end of the massage for a change and it fucking *hurt* when Heero hit the worst knots in his back. But as Heero continued to massage and his muscles started to relax, it felt so damn good...
Heero had to wake Duo up in order to get him off the towels and into the sleeping bag. Duo gave him a sleepy smile. "Thanks, Heero," he murmured.
Smiling faintly in return, Heero answered, "Anytime, Duo. Anytime."
_-_
Waking to the sound of sleet hitting the window, Duo was very thankful that they'd decided *not* to camp out last night. It would have been pretty damn miserable. Somehow, he didn't think that they'd be heading out to see Stonehenge today. It was far more likely that they'd just stay put at the bed and breakfast until the weather cleared. Visiting the ancient site in the midst of sleet and freezing rain wouldn't be much fun, and riding the motorcycle in weather like this would be downright stupid.
Heero stirred against him. "Guess we don't need to rush to get up..." he murmured quietly.
"Nope," Duo agreed. "Sounds pretty awful out there. Think maybe it's time to head for a warmer climate..." They'd made it partway through their list of sites in the UK that they wanted to visit but they were getting past fall and into winter now and the weather was becoming downright miserable for camping out and touring by motorcycle.
"We can always come back some other time," Heero agreed. Duo was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Heero made no offer to shift away from him. It *was* chill in the room and they *were* nice and cozy cuddled together under the covers like this... But Heero's apparent ease with the situation still surprised him and he intended to enjoy every minute of it.
For a while, they just listened to the wind and the sleet striking the window. Duo was close to dozing back off to sleep when Heero offered softly, "I feel safe again. Have for a while now...
"If you want to go back..."
"Do *you* want to?" Duo asked in an equally soft voice. He honestly didn't care what they did. If Heero was happy, or at least content, then he was.
The head resting on his shoulder started to nod, stopped, then shook slightly in negation. "No," Heero admitted. "I..."
Duo waited for a few moments, then prompted cautiously, "Heero, if you want to talk about it, go ahead. If not, hey, that's okay too."
Heero sighed softly. "Most of it's still a confused jumble... Disjointed sounds, images... I don't really know how much of what I remember is real and how much was from the drugs..."
He was silent again for several long minutes and Duo wondered whether maybe that was as much as Heero intended to say. He really hadn't been certain whether Heero would ever be ready to talk about it at all but he was certainly prepared to listen if Heero did want to talk.
When Heero began to speak again, his voice was flat and controlled. "I remember escorting Relena to the party. She flirted like usual and I just ignored it like I always did. Even if I'd been interested in her that way, it would have been � inappropriate � to respond; I was on duty." His voice faltered and sounded very slightly bewildered as he said, "I could never seem to make her understand that..."
"I know," Duo responded simply. Une had personally lectured Relena on proper security protocol on at least one occasion that he knew of. He'd requested her interference himself after watching Heero spend an entire masquerade ball politely but firmly refusing Relena's attempts to drag him away from his assigned security post in order to dance with her. He didn't think that Une's lecture had accomplished a whole hell of a lot. True, Relena had � mostly � stopped trying to distract Heero when he was on general security detail but she seemed to think that when he was assigned to her personally, his duties had more to do with being her date than being her bodyguard.
Heero's voice was virtually expressionless again as he continued, "I remember the limousine ride back to her estate. It had been a long day and I was tired. I just wanted to see her safely inside and go home but she kept pestering me to come in for a nightcap. I finally agreed just to shut her up. I remember Pargan pulling through the front gates but things start to get blurry after that."
"Considering what she dosed you with, you're doin' pretty well to remember that much of the evening," Duo commented. He knew that Heero wouldn't like the hole in his memory anymore than the rest of what had happened.
"I suppose. I just..." Heero paused, then blurted out, "I should have realized something was wrong. There must have been something that she said or did; some warning sign that I missed..."
"You trusted her," Duo said. "Heero, there was no reason for you to even be *looking* for a warning sign. Not from her. You trusted her and she abused that trust. Her mistake, not yours. Not your fault, buddy. You didn't do anything wrong." Very softly, he whispered, "You didn't fail."
Heero's head moved against Duo's shoulder in a single, sharp negation of his statement. Duo bit his tongue and forced himself to stay silent. Arguing the point any further right now would be a mistake. He would only end up making Heero even more stubborn on the issue. For the moment, he'd planted the idea that the whole thing was Relena's fault, not, by some twisted logic, Heero's own fault for not having realized that Relena was up to something. 'Let it go. He'll worry away at the idea for a while and he'll eventually come around. Just have to let him reach his own conclusions in his own time.'
"I really don't remember a lot more," Heero said finally. "Just � impressions. Feelings. Being blind. Vulnerable. Trapped.
"Struggling. Knowing that I was hurting myself but being desperate to break free...
"I don't know how long it took for me to get loose. I don't remember actually *getting* loose. Or getting out of the mansion or finding the shed...
"I remember hearing a voice calling me, coaxing me to come out of the building. But I couldn't think clearly enough to figure out what to do... That was you, wasn't it?"
Duo nodded, "Yeah, I tried to coax you first. When that didn't work, I changed tactics..."
Heero's arm shifted from just lying folded against Duo's side to wrap over his chest in an awkward hug. "*That* I understood. The tone, the military designation... I still couldn't think clearly and I didn't really know what the hell was going on but it was something familiar, something that made sense..."
"I figured it was most likely to get through to you..." Duo murmured. The arm wrapped around him tightened and Heero nodded silently.
There was another long pause before Heero finally said, "It felt so good to get the restraints off... And your coat was so warm and it smelled like you � like your shampoo and aftershave... I still didn't understand what had happened but you seemed to know what to do..." His voice trailed off and he fell silent again for a few minutes.
"You knew I'd pick Sloan, didn't you?"
The question, softly though it was voiced, rang loudly in the quiet of the room. "Yeah," Duo admitted. "I knew you would."
"But you still gave me a choice."
"You needed one." The simple statement summed things up quite neatly. Heero had had control taken away from him, completely and forcibly. Duo had handed it back. He hadn't been able to offer Heero the choice of not going to the doctor at all; his injuries had been too serious to leave them untreated. But Duo *had* been able to give him a choice as to *which* doctor. The fact that he knew which one Heero would pick didn't mean that he shouldn't give Heero the chance to make that decision.
Heero didn't directly respond to Duo's statement. He simply stayed curled against Duo's side, arm wrapped around him, making no motion whatsoever towards getting up. Duo just closed his eyes and relaxed, enjoying the contact. He was already beginning to slip back into sleep by the time a very, very soft "Thank you" accompanied by a careful tightening of the arm around him finally took place.
